Dassani Brides

Chapter 4

As Geetanjali and Meera put away the dishes in the kitchen, Geetanjali decided to confide in Meera about her problem. She had always felt insecure around Meera, who seemed to have the perfect life. Everyone expected her to marry one of the Dassani brothers, and even Madhu favored her over the other daughters-in-law. Geetanjali had noticed how Madhu gave Meera less work and overlooked her faults. This had made Geetanjali envious at first, but then she learned some of Meera's secrets. However, she did not know the whole story, and it was too complex and taboo to talk about. Meera, on the other hand, was always unhappy. She hardly ever smiled, and she did not care about anyone or anything in the house. It was obvious that something was wrong with her marriage. Kartik had left her on their wedding night and never returned, and it had been almost a year. Geetanjali, hoping to share her burden, told Meera about her dilemma. Meera listened to her calmly and after a pause, said, "I think Shiv bhaiya has chosen you well for this task. No one but you can persuade grandfather on anything. But if you want my advice, I would say wait for the right moment." Geetanjali knew that Meera had a knack for giving good advice. "When do you think the right moment will be?" she asked. Meera looked at Geetanjali with a thoughtful expression, but did not answer. She took the last plate and walked away, pretending not to hear the question. Geetanjali felt angry with herself for expecting Meera to help. She was always such a snob, thinking she was smarter than everyone else, Geetanjali thought. She heard the faint sound of anklets and Meera whispered in her ear as she came close. "I like that girl, she looks strong and we could use some extra help around here," she said, "so you should talk to grandfather when he is gardening. A ripe hobby, a ripe fruit, a ripe outcome, who knows." Before Geetanjali could thank her, Meera was gone, as if she had never been there. Geetanjali smiled to herself, thinking that this was how Sudha used to tease Komal. Oh, how she missed her sisters. She felt tears in her eyes. She opened a nearby drawer and took out a picture of them together, her sisters who had disappeared from her life. She wondered what they were doing, where they were. It was all because of her cruel husband. She wished Karan would never come back, so that Shiv would suffer the same way he had made her suffer, failing to protect his younger siblings. She realized that she had grown to hate Shiv. She had once hoped that they could have a respectful, if not loving, relationship, but that hope was gone. The day she found out that her sisters were free from the Dassani's clutches, she would leave, leave so far away that they would never find her.

She heard Shiv's voice and peeked over the counter to see her husband ready to attack. "It's me" she whispered. He asked her what she was doing hiding there like a thief, and quickly closed the gap between them. Geetanjali was at a loss for words, she knew he could see that she had been crying and the photograph in her hand. She tried to make up some excuse about a spoon falling under the counter, but he caught her lie before she could finish. "Sudha and Komal?, missing your sisters? But you still haven't learned your lesson not to lie to me." He said, snatching the picture from her hands. "Did you talk to grandfather?" He asked, but she only gave him silence and looked at the floor, avoiding his gaze. Shiv moved closer to her and she backed away, but not far enough. He grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him, leaning in and whispering in her ear, "did I ask you something?" Geetanjali was shaking with fear, her breathing erratic. "I'll try tomorrow" she managed to say. "Try?" He repeated, not waiting for her to answer. "Try saying that again?" She knew what he wanted her to say, and quickly corrected herself. "I'll talk to him tomorrow, I'll convince him somehow." She wished she could die right then, how did she become so cowardly? Afraid of a man, just a man, just two words that could terrify her, she felt pathetic. She summoned some courage and looked up, only to see that he had left, but he had taken her sisters' photo with him. What was he planning to do with it, she wondered. She finished the rest of the work and ran upstairs, she wanted her photo back at any cost. She burst into the room, out of breath. The noise made Shiv look up with a bored expression, and then he went back to what he was doing. Geetanjali didn't know where she got the nerve, she asked him in one sentence, without stuttering or fear, "you took my photo with you, I want it back now". Shiv looked up, giving her a challenging look, as if daring her to say one more word in that tone. But then he said, calmly and rationally, "Why the photo, you convince grandfather, I'll take you to see your sisters, fail to do so, forget about the photo or ever seeing your sisters again".

