The Wedding Drums

by Marilyn Rodwell

  They got to the gates of the Dass property and stood speechless. Amrit Dass was cordial and most respectful. He offered them drinks and had a meal brought to them as if he had been expecting honoured guests. Later, he took them around the premises and showed them where Amina would be staying, and Devinia expressed her gratitude. That afternoon, she left her daughter in San Fernando at the house and business of Mr Amrit Dass, and his son Dillip, feeling greatly relieved. Whatever anxiety she might have had and concealed from everyone, had ebbed away during their visit.

  When she returned home, she told Etwar that his father had made a big mistake in deciding to cancel the wedding. They had everything that would make the girl happy. Besides, Amina liked San Fernando. It suited her. If she could have married the son, he was just the kind of educated young man who would make her an excellent match. He was rich too, and more than they could have hoped for in a husband for Amina. But it was too late.

  ‘I can’t see why,’ Etwar said. ‘If you think so, you should have said.’

  Etwar was fetching water one day from the standpipe when Sumati spotted him and asked if Amina was all right.

  ‘She must be very busy in school,’ the girl said sadly, ‘she has no time for me these days.’

  ‘School? She didn’t tell you?’

  ‘Tell me what?’

  ‘She took a job. She’s working now.’

  ‘Teaching?’

  ‘No. But if she didn’t tell you, she didn’t tell Mr Clifford either. Strange that he hasn’t asked me about her though.’

  ‘He probably assumes she’s got belly pains.’

  ‘You mean woman pains?’ Etwar asked. ‘I’m not stupid.’

  ‘Except he would be wrong,’ Sumati said. ‘He would have persuaded her against her decision to go to work. But I can understand why she must have changed her mind. Look, I have to get back to my babies now. Tell your sister not to forget where I live.’

  ‘I won’t be seeing her for a good while. She’s living away now – where she is working,’ Etwar tried to explain, but Sumati had already turned her back and was hurrying off down the road.

  That evening, as she massaged her children after their bath, Sumati sat thinking about how life can change when you’re least expecting it. Amina had had everything planned out, and had tried to persuade her father not to get her married. Now she had got her wish, but everything was turned upside down. Karma had stepped in. Sankar Banderjee got killed as soon as she got her way. And somehow, Amina wouldn’t trust the Hindu religion anymore. And instead of being the luckiest girl in the village, reading poetry and teaching children how to read and write, she had to leave school and work like everyone else in some cane field.

  ‘Pa,’ Sumati said. ‘Is Amina working in the cane field? Have you seen her?’

  ‘No,’ he said. ‘I’ve not seen her or heard about her.’

  ‘She must be so ashamed that she never even told me.’ Sumati’s voice was sad.

  ‘They must have lost everything,’ Roopchand said. ‘I heard the jewellery store got cleaned out by thieves.’

  ‘Have they caught who did it?’

  ‘You think the police care?’ her father scoffed. ‘If they did find out who did it, they would be taking bribes to keep it quiet.’

  ‘Sankar used to make very nice pieces of jewellery,’ his daughter recalled. ‘Very special. He made beautiful flowers – roses and orchids. No one else makes those. Amina gave me some for my wedding. Those pieces will turn up somewhere.’

  ‘She is a generous girl. I saw you wearing them but I couldn’t remember if they were your mother’s. Well, I hope they find who did it. Nobody deserves to die like that.’

  ‘You didn’t like him, Pa.’

  ‘True – but I never wished him dead.’ Roopchand scratched his head. ‘I was jealous. He had everything – money, a business, a big house. He had it all. Girl, life is more important than riches. I see that now,’ he admitted. ‘I have you – and your brother. More than money can buy.’

  ‘You’re right. It was riches that got him murdered. He lost his life because of his jewellery business.’

  ‘We have to be grateful for what we have been given,’ Sumati’s father said, cuddling one of the babies. ‘Life is short. Much too short. I miss your mother every day, you know. I will never stop missing her.’

  Sumati made a trip up to the Banderjee house to see Devinia. She arrived with both babies straddled across her hips. Devinia was delighted to see her and made a big fuss of the children.

