Prithvi... [Volume 4]

Chapter 97

On hearing the disconnected tone, Nandini cut the call and looked worriedly at the phone. It had been distressing to hear the stark fear in the elderly woman's voice. Clutching the instrument, she closed her eyes and prayed hard for Mr Bhargava's recovery. Images of her parents whizzed through her mind, as they habitually did during such situations. A tiny voice accusingly pointed out that her desire to spend more time with Prithvi had been granted. As remorse joined anxiety, she earnestly promised the Gods that she would be more careful while making wishes.

Rustling noises broke her concentration. She opened her eyes and looked around the empty room, then walked to the door that opened to the living room.

She'd not glanced around the hall while bringing Manisha inside. The room in front of her was congested with large pieces of furniture. Some papers lay alongside boxes that held clothes. A room at the opposite side of the hall appeared to be the office. Stairs that led to the first floor were to the right of that room.

In a corner of this untidy space, Lakshman Upadhyay was going through a sheaf of papers.

Nandini vacillated, unsure of what she should do next. She wanted to go out of the room and see Prithvi. She had to tell him about Mrs Bhargava's call. But she mainly wanted to see him because she'd felt troubled by his demeanour. Underneath the anger, something was gnawing at him....

"You're the girl who came with him."

Nudged out of her ruminations, she looked at Mr Upadhyay. He was peering at her in a friendly manner.

She nodded diffidently and walked towards him.

"You can tell me then. The woman he is looking for - is she a close relative of his? Maybe his mother?" he asked.

Nandini halted in the middle of the room, near the main door. She wasn't sure if she ought to offer information that Prithvi hadn't volunteered. But the gentleman had a trustworthy look, and he seemed anxious.

"Yes, she's his mother," she confirmed.

He groaned, and turned away to start going through the folders in the room in a haphazard fashion. "My wife was right. I really shouldn't have said it. I'm confident she has never stayed in this ashram. But to verify, I asked for particulars. He revealed she had very little money on her. And I said – you see, I was angry and upset about what happened," he explained remorsefully, before sadly continuing, "Without thinking, I said it would be better if he abandons the search and doesn't find out the fate of that lady. Because if a woman who has a house and land in her name can be treated like rubbish, a young, penniless female would have been ripped into bits within hours of being on the street. He didn't respond. Just walked out of the room. And my wife got angry," he added mournfully as he picked up a couple of files from the middle shelf of a showcase. "She asked me to examine the papers lying here while she goes through the records in the office."

Nandini stood motionless.

She thought of the battered woman upstairs, and then remembered the stunning woman whose photos she had seen. The astoundingly gorgeous Priyamvada...

"Where is he?" Nandini asked faintly, appalled by the mental imagery Mr Upadhyay's words had whipped up. If they had affected her like this, she couldn't fathom the impact on Prithvi.

"Outside. On the phone," Mr Upadhyay replied as he checked a bunch of papers. "He wanted us to file a police complaint immediately. But we explained its futility. He got irritated and said we shouldn't run this ashram if we couldn't protect the women," he said serenely.