-S H R E E P R A S A D-
I walk into Madhav's office room holding a Styrofoam cup of double espresso he drinks every morning. The blinds are open, and the morning sun fell on the glossy table and it shined like a bright piece of jewelry. He isn't here.
His desktop computer is running and there is a piece of paper with a pen. He had scribbled a man's name and his contact in his messy doctor's handwriting. He would have gone out somewhere, I guess. Nevertheless, I keep the styrofoam cup on the table and take a look at his desktop. He had run a Google Image Search for 'Wedding preshoot ideas' and there are several thumbnails of couples posing romantically, a few of which he had even downloaded.
"See something you like?" Madhav asks as he sneaks from behind and wraps his arms around me. His fingers find their way to my waist. "Good morning." He murmurs into my ear. Why does he have to make every simple thing sound so incredibly sensual?
"Are we having a photoshoot?" I ask turning swiftly to face him.
"I thought it would be a nice idea to have a photo shoot before I make you mine." He says as he pulls me closer, until my chest is pressed firmly against his. I blush at the awkward proximity we now share. I hope he doesn't hear the wild thudding of my heart. "Somewhere around next week. In Goa. Just us."
"Is this like an early honeymoon?" I ask teasingly as I play with his dark blue tie. I always marvel at how we unintentionally wore the same colours to work. He was wearing a light blue shirt with a dark blue tie, while I wore a plain blue sari with a sleeveless blouse.
He smirks. "That solely depends on your interpretation, Ms. Prasad. We can either play scrabble and take long walks on the Goa beach during our free time or we can take things up to the bedroom and rehearse our wedding night. You do need some sort of orientation, sexually, don't you?"
"I- I- I need to g-go now." I stammer nervously. The whole unabridged concept of sex before marriage, sounds scandalous to me, and to every Indian. I don't mind kissing before the wedding but sex? It's difficult contemplating whether he's serious or not. I look at his eyes, glinting with umpteen gallons of emotions. "I-I-I just forgot that y-y-you have an appointment with the delegates from-from-from Sabayasachi in a while. They must be waiting in the-" I push him from me and walk away. "I-I-I'll see you-"
He grabs my arm and pulls me to his chest.
"You aren't going anywhere, Mrs. Ramakrishna." He whispers to my ear. "I cancelled all the meetings and appointments scheduled for today." He adds casually. But why?
"We are on a half day today." I look at him raising my eyebrow. "We're getting engaged in the evening, darling."
"WHAT?" I exclaim out loud. "TODAY?"
"At 8.15pm. Your place. Mr. RK and I decided this last night-"
"At my place, why? Isn't there any proper place is this lousy city to have an engagement party? You've seen my apartment! It's tiny and untidy. Also, why are we in such a hurry? Can't this engagement be postponed so my family is prepared, and we get a decent location?"
For a moment I imagine his relatives, Amma and Devi crammed up in our little apartment as we get engaged. May be the terrace would be a good idea, unless it's windy or raining. Most of my relatives in Hyderabad will miss it. Where am I going to find an engagement ring I such short notice and with so little money?
"Will you let me finish?" he groans annoyed. "Today and the end of this month are the only auspicious days that complement our horoscopes. If we are to get married it should be by the end of this month-
"END OF THIS MONTH?" I exclaim louder. There's so much do to and there's barely three weeks to prepare. Invitations have to be picked, printed and posted, the wedding hall has to be booked, the sarees and the jewelry for the wedding and the other function must be decided, the caterers, painting the house. Above all this, he hopes to have a wedding preshoot!
"-or on March." He adds.
"March 2017?"
"March 2019!" he corrects me. "Don't worry about the apartment. Mr. RK has sent a few maids from the RK Mansion to your place and leave the wedding preparations to us. We'll take care of it all, while you, my beloved fiancée. You may sit down and spend some time pampering yourself."
"Can't we get married in 2019 itself?" I ask.
