The Madras Affair

by Sundari Venkatraman

  “That was Gautam Uncle, Athai's friend,” piped Ramya's voice. She thought of helping out her favourite aunt as she seemed to have lost her voice. The children could sense a full-fledged war brewing and Sandeep stood by uneasily, hating the power his grandmother wielded over his mother. He recalled Gautam's promise and did his best to calm down.

  “How do you know him?” came the next question. Radha was as subtle as a bull in a china shop.

  By now the other family members gathered in the corridor to find out what the commotion was all about. Rekha read the tense situation immediately and bundled the children into the kitchen.

  “Why are you shouting, Radha? What's the matter? You don't want to rouse the neighbours. It's past eight o'clock,” said Gopal. He wasn't concerned about the pallor in his daughter's cheeks, the pain in her expression or her stiff stance. The neighbours' impression came first and foremost.

  “You ask her.” Radha pointed a finger at Sangita. “She just came home in a car with a young man, mind you. The shameless hussy! To behave like a thevadiya! I rue the day Giridhar died. She was his responsibility then. We didn't have to worry who she spoke to or...” She went on and on, hurling abuses at her daughter.

  Sangita shrank from the verbal assault. To be called a whore; that too by her own mother! She shook her head in denial. She vaguely heard her father joining her mother in the vituperative tirade, as a roaring filled her ears, effectively stopping her from hearing their nasty words.

  What had she done? The way they were talking, one would think that she had slept with the man. Sangita looked at her brothers pathetically, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. They were of her generation; surely they would be more understanding?

  Rakesh, the younger of her two brothers, walked away in disgust, not wanting to get involved. He was planning to marry Lata, who was from a super rich and influential family. He shuddered when he thought how she would react to this drama. It didn't even occur to him that what he thought as a drama was actually his young sister's life. But then, that's how Rakesh was, selfish and insensitive.

  Raghavan looked at his sister's face, his fists clenched in frustration and anger. The family didn't know anything about a 'hug' or the healing power of a loving touch. He wanted desperately to wipe away the anguish on Sangita's face. He felt fiercely protective of her, recalling vividly the hell she had undergone in her young life.

  He looked at his mother impatiently, “Amma, I think that's enough.” His soft but clear voice seemed to have some effect on Radha, if only for a short while.

  “Raghavan, don't you dare encourage your flighty sister. She...”

  “Amma, what has Sangita done? She just came in the car with someone she knows. What's wrong in that?”

  Radha gaped at her son as if he had taken leave of his senses. “What's wrong with that?” she gasped, turning to her husband for support. A few years back she would have hit her son or screamed the place down. But today, the retired couple depended on their son's financial support. And Raghavan had an excellent job with a salary to match. That shut her up more effectively than anything else.

  “How can you talk like this, Raghu?” she continued in a calmer tone. “Just imagine what Pankajam or Soundarya Maami will think if they had watched the scene outside?” A violent tremor shook Radha's body. “I'm ashamed,” she declared, “to think that a daughter of mine, a widow at that, should get out of the car of a young man, that too at night...”

  Raghavan looked at the ceiling, praying for patience and perseverance. His mother was just impossible; her idle mind truly the devil's workshop.

  “Amma, please stop it. It's late. What's done is done. I'm sure Sangita won't do it again. Just stop shouting at her now.” He turned towards his sister who was hovering around helplessly. “Sangita, go in. I'm sure Rekha must be waiting to have supper with you,” he said gently, confident that his wife would console his sister better than he could.

  Sangita sent a grateful glance towards him before rushing inside. She could still hear her mother grumbling to her father, who answered her in monosyllables. She had had a lucky escape. Not for a moment did she imagine that she had heard the end of it. Her mother would bide her time, wait for Raghavan to go to work and start again. Thank God for her job at the hospital!

  The tears that Sangita had been holding back courageously refused to stop as she met her sister-in-law's sympathetic gaze. She rushed into Rekha's open arms and cried her heart out. The promise that Sangita had made to herself after Giridhar's death to not cry was broken; she was too hurt.

