‘Another coffee,’ Pinto called to the waiter.
‘Another coffee? I thought you wanted to keep your monthly budget in control!’ Lavanya teased Pinto.
‘How did you assume I was going to pay? You, carry on.’
‘Lavanya smiled and continued, ‘Initially Asim said, “It’ll be really unnecessarily expensive. Let’s go to Singapore.’’’
‘I was confused and surprised as it was equally expensive to go to Singapore. I requested Asim again, saying, “I want to see the city where you work.”’ Asim’s parents took my side and insisted we go to Dubai. Asim finally buckled.’
Pinto tried to lighten the mood, ‘So you flew to Dubai. You sat in an airplane. What is an airplane like? Is it scary? Tell me about your experience. And what was Dubai like?’
Lavanya showed how much he’d upset her. ‘I’m talking about something serious and you are worried about the airplane and Dubai? Yes, Dubai has a perfect blend of East and West. We really had a good time in Dubai, visited shopping malls, admiring the high-rise buildings, and staying at the Hilton by Jumeirah Beach.’
‘A strange thing happened when we bumped into an Indian woman unexpectedly and she asked, “How are you, Asim? Who is she?” Pointing towards me.’
‘Asim responded, “She is a friend visiting from India.” I was shocked wondering why he hadn’t introduced me as his wife.’
‘The woman went on to ask, “And where is Alex?”’
‘Asim said, “Alex is busy with work.”’
Pinto had no idea what to say. He made a childish comment, ‘I know it now. Asim was a homo.’ Lavanya couldn’t stop her laughter: ‘Your imagination is great. No wonder you solve all the tricky JEE problems. But this is life, Mr Pinto. You are wrong.’
Pinto suddenly realized he had grown older in a matter of minutes. Lavanya took another sip of coffee, which was still lukewarm, and resumed talking. ‘I developed some doubts from Asim’s strange behaviour, but was reassured to some extent when he said he didn’t introduce me as his wife because he wanted to throw a surprise party. On that night, Asim got a call on his hotel landline which made his face white. He started going out in his evening suit and just mentioned, ‘I have to leave immediately as my colleague is in an accident.’ I was worried and concerned. After some time, I began calling Asim on his cellphone but he didn’t take my calls.’ ‘Surprisingly, I got a message from the hotel reception instead: ‘Ma’am, Mr Asim Pandey has conveyed there is nothing to worry about, but he will be late so you should sleep.’
I asked anxiously, ‘Do you know how his friend is.?’
‘I was relieved when the receptionist answered, “He is out of danger.’’’
‘It made me think about my father, who had died tragically ten years earlier when I was a kid, and how devastating it was. It changed our lives forever.’
It was difficult to tell whether Pinto was taking interest or not. But he was decent enough to act as if he was seriously into this story. ‘I’m sorry to hear about your father.’
Lavanya had no one else to share her grief with. So she continued, ‘My mother had to accept a peon’s job in the same office where my father was an officer.’
‘Sitting at the Hilton in Dubai, I didn’t know that I was going to face the biggest “accident” of my life. I was experiencing a little bit of a headache so I asked room service if I could get a cup of coffee.’
Pinto had no exposure to lavish places so he’d demonstrate his foolishness from time to time, ‘How does coffee taste at the Hilton? What do they put in it? How much does it cost? I’m pretty sure you don’t like the coffee here.’
This time Lavanya was not upset. She just displayed a little irritation at Pinto’s innocence. ‘You started again? I love the coffee here. Why do you interrupt so much?’
‘The hotel staff told me that the coffee-maker was in the room,’ she rushed on before Pinto could barge into her story again, ‘or they had a 24-7 coffee shop downstairs at the lobby level’.
‘It was my first experience of staying in a hotel. I didn’t know how to use the Western-style coffee-maker so I decided to go downstairs to the coffee shop.’
Pinto couldn’t stop himself again, ‘So what is a Western-style coffee-maker? Is it something like the espresso-dispenser we have at marriage parties? When I go to a wedding reception, the first thing I do is make a bee-line for the espresso machine.’
