"Is it true?"
The shrill question startled Sumer Singh. Halting his agitated pacing in the grand living room, he looked petulantly at the most annoying woman he had the misfortune to meet. Kadambari's inflated expression told him she had learnt of the latest developments.
"What?" he asked obdurately.
"That girl has followed Prithvi to this town?" Kadambari asked angrily.
"She didn't follow him," Sumer Singh snapped. "It was a coincidence that she arrived here with Mrs Bhargava."
Kadambari snorted and viewed him scornfully. "I'm not a fool! She was afraid Prithvi would escape her influence. And that is why she found a way to accompany that respected writer and has come here. She wants to ensnare him again by using sugary words and fake emotions," she deduced cynically. "The girl is cunning and -."
"Enough! I won't tolerate another word against Nandini," Sumer Singh stated furiously, "And I'll give you an important piece of advice. Don't criticise Nandini in front of Prithvi if you want to remain in his good books. He will - " he stopped and turned quizzically.
Prithvi was entering the room, whistling cheerfully. The prince caught his eye and winked.
Then he looked at Kadambari, and from across the room, called out, "I can smell my favourite dessert. It better not be my imagination," he warned with a grin while heading towards the stairway.
Astonishment didn't let her respond, and she watched dumbly as he resumed his whistling and strode up the steps to the upper storey.
He was still so young... her adored child was going to turn just twenty years old next week...
It wasn't new knowledge. And yet, it had struck her forcefully when she had seen him strolling into the house. She couldn't put her finger on the reason behind the epiphany. What she did know was that something had changed drastically.
A delighted Sumer Singh haughtily informed her, "That is how he looks when he is happy."
*****************************
Prithvi knocked lightly on the door and waited for a minute before stepping into the room. He walked to the giant bed and looked keenly at the old, frail figure in the light of the bedside lamp.
Uday Singh stirred awake as his great-nephew sat beside him.
He had come straight to his room to rest on returning to the bungalow. Dinner too had been sent to his room because he was too drained to get up. The day's exertions had taken their toll.
"Dead or dying?" Prithvi enquired.
Uday chuckled woozily. "Neither. Have to cuddle the children," he rambled.
"Have to what?" Prithvi asked, frowning.
Growing more alert, Uday gruffly clarified, "Don't pay attention.... have a habit of blabbering in my sleep. Tell me about Nandini. You're glad she's here, aren't you? I thought it would be the best advance gift for your birthday," he confided tiredly.
Prithvi stilled in astonishment. His birthday....he'd forgotten it was close at hand...
For the first time in remembered history, that worthless day would be of some use to him.
"Does she know it's my birthday next week?" he quickly asked Uday.
"I was going to tell her, but then -"
"Great. I don't want her to find out just yet," Prithvi smiled smugly.
"As you wish," Uday Singh agreed.
"And tomorrow morning, let your ex-mistress know that her plans have changed."
"Say the word and it will be done," Uday guaranteed. "Your happiness... It is all that matters to me," he added emotionally.
"That's the spirit," Prithvi encouraged vigorously.
"I haven't given you a birthday present till date," Uday said regretfully. "I want to make up for it. Nandini's visit is the beginning. There are more gifts -"
Prithvi gently grasped a wrinkled hand and held it between his palms. "I don't want anything more... now or in the future," he said quietly. "You've compensated for a thousand years, not twenty."
******************
Curled up on her side, Nandini listened to the gentle pitter-patter of the rains. It was a therapeutic sound, and she also loved the beautiful fragrance of moist earth that was wafting in through the window.
The monsoon season always had a magical impact on her. She especially enjoyed those times when a downpour was accompanied by strong winds and thunder and lightning. A guilty pleasure she had relished while growing up involved furtively going to the terrace when the weather turned a little stormy during the monsoons. Confident in the knowledge that no one could be watching her, she would happily stand in the open with her arms spread out as the rain lashed down and wind tugged at her clothes, immersed in an unknown bliss.
Yet, that glorious feeling paled miserably in comparison to the surreal happiness and tranquility she experienced in Prithvi's arms.
Nandini pulled the extra pillow into her arms.
She didn't want to go to Vishranti Nagar tomorrow. After enduring weeks of an excruciating separation, she finally had the answers she sought, and though the hurt remained, her anger was gone.
But it had gone too late, she thought inconsolably. If she had shown a little patience, the situation would not have deteriorated. And yet, emotions had lurched beyond her control at that time. The touch of his fingers on her cheek had jolted her into remembering that morning when he had silently bid her goodbye, and the rage and anguish had come flooding back....
It didn't justify the cruelty of her outburst though.
