Where the Secret Lies (12 page)

‘When we came back in 1959 to
visit your auntie’s family, a lot had changed,’ said the man. ‘The haveli looked
different. I was curious so I looked for past

papers and found photographs of the haveli, taken in 1948.
It made me sad to see it in ruins.’

‘Who lived here when you came
back?’ asked Arianna.

‘A young family is all I
remember,’ said the man. ‘They didn’t speak much to us and kept to themselves.
A woman arrived with children but we did not have time to get acquainted for
had to leave for Bombay. Later, we heard from auntie’s family that there were
many disagreements between the new woman and the wife.’

Questions formed in Arianna’s
mind but before she could ask, the couple stood up.

 
‘It has been a long day. Please excuse us
dikra.’

Arianna stood up too. ‘Do you
need anything before you go?’

‘No dikra. What a kind and
thoughtful girl you are.’ The man touched her head and the couple walked away.

Arianna subconsciously strolled along the balcony corridor
thinking about the haveli and its history. She nearly did not see Rani, who was
leaning against a pillar, in tears.

 
‘Oh Rani, what is wrong?’ she asked, rushing
to her side.

‘Arianna, I can’t do it. I can’t.’

‘What can’t you do? Rani, why
are you crying?’

‘I cannot get married. I have
tried accepting my parent’s choice...’

‘I don’t understand...’

‘My marriage is not of my
choice. My father made a deal with a businessman. If I marry his son, they will
enter a partnership. My mother is in agreement and believes it is the perfect
arranged marriage.

‘Akash, my fiancée doesn’t love
me. He knows the wealth I will acquire one day and that is why he is marrying
me,’ Rani let out a cynical laugh.

‘Ma is happy Akash is the same caste
and the wealth his father holds is far greater than ours. His calibre matches
our status in the social circle, if not more.’

‘I am sorry to hear that, I
really am,’ Arianna said.
 
‘Have you
tried talking to your parents?’

‘Papa listens to Ma, she won’t
see my way. I don’t know what to do.’ Tears began to trickle down Rani’s face
again.

Arianna took her hands. ‘It’s
your wedding in two weeks. Before it’s too late, you must tell them.’

‘Arianna, there is one more
thing.’

‘What is it?’

‘I’m in love with someone else.’

FIFTEEN

Arianna paced, uneasy about Rani’s dilemma. She thought
marriages based on business deals or caste and social status was
outdated...poor Rani. Surely, love must conquer in the end.

 
The person she loved was a college friend who
she had been dating for two years. Her parents did not know. He wasn’t poor yet
he wasn’t rich and worked as a graphic designer. Rani’s parents wanted her to
marry someone with money and with high social standing amongst the family’s
circle of close and professional friends. A graphic designer and a new one at
that simply would not do. With the wedding day so near, Arianna figured only a
miracle could stop it.

Tianna poked her head around the
door. Dressed in a pink chanya choli, she wore silver earrings, a silver necklace,
and bangles to match. Arianna drew a sigh.

 
‘Aw Ti, you look stunning!’ she praised her
little sister.

 
‘Don’t I look pretty? I asked Nikhil to take
lots of pictures of me,’ she gave Arianna a twirl.

‘You look beautiful,’ said
Arianna. ‘Wait, what did you just say?’

‘I said “don’t I look beau-’

‘No, after that.’

 
‘Oh I asked Nikhil – ’

‘Nikhil is here? Where? When did
he come?’

‘About an hour ago, apparently
–’ before Tianna could finish her sentence again, Arianna sprinted out of the
door.

‘I can’t believe he is here, what is he doing?’ muttered
Arianna as she began to look for him.

 
She tried the top
floor first and the rooms – he was not there. She looked in the courtyard but
he was not there either. At last, she found him downstairs in the main room,
entertaining guests with his casual banter. Unsure if she should go in, she
tried to catch his attention by waving her hands from the door. It worked.

 
‘Follow me,’ she mouthed and began to walk
towards the quieter side of the haveli.

A few minutes later, she heard
footsteps behind her. Good, she thought, he is following. When she turned to
look back, she was confused to see a clear corridor. Where was Nikhil? What is
going on? She was sure she heard someone behind her.

