Where the Secret Lies (21 page)

Tehzeeb took the children to the
other side where it was safe to play.

 
‘What a wonderful idea to have a picnic,’
Rajesh said in a dull tone, after they finished their lunch. ‘We must do this
again.’

‘Yes Bhai Saab, why not? It
makes a nice change from the day to day running of the haveli,’ said Tehzeeb
enthusiastically.

‘If you find it time consuming
then perhaps you should not interfere, Tehzeeb,’ said Anjali haughtily.

‘Didi, I didn’t mean that. I am
just saying it is nice being outside for a change. Mohan loves the haveli and I
could never neglect it.’

‘Where is Mohan?’ asked Rajesh.

‘He is playing with the
children. He loves them so much and will do anything for them,’ Tehzeeb said
proudly. ‘When they were born, he would not leave their side.’

‘I could never neglect it,’ mimicked Anjali when Tehzeeb
went to Mohan a little later on.

‘It is a shame, is it not my
darling Anjali, that Mohan spends most of his time with Tehzeeb than with you,’
Rajesh took a sip from his flask.

‘Don’t call me darling and I
wish you to never speak to me again. You disgust me and I will not forgive what
you did to me!’

‘I am going tomorrow,’ Rajesh carried
on. ‘Perhaps one more night...?’

‘Don’t believe I won’t tell. Are
all actors the same as you? You think you can do whatever you want to a girl
because you are a star. If that is true, I pity the whole film industry.’

‘You came to me. If I recall
correctly, you didn’t mind when I touched you, kissed your breasts...and pleasured
you...’

‘How dare you!’ Anjali wanted to
slap him, but not here. Instead, she walked away, furious at him and at
herself.

She was to blame and she knew
it. She should never have allowed him to touch her...her life was falling apart
and she could do nothing about it.

Her own family had deserted her
when she needed them most, and now Mohan...she watched him and Tehzeeb with the
children – a perfect family – together. No one missed her.

Tehzeeb seemed to sense Anjali
for she looked up and met her eyes. She said something to Mohan and began to
walk in her direction. Anjali turned away. She would rather die than let
Tehzeeb see her weak and vulnerable.

‘Go away!’ Anjali shouted at
her.

‘Why are you upset, didi? Wait.’

Anjali ran.

‘Didi, wait!’ she heard Tehzeeb
shout as a ferocious wind blew around them.

Anjali tried to go faster but
the wind was too strong. Tehzeeb was within reach.

She saw a tall building ahead of
her and she began to head in that direction. Out of breath, she reached the
steps and climbed the open staircase. The wind became wild, blowing her hair
around her face.

‘Didi, do not go up there. It is
dangerous!’ Tehzeeb screamed from below.

The rains came as Anjali reached
the top step, leading her to an open roof. For a few moments, the beautiful
scene in front stunned her. The rain seemed to mist the view of the rising
hills. The river below swelled as it ran towards its destination. Anjali, now
soaked through, could not take her eyes off what lay before her; she was
mesmerised.

‘Didi,’ Tehzeeb voice brought
Anjali back. ‘Didi, please come with me. We need to find shelter, you are
soaked.’

‘Just go Tehzeeb. Leave me
alone.’

‘Have I done something to upset
you? Why are you behaving this way?’

‘What do you care? You must be
pleased to take Mohan ji away from me. Congratulations.’

‘What are you talking about,
didi? Mohan ji is mine as he is yours. I have come to accept that. Did you
think I was not jealous of you and Mohan ji, who was my husband first? Did you not
think I abhorred the idea of him marrying another girl, far younger than I and
fathering her children? I had to learn to accept this fate and you must too!’

Both were standing near the edge
of the roof. The rain was coming down harder.

‘It’s dangerous up here. Come,
please didi,’ Tehzeeb tried to take Anjali’s arm.

‘Don’t touch me Tehzeeb,’ Anjali
yanked her hand away.

Then it happened. She did not
know how, or why, or what went through her mind. Anjali saw red that blistered
her inside; she saw her arms lift and her hands flatten against Tehzeeb’s
chest. She pushed...a piercing scream left Tehzeeb as she went spiralling down,
landing with a dull thud. Her limbs askew and her hair sprawled around her face
– Tehzeeb was dead.
 

