“Nikhil had taken out an insurance policy that Ayee and Baba didn’t know about. I’m the only beneficiary. It’s a fairly large amount and enough for me to invest in something and hopefully get some sort of regular income from it.”
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“There is some hope, then.”
“I’m thinking about buying two flats in that new high-rise building not too far from your house. I can keep one for my use and rent the other. With the rent money and my job here, maybe the girls and I can survive.” She rose from the chair and started to bag the clothes heaped on the floor. “But all that is only a dream until the insurance money comes through.”
Sheila looked across at her and frowned. “So many months after Niku’s death and they still haven’t settled the claim?”
Isha shook her head. “I keep writing letters to the agent every two weeks, but he writes back saying he’s working on it.” She placed the bulging bag on top of the suitcases. “Something about the unusual nature of Nikhil’s death making it harder to release the money or some such nonsense.”
“Who’s your agent?”
“Manoj Munshi.”
“Kumar and I know him very well. I could talk to Manoj.”
“You could?” Isha wondered why she hadn’t thought of it herself. In the next instant she knew why. She hadn’t thought about Sheila and her connections until now. In fact, she’d tried hard to put all the Tilaks out of her mind.
“Of course. I’ll call him as soon as I get home.”
“You’re sure it’s good to do that? He may think of it as interference on your part and deliberately slow down the process, just to spite us.”
“No. He’s a laid-back kind of chap, but he’s not spiteful. Besides, Kumar gives him so much business that he owes us a few favors.”
“Thank you, Sheila.” Until then Isha hadn’t paid attention to the rather large bag Sheila had brought with her. Now that she was thanking her sister-in-law, she eyed it suspiciously.
Noticing Isha’s eyes on the bag, Sheila smiled. “That’s for you. Go ahead and open it. I brought something for Priya, too.”
“You shouldn’t have.”
“It’s not much. I was in a hurry, so I did the best I could as soon as I found out you might still be in Palgaum.”
That’s when it struck Isha. “How did you know I was in Palgaum? I haven’t stirred out of this compound in months.”
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Sheila rocked the baby a little when she started to fuss. “You know my friend Anita Yalgi?”
“Of course.”
“When she was dropping her daughter at school last week, she happened to see you. She said she recognized you. She didn’t think it was important. In fact, she thought you were here to drop Priya off to school.”
“Oh . . . she doesn’t know about my situation, I guess.”
“She didn’t until I informed her. Hope you don’t mind, but I had to explain my shocked reaction to what she told me.”
Isha thought about it for a second. Sooner or later everyone would know she had left her in-law’s home. “That’s all right,”
she assured Sheila. “It’s been several months since I disappeared and I bet the servants spread the news to most of the town’s folks a while ago.”
“No. That’s the strange part. Anita is very good at sniffing out gossip, and she had no idea.”
“That’s odd.” How could that be? Had Baba, in his attempts to protect his reputation, used some severe measures to keep his servants’ mouths shut? Her gaze shifted to Sheila. The baby was now asleep in her arms. “But how did you know I was staying at the convent?”
“I didn’t. I went to Mother Regina to ask if she knew your whereabouts. But she was very secretive and wouldn’t tell me.
When I convinced her that I meant well and I wanted to help you, she confessed you were here.”
“I see.” Isha opened the bag and pulled out three pairs of jeans and T-shirts in varied colors for Priya. There were also three sets of girls’ underwear and pajamas. What a godsend!
“Thank you,” she said to Sheila. “I was just thinking that Priya’s outgrowing all her clothes. In fact,” she said, pointing to the uniform sitting on the arm of her chair, “I’m taking the hem down because it’s getting too short. You know how the nuns are about short hemlines.”
Sheila rolled her eyes, bringing an amused smile to Isha’s lips.
“Do I! If your kneecaps as much as peek out from below the hem, the nuns label you a loose woman.”
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Isha couldn’t help laughing. It reminded her once again that Sheila and she, no matter what, had always shared some laughs.
