औषध तूच आहेस
Auṣadha Tūça Āhesa
(The Ointment Is Also You)
मी तुला खूप हर्ट केलं ना रे? "Mī tulā khūpa hurt kelaṃ nā re?" I hurt you a lot, didn't I, dear? "Sorry." Savi pressed her wet cheek to Arjun's chest as she spoke softly. He smelled terrible from working all night in the sugar factory office after spending hours on the road to Kavathe-Bhairavgad from Someshwar, where he had abandoned her in their honeymoon hotel room. Terrible! But she didn't care. He was with her now, standing at the threshold of the balcony outside his bedroom - almost their bedroom.
Arjun smiled, resting his chin lightly on top of her head as his hand stroked her shoulder. His cheek was still tingling from her kiss, and the pain was fading in his arm that she had twisted just before. सावित्री ... तू मला हर्ट जरी केलंस ना, तरी त्या वेदनेवरचं औषध तूच आहेस. "Sāvitrī ... Tū malā hurt zarī kelaṃsa nā, tarī tyā vedanevaraçaṃ auṣadha tūça āhesa." Savitri ... even if you hurt me, you know, the ointment for that agony is also you.
Savi's face relaxed into a smile. She still felt disgusted with herself for watching helplessly as the purse-snatcher got away. Once upon a time, Savi Waghmare had beaten up the louts who touched Priya ... she had jumped into the kustī pit to hit Gangaram before he could stab Arjun ... she had fought the hit men sent by Balaram to waylay Arjun as he carried Bhairava-Deva's flag up the hill ... and yesterday the same fearless woman had behaved like a coward, hiding out of sight while Arjun lifted Mother Māulī to her feet and comforted her. Only the worst daughter and worst wife in the world had to pray that neither her husband nor her mother would say something to expose her identity to each other. Her self-loathing had been overshadowed by worry while Arjun had been missing, but only now Arjun's words had given her courage.
मी जर काही बोललो असेन तर - "Mī zara kāhī bolalo asena tara - If I said anything wrong then - I am really sorry." Arjun hated to say that word - sorry - but yesterday he would have said anything to placate Savitri when she was snapping at him about Sushama's crush on him ... about playing the flute for Sushama in college ... even about frustratedly saying Sushama's name ... Halfway along the road from Someshwar to Kavathe-Bhairavgad, it had dawned on Arjun that his wife's irrational jealousy was a performance to distract him from the real cause of her tears, which wasn't that she missed her mother on their honeymoon either! He had joked that he was with Sushama last night, and Savitri had promptly twisted his arm ... He knew he was forgiven for complaining that Savitri hadn't let him make her his wife last night, but could his "sorry" for his words convince Savitri to tell him the truth? Arjun pulled Savi closer, wishing that she would take the hint.
Savi took a deep breath. She owed it to Vidyadhar Dādā to obtain his approval before revealing her perfidy to Arjun, and Vidyadhar Dādā might tell her to wait until Arjun was secure in the habits of marriage ... but she had prayed to Someśvara for courage to come clean, and here was Arjun in her arms, unhurt even after she had rejected him on their honeymoon and sent him raging along the highway. What clearer go-ahead sign could she expect? If Arjun lost the will to live after hearing her story, Vidyadhar Dādā was right outside to call his psychiatrist and keep him safe.
मीच आता बोलणार आहे, आणि तुला दुखवणार आहे, त्यासाठी मला माफ कर. "Mīça ātā bolaṇāra āhe, āṇi tulā dukhavaṇāra āhe, tyāsāṭhī malā māpha kara." Now I'll be the one to talk, and I'm going to hurt you; forgive me for that. Savi held on to Arjun and began her confession. तुझ्याशी मी वारंवार खोटं बोलले, तुझी फसवणूक केली, खरं सांगायचं तर तुझा मी विश्वासघात केला. "Tujhyāśī mī vāraṃvāra khoṭaṃ bolale, tujhī phasavaṇūka kelī, kharaṃ sāṅgāyaçaṃ tara tuzhā mī viśvāsaghāta kelā." I lied to you over and over, deceived you, and to tell the truth, I betrayed your trust.
Arjun stiffened. He knew that Savitri kept secrets and he always had to push her to admit the truth, but viśvāsaghāta - betrayal of trust - was a word that reminded him of a time when he hadn't wanted to live. That word described Vishvambhar Māmā's mismanagement of the factory that Bābā had entrusted to him. Savitri had to be trustworthy; she had saved him from three attempts on his life! (She had also caught the supplier who was cheating him.) If he couldn't trust her, how would he go on loving her? How would he go on living?
Savi had begun her confession; there was no turning back, but which deceit should she admit first? The conspiracy to cheat him? How they had met before? Her fake Mother Māulī - Shyamal - or the identity of her real Mother Māulī? How ninth class dropout Savi passed for Savitri the college graduate in business meetings? Any of these truths might crush Arjun. Should she start with something that Arjun could digest? Naresh had never been her boyfriend - but that was trivial. Savi's heart ached as she thought of Arjun feeling unloved with whichever first blow she would strike at his trust in her.
