EIGHTEEN
On Monday, Mr. Ali was talking to a Christian man about a bride for his younger brother when Ramanujam came in. Mr. Ali greeted him. “Hello,” he said. “Your sister came in the other day and took the details of a match.”
“She told me,” replied Ramanujam. “Please finish with this gentleman first. I will wait.”
Once the other client left, Ramanujam took Sita’s photo from an envelope and gave it to Mr. Ali. “Thanks for sending the photo with my sister,” he said.
Mr. Ali put the photograph away and turned back to Ramanujam. “What did you think of the match?” he asked.
Ramanujam said, “I heard Aruna is not well. Is she all right?”
Mr. Ali was surprised by the change of topic, but replied, “She was very listless the last two weeks. So she’s taken a week off and her father has taken her to Annavaram. I hope the change of scene will do her good and she will come back to her normal self.”
“I have a confession to make,” said Ramanujam. “I’m actually quite happy to hear that Aruna is feeling like that.”
“Really? And why would that be?” asked Mr. Ali sharply. The smile slipped from his face. He looked on Aruna like a daughter, and Ramanujam’s remark took him by surprise.
“It’s not like that,” said Ramanujam. “I like her a lot. You see, I’ve met Aruna a few times here and outside and I’ve had long chats with her and I don’t know . . . I think of her all the time. I might be seeing a patient, and suddenly, I remember Aruna’s smile or the way her eyes shine when she is looking at me. I can hear her voice mocking me gently or laughing at something I’ve said. I don’t know if this is love. All I know is that I’ve never felt like this before.”
Mr. Ali pursed his lips. Aruna was in his care while she worked in his house, and he was disturbed by what he heard. “So why are you happy that Aruna is not feeling well?” he asked.
“Since when did Aruna start feeling depressed?” asked Ramanujam in reply.
Mr. Ali thought back and said, “I think her depression started about the time we went to a wedding in Kottavalasa. I remember she was all right the day before, and I didn’t see her on the Sunday because we left early and she wasn’t here when we came back. I thought it was odd at that time, because I was expecting her to be around when we came back. Monday was her day off. It was after that.Yes, I am sure—it started then.”
Mr. Ali was silent for a moment and looked at Ramanujam sharply. “Did you come here that day when we were away? Did you say anything to her to make her depressed?”
Looking at Ramanujam’s face, Mr. Ali’s fears were confirmed. “I’m right, aren’t I?You did come here that Sunday.What did you say to her? If you’ve done anything to make her sad, I won’t forgive you. Doctor? Pah! You should be ashamed of yourself. I’ll call your parents and tell them what kind of son they’ve raised. I should not have left her alone in the house to manage by herself. That was wrong of me.”
Mr. Ali didn’t realize when he had stood up from his chair and his voice was raised in anger. Mrs. Ali came out. “What’s the matter?” she asked.
Mr. Ali pointed his finger at Ramanujam. “This man . . .” he said, spluttering. He was unable to carry on.
Ramanujam raised his hands. “Uncle, it wasn’t anything like that. Please relax and let me say what happened. I proposed to her. I asked her to marry me.”
“What?” said Mr. Ali. He glanced at his wife and was surprised to see her unmoved, almost as if she had known about it already.
“Yes, I asked Aruna to marry me and she refused. She says she cannot marry me.”
“Good,” snapped Mr. Ali, ungraciously. He was still angry.
Mrs. Ali took a seat and asked her husband to sit down as well. But Mr. Ali was too wound up to sit down. Finally, Mrs. Ali asked her husband to get three glasses of water. “Can’t you see that our guest is thirsty?” she asked him.
Mr. Ali muttered something under his breath but his innate courtesy won out. By the time he came out with three glasses of water on a tray, he was less angry and more rational. Just then a man arrived. Mr. Ali went to the gate and the man asked, “Is this the marriage bureau? I’ve seen an advertisement in the newspaper.”
Mr. Ali replied, “Yes, this is the marriage bureau. But it is closed for the day. Please come back tomorrow, a little bit earlier.”
The man went away and Mr. Ali closed the gate. It was the first time he had ever turned away a potential client. He came back inside and sat next to Mrs. Ali, facing Ramanujam.
“Right,” he said. “Please tell us again what happened.”
