"Randhir, have you been drinking? Because you sound like you are!" Vidushi was not surprised to hear him sound a little tipsy.
"That's right! I'm not drunk yet, though I was planning to. What else can one do on a weekend inside an empty apartment? Everyone else I know is either getting laid or trying hard to. Don't worry, I am home by myself, being faithful to your best friend. And I have a warm pizza to keep me company to compensate for my cold bed!" Randhir could not help but announce his state of mind for his sister's benefit.
"Shut up, will you? Stop sounding so dramatically bitter! Sometimes I think men must think with their loins rather than their brains!" Vidushi retorted.
"Did I tell you that your best friend has offered me her unconditional support to sleep around if I become desperate? Wait, not unconditional, her only wish is that I should not share any details about my philandering with her. That makes me one lucky husband, don't you think?" Randhir hoped that his sister would understand his internal turmoil.
"Yes, she did mention it, and I told her she had lost her mind. So brother, have you begun to exercise the freedom she has so graciously granted you?" Vidushi already knew the answer. She knew Randhir better than anyone else did, and the siblings never kept secrets from each other.
"I would love to, but Jiminy Cricket lives rent free inside my conscience, he won't let me stray. Maybe I was a black vulture in my previous birth and Sanyu was my mate then. And our pair-bonding has extended to this lifetime too. But I did tell her that she too can have friends with benefits if she wants, I may owe her that courtesy in the interest of reciprocity." He sighed audibly.
"Look Randhir, let's just cut short the hyperbole! I am worried because while you may merely be sexually frustrated, Sanyu has retracted into her shell because she feels guilty for letting you down. She has lost weight since the time I met her in Kolkata. It seems you are too busy to talk to her, she says you only leave her messages or replies. What's wrong? Get a grip, will you?" Vidushi was not comfortable with the frost that was separating her brother from his wife.
"Why did you not tell me about this earlier? She's my wife, for crying out loud! So what if she has been acting weird off late!" Randhir sound annoyed and anxious at the same time.
"It took a lot of prodding to get it out of her! I didn't want to bother her earlier because she was busy with her final semester exams. I think she has been dealing with so much stress it has affected her physically. When her period was delayed she assumed that she was pregnant again. Mercifully the test turned out to be negative. She is paranoid about getting pregnant and having to abort again, I think that is a strong unspoken reason why she wants to stay away from you until your marriage is out in the open."
"I got her to run some tests. The doctor said her symptoms point toward a hormonal imbalance, which in turn explains her depression. Try and understand, she needs to heal. I did not tell you anything earlier because I know you'll worry!" Vidushi knew she had to handle the issue gently. Any aggravation could affect the already strained relationship between her brother and her best friend.
When Vidushi had spoken to Randhir after he returned to New York she intuitively sensed that there was trouble in paradise. Randhir was obviously upset about Sanyukta's change of plans for the near future. Instead of moving to New York to be with him she had accepted the position of a management intern at the Shekhawat's ancestral mansion which had been converted to a heritage hotel. Vidushi could imagine her brother's agony at the prospect of being away from Sanyukta. Although a part of it had to do with the loss of physical intimacy Vidushi knew her brother was not that shallow, he was simply finding it difficult to deal with at an emotional level. The winter in New York had been lonely without his significant other.
"The abortion left really deep scars on her mind. It made her painfully aware that it was the loss of her pregnancy that made Dadu arrange your wedding. Yet it did not confer on her the status of a legitimate wife. For someone who was brought up in a conservative home this lack of validity must take a toll unwittingly. Even if Sanyu moved in with you every time Mom visits New York she will have to leave the apartment to conceal her presence in your life. Instead she chose to enter into our ancestral home legitimately, without anyone raising an objection." Vidushi tried to make Randhir see reason.
"She is supposed to move in there as my bride, not as a paid employee. Can you imagine her clocking in and clocking out daily and slogging it out in a uniform all day? Employees are governed by protocol- she'll have to eat with the staff while we dine at the family table. I cannot reason with that stubborn woman, and it is annoying me to no end!" Randhir unburdened.
"Look brother, whether you keep her hidden under a rock like you had planned to, or are ready to make the big revelation, Mom is unlikely to welcome her with open arms. At least let Sanyu have the chance to prove her professional capability. I think we owe her a chance to try and do what she is eager to. And I have an idea that will give her a creative outlet. I am planning to launch an atelier and designer boutique in our haveli, and Sanyu will be my partner. She can easily handle the additional responsibility. It will also set her apart from the other employees. I discussed it with Mom already, and she is ok with the idea. We are going to call the venture The Tamarind Bough and we'll site it where the old karkhana used to be." Vidushi sounded excited as she shared her plans. It had been her ardent desire to follow into the footsteps of an enterprising duo of women among her ancestors who had defied Rajput convention to set up a successful design studio a long time ago.
"No Vidushi, her health is likely to suffer due to all this exertion. You said she looks unwell. I had imagined her to be a strong-willed girl but now I am beginning to have doubts. Being inside the haveli and yet having to remain distant, do you honestly think she can cope with the pressure?" The caring husband in him was back. Vidushi smiled to herself.
"All she needs is your approval and support. If you want her to be happy just give her a go ahead! With my creative and her management skills I think we can build a credible business together. If we do well Sanyu will have earned her own place as an entrepreneur. And you can speed things up by qualifying at the CAT and moving back here to do your MBA rather than waste precious time and money waiting for Ivy League to open their doors for you. I am not kidding, just think how it will be a win win situation for all of us! Sanyu and you don't have to wait around for another decade to start a family. And I will have you near to advise me on financial matters!" Vidushi had been waiting to plant the idea in his head.
"You know Mom will go ballistic at even the mention of anything short of Ivy League. She'll never forgive me if I let her down!" Randhir sounded pensive.
"You've already opened Pandora's box by marrying Sanyu secretly. Just try hard to get into one of the top IIMs, then you can easily defend your decision to study at a B-school in India. I know you can crack it with just a few months of prep. And even Mom defied Dadu by choosing to study at IIM whereas he wanted her to go to London Business School. She even went a step further when she married Dad against her wishes. Ironically she does not want you to grant that freedom. I think she is just trying to fulfil Dadu's shelved dream of a European or an American degree by getting you to replace her." Vidushi wondered if her brother could be convinced.
"Well, if I crack the CAT only then will we need to cross that bridge. If I do I could always do an executive program from an Ivy League college later if she still insists. I'll surely think about this, my only worry is that Mom may blame Sanyu later for any change of plans I make in my career graph." Randhir had a point there.
"And the world thinks rich kids don't have any problems in life! Bro, I need to reach out to Sanyu now, will call you with updates. Promise me you'll sleep over the idea. And don't use alcohol to compensate for a cold bed. You have to work on chalking out Plan B starting now! Ciao, love you as much as salt!!" Vidushi felt content as she hung up. She had done something good that day, and she owed it to the two people she was so close to.
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