  Rekha had fed the children and persuaded them to watch cartoons on TV in the bedroom. She rubbed the younger girl's back soothingly offering words of consolation. The pain she felt for Sangita tore at her heart. The kids had told her about their evening. It had all been so innocent. Look at how her mother-in-law twisted it. Rekha felt thankful for her husband's interference, supporting his sister. She hated it when Radha called Sangita a 'widow', as if it was some kind of a contagious disease. Surely it was no fault of Sangita's that Giridhar had crashed his two-wheeler in a drunken stupor. And good riddance to him too!

  “Hush, Sangita, that's enough, dear. Stop crying,” Rekha tried to pacify her sister-in-law. Sangita's slender body shook with sobs as she brought herself under control.

  “I didn't do anything for Amma and Appa to be ashamed about, Manni. We just met Gautam at the park.” She looked at the floor, a trifle guilty. She wasn't ready to admit even to Rekha that she had invited him. “He insisted on giving us a lift and it seemed so silly to refuse. I don't have any kind of relationship with him.”

  Her mother was infamous for her vitriolic tongue and lack of sensitivity. But today she had surpassed herself. Sangita's pain knew no bounds. She shut her eyes to stop the tears from flowing.

  She wasn't exactly surprised at the image her mind conjured up—Gautam's smiling face, his eyes crinkling at the corners before he swept her into a bear hug, soothing away her suffering with his gentle touch. Oh, how she needed him! Sangita shuddered at the thought of her mother's reaction if she knew how Gautam couldn't seem to stop touching her and how she responded to his touch, like a well-tuned violin in the hands of an expert player.

  She opened her eyes slowly and looked at Rekha. She wiped her eyes with her dupatta and said brightly, “Have you had supper, Manni?” At Rekha's negative headshake, she linked her arm through hers and said, “Let's eat. I'm hungry.”

  Gautam was frustrated with the way the lovely evening had ended and called himself all kinds of a fool as he entered the gates of Shraddanjali.

  His grandparents had already had dinner but were waiting eagerly for his return. Ganapathi had filled Vimala in on the details she'd missed out earlier.

  They were startled to see the thunderous expression on Gautam's face. What had gone wrong? He'd been so excited when he left home in the evening.

  “What's wrong, son? Sangita stood you up?” asked Ganapathi directly, unable to bear the suspense. Vimala gave her husband a frowning look, placing a hand on his arm, trying to silence him.

  Gautam turned his turbulent blue gaze on Ganapathi, ready with a rude reply on his tongue. But he could see a small quiver of anxiety in the older man's face, behind the teasing demeanour.

  “No, Thatha.” Gautam walked across to his grandparents. He adored them as much as they loved him. He could understand their misgivings considering the kind of family Sangita had. They had known her parents since many years and his explosive expression obviously had added to their worry.

  He gave them a reassuring smile as he knelt in front of them, placing a hand each on their knees. “I met Sangita, her son Sandeep and niece Ramya.” Gautam's eyes turned hazy as he recalled the little boy's behaviour. “I've fallen for her son's charm. It's more lethal than his mother's. Do you know something?” Ganapathi and Vimala looked at him eagerly. “Sandeep wants me to be his new dad,” he said proudly. “And Patti,” he turned to Vimala, “I so want to be.”

&nb
sp; Vimala studied her grandson's face, trying to fathom the reason for his ferocious expression a few minutes ago.

  “That's wonderful to know, Gautam,” she said gently. “I'm so happy for you. But what happened, dear? You looked upset.”

  His eyes clouded with remorse. “I was so stupid that I insisted on giving Sangita and the kids a lift back home.” A tight fist banged against his hard thigh as Gautam berated himself for the millionth time. He couldn't help but recall Sangita's pale face and her mother's vicious expression. “She refused me so many times and I got angry with her. She gave in when I refused to take 'no' for an answer.” Gautam's face was tense with worry.

  It dawned on the older couple's faces as they read the situation correctly. They knew better than Gautam as to what must be transpiring at Sangita's home. Their grandson, who had grown up in America, had no clue to the kind of cruelty the conservative Radha and Gopal were capable of.

  “I was stupid; a coward, Patti. Instead of being a support to Sangita, I ran away from the situation after landing her right in the middle of it.” He buried his face on Vimala's lap, unable to forget Sangita's haunted expression, not able to forgive himself.