मिसिस वशिला, तू मनात बोलायचं थांबव आणि जे काही असेल ते एकदाचं उघडपणे बोलून टाक! "Mrs. Vaśilā, tū manāta bolāyaçaṃ thāmbava āṇi je kāhī asela te ekadāçaṃ ughaḍapaṇe bolūna ṭāka!" Mrs. Network, stop talking in your mind and, whatever it is, say it aloud already! Arjun's impatient words intruded on Savi's quandary. भैरवदेवाच्या नांवानं चांगभलं म्हण आणि बोलायला लाग! "Bhairava-Devācyā nāṃvānaṃ çāṅgabhalaṃ mhaṇa āṇi bolāyalā lāga!" Say, "All's well in Bhairava-Deva's name!" and start to talk!
Arjun's words gave Savi an idea where to begin. देवेन्द्र दादा ऑफिसात तुझी वाट पहात आहे, त्याला कळवते की तू आज येणार नाहीस. "Devendra Dādā office-āta tujhī vāṭa pahāta āhe, tyālā kaḷavate kī tū āza yeṇāra nāhīsa." Devendra Dādā is waiting for you at the office; I'll inform him that you're not coming in today, Savi murmured as she gathered her thoughts.
फडके जे समजायचं ते समजून घेतील. "Phaḍake je samazāyaçaṃ te samazūna ghetīla." Phadake will figure out what he has to figure out, Arjun snapped. तू बोल, मी ऐकतोय. "Tū bola, mī aikatoya." You talk; I'm listening.
भैरवदेवाच्या टेकडीवर झेंडा फडकावायला जाताना तुझ्यावर हल्ला करणारे मारेकरी त्या बाळासाहेब ढोले पाटिलाने पाठवले नव्हते. "Bhairava-Devācyā ṭekaḍīvara jheṇḍā phaḍakāvāyalā zātānā tujhyāvara hallā karaṇāre mārekarī tyā Bāḷāsāheba Ḍhole Pāṭilāne pāṭhavale navhate." When you were going to hoist the flag on Bhairava-Deva's hill, the hit men who waylaid you weren't sent by that Bāḷāsāheba Dhole Patil. ते मारेकरी बलरामचे होते, आणि विश्वंभर मामा त्याला सांगत होता की अर्जुन मेला तर प्रॉपर्टीचा ट्रस्ट होईल, म्हणून मारेकऱ्यांना थांबव. "Te mārekarī Balarāmaçe hote, āṇi Viśvaṃbhara Māmā tyālā sāṅgata hotā kī Arjuna melā tara property-çā trust hoīla, mhaṇūna mārekaryāṃnā thāmbava." Those hit men were Balaram's, and Vishvambhar Māmā was telling him that if Arjun dies, the property will become a trust, so stop the hit men. त्यांचं बोलणं ऐकताच मी तुला वाचवण्यासाठी धावत सुटले, आणि आजही, तिरसट, मी केलेला विश्वासघात ऐकल्यावर जर तू स्वतःचं बरंवाईट करायला निघालास तर मी तुला वाचवल्याशिवाय राहणार नाही. "Tyāṃçaṃ bolaṇaṃ aikatāça mī tulā vāçavaṇyāsāṭhī dhāvata suṭale, āṇi āzahī, Tirasaṭa, mī kelelā viśvāsaghāta aikalyāvara zara tū svataḥçaṃ baraṃvāīṭa karāyalā nighālāsa tara mī tulā vāçavalyāśivāya rāhaṇāra nāhī." As soon as I heard their talk, I started running to save you, and even today, Cross, if you listen to my betrayal of your trust and set off to harm yourself, I won't fail to save you.
Arjun snorted. बलरामकडून ना माझी हीच अपेक्षा होती, आणि विश्वंभर मामा स्वतःचा फायदा बघितल्याशिवाय कधी पाऊल उचलत नाही. "Balarāmakaḍūna nā mājhī hīça apekṣā hotī, āṇi Viśvaṃbhara Māmā svataḥçā phāyadā baghitalyāśivāya kadhī pāūla uçalata nāhī." From Balaram, you know, I expected only this, and Vishvambhar Māmā never takes a step without checking the benefit to himself. कृष्णाईला दुखवायचं नाही म्हणून तू त्या दोघांना पाठीशी घातलंस - "Kṛṣṇāīlā dukhavāyaçaṃ nāhī mhaṇūna tū tyā doghāṃnā pāṭhīśī ghātalaṃsa -" Not to hurt Krishna'i, you shielded those two -
नाही. "Nāhī." No, Savi interrupted. मी विश्वंभर मामाकडून पैसे घेऊन इथं कवठे-भैरवगडला आले होते, आणि बलरामला माझं सत्य माहित होतं, म्हणून मला खोटं बोलावं लागलं. "Mī Viśvaṃbhara Māmākaḍūna paise gheūna ithaṃ Kavaṭhe-Bhairavagaḍalā āle hote, āṇi Balarāmalā māzhaṃ satya māhita hotaṃ, mhaṇūna malā khoṭaṃ bolāvaṃ lāgalaṃ." I had taken Vishvambhar Māmā's money to come to Kavathe-Bhairavgad, and Balaram knew my truth, so I had tell a lie.
