"Come in," Akash said, in response to the knock on his door. "Morning, Di," he said, glancing at her reflection in his mirror.
"You're getting ready for work? Don't you think you should rest?" she questioned, concern written on her face. Akash had cooped himself in his room after they'd gotten back home on Saturday and then all of Sunday, he'd been in bed due to a fever.
"I'm fine, Di."
"I came to see if you wanted me to send breakfast up."
"It's fine. I'll come down and eat with everyone else."
She watched as he worked on his tie. "You're my brother, you know that? Just like Chote. Sometimes, I think that I understand you better than him. But these last two days--" his hands stopped moving. "I don't know, Akash. I don't understand why you're acting like you're no longer interested in Payal."
"What's the point? Ma ji will never accept her. She'll make her life a living hell."
"Mothers and daughter-in-laws argue. They fight. This is common. But eventually, they find a balance that works for them. It'll be like that for Payal and Mamiji, too. And Payal's a strong girl; as long as she has your support, she'll handle Mamiji. You saw how she responded to Chote the other day."
"And that's the problem. You just said it yourself--a husband should support his wife."
"And you will, Akash--"
"I won't because I can't. Even at her house, when Ma ji and Bhai were degrading her, I couldn't say anything. It was Khushi Ji who defended her. Same thing at the office: Bhai is unfair to her, because of me. And I've never stood up to him. It's always you.
"I don't deserve her, Di. I'm not worthy of being anyone's husband, let alone hers."
"Akash bitwa," Manorama chirped as she bounded up to Akash's open door, causing the cousins to halt their conversation. "Oh Anjali betiya, you're here, too. What's this, Akash bitwa? You're all dressed for work. You should stay home and rest today!"
"I'm fine, Ma ji. I was just telling Di that we have some important meetings and we shouldn't miss them."
"Yes, of course. Hello, hi, bye-bye, my bitwa works so hard. I wanted to give you these pictures. Look at them today and tell me by evening which one you want, okay?" She forcefully thrust the photos into Akash's hand and practically skipped out of the room.
Frustrated, he threw the photos on the dresser. "Should I pick a bride the way she picks saris from a catalogue? I can't, Di. I can't even look at any of them."
"Relax, okay? Let's go down for breakfast. You need to eat something. I'll run interference between you and Mamiji so she won't say anything about this again."
"Sometimes I think you're the only one who really cares about me in this house, Di."
"That's not true, Akash. You matter--to all of us. Now come on, let's go."
***
Any update on Anya? Khushi texted Lavanya as she walked into the firm. Waving good morning at the receptionist and at any colleagues she passed by, she made a beeline for her office.
Contrary to most people, she liked Mondays. The fresh start to the week always sent a burst of energy through her. First order of business was a phone call to a client.
It was close to midday when Khushi finally got a response from Lavanya. She won't let anyone treat her--male or female.
Shaking her head with disappointment, Khushi looked at her Devi Mayan statue. "It's not fair. Can't you make things easier for her? Please."
Wondering if she should drop by the hospital herself, Khushi decided to grab something from one of the carts outside for lunch. She'd have to eat at her desk again; there was still a lot to do today.
***
Arnav wanted to bang his head on the steering wheel. Mamiji had strong-armed them to drop NK off at the hospital on their way to work. And he would not shut up. No, Arnav didn't care about the hospital staff or how comfortable NK's bed was or how different Agra and Delhi were or whatever topic NK was going on about.
And on top of that, neither Akash nor Di were saying a word. Both were staring out of their respective windows, lost in their own worlds. He guessed that they were both thinking about everything that happened on Saturday. To be honest, Arnav didn't quite understand why Akash said that he and Ms. Pansare weren't possible, but good riddance.
He took another look at his morose cousin in the rearview mirror. He'll get better, Arnav told himself. He just needs some time.
The first thing that Arnav did when he got into his office was meet with Aman. He wanted an update on the European fashion show. While AR Industries was quite prominent in the motherland, this was their first foray into international waters and Arnav wanted everything to go perfectly.
And so, Arnav continued his day as he normally would, attention solely on his work, unperturbed by anything happening outside of his office.
***
"Good morning," NK beamed at the receptionist.
She smiled back, charmed by his good mood. "Good morning, Dr. Goddwani. How was your weekend? I hope Delhi's suiting you."
