“Shakti…”
I could have cried out with joy at the voice. Before I knew it I jumped up, and gave Goldy a hug.
“Just because I turned up again doesn’t mean I forgive you for being such a jerk.” Goldy slipped from my grasp. “I still think you’re being an idiot…But that doesn’t mean I should give up trying.” “Goldy…”
Goldy raised an impatient hand.
“We can wait but…I want you to fix a time period.”
“A time period! Goldy…This is not a game.”
“A month. That’s the most. At the end, I walk out. See you, Shakti. I’ll be waiting at Shiva’s home.” Again she was gone. You had to give credit to her though…for coming up with such an idea. Yellows are really like kids. They can be as stubborn about things they want. As for where Goldy got that idea from…I got the answer when I heard Nandan’s father chewing somebody out about deadlines. I could have told her to go to hell…but since I really didn’t want her to go, I thought it infinitely better to agree with her.
CHAPTER 16
Goldy was waiting for me in the car porch, impatiently tapping her foot. She was not, I could tell, in the negotiation mood. Not that I was going to try.
“I agree.”
I told her curtly and held out my hand. The foot tapping stopped. Goldy positively lit up. All traces of ‘ready for an argument’ vanished.
“Good to see you’ve found a bit of sense at last.”
Ok…The stern teacher attitude would have probably worked if there wasn’t a big grin on her face but well… “So…”
“Back to the house then!”
Of all the things I was expecting, a high five was probably the last. Try hard as I might I couldn’t help laughing out loud. “Someone’s bright and chipper all of a sudden.”
“Arguments on hold for a month.”
We went in together only to be greeted by extra loud, huge TV. It was tuned in to some sort of business channel. I could tell by the super smug looking woman all dressed up in a business suit, spouting “money matters” and “share markets”. I don’t know how humans can bear this sort of thing. Too cold and stiff for my taste.
Obviously, Shiva’s Dad was holding the remote, more engrossed in TV than the food on the table before him. Speaking of food…It didn’t smell like home cooked food to be. Overdose of spices and stuff. And there was an open box with the name “Cuisine International” written on it, next to him.
“Shiva…” No Shiva appeared. Either she was out or she wasn’t willing to respond to any summons from her father. Well…From the things I knew, it was crystal clear that the reason was the latter.
I and Goldy found her in her room, feeding her mother. The old woman didn’t look really well. Tears leaked out of her red eyes and she winced every time she swallowed a spoonful of rice.
“Aren’t you going out today?” she asked, as Shiva picked up the half empty plate. “I “Aren’t you going out today?” she asked, as Shiva picked up the half empty plate. “IVIBGYOR thought you were going…”
“And leave you here all alone? You have to be joking.”
Shiva smiled and stroked her mother’s forehead. “It’s you who needs to be looked after this time, Mom.” “Have you had lunch?”
Shiva hesitated a little before answering. “Hope you wouldn’t mind sharing with me.”
She did share her mother’s lunch. Just rice and pickle. I don’t think her father approved of it though. He kept looking at her and the open box, as if wondering why she wasn’t eating the food he bought.
“If you have an intention to eat lunch, you might as well eat something that tastes good.” He said as he got up, leaving his plate on the table.
“Cuisine International is too good for me.”
I thought the man might stamp his foot or shout or something but he simply walked away and washed his hands. Sometime later, I heard his car pull out of the car porch. Shiva never strayed from her mother’s bedside the whole day, except to do some little cooking and get medicines. The thermometer was at work many times, Shiva’s anxiety going down with each reading. As night fell, the old woman’s temperature did go down quite a bit but the weakness remained. There was no life left in her eyes nor even the tiniest bit of colour on her pale face. Sick of life itself…That’s what I thought about her that night, as I stood alone on the terrace gazing at the sky sprinkled with stars. The moon was full but too pale to be beautiful.
“Do you suppose he’s going to return home drunk again?” I started at Goldy’s voice. The car that left sometime in the afternoon had not returned. The old woman and Shiva had lapsed into an uneasy sleep. The clock had shown 11:00 at the time I set off to the terrace.
“I suppose he’ll be staying somewhere else for the night.”
“Kind of an expert at running away, don’t you think?”
Pathetic…The word came back to me in a flash. Of all the adjectives I had used for him…Of all the impressions he left on me…Somehow pathetic had been the most lasting. I don’t know particularly what was so pathetic about him but just that he was pathetic.
“I think he knows to do little else.”
Just as I said those words I saw headlights shine on the road just in front of the gate. Just as I said those words I saw headlights shine on the road just in front of the gate.VIBGYOR A car speeding forward unelegantly and nearly crashing into the gate before the driver applied the brake.
“Someone’s trying to kill himself.” Goldy said, leaning forward to see and nearly falling off the terrace. I saw the door open and the man step out. The good part was…he wasn’t drunk. At least his feet were steady and he was not helplessly stumbling around. The bad part was…he looked terrible even all the way from up here. His red eyes and redder face spelled out ominous to make.