If only those inhuman words had not left her lips. They were going to haunt her for a long time, and she fully deserved the torment. He was suffering deeply as it is and she had rubbed salt into a bleeding wound, she condemned herself bitterly as tears raced down the side of her face and dampened the pillow.
As much as she tried, she couldn't imagine being in the situation that he was. Was it possible....Was Priyamvada alive?
If that was true, she had no doubt that Prithvi would find his mother, regardless of the time and effort it demanded. But how could Priyamvada have abandoned him... how could any mother do it...
Nandini felt a pang as she recollected the last time she had seen him look happy. They had actually danced on the road...laughing and teasing each other with a reckless disregard for society...
She wanted to see him smile again. The thought of leaving his side when he was mired in depression and anger was more than she could endure.
Still, though the desire to spend time with him was agonisingly strong, she would have somehow convinced him that she didn't have any choice but to stick to her original plans and leave tomorrow. As matters stood, however, she didn't have to nerve to say anything on those lines. He was too livid with her and she had to mollify him before broaching the topic of departure.
She could set things right but she needed time to mollify him and reassure him of her love. Even a day could make a big difference.
Nandini restlessly turned onto her back as her pulse began racing. The step she was contemplating was extremely irresponsible. Requesting Janki ma'am for permission to stay back for a couple of days could have major repercussions. It would confirm the doubts that must have already entered the author's mind.
But why couldn't she try at least. Uday Singh had coated colours of friendship on her relationship with Prithvi. And those weren't untrue. Prithvi's statement that he was her best friend was quite accurate.
She was happiest when she was with him, she felt absurdly comfortable and secure in his presence, and she trusted him more than anyone else in the world. They had laughed and fought and teased and loved... feeling at one and conversing in a language that the world couldn't understand...
So wasn't it reasonable for her to wish to spend a day with a friend, she argued. It was.... It really was. She simply had to find a casual and dignified style of putting forth the plea.
Last night, she had been too depressed to hold normal conversations with Mrs Bhargava after returning from the other bungalow. Luckily, the writer had been quite drowsy and not in the mood for small talk herself.
She would do her best tomorrow, Nandini resolved torpidly.
As her lids grew heavy, she thought disconnectedly about the chataka bird. It would be ecstatic at this moment. Chataka... the mythical bird that pleads to the heavens for the arrival of monsoon because it can only drink rain drops to quench its thirst.
She could empathise with the poor creature in a way.
She was surrounded by people who loved her and whom she loved in return, and yet, her heart yearned passionately for a person over whom she had no hold.
Prithvi had not even attempted to kiss her, she mused sadly while inching closer to the oblivion of sleep. Although... when she had realised he was holding her too closely...she'd felt sure that he was going to...
She shouldn't have retreated, Nandini regretted in the moments left before sleep overtook her. But it had been an automatic reaction. She'd abruptly felt afraid and threatened.
Why had she felt frightened...there had to be a reason....she would figure it out...she would...
*****************************
The young man was half-sitting on the big bed, his back cushioned by pillows stacked against the headrest. The pen in his hand moved rapidly and sinuously on the last page of a large and thick notepad, putting the final touches on a sketch of a girl's face. Her exquisite features simultaneously displayed shock, animosity and love.
When the last stroke was completed, Prithvi regarded his handiwork dispassionately. Another boring and lifeless depiction, he concluded with disgust. He chucked the notepad and pen into the top drawer of the bedside stand.
He had first begun sketching her in the grisly days that had followed their first weird meeting in Shamli. Those two months during which he oscillated between a crazed desire to see her again, and fury for losing his senses over an unknown girl.
He had thought he could purge her face from his consciousness by transferring it into a sheet. But it had not helped. Instead, to his consternation, drawing her portraits had quickly turned into his favourite way of dealing with boredom and any kind of idleness that he loathed. Her features became a talisman against painful memories and reflections...
And with time, it became more....much more...
He sighed and lounged more comfortably against the pillows. Crossing his arms behind his head, he closed his eyes and listened to the steady fall of raindrops.
What would Nandini be doing at this moment...
Oh he knew the answer to that. She was unquestionably lying awake in bed, hugging a pillow and crying quietly..... feeling guilty about her behaviour and agonising over his admittedly foul situation.
Her hysterically virtuous and honourable side would direct her to abide by the initial arrangement and avoid risking her family's reputation. In opposition, her naturally hyperemotional self would wish to spend some time here to cajole and comfort him. The battle between the two aspects would take up hours and involve copious tears. Then she would find a neutral path – in which she would spend a day or two with him and then run off to Vishranti Nagar - that would make appease both warring parties.
