The Astral Alibi (24 page)

His parents had loved Naina. He had seen it in their countenance that evening when he had taken her home after the film. That was a relief in itself. But it was nothing compared to the joy he had experienced when his Boss telephoned him and gave him the best possible news!

“Are you sure about your feelings for her, Jatin?” Sonia had begun.

“Positive! Did you read her horoscope?” he asked eagerly.

“Yes, you can even propose to her tonight if you wish.”

“Oh, thank you, Boss! I’m on my way!”

“Don’t you want to know the details?”

“Later, after the most important deed in my life is done!”

“Jatin, listen…”

But he hadn’t. He hadn’t wanted to hear anything else! He had made a swift call to Naina, telling her to be ready. He had taken her out to a candlelit dinner, while the rain had provided the most idyllic setting outside. And now they were sitting in a park, with just the moon and the feather-light drizzle for company. Tranquillity reigned between them. A comfortable togetherness. No compulsion to converse, no craving to impress. A contented, relaxed atmosphere of complete ease. This is what love is like, he decided.

“Don’t look at the moon!” Naina said suddenly.

“Why ever not?”

“You aren’t supposed to, during Ganapati.”

“That’s only on the first day!” Jatin grinned. “Don’t you know the story behind it? Apparently Ganapati was sitting on a mouse and taking a ride when the moon laughed at him. Because he was so huge and the mouse so small! Ganapati fell off the mouse’s back and was very angry. He told the moon that if anybody looked at him on the first day of Ganesh festival—the day of his birth—that person would be accused of theft!”

“Such a cute story! But is it true?”

“You should’ve tried it out. Looked at the moon on the first day! But I did and I have been accused of stealing!”

“Really?” Naina looked taken aback.

“Yes, I’ve been accused of stealing a heart!”

Jatin took a deep breath, turned in his seat to face Naina, and took her hand in his. She glanced at him shyly. In a flowing blue chiffon Salwar Kameez, with raindrops glistening like diamonds in her long loose hair, she looked resplendent.

“Naina, I’ve tried to make this evening as special as possible. Because I want to ask you something very special. I love you, Naina. I’ve loved you ever since I saw you for the first time in Frenzy.”

The bashful expression on her face rapidly changed to joy.

“Oh, Jatin…” she whispered.

“Will you marry me?” he asked.

“I…don’t know what to say!”

“Say yes!” he insisted.

“But what about Priya
didi
? I have to ask her.”

“Don’t worry about her. I will officially ask her for your hand and I’m sure she will not refuse. Just say that you will be my wife!”

“Yes, I
want
to be your wife! Now and forever! Oh Jatin, you’ve made me so happy!” Naina exclaimed as her eyes welled up with tears.

And Jatin took her in his arms, the umbrella flying away with the wind.

“Boss, she accepted!” Over the phone Jatin sounded as excited as a child.

“She did…You mean you proposed!” Sonia confirmed.

“Yes, I asked her to marry me tonight and she was overjoyed. We went over to her house and we gave Priya the news. Naina was a little apprehensive about her reaction, but fortunately she was happy for us. But she insisted that we have an immediate engagement. Tomorrow, Naina and I are going to Lakshmi Road to buy the rings. She will buy a ring for me and I will buy hers. And then we shall go to the temple. You will have to excuse me tomorrow, Boss. I promise I will make up for it later!”

“Engaged tomorrow? So soon?”

“What’s the point of waiting? We shall have a small family ceremony within a couple of days, but we’ll go and buy the rings at Wadekars as soon as possible.”

“But the Ganesh procession will begin tomorrow, for the immersion ceremony. The roads will be blocked and the shops will be closed.”

“Only after four in the afternoon. And we plan to go around two o’clock since in the morning Mom wishes to meet with Naina. We can finish well in time.”

“Jatin, are you sure?” Sonia asked again.

“Boss, I love Naina. I’m as sure about it as I know my own breath,” Jatin answered seriously.

“Wow!” Sonia sighed. “Well then, all I can say is congratulations and Best of Luck!”

“Thank you, Boss. For everything. And specially for not taking any case during this Ganesh festival.”

“Then you should thank my mother, not me!” Sonia remarked. “As for me, I always did and always will have your good in mind, Jatin. Whatever I do will be with your best interest at heart. Just remember that!”

“I never doubt that.”

“Good. See you tomorrow, then. Goodnight, Jatin.”

“Goodnight, Boss.”

