The Cinderella Of Rewa

4. Nakul

"Look what your bhai has brought you...", Akshat dropped a beautiful pearl necklace on Nakul's lap.

Nakul looked up at his older brother, puzzled.

"It's a gift from Komolika's women", Akshat grinned.

Nakul sucked in his breath. Komolika was the notorious central figure of Rewa's red light area. She ran the most popular brothel in the city and made heaps of money out of it. Many of the rich men in Rewa were her clients and she was as wealthy as most of the businessmen in the city.

"Bhaiya I told you, you should stop going there.." Nakul mumbled.

"Oh shut up. Next time you come with me too.. I'll show you a different world", Akshat winked.

When Nakul continued to look dismayed Akshat leaned over and patted his younger brother's arm, "Don't look so upset. How long will you keep living like this Nakul? You are not a kid. Take my advice and come with me to Komolika's place next time. When you die and go to heaven, Yamraj should not ask you what you did with your most important organ".

"Father won't like the way your speaking", Nakul said.

Akshat looked at him for a second before he burst out laughing, "Oh as if our father has always been an old man. Don't tell me!"

"Bhaiya it is a sin to go to a house of pleasure", Nakul protested.

"We live in a city of sin Nakul", Akshat shrugged, "Here the powerful will always win and the weak will always suffer. There is no right and no wrong. Enjoyment is a rarity and we might as well have fun while we can".

"You call Rewa, a city of sin bhai?", Nakul asked "I don't think so. Have you seen how the beautiful Bischya river flows through the length of the entire city? Have you seen the divine Kaimur mountains protecting us? It is the people of Rewa who are sinful bhai, not the city".

Akshat sighed, "Okay fine, great scholar", he snapped, "Have your way. Sit here and keep writing poetry. Or even better, take sanyas and go to the Himalayas."

Nakul ignored the slight, "Bhai, Samarth has been looking for you since yesterday", he said.

"Oh what does that old man want now?", Akshat asked irritably.

"He is our teacher bhai. Don't talk about him like that", Nakul said.

Akshat rolled his eyes, "Teacher indeed. All he does is recite stupid theories and bore the life of out us. Don't know why the man is still hovering around here. Never got married either! But think about it..who would marry a bastard like him? And by the way...has father cracked the deal with those men from Nagpur?"

"No bhai", Nakul said "The men our father sent to negotiate with them, failed miserably".

"Sons of bitches", Akshat murmured "We'll be doomed because of these fools. I'm telling you Nakul, when the business comes into my hands, I will get rid of all these useless fellows. Only the best of the best will work for the Mittals. And people will shiver when they hear the name Akshat. Everyone will fear us".

"Fear is not the same as respect bhai", Nakul said "I want people to respect and trust us. Another human's faith is the best thing a human can earn in his lifetime".

Akshat guffawed, "Samarth told you that, didn't he? Do one thing. Both of you join together and open an ashram. Sit there and give all these speeches. There will be plenty of fools willing to listen to you".

Nakul frowned. There was no use talking to his brother. He stood silently. Akshat freshened up and went off to have his meal, without another word.

Nakul wondered where his brother's atrocities would lead him to. Or maybe, his brother was right. Maybe that was how one had to be and he, Nakul was the idiot. His moral theories probably weren't going to get him anywhere. But then why did they teach those things? Nakul felt he would go insane.

The only thing that cheered him up was the hope of meeting Vedika again. In his head, he had already replayed a thousand times, that one moment when she had looked at him.

He wished he had a life like Vedika's. Two sisters for company and a mother who came along with them to places. Nakul couldn't remember a time when his mother, his brother and he had gone somewhere together. And more than that, Nakul was envious of Vedika's father. The man was truly one in a million. One wouldn't need anything else in life, as long as they had a father like that.

Vedika was truly lucky.