"Am I underdressed for breakfast?" Ajabdeh looked alarmed as she knocked on the connecting door and Pratap let her in. He was already prim and proper and Ajabdeh had managed to take out a kaftan Kurti to team with her pants. Pratap laughed slightly amused at her words. "No, you are fine." He reassured her. "Don't be so conscious all the time. Be you."
"If I were me I would…" Her eyes fell on the wet towel on his bed. "Umm… isn't that wet?" She pointed out as he picked it up rather quickly. For a moment she sounded like his mother. For a moment, Pratap liked that.
"Let's go." He said. "Time for breakfast."
"Are you sure? I mean I can stay in my room and…" Ajabdeh looked reluctant.
"If you stay in your room how will you go to work?" He reminded her. "I will drop you off. Sajja kaki will make sure a car reaches you when you want to come home."
"I can take a cab." She said almost in a reflex.
"That's not safe." He reminded her. "Also there will be an undercover bodyguard around. I won't risk it. The hearing is due tomorrow." He reminded and she agreed. Sisodiyas don’t take cabs.
The dining hall for the family was twice as large as the one she knew of at the Bijoliya Palace.
"Good morning." Shakti had greeted her.
"Good morning sir." She in turn had greeted Udai.
"Please no sir Ajabdeh, call me Dad." His words made her pleasantly surprised but Udai's reassuring smile turned serious the minute Jaivanta entered the hall. Pratap who was loitering around the other side immediately came to her side almost defensively and sat down beside her. The only person Jaivanta greeted was Udai. When the meal was almost done in relative silence it was Pratap who declared "I am dropping Ajabdeh to work and have arranged for a bodyguard for her since the hearing is tomorrow." Udai nodded.
"Before you leave I want to see both of you in my study." Jaivanta didn't look up as she spoke but she made Pratap and Ajabdeh stare at one another not being able to anticipate what it was about.
Ajabdeh stood in front of Jaivanta, as she cleaned her reading glasses on a piece of a soft cloth and cleared her throat. She had eyed Pratap looking restless and at his watch as if to indicate to his mother that he was running late. Jaivanta looked up at his indication and then at Ajabdeh.
“ You have brought her here, and whatever your reasons maybe it looks like you intend to keep this legal … umm…” She searched for a perfect term to replace marriage “Contract.” She said at last putting on her spectacles.
“I have a few conditions of my own to make sure I don't cross your path and destroy my peace of mind in your little child's play.” Jaivanta scoffed “I am sure you will come to your senses someday.” She eyed her firstborn “Mothers are never wrong. We carry you in our womb for months and you think you know better…” Pratap looked at his watch again. She was just ranting. The next part of this process was crying and emotional blackmail. As cold as his inner thoughts sounded, he was sure of how his mother always got her way.
Jaivanta stopped. This won’t work. She thought to herself. Not this time.
“So as you know, I run this house. As long as I am alive, I will. Your grandmother left the responsibility of the clan to me. Nobody would interfere with that. However, everyone in this house has some amount of responsibility to represent the name Sisodiya. We can’t ever let our reputation be tarnished or misused. Nothing comes above our reputation… well nothing did….” She looked up at them, “ Now I have to do damage control. Anyway, as long as she is here, she will have to abide by those rules.”
Ajabdeh inhaled. She had no idea why she wasn’t being talked to directly and it annoyed her. Of course, Jaivanta thought and clearly indicated that her position as the matron of the house was in danger with the arrival of Ajabdeh. She indicated how Ajabdeh could potentially damage the name of the house. However, if she talked directly to her, she would have told Jaivanta how she couldn’t care less about those things. She would have said she had no intention to misuse their name or reputation.
“You may leave.” As soon as Pratap heard that he sighed in relief and strode off. At the threshold of the study, Ajabdeh stopped locking the door behind her.
“I will be downstairs in a minute. I have to take a few things.” She said almost apologetically.
“I will wait in the car.” Pratap nodded with a courtesy smile and strode off. She waited for him to disappear down the corridor and turned to knock again.
“Excuse me, Ma’am?” She peeped in at a much-taken-aback Jaivanta.
“Oh please.” She kept her book aside “What do you want now?”
“I just wanted to inform you, I am neither using your surname nor your resources.” Jaivanta inhaled looking up at the woman standing in front of her.
“I don’t intend to either. I am grateful for whatever Pratap did for me. And I am fully aware of my position and rights. Maam, I just need you to know I will never misuse your reputation and ruin the hard work and skills it took me to reach where I am.”
“Is that so?” Jaivanta had a smile lingering on her painted lips. “Well, if that is what you think, prove it.”
“Pardon?” Ajabdeh looked surprised.
“Prove it.” Jaivanta said calmly “Prove that you are not using my son for our name, and I will believe you.” She leaned back in her chair. “I have seen so many women give such speeches in my life. When in reality they have the luxury of fancy life, bodyguards and everything easy, end of the day.”
“I will Ma’am. But then you have to agree that I am not here for misusing him and…”
“I will accept you.” Jaivanta spoke, making her look up at her words “As a Sisodiya.”
“Until then…”
“I will stay out of your way.” Ajabdeh agreed. “It’s a deal, Ma’am.”
“Ranisa for you,” Jaivanta spoke. “ Ma’am is what the servants call me.” Ajabdeh inhaled and nodded.
“You are doing the Mishra wedding right?” She said thoughtfully. Ajabdeh narrowed her brows. How on earth did Jaivanta know that?
“ The son is an old classmate of Pratap’s. I guess he recommended you there.” She smiled.
