House of Cards: A Novel Read online

  Sakamma asked, ‘What should I cook today?’

  Nanja said, ‘I need money for petrol.’

  Chikki added, ‘The water tank is leaking.’

  For a minute, Sanjay was at a loss. Then he said to Nanja and Chikki, ‘Talk to Rosemary and take the money from her.’ He turned to Sakamma and said, ‘Make whatever you feel like.’

  ‘When will Madam be back?’

  ‘Maybe in a month.’

  Sanjay left for the nursing home. He thought that once he got there, he would get busy and life would go back to normal. But he felt like an orphan. He was worried that if he took a vacation or cancelled any operations, it would affect the reputation of his nursing home.

  When he came out of his room in the evening, he saw Rosemary’s husband standing at her desk with a bunch of red roses. He was neatly dressed and clean-shaven and waiting for Rosemary. Sanjay looked down upon Joseph and hardly ever spoke to him; but today he asked, ‘Is it a special occasion, Joseph? You’ve come with a bouquet.’

  ‘Today is Rosemary’s birthday.’

  A minute later, Rosemary came back to her desk and asked Sanjay if she could leave for the day. Sanjay nodded and went back inside his room. From his window, he could see them holding hands and crossing the road. He was surprised that a simple bouquet of flowers had made Rosemary so happy. He had never made Mridula this happy.

  Then he checked the cash register. The collection was around six lakh, but he did not feel elated. His phone rang. It was Anita. She asked him, ‘Sanjay, what happened yesterday?’

  ‘Nothing.’

  ‘I know that Mridula left you and went back to her village.’

  ‘Who told you that?’

  ‘I called up your house, took Mridula’s father’s number in Aladahalli and managed to speak to her.’

  Sanjay did not know what to say. Anita continued, ‘I don’t want to tell Mridula to come back. She won’t get any happiness from you. Sanjay, you were lucky to get married to her. You should have been grateful to God. Now that you’ve lost her, all the money you earn from your nursing home is of no use. You may not like what I’m saying, but a true friend should tell the truth even if it hurts. Yes, you have friends in high positions. They’ll be nice to you and smile but they’ll laugh at you behind your back. I’ve known Mridula well for the last twenty-three years. She’s shared all your difficulties. Your mother or sister or son can’t take her place. Sishir will marry and have his own family. After that, a father is just a guest. Regarding your mother, the less said the better. Your sister just looks for a chance to make money off of you. Nobody can match Mridula in terms of simplicity, innocence and affection. I’m sorry that I have taken the liberty to speak so much about your personal issues. But I have to listen to my conscience.’

  Before he could reply, she disconnected the phone. Sanjay knew that Anita was straightforward. He kept standing next to the phone like a statue.

  After a few minutes, he heard Lakshmi’s voice outside. Finally, she peeped in. She had dyed her hair and was wearing matching jewellery. She looked much younger than him. He signalled her to come in and both Shankar and Lakshmi walked in and sat down. Lakshmi said, ‘Sanjay, you want me to become a director in your new company. So when is the inauguration? Will there be a press release? I’ve already told the women in my ladies’ club. By the way, there weren’t many gifts yesterday evening. Most of them were bouquets …’

  Lakshmi did not talk about Mridula or about what had happened last evening. She just wanted to talk business. Sanjay realized that Lakshmi was interested more in her new post than in her brother’s personal life. He said, ‘I don’t know much about it. Alex is working on it. Ask him.’

  ‘Do you know any good girls for Anil? I want to get him married after I become director.’

  Sanjay got a call on his cell phone and walked out of the room, leaving the couple inside. When he finished the call and came back in, he found Shankar scolding his wife, ‘You don’t have any common sense. Why did you tell him to find a girl for Anil? He married that villager and so he’ll probably suggest a village girl for Anil too. Mridula is totally useless. Even though she’s good-looking, she’s dumb. Anybody can look beautiful with make-up. If a girl is ordinary looking, that’s fine with me but she should be the only child of rich parents.’

  When Shankar saw Sanjay, he stopped short. Sanjay felt bad about the way they spoke about Mridula. He knew that it was his fault. He used to take her for granted and talk rudely to her in front of them. That was why they also behaved the same way with her.

  He went home. The house seemed empty. He worried that every evening would be like this from now on. At first, he had been upset at the way Anita had talked to him. But now at home, he pondered over her words. Even though he talked to Mridula only for a few minutes every night and even though she fought with him, she was still an integral part of his life. He looked around and saw the old clock in the room that had been bought with Mridula’s first salary. She had bought him the old scooter in the garage too.

  Though Sakamma served him hot food on his silver plate, he was unable to eat. He saw his wedding picture on the wall. Mridula and he were both smiling in it. He thought about their failed marriage and remembered that she had married him despite his handicap and loved him without expecting much.

  There was so much emptiness without her.

  28

  Growing Pains

  Time rushed by for Sishir and Neha who continued to meet regularly. Sishir, who never showed any interest in history and the humanities, was impressed with the way Neha explained these to him.

  Neha and Sishir both joined the Indian Youth Club and found that there were three more people there from Bangalore—Ramesh, Usha and Raghu. All of them spoke Kannada too. Among the five, only Sishir owned a car. Everyone except Neha became dependent on him. Circumstances made Sishir a leader and he loved it. He was the one who took decisions about where to go, where to dine and what to do. At times, the others did not like his choice but it was easy and comfortable for them to be with him. They only had to pay for their share of the food; Sishir took care of the rest.

  Neha did not like this. So she did not join the group sometimes. But Sishir would insist: ‘Come on, Neha. It’s good for you.’

  Neha knew that this was not true but did not want to be impolite because he had helped her so much. One day, Sishir decided that they should go punting in the river, which was a usual practice for most students.

  While the five were punting, they started talking about their future. Ramesh was studying law and said, ‘I want to marry a lawyer. Then we can set up a good law firm.’

  Usha said, ‘I want to marry a rich man so that I don’t have to work. I can read, travel and enjoy life.’

  Raghu said, ‘I want my wife to be beautiful like a model, and modern in her outlook.’

  When Sishir’s turn came, he said, ‘I want a girl who won’t argue with me and who’ll adjust to any situation. A woman defines the culture and environment at home. But she should be modern outside the house. She must be intelligent and understand how I think and act accordingly.’

  Everyone laughed at him. They said, ‘Then you need to marry four girls.’

  ‘Why? Is it that difficult to find a girl like that? I’m sure that there are plenty of girls who would love to live that way. Finding a good husband is also an achievement.’

  Everyone laughed again. Now, it was Neha’s turn. She said, ‘I want a man who respects me as a woman. We must give each other the freedom to grow together and individually, as people. Money doesn’t matter to me. His job doesn’t matter either.’

  ‘Oh, Neha, you’re thinking of an imaginary man who doesn’t exist,’ said Usha.

  A few months went by and Neha continued to keep her distance from Sishir. She maintained their friendship, however. Though Sishir was used to girls falling for him and hanging on to his every word, Neha stood out because of her coolness. That attracted Sishir more and he really liked her.