The Cinderella Of Rewa

3. Vedika

Two Months Later :

Vedika's fingers played with the quilt on her father's bed. Yash Thakur lay in a state of affliction. His health had been deteriorating without any signs of recovery for a few weeks.

"I'm only going to be nineteen papa", Vedika protested.

"Your age haunts me" Yash shook his head, "Speaking of which, I just found out Chaudhary has a son.."

"Papa, please", Vedika said defiantly "We can talk about all this later. You get well first".

"I don't know what's happening to me", Yash said in a defeated tone.

It's all because of that new wife of yours, Vedika wanted to say. But she didn't. Because except for Vedika, nobody else seemed to find Daju Ma vindictive. The new woman had not interfered in her life in any way. She just went about doing her work and had proved to be an ace house woman. She could cook, clean, manage the servants, run the mansion and even had an eye for trade. But Vedika couldn't warm up to her at all.

They spoke only on occasions and Daju Ma's tone was always formal and crisp. Vedika, sometimes wondered whether the woman was really a sorceress and had managed to put a spell on everyone except her.

"Papa just stop this alright?", Vedika said "Haven't I told you we'll talk about this later."

"My health is ailing. I don't want to go without seeing you married", Yash said.

"Nothing will happen to you", Vedika curtly. But the words sounded hollow even to herself. Her father had been a healthy man. He had never had any medical issues. He wasn't exactly old either. There was no reason for him to suddenly fall ill like this. They had the best physicians who had prescribed him medicines but he was not responding.

Vedika knew her father hated lying in bed. A man who had worked all his life and built a whole trade empire just wouldn't be able to lie around doing nothing.

"We both know what's coming Vedika", Yash said impatiently "We should be ready for the worst".

"Okay, stop this", Vedika snapped "Just take some rest. You have high fever".

"Guess who caused it", Yash snapped back.

"Am I interrupting something?".

Lost in their heated moment, the father and daughter hadn't realised that the door had opened and someone had stepped in. Vedika turned and looked at her stepmother. The pallu of her nine yard silk saree followed Daju Ma as she walked up to the duo as a servant came behind her carrying a silver tray with basil leaves, honey, a few other bottles and a herb crushing grindstone.

"Your father needs rest Vedika", Daju Ma said in a horrible sugary voice as the servant placed the tray on the table next to the bed.

Daju Ma picked up the grindstone and started crushing the basil leaves with an effortlessness that was almost eerie. Her long, slender fingers and sharp nails made Vedika feel sick.

She knew Daju Ma was only making a potion for her father but she still felt an unexplainable urge to grab the grindstone from her grip and bang it on her head.

Daju Ma saw her staring and commented, "Why don't you leave? I think your dance teacher is waiting for you in the courtyard".

"I just wanted to talk to father.."

"You leave him alone. I'll see to him".

"But.."

"It's time for your dance class Vedika", Daju Ma said in a tone of finality and flashed her eyes at her. Vedika caught the menace in her gaze and it sent a chill down her spine.

"Go Vedika, we'll talk later", Yash said in a tired voice.

Feeling guilty, Vedika got up from the bed, not taking her eyes off the woman she had been trying so hard not to detest. Daju Ma came after her and shut the door behind her.

As Vedika walked out into the corridor, she heard Daju Ma's muffled voice, "Look, I know you don't like this, but you have to drink this.."

•••                                      

Ganga ran upto Vedika as her dance class ended.

"You won't believe what I heard", she said in a serious voice.

"What?", Vedika asked as she took off her ghungroos. Sometimes she found it difficult to believe that Ganga was more than a decade older than her with an eight year old son Sahil. She behaved like an adolescent.

Ganga was one of the many maids who worked in the Thakurs' mansion. She was also Vedika's closest confidante and friend. Ganga and her son had been thrown into the streets by her in-laws after which she had joined the Thakurs' employment.

"So I was walking down the garden and I saw Suganya with that stable boy..", Ganga began. Vedika smiled. The owners of the house did not provide too much entertainment so the servants only had each other to gossip about.

"Forget about Suganya", Vedika interrupted "Papa asked me again about getting married today".

Gangs forgot what she was saying and looked at Vedika with round eyes, "And?"

"And..I shouted at him".

"The poor man..you should go and apologize to him", Ganga said.

"I was going to..but stepmother dearest came in and shooed me out", Vedika said.

"Okay so go and talk to him now", Ganga said "I've been praying daily to Durga Amma for Yash saab's health. Kali Yug will not see a man like him again. God knows where me and Sahil would've been if he hadn't given me a job. And did he really ask..", Ganga stopped abruptly.

Vedika knew what it was. She looked up and saw Sonakshi and Madhuri standing behind a pillar, looking at her. The two girls saw her staring and hurried away in the opposite direction.

"And I thought we could be great sisters", Vedika mumbled. Since the day, they had stepped into the house Vedika had not had a proper conversation with her step sisters. She had found out that though they were of the same age, they had almost nothing in common. Sometimes she just found them lurking behind pillars, pointing at her and giggling like five year olds.

"Why do you need other sisters when I am here?", Ganga said indulgently. 

"Gangu..what would I do without you?", Vedika said.

"Nothing", Ganga laughed "Now go and talk to sahib. Go".

•••                                    

Vedika gently pushed open her father's bedroom door. Daju Ma was fortunately not around. Yash lay on the bed.

"Papa sorry...", she said abruptly. She had never been good at articulating emotions. Yash did not reply.

"Okay I will really start seeing prospective grooms after a few days. Is that alright?", Vedika spoked to the room at large.

The sound of the wind outside was the only response she received. The lamp near the bed flickered out leaving Vedika in darkness.

Vedika fumbled over to the bed and shook her father's arm, "Papa, I'm talking to you". The man did not move. His body felt stiff and cold.

It was only then that it occurred to Vedika that she had become an orphan.