Ajabdeh felt awkward when Nandini came and hugged her unexpectedly. Her hug was warm and genuine and suddenly Ajabdeh remembered how much she missed Heer and her hugs. Video calls were not enough sometimes. She smiled at Nandini. She was showing. There was a glow of happiness on her face and she looked healthier than the last time. Laura smiled and thanked her for the last-minute arrangements and introduced her parents to Ajabdeh. They thanked her for helping the children get married. Ajabdeh smiled her professional smile. Through the corner of her eyes, she could see Pratap greet his Mausi, and she inhaled. Never in her life did she ever want to encounter that lady and her husband again, yet she was here and they were family.
Nandini took her by surprise as she took her by the hand and pulled her to where the elders stood.
“Mom Dad, I am sure you remember Ajabdeh?” Nandini spoke as her parents gave the fakest smile she ever saw. Obviously, they remembered her. Jaivanta walked up to them while Pratap greeted Maan’s husband Vikramaditya and his parents.
“She is Bhabhisa now of course,” Nandini added with a smile at Jaivanta. Ajabdeh had never expected that from Nandini. She had never seen Jaivanta urge Shakti to call her anything more than her name and all she was accustomed to was Jija.
“Please. Call me Ajabdeh.” She urged almost immediately.
“But she shouldn’t.” It was Nandini’s mother who spoke up. “You are older than her, and so is Pratap. Now that you are…” She looked at Jaivanta. Jaivanta gestured at Ajabdeh to touch their feet. Ajabdeh stood her ground. She gestured again. Ajabdeh had to oblige.
“Oh bless you.” they moved back and smiled. “Nandini, go check out the arrangements with Bhabisa. If those are to your liking?” Nandini nodded immediately.
Ajabdeh was more comfortable with the idea. “Come with me.” She gestured “First we will start with the orchards.”
“Bhabhisa this is exactly how I envisioned it.” Nandini smiled “Thank you.” Ajabdeh nodded.
“I will bring Jija to see it. You wait right here.” Nandini left her in the clearing and went looking for Manwati.
“So they agreed to a social marriage?”
Jaivanta looked at her sister. “As a matter of fact, they did.” She smiled at her sister who looked clearly shocked. She had not expected that.
“We will fix a date once this is over.” Jaivanta held her hand “You must come.”
“Sure sure.” She smiled back at her older sister trying to decipher how Jaivanta felt.
The last time they met or the conversations they had after she found out about the marriage from others and called Jaivanta made her feel she didn’t approve of Ajabdeh. Now, she sounded like she did.
“How is the new bahu doing at the Sisodiya’s?” It was her husband who asked.
“We wouldn’t have wanted anyone else for Pratap.” It was Udai who answered him “Right Jaivanta?” he coaxed his wife who smiled in agreement.
“We are happy you agreed to accept Laura and Nandini back.” Udai smiled.
“Well, you do things for your children that you never expected you would. Right, Jija?” She smiled, eyeing her daughters across the lawn.
“You were our wedding planner, weren’t you?” The unfamiliar voice made Ajabdeh turn and it was Manwati’s husband Vikramaditya. She nodded with a smile.
“You did a really good job. People were talking of the arrangements even days after the wedding.” He acknowledged.
“That is probably because your wife has a wonderful choice.” Ajabdeh sounded professional. “She does, she chose me.” Vikramaditya chuckled. “Didn’t you darling?” Ajabdeh turned at his reference to see Manwati walking towards them with Nandini. Manwati looked more like her father and Nandini seemed to have taken after her mother’s looks. She was in an elegant saree, flaunting her delicate diamond mangalsutra and bangles. She looked startled seeing her husband there and smiled.
“We are planning a family soon.” He said going over to his wife’s side “But my sister-in-law beat us to it.” Vikramaditya gestured at Nandini who smiled. Manwati smiled too. Ajabdeh noticed how it didn't reach her eyes. Vikramaditya held his wife by her waist and gestured “Come let's see the other decorations shall we?”
“Yes please Bhabisa.” Nandini looked excited.
“Okay to the dining hall then.” Ajabdeh led the way. It didn’t escape her eyes how uncomfortable Manwati was at her husband’s touch. She almost jolted like something scared her when he held her waist. How long were they married? Two years? Perhaps more. Ajabdeh suddenly smiled remembering her first encounter with Pratap at her wedding. Her eyes immediately looked for him, across the glass window panes of the dining hall on the lawn where he stood with his Mamasa and cousin.