Lavanya was growing even more annoyed. ‘So you want to know about the plane, Dubai and the coffee-maker. Let me also tell you all about the Hilton, its floors, toilets and how beautiful Jet Airways stewardesses are.’
Pinto was nonplussed, ‘Sorry, I feel for you. Please carry on. By the way, still, tell me the stewardess stuff later.’
Lavanya continued, pretending not to have heard him. ‘To my utter shock, I found Asim sitting in the lobby with a white woman. She seemed to be upset, but at the same time, they appeared to me to be very close as well. She looked much older than Asim.’
‘I confronted Asim and said, “Asim, how come you’re here?”’ ‘Asim was red-faced. He just said, “Alex dropped me to the hotel so I was just chatting with her.’’’
‘Now, of course, I understood who Alex was. When his Indian friend had mentioned “Alex” in the shopping mall, I assumed it was a man because I didn’t know that Alex could be a female name as well.’
Pinto interrupted again, ‘I’m relieved that he was not a homo.’
Lavanya went on, ignoring Pinto, ‘Alex looked at Asim and said bluntly, “Oh, so, this is your new lady. She’s gorgeous.’’
‘I was a bit puzzled. ‘What does “new” mean?’ I asked. ‘Suddenly, Alex grew wild and started shouting, “Asim, you are going to go to jail!’’
‘Asim was highly defensive; he tried to calm Alex down and suggested they talk in the hotel room. By this time, I knew something was going horribly wrong in my life. We gathered in the hotel room and I got the full picture. Asim confessed, ‘‘I am already married to Alex.’’
‘My jaw hit the floor, I tried to scream but I couldn’t. I wanted to run away but I couldn’t move. Asim explained, “I wanted to tell my parents but did not have the courage to. Alex is a white woman ten years older than me, a hairdresser. How could my parents be persuaded to accept an older foreign hairdresser in place of the budding engineer they had chosen as my bride?’’’
‘I was traumatized. I could not feel the ground below my feet. I had no idea how to react. I didn’t cry. I didn’t shout. I asked Asim with a lot of patience and courage, “What was my fault? What’s next for me, Asim?’’’
‘Asim proclaimed, “I cannot leave either of you. I’ll live with Alex in Dubai and will be with you in India.” Suddenly, the guy appeared so cheap to me. How could he say that? There was no legal or moral ground to support what he wanted to do.’
‘I told him, “I am not your part-time mistress. You need to let me return to India and give me a divorce.” I heard that happiness is fleeting, but this came out to be just momentary.’
Pinto was about to use a bad word to describe Alex and Asim but stopped. Now he was really knee-deep in the story.
‘Alex wasn’t a bad person, she loved Asim from the bottom of her heart and it appeared he loved her as much. Being Westernized in her beliefs, Alex was open to this archaic idea of a plural relationship that Asim wanted, but she felt a bit insecure because she was much older than me.’
‘Asim told his parents he had a girlfriend but could not reveal they had gotten married. The way his parents reacted after hearing his love story, he would never have had courage to tell them the truth. Initially, he thought he could just give consent to marrying a poor girl in India, then go there once in a while. While in Dubai, he’d enjoy his life with Alex. He never thought that a girl from a poor Indian family would immediately ask for a divorce.’
‘Alex also knew Asim would face some pressure to do with marrying a suitable girl of his parents’ choice back in India, but didn’t know he w
ould actually get married. Overall, the situation for both of us was paralyzingly awkward. Alex was an independent lady, loving, but aggressive. She’d not have hesitated to send her husband to jail.’
‘On the other hand, I was a submissive person.’
Pinto tried to lighten the mood again. ‘You don’t look like a submissive person. You took my notebook and dragged me here on your own.’
Lavanya was interested in completing her story that very day. ‘See, I was dependent on my mother and in-laws and at least, at that time, I was just afraid. In a foreign country where polygamy is legal, where I didn’t know anybody and didn’t have any money, I wasn’t sure what to do next and also, I was unsure what Asim would do to me. When I proposed a divorce from Asim, Alex was happy and relieved.
‘The next day, I went back to my mother in Lucknow, she was equally shocked with the story and called my in-laws. My father-in-law just said, “We are extremely sorry. There must be some confusion. Let us call you back after talking to Asim.’’
