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‘What did Tara’s father-in-law say?’ asked Gouramma.

  ‘He asked for forgiveness and scolded his son but what was the point? He too was innocent and knew nothing of his son’s deceitfulness. Ramesh puts the blame on his father, saying that he married because of family pressure. It is better to verify the details before the marriage than suffering later.’

  ‘Yes, I agree. My father had enquired discreetly about you too, before putting forth the proposal,’ Jamuna proudly spoke of her father.

  Gouramma thought of the time she had been so angry with Vinuta for having made enquiries about Shekhar, and how she and Surabhi had abused her. Surabhi’s life could have been like Tara’s, and thank god she had been saved this kind of humiliation.

  ‘Chandru, why shouldn’t Tara marry Shrikant? Both are divorcees anyway.’ Gouramma made a quick proposal.

  Keeping his eyes on the traffic, Chandru mused, ‘Amma, after staying here for so many years, we absorb this culture without realizing it. Though Shrikant is my close friend, I do not interfere in his life. In this country, everyone loves the complete freedom of their private life. Even parents do not ask personal questions of their children. There is an invisible line in any relationship. And no one wants to cross it. They don’t mind sacrificing anything for their privacy. Sometimes it ends up in divorce.’

  ‘Tara knows Shrikant and if they find each other compatible, they will decide about marriage. They are grown up and we should not even suggest it,’ said Jamuna.

  It still did not make sense to Gouramma.

  They reached Shrikant’s house in the early afternoon. To their surprise, a young woman was waiting for them. Lunch was served on the table—fresh, hot food in beautiful casseroles and neatly arranged cutlery.

  She introduced herself. ‘Please come in. I am Malati. My husband works for Shrikant. He has gone out. We received an e-mail about your arrival. So I thought I would prepare some food for you while you are here. I have to cook for the two of us anyway, so I can easily cook for three more.’

  Malati had kept the house very neat and tidy. After lunch, everyone retired to their rooms. Gouramma never slept in the afternoons. She went in search of Malati, to chat with her, and found her in the kitchen preparing snacks for teatime. There was another woman helping her in the kitchen. Gouramma immediately said, ‘Don’t exert yourself, Malati. I have brought lots of eatables from home.’

  ‘Don’t worry, Aunty. Martha is my helper in my shop. When the shop is closed, she helps me in the kitchen. Though she is a Colombian immigrant, I have trained her in all south Indian cooking,’ Malati said proudly, smiling at Martha in appreciation.

  ‘Then you are a businesswoman!’

  ‘Yes, but not a very big one. I run the shop from my house. I buy fancy stuff from India, like beaded handbags, embroidered chappals, silk scarves, Banarasi cushion covers, dhurries, brass lamps, small idols of different gods, etc., and sell them here.’

  ‘Who are your customers?

  ‘Mostly Indians. Not everyone can afford to go to India every year. So my shop is convenient for them. Similarly, I have one more shop in India. There I sell corals, jade, Spanish saffron, cinnamon, etc.’

  ‘So you keep shuttling between India and the US?’

  ‘Yes. Whenever Shrikant is in India, my husband and I are here and when he is here, we are generally in India. In my absence, Martha looks after the shop. In India, my brother looks after that shop. Normally we commute three times a year.’

  ‘What does your husband do?’

  ‘My husband is an ordinary graduate like me. He was a medical rep before coming here. We are honest and work very hard. In three years, we have made good money. Now we are building a shopping complex in Jayanagar. This country rewards those who work hard. We are both extremely happy and admire and appreciate this country. It has changed our life. No wonder people call this a land of nectar and honey. That’s why when people criticize the US, we get mad.’

  ‘We too are from Jayanagar. Who are your in-laws?’

  ‘My father-in-law is a retired postmaster. My husband Gopinath is well known in his area, because of his involvement in all extra-curricular activities.’

  Just then, the telephone rang and Malati went to attend to it. Gouramma was shaken. This was the very same boy whom Gouramma had forced Surabhi to stop associating with. She had always felt that her daughter should have plenty of money. Today, Malati was enjoying all that. She remembered how Girish had been positive about Gopinath but she had been blind. She sighed deeply.

  The next day Chandru took them to see the Statue of Liberty, the Rockefeller Center, some temples and then they went to Padma’s house.

  Gouramma was amazed at the temples in America. There were temples of all the gods in one complex, unlike India. Chandru explained, ‘Earlier there was only the Venkateshwara temple in Pittsburgh. Now, due to the software boom, lots of professionals come here from different parts of India. It is difficult to build a separate temple for each deity. That’s why you find Hanuman, Ganesha, Kumaraswamy, Rama and Sita, Shiva-Parvati, Lakshmi, all in one temple.’

  ‘But what about the priests?’

  ‘They are normally imported from India. They get a special visa for five years. In their free time, they also help perform functions like naming ceremonies, marriages, etc., in some houses.’

  As it was a holiday, there were streams of devotees, but still the temple premises were absolutely clean and orderly. The floors were shining. There was a reserved car park for the handicapped, and waste paper baskets were neatly lined up. Gouramma felt Indian gods looked brighter under the sparkle of American cleanliness.

  The prasad was distributed in the temple office. Though there were devotees of different colours, features and languages, all Indians were connected by the same string of devotion. In one corner of the temple, there was a wedding ceremony being performed. A Hindu boy was getting married to an American girl. In another corner, the thread ceremony of a Tamil boy was being conducted. The American-born and brought up child was finding it hard to recite and repeat the Sanskrit slokas. For Gouramma, this was all a very new experience.

  When they reached Padma’s home, Gouramma felt more at home. Padma was a warm and hospitable person and had wholeheartedly agreed to host them though she was in an advanced stage of pregnancy. She already had a three-year-old son, Vivek.

  The following day Padma told Jamuna and Chandru, ‘Please leave Amma for three or four days with me. We are going to have a get-together of Kannadigas. Rajiv will be visiting Nashville this weekend and he can drop her back.’ Rajiv joined his wife in the persuasive invitation. ‘Chandru, I am going to Paris on some work for the next three days and Padma will be alone.They will be good company for each other. I take personal responsibility to see that your mother reaches home safely.’

  Jamuna did not like this idea. She said, ‘Amma may get bored here. She does not know anybody, and Manasi will miss her.’

  I can’t be with you forever. Let me have my freedom, Gouramma felt like shouting at the top of her voice, but restrained herself.

  In spite of Jamuna’s protest, Chandru agreed to leave Gouramma with Rajiv and Padma.

  Jamuna left in a bad mood.

  TWENTY-THREE

  Vatsala, one of Padma’s friends, came to visit and brought along a box of sweets. She said, ‘Padma, I thought you were alone so I came to enquire about you.’

  Introducing Gouramma, Padma said, ‘Thanks, but Aunty is with me. If I need anything, I will surely let you know.’

  Vatsala left immediately.

  ‘Vatsala could have stayed back for dinner. What was the hurry? Padma, when I am here you can call any guests over for lunch or dinner. I will help you.’

  ‘Normally Vatsala does not visit many people. She is a top executive and extremely busy.’

  ‘She must be highly educated. Is she from Bangalore?’

  ‘Actually she only studied till the tenth standard when in India. Her father was a rich merchant in Bidar. Th