  ‘Stay and eat,’ Devinia begged. ‘I don’t see you so much anymore.’

  ‘You cook like my mother, Tantie,’ Sumati said. ‘Thank you – I would love to eat with you.’

  ‘Your mother was a good cook,’ Devinia said gently. ‘You must be missing her too. I can’t tell you how much I feel for you, losing her like that. Come and see me whenever you want. I will always have time for you. It’s only Etwar and me now. I miss Amina already. Both of them.’ Devinia wiped away the tears that filled her eyes.

  ‘It’s hard on you, Tantie,’ Sumati said, ‘now that Amina’s gone away to work.’

  Devinia began to cry. ‘Yes, but it’s for the best.’

  ‘I wonder how she’s managing? It must have been a hard decision for her. Even harder for somebody like her. She’s not used to that kind of hard work. Or living with strangers.’

  ‘They seem like good people. A lot of people are there, working. The house is big, and the business too.’

  ‘Business?’ Sumati was surprised. ‘I thought she was working in the cane field?’

  ‘No, it is a big business. It’s a good place to work. A lot of other girls are there. And she likes San Fernando.’

  ‘A lot of girls? San Fernando? Etwar didn’t say. Who owns the business?’

  ‘A man and his son. Mr Dass.’

  ‘Dass?’ Sumati repeated, a feeling of dread overcoming her.

  ‘Amrit Dass,’ Devinia said. And when Sumati looked horrified, she asked, ‘Is something wrong?’

  ‘Is the son called Dillip?’ Sumati asked in a choked voice.

  ‘You know them?’ Devinia asked. ‘They live in a big white house with a red roof. Down the hill from the Colonial Hospital in San Fernando. The son – he talks like a white man. As if he went to school in England.’

  ‘He went to a white-boy school in Port of Spain,’ Sumati informed her. ‘And he is a no-good. He is the one who caused me all of this . . . You must get her out of there. I don’t know how to explain.’

  ‘No,’ Devinia obstinately. ‘You’re mistaken. I went there myself. I saw it. Very nice people.’

  ‘You don’t believe me? They took advantage of me.’

  ‘No, you are mistaken, I say,’ Devinia insisted.

  ‘I’m telling you, Tantie!’ Sumati’s face changed suddenly as if thunder was rumbling inside her.

  There was a pause, then Devinia spoke again, her voice defiant.

  ‘Even if it’s true what you say, Amina is different.’

  ‘How do you mean?’

  ‘She is not like you. You mustn’t mind me saying, Sumati. But you ran away from home and you went there with a boy. That is the difference. I heard all about it. And you are now blaming those good people for you getting in trouble. Where is the boy you ran away with? He left you with two children? You brought trouble on yourself when you ran away with him.’

  ‘So you really think that I asked for this?’ Sumati struggled with her rising anger.

  ‘I am not saying you asked for it. But what you did, showed everybody what kind of girl you are. Why do you think your mother killed herself? Poor Daya.’

  Sumati hurt badly from these cruel words, but she put her feelings aside.

  ‘I know what you’re saying, but I also know what I am saying. Amina is no different from me in their eyes. You have to get her out of there.’

  ‘They gave her a job. Did they give you a job?’

  ‘I cannot listen to this anymore, Tantie
. I have to go. I know I’m a bad person, but I learnt a lot from my own badness. I don’t want my best friend to experience what I went through. I am begging you to go and get her out of there. That place is a hundred times as bad as me. If I didn’t have my children to look after, I would go and do it myself.’

  Sumati left Devinia’s house as if she was on fire, fuming with anger and smoking with guilt. She didn’t know what to do. After she got home and had fed the children, she asked her father to look after them, so she could go and see someone.

  FIFTY-TWO

  Sumati went to see the only person she knew could help. But when she got to Rajnath’s house, the discovery that he was in jail was yet another shock she could barely absorb. And then Parbatee began talking what seemed like gibberish about Sumati’s babies being her grandchildren.

  ‘He was a school-friend, that’s all,’ Sumati said exasperatedly. ‘Nothing more, I swear. The reason why I came to see your son was because my friend Amina is in trouble. Serious trouble. She has gone to live with his Uncle Amrit and Cousin Dillip. Your family.’