Her long and exhaustive one-person meeting would end hours after midnight. She would wake up late and run around her room like a headless chicken, panicking and tying herself up in knots as she tried to invent a meek method to put forth her request to the writer lady. Her beautiful eyes clouded with anxiety and long hair swishing around her delectable body, he visualised indolently.
A frazzled state meant she would be more susceptible to the mental pressure he had already begun applying through his hypothetical anger. Moreover, in the bright porch of the guest house, he'd seen a silver chain around her neck, he recalled with slight irritation. If she had indeed behaved as impulsively as he suspected, it would make his task easier. There would be no respite till she folded until the strain.
Cruel...yes, it was a bit cruel, he mused analytically.
If she could dish it out, she had to be prepared to take it too, he reflected coldly. Today, she had gotten away with statements that would have led to decimation for any other person.
But her rant hadn't enraged him as much as she believed. They had just shoved him deeper into a cesspit of isolation and bleakness.
And then he had heard her soft tread in the lawn...
He'd forgotten the extraordinary powers she wielded in connection with him, Prithvi mulled pensively. He didn't have to describe his condition or offer explanations. She could discern precisely how he was feeling, and somehow, experienced those emotions as acutely as he did. And her embrace had the ability to banish pain. The oppressive weight on his shoulders had fled at her first warm touch...
It had not been enough though. He'd not felt truly content till he had forced her to lay bare her heart and plead for his forgiveness.
A rancorous mood had driven him.
She had locked him out of her life for weeks. A little payback was obligatory.
But she had taken him by surprise. And the sweetness of those moments had underlined a simple truth..... that life without her was unbearable. He'd been living like an automaton since their separation. Functioning normally on the outside, dead on the inside.
Nandini had done that to him.
If he hadn't met her, he wouldn't have known that it was possible to be loved so deeply and wholeheartedly. She had woven her warmth, simplicity and gentleness into his existence, and become his only source of light and happiness.
It wasn't a matter of choice anymore. He needed her.
It was a nasty realisation, and for a second, he'd hated her for reducing him to this state. Then she had caressed his hair, and his mind had immediately killed nonsensical thoughts and concentrated on the main issue – the agenda for the next two weeks.
Ultimately, in the interests of his future self, he had opted for a sham, which had to continue till tomorrow noon. It wasn't easy. In the guest house's compound, he'd wanted to kiss her until she forgot everything but him. He'd resisted the urge with difficulty, reminding himself that the charade was necessary.
If she got any inkling that he was not really furious, she would put her energies into convincing him why she couldn't stay back for an extra hour in this town. He would rather she focus on proving her love by staying back. And that was exactly what she was going to do. She didn't have any options.
The following fortnight was going to be entertaining if not anything else, he contemplated amusedly.
He didn't know if Nandini realised it, but she had led an almost picture-perfect life in Shamli. This particular pumpkin had been raised in an excessively affectionate environment, surrounded by people who cosseted her as though she were an infant.
He had seen her fairy-tale world... had lived in it for months...
Now the tables had turned.
She had wandered into his world. A place that could be violent, heartless and unforgiving.
He had grown up in its streets. Hell, he'd practically been reared by hardships, strife and sorrow. The charmed upbringing had helped him survive - and thrive - in dangerous and unpredictable settings.
But Nandini had left a cosy cocoon in which everyone's joy and sorrow hinged on her smiles and tears, and had meandered into a harsh wilderness where families threw you to the wolves and outsiders averted their gaze and went on with their lives.
How would the poor, innocent girl cope....
Grinning, Prithvi reached into the open drawer of the stand and drew out a stuffed toy.
He kissed it, and murmured, "Welcome to the jungle, kitten."
*************************
Nandini awoke with a start as if in response to an internal alarm clock. She sat up in bed and stared blankly at the bright sunlight streaming into the room through the window. The panic in her chest perplexed her.
Then she looked at the timepiece on the table and her heart plunged. It was five minutes past eight. She had overslept unpardonably. If her mother found out, she would travel to this house solely to strangle her. To make matters worse, they were supposed to leave after breakfast and she had intended to beg for a day's delay.
Horrified, Nandini pushed the sheet off her body and jumped out of bed. She ran to the bag on the table and pulled out her clothes haphazardly to find a small bag of toiletries.
Then she paused and frantically wondered if she could afford to waste time. Maybe it would be best if she spoke to Mrs Bhargava immediately. She abandoned the bag and darted to the door, then halted again. No...she was being hasty. What impression would she convey if she emerged out of her room before taking a bath despite waking up so late...
Feeling hopelessly confused, she clutched at her hair with a frustrated whimper.
Was she going to do?!