  Vimala ran a hand over the unruly, golden-brown locks, trying to pacify her grown-up grandson. A small smile broke out on her face as she looked at her husband. She was so glad that Gautam had fallen for Sangita. She had always had a soft spot for the young woman who carried the troubles of her small world so bravely on her slender shoulders. High time someone treated her with the respect, love and affection that she rightfully deserved.

  “You did the right thing, Gautam. The situation would have aggravated if you had remained there.”

  He looked up to say, “I thought so too. I finally listened to Sangita's pleas for me to leave.” He would never forget her pathetic expression until the day he died.

  “Relax, Gautam. Rome wasn't built in a day. It's going to be a tough job breaking the granite walls Gopal and Radha have set up around Sangita. But we'll do it son. Patti and I will help you make her yours,” Ganapathi declared complete support.

  “I want to marry her Thatha, more than anything else in the world.” The blue eyes had never been more serious. “And I want to be Sandeep's dad even more,” he stated fiercely, recalling the child's adoring gaze.

  “Excellent. Now stop moping and have your dinner. Ramanna has made your favourite rasam. Get up now,” ordered Vimala.

  “I don't want dinner, Patti. I don't think I can get anything past my throat,” Gautam's face was sick with worry.

  “Now you're being silly, Gautam. This is but a prologue to what you're going to face in the coming weeks. You might disappear at the end of it if you don't eat every time you find Sangita upset,” reasoned Ganapathi.

  That sounded ominous. He nodded his head at his grandparents. “I think I'm keeping you guys from bed. Please go to sleep. I'll have dinner and go up myself in a short while.” The elderly couple's day started at four-thirty in the morning.

  “Gautam.” He looked at Vimala as she addressed him. “I can keep you company while you eat.”

  “I don't think so, sweetheart,” he said, hugging her.“Bed for you. I won't be good company anyway; plan to read myself a lecture.” He smiled as he said this.

  “Very good, Professor. I think you need one. Only don't be too harsh on yourself,” said Ganapathi, patting Gautam on his back.

  Gautam kissed them both 'goodnight' before sitting down at the dining table obediently to have his meal. Ramanna stepped out of the kitchen to serve him. “No, Ramanna,” Gautam protested, “Please go to sleep. I can manage. I'll keep the leftovers in the fridge, okay?” He smiled at the cook who was like a member of the family.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, I am,” said Gautam, sending the older man to his quarters behind the kitchen.

  His mind worked furiously as he ate his meal without tasting it. How to find out how Sangita was? He wouldn't dream of calling her as he'd done enough damage for one day.

  Gautam frowned, thinking furiously. He snapped his fingers as he remembered Rithika. He called the Trilok Hospital and got Rithika's phone number. He dialled her residence, his fingers crossed. Will he be landing one more young lady in trouble that evening? A woman's voice answered, “Hello?”

  “May I speak to Rithika, please?”

  “Sure,” came the reply. He could hear her calling out to Rithika. She had at least not thrown a fit that a strange man was calling Rithika at night. Thank God for small mercies.

  “Rithika here.”

  “Hi Rithika, this is Gautam.”

  “Oh, hi handsome! This is a surprise. How come you're calling me at this hour?” Rithika's exuberant voice was soothing after the drama of the past few hours. A relieved smile broke out on his face.

  “I hope you don't mind.”

  “Not at all.”

  “And your family? I haven't landed you in trouble, have I?”

  “Come on, Gautam, out with it. I'm sure you have a purpose to your call. And don't worry about my parents. They're quite forward. Now what happened? Sangita...”

  Gautam sighed. “But of course.” He related briefly what had happened earlier, leaving out Sandeep's request to him.

  Rithika whistled. “Phew! This is simply amazing Gautam...”

  “What's so amazing about Sangita getting into trouble with her...”

  “Sangita landing in trouble with her parents is quite common. She's not allowed to do a lot of things, being a widow and all that. She's an anathema, a sinner...”

  Gautam's blood simmered to a boil. “Is that how they see her?” his voice turned dangerously quiet.

  “And worse. That bastard who was her husband...”

  “What are you saying Rithika? Why are you calling him a bastard?”