‘Surprisingly, no call came for a week. I was certain that they knew everything and I was just being made use of in their dastardly plan. I was thinking, “Why would they call when they have nothing to say?’’ How disgusting it is for a family to use someone’s poor daughter for their son’s pleasure and social display.’
‘My mother didn’t have the money and resources to fight a case in court. My dreams were shattered. I had no mission now. All the happiness was gone in one blow. I had no idea how my mother and I would recover from it.
‘India is a wonderful country. All the laws, whether social or legal, are for the poor. If I went out on the street to buy groceries, street loafers would shout dirty comments… “She went for fun in Dubai, had a good time, now she is ready to have fun again, but the question is, who is going to be the lucky one?’’’
‘Son of a b…. ’ Pinto stopped himself in time. He was not sure why he was so angry.
‘If I had a car, nobody would even notice me or know where I was going. If I was rich, nobody in my community would have bothered much if I had left my husband… at least not to this extent. In these circumstances I even contemplated suicide.’
‘That would have been a cowardly act!’ Pinto exclaimed immediately.
‘It’s easy to pass judgement but only the person who suffers can understand the extent of the sorrow. One day, out of the blue, my in-laws called. They requested that I visit them in Kanpur. I knew that they’d just preach that I should give Asim some more time. Things would be okay eventually.’
‘Did you visit them?’ Pinto asked.
‘Did I have a choice? Typically, in these situations, families fight, but here, it was a totally different situation. Asim’s father, Yogendra, along with his mother Manisha, gave us two options.’
‘He said, “I am very much ashamed of what my son has done, but I also find myself guilty to some extent. First, because he is my son and secondly, we had some idea about his girlfriend which we didn’t disclose to you. Had we known about his marriage in Dubai, we would not have allowed his marriage to a different girl to take place in India. I know it is a crime. If you want to drag Asim to the court, I have no problem. We’d appear on your side.”
‘Papajee had hung his head before saying what must have been the most difficult words he’d spoken in his life. “There is another option that we beg you to take. Stay with us as our daughter, not as our daughter-in-law. My wife and I always wanted a girl, so you’ll come as a blessing to our now empty house, since we have broken off all relationship with our son. It has also broken our hearts to do so, but there is something known as family honour—and family debts. We’ll help you get the divorce and also, with your studies. We’d ideally like to get you married after your studies.”’
Pinto, who was patiently hearing this out so far, suddenly spoke, ‘I think the old man is cunning. If you file a case, he’d also go to jail.’
Lavanya made a gesture as if to say there was more to tell. ‘In the beginning,’ she admitted, ‘I also thought so but I accepted their offer as I couldn’t do anything else. Now I’m confident that these folks are genuine, unlike their son. So, last year, while I took admission in coaching, I was also going through the divorce process. I couldn’t concentrate on my studies.’
Pinto felt sorry for her. ‘My God,’ he said with feeling, ‘how much you’ve gone through. I never thought life could be so difficult for one so young. But it’s good that your in-laws are supportive.’
Lavanya’s trust in her in-laws was apparent. ‘My in-laws understood why I couldn’t make the grade the first time so they told me to go for coaching once more, this time with more concentration. That’s why I’m here once again. They are really great human beings.’
Pinto was impressed with this lady. At the age when some girls and boys were enjoying relationships without any liability, she had gone through hell and emerged unscathed in spirit. Pinto said, ‘I salute your courage. You can come to me if you have any difficulty with studies. And also don’t spend so much time having coffee if you want to do well in the engineering entrance exams.’
Slowly, they developed a close friendship. Pinto was too dedicated to his studies and didn’t want to be emotionally attached to anyone. Lavanya felt guilty for having spent so much of her in-laws’ money the previous year.
At the same time, she had an experience with a love relationship though it only lasted for a week. She had a broken heart so she was more vulnerable right then. She started feeling a little inclination towards Pinto, but she wasn’t sure about him. She’d complain, ‘You are a boring guy, always lost in your studies, concentrating only on theta, beta and zeta.’