“There isn’t a lot more to add,” said Ramanujam. “I like Aruna a lot and I thought she liked me as well. I asked her to marry me and she refused. I went away, wondering how I could have misread her so badly. However, when I heard from my sister that she had been feeling depressed and had taken time off, I felt a new hope. Maybe she does have feelings for me after all. So, I started thinking about our conversation and it struck me that she did not say that she will not marry me. Aruna said that she cannot marry me. That’s why I am here—to ask for your help in talking to Aruna again, to convince her to marry me.”
Mr. Ali thought for a moment. He had obviously misjudged the young man in front of him. “I’m sorry for what I said earlier. I shouldn’t have spoken like that,” he said.
Ramanujam waved his hand, brushing away the apology. “You were concerned for Aruna’s welfare. That’s not wrong,” he said.
“Let us say that we can help convince Aruna to marry you . . .” began Mrs. Ali.
Ramanujam’s face brightened with hope, and she quickly added, “Not that I am saying we can, but just say that we can. Have you really thought this through? The potential brides that your parents and sister are looking for for you are more beautiful than Aruna. They are taller, fairer, and more glamorous.”
Ramanujam replied, “I’ve seen a lot of photos and some of the girls that my sister and parents have short-listed. Aruna is more beautiful than any of them. They all look artificial, made-up. Aruna is a natural beauty. She is so simple, unaffected. She looks so elegant even in old clothes, unlike those others who have to dress up in finery and wear expensive jewelry to look their best.”
Mr. Ali said, “Ramanujam, it certainly looks as if you like Aruna very much. But have you thought about your family? How will they take it? Here they are, going everywhere to find the perfect bride for you, and you come home and tell them that you’ve chosen one yourself.”
Ramanujam said, “That’s okay, uncle. The moment Aruna agrees, I will convince them. I’m sure they’ll love Aruna just as I do. They’ve never denied me anything in the past, and I don’t think they will frustrate me in something so important.”
Mrs. Ali said, “You are being naive, young man. They may not deny you. They probably won’t even behave any differently to you. But they’ll probably make Aruna’s life hell. I assume you are planning to stay with your parents even after you are married?”
“Yes, madam. Of course we will stay with my parents after getting married. Why would we go anywhere else?” said Ramanujam.
Mrs. Ali said, “As I said, they can make life difficult for Aruna. They can make her work like a servant or not talk to her at all or put her down in front of your relatives and insult her. They can do a hundred things to make her miserable, and Aruna, being the kind of girl she is, will probably not even complain to you, so you don’t get upset.”
“You don’t know my family, madam,” said Ramanujam stiffly. “They are not like that. And we have servants in our house who’ve been with us for years. Why would Aruna have to do any housework that she doesn’t want to? It doesn’t make sense.”
Mr. Ali went behind his table to the filing cupboard and took out Ramanujam’s application form. He read from it, “It says here that you are looking for a tall, fair, and educated girl from a rich family who will pay a large dowry. While I agree with you that Aruna is a handsome girl, she is not tall or very fair. And while she is an educated girl, she is most definitely not from a rich family. In fact, the reason she has not got married so far is because her family cannot afford a wedding or a decent dowry for her.”
Ramanujam looked embarrassed. He said, “Uncle, you cannot hold this against me. All those conditions were laid down by my family—I never asked for a dowry.”
Mr. Ali said, “You may not have, and that’s a credit to you. But you went along with your family’s demands.You never opposed them and said that you didn’t want a dowry from the girl you married. What happens tomorrow when your family ill-treat Aruna because she didn’t bring any dowry? Will you oppose them then, when you don’t have the strength to oppose them now?”
Ramanujam said angrily, “Sir, you are insulting my family. We are respectable people and would never treat somebody badly just because they are poor.”
Mrs. Ali said, “Calm down, Ramanujam. We have seen rather more of this world than you have. Such things should not happen in respectable families, but they do. We read about so many such cases in the newspapers. People have become materialistic these days and don’t care that the wealth a daughter-in-law brings into a house is not to be measured in money or land. It is in her culture, her good nature, and the happiness she brings their son. It’s sad, but that’s the way it is.These things do happen, you know.”
Ramanujam sighed and said, “Uncle, auntie, tell me how I can convince you that Aruna would be happy with me and my family if we got married. Don’t ask me to leave my family and set up my own household—that would break my parents’ hearts. Tell me anything short of that, and I’m willing to do it.”
