Finding Jasmine

Chapter 20: Jasmine

March, 1960. Ma Saheb's room, Vaikunth Niwas, Shimla.

I woke up to the refreshing lavender scent wafting through my nostrils. I felt like a little nymph cocooned in a cloud. I burrowed deeper into the soft silky covers. I turned to get comfortable. But a searing pain shot up my back.

"Ouch! Oh Lord! Have mercy on me!" I wailed in anguish.

"Jasmine, my sleeping beauty, you are up! Don't move too much or the scabs on your back will break open and you'll get blisters!" A familiar voice exclaimed.

"Shanta! Save me! The pain is bad. I can't take it anymore. Please do something! I am dying here!" I said.

"Okay Jassu! I can do any one out of these two things. I can reapply this herbal paste and fetch Ma Saheb or bring your Prince Charming here. In my opinion, you should choose the second option. Your Prince Charming, dear old Indu will make you feel better." She said winking at me.

"Shanta, please help me! The pain is so bad. I miss Sandhya. You remind me of my best friend. I wish that she were here!" I burst into loud sobs.

"What is going on here? Shanta, I told you to apply the paste on her back and not aggravate the poor child! I should have asked your mother to do this. Now, bring me a plate of food for Jasmine and don't mess that up. Jasmine, my dear don't cry. What is ailing you, my child? Is it the pain or are you hungry?" She gathered me into her arms after reprimanding Shanta.

I felt her weathered hands caress my hair. She gently put my head in her lap and continued caressing my hair.

I saw her arch an eyebrow at a gawking Shanta.

"Shanta! Who are you waiting for? Go now!" She said authoritatively.

"Ye-s-s-s, Ma Saheb!" She stuttered and walked out in a daze.

"Jasmine, how are you feeling? Is the pain any better?" She asked.

Her mothering seemed foreign to me. I wondered whether she would still treat me the same if she knew that I was her granddaughter. I thought about the life that I could have led here if she would have accepted my mother. My parents would have been alive. I would have been loved. I wouldn't have led a life of desolation in an orphanage. I wouldn't have to go through such an ordeal to unveil the shroud that covered my past. A part of me blamed my grandmother for my predicament. But my urge to reconcile with the last of my family overpowered this desire.

"Jasmine, where are you lost now? What are you thinking about? If it's about the perpetrator responsible for your pain, then rest assured that I have dealt with the culprit. It was Gayatri. I apologize on the behalf of my irresponsible and childish granddaughter." She said giving me a smile.

The sweet matriarch transformed into a ruthless mistress as a meek Shanta entered the room balancing a tray laden with goodies of all sorts.

Ma Saheb took the tray and placed it on her lap. She tore a piece of the roti and dipped it into the vegetable curry and held it in front of my mouth.

"Now, open your mouth and let me feed you." She ordered.

I opened my mouth and let her feed me. An errant tear slid down my cheek. I gawked at her with big eyes as she lovingly fed me the food. I had never been pampered. I had to learn to fend for myself as a child. I had no family to tuck me into bed, hug me and spoil me with gifts. I had no mother who would cook delicacies for me, no father who would tell me stories of faraway lands and no grandmother to give me nuggets of wisdom. But I was now determined to hold onto my grandmother and make her proud of me.

"Eat these ladoos. I made them myself today. Let me look after you today as I would like to atone for my granddaughter's sins." She said.

The delicious sweets uplifted my mood. The sweet ladoos made my problems seem like a distant dream. I was in heaven. It felt like I was in a dream of a dream. I got to experience the love of my grandmother today. I did not wish to come back to the reality.

"Ouch!" I screeched. I felt someone pinching my arm.

"I know Ma Saheb's ladoos are heavenly. But you need to come to the land of living." Inderavadhan said and snagged one of my heavenly delights.

"Where is Ma Saheb? Wasn't she just here?" I asked Inderavadhan feeling bewildered.

"You were so busy salivating over the ladoos that you missed her leaving. So Jas-monkey, how are you now?" He smirked.

"Jas-monkey? It's Jasmine for you! And for the last time, I am not a monkey!" I said and glared at him.

"I am hurt. I thought we were best friends. For my friend, Ma Saheb has sent another scrumptious delicacy." He said and held a horrible green concoction in front of me.

"Am I supposed to drink this?" I asked him gulping.

The smell of the concoction nearly made me faint.

"Ma Saheb has given me explicit instructions to make you swallow the kada and do anything to make sure that happens. We all know what happens if you don't listen to Ma Saheb. You'll become a Gayatri. For her recent stunt, she is supposed to clean the cow dung and milk cows for the entire week. So, if you don't want to get on Ma Saheb's wrong side, I strongly advise you that you finish this delicious drink." He finished in one breath.

"Gayatri is cleaning the cow dung! That is so funny! That vain fiancée of yours deserves this and more! Why aren't you out there helping her?" I burst into raucous laughter.

"I am too handsome to be in that barnyard. All the cows will swoon in my presence and Gayatri will get into a fight with the whole herd and we won't get any milk. That's why I am not helping her." He intoned dramatically.

"Now I'll help you finish this kada, Jas-monkey!" He said.

I opened my mouth to protest. He gently grabbed my jaw and gave me a smouldering look. I was so lost in the inky depths of his eyes that he slid the small bowl of the foul kada into my mouth.

"Ew! It's so foul! How can Ma Saheb feed me something so foul? And you! How could you do that to me?" I wailed in anguish.

"Jasmine, stop crying!"

"I am no good with crying girls!" He muttered.

"Here, you go! I got you a Cadbury after Shanta told me about your favourite chocolate. Eat this and you'll feel better!" He said and placed the chocolate in my hand.

I peeled open the wrapper reverently and broke a piece to put a piece into my mouth.

"This is so good!" I moaned appreciatively and made quick work of the chocolate.

"Thank you, Inderavadhan!" I smiled at him.

"You are welcome, Jasmine." He said giving me a soft smile. His eyes gleamed with an unidentifiable emotion.

"Recover fast! I need my partner back in business!" He said taking my leave.

I was left in great spirits. Today was a certainly filled with wonderful surprises. The ogre was surprisingly nice. I think I had made a new friend.

Suddenly, Kokila Auntie entered my room and gave me a nasty glare.

"You harlot! Don't you have any shame? How dare you steal my daughter's betrothed? I will skin you alive if I catch you with him again! Don't forget your place in this house! You are no princess. You are a mere maidservant. Stay in your limits. If you tell Ma Saheb about my visit, I'll give you a nasty surprise and make your life hell! Kokila hissed and I nodded feeling scared.

She left the room.

I think I had to watch my back both figuratively and metaphorically. I was in a house riddled with conspiracies. I had to watch my next step. I eased back into the comforter and prayed that no more nasty surprises would head my way. I had to recover and catch the culprit responsible for the downfall of the estate.

Enunciation guide:

Kada - an Indian herbal concoction

Ladoos - An Indian dessert