Arjun remembered the day Vishvambhar Māmā had brought Savitri to his office for a job interview. Arjun had angrily ordered her to get out, assuming that she was a pawn who would embezzle for Vishvambhar. Fortunately, Vidyadhar Dādā had confirmed that he wanted a job for Savitri, the sister of his classmate Divakar, and Arjun had given Savitri a chance to prove herself. Now, hearing that his Savitri had indeed networked with Vishvambhar and Balaram, Arjun caught her arms and pushed her away, breaking their embrace.
तुला त्या विश्वंभर मामाकडून पैसे का घ्यावे लागले? "Tulā tyā Viśvaṃbhara Māmākaḍūna paise kā ghyāve lāgale?" Why did you have to take money from that Vishvambhar Māmā? Arjun demanded, his dark brown eyes radiating heat. श्यामल काकूंच्या आजारावर उपचार करण्यासाठी जे काही लागत होतं ते विद्याधर दादाला सांगून माझ्याकडून घ्यायचं नाही का? "Śyāmala Kākūñcyā āzārāvara upacāra karaṇyāsāṭhī je kāhī lāgata hotaṃ te Vidyādhara Dādālā sāṅgūna mājhyākaḍūna ghyāyaçaṃ nāhī kā?" Whatever you needed to treat Shyamal Kākū's illness, couldn't you tell Vidyadhar Dādā and get it from me?
सांगते. "Sāṅgate." I'll tell you, Savi replied, deciding to dodge the issue of Shyamal not being her real mother; first, she would extenuate her own fraud. विश्वंभर मामा मला ब्लॅकमेल करत होता. "Viśvaṃbhara Māmā malā blackmail karata hotā." Vishvambhar Māmā was blackmailing me. कधीतरी गाडी चालवताना अपघात घडल्याचं मी तुला सांगितलं होतं, ती विश्वंभर मामाची काळ्या पैश्याचे दागिने करून भरलेली गाडी मी चोरली होती, आणि विश्वंभर मामानं मला पोलीस चौकीतून सोडवून पटवलं की त्या अपघातात एक मुलगा मेल्यामुळे माझ्यावर सदोष मनुष्यवधाचा आरोप आहे, पण त्यातून मी सुटू शकते आणि मदर माउलीच्या आजाराच्या उपचारासाठी पैसे कमावू शकते, जर मी त्याचं काम केलं. "Kadhītarī gāḍī çālavatānā apaghāta ghaḍalyāçaṃ mī tulā sāṅgitalaṃ hotaṃ, tī Viśvaṃbhara Māmācī kāḷyā paiśyāçe dāgine karūna bharalelī gāḍī mī çoralī hotī, āṇi Viśvaṃbhara Māmānaṃ malā police çaukītūna soḍavūna paṭavalaṃ kī tyā apaghātāta eka mulagā melyāmuḷe mājhyāvara sadoṣa manuṣyavadhāçā āropa āhe, paṇa tyātūna mī suṭū śakate āṇi Mother Māulīcyā āzārācyā upacārāsāṭhī paise kamāvū śakate, zara mī tyāçaṃ kāma kelaṃ." I had told you that at one time I got into an accident while driving a car, that was Vishvambhar Māmā's car full of money-laundering jewelry that I stole, and Vishvambhar Māmā freed me from the police station and convinced me that because a boy died in that accident, there's a charge of culpable homicide against me, but I could get out of it and earn money to treat Mother Māulī's illness, if I did his work.
Savi paused, out of breath and thoughts as she could only see the disbelief in Arjun's eyes.
Arjun's head was spinning, and his fingers pressed into Savitri's arms as if he would lose his balance if he let go. What had his bride just confessed - robbery, homicide, and working for Vishvambhar Māmā? His Savitri couldn't be this person!
तुझ्यामुळे एक मुलगा मेला? "Tujhyāmuḷe eka mulagā melā?" A boy died because of you? Arjun managed to ask.
नाही, आपल्या लग्नात दीपू मामा आणि चमकी - दीपकराव आणि सुवर्णलता उशीरा पोचले आणि त्यांनी मला मांडवातून ओढून नेलं, त्याचं कारण हेच होतं, वाटेत त्यांना तो मुलगा जीवंत सांपडला आणि विश्वंभर मामानं आम्हाला अडकवायला रचलेलं नाटक त्यांना समजलं. "Nāhī, āpalyā lagnāta Dīpū Māmā āṇi Çamakī - Dīpakarāva āṇi Suvarṇalatā uśīrā poçale āṇi tyāṃnī malā māṇḍavātūna oḍhūna nelaṃ, tyāçaṃ kāraṇa heça hotaṃ, vāṭeta tyāṃnā to mulagā jīvanta sāṃpaḍalā āṇi Viśvaṃbhara Māmānaṃ āmhālā aḍakavāyalā raçalelaṃ nāṭaka tyāṃnā samazalaṃ!" No, when Dipu Māmā and Çamaki - Dipak-rāva and Suvarnalata arrived late to our wedding and pulled me out of the venue, the reason was just this, on the way they found that boy alive and they realized that Vishvambhar Māmā had invented a fiction to ensnare us! Savi excitedly explained, detaching Arjun's hands from her arms and holding on to his hands as she tried to meet his probing eyes.
