JALEBI by Jalebi Jane (EPISODE 018)
HOW SHORT A PERIOD CAN REVERSE the character of our sentiment, rendering that which this morning we despised, this evening desirable.* How often Khushi had marked Arnav as her enemy and Shyam as her saviour. Neither man had changed. But in seeing more clearly, one now appeared infinitely more contemptible to her than the other.
And you, Sisters---you, who are always attune to irony will observe that on this day Arnav had put on a mask and Shyam had removed his.
But let me return to the present scene. You want action from me, not more rhetoric:
When Shyam stated, "I've just informed Buaji that unless you consent to be my wife, I will report her for defrauding the National Treasury etc etc..." Payal dropped Buaji's hands and rushed to Khushi's side.
Both girls stared at him as though he was mad. But Khushi put voice to what they thought. "Kya?!" she expressed her astonishment. "What is this nonsense? What fraud? What treasury? You said nothing about this ten minutes ago."
"Because Humptyji's is no place to deliver an indecent proposal," Shyam replied.
"I agree," Khushi replied, her ire gathering strength, "Humptyji's is the place to decline an indecent proposal, which is what I came to do."
Her words took a moment to hit its mark and when they registered, Shyam took a threatening step towards her.
Payal stepped in front of him and cried, pointing to the door, "Get out. Get out of our house before I call the police!"
Khushi underlined the power of Payal's words by running to the front door, and opening it wide.
Shyam looked at Buaji. And with a scornful smile, asked, "shall I enlighten your beautiful nieces or leave that pleasure to you?"
Buaji's face told those "beautiful nieces" to prepare for worse news. Yet she did not speak.
So Shyam did. "Buaji signed this house over to me two weeks ago. You have essentially been my lodgers for the past fortnight."
There was a horrible pause; a dreadful silence. Which Khushi ended by demanding, "Buaji! Is this true?"
"It's true," Buaji whimpered. "This kaminey now owns this house. Nandekishore-Knows, I did it because he told me that was the only way to protect it." And here she fell into loud sobs, clutching her scalp as though she expected it to explode.
I have taught you (with good reason) to dislike this woman, Sisters, but I now draw on all your human feeling; I ask you to sympathize with her as a victim of this duplicitous man. Her failing had been greed and more-greed but Shyam had known precisely how to take advantage of it.
It took several minutes and much coaxing from Payal for the whole story to unfold. And Buaji was not half-way through that story before Khushi realized that the open door must now be shut.
She saw that this story was not one for the neighbours to overhear.
Everything Shyam had said was fact. Since her husband's death, Buaji had been happily defrauding the railway pension department. There had been a large settlement made at the time of his accidental death, but Buaji had come up with a scheme to continue to draw from the well.
A few weeks ago, Buaji had received a letter from the pension department requesting a document. It had not been anything to cause concern but a guilty person is hypersensitive. Shyam had just then entered their lives, and in panic she had confided in him. She had disclosed her sins. She had unburdened her heart. She had revealed every particular of her crime.
He had promised that should an investigation be launched he would do all he could to build her a strong case. But added that she must protect her sole asset---this house---from any claim. He suggested she sign it over to him---in trust, of course!
But Buaji was no simpleton. She suggested that she sign it over to her very own Payaliya instead. After all, Payal would be heir to her estate, so why not give it to her now?
Shyam explained that as Payal was family, the house could still be seized. And, sadly, Buaji had believed him. She had signed that wretched piece of paper which gave Shyam full and legal ownership of this house.
But look here, Sisters---let us not condemn her stupidity now. It serves no purpose. Let us simply accept that her judgement had been shaky at the time. And Shyam had taken advantage of this vulnerability.
It is what he did best. Take me at my word---this was not the first time Shyam Jha had taken advantage of a woman.
By the time Buaji finished her tale, all energy left Payal and she fell onto the sofa next to her aunt. They clutched each other, weeping softly.
But our Khushi remained firmly on her feet.
With fists clenched at her side, she said, "do what you will. Report Buaji. If there are charges, we'll fight them. We'll pay the fines. We're not as helpless as you hope." And with a laugh, which I admit was more forced than genuine, she added, "did you actually imagine that a trifling legal matter would send me into your arms?"
"Do you know what minimum jail term such a trifling legal matter carries? What fines she'll be forced to pay?"
Khushi lifted her chin in defiance and replied, "whatever they may be, they will not be paid with my life. I wasn't prepared to marry you when I believed you were a decent man. Why would I marry you now that I see you for the snake you are? I would sooner marry Arnav Singh Raizada and bear his twenty children before I consent to be your briefcase, let alone your wife!"
Why would our Heroine bring that absent gentleman (along with his future progeny!) into this conversation, I cannot say. Perhaps because it was impossible to not draw comparisons between the two men who had on this same day presented themselves as suitors. Or perhaps we should just accept that that absent gentleman was never absent from Khushi's mind.
"So much fire," Shyam clucked. "You make me quite eager for married life." If he had smacked his lips, he couldn't have appeared more vile, more disgusting, to Khushi.
Without breaking contact with Shyam's eyes, she said, "Jiji, call the police---" Buaji made a sound of protest, but Khushi continued, "---I want to know what the law has to say to a man who has tricked an old woman out of her house. And what, pray tell, will The Law Society say when they learn that one of their fraternity has misused his power? Is that not called malpractice? You will be disbarred."
Perhaps Khushi saw some colour fade from Shyam's smug face, which told her that she had tapped into his jugular.
She repeated, with urgency, "why do you delay, Jiji? Call the police!"
Payal moved towards the phone, when Shyam said, "The Law Society will have nothing to say, because their interest is with lawyers. I am not a lawyer. I just know that when I present myself as one, people start telling me their secrets. And I have found it profitable to listen closely."
A gasp---from Buaji, no doubt!---was heard.
He didn't give them time to recover from his revelation. He said to Khushi, before turning towards the door, "I'll go now. For the present, you may remain in this house as my guests. But I'll return tomorrow evening for your decision. You can look forward to visiting your aunt in prison, or you can accept my proposal."
"I'll die first."
"You speak like a heroine," said Shyam, contemptuously; "we shall see whether you can suffer like one."*
* Adapted from Ann Radcliffe's -A Sicilian Romance- and -The Italian-.
Jalebi Jane
Indian Idol 16
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