"It'll be too late; I'd be older and-" his right-hand travels to my waist. AGAIN! His thumb slightly grazes on my midriff and he traces a path, so slow, towards my navel. I let out a moan. "I cannot resist staying away from this-this, conservative old school enchantress."
"Let's settle for the mahurat on end of month, then." I whisper. "Do you have another choice?" he whispers, as his hand travels from my navel, to my lower back. He pulls me closer, until I'm crushed against his hard chest. I wrap my arms around his neck like a garland as he bends his head down to bring his lips closer to mine.
My love for this man has increased tremendously over the past days. His love and affection made it easier to forget that rotten Rishabh. What should have taken weeks and months happened within a matter of hours. I remember Madhav holding me in his arms, at the back of his car, as I cried endlessly till late night. The way his words soothed me, the way his soft eyes drilled into my heart made me and his very existence made me forget about my past with Rishabh. Suddenly he became a part of me that never existed.
Our lips were a tiny diminutive millimeter, when Madhav's phone rang. I'm sure I could smell his lemon mint aftershave.
"Yes, Ms. Kapoor?" he asks eagerly as he picks the call. His expression changes from eagerness to an unreadable kind of melancholy as he hears from the lady who called. "Can you please ask them to wait until I get there? I'm on my way."
"Who call and what happened?" I ask as he finishes the call.
"The people from the Rainbow Valley Orphanage called. It's about Maya. Someone has come to adopt her."
* * * * *
Madhav drove faster than ever that day, a journey that should have taken an hour minimum, finished within forty-five minutes. Madhav parked the car near the main building, beside an Ambassador car, that would presumably belong to those who came to adopt Maya. Madhav got off the car made a mad dash towards the Head Mistress's office.
I remember seeing Maya during my first visit to this orphanage. She had a wheat complexion and glossy black hair that was tied to pigtails. Madhav often mentioned her in most our conversation and how he hoped to adopt Maya as his daughter- our daughter.
Six years ago, before Madhav started to work for the company, he worked for as the Finance Head of a famous telecommunication company. One evening, after Madhav had paid a visit to his ill gardener who lived at Dharavi, he took the narrow passage between two buildings to get to the clearing that lead to the main road. On the way to the clearing he came across a dumpster. He heard the faint and feeble cry of an infant echoing in a cardboard box. Madhav picked the infant-a baby girl swaddled in a pink blanket, with a pink wheat complexion and a few strands of black hair. Her eyes were narrow slits, unopened and her hands- so small and delicate.
He summoned a few teenagers who were playing cricket and requested them to ask all the families if they had misplaced an infant. Although, he knew that her parents had deliberately threw the infant in the dumpster. He waited a few feet from the dumpster, for nearly two hours, despite the pungent odour of the rotten food. The infant fell asleep after Madhav had rubbed soft circles on her back, he stood there in the twilight, admiring how her little chest rose and fell as she slept. The boys came and told him that none of the families had misplaced an infant. He took the baby with him and on the way to his mother's apartment in Juhu, he filed a FIR at the Dharavi police station.
Madhav took care of the infant for the next six days, developing an unbreakable bond with her. Madhav seeked the assistance of his neighbour, Fathima, to feed the infant. Fathima, who had recently given birth to her fourth child, gladly agreed to do so. He named her Maya. He left Maya with Fathima every morning as he went to work. He eagerly waited to return home to Maya at the end of the day. When he returned in the evening, Maya would be awake on same crib as Fathima's newborn, her black eyes gleaming and her little arms trying to reach for him. He would pick her up and press infinite number of kisses of her little face, while she gawked and cooed in happiness. He would take her back to his apartment; bathe her and change her into the bright yellow baby clothes he had brought for her on his way home. Every night, he lulled her to sleep and watched her sleep peacefully on his chest. And he never grumbled as he woke up at 12 30 am to change her dirtied diapers.