In his mind, Arjun was trying to put the puzzle pieces together as they came flying at him in Savitri's words. Çamaki - the name of Savitri's best friend whose mother had called during the Satya-Nārāyaṇa pūjā - was none other than Suvarnalata ... and one of the women touring Someshwar with Sharada Kākū had said that her Çamaki was away at work with Sharada Kākū's Savi ... Dipak and Suvarnalata recognized the boy that Savitri thought she had killed when she stole Vishvambhar Māmā's car ... Vishvambhar Māmā had ensnared them too ... so, they were robbers together, but Savitri hadn't killed anyone ... Suvarnalata had dropped in at the factory the day Savitri applied for the clerk's job, but Dipak hadn't mentioned his daughter when he took the cook's job at Bhima-Sadan a few days before!
दीपकराव आणि सुवर्णलता तुझे नक्की कोण आहेत? "Dīpakarāva āṇi Suvarṇalatā tuzhe nakkī koṇa āheta?" Who exactly are Dipak-rāva and Suvarnalata to you? Arjun demanded. आणि विश्वंभर मामाचं काम म्हणजे नक्की काय? "Āṇi Viśvaṃbhara Māmāçaṃ kāma mhaṇaje nakkī kāya?" And Vishvambhar Māmā's work - what exactly does that mean?
दीपू माझा लांबचा मामा आहे, आणि चमकी माझ्या शेजारची मैत्रीण आहे. "Dīpū māzhā lāmbaçā māmā āhe, āṇi Çamakī mājhyā śezāracī maitrīṇa āhe." Dipu is my distant maternal uncle, and Çamaki is my neighbour-friend, Savi admitted. विश्वंभर मामाला विद्याधर दादा, बलराम, आणि प्रिया यांना पावर-ऑफ-अॅटर्नी देणाऱ्या तुझ्या सह्या हव्या होत्या, आणि तुला फसवून त्या सह्या मिळवण्यासाठी मी तुझ्याशी लग्न करायला हवं असं तो म्हणत होता. "Viśvaṃbhara Māmālā Vidyādhara Dādā, Balarāma, āṇi Priyā yāṃnā power-of-attorney deṇāryā tujhyā sahyā havyā hotyā, āṇi tulā phasavūna tyā sahyā miḷavaṇyāsāṭhī mī tujhyāśī lagna karāyalā havaṃ asaṃ to mhaṇata hotā." Vishvambhar Māmā wanted your signatures giving power-of-attorney to Vidyadhar Dādā, Balaram, and Priya, and to obtain those signatures by deceiving you, he was saying that I had to marry you.
Arjun frowned. That phone call warning him not to sign anything for Savitri without reading it first ... he had dismissed it as troublemaking by Nanda Vahinī, but now Savitri was admitting that her task was to trick him into signing. What had he signed in a fit of defiant pique? And why would Vishvambhar Māmā get him married to Savitri for those signatures? Savitri had repeatedly refused to marry him; of course, because Vishvambhar Māmā was forcing her. Would she have walked out of their wedding if Dipak and Suvarnalata had relieved her of the blackmail before the saptapadī made her legally Arjun's wife? Arjun wanted to believe in the night he had spent star-gazing with Savitri after she had snatched his flute out of the flames and admitted her love for him. He wanted to believe in her hot tears just now, reproaching him for letting her worry about him all night long.
