Part - 2 Adventures of a Travelling Assistant
1279 Words
Chapter 1 - The Pact
“Daughter, please listen to me.” Sankar pleaded. “You are too young to know about the wolves and vultures that prey on a single, helpless woman.”
“Are you saying I am not capable of protecting my travelling assistant?”
“I didn’t mean it that way, young sir.”
“Whatever be the case, since you are so mistrusting and rude, I will hereby speak with the girl only.” He said with a tone of finality that crushed Sankar. “Or else you can tell your daughter the duties of a devadasi.”
“No, please. Father, please let me talk with him.” Sankar hung his head down in helplessness and frustration at his impotent rage against a much powerful adversary. “Please, sir, I will answer your questions.” She said more boldly than she felt, her heart racing wildly at the prospect of speaking with a man who was not only handsome but also could decide her fate. He smiled seductively, bringing a bright tinge of pink to her cheeks and a sudden hotness that she found strange to describe. Did he have magical powers as well?
“How old are you?” she looked at him for a second and lowered her gaze, finding his eyes too captivating. Why was she feeling like this when she was angry and offended?
“Sir, a man’s income and a woman’s age cannot be revealed.” He smiled at that.
“Are you still a child?”
“No.”
“Good. Can you read and write?”
“No sir.” He seemed a little disappointed.
“What are your skills?”
“I can cook, sing, dance, draw, paint and take care of the house.”
“Interesting!” he stared at her as if weighing her words while she glanced at him from the corner of her eye. “Are you willing to travel with me?”
“Yes.”
“And be my travelling assistant?”
“Yes.”
“You are not under pressure from anyone to undertake an employment opportunity from me?”
“No.”
“You are doing this on your own?”
“Yes.”
“You are aware of what people would say if you accepted this employment?”
“Yes.”
“Are you aware that you need to fulfil whatever tasks I might assign to you as my assistant?”
“Yes.”
“Refusal or resistance to carry out assigned tasks might result in punishment. Do you accept?”
“Yes.”
“Once you accept my employment, there is no going back. Do you accept?”
“Yes.”
“Are you sure you want to do this?”
“Yes.”
“This is your last chance to back out of my employment. Will you take the chance to back out?”
“No.”
“In the name of the Lord Shiva, in the name of Lord Rudra, the patron deity of the Amarapudi Family, in the name of the ancestors of the Surampudi Family, I, Amarapudi Lokesh, Scion and first heir of the Amarapudi Family, hereby bind the parents of Surampudi Lalitha, Sri Surampudi Sankar – Srimathi Surampudi Anitha, to an oath of truth. They are now honour bound to speak the truth about the proceedings that took place in this house of Surampudi Sankar, at dusk, in Karyamakshetram village, in the year 1632, Salivahana Era. “ Sankar and his wife collapsed in shock and despair.
In an age when honour was more important than life, they could now do nothing to save their daughter. The fact that their neighbours, who had been watching from the door, had seen and heard everything, made it impossible for them to break the oath. They cursed the day they had given birth to a daughter and their desolation at being forced to see their daughter embark on a journey that guaranteed her no return. They didn’t dare get up when Lalitha touched their feet, seeking their blessings. They were like statues, unable to respond to her last words, unable to stop her from going out of the house with the stranger with nothing but the clothes on her body.
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The man, Amarapudi Lokesh, stepped into the waiting horse-drawn carriage that looked as majestic as a Royal Chariot. The driver helped her into the carriage and closed the door shut, pulling the curtains close. He then climbed to his seat and lashed the horse, driving towards the destination. Lalitha, who was very nervous, sat stiffly trying to calm her thundering heart. He, on the other hand, seemed completely oblivious to her fears and simply went to sleep. Just like that! Isn’t he afraid that I might kill him? She thought.
“No. You are not a killer or you would have killed that ruffian in the fair.” He said as if reading her thoughts. “You are a submissive woman, Lalitha; A woman who cannot strike a man for whatever reason. Now, sleep. You will need it.” Of course, the faint hint of sleep in her eyes was shattered by those enigmatic words and she sat throughout the night thinking about his words.
The carriage wound through paths she had never known or travelled. Yet, there was no attack by robbers nor was the carriage stopped by soldiers. It was as if the carriage didn’t exist – was there a magic charm on the carriage that made it invisible to people? “There’s a simpler explanation to that.” He said yawning, startling her from her thoughts. “They know that they should not stop their benefactors.” He smiled that confident, arrogant smile borne out of wealth, power and status in the society. The carriage stopped in the foyer of a great mansion – she cursed herself for not paying attention to her surroundings when she had the chance; not that she could escape anyway. “You are right.” How did he read her thoughts so easily? “There is no escape from me.” She would have to close her mind to him. Could she really do that?
As she stepped down from the carriage, she was greeted by an elderly, austerely simple woman clad in a cotton saree. Lalitha was instantly reminded of that fearsome grandmother everyone had in the family – one you could never afford to offend. The lady seemed to appraise her with her gaze – Lalitha felt naked under the lady’s shrewd eyes and felt relieved when the lady turned to greet her master who was waiting patiently for her to look at him, which was surprising. Was he also nervous in front of her?
“Good choice!” she seemed to compliment him, bringing a proud smile on his face as if he had won a trophy. “She can be taught to manage a modest establishment with some careful handling.” She spoke as if she didn’t exist. “Bend but don’t break.” With that she went in swiftly and out of sight. He stared at Lalitha, making her squirm in discomfort. “There’s lot of time to know what you are capable of, my little assistant.” He remarked. “Take her to her room!” he ordered the maid. “Make sure she is ready when I call for her.” he turned to Lalitha. “We will meet later for your first lesson.” He left without a glance at her making her stare at him with an open mouth. Her first lesson! What was he talking about?
- Writer