  ‘My nephew?’ Parbatee asked worriedly. ‘Live? They getting married first.’

  Sumati explained as much as she could, as fast as she could. And as she spoke, she began to think of a way she could enlist their help.

  ‘Maybe I will go up to San Fernando myself and get the police involved,’ she told them. ‘Maybe that is what I should do anyhow.’ As she turned to go, Kamal spoke up.

  ‘What is it you want us to do?’ he asked. ‘I will go to the police myself. Family or no, this is sounding wrong. Everybody is somebody’s daughter. You yourself have been through enough. Now another innocent girl from right here in this village is at risk at the hands of these greedy goats. I always knew something was wrong with them.’

  The next day, Kamal Singh set off to Port of Spain to visit his son in prison, accompanied by Annan. Rajnath was not looking good, and Kamal was nervous about giving him the news from Sumati.

  ‘Your probably-not-wife sent a message,’ Annan said to his brother.

  ‘Why are you talking in riddles?’ Rajnath asked.

  ‘That girl with the twins,’ Kamal explained. ‘She came to see us yesterday.’

  When they told Rajnath the news, Rajnath was more devastated than they had anticipated.

  ‘You seem to be taking it badly, son,’ his father said worriedly.

  ‘I can’t believe her father was murdered and now this,’ Rajnath said. ‘Have they caught who did it?’

  ‘The police will take their time with real criminals,’ Annan said contemptuously. ‘They’re too busy locking up innocent people who are too ill to go to work.’

  ‘She must be in a very difficult position to have agreed to go there,’ Rajnath said. He struck his brow. ‘What will happen to her now? She is probably the nicest person I know, and they are devils who will dishonour her.’

  Kamal and Annan looked at each other.

  ‘It seems you are not the only one to feel that way about that girl,’ his father said. ‘Her friend Sumati sent us up here to see if we could pay your fine.’

  ‘You can’t pay my fine. And even if you could, I would still have to do my jail time.’

  ‘We will see the prison governor. He is bound to be sympathetic. You are a good boy.’ And Kamal left them and went to see the prison officer.

  ‘There’s no damn justice in this world,’ Annan said soberly. ‘Look at that young girl, Sumati. And now Amina. This world is full of bad people getting away with doing bad things to good people. Innocent people.’

  ‘What happened to the Annan I know?’ Rajnath asked, trying to joke.

  ‘This happened! You! I knew what Uncle and Dillip were doing, but I didn’t say or do anything. I’ll tell you something though. I wouldn’t mind going up there and sorting out the bastards myself. The police are just turning a blind eye to it. They know what goes on. Uncle drinks with the police in San Fernando, he bribes them and he invites them to the house too.’

  ‘Why didn’t you say something?’ Rajnath grabbed Annan by the shirt collar and shook him hard.

  ‘Control yourself, man,’ his younger brother gasped, struggling free. ‘Think about who is the real enemy? I am just the easy target.’

  Rajnath punched the wall in frustration. ‘I have to do something,’ he cried. ‘But my hands are tied while I am shut away in here.’

  The next week, Kamal and Annan returned to the prison to visit Rajnath to find him with both his eyes black and blue, looking demoralised. Rajnath told them that the guard had pushed him about.

  ‘You brought what I asked you to bring?’ Rajnath asked.

  ‘Yes, I found it, but you seem to have a lot of money, boy,’ Kamal frowned. ‘You rob a bank or something?’

  ‘No. I got it from Ma’s family. Give it to me – not the whole bag.’

  A guard came up and stood behind him.

  ‘You have my clothes?’ Rajnath asked him quietly.

  ‘By the door.’ The guard moved his eyes at the door.

  Rajnath went over and spotted a prison overall wrapped like a parcel. He opened it and saw his clothes. He returned and handed the guard the package his father had given him.

  ‘If it’s not all here, I will hunt you down like a dog,’ the guard spat. ‘Like the dog you are. And this black eye you gave me will show how you beat me up and escaped.’