तुझ्या सह्या मी घेतल्या, पण विद्याधर दादांकडे ते कागद देऊन मी त्यांना सगळं सत्य सांगून टाकलं. "Tujhyā sahyā mī ghetalyā, paṇa Vidyādhara Dādāṃkaḍe te kāgada deūna mī tyāṃnā sagaḷaṃ satya sāṅgūna ṭākalaṃ." I got your signatures, but I gave those papers to Vidyadhar Dādā and told him the entire truth, Savi was saying. यापुढे विद्याधर दादा तुझी फसवणूक होऊ देणार नाहीत. "Yāpuḍhe Vidyādhara Dādā tujhī phasavaṇūka hoū deṇāra nāhīta." From now on, Vidyadhar Dādā won't let you be deceived. माझ्या प्रेमावर विश्वास ठेवून विद्याधर दादांनी मला तुझ्याशी लग्न करण्यासाठी आशीर्वाद दिला. "Mājhyā premāvara viśvāsa ṭhevūna Vidyādhara Dādāṃnī malā tujhyāśī lagna karaṇyāsāṭhī āśīrvāda dilā." Believing in my love, Vidyadhar Dādā gave me his blessing to marry you. मी तुझा विश्वासघात केल्याचं कळल्यावर तू स्वतःचं बरंवाईट करशील या भीतिने इतक्यात सत्य सांगू नकोस, अजून काही दिवस थांब, असं विद्याधर दादा मला सांगत होते, पण जसं तू म्हणालास की मी दिलेल्या वेदनेवरचं औषध मीच आहे तसं असेल तर यापुढचं माझं बोलणं ऐकून तुला पटेल की तुझा विश्वासघात करायला आलेली ही सावी तुला ओळखल्यावर तुझा आत्मविश्वास जपण्यासाठी कोणताही त्याग करायला तयार झाली. "Mī tuzhā viśvāsaghāta kelyāçaṃ kaḷalyāvara tū svataḥçaṃ baraṃvāīṭa karaśīla yā bhītine itakyāta satya sāṅgū nakosa, azūna kāhī divasa thāmba, asaṃ Vidyādhara Dādā malā sāṅgata hote, paṇa zasaṃ tū mhaṇālāsa kī mī dilelyā vedanevaraçaṃ auṣadha mīça āhe tasaṃ asela tara yāpuḍhaçaṃ māzhaṃ bolaṇaṃ aikūna tulā paṭela kī tuzhā viśvāsaghāta karāyalā ālelī hī Sāvī tulā oḷakhalyāvara tuzhā ātmaviśvāsa zapaṇyāsāṭhī koṇatāhī tyāga karāyalā tayāra zhālī." Fearing that you would harm yourself upon realizing that I betrayed your trust, Vidyadhar Dādā was telling me not to tell the truth yet, wait a few days more, but as you said, I'm also the ointment for agony that I cause, and in that case, listening to what I say next will convince you that this Savi who came to betray your trust got to know you and became ready to make any sacrifice to protect your self-confidence.
Arjun was looking at Savi with chagrin and indecision. She had fooled him, broken his resolve never to invest his hopes in anyone except his Priya, his Krishna'i, and his Vidyadhar Dādā. He owed her his life, and he desired her, loved her despite her incomprehensible past with Naresh and her unpredictable moods. His wife, his most trusted employee had lied to him every day; she was a robber and Vishvambhar Māmā's pawn! How could Vidyadhar Dādā give his blessing to a woman like her? Dādā was generous to everyone who didn't deserve it, even to Balaram and Vishvambhar Māmā, but he was protective of Arjun and wouldn't allow a traitor near him! Could Arjun trust Vidyadhar Dādā's judgement? Dādā knew exactly what Vishvambhar Māmā and Balaram were, and although he loved them, he never made excuses for them. If Dādā saw sincerity in Savitri's remorse, then Arjun wasn't ready to give up either.
Savi watched as the storm passed from Arjun's face and his eyes pleaded with her to take away the sting of deceit. She continued, मीच फोन करून तुला सावध करण्याचा प्रयत्न केला होता की सावित्री फ्रॉड आहे, तिने दिलेले कुठलेही कागद वाचल्याशिवाय सह्या करू नकोस. "Mīça phone karūna tulā sāvadha karaṇyāçā prayatna kelā hotā kī Sāvitrī fraud āhe, tine dilele kuṭhalehī kāgada vāçalyāśivāya sahyā karū nakosa." I myself called to try to alert you that Savitri is a fraud, don't sign any papers from her without reading. का तू माझ्यावर विश्वास ठेवलास, तिरसट? "Kā tū mājhyāvara viśvāsa ṭhevalāsa, Tirasaṭa?" Why did you trust me, Cross? कॉलेजचं शिक्षण घेऊन नोकरीला लागलेली मध्यमवर्गीय सावित्री गणेश चोरगे मी कधीच नव्हते, मी तर नववी नापास, श्रीमंतांच्या लग्नसमारम्भांत चोऱ्या करणारी सावी शारदा वाघमारे आहे. "College-çaṃ śikṣaṇa gheūna nokarīlā lāgalelī madhyamavargīya Sāvitrī Gaṇeśa Çorage mī kadhīça navhate, mī tara navavī nāpāsa, śrīmantāñcyā lagnasamārambhāṃta çoryā karaṇārī Sāvī Śāradā Vāghamāre āhe." I was never college-educated, career-oriented, middle-class Savitri Ganesh Çorage; rather, I am ninth-failed Savi Sharada Waghmare who robs rich people's wedding celebrations.
Arjun's eyes opened wide as the realization hit him. तूच ... "Tūça ..." You yourself ... तेजूच्या लग्नात शिरलेली ती सप्ना ... "Tejūcyā lagnāta śiralelī tī Sapnā ..." At Teju's wedding, that Sapna who got in ... His dry throat did not allow him to finish.
Savi led Arjun inside and poured him a glass of water. हो, तिथंच आपली पहिली भेट घडली, आणि तू ज्याची लुंगी फेडलीस तो चोर दीपू मामा होता. "Ho, tithaṃça āpalī pahilī bheṭa ghaḍalī, āṇi tū jyācī luṅgī pheḍalīsa to çora Dīpū Māmā hotā." Yes, we first met right there, and the robber whose luṅgī you tore off was Dipu Māmā. त्याचा बदला घ्यायचा, तुझी लेवल करायची, असं मी त्या दिवशी ठरवलं. "Tyāçā badalā ghyāyaçā, tujhī level karāyacī, asaṃ mī tyā divaśī ṭharavalaṃ." To avenge that, to level you - that's what I decided that day.
