Chapter 20: The deal
Ador, was in a dilemma, to confide in Ita or not... Lastly her head ruled over her heart and she called up Ita.
" Hello Mummam, are you free. Needed to talk. Don't discuss with Papa as of now"
Kir replied from the other end, " Papa here, what's with the secrecy ? "Ador was done for..... she respected her Dad plus felt scared of him. So she blurted out every little detail of the talk between Bali and herself. Kir listened. There was utter silence. Ador thought the call was disconnected. She said, " Papa are you listening? " Kir replied with a "hmm"
He then told Ador to keep her mind towards excellence at work, the rest would be taken care of. He disconnected the call and sat silently, pondering.
When Ita came out of the kitchen with her signature dishes of fish in mustard sauce, and prawns mildly cooked with tender coconut, Kir looked at her and said " your daughter is being carried away by infatuation and we cannot stop her, it seems. "
Ita sat down beside him and heard him out. At that precise moment Gopi called Ita. She asked her if Ita was free in the evening, then both Bali and herself would come for a visit.
Ita had to think of something fast. She suddenly spoke out " Well Madam, Dussehra is approaching, Ador will be back then. If this meeting is related to her, then I believe it would be better that we all meet under the same roof together. My daughter's wish has always been prioritised first, so we will move accordingly. " Gopi said, " But it's about me trying to know you better"
Ita got angry. She said, " If God blesses Ador and Dev in holy matrimony, you surely will know me for the better. Madam, we are people from the hills, simple and straightforward. Kindly do not pester us. It seems my relative is calling me . Bye Madam. " She disconnected the phone.
Ita told Kir," If this cornering goes on, we cannot back out. So once and for all, we will close this Dev chapter. I have a feeling these are influential people, we should stay away from them. Ador is a lovesick fool, she is getting mesmerised over little things. It's us who should be strong. Time will heal all, infatuation or not".
Dussehra or Durga Puja is widely celebrated across India, with grandeur. Ador came back home. In this period of one year of mourning, every night before sleep she used to look at the photo of Dev before sleeping and used to smile sheepishly .
Dev was at Goa, Candolim beach with college friends, Durgesh, Maniraj, Priya and Joy. Waking up late in the morning, spending noon with body massage and full relaxation and night time partying in the night clubs of Goa. Recently he struck a deal with a Government official to the supply of medicines to its wellness centres across the state. This was the reason for his celebrations. He was in such a trance that he did not pick up Gopi or Bali's calls. Bali called Sanjay, his long term accomplice , who had joined coal mafia and was a big name in dealings of underworld transactions. Sanjay too was in Goa, during that time. At 4 am Dev was on a flight to Kolkata. All he was wearing was a casual ganjee and boxer shorts, with a wallet stacked with cash and his boarding pass. His friends were sleeping maybe in the hotel. he had no clue of them. His mobile had died due to battery shortage. He did not know what happened out of a sudden but he understood it must be his dad who wanted to see him urgently. Once he arrived in Kolkata and was of the terminal, there was Adhi waiting for him in the car with a strip of Saridon for headache and water.
Once Dev entered the car, he saw Gopi and Bali. It was 7th day of the festivity, Saptami as Indians call it. He was surprised. He kept low, thinking what lecture was awaiting him. Bali said "U are grown up now, child and am still worried about you. It's time someone else takes over your reigns. Your mom is also too worried because of your tantrums. We have thought about your marriage. We are going to fix your wedding at the earliest. So you were called. What do you think about Ador, the girl with dimples and long hair?"
Dev said, " I have no personal choice or what? Why Ador of all the women out there. Why not her sister Unma? Why not the girl we met 2 weeks ago, Basabdatta? She is fair, soft spoken and her eyes are so so beautiful. ..... I feel like drowning in them." Gopi got a chance to speak, she too agreed and asked Bali, "Why not Basab, they belong to the same social circle like us?"
Bali said " Basab will make you dance to her tunes, she is a girl with very high nose. If she gets to know your weaknesses, then she will leave you come what may. As of Unma, no parents would like their younger daughter get married before the elder daughter. Plus, she too is witty and intelligent. It was difficult for me to coax Ador towards you because Unma had somewhat drawn a bad picture of your personality in front of Ador. I think Ador is very malleable and can fit into our household. Plus she can also adjust to your tantrums. Moreover she can preside over your work when you will be partying around, what say? " and Bali smiled.
Gopi said, " Stop the car Adhi and buy a peppermint pack for Dev" Bali said to the trio, " I will do the talking. Dev you will only smile and Gopi, if you see things are getting tensed, try to ease the situation. Adhi you will remain in the car and attend to phone calls if any."
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