Arianna felt anxious standing
alone. It was too quiet and a little more than eerie. She breathed a sigh of
relief when two aunties came in her direction. They nodded and said hello and
enquired how she was and if she needed help – she seemed lost.

‘I am waiting for a friend,’
Arianna said – it was not a lie, not really.

The aunties chatted with her for
some time and when it was time for them to leave; they said goodbye-leaving
Arianna very alone again. Nikhil still had not come.

Arianna decided to go to her room
and took another route. She did not notice the lights were switched off; too
absorbed in her thoughts of Nikhil. The light of the moon took Arianna by
surprise as it shone brightly in her wake. Then she heard footsteps again. Was
that Nikhil?

 
She turned back but again there was no sign of
him. Arianna wiped her sweaty palms and put a hand to her thudding heart. She
changed direction once again and as she did so, nearly tripped over a girl with
a bucket of dirty water and a rag. The floor was wet.

‘Hey, where did you come from? What
are you doing here?’ Arianna exclaimed. ‘I nearly tripped!’

‘I work here,’ replied the girl.
‘Do you need help? Are you lost?’

 
‘No I am not lost,’ Arianna snapped. ‘I know
where I am going.’

‘Of course Memsahib,’ the girl said.

Arianna walked away quickly and
relaxed as she came to the lit section of the haveli. She leaned against the
wall.

‘That was bizarre,’ she said to
herself.

Suddenly she was pulled into a
dark room, and nearly screamed had he not put his lips to hers.

‘Nikhil!’ she exclaimed.

‘Shhh, do not let anyone hear
you,’ he chuckled.

Arianna punched him in the
stomach. ‘What are you doing here?’ she said fiercely.

 
Nikhil mock doubled up and laughed. ‘Relax. I
thought you would be pleased to see me.’

‘Nikhil, you are not invited to
the wedding. You cannot just pop up from Mumbai!’

‘Ari, I am invited. I am the
official photographer and I have brought my team.’

 
‘Well, why didn’t you tell me before?’ Arianna
flung herself into a chair and looked pointedly at him. She was hurt and
annoyed.

‘I wanted to surprise you. I did
not mean...look, I am sorry.’ The laugh went out of Nikhil. Crouching at her
knees, he took her hands. ‘I wasn’t thinking. I do not like to see you upset
Ari. Can you forgive this fool?’

Arianna smiled. ‘No, I’m sorry.
I am making a mountain out of a molehill.’

‘A what?’

‘It’s a saying in England. Surely,
you heard of it. It means making a big thing out of nothing.’

‘Ari, I’m sorry, I should have
told you.’

Arianna lowered her face to his
and kissed him. ‘You’re forgiven.’

The family put together a Bollywood showdown. Each member
must perform a dance or act out a scene from a popular Bollywood movie. If they
sung, they would receive double points. Some tried but were out of tune so bad
that no one could stop laughing. Tears streamed down their faces.

Arianna loved it that Nikhil was
here, if only to take photographs. Just having him near made her feel good.
Nikhil managed to look in her direction every so often, clicking the camera at
her. Khushboo winked at Arianna who coloured in embarrassment. Tianna was
oblivious or did not care. She gracefully took the centre stage when it was her
turn to perform. Arianna looked at her sister in a new light; an introvert back
home, Tianna became alive with a personality she had never seen. She watched
with pride as Tianna performed to a Bollywood song.

 
‘It’s your turn now,’ Tianna said after she
finished bowing to thunderous applause.

‘What? No, I can’t,’ Arianna was
taken off guard.

‘Nonsense. You are a great
dancer of Kathak (Indian classical dance),’ said Tianna.

Arianna smiled nervously as she
stood in front of friends, family, and Nikhil. He leaned against a pillar and would
not take his eyes off her. She wished he would, he was making her more nervous.

Arianna began the graceful
Indian dance, using her eyes to express emotion and her hands, fingers and feet
to convey harmony and tranquillity.

There was absolute silence when she
finished, then everyone stood up and applauded. Some wiped their tears. Nikhil put
his camera down; he clapped the loudest.
 
Arianna blushed as she made her way to the back.