Of course, Arjun thought, sinking into his armchair and gulping down some water. Suvarnalata never denied that she danced on the stage there, calling herself Madhuri Nagçore. How had he been blind to the reality that the two robbers whom he wanted to find for Dipesh's and Teju's sake were none other than Suvarnalata's father and her roommate? His family's cook and his clerk ... his secretary ... his bride! Was he too stupid to live?
Savi rubbed Arjun's arm, hoping that her touch could soothe him. What she had told him all at once was a lot to process, and there was still Mother Māulī to reveal. She couldn't expect Arjun to believe that she had moral values and tried to live by them. How many days had she spent racking her brain to reconcile Arjun's sensitivity with the cruelties he had committed openly in front of her? How many nights had she gone to bed fuming at this tyrannical man until the flute player's notes had caressed her, coaxing her to let go her anger? Arjun wouldn't forgive her easily, if at all. He might make a police complaint against her, or end their marriage, and she didn't know how she would bear any of that after the looks he had given her when he wanted to make love ... But as long as Arjun didn't break down and harm himself, she wouldn't regret confessing without Vidyadhar Dādā's permission.
Savi resumed her story. गरीब, गरजू माणसांना ओरडणारा, बडवणारा जो अर्जुन कवठेकर मला आधी दिसला तो मला खरा वाटला. "Garība, garazū māṇasāṃnā oraḍaṇārā, baḍavaṇārā zo Arjuna Kavaṭhekara malā ādhī disalā to malā kharā vāṭalā." I first saw Arjun Kavathekar who shouts at poor, needy people and beats them, and I thought he was real. ते सगळं तू का केलंस ते मला माहित नाही, पण आता मी तुला खरोखर ओळखते आणि तुझी फसवणूक करताना मला स्वतःचं जगणं नकोसं वाटतं. "Te sagaḷaṃ tū kā kelaṃsa te malā māhita nāhī, paṇa ātā mī tulā kharokhara oḷakhate āṇi tujhī phasavaṇūka karatānā malā svataḥçaṃ zagaṇaṃ nakosaṃ vāṭataṃ." Why you did all of that, I don't know, but now I know you for real and when I deceive you, my own life becomes unbearable. दारुड्या कामगारांचे पगार डिरेक्ट डिपॉझिटने त्यांच्या बायकांकडे पोचवणारा तू, आणि तुला फसवून मी तुझ्या सह्या घ्यायच्या? "Dāruḍyā kāmagārāṃçe pagāra direct deposit-ne tyāñcyā bāyakāṃkaḍe poçavaṇārā tū, āṇi tulā phasavūna mī tujhyā sahyā ghyāyacyā?" You convey alcoholic workers' wages by direct deposit to their wives, and I have to deceive you to get your signatures? अक्ख्या कवठे-भैरवगडसाठी पावर प्लांट उभा करणारा तू, आणि मी तुझ्यापासून माझी खरी मदर माउली लपवणारी दुबळी? "Akkhyā Kavaṭhe-Bhairavagaḍasāṭhī power plant ubhā karaṇārā tū, āṇi mī tujhyāpāsūna mājhī kharī Mother Māulī lapavaṇārī dubaḷī?" You're setting up a power plant for all of Kavathe-Bhairavgad, and I'm a weakling who hides my real Mother Māulī from you? तुझ्यासारख्याची मी लेवल गाठू शकत नाही, त्याची मी कसली लेवल करणार? "Tujhyāsārakhyācī mī level gāṭhū śakata nāhī, tyācī mī kasalī level karaṇāra?" I can't reach the level of someone like you, so how would I level you?
तुझी खरी मदर माउली! "Tujhī kharī Mother Māulī!" Your real Mother Māulī! Arjun exclaimed. हेच ऐकायचं राहिलं होतं! "Heça aikāyaçaṃ rāhilaṃ hotaṃ!" This is all I had yet to hear!
There it was - Arjun's sarcastic attitude that usually offended Savi, but she only felt sorry for him now. Arjun had tried to look after her mother, and Savi had deceived him even there.
श्यामल ही विश्वंभर मामाच्या ओळखीची एक अभिनेत्री आहे. "Śyāmala hī Viśvaṃbhara Māmācyā oḷakhīcī eka abhinetrī āhe." Shyamal is an actress that Vishvambhar Māmā knows. मेंदूत अर्बुद असलेली माझी आई शारदा ती नसून तू मुंबईत आणि सोमेश्वरला जिची मदत केलीस तीच आहे माझी मदर माउली. "Mendūta arbuda asalelī mājhī āī Śāradā tī nasūna tū Mumbaīta āṇi Someśvaralā jicī madata kelīsa tīça āhe mājhī Mother Māulī." She's not my mother Sharada who has a brain tumour; the one whom you helped in Mumbai and Someshwar is my Mother Māulī.
