Asha failed to get the full implications of this unexpected family spat; but she turned pale with shame, fear and wretchedness. Mahendra felt very angry as he thought to himself, ‘Enough is enough. I must take my wife’s life in my own hands, or it won’t be right.’

These newly emerged feelings of duty fanned the flames of desire like a friendly breeze which bore away his college-work, exams, friends, social sense and all else. Mahendra was fired by the enthusiasm to teach his wife and he went into his room and shut the door, paying no heed to work or people.

A piqued Rajlakshmi thought, ‘If Mahendra and his bride come and bang on my door, I will not answer. Let me see how he manages without his mother.’

Days passed and no repentant footfall sounded by the door.

Rajlakshmi decided that if he came to beg forgiveness, she’d forgive him, or he would be too hurt. But there were no entreaties for mercy.

Then Rajlakshmi decided to go to Mahendra’s room and say that she had forgiven him. Just because the son was upset, the mother didn’t have to be the same way.

Mahendra had a small room all to himself on the second-floor terrace, where he studied and slept. All these days Rajlakshmi had totally neglected cleaning his room, making the bed, putting his clothes away. Her heart was in turmoil since she had not performed her usual motherly duties. One afternoon she decided to go upstairs and tidy up his room while he was away in college; the minute he walked in, he’d know his mother had been there.

Rajlakshmi mounted the stairs. The door to Mahendra’s room lay open and when she stood before it, she felt shock ripple through her. Mahendra was lying on the mattress on the floor, sleeping, and Asha sat with her back to the door, caressing his feet. Rajlakshmi was revolted at this blatant display of conjugal affections in broad daylight, with the door ajar. She went downstairs silently.

5

WHEN LONG-FAMISHED MUSTARD CROPS RECEIVE A SUDDEN BURST OF rain, they make up for lost time and flourish in leaps and bounds, laying spontaneous claims to the earth around them. That is how it was with Asha. She had never truly felt that she belonged in the household to which she was related by blood. But after she came into this unfamiliar house, suddenly an intimate relationship, involving total trust, was hers for the asking; when her husband crowned the hitherto neglected orphan with his own hands, she didn’t hesitate to rise to the occasion and take what was offered. She brushed aside the hesitant shyness of the new bride and took her rightful place at her husband’s feet with artless pride and joy.

That afternoon, when Rajlakshmi spotted this newly arrived stranger-girl occupying her pride of place with such unconscious, easy grace, she came downstairs fuming and fretting indignantly. Since she was burning up with wrath, she went to singe Annapurna too. She said, ‘Mejo-bou, just go and have a look at the royal heritage, the kind of thing your ladyship has learnt in her family. If only the elder men of this house were alive—’

Annapurna moaned in agonized distress, ‘Didi, she is your daughter-in-law and you must scold her and teach her as you please. Why drag me into it?’

Like a strung bow, Rajlakshmi shrilled, ‘My daughter-in-law? As long as you are ministering to her, would she even heed me?’

Annapurna went up to the couple’s room, making a lot of noise, startling the pair of them. She looked at Asha. ‘Is this how you are going to humiliate me, you stupid girl? Have you no shame, no sense of time or day, that you are resting here while your mother-in-law works herself to the bone? Serves me right for bringing you into this house!’ The tears fell from her eyes as she spoke. Asha stood shocked in a corner, picking at her sari, tears streaming down her face.

Mahendra said, ‘Aunty, why do you scold her? I am the one who holds her back.’

Annapurna said, ‘And is that a good thing you’re doing? She is young, an orphan, she has never been trained by her mother in the ways of this world. What are you teaching her?’

Mahendra said, ‘Look, I have bought a slate, books and pen-and-paper for her. I am going to teach her to read, even if the world points fingers at me or all of you get angry.’

Annapurna said, ‘But do you have to teach her all day long? An hour or so in the evenings would be quite enough.’

Mahendra said, ‘It’s not so simple, Aunty. Education is time consuming.’

Irked, Annapurna left the room. Asha took slow and hesitant footsteps to follow her. But Mahendra blocked her way, not heeding the pleading in her sad, lustrous eyes.