"I love this place," she commented in a flat voice. He took great efforts to induct her in the hospital but she lacked gratitude. He didn't realise that.
"I guess your dad is happy with my job," she added. Vikram agreed, "Though he was sceptical to provide you a job at first, you made your way."
"I proved his doubts wrong," she concluded to him. He pursed her shoulder, "I love you, Karishma."
She scoffed, "Stay away from me. Don't ignite rumours in the workplace."
Vikram took his hands off her, "It would be easier for us to unite sooner if the rumours reach my dad."
She rolled her eyes, "I need time. You can leave now."
Vikram reminded her before exiting the room, "You can chuck me out of this room. I won't give up on you..."
On the way out, he met his dad who threw a questioning glance at his son.
"I came here for a file, dad," Vikram babbled quickly. Sooraj crossed his hands, "You seem to attend this staff a lot."
"Dad, she was my classmate," Vikram tried to convince his dad in vain. Sooraj eyed his son up and down, "Why is she interested in our financial records?"
Vikram paused all of his thoughts at the words, "What are you saying?"
"Not only that, she has a keen interest in our IT department too," Sooraj threw more bombs of words over his son who stood overwhelmed.
"What are you saying for these?" The old man asked his son. "I hope we aren't taming a snake."
Vikram drowned at the seriousness in his dad's face. He presumed that she was curious but went on to her for an explanation.
"I want to know my life after our marriage," she lied to Vikram. "Don't I have the rights?"
"You will know everything after our marriage. What's the hurry?" He replied calmly and forgot the issue.
That became a major issue of his lifetime.
******
Madhu looked at the mirror and adjusted her braid for one final time. While turning to leave she tumbled on the empty bottle of beer that rolled beside the bed and her husband sprawled on the bed, unknown to the happenings.
Vikram sneaked in two bottles the previous night and dared to offer her a drink. She, of course, declined it and got kicked out of the cosy bed. He hadn't given her a blanket or pillows to spend the night. She had a disturbed sleep while he snored on the bed after gulping the shit he bought.
She gave the sleeping bastard a dirty glance and made her way out of the room. As she reached the living room, Niyati greeted her with a cup of coffee and an energetic smile. Madhu returned the glee to her sister-in-law.
"Are you ready?" Sooraj questioned her, keeping away the newspaper that he read. She shook her head confidently.
"You can learn a lot," Rati guided her with an authoritative tone. "Use the opportunity wisely."
Madhu absorbed her points when Vikram yawned from upstairs and rubbed his tired eyes. All the people downstairs were stunned by his noise.
He scowled at each of the faces he met. "Shit! Why didn't you guys leave? How will my day go!"
"That's our problem too..." Niyati cut him off. "You should have woken up in your usual time."
"What is that?" Madhu mouthed to her. Niyati whispered, "Eleven."
Madhu was taken aback. Nobody in her family woke up past eight and her husband was a living sloth. Sooraj directed the questions about Vikram's next visit to the hospital. Though Madhu wanted to stay with that family, she pondered the guest appearance of Vikram in his own family.
"I will decide someday," Vikram replied uninterestedly. Madhu couldn't decide how her life worsened around him.
"You drop your wife on her first day," Rati ordered Vikram. "Give her a head start about our business."
Madhu interrupted the old woman, "I will figure it out once I reach the hospital." The last thing needed was Vikram's driving skills after the alcohol.
Rati eyed the new bride and warned in a polite tone, "Don't interrupt me. This is your last warning."
Madhu bowed her head.
Vikram glowered at the old woman, "You are going to stick your ass on the couch for the whole day. Don't taunt my wife."
"Then take that queen to the hospital instead of siding for her," Rati said to him and walked away.
Madhu stood from the couch and told Vikram that she would manage without his help.
"I will drop you at the hospital," Vikram told her. "I am not having a hangover. Don't worry."
********
Madhu gaped at the hospital building from his car, "This is a palace."
"Second largest in the city," Vikram said proudly. "It's my mom's dream..."
Then he became silent abruptly.
"There are ten floors and each floor has like.... Thirteen rooms!" She wondered at the building.
"Totally twenty rooms on the floor," he explained the building by heart. "There are wards, consulting rooms, toilets, waiting areas and operation theatres etcetera. "And the administration building is over there...."
Madhu looked at the smaller building that he showed her near the hospital. He stopped his car near the entrance and looked at her silently.
She blinked, "Do I need to get down?"