A truckload of people, their clothes and faces smeared with red powder, slowly passed along Lakshmi Road, drumming and rejoicing. The narrow, busy commercial street in the heart of the city was flooded with people. It was the last day of the festival and the Ganesh
Mandals
were winding up and gearing up to stand in the long queue for the immersion of the idols. The ceremony would begin at noon the next day, but all of the previous afternoon and all night hundreds of Ganesh idols would be brought in trucks and carts and chariots amidst fanfare and dancing on beats of the
dhols.
The teeming devotees tirelessly and spiritedly bid goodbye to Lord Ganesh, shouting
“Ganapati Bappa Morya, Pudhchya Varshi Lavkar Yaa”—
Come soon next year! The rain had eased and already the air was thick with dust, haze, and
gulal—
red powder—and the resounding repetitive rhythm of the
dholak.
Some of the shops had closed, but the Wadekars Jewellery House on the ground floor of Lakshmi Road was wide open. Their huge glass windows displayed the choicest and the latest in gold and diamond designer jewellery.

Inside, Jatin and Naina, oblivious to the chaotic sounds of the street, were busy selecting rings. The shop was crowded with customers and a number of salesmen and -women were attending them, turn by turn.

“I like this one.” Naina indicated a single diamond in a plain gold band. She slipped it on and it fit her ring finger perfectly.

“But it’s too simple! And it’s only five thousand rupees!” Jatin protested.

Naina smiled, pleased. “I still like this one.” She observed her hand for a few seconds, then, satisfied, removed the ring and returned it to its purple velvet box.

“All right. Please keep this aside,” Jatin informed the salesman.

“Anything else, Jatinsaheb?” the salesman asked. “You are one of our oldest customers. You can’t certainly wind up with just a ring?”

Jatin turned to his fiancée. “Naina?”

“Oh yes, I want to see other articles. But why don’t you pay for my ring? I still have to select a pair of earrings for Priya
didi.
I’ll pay for your ring and the earrings later,” Naina suggested as she picked up a pair of beautifully studded ear tops. “Aren’t these cute?”

“For Priya
didi
?”

“Of course. She’s done so much for me. I’m going to present her with a lovely gift. How much are they?”

“Only seventy thousand, Madam.” Mr. Wadekar joined them. He was a middle-aged, pot-bellied man in a silk kurta pyjama and gold-rimmed glasses. His sharp eyes swiftly gauged the shopping capacity of the two youngsters.

“Can I try them on?”

“Of course.”

While Naina put on the earrings, commenting on the sparkle of the diamonds, Jatin paid for the ring he’d bought for Naina. Mr. Wadekar went off to make a bill and the salesman took his place again.

“How do they look?” Naina studied herself critically in the mirror.

“Excellent, Madam, they suit your complexion very well,” the salesman offered smoothly.

“Thank you!” Naina smiled at him.

“They look perfect on your face,” Jatin agreed. Then he lowered his voice. “But, Naina, they’re too expensive.”

She nodded at him and whispered, “Don’t worry. I’m a rich girl, Jatin, and I have the money right here in my purse.” She patted her fat handbag. “Can you show me a simple necklace to go with this?” she asked the salesman. “Just a string of simple stones?”

Jatin watched, amazed, as she placed some very expensive diamond studs around her swan-like neck.

“You do look ethereal in diamonds,” he admitted, admiration and love shining in his eyes, and a new respect dawning for her unstinting generosity towards her waspish sister.

“I know. And these are the perfect gifts for Priya
didi,
don’t you think? Oh, I’m so happy! All our lives she has scrimped and saved for me, giving me the best and sacrificing her life for me. Not anymore! This is the only way I can say thank you to her. I’m really so happy!” Her eyes danced and again Jatin decided she was the prettiest girl he knew.

“I’ll have these!” Naina’s mobile squealed a reminder and she glanced at it. “Oh, excuse me. I have to make a phone call.”

While Jatin took a look at some of the other necklaces, Naina quickly dialled a number, listening keenly. Jatin’s mobile rang.

“Boss? What’s up?” he asked, surprised.

“Have you bought the jewels yet?” Sonia’s voice sounded breathless in his ear.

“I’ve bought my ring but Naina is still purchasing a pair of earrings and a necklace for her sister.”

“Where’s Naina?”

“Right here beside me.”

“Jatin, I’d like to help you choose the rings. Do you mind waiting till I come there?”

“Not at all, Boss!” But the confusion on Jatin’s face was obvious.