She looked back at Nandini and Manwati appreciating the decorations and details and her eyes stopped at how Vikramaditya held Manwati by her upper arm, almost authoritatively. Something in his body language bothered Ajabdeh. She couldn’t understand what it was though. She forced her attention away when Shakti called out to her.
It was Pratap who introduced her to his Mamasa.
“This is Ajabdeh. Ajabdeh this is my mother’s only cousin brother.” She nodded and, remembering Jaivanta’s gesture, bent down to take his blessing. That surprised Pratap. Mamasa caught Shakti and started asking about his plans when Ajabdeh excused herself to look after the preparations and accommodations.
She checked the rooms assigned to the guests and the lunch preparations in person. Then she went to get dressed for the baby shower and lunch. For the first time, Ajabdeh had to merge her professional and personal boundaries in the same event and she didn’t feel quite sure of the situation she was in. She adjusted the saree and tucked it into her petticoat. Immediately she remembered how Manwati had jolted. Something was terribly wrong. She needed to talk to someone But who? She didn’t even know Maan.
She got out of her room to see Pratap in a white kurta. That was new. She never in these few months had seen him in a kurta. He looked up at her and kind of read her thoughts.
“Ranima insisted.” He said in a quick explanation. “Did Nandini and Laura like the decorations?”
“They loved it.” She nodded putting the earrings into her earlobes.
“Then why do you look unhappy?” He frowned. Ajabdeh stopped at his words. Could she tell him? No. This was family. She couldn’t tell something that absurd.
“Do I?” She almost chuckled. “Maybe I am tired. I don’t know.” Pratap studied her face for a good minute as she put on her mascara. Then he shook his head and left.
The baby shower was followed by lunch. It was going on pretty uneventfully until Vikramaditya’s parents decided to raise a toast to Nandini and Laura. “We are so happy for this new addition to the family. And might I add, even our Vicky and Maan are planning a family soon?” They smiled as everyone clapped and Vikramaditya held Manwati’s hand in his. Ajabdeh immediately noticed she didn’t hold it back. Wasn’t that unnatural? She looked up at Manwati’s face. “Hopefully the next such gathering shall be at our place.” They toasted. Everyone clinked their glasses and drank.
“It’s been two years.” Manwati’s mother-in-law informed Jaivanta “I keep telling them we are getting old, we need to see grandchildren soon.” Jaivanta smiled at her words “Besides how long do you wait? We got married and had kids immediately didn’t we?” Mausi agreed “Indeed. But kids these days.” She eyed Ajabdeh who looked absent-minded. “They choose careers over families.” Jaivanta’s smile faded at her indication. It was Mamisa who sprang into the conversation that had fallen silent “I am sure Pratap would be planning soon.” Pratap stopped at his morsel momentarily before putting it in his mouth and gathered it would be wise of him to act like he didn’t hear them chatter. Besides, the men were talking about politics. He could be engrossed in that. He however almost in a reflex shot a glance at Ajabdeh. She sat right beside Mamisa and there was no way it escaped her. He frowned as she looked rather absent-minded. Was she offended? Or was something else bothering her?
After lunch, everyone decided to meet in the evening for dinner and dispersed to their assigned rooms. Pratap stood in a corner, with a drink in his hand, as though he would leave once he finished it and waited for everyone to leave. He then walked up to Ajabdeh who was briefing the team for the evening. She turned and he smiled.
“Is everything okay?” He asked. She nodded affirmatively. He sighed in relief.
“I assumed that you are bothered about what they said.” He said almost with a hint of disbelief. “You aren’t?”
“Who said what?” She looked clueless. Pratap didn’t understand. Was she freighting that she didn’t hear anything like he did or was she actually that preoccupied not to hear it?
“That… they said there… Mamisa…” Pratap looked awkward bringing it up.
“Did she say something?” She asked cluelessly.
“Never mind.” He shook his head “You look preoccupied.”
“I am fine. I will just take a walk down the garden path and see you back in the room.” She turned and left as soon as she spoke leaving Pratap wondering.
It was in the quieter part of the garden beside the waterbody where Ajabdeh stopped. She had no idea why she felt restless. She tried to breathe in deeply and exhaled slowly.
It was then that she heard a commotion. Much like an argument. She walked towards where it came from. The voices became more distinct and audible as she neared one of the canopies.
“I told you a hundred times I don’t want children. Not with you.” The woman seemed to plead.
“What do you even mean? Who is giving you choices here?” The man’s voice was hoarse.
“It is my body.” She retorted.
“You married me, you know what that means right? Did nobody ever explain it to you? Your body is mine, I can do whatever I feel like with it.”