Mrs. Ali said, “Aruna is an intelligent girl, and I’m sure she’s thought about all these things and that’s why she said she could not marry you. To convince us, and more important, to convince Aruna, you first need to be aware that such bad things can happen, even in otherwise perfectly good families. You cannot deny it to yourself. Acknowledge clearly to yourself and to us that a daughter-in-law can be ill-treated in any family, however respectable or normal. And the risk of ill-treatment increases if you marry against their wishes and you continue to live with your parents.”
Ramanujam was silent. Mrs. Ali waited for a few seconds and said, “You have to say it aloud—only then will it become true in your heart. Go on, it is not an insult to your family. I am not saying that it will definitely happen. But it may happen, and the power to prevent it is in your hands. But to unleash that power, first you need to acknowledge its necessity.”
Ramanujam still remained silent. The anguish on his face was clear. He obviously idolized his parents and loved his sister.
Mr. Ali said, “Ramanujam, you are doing it for Aruna. We are not asking you to say it to the whole world—just to Aruna and the people who have her interests at heart, and, most important, to yourself.”
Ramanujam took a deep breath and sighed. His head was bent low and he looked at the ground in front of him. “You are right.You are both more experienced and worldly-wise than me. I agree. If Aruna agrees to my proposal, I will be marrying a girl not chosen by my parents or sister.They might look down on her because she is not the image of my bride that they have in mind. I don’t think that they will actively ill-treat her, but they can make her feel left out and miserable,” he said.
Mr. Ali said, “Repeat it again. Make it true to yourself.”
Ramanujam looked up at Mr. Ali in surprise. He opened his mouth to protest, but then stopped, and said, “Aruna may be treated badly by my family if I marry her.”
Mr. Ali beamed at him.
“Congratulations, Ramanujam. You have just cleared the most difficult hurdle. Now that you’ve recognized what can happen, it is much easier to guard against it,” Mr. Ali said. “Your bride—any bride—leaves her father’s house and follows her new husband into his house. She is placing an enormous trust in her husband. You, as the husband, have to safeguard that trust. There will be conflicts between your parents, especially your mother, and your bride. After all, she has come into a settled household and is bound to disrupt it somewhat. Also, your parents might feel insecure. They might feel that they are losing a son to this strange woman.You must not be blind to these conflicts.You have to take a firm line on these matters—not always in favor of your wife, but not always supporting your parents, either. You can expect your wife to change in some things, and you must tell her that she is younger and should be more open to change than your parents. But you must equally tell your parents that some things will necessarily be different with a daughter-in-law in the house. Your wife must know when you tell your parents this—she must not feel lonely and lost, as if nobody in the world is taking her side. It is a difficult job—a man can feel torn between his role as a son and as a husband. But nobody ever said that being a man is easy. Can you do this?”
A look of resolve came on Ramanujam’s face. “Yes,” he said, “I think I can do it. As you say, it will not be easy. But for the sake of the love I feel for Aruna and for my parents, I will do it. I will be alive to any conflicts that may arise and attempt to resolve them. I will make sure that Aruna does not feel lonely in her new house.”
Mr. Ali said, “You may still have to leave your house and set up on your own with Aruna. You will have to make it clear to your parents that while you love them, Aruna’s happiness matters, too.”
Ramanujam looked unhappy, and Mrs. Ali added, “The very fact that you are willing to say such a thing will make it less likely to happen. Aruna is a mature girl, and she will not try and break up your family. You know that.”
Ramanujam nodded. “You are right,” he said. “I have to have confidence in my parents and in Aruna, that they are all sensible people. I just have to make sure that any problems are nipped in the bud before they fester like an ill-bandaged wound.”
“All that remains now is to convince Aruna,” said Ramanujam, after a moment’s silence. He stood up to go. “Thank you, uncle and auntie, for all your help. Aruna is a lucky girl that she has people like you looking out for her.”
“Should we tell Aruna about this chat?” asked Mr. Ali, after Ramanujam was gone.
Mrs. Ali thought for a moment and replied, “I don’t think so.”
“Are we doing the right thing by encouraging Ramanujam? Shouldn’t we respect her wishes?” said Mr. Ali.