“Looks like he decided to come home.” He opened the gate and drove in coming to a screeching halt on the driveway. The door was opened again and he stomped out, mechanically walking towards the calling bell. The man opened his mouth as if to call out, decided against it and closed it again. Then, his finger reached out to the calling bell. But he withdrew it almost immediately. With a sigh, he drew out a key from his pocket and opened the door and walked into darkness.
“Let’s go down, shall we?” Before the full question was out of my mouth, Goldy had jumped and rushed through the front door. With a laugh, I followed too. The house was in darkness. I heard the man stumbling over something and there was noises as several things crashed to the ground.
“Why isn’t he turning on the light?” I had no idea but, since he appeared to be falling all over the place, we decided to help him. One quick flick of a switch and light flooded both the living and dining room What we didn’t take into consideration, during the ‘lets help’ moment was that humans weren’t accustomed to lights turning on all of a sudden without their help. And so, without meaning to, we gave Mr. Raghunath quite the fright.
A gasp was all that came out of him but I was quite sure he almost screamed. He did turn all around bemusedly, perhaps hoping that an explanation would leap out of thin air and his red face suddenly turned rather white.
“Devi…Shiva…”
He called out, in a softer-than-usual voice. “Are you two awake?”
“I am now.”
Shiva came out of the room, her drooping eyes blinking rapidly in the bright light. “What is it, Dad?”
“Did you…” I guess the question he was about to ask seemed rather stupid to Mr. Raghunath,. Especially since Shiva obviously looked like she was dragged out of bed in the middle of sleep.
“I mean…Is Devi, okay…I mean…you didn’t have to…” Shiva would have been less surprised if he had asked her about the lights suddenly turning on. At the inquiry about Devi her mouth practically hung open as she gazed at her father.
“She’s ok.”
Her voice was even more surprised. “Her temperature’s gone down. She is going to be fine.” “Ok…that’s fine…that’s good…�
�
“She’s in my room, for now.”
“Ok…that’s good.”
Everyone went to bed a minute or two later. Shiva lay beside her mother holding her close. I thought I head a sob or two as she snuggled close - more of a little girl of five than a woman. The old woman smiled in her sleep, her hot hands, absently stroking her daughter’s forehead. There was so much affection…so much love in the air that we sat beside them and savoured the feeling. For no reason I felt like crying hysterically.
It was when the clock struck two that I heard the noise. It wasn’t anything loud or conspicuous, just the faintest sounds that could very well be human footsteps. “Did you hear that?”
I whispered to Goldy.
Before Goldy could reply, the sounds grew louder. Whoever it was was at the door. Suddenly a strong gust of night wind blew, bringing out the moon out of its hiding place behind the clouds. The light caught the figure at the door.
“Mr. Raghunath.”
Goldy muttered incredulously. “Why is he still in his business suit?”
I too saw his prim and proper suit. Even his neat black tie was still in place. The moonlight glowed in his eyes as his simply stood and gazed at his wife and daughter. A sadness I have never sensed in him before emanated from his still body. “What in the world…Is he even alright?”
The man sighed. Before he turned away and left I saw a glint in his eyes that could very well have been tears. I stood up on instinct and followed him to his room. He simply sank down on the bed when he went in, swallowing as if something unpleasant was stuck in throat., his hands clasped together as if in silent prayer. “What is with this guy!”
Goldy had followed me and apparently, she was as astonished by the events as I was. “Tell me he isn’t crying…”
Well…I couldn’t very well tell her that since tears were squeezing their way through his stubbornly shut eyelids. His hands started to shake. I even thought I heard him say ‘why’. I didn’t want to admit it but I kind of felt sorry for him.
“Everything’s so cold…” I cold feel it too. The coldness that characterized the man sitting down in front of me. The cold that was melting into tears of intense sorrow. The only thing I didn’t know was why…
When the sun rose the following day, he was still in that position. His eyes had gone all red and tired and his face was dead white. But of course that didn’t stop him from calling out to his wife and daughter in his usual kingly tone. No answer…Shiva worked in the kitchen deaf to her father’s voice and her mother soft ‘Dad’s calling you’. Somehow the silent treatment froze him even more. I sensed no further emotion in him as he readied himself for office drove off in his car.
“Why didn’t you go to him Shiva?”
The woman asked her in a small voice as she took the glass of tea Shiva passed her. “He must have wanted something.”
“He might as well get it himself.”
The woman’s eyes widened. The initial feeling of shock in them drained away to be replaced by a haunting sadness.
“You are not to do this! Shiva…” Her lips trembled and a few drops of tea leaked out. “Whatever the things you dislike about him…”
“I dislike plenty of things about him.” Shiva said curtly. “And just because he’s my Dad I am not going to stand for those things.” The woman sighed. The sadness in her eyes seemed to deepen.
“Why do I bother to speak when no one listens to me…”
Shiva held her mother’s hand and gave it a squeeze.
“Don’t worry too much.” She said gently. “Everything’s going to be fine, Mom.”
The woman sighed again. She didn’t speak another word till Shiva took the glass from her and tucked her in bed.
“Please don’t be cruel.”