झालं सांगून, का अजून काही आहे? "Zhālaṃ sāṅgūna, kā azūna kāhī āhe?" Have you finished telling, or is there something else? Arjun's weary tone and businesslike words startled Savi. Yesterday, she had become a nervous mess about the coincidence of Mother Māulī once again being in Arjun's care. Mother Māulī's dream of Savi marrying this kind man had come true, but instead of her blessing, Savi had heard a disappointed अरेरे! "Arere!" when Arjun had told Mother Māulī that he was waiting for his wife Savitri. This secret had eaten away at Savi's self-esteem, day by day; how could Arjun not even feel surprise?
मला हा अद्भुत योगायोग ऐकताना काहीच कसं वाटत नाही, हाच प्रश्न आहे ना तुझ्या मनात? "Malā hā adbhuta yogāyoga aikatānā kāhīça kasaṃ vāṭata nāhī, hāça praśna āhe nā tujhyā manāta?" Why don't I react to hearing this marvellous coincidence, isn't that just the question in your mind? Arjun guessed. ऐक. "Aika." Listen. नव्या नवरीला परगांवी सोडून रात्री एकट्यानं गाडी घेऊन जाण्याइतकं माझ्यात स्त्रीदाक्षिण्य कमी नाही. "Navyā navarīlā paragāṃvī soḍūna rātrī ekaṭyānaṃ gāḍī gheūna zāṇyāitakaṃ mājhyāta strīdākṣiṇya kamī nāhī." I don't have so little chivalry as to leave a new bride in another town and take off with the car alone at night. मी फोन विसरून होटेलमधून बाहेर पडलो खरा, पण ते मन्दिरात जाऊन डोकं शान्त करण्यासाठी केलं. "Mī phone visarūna hotel-madhūna bāhera paḍalo kharā, paṇa te mandirāta zāūna ḍokaṃ śānta karaṇyāsāṭhī kelaṃ." I forgot my phone and got out from the hotel, sure, but that was to go to the shrine and cool my head. इथं त्या शारदा काकूंची पर्स चोरून त्यातले पैसे काढून चोरानं जवळच कुठेतरी फेकली असेल, हा विचार करत मी इथं-तिथं शोधलं, आणि मला पर्स सांपडली. "Ithaṃ tyā Śāradā Kākūñcī purse çorūna tyātale paise kāḍhūna çorānaṃ zavaḷaça kuṭhetarī phekalī asela, hā vicāra karata mī ithaṃ-tithaṃ śodhalaṃ, āṇi malā purse sāṃpaḍalī." I thought, after stealing that Sharada Kākū's purse here, the robber would have taken the cash out of it and tossed it somewhere nearby, so I looked here and there, and I found the purse. आत काय मिळालं तर शारदा काकूंचं आधार कार्ड आणि तुझा फोटो! "Āta kāya miḷālaṃ tara Śāradā Kākūṃçaṃ Ādhāra Card āṇi tuzhā photo!" Inside, what did I find but Sharada Kākū's Aadhaar Card and your photo!
Savi felt her face burning with shame. Arjun had found out her lie. Of course, he was justified to leave her in Someshwar, and not talk to her when he came home ... And yet he had comforted her when she cried!
तूच शारदा काकूंची मुलगी, त्यांच्या काळिजाचा तुकडा आहेस, हे समजल्यावर मला आठवलं की तुझ्या मदर माउलीचे रिपोर्ट्स शारदाच्या नांवानं होते, आणि तू म्हणाली होतीस की शारदा म्हणजे श्यामल काकूच. "Tūça Śāradā Kākūñcī mulagī, tyāñcyā kāḷizāçā tukaḍā āhesa, he samazalyāvara malā āṭhavalaṃ kī tujhyā Mother Māulīçe reports Śāradācyā nāṃvānaṃ hote, āṇi tū mhaṇālī hotīsa kī Śāradā mhaṇaje Śyāmala Kākūça." When I understood that you yourself are Sharada Kākū's daughter, a piece of her heart, I recalled that your Mother Māulī's reports had the name Sharada, and you had said that Sharada means Shyamal Kākū only. तू माझ्यासमोर स्वतःची खोटी आई आणून काय साध्य केलंस, ते मला समजेना. "Tū mājhyāsamora svataḥcī khoṭī āī āṇūna kāya sādhya kelaṃsa, te malā samazenā." What you achieved by presenting your fake mother to me, I couldn't understand. तुला जाब विचारून आणखी एक खोटं उत्तर ऐकण्याची माझी मनःस्थिति नव्हती, म्हणून मी मन्दिरातच फेऱ्या मारत राहिलो. "Tulā zāba vicārūna āṇakhī eka khoṭaṃ uttara aikaṇyācī mājhī manaḥsthiti navhatī, mhaṇūna mī mandirātaça pheryā mārata rāhilo." I wasn't in the mood to demand an explanation and hear another false answer from you, so I kept walking around in the shrine. मग शारदा काकूंनी सांगितलेलं होटेल आठवलं, आणि मी तिथं जाऊन झोपलो. "Maga Śāradā Kākūṃnī sāṅgitalelaṃ hotel āṭhavalaṃ, āṇi mī tithaṃ zāūna zhopalo." Then I remembered which hotel Sharada Kākū had told me, and I went there to sleep. सकाळी त्यांना भेटून, त्यांना गाडीत बसवून जोंवर मी आपल्या होटेलवर पोचलो तोंवर तू घरी जायला निघाली होतीस. "Sakāḷī tyāṃnā bheṭūna, tyāṃnā gāḍīta basavūna zoṃvara mī āpalyā hotel-vara poçalo toṃvara tū gharī zāyalā nighālī hotīsa." After meeting her in the morning and seating her in the car, by the time I reached our hotel, you had already set off to go home.