“Normally I would have agreed with you. But she doesn’t know her own mind. She has thought through some of the issues and refused him, but she is not happy about it.That’s why she has been so distressed since then, poor girl. Ramanujam really seems to like her and if, as he says, he will look out for her, he is a fantastic match.We cannot ignore that—we have to try and push her to make the right decision. If they were from different castes, I would have been more wary. But they are both Brahmins, so a lot of problems won’t even come up,” said Mrs. Ali.
“Yes,” said Mr. Ali, “they are both vegetarians, for a start.”
“You and your obsession with food!” Mrs. Ali laughed. “I’m thinking about what you were saying to Ramanujam when I came out.You said you were wrong to leave her alone in the house to face him.You were right—would you leave your daughter and arrange for a man to come and talk to her? I don’t think so. If and when he comes back to talk to her, she cannot be on her own.”
“But what can we do? We can’t stay here. They need some privacy to work this out,” said Mr. Ali.
Mrs. Ali said, “We cannot ask her to be alone.That’s wrong. Let me think about it.”
They were both silent for a few moments.Then Mrs. Ali asked, “Do you really think it is so simple? That he will come in on Wednesday and propose and the two will be united?”
Mr. Ali thought for a second and shook his head. “I doubt it. He has to convince his family. Ramanujam is a nice guy, but his sister is one sharp woman—the kind who can count your intestines if you yawn in front of her. She is not going to agree to this match, and I am not sure that he has the strength to go against his whole family.”
Mrs. Ali sighed. “I know what you mean. It’s a pity—they would make such a good pair.”
Aruna came back to work on Tuesday. She smiled more readily than before her holiday and the break seemed to have done wonders for her equanimity.
Mr. Ali had been tied to the desk all week and took the opportunity to leave Aruna in the office and go to the bank and the post office. It was midmorning before all the clients went away and Aruna was by herself. Mrs. Ali came out with cool lemonade for both of them and sat down. Aruna thanked Mrs. Ali, and they both slowly sipped from their glasses.
“How was your holiday?” asked Mrs. Ali.
“It was good, madam. We went to my uncle’s house. It was quite lucky that we went, because my aunt had fallen ill, so I was able to take care of her and look after the household.”
Mrs. Ali opened the Telugu newspaper and started reading it. “This is interesting,” she said.
“What, madam?” asked Aruna, looking up from her work.
“Are you embarrassed about your English?” said Mrs. Ali.
“Me?” asked Aruna.
“No!” Mrs. Ali laughed. “That’s what it says here in the paper. They are going to run a series of weekly articles to help their readers improve their English language skills.”
They were both silent for a moment. Mrs. Ali pursed her lips in thought and then said, “I might do it. I know a little bit of English, but it will be good to be more conversant in it.”
The phone rang and Aruna picked it up. As she listened, her eyes widened and her color paled. She slowly put the phone down and a tear trickled down her cheek.
Mrs. Ali quickly walked over to where Aruna was sitting. “What happened, Aruna?” she asked. “Is everything all right?”
Aruna slowly turned her head and looked at her. “Why shouldn’t it be all right, madam? After all, what is it to me?” she said, laughing mirthlessly.
Mrs.Ali was really concerned now. “Stop it,Aruna!” she said sharply. “Who was it on the phone, and what did they say?”
Aruna said, “That was Ram’s sister, madam. She says they are all going to see a potential bride this evening and meet her family.”
Mrs. Ali took Aruna’s hands in her own. “I’m sorry, dear. I’m really sorry.”
That evening, Aruna ate her dinner mechanically. It was obvious that she was not enjoying it.
“What’s wrong with you, Aruna?” asked her mother. “I made your favorite plantain fry and drumstick sambhar, and you are eating your food like it is so much coal.”
“Nothing, amma. I’m all right.”
“You were fine this morning and now you are all depressed. Is everything okay at work?” asked her mother.
“I’ve just got a headache. I think I’ll go to bed straight after dinner,” Aruna said.
Less than fifteen minutes later, she was in bed, the sheet completely covering her head to block out the light in the room. In the darkness, her pillow slowly became wet, despite her efforts to stop her tears. She wondered if Ram was talking to the girl. Was he telling her about his time in Delhi? Were they laughing about his efforts to meet girls at the hostel? She had made the choice of her own free will, hadn’t she? So, why feel miserable? He could meet anyone he wanted to. She didn’t care.
