House of Cards (24 page)

‘I don’t want to. But I will.’

‘If you don’t want to, then why will you go?’

‘That’s etiquette.’

Again, Mridula was unable to understand the word ‘etiquette’.

Ambuja’s nephew’s wedding was on a Sunday. The girl and the boy both belonged to rich business families and there was a long queue of people waiting to congratulate them. Mridula decided to sit in a corner until the rush subsided. Suddenly, she saw Lakshmi; she was a little surprised to see her there. Before she could get up and go to her, Lakshmi had got lost in the crowd. She was dressed nicely and was wearing a diamond set which was shining in the bright lights. She had not seen Mridula yet.

Usually, whenever Lakshmi visited Mridula, she wore only one plain gold bangle. The lady sitting next to Mridula saw her looking at Lakshmi and said, ‘Do you know that lady?’

Mridula stayed silent. The lady continued, ‘Look at her jewellery. It’s beautiful. I saw her buying something at a jeweller’s shop just the other day.’

‘How do you know her?’

‘We are members of the same chit group. Lakshmi pays the highest chit. She invests twenty thousand rupees every month.’

‘I see. Is she that rich?’

‘Haven’t you heard of Dr Sanjay from the Sushruta Nursing Home? She’s his sister. Twenty thousand rupees is nothing for her.’

Chit groups were not unknown to Mridula because Ratnamma was also a part of one. Lakshmi was her daughter after all. Mridula thought, ‘How can Shankar and Lakshmi afford such a huge chit? They stay in a rented house in Malleshwaram. Lakshmi doesn’t work either. Though I’m
younger than her, my heavy silk brocade sari and minimal gold are still too much for me. But Lakshmi’s dressed like a bride.’

By then, the queue had shortened and Mridula went up to congratulate the young couple. She ran into Lakshmi on her way towards the newly-weds. Lakshmi was shocked to see Mridula there. But she composed herself and said, ‘Oh, Mridula, I didn’t know that you were going to be here. Are you from the bride’s side or the groom’s?’

‘The groom’s.’

‘Oh, I’m from the bride’s side. I didn’t want to come, but they insisted. You know how it is.’ Then Lakshmi lowered her voice and said, ‘Mridula, you know that I don’t have much gold. So I feel awkward whenever I have to attend weddings and functions. These days, you get a lot of fake jewellery that glitters more than the real thing. I bought one fake diamond set to wear during weddings. Everyone thinks that it’s real. Look at it. Don’t you think it looks real, too?’

Mridula did not know what to say and kept quiet. She thought, ‘I should give her the benefit of the doubt. Since I’m not sure, I won’t say anything.’

When Mridula reached home, the phone was ringing. It was Ratnamma. Sanjay picked up and spoke to her on the speakerphone. Ratnamma said, ‘MLA Adikeshavaiah wants to start a women’s cooperative bank in our village. The government also helps in such projects. Because of my experience, they want to elect me chairman. I need to deposit ten lakh rupees for this. Please send a DD for that amount in my name.’

Sanjay said, ‘Give me some time. I’ll get back to you.’

Mridula found it strange. She had always thought that Ratnamma did not care about position or status. Sanjay was quiet after the call. Mridula asked him, ‘What do you think? What should we do?’

Sanjay replied, ‘I don’t think Amma should accept this position. I’ll call her back and talk to her later.’

Mridula felt happy that Sanjay was thinking on the same lines as her.

Every year, Mridula’s cousin Sarla held a big Satyanarayana puja at home. After that, she arranged for a luxury bus to Tirupati and invited all her close relatives to the trip. It was something similar to the Purnima celebrations in Bheemanna’s house. Bheemanna normally joined the festivities. But now, he did not want to leave his home and go anywhere. After Rukuma Bai’s death, he had lost interest in life. In recent years, Mridula’s brother, Krishna, and his wife, Vatsala, had started coming to Bangalore for this function. They came a week in advance for sightseeing and shopping. Every year, they stayed with Sarla in her house and that hurt Mridula. They visited Mridula only once for a few hours—like she was a mere acquaintance.