The rain and wind stopped,
silence screamed in Anjali’s ears - MURDERER. She walked down slowly and knelt
beside Tehzeeb’s body. Then she screamed and screamed.

Moments later, Mohan and Rajesh
were there. Mohan saw Tehzeeb’s lifeless body.

‘What happened? WHAT HAPPENED
ANJALI?’ he shook her like a rag doll but Anjali kept on screaming.

‘Rajesh, help me. We have to get
Tehzeeb to a hospital!’ Mohan’s eyes were wild.

‘It’s too late. She is...she has
passed on,’ Rajesh hung his head.

Anjali pointed to Tehzeeb’s
body, then at the roof. She closed down.

ARIANNA

TWENTY-EIGHT

The message was clear; the room and the diary was for
Arianna only. It was the wishes of the spirit, the maid told her.

‘Why me?’ Arianna asked.

‘You will find out soon,’ the
maid said simply.

Arianna read the diary every night.
She read Anjali’s happier times – when Mohan serenaded her with love and
affection, taking her to theatres and to hill stations for long vacations. She read
about their daughters and their births; how happy she and Mohan were. Some
passages made Arianna blush and she skipped over the intimate moments.

When she was able to, Arianna
spent a lot of her time in the room, and when the room “called” out to her, she
would obey and visit, pouring over old writings and photographs. Numerous
photographs seemed to be of the girls and Anjali. There were some photographs
of Mohan with Anjali and their daughters, smiling into the camera.

Arianna found another album,
which contained a different set of photographs. Here, another woman stood with
Mohan...she looked familiar, could this be Tehzeeb? She took out the family
portrait of the two women and the children. This was the photograph that Anjali
mentioned in her diary; the one taken after the rape...

Arianna compared the photograph
with the others; it was now clear to her that the other woman
was
Tehzeeb. The closer Anjali looked, the
more she

resembled...no, don’t be daft Ari, you do not resemble
Tehzeeb!

The entries in Anjali’s diary were
mostly references of her hatred towards Tehzeeb and the tone from love to
abhorrence was drastic. The more Arianna read, the more engrossed she became of
Anjali’s colourful past.

 
‘Ari! Where are you?’ Jai called.

Oh! Arianna put away the
photographs, all but one she wanted to study. She picked up the diary and
tucked it into her bag along with the photograph. As before, the door sealed
itself as soon as Arianna exited.

Arianna wanted to show Jai the room and tell him everything
she had found but this time she was unable to. As soon as she thought of it,
she literally could not speak of it. Like the door was sealed – so were her
lips.

Her holiday in India was soon
ending and Arianna hoped she would be able to find out more about Anjali,
Tehzeeb, this haveli, and her relation to these women, if any. She had to
understand, to “see” the reason why she was chosen.

 
‘Where were you?’ Jai asked.

 
He met her a few feet away from the door.

‘I want to tell you but I
can’t’.

‘Ari, you are acting stranger
and stranger but, you can tell me when you are ready. Shall we go for lunch? I
am starving!’

‘Is it that time already?’

Jai raised his eyebrows. ‘You
have been busy! Come on, I can’t stay without food for long.’

Arianna took Jai’s offered arm. Out
of habit, she looked back at the door and started – a transparent figure of a
woman dressed in a red sari was watching her. She was crying. She turned and
seemed to glide away, fading...

 
‘Anjali! Don’t go, wait!’ Arianna had her arm
stretched out.

‘Ari, who are you talking to?
There is no one here. Ari, talk to me, you are scaring me,’ Jai shook her.

Arianna rubbed her head. ‘Jai, I
am not hungry anymore. I want to see...I have something to do.’

‘What’s going on Ari?’

‘I’ll try and tell you later
okay? Trust me on this,’ Arianna left a bewildered Jai behind as she ran in the
direction of the woman dressed in red.

ANJALI

TWENTY-NINE

Sedated, Anjali slept.

‘Tehzeeb...please, open your
eyes, I am sorry...’

She fidgeted; images of the
park, rain, wind, and Tehzeeb’s body crowded her mind...MURDERER...

‘Tehzeeb!’ Anjali awoke to find
Mohan by her side.

‘Oh Anjali,’ Mohan’s eyes were
wet. ‘What will do without her?’