Shiva looked at her mother in surprise. The charmless eyes filled with tears pleaded to her without words. A sob or two came out of the dry lips. “I am cruel…”
It was more of a question than a statement. Shiva was hurt. I could see it in her eyes. “I beg you…Shiva…”
Warm salty tears poured down the wrinkled cheeks. It was then, as I stood staring into her eyes that a curious sensation hit me. I could feel it. A whirlpool of emotions she had locked up in her heart.
“She really loves that man…doesn’t she?”
Goldy asked, her eyes on the woman’s tear stained face.
I could only nod…The answer was so clearly written in her hot salty tears…The biggest question of the day was why…Why would an ill treated slave still love a master?
“Ah! I almost forgot to tell you. While you were sulking around in Nandan’s home I followed the happy couple and found out where Anasuya lived. It’s quite the place…” “And I assume you’re telling this now because you want to get out of here.” Goldy giggled.
“Transparent as glass…That’s me. So…what do you say?”
I agreed without much thought. There was something I wanted to check out but…It could wait. After all the drama I thought I could use a bit of ‘fun time’ as Goldy put it.
“I might as well warn you…You are in for quite a shock.”
“At this point…That would be impossible.”
Nothing could shock me in the human world anymore. At least that was what I
Nothing could shock me in the human world anymore. At least that was what IVIBGYOR thought. Anasuya’s house was a spectacle in itself. A palace in pure white, standing in the middle of a neatly set rose garden. A fountain spouting crystal clear water stood right in the front.
“I wouldn’t term her a gold digger!” I exclaimed. “She doesn’t need any more ‘gold’!” Goldy just laughed.
“Follow me inside and you’ll see…”
Hmm…It was obvious Goldy was having great fun. She positively beamed as she strode through the door.
“I introduce you to the heiress of the household of Raj. Devyani.” What! I stared at the girl sitting down on the sofa as if it were some sort of throne. She was much too fat…rather like a blown up balloon. Two small narrow eyes stared ahead from a round pasty face which she had plastered with makeup. The red lipstick made me cringe. So did the too obvious pink eyeliner and spots of deep pink blush. The pink sari she was wearing highlighed her out of shape figure. I doubt she would have looked elegant even with less clownish makeup.
“The only daughter of Giridhar Raj.”
“What!”
I suppose my exclamation of surprise was amusing for Goldy burst out laughing. “Not a bad bit of detective work if I say so myself.”
“So…where the heck is Anasuya? Don’t tell me she’s a servant!”
There was no way that could be true. All the expensive dresses and jewelery… There was no way.
Goldy laughed harder at that. “Of course not!” she said. “The princess over there may not look it but she’s an awfully tender hearted thing. When the parents of her friend died…and no relatives would help the girl…She kind of pressured her father into adopting the girl into this household.”
“Ah!”
“So…Do I need to spell it out for you?”
“No.”
Anasuya was indeed a gold digger. Definitely.
“Hey Dev!”
The ‘gold digger’ herself appeared through a door. There was no doubt ever as to her position in the household. A glittering white gown flashing the word expensive confirmed it beyond suspicion.
“You’re back!”
The princess jumped up from the sofa, her face full of child like joy. “How did the date go…You must tell me all about it…”
Hand in hand they climbed the enormous staircase and disappeared upstairs. Goldy made as if to follow but I held her back.
“So…Is this the shock you were talking about?”
It was a surprise definitely but nothing close to a shock. I must confess that I was disappointed. I expected something more…how do I put it…dramatic. “You will be shocked. Trust me on this one.”
I followe
d Goldy upstairs. We made out way past several doors and stopped by the one at the end of the hallway.
“This is Anasuya’s room.”
Goldy declared like a performer about to reveal an important trick. “Open the door if you dare…” Even in a ordinary scenario, the word ‘dare’ would have sparked me into action. In this case…the unbearable curiosity also contributed to what I did next. I was prepared for the shock…However large it might turn out to be.
“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHH” Ok…That scream was a bit too loud but I couldn’t keep quiet not when… “What in the hell…”
“Told you.”
It was as if I was staring through green sunglasses. Greens Greens everywhere…On the bed…On the cabinet…Inside the drawers…The whole room was an entire mass of green! And I thought house of oranges was bad enough.
“You screamed louder than I did.”
Was that supposed to cheer me up? If anything it was seriously depressing. “Our girl is actually a factory specializing in the production of Greens…”
As usual, I shut off Goldy’s comments to allow for a few thoughts of my own. The jealousy…The insane amount of jealousy…A young girl brought in by charity into a life she was unfamiliar with. Of course…
“Hey you! Haven’t we met before?”
A Green came out of the room and waved at us. “Friend of the ex…weren’t you?”
How could I forget? The only Green in the world I shared a civil conversation with. I waved back and smiled.
“I would invite you inside…But it’s a bit crowded inside…You can see what I mean of course…” Suddenly I remembered another piece of that day’s conversation.
“But I thought even the Green’s were sick of Anasuya.”
“These are fresh.” The Green replied matter of factly. “They would leave of course… eventually.” “Does Devyani contribute to this collection?”
Goldy chimed in “Does she have Greens of her own?”
VIBGYOR Page 20