Sheila was nothing like the stereotypical sister-in-law portrayed in Hindi movies and books. She was a bit passive. Even now Isha couldn’t believe Sheila had railroaded the iron-handed Mother Regina into spilling the truth. It only proved the old saying about still waters running deep.
Underneath the clothes for Priya, Isha found two saris with matching petticoats. “Oh, dear! Why did you bring gifts for me?
I don’t need them.”
“Of course you need saris,” scolded Sheila.
“Hardly.” Isha grinned at her. “White cotton habits are the fashion trend around here.”
Sheila chuckled. Noticing the baby sleeping soundly, she laid Diya down on the cot and covered her with a sheet. “She’s so cute and cuddly, Isha. I wish I had a little girl to dress in frilly dresses and ribbons.”
“A girl! You’d give Ayee and Baba a stroke by saying something inauspicious like that.”
“I know.” Sheila looked longingly at the sleeping infant.
“Can I come and see her often?”
“Sure. She’s your niece.”
“I’ll come by again in a couple of days. I’ll bring something for Diya. If I’d known about her, I’d have brought something today.”
“No more presents, please. This is too much already.”
Sheila rose to her feet and approached Isha. “I have something else for you.” She opened her purse and pulled out a wad of cash. “It’s not much . . . only five thousand rupees.”
“Five thousand!” It really wasn’t a whole lot, but in her present circumstances it sounded like a king’s ransom to Isha.
She stared at it for a moment. It was tempting.
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In the end, Isha backed off from her sister-in-law. “It’s very kind of you, Sheila, but I can’t take your money.”
“Consider it Niku’s money, then.”
“But it’s not Nikhil’s money. It’s yours and Kumar’s.” She put her hands behind her back. “Imagine what your parents will say.”
“Ayee and Baba don’t know about this. I’m not going to tell them and neither are you.” Sheila stepped closer, forced Isha’s hand to the front and pressed the money into her palm.
“Nikhil’s not here to take care of you and the children, but I’m here as his older sister. Nikhil would want me to look out for his daughters. Don’t let your pride get in the way of your children’s welfare.”
Isha gazed for a second at the stack of bills tied with a rubber band. Sheila was right. There were so many things the children needed and she had to go shopping one of these days. Priya hadn’t had any vitamins in several days and Diya was going to need some clothes soon. She couldn’t stay swaddled in a nappy and a sheet forever.
She closed her hand over the bills. “Okay, for the children.”
“Speaking of children, how’s Priya holding up?”
“At first she cried a lot and constantly asked for her Papa and Sundari, but now she’s used to their absence. She talks about you, the boys, and Kumar all the time, especially the boys, since they played with each other almost every day.”
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“And they miss her,
too. They’ve been asking about Priya’s absence for weeks. I told them she was visiting her cousins in Mumbai.”
“I’m sorry.” Isha knew it had been wrong to separate the cousins so abruptly, especially because they were more like siblings. But what choice did she have? “Priya mentions Ayee and Baba sometimes, but she doesn’t seem to miss them much.”
“I don’t blame her. They never held her or spoiled her like most grandparents do.” Sheila gave Isha’s arm a squeeze. “I better get going. I’ll talk to Manoj Munshi as soon as I can.”
Isha got up from the chair, put the money on the nightstand and hugged her sister-in-law. Until that second she hadn’t realized how truly heartwarming it was to see her. For a brief moment, it was like coming home.
She looked at the clock and realized they had been talking for more than an hour. “It’s almost noon. Priya should be here any moment. Do you want to stay a little longer and see her?”
“Oh yes!” Sheila glanced at her wristwatch. “I didn’t realize I’d stayed this long. I hope Mother Regina isn’t standing at the gate with her ruler.”
The two of them laughed and reminisced about Mother Regina’s callous methods of disciplining kids. It felt wonderful to laugh again.
Minutes later they heard footsteps. The knock sounded.
“Mummy!”