  “Well, I'm not sure Sangita will thank me for giving you a character sketch on Giridhar. But just take my word for it. He was a first-rate bastard! And I'm quite sure she's relieved that he's dead,” stated Rithika vehemently.

  Gautam couldn't believe his ears. He had thought Sangita had been in love with her husband. If not, why had she married him? He guessed correctly that the wedding had been arranged. But Sandeep had said...

  “But, Rithika, Sandeep told me that Sangita gets upset when her mother complains about his having no father.” Gautam gave voice to his thoughts, having no qualms about questioning Rithika about Sangita's life.

  “You've no clue how vicious her mother can be. She cries day in and day out about the loss of her son-in-law, totally impervious to her daughter's feelings. She keeps telling Sangita's little boy how sad it is for him not to have a father and that upsets Sangita more than anything else.”

  Gautam caught on. “Then Sangita's mother probably wouldn't mind her getting married again.”

  “You ought to be joking. If you're thinking what I think you are, you've an extremely tough job ahead of you, Gautam. Very tough. But I suppose if there's anyone who can pull it off, it's you. And Gautam, believe me, Sangita's worth it. Though let me also warn you that she's her own worst enemy.”

  “You got that right. I want to marry her. But I only hope she wouldn't hate me by the time I convince her to tie the knot.”

  “Don't you worry, Gautam. Considering what happened today evening, I'm confident that Sangita's attracted to you. The Sangita I know would never have risked calling a man and fixing up to meet him somewhere. That sure is telling. She hates the male species with the exception of her brother Raghavan and her son.”

  Gautam felt warmth stealing into his heart that had been frozen with guilt and uncertainty. “Thank you, Rithika. You've given me hope. Can you do me a favour? I want you to...”

  “Call Sangita and find out how she is? Sure thing, hero! I'll call you back as soon as I can. Give me your number.”

  Gautam gave her both his landline and cell number. “I can't thank you enough, Rithika. You're a valuable friend.”

  “Not at all, Gautam. You don't
know how happy you've made me. Will call you soon,” said Rithika before disconnecting and immediately dialling Sangita's home.

  Raghavan picked up at the other end.

  “Hello, is that Raghavan? How do you do? And how are Rekha Manni and Ramya?” asked Rithika in her usual, bold fashion.

  “I'm fine and so is everyone else. It's Rithika, isn't it? And how are you?”

  “Just great. Could I talk to Sangita, please?” she asked politely.

  “Sure.” Rithika could hear Raghavan calling out to his sister to take the extension in her room. Both the friends waited to hear the click as Raghavan disconnected the hall extension.

  “Hi, Sangita!”

  “Hi!” Her voice was subdued in direct contrast to Rithika's exuberance.

  “Listen, my friend from the hospital called me.” Rithika didn't want to risk mentioning Gautam's name. “He told me about your evening. He's extremely worried about you, Sangita, but was too scared to call you directly.”

  Sangita almost smiled despite her agony. Gautam scared! She couldn't think of a less likely event. She couldn't help it when her heart jumped with joy that someone cared about her enough.

  “Please tell him not to worry, Rithika. I'm okay,” Sangita said in a quiet voice.

  “Are you sure, dear?”

  “Oh, Rithika. You know how it is. My parents were—are—very angry. But that's how it's always been,” she said with a touch of bitterness. “I brought it on myself. You must be aware…”

  “Yeah, I am. But, surely, Sangita, you must feel something to act so out of character. Not that I'm complaining.” There was a smile in Rithika's voice.

  “I'm truly crazy, Rithika. I was, rather. It was a spell of madness, mind you. Thank God it's gone now. I know where I belong and I've wiped out any stupid feelings I had,” Sangita said firmly.

  “But Sangita, that's utter nonsense. How can you...”

  “Please, Rithika. I don't think I can take any more tonight. I have made up my mind. Neither you nor...anybody else can change it for me. I'm okay now. I had a good meal and am planning to sleep well. You can be rest assured on that, okay? See you tomorrow. Goodnight.” Sangita placed the phone down. She told herself repeatedly that her life belonged with her parents and she'd better keep them happy. Flashing blue eyes haunted her dreams accusing her of cowardice. She didn't care. So she was a coward. What was that compared to being called a whore by her own mother? She turned to the other side and tried to get back to sleep with great difficulty.