"Oh, it's fantastic. My Maasi lives here, so I'm staying at her place until I can get an apartment of my own."
"Oh really? Well, if you're looking for something close to the hospital, my building recently had some apartments emptied out. If you want, I can give you the super's phone number. Give my reference, and you might be able to pick one even before they're up for grabs."
"That would be great! I'll definitely take his number--and my charts for today."
"Of course. Here you go."
Flipping the folder open, N.K. started looking through it as he walked down the hall.
"Stop!" He froze, looking up to see that he'd almost bumped into someone.
He didn't know her name but he recognized her. "Hey, it's you. How are you, Officer?"
She glared at him before ignoring him and walking past him. She'd done pretty much the same when he'd almost crashed into her on the day of his orientation: yelling at him and then walking away. Shrugging, he continued on his way.
***
Payal didn't want to talk to anyone. She didn't want to look at anyone. She didn't want to be here. She sat at her desk, head bent over a sketch. If she focused hard enough, she could pretend she was alone.
"Ms. Pansare?" The office peon said, disrupting her zen.
"Yes?"
"Anjali Ma'am wants to see you in her office. And she says to bring the third design for the fashion show."
"Okay."
She wanted to kill someone when she got there and saw that all three of the Raizadas were waiting for her. Why couldn't she catch a break?
Refusing to meet a certain someone's eyes, she handed Anjali Ma'am the sketch that she'd shown her on Saturday.
"This'll be a showstopper for sure," Arnav Sir commented as he came around to look over his sister's shoulder. "We'll end with this piece."
Payal bit back a sarcastic laugh. Where was this praise in front of their families?
Nodding in agreement, Anjali Ma'am said, "We'll start with her as well--the blue sari. What do you think, Payal? You'll start and end one of AR's most important fashion shows."
"It'll be an honor, Ma'am." She tried to smile but her lips refused to stretch properly.
"You don't seem too happy," Arnav Sir commented.
Akash snorted. It was the first sound that he'd made but Payal kept her eyes glued to the paper in Anjali Ma'am's hand. "Never mind happiness, Bhai. Let's focus on business."
"Exactly," Anjali Ma'am said. "Forget everything else for the moment. Payal, I want this to be your top priority. Go down to the garment factory and select your fabrics. I want you in my office Wednesday at ten with a functional sample hanging off a mannequin."
"Yes, Ma'am."
Anjali smiled at her." I know it's a lot, but I trust you can handle it. You'll work with Gohar. You can go now."
Arnav waited for his employee to leave before turning to Akash. "What was that?"
"What was what, Bhai?"
"That attitude? Listen, none of this is my fault. You're the one who changed your mind about her."
"Chote, enough," Di said. "We have things to discuss, but now isn't the time and place for it."
She rang for the peon and instructed him to summon another designer, effectively ending any personal discussion.
***
The building supervisor was more than happy to have NK look at the apartments and they arranged a meeting for lunch time. The building was a five-minute walk from the hospital and NK was pleased to see that the places were relatively clean and comfortable.
By the time lunch was over, NK had selected an apartment and had a list of the required paperwork that he'd need to rent it out.
This was how life worked for NK. He wasn't too fussy about things; if he saw something he liked, he went for it and if he didn't get it, he moved on.
As he walked down the hospital corridor to his office, he stopped short at the screams coming from one of the patient rooms. Walking closer, he saw that two female officers stood guarding the door. Then his colleague, Dr. Krishna, came hurtling out. She didn't even notice NK as she stormed down the hall, screaming about how she couldn't take this anymore.
Well, that's odd, thought NK as he continued on his way. He wondered what it was about but then shrugged. If it was important, he'd hear about it eventually.
***
Lavanya leaned forward in her chair, pinning her second-in-command with her eyes. "No one finds about this. Let them know there will be a raid, but the location and target will be known only to you and me. We can't afford any leaks this time. Understood?"
"Yes, Inspector. Don't worry; we won't fail this time."
"Good."
***
Trafficking activities are defined as the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons for the purpose of exploitation. Some jurisdictions have expanded their definition of trafficking by including activities like purchasing, benefitting or profiting.
More severe or additional penalties are assigned for trafficking when the crimes are committed against vulnerable populations like children, undocumented immigrants and people with a mental illness, or are effectuated through aggravating circumstances like the use of violence, branding or drug addiction.
