Dinner was done with. Mukundo had instructed Sonelal to not cook fish, or put any onion or garlic in the food. As a widow she hadn’t been eating those for eight years. He didn’t want to introduce a sudden change. On dinner table, she had worn one of her older sarees. Almost white. Thankfully she did have some glass bangles, a bindi and sindoor on her. It made her looks slightly different from how he had seen her in her village. She hardly ate. Mukundo didn’t use the cutlery and ate with his hands to ensure that she did not feel out of place. But there was still enough of novelty around to make her feel uncomfortable. He realized that she was not used to eating in company. She probably ate alone, in some corner of kitchen every day. And probably even the suhaagan women in her society didn’t eat with men. He wondered for a while, if he should ask her to take food to her room. But he decided against it. Even if it was uncomfortable for her to begin with, he did not want to set a precedent for a practice that was so regressive and unacceptable.

He tossed and turned in the bed as the events from the last couple of days replayed in his mind.

“What is wrong with you, Mukundo? You are going to marry that girl?” Mahendra was incredulous.

“Hmm…” He was preoccupied with his own thoughts.

“Hmm? Have you wondered how Alka will react?”

That got Mahendra his attention, “Alka? What has it got to do with Alka?”

“It has got nothing to do with Alka? She is not your girlfriend? You are not sleeping with her?”

“We are not in a romantic relationship, Mahendra.”

“Ah! You think so Prof. Thakur. Women in our society do not sleep with men they are not in love with.”

“What a progressive image you have of women in our society,” Mukundo had chuckled.

“I can’t believe it. You are finding it all funny?”

“No. I am not. Mahendra, I hadn’t planned on marrying a village-belle. I had come here in summers to be able to work on my novel. But my own life now seems to be becoming a novel.”

“You talk like you don’t have a role to play in it.”

“All I am saying is that it is not comfortable for me either. But it won’t do to panic about it.”

“It would do very well to pack your bags and run away at night from this wretched place.”

“And how do you think will it affect Piyali?”

“Why? She is head over heels in love with you, or what?”

“She is too scared to feel any other emotions. And these people will eat her up alive. I can’t run away now.”

“It’s not like these people believe in widows marrying.”

“Her step-mother is very happy at the prospect of getting rid of her. If that hope is snatched away from her, she won’t be kind to her.”

“She hasn’t been kind to her till now either.”

“Precisely why I had to come to her defense. When she started off before me, I could not withhold.”

“So, what exactly happened? She started scolding Piyali and you came forward like a knight in shining armor to take her away?”

“No. It was less heroic than that. I tried to reason with her that Piyali was only helping me with some housework, and nothing was going on about which she needed to panic. But she wanted me to shut up as  it was their family matter.”

“And?”

“And I said that any civilized person cannot silently witness an innocent girl being treated like that. She was amused that I found a widow to be innocent. Innocent women didn’t get widowed so early. And if she was so innocent, was I going to marry her? If not, then I should hold my tongue, because she belongs to her family. They can do with her whatever  they please.”

“And you said that you were going to marry her.”

Mukundo sighed, “Yes!”

“What are you? Rajnikanth?”

“It is ridiculous. But it has happened.”

“So, you are going to marry her?”

“Yes.”

Mahendra threw his hands up in despair.

—

“Whoa! Mukundo. You are joking, right?” Alka was incredulous.

“I’m not. You can ask Mahendra.”

“And that is exactly how you got around to marrying? Because you said you would – in the spur of the moment.”

“So, it is!”

“I know you don’t like it that I am so realistic. But this… This is foolish by most people’s standards.”

“I know. This is foolish by even my standards. But I couldn’t back out. She would have been miserable.”

“Wow! And what do you plan to do with her?”

“Give her a dignified life. And try to make her independent.”

“And that’s what she wants?”

“I don’t know. I can only introduce her to a different life. If she likes it, she’d get it.”

“And if she doesn’t like it?”

“She is my wife. She is secure. She will get everything she deserves.”

“Including the right to no adultery by her husband?”

“Oh! Come on, Alka. I’m not… She is a kid. A traumatized kid.”

“She won’t always remain so.”

“If she does grow up, she’d know what is good for her.”

“Great then. I have nothing to worry about.”

“I’m no closer to finding my soul-mate. Unless you are…”

“Nope. I don’t believe in soul-mates. Realist, remember?” She laughed and put her arms around his neck.

—

“How the hell do you manage to do that?” Mahendra asked at the university.

“Manage to do what?”

“Dismiss people and their questions.”

“Because I genuinely believe that others have no business poking nose in my business. I am free to marry whosoever I want and I don’t have to explain it to anybody.”

Mahendra shook his head; then asked after a pause, “How is she doing? Piyali?”

That drew a sincere reply from Mukundo, “I don’t know. But I think she is adjusting.”

“What is your plan?”

“I have a goal. To give her a dignified life. I have no plans.”

“And you think it is dignifying for her that her husband sleeps around with other women?”

“Her dignity has been tied for too long with a husband. I think it is high time that it be dissociated and she starts living her own life.”

“Alka is right. Even the dreamiest people would appear realist compared to you.”

“Name the devil, and the devil is here,” Mukundo laughed as Alka entered the room.

“Who is calling whom devil?”

“I have to go home. I will leave you two to deal with devilishness. Good night.”

“Alka. I need your help,” Mukundo said after Mahendra left.

“Tell me my prince charming.”

“I need you to buy some clothes… sarees actually for Piyali.”

“Why?”

“She only seems to have white sarees. It’s depressing. And I don’t think she’d be comfortable shopping around in Kolkata yet.”

“Okay. Then why only sarees? I can get her some other dresses as well. Probably some salwar-kameez.”

“That’d need her to be there for the correct measurements etc. I don’t know if she would be comfortable.”

“I can take her shopping. Introduce me to her.”

“Not yet. You will overwhelm her. For now, just the sarees.”

“Okay boss!”

“And don’t buy white please. Not necessarily all bright, but must have some color.”

“Sure thing.”

—

To be continued