THE HARBINGER OF NOR'WESTER

One Last Agreement

Maryswan Tea storage Facility,
Outskirts of Naxalbari

The jeep stopped with a vigorous jerk. Nandan dismissed the driver's apology and alighted from the jeep. Then holding out his hand to Shefali so that she could alight. The support wasn't needed except for her heavily embroidered tea length dress.

Nandan looked up to the faded letters of the banner, his plans for the tea corp made many such storage facilities defunct. The colonel was not happy with Nandan about that, so he was very nervous when Virgil asked him to meet here today.

"You should really write more to my father," Shefali Maryswan's eyes were gleaming.

"Our new guest settled okay?" asked Nandan diverting Shefali.

"He is interesting." Shefali held down her skirt, as she carefully stepping through the foyer into the storage hall, "I heard Shreema visited today, how did that go?"

Nandan chuckled as he turned back, "She was... interesting! Though I still think we shouldn't let a policeman stay in our house."

"The kid is a scientist!" Shefali caressed casually, "from Calcutta! The local police basically owes you for doing this."

Nandan exhaled in reply. He pulled down and smoothed his punjabi before walking into the massive cuboidal abyss. Bright light crept into the dark hall at places where parts of the roof were hollowed out. Nandan looked around as he walked and then he noticed the silhouette of a person standing in one such spotlight made by the sun. He needed no help recognising the lean man dawning a tail coat. Nandan doubted his father in law had any idea how outdated that fashion was.

"Mr. Maryswan," Nandan spoke unsure. The second meeting with someone after you buy out their business is usually at their funeral or sending a notice of demanding refunds to cover earlier loses in the said business. They certainly don't meet you with their daughter in an abandoned warehouse.

"No need to be nervous, Nandan." he shook Shefali's hand first. He made it clear that owning his business didn't mean Nandan was in-charge. Nandan kept looking back at Shefali the entire time he shook hands with Colonel Virgil Maryswan.

Shefali smiled a little pulling back a strand of hair and as if following a norm, straightened herself elevating her shoulders a little.

"So everything is good I see!" Virgil said in a formal tone.

"Yes it is. For the last quarter century!" Nandan skirmished joyfully.

"It is good that you came to visit, father." said Shefali with a smile framed to her lips with difficulty.

"Say Nandan," started Virgil ignoring his daughter's courtesy, "I was thinking you hire out this place as a agro wholesale market, give me a share or two from your cut. Works to our advantage, what do they call it here?...a Mandi!"

Nandan rolled his tongue inside his mouth and blinked twice. Virgil was more angry for with him than Nandan thought, hence the ways to make Nandan bleed to nurse his bruised ego.

"What do you think, son?" Virgil spoke with his husky voice smoothing his coat tails.

"A mandi is not a share market! There is no inner circle of corporates jacking up stock prices!" Nandan answered angrily walking closer to his father-in-law, "the farmers sell their yearly produce through auctions. I have been buying those produces with rates I fixed for a long time, selling them at far larger profit margins. If a farmer even receives half of those margins, all would be lost. Your business plan! It would ruin an ancient market hierarchy!"

"You can fix those auctions" Virgil was insistent, "you are Talukdar Sikdar's son, you have achieved far worse!"

"If I may?" Shefali got between the arguing men. Virgil nodded calmly and Nandan threw up his hands into the air.

Shefali held her husband's hand and pulled him away to the side.

"I don't think you understand, Nandu!" Shefali spoke with warmth in her voice, kind of allowing Nandan to yell.

"He is furious. He wants to destroy me!" Nandan said with complete apathy. He momentarily lost humility towards his wife, "How can I set up this place for wholesale!? The rent payed to Virgil for no service, that is a different matter. "

"Really!" Shefali grabbed his arm and dragged him a little further, "this is the exact stupidity my father expected! He even called you a bleeding heart!"

"I'm sorry, you knew about his deal!?" Nandan couldn't fathom if this was a betrayal on his wife's part. Her knowledge about this agreement doesn't exactly come up in a conversation.

Shefali looked deep into her husband's eyes, "British rule have been over for three decades now. Farmers, common folks will look for new people to blame their poverty on. They won't be your subjects forever. British were foreigners, they saved their skin through diplomacy. You don't have the same privilege, retreat in the shadows while you still can..."

Nandan strongly pursed his lips, things were not going his way, he stole a glance at Virgil.

"Trust me there'll be no shortage of brave farmers to label you a tyrant! Accept my father's deal...." Shefali said again.

"Okay, I accept!" Nandan shouted turning towards Virgil.

"Excellent", Virgil looked at his ever smiling daughter "great!" he said again as he tried to regain his formal posture once more.