After a few minutes, she started reciting the three-thousand-year-old Gayatri Mantram under her breath in Sanskrit, as her father had taught her to do whenever she was unhappy or confused. “Om bhoor bhuwah swaha ... O God, Thou art the giver of life, the remover of pain and sorrow, the bestower of happiness; O Creator of the Universe, may we receive Thy supreme light; may Thou guide us in the right direction.”
She had to recite the mantra several dozen times before sleep finally claimed her.
The next day, Mrs. Ali left early in the morning to visit her sister. She gave the front-gate keys to Aruna.
“I won’t be back till late in the evening,” said Mrs. Ali. “Sir said that he had to go out in the afternoon. Keep the keys with you and lock up after yourself in the evening if necessary.”
Aruna put the keys in her purse.
Both Aruna and Mr. Ali were busy with clients before lunch. Just as they were about to close for lunch, they got a call from Venu, the divorced service engineer. Mr. Ali picked up the phone.
“I am sorry,” said Mr. Ali. “We haven’t got any matches for you. We sent your details to one divorced lady that we thought was suitable, but it didn’t work out. She got married through family contacts.There isn’t anybody else on the books right now.”
Mr. Ali put the phone down and shrugged at Aruna. “Sometimes, there is nothing we can do,” he said.
“Yes, sir,” said Aruna.
Soon afterward, Aruna went home for lunch.
Aruna came back to the office after lunch just before three and let herself in with the keys that Mrs. Ali had given her. Mr. Ali was not at home. Aruna was surprised because he normally did not go out until it had cooled down. There were no clients to disturb her, and Aruna started catching up with her filing work. Leela came in and said to Aruna, “Lady, I will be in the backyard, washing dishes.”
Aruna smiled at her and went back to her work. About twenty minutes later, the gate opened and in walked Ramanujam. Seeing his tall, handsome figure stride in, Aruna was struck dumb. He had to say hello a couple of times before she recovered and said, “Namaste,” fairly formally.
She was flustered and started looking through the papers that she was filing, as if the answer was hidden somewhere in the papers. Ramanujam waited patiently without speaking, until Aruna was able to face him.
“What can I do for you?” asked Aruna.
“The biggest step in your life—you can marry me,” he replied.
“No! Not that again. Please leave me alone,” she cried.
“I don’t think I was very clear last time, Aruna. That’s why I’ve come here again. I love you, Aruna. I love you very much. Please marry me . . .” he said.
“I thought you went to see that rich girl last night,” said Aruna.
“Yes, I did. My family dragged me there, and it made me realize that you are the only one for me. I love you, Aruna. Please say yes.”
“No! How many times must I tell you? No. Please stop torturing me.”
“On the contrary, Aruna. It is you who are torturing both yourself and me. Look in my eyes and tell me that you don’t have any feelings for me, and I will leave you. I will go away and never talk to you again about marriage.”
Hope flared through Aruna. “I . . .” she began strongly, and looked into his eyes.
She struggled to say the next few words that would free her, but she was swept into his deep brown eyes and the words choked in her throat. “I . . .” she repeated, brokenly.
Ramanujam waited and the silence dragged.
Finally, he broke in and said, “Aruna, my heart tells me that you love me. Why don’t you admit it?”
Aruna cried fiercely, “Yes, I love you. There, I’ve said it. I’ll say it again. I love you. I love you. I love you! Satisfied?”
“That’s a start.” Ramanujam beamed, a wide smile on his face. “I feel great. I feel strong—like Hanuman, the monkey god who could cross the oceans in a single bound.”
“Then, like Hanuman, you can remain a bachelor. Because I still won’t marry you,” said Aruna grimly.
Ramanujam’s smile faltered. “Why not, darling?” he asked softly.
His endearment did not go unnoticed by her and she blushed. She leaned forward and said intensely, “We don’t marry for love, Ram.You know that. Love is supposed to follow marriage, not the other way around. A marriage is not just about two people. It is about two families. You haven’t thought through this at all.You’ve just got a crazy idea in your head and like a spoiled child, you want it. That’s all.”