**********************
"....thinking we could leave after having lunch. But you'll get bored till then, won't you?" Janki murmured thoughtfully as she delicately scooped up steaming hot potato curry with a soft puri. "Hmmm....Uday said his great-nephew is going to the town's centre for some work. He'll be setting off at nine and he'll be back by twelve. You can go with...his name is Prithvi, is it? Yes, Prithvi...you can accompany him if you wish," she smiled.
Nandini stared wide-eyed at the writer. She had dropped into a chair at the breakfast table just five minutes ago with earnest apologies for being late. But Mrs Bhargava had been very gracious, and had sweetly said she was the one who should be sorry for being sleepy throughout last night's dinner.
And then she had said....
Nandini's heart leapt up with joyful excitement.
"I – I - really? I can go?" she asked impetuously, unable to believe her ears.
"I don't see any harm in it," Janki said kindly, and looked at her watch. "Carry your phone and make sure you return before one o clock."
"Yes, of course! I won't be late," Nandini promised animatedly, repressing a craving to laugh and cheer delightedly.
She could hardly believe her luck. The opportunity to spend time with Prithvi was being offered to her on a platter.
Troublesome questions and uncertainties rose in her mind, but she closed the door on them. She didn't want to dwell on anything unpleasant right now. The occasion demanded that she quickly finish her breakfast and return to her room to dress up.
She would cajole Prithvi into forgiving her and then leave peacefully for Vishranti Nagar with Mrs Bhargava after lunch. They could try to meet a few times before her return to Shamli, Nandini planned happily.
Everything would work out beautifully.
**************************
Nandini glumly examined her image in the mirror. She had changed into a pretty violet and green churidar-kurta, applied a small black bindi on her forehead and worn her favourite silvery bangles. That was the maximum she could do. She had not worn anklets for weeks and had forgotten to bring them along. And though she knew he despised this neat hair style, she didn't feel comfortable about leaving her tresses open while travelling in this unfamiliar town.
However, her plain looks were the smallest of her worries at present.
Biting her lip lightly, she ambled to the window and looked at the orchard. Prithvi should have arrived half an hour back. Had he decided against taking her along? She had assumed Uday Singh had taken his assent before speaking to Mrs Bhargava. What if he hadn't...
Telling Prithvi what to do was a great way of ensuring he didn't do it, she fretted. But if there was any problem, Uday Singh would surely have called up Mrs Bhargava again.
The growl of a vehicle pricked her ears. She waited breathlessly as the sound grew louder and then there was a jarring screech...
He was angry, but he had come to pick her up.
As overjoyed as she was nervous, Nandini bolted to the mirror for a final inspection, grabbed the phone lying on the bed and hurried out of the room.
In the lane outside, Prithvi grinned at the resounding screech as he parked the jeep at the gates of the guest house. It nicely conveyed the required impression about his mood.
He glanced carelessly at the two guards who were bowing respectfully. All of a sudden, fresh mischief twinkled in his eyes.
*******************************
Wincing at the piercing horn, Nandini fairy ran across the compound.
In her anxiety, she had squandered time in offering unnecessary explanations and reassurances to Mrs Bhargava who was sitting in the living room, writing feverishly in a journal. If the author hadn't suspected anything before, she would definitely begin doing so now, Nandini thought distractedly. And the delay would have worsened Prithvi's temper.
The horn yelled.
"I'm coming! I'm coming!" she whispered feverishly to no one in particular. A stolid guard opened the gate to let her pass. She thanked him politely and stepped onto the lane.
A dark grey jeep was parked some meters ahead. It had a menacing air....
Nandini jumped as the horn shouted again. Saying a prayer, she rushed to the vehicle, quickly slid into the seat beside the driver and turned to Prithvi with a hesitant smile....and then froze.
The huge, bearded guard was rigidly looking ahead.
With a muffled shriek, Nandini scrambled out of the jeep. She drew back and fearfully stared at the motionless figure.
"How many people have you made plans with?"
The brusque question rattled her even more, and she swivelled to find Prithvi gazing intently at her.
Flustered, Nandini moved backwards rapidly till her back connected with the jeep's metallic exterior. "I thought it was you," she said uncertainly.
"Understandable. He could pass for my identical twin," Prithvi shared straight-faced.
She crossly muttered, "I didn't see who it was."
"You get into vehicles without knowing who is inside?" he raised his brows. "Your way of living on the edge?"
Nandini looked at him exasperatedly. "Stop ragging me!" she implored. He appeared to be on the verge on saying something, but then he paused on glimpsing the phone in her right hand.
A new tension slithered through her as Prithvi's fingers closed around her wrist and lifted it to study the mobile.
Then he looked up, and she quailed at the wintry aggression in his gaze. "Looks like the tree bore rotten fruits," he observed acidly. "Remind me to call up customer care."
**************************