Shiv opened his eyes and saw an empty room. This was not uncommon, but something felt off. He soon realized that his coffee, newspaper, and everything else he needed to start the day were missing. His wife, who was supposed to take care of them, was nowhere to be found. Geetanjali, on the other hand, was keeping a close watch on Dhanajaya today. She wanted to make sure that her grandfather-in-law had the best and happiest day possible, and nothing would ruin his mood. He was scheduled to go gardening by noon. Geetanjali was also working faster than usual, so that she would be free by noon to follow him. When Meera came downstairs, she understood the situation and joined Geetanjali in her tasks. Meanwhile, a maid came and told them that Shiv was looking for Geetanjali and he was not pleased. Geetanjali knew why her husband wanted her and asked Meera to deal with it. Meera went and told Shiv that Geetanjali was busy and he could manage by himself today. Shiv was not happy about it and decided to talk to Geetanjali about it at night. Geetanjali had made everything that Dhanajaya liked today, so that he would be in a good mood. When noon came, Dhanajaya took his stick and walked towards the back garden. Geetanjali followed him secretly. When Dhanajaya settled near an okra plant, Geetanjali saw her chance and came out and greeted him. He asked her what she was doing in the backyard and she said she wanted some fresh okra and that she loved the yard. He said he could have brought it for her if she had asked and she should not do it herself. Geetanjali sat beside Dhanajaya and changed the topic to her previous life and her sisters. Dhanajay said he had not seen her sisters for a long time and they should come over sometime. Geetanjali felt tears in her eyes. She switched the topic to Karan and Anjali. She said that Dhanajaya should let them back in and that the marriage was done and nothing could change it. Dhanajaya suddenly stood up and started to walk away. Geetanjali was scared and followed him, but did not say anything. "Did Shiv put you up to this?" Dhanajaya asked her. Geetanjali was stunned. She had expected the old man to be angry, upset, and scold her, but not this. She could not lie to Dhanajaya, but she also could not implicate Shiv. "Did Shiv ask you to do this?" Dhanajaya repeated. Geetanjali still could not lie to the old man. "I am proud of you, you are an ideal wife and daughter-in-law" he said, patting her on the head. He continued, "When your husband comes, ask him to meet me" and left. Geetanjali was terrified now. She did not know what to do, where to go, how to survive whatever was coming her way. She hated it, hated her life for turning out this way. Shiv, the thought of telling him that she had failed made her shiver. He would never understand that she did her best.

She knew he would never understand that she did her best. She stayed in her room for the whole day, fearing the arrival of her horrible husband. The moment finally arrived, when Shiv came back, he saw Geetanjali sitting on the couch, looking terrified. He realized that she had failed and he was furious. He sat down in front of her and asked her in his cold voice, what happened. She told him everything, crying and stuttering. He got up and left, giving her a deadly glare. Shiv knocked on the door of his grandfather's room. He was invited in and given a seat by Dhanajaya. He sat there quietly, after telling him that Geetanjali had said that Dhanajaya wanted to see him. Dhanajaya thought for a while and then said that he had considered bringing Karan and Anjali back to the family and the house, seeing Shiv's constant attempts. But he had a condition and only if Shiv agreed to fulfil it, would Dhanajaya welcome the youngest Dassanis back. Shiv was doubtful, he knew that his grandfather could get anything he wanted, so why was he asking Shiv in this way. But he decided to hear Dhanajaya's condition. Dhanajaya wanted a grandchild from Shiv and Geetanjali. Shiv felt like he couldn't breathe, he knew that he would have to do it someday, but not like this, forced. And Geetanjali, she would never agree. He knew his wife was only bound to him by a thread of oppression, and there was a limit to how much he could make her do. And he didn't want to make her do it. Thoughts filled his mind. Dhanajaya continued, that if Shiv kept his promise, Dhanajaya would then accept Karan and Anjali and also get them married. Shiv thought that he would have to consummate his marriage sooner or later, because he had been married for three years now and people might start gossiping about them, if they hadn't already. The only problem he could see was Geetanjali, his wife, who was almost impossible to deal with. But he agreed with his grandfather, because if he didn't bring Karan back now, the situation would only get worse.