“Love is a craze, Aruna. You cannot think it through. Sure, it is supposed to follow marriage. But that doesn’t mean that you push it away where it exists, either. Tell me what problems you see and we’ll solve them together. Haven’t you heard the saying,‘Love makes everything easy’?”
Aruna shook her head. “No. The saying I’ve heard is that love complicates anything it touches.”
“This is one of the reasons that I love you. Nobody can defeat you in an argument.”
“I bet you won’t be saying that after we’ve been married for a few years—” she said, before stopping herself abruptly, wishing she had bitten her tongue before the words had slipped out.
“Yes, let’s bet on it. I’ll buy you a diamond necklace if I’m not saying that on our third anniversary. What will you bet?” asked Ramanujam with a grin.
Aruna shook her head and said desperately, “Ram, please be serious. We cannot get married.”
Ramanujam became serious, too. “Aruna, tell me why not,” he said.
“Will your family accept me? They are looking for a really special woman to be your bride,” she said.
He replied, “You are special, Aruna. I cannot guarantee that on day one there will be no resentment. But I can promise you this—once they see your innate goodness, they will start liking you. Until that happens, I will support you every step of the way. Whatever problems you have, I will make sure that they are resolved. That’s my promise, Aruna.”
“How can you make promises like that? Look at your sister—she is so beautiful all the time. She looks perfect. I will look so out of place in your house. I’m not sophisticated like her; my English is not as good as hers.You might like my unsophisticatedness now, but in a year or so, it will grate on you.You will look at the wives of your friends and look down on me.”
“Aruna, why are you so hard on yourself? A lot of what you call sophistication is just money and exposure. You will pick it up soon enough.You already have more poise and elegance than most of them. Anyway, I hope you don’t pick up all of it, because what you think of as sophistication is just worldliness and cynicism,” he said.
“In your application form, you said that you did not want a working woman as a wife. I want to continue this job for a few more years, until my sister is married and my family’s financial situation is put on an even keel,” said Aruna.
“That was my family’s preference. I don’t mind either way. It will actually be good for you to go out rather than stay at home and watch TV serials all day and put on weight as so many women do after they get married,” said Ramanujam.
“Are you sure?” asked Aruna. “I won’t be around to cook you a meal when you get home.”
“We have a cook at home who’s been around since I was a little boy. Even if you wanted to cook anything, I doubt if Kaka will let you. We also have a driver, a full-time maid, and a gardener. The washerwoman comes twice a week to wash clothes at home. Anything else?”
Aruna shook her head at how casually he had mentioned so many people working for them. The rich are very different from the rest of us, she thought. She said, “We are a poor family. We live in a one-room house, and if you come to our house, my parents will not be able to treat you the way you are used to. In fact, your car won’t even be able to enter our street.You will have to leave it parked on the main road and walk the rest of the way—it is so narrow.”
“So I’ll walk. Just because I’m rich, it doesn’t mean I’m spoiled, Aruna.You are the one who has a chip on her shoulder about money, not me.”
She shook her head and said, “I’m not listening to anything you say, Ram. I said no and my answer is not changing.”
Ramanujam stood up. Aruna stood up as well, looking determined. She looked steadily at him, daring him to say something. Before he opened his mouth however, the door opened and Leela walked in.
“Lady, I’ve finished cleaning the dishes . . .” she began, and then saw Ramanujam. “Doctor babu, is that you?” she asked in wonder.
Ramanujam was startled at being addressed by the servant maid. He looked at her closely and said, “How is your grandson?”
“He is doing well. It’s all because of you, sir.Without you, he would have been dead.”
“We do what we can, but ultimately, it is all in His hands,” he said. “Is he taking those tablets I prescribed?”
“Yes, sir. Those tablets are expensive, but madam helps me buy some of them and I work in another place and they also help me. My daughter and son-in-law manage the rest.”
“Yes, they are expensive, but don’t neglect them,” said Ramanujam.
“You know that my grandsons are twins, Luv and Kush. They used to be identical, but now Kush has fallen behind. Luv is ahead of his brother in talking, doing things with his hands, and other things.Will it always be like this?” Leela asked.
“It is difficult to say,” replied Ramanujam. “Remember, we cut open his skull. Brain surgery is a big trauma. It is not surprising that he has fallen behind. As long as he is making progress, be happy. Don’t compare him to his brother.”