“Oh you always have, haven’t you?” She fumed.
“Don’t amuse me, woman. I wouldn’t have forced myself on you if you just let me do what I wanted to.”
“You disgust me, Vicky, you do.” Maan tried to move away and he held her back by her wrist. “Now I disgust you? Choose your words wisely woman. You know very well the consequences you will face for it.”
“I have been facing them since the night I married you. Don’t lie to me that I never consented. It was never enough for you.”
“So you will dictate to me what is enough?” He seemed to be in an uncontrollable rage. “Listen, woman, you know very well you will do as I say, stop this drama.” He pushed her. But before Maan’s face hit the ground Ajabdeh caught her in her protective arms. A chill ran down her spine as she looked up at the man.
“Ajabdeh?” It was Maan who wiped away her tears and adjusted her almost fallen pallu. “I just lost my balance and…” She stopped as Ajabdeh walked up to her husband. Maan was scared. For herself and Ajabdeh. She knew exactly the kind of violence this man was capable of.
“You abuse her.” It was a statement that came out of Ajabdeh’s mouth. Vikram looked unbothered.
“You know what you do to her is rape. You rape your wife. You disgust me.”
“Oh? There is no such thing as raping a wife. You are married, don’t you know that?”
“Get out of here. And leave her alone.” Ajabdeh spoke firmly.
“Excuse me?” He crossed his arms on his chest “I will not leave. You came here, in between our private conversation. YOU leave.”
“I don’t take orders from a rapist.” Ajabdeh retorted. Maan came up to her.
“Ajabdeh? Please. Hear me out. You are misunderstanding. I slipped.” Ajabdeh could see the fear in her eyes “He did nothing.”
“I must have misheard the entire conversation then.” Maan’s face turned pale at her words.
“Listen, you…” Vikramaditya pointed his fingers edging towards Ajabdeh as a slap resounded across his face. Maan gasped her hands over her mouth in shock.
“Don’t you dare come near us, you filthy rapist!” As soon as Ajabdeh spoke Vikramaditya looked violent. He inched closer to hold Ajabdeh by force as she moved away and he felt a sudden tug at his collar.
Pratap’s hands gripped the collars of his shirt firmly as he spoke almost at Vikramaditya’s face “How dare you even think of touching her?”
“She slapped me.” Vikramaditya retorted, trying to free himself from Pratap’s grip.
“What did you do to her, you monster?” Ajabdeh was taken aback for a moment and took some time to react to Pratap. “Stay the hell away from my wife.”
“He didn’t touch me,” Ajabdeh explained. “He did worse to Maan.”
“Ajabdeh, please.” Maan sobbed almost clutching Ajabdeh’s hand, scared.
“It is okay Maan.” Ajabdeh firmly held her hand in her own. “It is time you stop being afraid.”
She looked back at Pratap.
Vikramaditya suddenly had a hint of amusement in his voice.
“Not touch your wife eh?” He spoke to Pratap “I am not interested in a woman whose husband doesn’t even touch her, or so I heard.” A punch landed across his face. Ajabdeh gasped at the blood that oozed out of his nose as he lay groaning in pain.
“Pratap!” Her voice was of shock, as he looked up at her “He is bleeding!”
“He will survive alright. Unfortunately.” Pratap’s emotions were hard to decipher. “Come with me, Maan.” No sooner had he spoken than he held Ajabdeh’s wrist gently in his hand and tugged at it making her look up at him. “It is time to undo some wrongs.” She nodded at him.
Maan was curled up on Ajabdeh’s bed when she brought in some coffee.
“Here. Have this. And talk to me.” She insisted. After much persuasion and coaxing, Maan picked up her cup and sipped.
“I am scared Ajabdeh. What if everyone judges me?” She asked. Ajabdeh shook her head. “You are the victim here Maan. Who should be judged is, him.”
“What am I without his name?”
“To start with you will be happier Maan,” Ajabdeh reassured. “Don’t you want to live a life that is peaceful and happy?”
“You know I…. I went to my mother time and again.” She sobbed “I told her he hurts me. She always told me that’s how it is supposed to be. Let him do what he wants, she said. Women need to adjust. Women need to please. It is a wife’s duty.”
“Really?” Ajabdeh looked irked “And what about a husband’s duty? Is it to hurt you?” Maan looked up at her.
“My mother said men at the end of it all, want only one thing. How he gets his way in it is different.” Ajabdeh looked disgusted as Maan continued.
“He always told me his duty towards me was to provide for me, the luxuries of life.” Ajabdeh again shook her head. “That’s not husbands’ duties.”
