Chapter 9: Rakshak

" Ninety six. Ninety seven. Ninety eight. Ninety nine." "What are you doing?" Pari asked Abhir in a tone that was a mixture of exasperation and wrath. "Time keeping. I wanted to see how long you can hold out before blowing your fuse." Abhir answered cheerfully. "You-are-the-worst-person-I've-had-the-misfortune-to-encount er. It is bad enough that you had to force this marriage on me, you had to go ahead and invite people my family detests. My mother would have been so hurt on seeing my father there. And I saw how you enjoyed Tulsi nani's discomfort. You compete with yourself to sink to new lows. " The fury in her voice had given way to undistinguished anguish. " Self centred, self obsessed. Do you have an ounce of humanity in you?"

"Did your nani Tulsi Virani behave with an ounce of humanity when she separated me and Bhumi? " Abhir countered without raising his voice. " So quick to judge me on the basis of my last name. I'm unfit for Bhumi because I happen to carry the Bhasin surname. Not because I am flawed. But my blood supposedly is. " A note of bitterness crept into his voice. " As you sow, so shall you reap. Yes I did enjoy her distress and grief for you today, the same way she enjoyed mine when she made me watch the Joydeep - Bhumi marriage video cassette. I enjoyed winning this challenge because this proves that I am not as unworthy as your grandmother thinks I am. God makes me win too. " " And you would not hesitate to hurt someone who is innocent to fulfil your revenge?" Pari asked, albeit an octave lower. " I never intended to hurt you, Paridhi." Abhir said, pensive. "I was talking about Bhumi di, Abhir. " she said staring out of the window.

They drove on in silence till Abhir pulled up near the driveway of his apartment. "You know what the problem with you is? You have such lofty ideas of morality, righteousness. But I don't blame you. All Viranis' suffer from delusion-a-litis. Specially your Tulsi nani who should be canonized." "You stop addressing my grandmother disrespectfully Abhir. Or I'll......"

" Tsk Tsk....Barely a month into marriage and fights already?" a deliberate, soft voice sounded from within the parking lot. Pari stiffened and turned to face the approaching figure of Yeshwant Deshmukh. "Hello Sir. " Abhir said in a welcome voice. "Nice to see you so soon." "Well...you didn't really give me an opportunity to congratulate you on your 'wedding'. Whisked away. " "Why don't you come home and have some tea and refreshments." Abhir asked, hospitably. Yeshwant Deshmukh glanced at Pari's just-you-wait-till-we're-alone look to Abhir. "Sure." he said smiling benevolently.


" I'll just go and put some water to boil." Abhir said, entering the house. " I thought that was Mrs. Bhasin's job." Yeshwant Deshmukh gave Pari a sly smile. " Well....its ...." "Its his Mannat." Pari spoke directly to her guest for the first time. " He made a vow that were I to be acquitted, he would not let me set foot in the kitchen for seven days. He'll make breakfast, lunch, dinner and will not eat anything till he's finished his daily prayers. " " Very interesting." "Abhir's also said that he'd walk barefoot to that temple 15 miles away on Tuesday. Isn't it so? " Pari turned to look at him with a smile on her face. He answered with a cheerful, "Of course dear. Anything for you." whilst muttering under his breath, " I'll begin by fulfilling a part of my Mannat." he said advancing to the kitchen.

" Abhir seems to be very devoted to you Paridhi." Mr. Deshmukh said as he and Pari took their seats on the sofa. "Yes he is." "And yet I understand he was affianced to your cousin Ms. Bhumi Virani? He changed his taste pretty soon." Yeshwant Deshmukh said with a calculating glance in her direction. "No. He and Di understood that they were incompatible. " "Just one day before the wedding?" "Better late than never. " was her terse reply. " Well.....I could query you about a lot of things but I suppose you'll be answering the media soon anyways. I have something for you. Consider it a wedding present from me. Its invaluable and something I don't usually part with to give to my rivals. But I'll make an exception since your husband loves you so much. It was very fortuitous that you escaped physically unhurt that night and also legally unhurt today. You must be very careful Pari beta. You might not be so fortunate the next time."

"You need not worry about Pari's safety, Mr.Deshmukh" Abhir's voice called out from the doorway connecting the kitchen and the hall. He walked up to where his wife was seated and put his hands on her shoulders possessively as he answered Yashwant Deshmukh's open threat with a veiled one of his own. "As you know, I can and will safeguard my own. By all or any means."