Savi's stomach flip-flopped at the thought of Arjun telling Mother Māulī that he had married her daughter. What was Mother Māulī thinking? Where was she?
Arjun could tell what Savi was saying in her mind. He smiled with difficulty. "Relax, Mrs. Kavathekar." He stood up and faced Savi. शारदा काकूंसमोर मी जांवई म्हणून उभा राहिलो नाही. "Śāradā Kākūṃsamora mī zāṃvaī mhaṇūna ubhā rāhilo nāhī." I didn't stand before Sharada Kākū as her son-in-law. माझ्या बायकोला तुमचा आशीर्वाद द्या, एवढी मी विनंती केली, आणि तू होटेल सोडल्याचं कळल्यावर माझ्या आग्रहापायी त्यांनी कवठे-भैरवगडला येणं मान्य केलं. "Mājhyā bāyakolā tumaçā āśīrvāda dyā, evaḍhī mī vinantī kelī, āṇi tū hotel soḍalyāçaṃ kaḷalyāvara mājhyā āgrahāpāyī tyāṃnī Kavaṭhe-Bhairavagaḍalā yeṇaṃ mānya kelaṃ." Give your blessing to my wife, I requested that much, and after finding out that you left the hotel, because I insisted, she agreed to come to Kavathe-Bhairavgad.
Mother Māulī - here! Savi looked at Arjun with wild eyes. Mother Māulī was terrified of Kavathe-Bhairavgad. मदर माउली कुठं आहे? "Mother Māulī kuṭhaṃ āhe?" Where's Mother Māulī? तिला तू एकटं सोडलंस? "Tilā tū ekaṭaṃ soḍalaṃsa?" You left her by herself?
नाही, त्यांच्या सोबतीला फडके आहेत. "Nāhī, tyāñcyā sobatīlā Phaḍake āheta." No, Phadake is accompanying her. त्यांच्यावर जबाबदारी सोपवली होती त्याविषयी बोलायचं आहे असं मी त्यांच्याशी आत्ताच फोनवर बोललो ना? "Tyāñcyāvara zabābadārī sopavalī hotī tyāviṣayī bolāyaçaṃ āhe asaṃ mī tyāñcyāśī āttāça phone-vara bolalo nā?" Just now, I said to him on the phone that I want to talk about the responsibility that I had entrusted to him, right? पंधरा मिनिटांत मी पोचतोय असं त्यांना सांगितलं, म्हणजे ते ऑफिसात शारदा काकूंचा पाहुणचार करतील. "Pandharā miniṭāṃta mī poçatoya asaṃ tyāṃnā sāṅgitalaṃ, mhaṇaje te office-āta Śāradā Kākūṃçā pāhuṇacāra karatīla." I told him I'll reach there in fifteen minutes; that means he'll offer hospitality to Sharada Kākū at the office. फ्रेश होऊन ये, आपल्याला तुझ्या खऱ्या मदर माउलींचा आशीर्वाद घ्यायचा आहे. "Fresh hoūna ye, āpalyālā tujhyā kharyā Mother Māulīṃçā āśīrvāda ghyāyaçā āhe." Freshen up and come; we have to take your real Mother Māulī's blessing.
Savi sighed with relief and felt herself falling in love with this unpredictable man all over again. Loyal to her even in his heartbreak, he deserved his revenge of watching her agonizing confession to Mother Māulī. Perhaps that satisfaction would start him on the path to healing. She would have to alert Vidyadhar Dādā and Krishna'i that Arjun was at risk of self-harm; only then could she repeat last night's gamble of going to freshen up and letting him slip away. What could she say to Arjun to cheer him up?
आधी तू फ्रेश होऊन ये, तुलाच जास्त गरज आहे. "Ādhī tū fresh hoūna ye, tulāça jāsta garaza āhe." You freshen up first, you need it more, Savi said. आणि ऐक - आणखी एक सत्य उलगडून सांगते, तिरसट! "Āṇi aika - āṇakhī eka satya ulagaḍūna sāṅgate, Tirasaṭa!" And listen - I have one more truth to reveal to you, Cross!
Arjun looked at Savi expectantly. She winked at him, blew him a kiss, and said, नरेश नेहमी मला सावी ताई म्हणतो. "Nareśa nehamī malā Sāvī Tāī mhaṇato." Naresh always calls me Savi Tāī.
comment:
p_commentcount