“What is then? I never knew.” Maan shrugged.
“A husband must support his wife in her right, even if the world thinks it is wrong. He must stand by her successes and failures and make her feel at home when she leaves her own. It is his responsibility to treat his partner as an equal, respect them and their choices even if they differ, and never put any conditions on love. He would never dictate, perhaps suggest and always let her have the last word on her life. He wouldn’t suffocate her, and give her space to grow.”
“On the night of our marriage,” Maan sipped her coffee and looked calmer, “he told me that my body was his property to do what he wants how he wants.”
“ Someone who would care for you, and love you, would wait for your consent, Maan. They would wait for the right moment. When it feels right to both of you.” Ajabdeh spoke. “He would never ever even think of touching you without consent. Because to him, you as a person, with your mind, heart and soul will be more important a part of his life than your body and beauty.” she placed her hand over Maan’s reassuringly.
“He wasn’t right for you and it’s okay. Someone else is. Someone who would be all of this and truly love you, even if they don’t say it.”
“Ajabdeh?” Maan looked at her when she was about to take the empty cups back. “Hmm?”
“Is Dadabhai like that?” She asked as Ajabdeh looked pale.
“What?” She asked again.
“Is he? Like you described he is?” She asked again. “Then you are very lucky Ajabdeh.”
“I… will keep these cups back and come back.” She said and walked away.
Walking down the corridor Ajabdeh suddenly felt a rush of emotions. Unknowingly she had said things to Maan that somehow made her feel that she described Pratap. She was not sure how Maan could see right through her. She hated to admit it but for the first time in years, Ajabdeh felt emotionally vulnerable. Did Pratap actually do everything he did for her as part of his duties towards them or was he like this with everyone? Someone who would be all this and truly love you, even if they don’t say it. Her own words haunted her conscience. She tried to brush the feeling off in vain. It gripped her.
She almost bumped into Pratap at the turn of the corridor.
“I’m sorry.” They said and looked up as their heads hit.
“Are you alright?” He asked suspiciously.
“Yes. Why?” She asked.
“Because you look pale,” he said in a matter-of-fact tone. “Anyway, I was looking for you.”
“For me? Why?” She asked.
“I have informed everyone to gather in the hall so can you bring Maan there?” She nodded as he turned and walked away.
Udai paced the corner of the large empty hall where they had gathered. Jaivanta stood looking pale at Shakti who kept reassuring her that Dadabhai must have had his reasons, and Laura with her parents and brother, was shocked. Manwati was in tears as Nandini held her hand firmly. Her parents looked away displeased and Vikramaditya’s parents were hurtling curses at Pratap who was still looking at their son like he could kill him. It was Ajabdeh who spoke up.
“You don’t need to be scared anymore, Maan. You have suffered enough. Just give him a divorce.” She reasoned. A gasp escaped Mausi’s lips as well as Maan’s in-laws.
“You think it is that easy?” She spoke at Ajabdeh “We have a society to think of and…”
“He abused your daughter.” Pratap interrupted her.
“Sexually,” Ajabdeh added as everyone in the room looked shocked.
“That’s not possible.” It was Vikramaditya’s father who shook his head. “They are married.”
“It is possible Uncle, and It's called Marital rape.” Ajabdeh retorted. Udai looked up at his son staring at Ajabdeh proudly “And she will not tolerate it.”
“Who are you to decide what she feels?” Mausi looked perplexed “Jija? Will you not tell anything to her? She is shamelessly talking about things…” Jaivanta looked away.
“Shamelessly talking of what?” It was Nandini who spoke, teary and disgusted. “Of the shameless act he did?” She left Maan’s side and walked up to her parents.
“Look how shameless hypocrites you are!” Nandini spoke.
“Nandini! That’s not how you…” Her father stopped at her stare.
“You think I am a fool? I don’t understand anything? If it was me asking for a divorce you would have been happy and relieved of the so-called shame I brought upon you.”
Laura came up to hold her hand and stop her but she didn’t.
“No Laura let me speak. We have been acting like a happy unit. It's enough now. I know for a fact that they agreed to accept us only when I conceived with the hope that one day we would be divorced and since I carried the baby and not you, you will be paying me alimony for the rest of my life. They agreed, knowing your family is rich. They think we are fools?” She stared at her parents and back at Maan.
“They ruined Jija’s life. They send her back to that hell every time she comes home saying this is normal. No. It is not normal. It is not normal to get raped. Every day. Even if it is by your husband.”
“You’d land in jail back home if you did this there.” Laura agreed.