“Actually no Ma’am… sorry, Ranisa.” Ajabdeh was quick to correct. “ I got it from the bride’s side. She is a classmate of Rukaiya’s.”
“Fair enough.” Jaivanta spoke “We are invited to the wedding. Do it minus the Sisodiya name, contacts and facilities. It is a make-or-break deal for your firm. I am aware of that. As I am of how passionate you are about the company you run.” There was a hint of praise in Jaivanta’s voice “Stay away from us and my son and his contacts for the wedding and prove your worth to be a Sisodiya.”
“Deal.” Ajabdeh was confident, or she showed it more than she was, Jaivanta was aware of that.
“That will mean shifting your offices from Jalal’s and also not asking for any help.”
“I am aware of that Ranisa. I have been doing this for the last five years, and I will do it just fine.” Ajabdeh agreed. “Have a good day.”
“Are you alright?” Pratap asked as she fastened her seat belt.
“Now I am.” Ajabdeh smiled.
“Is it something I should know?” He asked, a little intimidated at her newfound confidence.
“Not yet.” Pratap raised his brows suspiciously at her words but decided not to intervene.
“Do you need me to go to court with you tomorrow?” He asked while dropping her off.
“No, I think that will be too personal for you, Jalal will be there. I will be fine.” Ajabdeh smiled.
“Too personal?” He looked lost.
“I mean Tara….” She clarified. Pratap chuckled.
“She was personal to Ranima more than me. I think I can manage some time out and be there.” He spoke while checking his schedule book “I will manage.” He looked up at her.
“Thank you.” She said undoing the seat belt as they arrived “For everything.”
“Have a good day.” He smiled as he drove off.
“You too.” She whispered watching the car leave Jalal’s premises.
“You did what?”Rukaiya rolled her eyes at Ajabdeh.
“I am sorry okay?” Ajabdeh sat, with her hands on her forehead “I know we have no office space and how important this wedding is. But she was intimidating and…”
“Hey.” Rukaiya sat down on her knees in front of her “Nothing above your self-respect. We will manage.”
Ajabdeh hugged Rukaiya tightly. Rukaiya was a bit taken aback but managed to give her a reassuring pat. The moment she did that Ajabdeh remembered the hug she shared with Pratap on the hospital staircase and her cheeks flushed. She suddenly felt uneasy.
“Let's get back to work on the wedding,” Rukaiya suggested. “Shift our office back this week. I will inform Jalal.”
Ajabdeh nodded.
“Inform me what?” Jalal walked in with a mug of coffee in his hand and stared at the ladies.
“Okay… I see a lot has happened in a day.” He rolled his eyes at Ajabdeh “Does Pratap know?” He asked.
“Not yet, but I intend to tell him after tomorrow’s hearing.” Ajabdeh added, “I don’t want him to hear it from anyone else.”
“Of course.” Jalal nodded “ Now it's between you two. Nobody should communicate between a husband and wife.”
“It is not like that.” She snapped.
“Is it not?” He asked. “You two seem pretty normal to me.”
“It’s just been a day Jalal.” Ajabdeh shook her head aware that Jalal would be teasing.
“There is a man here to see you.” Ajabdeh frowned at the words of her employee.
“What… who?”
“He says he is the appointed bodyguard…”
“Oh yes. Please guide him here. Thank you.” She nodded. Rukaiya and Jalal exchanged a glance.
“I wish I had a husband like that.” Jalal spoke aloud “ Renting bodyguards for me for men to stay away.”
Rukaiya almost chuckled “Ah, me too.”
“Should we get some work done or not?” Ajabdeh snapped and walked off to greet the man.
Pratap was having his lunch when the secretary walked in.
“The new clients want an appointment this evening Sir.”
“But my schedule is full.” he frowned.
“Yes, if you want I can set them up for dinner.” He suggested.
“No. I have promised my…” He stopped alarmed. “I am occupied for dinner. Tell them they can meet me the day after.”
The man took his leave. Pratap leaned back on his chair. His stomach churned in a funny feeling.
“I will be home by 9, the family dines at 8. If you want you can wait for me. But then you have to eat whatever I cook.” He reread the text five times before hitting send.
“If you promise to teach me to make something, I will wait.” He smiled at the text.
Sajja heard the voices from the kitchen and checked her watch. She peeped in to see Ajabdeh trying to make the sauce for the pasta, while Pratap helped her with the quantities.
“My goodness, which spoon is what again?” She asked, confused. Pratap laughed.
“The bigger one is a tablespoon, and the smaller one is tea.”
“What’s so amusing?” She snapped.
“Okay, I am sorry, let me taste this.” He spoke.
“No no no!” Ajabdeh protested louder than usual. “I will taste it first.”
She took a spoonful from the pan and blew at it before taking it in her mouth. “Umm. This is good. I made this!”
“Yes, you did.” He agreed. “Now let me try some.” He took out a plate.
“There is some on your face.” He indicated amusement at the cheese in the corner of her lips.
“Where?” She took a tissue and wiped it off.
“A little more.” He took the tissue from her hand and wiped the rest “There.”
Ajabdeh suddenly felt conscious and stepped back watching him put the steaming hot pasta on the plate.
“Here.” He handed her the plate and she smiled faintly.
“Why do you look pale?” He asked, suddenly catching her off guard” Are you worried about the hearing?”
“No, it's… yes.” She spoke unsure.
“Oh don’t worry. They should be scared of all the wrong they did. Not us. We are doing the right thing.” He spoke, taking a mouthful of food and leaning against the counter.
“We are doing the right thing,” she murmured, staring at him savouring her first-ever dish.
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