Sheila’s eyes lit up. “Priya!”
“Yes, but unfortunately she has only a short break to go to the dining hall and have her lunch with the other boarders before running back to class.” Isha opened the door and let Priya in.
Priya’s mouth flew wide open the instant her eyes fell on her aunt. The next moment she took a joyful leap toward her.
“Sheila-tayi!”
“Hello, sweetie pie,” said Sheila and threw her arms around Priya, lifting the child off the ground. “How is my favorite girl?”
“You came to take us back home, Sheila-tayi?” Priya’s inno-110 Shobhan Bantwal
cent eyes were so full of hope as she clung to her aunt that Isha had to blink back tears. Home? Where in the world was that?
Certainly not in that mansion her in-laws owned, where her children and she were considered a curse?
“No, baby . . . not just yet,” Sheila replied, her voice sounding hoarse. “I came to see you and your mummy.” She cleared her throat.
“Did you bring Sundari? And Milind and Arvind?”
“No. They were all busy. Maybe next time, all right?” Sheila let her niece slide down to the floor.
With her emotions now somewhat under control, Isha noticed Priya eyeing the bag.
“What’s that?” asked Priya, a suspicious look on her face.
“A present for you,” replied Sheila.
“Present!” Priya fell on the bag with all the enthusiasm of a healthy five-year-old. The next couple of minutes were spent in holding the jeans and T-shirts against herself and asking to be admired by the grownups.
“Time to go to lunch, pumpkin,” Isha reminded her daughter, and put away the gift bag. “Sheila-tayi was just getting ready to leave, so say bye-bye to her and go down to the dining hall.”
“Can Sheila-tayi stay and have lunch with us?”
“No. She has to go home to her family.”
Sheila snapped her fingers. “I know what we can do. Why don’t you go have lunch with her, Isha? I’ll stay with Diya until you return.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely! I’m Diya’s only aunt and I’d love to stay with her.”
Priya tugged on Isha’s arm. “Come on, then. Let’s go.”
Isha threw an apologetic look at Sheila. “I’ll be back as soon as possible. I’m sorry.”
Sheila shooed them away. “Don’t be sorry. I’m looking forward to spending some time alone with my new niece.”
Sheila watched Priya and her sister-in-law walk down the long passageway, then shut the door after they disappeared THE
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around the corner. She went to the cot to gaze on her infant niece.
This was her only brother’s child—her beloved brother’s last-ing legacy.
All at once the memories of her dead brother came crowding into her mind. Niku had been such a handsome man and so full of life. How could anyone kill someone like that? How could they butcher any human being for no reason whatsoever?
She picked up the sleeping child, a miniature image of Niku.
Sitting in the chair by the window, she ran her fingers over the baby’s cheek and silky hair. She realized she’d done the right thing by coming here. Her brother’s family needed her. What Ayee and Baba had to say didn’t matter any longer.
She made a silent vow to her brother’s soul: Niku, I’ll make sure your babies and your wife are okay. I’m sorry I didn’t help them earlier. But now that I’ve found them, I swear I’ll do everything I can to keep them safe.
When a phone buzzed somewhere nearby, Sheila nearly jumped. She hadn’t seen a phone in the room, so where were the odd vibrations coming from? Did the nuns even have phones in this place? She quickly rose from the chair and put the baby back on the cot. Looking around, she finally realized it was coming from under a pile of clothes beside the chair. She stuck her hand underneath and managed to locate a mobile phone.
Flicking it open, she said, “Hello.”
“Mrs. Tilak,” said a male voice. “I’m glad you’re there. I was just about to hang up.”
“Who’s calling please?” Sheila tried to guess. It wasn’t Manoj Munshi’s raspy smoker’s voice. She would have recognized that at once. This one was smooth and refined, and she was fairly sure she hadn’t heard it before.
“I’m sorry. Have I reached a wrong number?”