This year, Mridula could not control her grief. She tried to share her thoughts with Sanjay. ‘Vatsala and Krishna should stay with us. I’m Krishna’s sister. Isn’t our relation to them closer than Sarla’s?’

Without lifting his head from the newspaper, Sanjay replied, ‘Relationships are maintained not just because you are related by blood, but also by keeping in touch.’

‘But I’m his sister.’

‘Even Lakshmi is my sister. I haven’t done anything wrong to her. And yet, she never comes and stays with us for a holiday.’

Sanjay was shrewd enough not to take his mother’s name, who refused to come to Bangalore.

Mridula did not know whether Sanjay was saying this to blame her. He acted polished in front of others but in front of his wife, his words could be brutal. Mridula replied, ‘I’ve never ever told Lakshmi not to come. She’s involved in activities like ladies’ clubs and chit group meetings. Unfortunately, we don’t share common interests. We are neither enemies nor friends.’

‘Sarla and you were best friends once. But even she doesn’t come to our house. What happened?’

‘Sarla is busy working or travelling. How can I expect her to come and spend time here?’

‘Sarla isn’t like you. She’s practical. She works hard and makes money and understands the ways of the world.’

This upset Mridula even more. Sanjay appreciated everyone except her. She snapped back, ‘I think I should have been more like your sister and spent all of my husband’s money and brought him to the streets.’

Sanjay did not bother replying. He had wanted to push Mridula’s buttons, and he had. He started whistling. Mridula continued, ‘Lakshmi puts all her money in chits. Her friend told me. I saw her at a marriage last week. She was wearing at least ten lakh’s worth of jewellery and she told me that it was artificial.’

Calmly, Sanjay said, ‘Mridula, you must meet Dr Ramaiah.’

Mridula was taken aback at the change of subject. She asked, ‘Are you talking about the famous psychiatrist? Why should I meet him? I don’t have a health problem.’

‘Yes, you do. That’s why you should get yourself checked. Just because someone told you that Lakshmi is involved in chits, you believed that person. I have known my sister longer than I’ve known you. She doesn’t care about money. In fact, she wants to help people and loses money in the process. Why will she lie to you? Had she had your inclination to save money, she would’ve been wealthy today.’

Mridula felt bad that her husband had more faith in his sister than in his wife. He was not ready to think for a second that his sister could have also done something wrong. On top of everything else, he taunted Mridula for saving money. Lakshmi was known to spend all the money on herself without a thought for her family. Mridula cried, ‘What a reward I get for saving for our future! I should’ve been a spendthrift instead.’

Sanjay did not want to deal with a sobbing wife and left the room. Suddenly, Mridula felt that there was an intense vacuum in her life. The huge nursing home, this big house and its servants were of no consequence to her. Money had taken away her happiness. She could not even raise her son the way she wanted to. Her husband did not understand her. What was the use of this life?

Later that night, Sanjay was unable to sleep despite the cool air-conditioning. He thought to himself, ‘Mridula disagrees with me about everything. She has a good house, servants, plenty of money, a great son and a famous husband. Both the men in her life are intelligent and we don’t have bad habits. People must envy her.’

He thought about Lakshmi and felt sad for his sister. Her husband was not in a top position and their son, Anil, was not academically inclined. Sishir had told him confidentially that Anil was a chain-smoker and frequented bars. But still, Lakshmi was happy. She was enthusiastic even when she made a small gold purchase or bought a silk sari.

He recalled the last time he went to Chennai for work. He had brought back two silk saris and given one to Mridula. She had told him, ‘I don’t feel like wearing silk saris these days. When I think of how the silk is made, I feel sorry for the silkworms. Such a waste.’

So Sanjay had hidden the other sari and given it to Lakshmi, whose happiness knew no bounds. She had thanked him many times and talked about its excellent colour and texture. She had promised to wear it during the next festival.

Sanjay thought, ‘Mridula must learn how to live life from Lakshmi.’