Khushi rubbed her eyes as she marked down the passage from the textbook. She was done with all her meetings and calls for today. Her files were up-to-date and organized. Technically, she could go home but she wanted to get some research done for the orphanage case.
She got up and walked around her office, stretching her limbs.
The orphanage case was at a standstill. Aarav's issue was resolved but he was the anomaly. All the other missing children were girls. The youngest of them was Anya at fourteen, currently in a fragmented mental state due to whatever she'd suffered. And there were thirteen others possibly suffering the same thing.
No, not thirteen, she corrected. Countless. She couldn't help them all, but at least for these fourteen girls, Khushi would do her best to get justice.
But for that, they'd have to be found. They'd have to give testimony. The people behind them would have to be captured. She came to stand in front of her best friend and searched for hope in the familiar face. "Make it happen, Devi Mayan. Please."
***
As their weekly Monday meeting drew to a close, Arnav shifted the subject from business to personal. "Tell me what we needed to talk about, Di. What is it that you and Akash are blaming me for?"
Capping her pen, Di replied, "Nobody's blaming you for anything."
"It's all on me anyway," Akash said glumly.
"What's on you?"
"Everything."
"Stop being vague, dammit," said a frustrated Arnav. "Look, we're talking about Ms. Pansare, right? You said yourself that the two of you weren't suited. So what's the problem?"
"He never said that they weren't suited. He just said that they couldn't be together," Anjali clarified.
"I've been saying that from the beginning. It's good you've realized it, too, Akash. What's the problem?"
"Chote, are you really that thick-headed or do you pretend to be? You and Akash have completely different reasons for not wanting him to be with Payal."
"What reason? Tell me, Akash."
"I just...Bhai I don't think I'd be a good husband to her."
Arnav stared at him in disbelief before turning to Di. "Is he serious?"
"He is."
"Akash, you're not the problem here. She'd be lucky to have you. You're a Raizada. And besides that, you're a good guy. It's her that's the problem."
"No, the issue is me. Even now, you're sitting here insulting her and I can't do anything about it. I can't defend her."
"I'm not insulting her--"
"You are, Bhai. You're saying that there's something wrong with her--there isn't. She's perfect."
"Nobody's perfect."
"She's perfect for me."
"She's putting on an act--"
"She's not--"
"Enough, both of you," Anjali's voice cut through. "Chote, this isn't getting through to you so I'll explain it in clear words. Akash is in love with Payal. When you say things like this, you hurt him. And because he respects you and your opinion so much, he won't tell you to shut up. But I will. Shut up, Chote.
"Not everyone in the world is the same. Payal isn't Garima. And other than Payal's middle-class background, there's no similarity. Payal is clearly attracted to Akash but she has never made a move towards him. She's always kept things within professional bounds and so has Akash. We've been to Payal's house. They live simply, decently.
"The way we showed up out of the blue wasn't right, but they gave us the respect that they would give any guests. Your behavior was out of line but they tolerated that also.
"Class isn't defined by your wealth or social status; it's defined by manners and behavior. And that day, I was very impressed by not just Payal, but her whole family's manners.
"What logical reason do you have for disliking her?"
Reprimanded, Arnav said nothing.
"Now, Akash, your problem is that you feel that you won't be able to defend Payal if Bhai and Mamiji say anything to her. And it's true. It's not in your nature. You're too non-confrontational."
Akash deflated even more. "Di--" Arnav started to protest.
"Quiet, Chote, I'm talking. Akash--" she waited until he was looking at her. "Your soft nature isn't a bad thing. In fact, I'm sure that's what attracted Payal in the first place. But you need to balance that with self-confidence so that everyone stops taking advantage of you."
"I don't know how to do that, Di."
"You'll figure it out. In fact, I have just the task in mind for you."
She smiled devilishly and Arnav and Akash exchanged nervous glances.
"In order to prove that you have what it takes to be a good husband for Payal, it's your job to convince Mamiji to send a proposal to her Buaji. Just you. I won't help at all."
Smiling brightly, she stood up and gathered her things. "Gentlemen, I think we're done here. I'll meet you downstairs by the car. I'm driving."
***
"Look at you, Adhi. You're getting better by the minute. High-five!"
Grinning at his young patient, N.K. marked down the improvements in his chart. As he walked out of the ward, he checked his pager and saw that he was wanted in Dr. Mehta's office as soon as his rounds were done.