Anjali listened to Mohan talking. He sometimes cried but she
could not show emotion. She could not speak – the guilt twisted, eating her
heart.

Mohan sat by her side for hours,
sometimes watching her and sometimes just sitting. Anjali blamed herself for
Mohan’s state of mind – a broken man. This was her fault...

‘The post-mortem will be
completed, and then we will cremate Tehzeeb’s body. The police want to speak to
you; they want to know how she...’

Anjali met his eyes.

How she died... Mohan ji, I know
you are looking for answers too. What do I say? I am a murderer – I killed your
wife? I pushed her Mohan ji...

Mohan took Anjali’s lifeless
hand and kissed it. ‘Please come back, please talk to me Anjali. I need you,
the children need you.’

You need me after Tehzeeb has gone,
Anjali thought bitterly. Stop it Anjali!

‘Rajesh has gone back to Bombay;
he will be back for the funeral.’

Do not speak of him; Anjali felt
white anger uncurling inside her, ready to strike but saw Tehzeeb’s face before
her...smiling and happy.

I am sorry, Tehzeeb...

Anjali’s eyelids felt heavy, she
left Mohan’s hand and succumbed to sleep.

Anjali left her bed, looking sideways – Mohan was asleep.
The night was young and the moon shone in its glory, splashing light into the
room.

She needed to pack; she was
going away. Not making a sound, Anjali walked bare foot to her cupboard and
took out a few personal items – some sarees that Mohan had gifted her, their
photographs taken as a couple, her diary, a pen and some paper. Making space on
her dressing table, she sat down to write.

‘Tehzeeb,

I hope you can forgive me. I did
not want to do it but I was angry. I am sorry I pushed you...you did not
deserve it. You are a better person I could ever be.

Forgive me,

Anjali

Anjali took another fresh sheet.

My dear Mohan ji,

I love you very much. I had not
planned this and I am sorry. I am guilty of everything – my resentment of
Tehzeeb and my lust and seduction of Rajesh. I did it to hurt you and I am very
sorry...I have sinned.

I am leaving you Mohan ji.
Please accept this. Give my love to all the children; they deserved a better

mother like Tehzeeb didi. I am sorry I killed her; sorry I pushed
didi...’

Anjali left the two letters on the table and retrieved the
red sari. Dressing in the sari, she added red lipstick to her lips and wore her
Mangal Sutra – the necklace that united her and Mohan.

She looked up at the sky; it was
a clear night. The moon seemed sad.

Anjali left the bedroom and came
to Tehzeeb’s portrait, hanging large in Mohan’s private room. Tehzeeb’s portrait
smiled, adorned with a garland.

‘Forgive me didi,’ she
whispered, tears rolling down her face.

Anjali turned and walked to the
tree in the courtyard. She took her sari off and wrapped an end to a branch.
Taking the other end, she made a loop. Placing her feet on a box, she put the
loop around her neck.

‘I am ready,’ she said. ‘Mohan
ji, I love you.’

She closed her eyes and kicked
the box.

ARIANNA

THIRTY

The woman disappeared, leaving two envelopes on the floor.
Arianna picked them up and read a different name on each one – Mohan ji and
Tehzeeb. She sat on a nearby lounge chair and opened them with impatience.
Arianna read the letter addressed to Mohan first; her eyes widened...

Why did Anjali kill Tehzeeb? It
didn’t make sense, why would she do this? Taking the next letter addressed to
Tehzeeb, she read the forgiveness Anjali craved.

‘Anjali was jealous of the love
between Mohan and Tehzeeb but to go to such lengths...why? It was unnecessary,’
Arianna spoke to herself.

The woman in the red sari is
Anjali – she is the spirit...but why did she want her to read her letters? What
significance did the death of Tehzeeb and Anjali’s guilt have with her?

The maid – perhaps she knows
something. She must find her, but where? Arianna checked the kitchen first,
then the rooms where she could be cleaning. Next Arianna tried the hall, the
main room, and the courtyard.

‘Where are you looking Arianna?
I am here,’ the voice spoke in her head.

Arianna’s heart thudded and she
turned around to find the source.

‘Who said that? Show yourself.’

‘Meet me at the room...’

Of course! All the answers were
there.

Arianna rounded the last corner and stopped at the door. She
pushed it but it remained sealed. A strange feeling enveloped her.