He placed his elbow on the window pane and scanned her face, "Do you need servants to carry you?"
She walked out of the car and uttered profanities at him before entering the hospital premises. The receptionist showed the way to the cabin of Sooraj when Madhu introduced herself. His attitude was polar opposite at the hospital and she readied her mind to give her best for the place.
"Why do you want to work here?" Her father in law shot her questions like an interviewer. She blinked at him, "You only said-"
"Shh...." He placed a finger over his lips, "I can't recruit you just because you are my daughter in law. You have to prove your worth here."
Madhu already had problems with his son, now, the old man also joined in giving her troubles. She hesitated to work there, "But sir..."
"No buts," he interrupted her words. "If you want to build your career, you have to prove your worth. I don't know how much you were involved in your dad's business but I need all of your efforts in maintaining my empire."
He overvalued his hospital and irritated her with advice.
"If you don't want to toil around, please leave this place. Else, join here as an intern and let me see if I could make you permanent..." He shared with a stern voice.
"Does Vikram know this?" She questioned. He might have warned her otherwise.
"He better not know this," he concluded to her and returned his attention to his laptop. Madhu mentally cursed her life and walked out of the room.
She scratched her head and dialled her best friend to fill in the details.
"The subscriber you have dialled has been alive for the past three days...." Ankitha mocked at her friend. Madhu snorted over the line as Ankitha resumed her statutory warning for five more minutes.
Madhu disconnected the call and walked to the canteen for a cup of coffee. Her phone rang and she smirked, cutting the call.
After disconnecting the call thrice, Madhu picked up the line.
"Bitch!" Ankitha cursed. "What were you up to in Mumbai? Even Madhav didn't know your whereabouts."
"Ankitha... Life is fucked up," Madhu sighed over the call. "Basically, that family needed a psychiatrist, not a daughter in law..."
Madhu voiced out little of the details to Ankitha.
"You shouldn't have stayed with the extended family. Too many people have unnecessary baggage for you too..."
Her friend advised. "Madhu, better listen to Vikram and move out."
"What about my job?" Madhu pouted over the call.
"Your husband should search if he doesn't want you to be around his dad," Ankitha said calmly, "It's his headache, angel."
"Hmmm..." Madhu pondered her words. Vikram was volunteering for some share every month but she was reluctant to be his trophy wife.
"Hey?" Ankitha drew her attention back. "How is that hospital?"
Madhu scoffed at the chunky building, "I will lose ten kilos in a month by touring this place."
Ankitha hummed at the line. "Basically, you are at a potential place for your career but in a rookie position."
Madhu agreed.
"Then, I am sorry but you have to work for a month like that old man wished..." Ankitha said. "It gives you experience and you can keep yourself busy for a month."
"True. I can quit anytime..." Madhu planned for her future. "I need to learn a lot here..."
Ankitha smiled, "Don't doubt yourself. You just need a week to figure out everything."
Madhu made her mind to accept the challenge.
*********
She chugged down the second mug of espresso within an hour to read through the tedious files. The hospital bloomed with profit but that story was four years ago. Something had happened that stripped off the shares by forty percent and now, only the old partners stay with the place.
"Strange.." she mumbled at the reports. She doubted that Vikram would help her, so, she dialled Niyati to know the issue.
"Hi," Niyati greeted her. "What's up?"
"I am going through the hospital records which don't seem good for the past four years..." Madhu explained her point. "What really happened?"
"Oh that!" Niyati hesitated to tell. "You shouldn't tell anyone that I told you these details..."
Madhu promised that she won't breathe a word. Then Niyati started the story with a warning, "I was in hostel that time, so I knew only little of the details..."
Madhu sighed, "Tell what you know. I need tidbits."
"Okay. So Vikram loved a girl... Some three years before," Niyati explained. "He sneaked her inside our hospital as an employee. She duped our accounts and complained to the income tax department..."
Just then Sooraj opened the door of her cabin and Madhu disconnected the line abruptly.
"Who are you chatting with?" Sooraj questioned her in a stern manner. Her mobile alerted the incoming call and she switched the mobile off to avoid further troubles.
Sooraj walked inside and had a look at the pile of files. "You have to sit with other staff as an intern."
Madhu blinked at him, "I haven't read the files..."
"That's not my headache. You should have finished reading these already," he said to her.
She sighed and grabbed the files from the table.
"Don't waste time on mobile..." He warned her.