Leela sighed. “You are right, doctor babu. We should just be thankful that he has come through such peril, still alive. Sorry, sir, madam, for interrupting you,” she said, and left the room.
Ramanujam turned to Aruna and said, “Is that your last answer? Are you still refusing me?”
“Yes, that’s my last answer,” Aruna replied.
“I don’t believe you. It is enough for me today that you’ve declared your love. I’m not letting this matter drop. Hasta la vista, baby. I’ll be back,” he said, and left.
Aruna stood at the table, staring after Ramanujam as he got into his car and drove off. He uses such strange expressions sometimes, she thought.
Leela came back into the room and Aruna asked her, “Is that gentleman the doctor who treated your grandson?”
“Yes, lady. He is such a good man. He operated on my grandson without taking a single paisa.”
“That’s not a big deal.You went to King George, which is a government hospital. Of course, he is not going to charge any fee for operating,” said Aruna.
Leela laughed. “Forgive me for saying this, lady, but you are a very naive girl. These doctors don’t treat you properly in the government hospital unless you go to their private surgery and become a patient there.They will charge you like a normal private patient and then treat you at the government hospital. Surely, you must know that.”
Aruna said, “You are right, of course. I know all about it. My father was very unwell for a long time.”
Leela said, “It’s not just that he didn’t charge any money.You know how it is when poor, illiterate people go to these places.We are patronized, treated in a condescending manner. Nothing is explained to us and we are looked down upon.The doctor babu was the only man who treated us as equals. He explained everything clearly in language that we could understand, drew diagrams, and showed us what he was going to do, what we can expect, what the risks were. Forget doctors—even small-time clerks in government offices don’t do that.”
Aruna stood silent, absorbing what Leela had said. Leela continued, “I am leaving, lady. My work here is finished.”
Aruna slowly sat down in her chair, thinking. She saw in her mind’s eye all her encounters with Ramanujam. She thought about his earnest promises. Suddenly, as if waking up from a long sleep, she shook herself. Her hand went quickly to the phone and she dialed a number that had imprinted itself on her brain. The phone rang; once, twice, and then to her relief, a familiar voice answered, “Ramanujam here.”
“Hi! This is Aruna.”
“Aruna!” shouted Ramanujam, so loudly that she winced and jerked the phone away from her ear. “Sorry,” he continued. “You took me by surprise. What can I do for you?”
“Can you come back?You’ve forgotten something here,” she said.
“Right now? Can you keep it until I come over again?” he asked. “Because you know I will be back.”
“No, it won’t keep.You better come right now,” she said.
“I’m on my way,” he said, and hung up.
Ramanujam was back in just a few minutes, but for Aruna those minutes seemed stretched out to many months, as she paced about in restless agitation. Finally, she heard the gate open and in he walked. She stood stiff, quivering with excitement.
He asked, “What have I forgotten?”
Aruna replied softly, “To ask the question again.”
“What?” he asked, with a confused look on his face.
“Ask me again, what you asked me earlier,” said Aruna, her eyes closed.
After a moment, a slow smile spread across his face and he asked, “Aruna, dear, will you marry me?”
“Yes,” she said simply, opening her eyes and scanning his face.
He took one step forward and hugged her tight. Her body stiffened in shock and then yielded softly, molding into his. They remained in an embrace for several seconds and then Aruna gently freed herself. She was embarrassed and refused to meet his eyes.
“I love you,” he said.
“Me too,” she replied, hesitantly.
“What? I didn’t catch that,” he said.
“Me too,” she said more strongly.
“You too what?” he asked.
Aruna looked at his face finally and saw him smiling widely, and flushed again. “You brute!” she said.
Ramanujam laughed. “Why don’t you lock up here and we’ll go out,” he said.
“Lock up?” she asked, and looked at him suspiciously. “How do you know I have the keys?”
“I . . . I just assumed . . .” he said.
“I knew it. All of you plotted behind my back, you meanies.”
“For your own good, dear,” he replied. “I called them last night after coming back home. Come on now, let’s go. We’ll buy you shoes and then we can go up the mountain to Kailasagiri and see the sunset.”
“Shoes? I already have two pairs. I don’t need any more shoes,” she said.
“Trust me, dear,” he said. “Women always need more shoes.”