Will She Be Mine (23 page)

“Did the police say something?”

“They can only think of different ways to harass citizens they’re appointed to protect and help. Sometimes I feel we should outsource our governance back to the British. They were better- at least on the administrative front.”

“The sub-inspector who visits our house frequently in connection with the theft has made an offer to father,” Ragini revealed. “He wants a fifty-fifty split for recovering the booty. He explained it’s not a bribe though.”

“That's preposterous!” I found it diabolical in a way. “How can he make such a demand? Wonder why all these people never call it a bribe.”

“Grow up, baby,” Shalini said. “I thought you knew their modus operandi. You should if you're an inhabitant of this land, an educated, intelligent one at that. You should know your rights as a citizen. This is one of those rights- what you can expect from the police force and those who employ them.”

“Assume me to be dumb and elaborate a little, please,” I said testily. There was frankly much for me to learn in terms of practical encounters with corrupt people.

“Doesn’t it ever occur to you that gangs sometimes operate in neighborhoods with somebody’s permission? When cops receive a complaint, they often have an idea which gang might have committed the robbery and hence are able to quickly retrieve the booty- but, for a price sometimes.”

“Horrendous. I did hear of such things before but never believed,” I said. “It sounds like a joke.”

“What did you imagine- that they’re a force of bright, intelligent people who can sniff and locate the criminal at will? Many of them are simply crooks in disguise, dulled by corruption. How can they think? They don't investigate to find out who robbed your house. They sometimes
know in advance
who’ll do it,” she said.

I felt dazed. “So the next time I see a patrol car going past my house, it might mean they’re keeping tabs on residential houses to note which owners have stepped out- to relay the information to their unofficial friends, so that we find the house burgled on our return?”

Brushing back a strand of hair from her forehead Shalini took a deep breath. “Discussing any such topic is like opening a Pandora's Box. Let’s leave it for later. Do you have anything further to say regarding the marriage arrangements?”

“Well- for us, this is our only marriage,” I repeated firmly. “I still think we need to do it the proper traditional way. At the minimum, our parents should be present. It’s an occasion for celebration. There's nothing to hide.”

“
You're right about everything- only my parents don't think that way,” she replied. “Neither are they so broadminded. You already heard what Rags said. If my mother knew who I was marrying she’d think of ingenious ways to stall our marriage and cancel it. You don't know her properly yet. So for the time being, this is the only way if you want to marry me anytime soon. We got to be street smart, baby!” she winked. “For the same reason, my surname would continue to remain Nanda for some more time till we're at peace with everyone on either side of the family divide.”

“And, Shalini Nanda, I suppose you'd also continue staying with your parents?” I threw up my hands. “If nothing will change, what’s the use of such a marriage?”

“A lot of use. First you’ll stop pestering me to marry you and your broken heart will mend. Second, I'll move out of my father's house this weekend,” she revealed. “My parents are okay with that.” She paused dramatically. “As a result, the best change for is that you can move in with me.”

Move in with her! The thought was exhilarating, and intoxicating. I’d always wanted that. Here was an open invitation to realize my dream. Of course, as husband and wife it was natural to live together, but I found it too good to believe. My fortune was at last changing for the better! Ragini clarified the situation further.

“Both your jobs are in Gurgaon, not really in Delhi. That's a fair distance to travel in the kind of traffic jams we have. So Shalini has decided to shift to Gurgaon this Saturday. Everyone in the house is okay with that.”

“That's another reason why I've been so busy and couldn't return your calls,” Shalini added.

I stared at her dumbly.

“I was busy with real estate brokers looking at houses on most evenings after office and on weekends as well,” she explained. “A house takes times to finalize. So you see I haven’t wasted my time.”

I nodded. Renting a house was much quicker these days, but the trips to see the prospective houses were time consuming nonetheless. You wanted to look at the house yourself before entering into a rental lease. I had myself talked to my parents about moving to Gurgaon to save travel time and energy. All the pieces started falling into place now. I looked at her brightly. She’d thought of everything beforehand and was so well organized regarding her approach to life. She was all the
Aurum Metallicum
I’d
ever need in this life.

“Satisfied now?” She asked. “At peace? Have I answered all your questions? If you have some more, ask them quickly, as I may soon get busy with my office again, leaving you feeling bad.”

I sighed. She never did give much choice. But the wait of several years of forced celibacy at Bangalore was finally turning out worth it. I felt thrilled as the significance of the marriage soaked in. Shalini would at last be mine! I’d waited for her with parched lips for so many lives, I thought philosophically. The wait was about to get over.

** The End **

Subir Banerjee is an alumnus of IIT Kanpur from where he did his Bachelor of Technology. While in college, he
co-founded the institute’s newsletter and was on its editorial board for a year until graduation.
Following that, he spent close to two decades in the Information Technology industry before taking to writing full time. He is fond of writing across genres, and has several fiction novels, including one
on nonfiction dealing with alternative therapy, to his credit
.