Someone put on a music CD and
everyone began to dance. Arianna saw Rani standing in a corner.

‘That was beautiful,’ she said.

‘Thank you,’ Arianna said. ‘Are
you alright?’

‘Don’t worry about me. I will be.’

Arianna took her hand. ‘Come on,
let’s dance.’

She hoped Rani would be able to
forget about her problems, at least for a while.

Arianna had the strangest dream; Rani was crying helplessly
as she walked around the sacred fire during her wedding ceremony. Her husband
was not a twenty something young man but fifty.
 
His grandchildren clapped behind him. The image changed rapidly to a
girl her age. She was pretty and married a handsome man. They had two daughters.
The image changed again to a murder on a rooftop although obscured...

Arianna sat up in her bed, quite
disturbed. The nightmare played on her mind for a few minutes until Tianna’s
singing broke through.

 
‘Ti, will you stop your dreadful singing,’
Arianna shouted.

 
‘Ooh, aren’t we in a foul mood,’ Tianna came
out of the bathroom.

 
‘What time is it?’ grumbled Arianna.

‘Only ten.’

‘Why didn’t you wake me?’

Tianna shrugged. ‘Do you want
breakfast? The morning serving has finished but I am sure the chef will cook
you something.’

Arianna ate with the late
risers, like herself. Rani and Khushboo watched her.

‘I am famished,’ she said.

A maid walked in carrying more trays
of food. She looked like the girl with the cleaning rag and bucket.

 
‘A new maid? I didn’t know Papa hired again,’
said Rani.

‘Maybe she was hired by the
wedding planners,’ suggested Khushboo.

‘No, she was cleaning the floor
Khush...and she wasn’t wearing the uniform. Her sari was old and faded and she
seemed out of place,’ said Arianna.

‘I don’t really know,’ shrugged
Khushboo.

‘I can ask Papa,’ said Rani.

‘Perhaps leave it,’ said
Arianna. ‘It is not important.’

Arianna watched the girl, who in
turn smiled at her.

ANJALI

SIXTEEN

Darkness settled when Mohan and Anjali reached Lucknow. The
mood sombre, they stood outside the station. The tonga driver took their
luggage and stowed it at the front and Anjali and Mohan took their seats. The
driver shook the reigns and the horse began to trot at a steady pace.

Anjali closed her eyes and
leaned against Mohan as the tonga took them back to their haveli. The memories of
her visit to Rajkot flooded back...

Anjali walked around the empty space. Tears spilled and her
throat tightened. Where was her home?

A young boy stopped to stare
with his friends.
 

‘Beta, can you tell us where Mrs
Rajput lives?’ asked Mohan.

‘Everyone knows where she
lives,’ said the boy. ‘Are you new here? I haven’t seen you before.’

‘We have come to visit,’ said
Mohan.

The boy pointed towards a
bridge. ‘Their house is over that bridge, behind the temple and just a little
way forward.’

Mohan thanked the boy and gave
him a rupee that widened the boy’s smile. Anjali and Mohan walked the rest of
the way. It was not far. Anjali’s stomach churned as they walked over the
bridge and along the path. Villagers stared and whispered to each other, coming
out from their homes to see the visitors. Who were they and why were they here?
Anjali wiped sweat from her forehead.

Finally, they arrived at a
house. It did not look as big as her old house. A sign confirmed this was her
mother’s home but...there seemed no activity within, where was sweet Meera and
Ma? Where was Neha and Sunil?

It was the hour of lunch and
wives and daughters would be busy in the kitchen, but the house seemed cold, no
cooking smells greeted her.

Mohan nodded his encouragement when
Anjali hesitated at the door. She knocked tentatively, not sure whom she would
see first. Anjali counted the seconds, then minutes until finally the door opened.

A woman in her mid-fifties stood before her. She stared in
disbelief. A second later, she let out a startling wail and embraced Anjali in
a tight hold. Anjali blinked back tears.

‘Ma,’ she cried.

‘Why did it take you so long to
come home? Why Anjali, why?’ her mother ushered her in, still holding her
tightly. ‘Your disappearance tore us...come, come, my daughter.’

Anjali’s mother did not see
Mohan, who followed.