“Right, I’ll be there in a few minutes. Hang on!” Sonia hung up without further comment.

“Everything all right?” Naina flashed him a quick look.

Jatin nodded. “It’s Boss. She’s coming over to help choose the rings. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that we’ve already made our choice.”

“Jatin, here’s my purse. Will you pay for the earrings and necklace while I…” Suddenly Naina choked and her hand went to her throat. All colour drained from her face as she struggled to breathe.

“What is it!” he exclaimed in instant anxiety, bending over her.

She whispered something, but the roar of drums and shouts from the street seemed to invade the store as more customers trooped into the already overcrowded room. Everyone but Jatin was too occupied to notice anything amiss. But he called frantically to Mr. Wadekar and the salesman, who hastened forward in concern to offer assistance. Immediately, some customers turned in curiosity. Others clustered around them.

“What’s the matter, Jatinji?” Mr. Wadekar inquired solicitously.

“It’s an asthma attack,” Jatin explained to the gathering crowd. “Please, don’t surround her! Make room, please, give her air!”

Naina fumbled with her purse. “The open air!” she gasped, fighting for breath. Her hands dug into her purse and extracted the inhaler. The purse fell open on the floor, a bundle of money sliding out of the open lid. “I need air!” she pleaded.

“Please help,” Jatin appealed to the salesman and Mr. Wadekar.

The salesman at once moved forward to give Naina an arm. “Make way, please, this is an emergency.”

Naina stumbled along with them, threading through the thronging customers, gasping for breath, using the inhaler. Her hand clutched Jatin’s in a painful grasp. They stepped outside and she took in deep, grateful breaths.

The crowds seemed to have multiplied and the air was rife with
gulal
and jostling shoulders. The festive spirit was rampant, and the real immersion ceremony had yet to begin! Jatin realised belatedly that bringing her into the dust-laden outdoors was a huge mistake. The pollution would surely only worsen her condition. He held on to Naina and struggled to keep his feet firmly planted on the ground, swaying with the excited rumble of passersby and worshippers. He had to get Naina away from this street. He had to…In a rush a group of devotees bore down on them, spilling red powder in the air in a whirl of noisy activity. His hand jerked, as someone pushed him hard against the wall. The next instant Naina’s hand was ripped out of his.

Within seconds the crowd swarmed around her, swallowing her up.

“Naina!” he yelled. He spotted her bobbing head as it passed with the tide and he recklessly plunged into the throng.

“Naina!”
His voice was lost amidst the din of the
dholaks
and the
“Ganapati Baapa Morya!”
cries of the people.

Somehow, common sense intruded into his feeling of acute frustration. And he realised that it was useless running after his fiancée. Naina would somehow manage to extract herself from the crowd and return to the jewellery store. It would be sensible for him to retrace his steps and await her return at the shop. But her asthma! He couldn’t expunge the extreme worry which swamped him at the memory of her suffering. What if she couldn’t…? No, he chided himself severely, quelling the rising wave of panic. He had to think positively. He had to believe that she would feel better. And that she would find her way safely back to him.

The crowd thinned suddenly, but even as it did so, another truckload of people appeared round the corner. Jatin hastily stepped aside, dodging people, and doubled back to the shop. Mr. Wadekar and the salesman were waiting for him anxiously.

“Are you all right? Is your friend okay?” Mr. Wadekar inquired.

“I hope so!” Jatin sighed. “Naina seemed to have gotten lost in the crowd somehow.”

Mr. Wadekar and the salesman flashed each other apprehensive glances. The latter handed a purse to Jatin.

“Madam dropped this,” he remarked.

“Thank you.” Jatin accepted the leather handbag.

“I hope she’ll be okay. Now, can we make the bill?” the owner asked.

“I’ve already bought one ring. And there’s another one, and those earrings for seventy thousand. But I think I’d rather wait for my fiancée. I’d just like to confirm her choice for the necklace.”

“All right, Jatinji!” Nodding, Mr. Wadekar moved away again to attend to the other customers.

The dull sounds of the drumming and rejoicing of the enthusiastic devotees rang in his ears…. That moment when Naina’s hand had jerked out of his, he had experienced the worst kind of terror. As if he was never going to see his dear Naina again. As if he was losing her forever! Jatin shook his head frantically, trying to shake off the smothering terror. This was ridiculous, really. She would return any minute. They would pay their bill and return home. And then they had to visit a good Doctor and get her totally cured. He only hoped that right now she was coping with the crowds along with her asthma.