Inspector Rajesh knocked at Madhav's door on a Sunday morning. A dark plump woman in a blue and white sari was standing beside him. He announced that there were no reports about a missing infant nor did anyone turn to the police station to claim the baby. Rajesh said that Madhav cannot keep the infant with him and requested him to handover Maya to the officials from the orphanage. Madhav argued, pleaded and requested to keep Maya with him. He stated how wealthy enough he is to provide the infant with everything with ease.
The Inspector shook his head helplessly. Madhav hugged Maya for one last time and kissed her forehead as he handed her to the plump woman.
"Don't worry Mr. Ramakrishna, you can always come and visit her." She said as she handed him a business card with the name 'Rainbow Valley Orphanage' written on it.
Maya grew up and he visited her once in every week to see her grow from an infant to a cheerful little girl. She eagerly waited for him every Sunday, just like the other children who had grown fond of him. Madhav made several attempts to adopt her, but the officials at the orphanage repeatedly turned down his request stating that he had to be married in order to adopt Maya. He lost all hope, until he met me, until he realized he loved me, until I said I would marry him. He was enthralled because while he gets to marry the woman he loves madly; he Would also adopt the child he cared for the most. Adopting Maya was the first thing he wanted to do as soon as we married. "You should have declined their request!" Madhav yells angrily as we meet the plump head mistress in the office.
"I'm sorry Mr. Ramakrishna, but they insist on adopting Maya." she said.
"No!" he exclaims. "Go tell them that I hope to adopt her! I am wealthy and educated enough to raise her better than any parent could ever! I have the ability to financially and emotionally succumb to every want that will subsequently arise. And I will be married by the end of this month, isn't that what you always wanted? And-"
"Mr. Ramakrishna, please!" She said straightening her posture on her cushioned seat. "I implore you to talk to the couple who intend to adopt her, first. They are seated outside."
Madhav grunted in annoyance and walks out.
We met Mr. Ratnam and his wife outside the office. Mr. Ratnam was dressed in a crisp white shirt and brown pants. He was a weary man in his fifties, who worked as a General Manager of a five-star hotel. His hair had an equal balance of white and blank strands. His wife was dressed in a pale green sari and had a passive face in her own myriad of thoughts, but her eyes gleamed with hope and satisfaction.
"I'm sorry Mr. Ramakrishna but we have decided to adopt the girl." Mr. Ratnam concludes after Madhav had requested him not to adopt Maya. He told Mr. Ratnam how he discovered Maya and how he took care of her until he had to give her away to the orphanage.
"There are so many orphanages in India, and there are several orphans to choose from." Madhav adds helplessly, Mrs. Ratnam looked at him.
"And there are no girls like my Parvathi- except Maya." Mrs. Ratnam added softly.
"Parvathi was our daughter." Mr. Ratnam said as fished out a passport sized photograph from his black wallet. Madhav studied the photograph of the girl who had a striking resemblance to Maya. "We conceived her after many years of trying and praying to all the Gods and Goddesses. "She was a healthy and beautiful girl. We loved her so much." Mrs. Ratnam sobs, and I hold her hand in mine.
Mr. Ratnam continues "She was 10 and we were enjoying the cool breeze of the sea at the Marina Beach in Chennai. After the sea receded rapidly a huge wave arose; a tsunami. We ran for our lives, trying to save ourselves, Paru was with us and somehow amidst the crowd she got separated from us. The search parties found her the next day; dead. It took us years to get over the grief. We lost the child we conceived after so much trouble. We tried to make another child but failed, my wife is nearing her menopause, it will be impossible to conceive at this age. I suggested adoption, but my wife was unwilling to, until we saw Maya."
I look at Madhav, his face divested of expressions, as usual. His eyes are glued to the picture Mr. Ratnam had given. He sighs, sorrowfully and returns the picture to Mr. Ratnam.
"You and your wife are still in your youth, the two of you can have many children as you wish. But Maya is the only child we want. We are ready to give Maya the same amount of love and attention we gave to Paru, if you let us take her with us."
"You can take Maya." Madhav said, and I know it took him a lot of effort and courage to say it. Mr. and Mrs. Ratnam smiled. "I want to see Maya, for one last time."