But Pinto was caring, always available to Lavanya, was very serious, and never crossed the line with her other than breaking into a few four-letter words which boys cannot avoid doing. In fact, the problem was that he never tried to be romantic.
SEVEN
I
n May, when most of the kids had summer vacation, Pinto, Rahul, Ranjan, Lavanya, and several thousand dedicated souls like them appeared for the JEE exam. Mr Trivedi arrived at the examination centre to encourage the kids to do their best. ‘The results are going to set your future direction; those who clear it will be working in high posts around the country and abroad,’ he cheered them on. Later, Mr Trivedi told their anxiously waiting parents, ‘It will also test your patience, to decide whether you will allow your children to get admitted to coaching again, if they are not able to make it in the first attempt.’
Some of the parents thought it was a marketing pitch from Mr Trivedi for his coaching centre.
But Ram agreed, ‘It isn’t just an exam for our children, it is an exam for the entire family. Believe it or not, some of the families are even expecting that if their son is selected in JEE, his elder sister will get better marriage proposals.’
By 5:00 p.m. in the evening, their fate was locked in answer scripts. Next morning, Pinto and Rahul said goodbye to their neighbours and landlord in Kanpur, and started back to Orai with their parents. Pinto didn’t even get a chance to meet Lavanya.
Rahul asked, ‘What are your plans for the summer?’ Pinto suggested, ‘Why don’t we start preparing for the test again? Who knows if we will be selected. At least we’d not have wasted our time.’ Rahul liked the idea.
Time flew. Rahul came to remind Pinto practically at dawn, ‘Today is JEE result day. The IIT office opens at 10:00 a.m. so we can call and find out our fate.’
Pinto murmured, ‘I’m so nervous.’
Rahul laughed, ‘I’m not, as the astrologer has already told me that my chances are not very high. My parents are also prepared. Though I used to chant Shani mantra 108 times every day, you never know. Also, I missed it a couple of times.’
Pinto was as usual a bit disapproving. ‘Better you spent that time in studies rather than chanting the mantra. Anyway… let’s see. Hope for the best.’
Around 8:00 a.m., an elderly man from Pinto’s nei
ghbourhood, Mr Anand Kaushik, came to his house to hand over a letter to his father. He asked Pinto, ‘Why do you look so stressed out?’
‘I’m waiting for the JEE results,’ Pinto said tensely.
Mr Kaushik said to him in a whisper, ‘Here is a mantra from Ramcharitmanas, chant it a hundred times before the results are out. You’ll be successful. But remember, I give this to only special people. Don’t share it with anyone.’
By this time, Rahul was back at the door. ‘Let’s go to the PCO (Public Call Office),’ he said urgently.
Pinto told him what Mr Kaushik had said, and asked Rahul to wait, ‘I need to chant this a hundred times.’
Rahul was surprised, ‘But you never believed in those things. You didn’t wait for that astrologer to tell you your fate. Why all this now?’
Pinto was brief, ‘As I have nothing to lose.’
Rahul beseeched him, ‘Then please tell me the mantra as well.’
Pinto replied frankly, ‘Sorry, I can’t do that as Mr Kaushik has forbidden me to.’
Making a call would cost Pinto a hundred rupees, not a small amount, but after all it was a question of nearly life and death. Pinto’s one year of hard work and his parents’ expectations were at stake. The clerk who picked up the phone in Kanpur asked for Pinto’s roll number and when he answered, the clerk asked, ‘So you are Rajat Srivastav.’
In his anxiety, Pinto forgot his real name for a moment. ‘No, sir, I’m Pinto… Oh, yes, I’m Rajat.’
The clerk said, ‘First make sure who you are and then I’ll tell you the results.’ By now one thing was clear to Pinto: he had been selected, otherwise the clerk would not have found his name on the list so quickly.
It looked like Mr Kaushik’s mantra had worked. ‘Sir, what is my rank?’ Pinto asked.
‘Are you sure, you are Rajat, Mr Pintoo?’ the clerk pronounced his name with an emphasis on the second ‘o’ as Pinto was not a common name in northern India. ‘Yes, sir, I’m Rajat,’ he said with a tremor in his voice.
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