22

Sweet Revenge

Sanjay’s phone rang. He thought that it may be an emergency and reached for his phone. But it was not a call from the nursing home. It was Prakash Kamat, the sales director of a
pharmaceutical company. He was not unknown to Sanjay. When Sanjay was working in the government hospital, Prakash was a medical representative and used to frequent the hospital to give literature and samples to Dr Saroja. Prakash had never paid attention to Sanjay then. Over a period of time, Prakash had reached a senior position and he was calling Sanjay to discuss the next contract.

Sanjay knew that big deals and contracts must be a win-win situation for both sides. He thought, ‘By recommending Prakash’s products, I must also gain something. If two similar products from two different companies are equally good, then I should think of what’s advantageous for me. In any business, a win-lose situation equals exploitation. And if it is a lose-win, it’s plain foolishness. Mridula won’t understand these complicated issues.’

Prakash said, ‘Sir, today’s the last day. Please let us know your final decision.’

‘Let me think about it.’

‘Sir, our product is good and the field results are favourable. You don’t have to worry.’

‘That’s easy for you to say. If something goes wrong tomorrow, the patient will catch hold of me and not you.’

‘Sir, we have tested it thoroughly.’

‘Then I want to see the field trial results.’

Prakash Kamat realized that things were not going to be easy with Sanjay. He began his sales pitch: ‘Sir, how many drugs from our company do you use every year? We’ll work to get you the best discount. We can’t give discounts directly but we can arrange to get you four international trips or something like that.’

‘Your company isn’t the only one that can send me abroad. Other companies are willing to give me a direct discount. I want to know the final discounted amount. Please send it to the nursing home.’

Without waiting for a reply, Sanjay kept the phone down. He recollected his past, ‘Once, I was desperate to get a sponsorship and my case was a genuine one. I had approached many people—Chikananjappa, the Health minister’s PA and others. I remember waiting helplessly in the corridor of the government office. But ultimately, Dr Suresh got it because of his father’s ministerial connections. I could have resigned immediately and started a private practice. Why didn’t I have the courage to do so earlier? Wasn’t I aware of my own potential?’

Sanjay felt ashamed of himself. He realized that the real courage of a person lay within himself or herself. ‘I’m my best friend and my worst enemy. I know that the courage I have today didn’t come overnight. As I started getting successful, I became more and more confident. Alex gave me my first break but the ultimate success is mine. Yet, my wife doesn’t respect me. Had she been a doctor, she would’ve been proud to have a husband like me.’

Sanjay sighed and went back to his routine.

The next morning, while he was shaving, the maid told him, ‘Dr Saroja is waiting to meet you downstairs.’

He recognized the name. She was the same Dr Saroja who had humiliated him in front of everyone. She had added his name in Kempunanjamma’s case even though he was not responsible for it. She had been ruthless about his transfer. The incidents flashed before his eyes. He thought, ‘A sensitive person in my position might have committed suicide at the time. How dare she shamelessly come to my house?’

He knew that she wanted a favour. He told his maid calmly, ‘Tell her to wait in the veranda. I’ll have my bath and then meet her.’

He took his time shaving, bathed unusually slowly and finally came out of the bathroom. Mridula came in and said, ‘Why are you taking such a long time to get dressed today? An elderly lady has been waiting for you for a while now.’

Sanjay did not answer her. He knew that she would not understand. Mridula’s world existed only in books. In textbooks, idealism occupied one line and took a minute to preach. But real life consisted of different kinds of selfish people. An intelligent person was one who managed all of them and got his work done with minimal conflict.

He finished his breakfast in his room and came out and found Dr Saroja eating at their dining table. She stood up when she saw him. Mridula explained, ‘She was waiting for you in the veranda. I called her inside and gave her breakfast even though she was reluctant to eat.’

Sanjay felt sick of Mridula’s foolish hospitality. He thought, ‘If Dr Saroja had come to the nursing home, I wouldn’t have offered her a drop of water. There’s no place for hospitality with her. But if Dr Kamala ever comes to see me, I’ll never make her wait.’