Pratap walked up to Maan and held her cold hands in his.
“Maan. All this is meaningless if you don’t tell us what you want. You know what he has been doing and how he has been treating you is not right.” Maan looked up at his words. Her eyes were red. Pratap suddenly felt sad. He was never close to his cousins yet Maan’s condition bothered him. Perhaps if he were closer to her than he was, she would have reached out to him than suffer in silence.
“I don’t want to be with him Dadabhai. I never want him in my life again.” Almost in a reflex, Pratap hugged his sister protectively. Ajabdeh walked up to her. “We will talk to the lawyers immediately. Go back home with your parents.”
“She will bring shame to your family.” Maan’s mother-in-law hissed.
“Oh, how will she?” Ajabdeh spoke, “When your son is the cause of it all?”
“But my child,” Mausi spoke to Maan who looked away. “Think of what will happen to you. We won’t be there forever. Where will you go? What will you do?”
“I have suffered enough.” Maan sobbed “If it was not for Ajabdeh and Dadabhai today I would have never had the strength to say what I want. I want to be free. Please let me be free.”
“You don’t have to depend on anyone Maan,” Pratap reassured. “You can work. You can pay your own bills. Choose what you want to do in life.”
“I don’t want anyone’s help anymore, Dadabhai. For once I want to live on my own and earn my living.”
“Come with me, Maan. You stay with me tonight. So that nobody can come and threaten you.” Ajabdeh gave her hand to Maan and led her away.
“I would have called the police on them.” Pratap declared to nobody in particular “But they better leave the premises soon or I can change my mind.” He walked away.
Ajabdeh was shocked to find Jaivanta at the door when she opened it thinking that it must be Pratap. She smiled at Maan sitting beside her on the couch and gave her a hug. Maan started sobbing as Jaivanta patted her back and caressed her head gently.”You have been brave my dear.” She smiled reassuringly at Ajabdeh and back at Maan “I am proud of you.”
“You are?” She asked unsurely. Jaivanta nodded.
“Sometimes it is the children who teach you things. There is no shame to admit that. Today all of you taught me a lot. Especially Ajabdeh.” Ajabdeh was taken aback first at her words then at her hug.
“I will talk to my sister, you take care of her.” Ajabdeh nodded responsibly.
Pratap walked in only to watch Jaivanta leave and looked up at Ajabdeh with questioning eyes. She reassured them with a smile as he left for his room.
“Come, let's go to bed.” Ajabdeh urged Maan.
It was in the middle of the night when Ajabdeh walked out to the common area between the rooms and sat on the couch. She closed her eyes and inhaled. A lot happened today. She couldn’t even imagine all the things Maan had gone through all this time. What if she wasn’t there today? Did he also abuse her domestically? Who knows. Ajabdeh was lost in her thoughts.
Pratap couldn’t sleep. The happenings of the day haunted him. He sat up awake on the bed, paced his room and felt suffocated. What if he didn’t come there in time? Would the man have hurt Ajabdeh? How could such monsters exist in the disguise of a well-behaved man in society? He suddenly felt more responsible.
A smile curled his lips. Brave as she was, she had slapped him. He didn’t know what she had talked with Maan in their room alone while he was telling the others to gather around. But it certainly changed Maan’s perspective a lot. He opened the door and saw her on the couch.
The sound of his door creaking made her look up at him and sigh.
“I couldn’t sleep.” He said almost in a whisper sitting beside her.
“Neither could I.” She sighed. A silence followed.
“Are you okay?” he asked her. She smiled at him. “I bet he is not after you punched him.”
“To tell the truth my hand hurt too.” He had managed to make her smile amused.
“Wait here.” She said and walked back into the room and brought back some painkillers.
“Here.” She offered “Your bravery award.”
“Thank you.” He gulped the pill down with water. “Ajabdeh?”
“Hmm?”
“Will Maan be okay?” There was a note of worry in his voice.
“You mean okay without a husband?” She asked.
“I mean okay by herself.” He explained.
“We are all here by ourselves on our individual journeys aren’t we?” She sounded distant. “It is just that our stories become the same when we meet certain people.” He nodded and looked up at her.
“Want to go watch the sunrise on the parapet?” He asked, offering her his hand.
“But… Maan?” She looked unsure.
“She won’t be awake so soon. She had a sleeping pill to ease her nerves. We will be back after sunrise.” She looked unsure at first.
“Let’s say that will be my bravery award.” He insisted adding “We are all too restless. Let's find some peace together. Even if it's just for a few stolen moments.” She nodded and gave her hand in his. This battle was long.
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