We opened the heavy wooden double door that lead to the girl's dormitory. The dorm room was an endlessly long rectangular room, with beds placed on either side of the long wall. The walls were a dirty shade of white and the floors were cemented. A big chandelier hangs on the center of the ceiling, the only source of light excluding the big window at the end of the room. Each bed had a different shade of color and on each bed, there was either a Barbie or a book or a few stuffed toys.
Maya was on the bed near the big window, wearing a white frock, humming a song as she packed her clothes in the little schoolbag she had. She looks up when she heard our footsteps. Her face glows and she come running to us, to Madhav.
"Did she tell you- did she tell you, Madhav?" she jumped up and down. "Someone has come to adopt me."
"I know, my little princess." Madhav said as he lifted her into his arms in one swift motion as he walked towards her bed. She smiled and wrapped around her little arms around his neck. "I just met your parents. They are so excited to take little Maya home".
"I wonder how Papa looks like. Does he have a big moustache and a big black suitcase? Does Mama have curled hair or straight hair? And do they have a dog? I always wanted a dog- that gold colored ones with lots of hair!"
"You'll find out when you meet them." He says as he gently places her on the bed. "Have you packed everything? Your clothes, toys and books?" he asks, and she nods.
He sits down beside her and takes her little hand into his. "Maya, your parents are so excited to see you and they already love you so much. You are going to be a good girl, like you have always been. I want you to respect them, care for them and love them the way they love you. I want you to study well and achieve big things in life. One day, you are going to make your parents and me feel proud of you. Do I have your word?"
Maya's expression changed. "Is this the last time I'll be seeing you?"
"I guess." He says sadly.
"You'll be seeing us very often, Maya." I said and sit beside her. "You can invite us to your house for your birthday whenever you want. We'll make sure we visit you on Christmas and Diwali with many gifts. Also, Madhav and I are getting married at the end of this month, and how can we get married without our flower girl?"
"You are getting married?" Maya asks excitedly and Madhav nods Maya screams happily and hugs Madhav. I see how he fights back his tears as she hugs her in return. His eyes are brimming with tears, ready to break and release gallons of tears. He holds them back. He has learnt that subtle art of holding back his sorrows.
Madhav didn't cry as Maya bid goodbye to all the other children at the orphanage. She hugged each child tightly as she whispered goodbye. Madhav looks at me and wipes a tear from my cheek. Maya looks at the old building and the garden for one last time, taking in the smell of the flowers and the smell of the gravy that came from the kitchen. Mr. Ratnam keeps her schoolbag and a few cards and gifts made by the other children in the car.
Maya looks to Madhav and runs back to him. He kneels down and she leans forward to press a quick kiss to his forehead.
"I love you Madhav."
"I love you too, my little princess." He says softly and presses a long kiss to her forehead. "Take care, alright? And remember the promise you made, okay?"
She nods.
In several occasions Madhav has told Maya how she was discovered by an unknown man, who looked after her for a week before he was forced to handover her to the orphanage. He never revealed that the unknown man was him.
To be continued....
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Announcement
It's Dedication Time! As a way of returning your unwavering love and support to the story, I have decided to dedicate ALL the chapters of this book to each reader.
1: A question will be asked at the end of each chapter, regarding the story and/or the characters.
2: One person will be selected from all those who have provide the correct answer.
3: The lucky winner gets one chapter of this book dedicated to him/her. This process will happen repeatedly until all/most of the readers, active and silent, have chapters dedicated to them.
PREVIOUS WEEK'S QUESTION: What is the name of Madhav's eldest sister?
ANSWER: DEVAKSHI
Thank you to all those who submitted the correct answers but we can have only one winner.
WINNER:
Congratulations! Chapter 2 is dedicated to you.
Here is the question, the winner gets the 3rd chapter dedicated to him/her.
In which part of Mumbai does Shree live in?
Submit your answers with inline comments.