“No, this is Mrs. Tilak’s phone.” Entirely puzzled, Sheila racked her brain, trying to come up with a name. “I’m her sister-in-law.”
“Oh . . . Is Mrs. Tilak all right?”
“Yes. Why wouldn’t she be?” This was getting more mysterious by the second.
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The man hesitated for a moment. “I just thought . . . well . . .
if you’re her sister-in-law, there might be an emergency with Diya or Priya.”
Strange, but he seemed to know about the new baby and Priya. “No emergency,” she assured him. “I just came to visit them. What is your name, sir?”
“I’m sorry. I should have introduced myself. I’m Diya’s pediatrician, Dr. Salvi. I was calling to ask if I could stop by this evening to administer Diya’s vaccine.”
Despite his explanation, Sheila’s confusion remained. “But Dr. Bajaj is the children’s pediatrician.”
There was a long moment of silence. “Uh, maybe you should talk to Mrs. Tilak. I’m not sure how much you know about her and the children, and their situation.”
“I know the whole story, Dr. Salvi,” she retorted. Who was this man who seemed to know everything about Isha and the kids and presumed to think Sheila knew nothing? “I’ll tell Isha you rang.”
“That’ll be sufficient, thank you.” His voice had turned a little cool, too. “Please tell her I’ll stop by around seven o’clock.
I’ve already cleared it with Mother Regina.”
“I’ll tell her that.” She shut off the phone and put it on the nightstand. Well, well, he even happened to know Mother Regina. How about that?
So who was this mystery man who’d tried to reach her sister-in-law? On her mobile phone, no less. Isha hadn’t given her mobile number to anyone in the past, not even Sheila. That made him even more mysterious. Well, at least he was a pediatrician.
That was somewhat comforting.
Some twenty minutes later, Isha and Priya returned to the room. “Did Diya give you any trouble?” asked Isha.
“No trouble at all. She’s been sleeping like an angel.” Sheila smiled at Priya. “And what did you eat today for lunch?”
“Something yucky with beans and bread. I didn’t like it.”
Priya stuck out her tongue in disgust. “I don’t like anything in the dining hall.”
“Beans and bread?” Sheila glanced at Isha, her heart aching.
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What were her niece and sister-in-law eating? Priya was always slim, but now she looked skinny. And Isha had lost most of the weight she’d gained in pregnancy. There were purplish circles around her eyes that indicated lack of sleep and nutrition. Sheila made a mental note to bring some nutritious snacks and fruit for them the next time she visited. Her resolution to get them out of the convent as quickly as possible strengthened right there and then.
As expected, Priya was reluctant to go back to class. “Can’t I stay?” she pleaded.
When Isha’s attempts at coaxing her to go back failed, Sheila took the little girl by the hand. “How about if I walk you back to your class? That way you can show me your classroom.”
“Okay.”
“And I’ll come back tomorrow with a present for Diya. Since you got a present and she didn’t, I’ll have to buy her something, won’t I?”
That was all the incentive Priya needed to run and use the bathroom, then return and pick up her schoolbag. Sheila gave Isha’s arm a quick squeeze on her way out. “By the way, someone named Dr. Salvi called for you. He said he’ll stop by around seven to give Diya her vaccine.”
“Oh!” Isha’s brow creased.
“I thought your pediatrician was Dr. Bajaj.”
Isha glanced at her sister-in-law and then looked away. “Dr. Bajaj is the most expensive pediatrician in town. Dr. Salvi does charity work for the orphanage and Mother Regina asked him to check on Diya.”
The puzzled look on Sheila’s face cleared up. “I see. Why don’t you let me take Diya and Priya to Dr. Bajaj for a thorough checkup?”
“No. I won’t allow you to pay Dr. Bajaj’s fee on top of what you’ve already done for me.” She glanced at the money sitting atop the nightstand. “Frankly, I like Dr. Salvi much better. He has a way with children. Mother Regina tells me the orphans love him.”
“I like Dr. Salvi, too,” chimed in Priya.
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