Dr. Mehta was head of the pediatric department. When N.K. got there, he saw that the other pediatric fellows were there as well, including Dr. Krishna, who'd stormed past him earlier today.
"Dr. Goddwani, have a seat please. Recently, we've had a patient admitted to the hospital by the Delhi police department." Remembering the room guarded by officers, N.K. nodded. "The patient is a fourteen-year old female and is believed to be suffering from trauma due to physical and sexual abuse. Due to this, she has a panic attack anytime a male is in the room. As such, we've only allowed our female staff to work with her. But even so, she reacts badly to anyone who attempts to physically contact her. The only way we can treat her is by sedating her."
"Constantly sedating her is going to lead to harmful side effects. Her sessions with the psychologist are proving to be unfruitful as well. She won't respond to anyone talking to her. Before you ask, we have checked her hearing; it's all in order."
Done with his debriefing, he addressed the room at large. "Two days. This patient has been with us for two days and already the three female pediatricians that we have refuse to treat her any longer."
Two of them looked down sheepishly but Dr. Krishna said, "She attacks us! I have bite marks." She pulled her sleeve back to show the room.
Dr. Mehta sighed. "I understand where you're coming from. But we can't leave this girl untreated. That's why I called this impromptu meeting. If anyone has any ideas, let's hear them. Otherwise, I'll speak to Officer Kashyup and have the patient transferred to a psychiatric institute. Perhaps they'll be better equipped to handle her."
"I think institutionalizing her will be for the best," Dr. Ahmed said gruffly and the others agreed.
Except N.K. "If it's alright with you, I'd like to be her doctor."
Dr. Mehta wasn't impressed. "Perhaps you didn't understand. She doesn't let any male doctors near her."
N.K. shrugged. "I've dealt with a patient similar to her before. 8-year old boy; sexually abused by his stepfather. He had issues trusting his doctors, too, but he opened up to me. We're already at ropes end with this patient; what's the harm in letting me try?"
"You won't even be able to get into the room," Dr. Krishna refuted.
"If I can't, then we'll institutionalize her. But at least let me try once."
"Tomorrow," Dr. Mehta acquiesced. "Right now, she's been sedated and she'll probably be out all night."
N.K. smiled brightly. "Great. I look forward to it."
As he left the room, Dr. Krishna scoffed. "He has no idea what he's getting into."
***
"Okay, that's enough for today, Gohar Ji."
They both stepped back. Payal had been working with the tailor ever since her meeting with the Raizadas had ended. They'd discussed the design, then selected the fabric and the two shades of black that would go into making it. They'd spent half an hour alone debating which thread to use. Then they picked out the beads that would adorn the arms and finally the netting that would cover the cleavage. There was a fine line between sexy and hooker and the netting would ensure that they kept it classy.
Three hours just for material selection. And then they'd cooped themselves up in one of Gohar's workrooms with a mannequin pinning the fabric. They'd start the actual sewing process tomorrow.
"Not bad," he commented.
She grinned. "It'll be a masterpiece. By the end of it, we'll either be best friends or worst enemies."
The wizened tailor laughed as he led the young designer out. "You haven't worked with me before, so you don't know. All the designers who work with me hate me and beg Anjali Ma'am not to work with me again."
"Really?"
"It's true. I'm surprised I'm not fired yet."
"Hmm. Well, we'll see how tomorrow goes then."
"Until then, Payal Ji."
***
Lavanya tightened her grip on her gun before forcing herself to relax. She needed to keep her head. She looked through the darkness, where her second-in-command was hidden in the shadows.
He nodded at her, so she brought her radio up to her mouth. "Now."
As her forces moved into the building, bells began ringing from a nearby clock tower.
It's midnight, she thought. The day is over. Then she grinned ferally.
But the night is just beginning.
Author's Note:
Y'all remember I wrote another Monday chapter a while ago? This is my do-over in a much more readable format.
Not much actually happened in this chapter, but everything's been primed for the next few chapters, which will be action-packed. Lavanya only had a few lines in this chapter, but they were my favorite to write.
As always, I appreciate your comments and votes.
Source for Khushi's "textbook":
http://www.ncsl.org/research/civil-and-criminal-justice/human-trafficking-laws.aspx
Next update will be Sunday, December 8, iA. Until then, take care.
Best,
Noor