  After Rajnath’s escape from prison, they all hurried into Port of Spain town centre and sat in a rum shop and talked. Kamal ordered some food and drink, and smiled at his sons, pleased to see them united.

  ‘How did you pull this off, boy?’ He was eager to know.

  ‘Your son is not as stupid as you think, Pa,’ Annan said proudly. ‘Rajnath, you actually beat up the guard?’

  ‘Yes,’ he replied bluntly.

  ‘So how did you get him to agree to let you out?’ his father asked again.

  ‘Money, Pa. Money will buy the moon if it asked a price.’

  ‘So, are you going to tell me how you got all that money?’ Kamal asked his son.

  ‘Best not,’ Rajnath said. ‘Put it this way. We have something to go and straighten out. We are looking to travel down to San Fernando, and mete out justice in the household of my uncle and his very expensively educated son.’

  ‘I brought you a clean suit of clothes,’ Kamal said. ‘I had a strange feeling . . . that’s all.’

  ‘Strange?’

  ‘You are my son after all. I have known you since you were born.’

  It was early evening when the three of them arrived in San Fernando at the premises of Amrit and Dillip Dass. All was quiet. The smell of home-cooked food hit them hard. Resisting it was not easy.

  Annan led Rajnath and their father up the back path to where he thought Amina might be staying, but she was not there. He thought of another tactic and suggested his plan, but Rajnath was angry and wanted to just barge in even though Annan pointed out that it would get them nowhere. Annan took the others outside and left them to wait, while he boldly entered by the front gate and marched down to the kitchen where Tonia was working. The woman seemed a little surprised to see him, gently reprimanding him for not visiting for so long. Annan joked that he had found himself another true love, and Tonia seemed to appreciate the joke quite well, while remarking flirtatiously that it was his look-out.

  Meanwhile, Rajnath was growing impatient, and had decided to go off on his own.

  ‘That is not a good idea, boy,’ Kamal said. ‘Wait. Annan will come back soon. He knows this place like the back of his hand – something I wasn’t aware of until yesterday. And he is very angry with your cousin too. Don’t spoil it.’

  ‘Well, Pa,’ Rajnath said tightly. ‘I blame him for everything! Getting involved with these crooks that Ma calls her family is bad enough, but he didn’t even have the good sense to find a way to stop them.’

  ‘And you think you can? Keep quiet and wait here like he said,’ his father ordered. ‘You were always
too impatient. Annan will bring back the girl and then we will leave. You’ll see. If you go blundering in, how can we make a quick getaway?’ Kamal gave Rajnath a warning squint. ‘What interest do you have in this girl anyway? You know her from school – is that it?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘But she’s so much younger than you. You can’t know her that well. You just want to take it out on Dillip, don’t you? Did you two get in a fight or something?’

  ‘Yes, something like that. Right – I’ve waited long enough. I’m going over there to take a look inside that open window.’ Rajnath pointed across the gravel yard.

  Kamal Singh watched his son walk away from him and felt his gut twist inside his belly. He whispered to himself, ‘Lakshmi Mata, bring the boys back so that I can take them home to their mother. Goodness knows what state she is in.’

  He leaned against the wall outside the gate under the shade of the almond tree branches. Before long he thought he heard something like a crash coming from the inside. Then loud voices coming from the window directly above him. His body tensed. The boys had got into a fight. Nothing had changed – he couldn’t even trust them to act together for the same purpose!

  Kamal rushed inside the gate and followed the noise. It sounded like a man fight. He pulled out his belt from his waistband, prepared to administer what he had never done before, but what he should have years ago. Parbatee had said, ‘Beating our boys will never make them good’, but she was wrong. And he was wrong to have listened. It worked for everyone else.

  Kamal got inside the house, and hastened up the steps inside, then pushed open the door . . .

  Inside the room was a double bed, a dresser and two rocking chairs which were tumbled over, one on top of the bed. Rajnath was hanging off the back of the chair, while Dillip stood by, panting. His face showed he meant business. This was no roll-around in the dirt.

  ‘What’s going on here?’ As the words left Kamal’s mouth, he noticed drops of blood falling on the white sheet below Rajnath’s face. He rushed to his son.