Chương 5: The Vows He Made

uhasini’s bedroom door was ajar as she stood on a wooden stool holding a nail and a hammer and staring at the white wall. Next to her, on the bed was kept a beautiful scenic photo of the famous ‘The Rialto Bridge’ spanning the Grand Canal of Venice. She carefully marked the wall and then cautiously took the hammer to it. As careful as Suhasini was she had completely missed the wobbly third leg of the stool.

She bent a little, hammering the nail and the stool below wobbled more and more. The nail was almost done while the stool had tilted forward bearing Suhasini’s weight; she was about to fall! But completely unaware of it Suhasini turned to pick up the painting when to Suhasini’s shock the stool slipped from under her.

Suhasni’s eyes went wide and a muffled scream escaped her mouth as she realized that she was falling. With a thumping sound Suhasini fell, her eyelids squeezed in fear when she sensed something unusual. She felt no pain, the floor beneath her was not hard instead she felt something strong and warm beneath her. Surprised, she opened her eyes and her gaze was met by brown authoritative eyes of Nihaal. He had interrupted Suhasini’s fall and caught her in his arms.

Suhasini eyes moved from his eyes to his slightly thick but smart nose and the thick lips. The sharp jawline had a stabbing effect on Suhasini while for some reason she felt safe in his arms. She looked at Nihaal once again and saw an awkwardness in his eyes, his attractive lips twitched slightly as if he was unsure of what to do next. Suhasini too felt the air get tense between the two and tried to jump off from Nihaal’s arms. Nihaal acting fast, kept her down as Suhasini quickly picked up her duppata and covered her small but perky breasts. Nihaal awkwardly cleared his throat, ‘I am sorry that I didn’t knock before entering the room’, he said.

‘Thank god, you didn’t knock!’ said Suhasini.

Nihaal looked surprised and she then made it clear, ‘I mean, if you would have waited to knock, I would have fallen on the floor.’

Nihaal couldn’t stop from a smile appearing on his face even though both felt the awkwardness. ‘And why were you doing it anyway? Didn’t Mohan fix the nail for you?’, he asked.

‘No…it’s not Mohan’s fault. I didn’t ask for his help, I like to do my work myself’, Suhasini replied.

Nihaal didn’t respond but there was a flicker of admiration in his eyes, ‘Ms. Suhasini, I came to thank you for Mohan told me how deftly you handled Madhavi. In fact, it is a surprise for all of us that she let you tend her wound because usually…’

Suhasini interrupted, ‘I did no miracle Mr. Nihaal, children are not difficult, they are just innocent little humans and we need to appeal to their innocence and everything will be fine’, she smiled.

Nihaal nodded in agreement, ‘Well, I also came to invite you to join me for the evening tea in the Garden, if you may please’.

‘Sure, Mr. Nihaal, it’ll be a pleasure.’

Nihaal looked pleased.

*****

Sudha rolled out a beautifully carved wooden dinner wagon to the garden in the evening while Suhasini sat admiring the garden. It was full of roses, Dahlias, primroses, Petunias in shades of pinks and purples. While the corners of the gardens had different colors of Bougainvilleas. The grass was soft, trimmed and lush green and the set of wrought iron chairs and a center table complimented the surroundings.

‘Oh I am so sorry Ms. Suhasini for being late, a phone call came just as I was coming out of the drawing room’, said Nihaal. Suhasini turned her head to him and it felt like time stopped for her. Nihaal looked gorgeous in a bright mustard color kurta and a white pajama. His shoulders looked broader and his hands looked stronger than what Suhasini had felt when he had stopped her from falling. His stride was majestic and Suhasini felt her heart sinking until she reprimanded herself and managed a polite reply, ‘that’s alright Mr. Nihaal. I was just chatting with Sudha.’ Nihaal nodded and sat as Sudha offered them both their tea and quietly left.

‘Your garden is very beautiful’, said Suhasini to break the silence.

‘Yes, it is! It is exactly how Rani had first planted it’, he said.

‘Rani?’, asked Suhasini.

‘My wife, Rani’, said Nihaal with a mix of sadness and love in his eyes. ‘She had planted those flowers when the mansion was made and I haven’t changed a thing’, he added.

‘Rani's Mansion!’ muttered Suhasini as she smiled, ‘is this why your mansion is called Rani’s mansion, she asked fondly.

‘Yes, this mansion was Rani’s dream! I still remember vividly how she would come every day when the house was being built and spend hours here.’

‘It’s beautiful’, said Suhasini.

‘But my only regret is that Rani didn’t get to live in this house for long, she left this house, us, too soon’, said Nihaal with a hoarse voice.

‘I am sorry, Mr. Nihaal.’

‘Don’t be! Rani might not be present physically, but she is very much alive in my heart. She lives on in my memories, I cherish her in every bud that blooms in her garden. I see her in every crevice of her beloved mansion. And as I had promised her, she will live on in me forever’, said Nihaal as he had a faraway look in his eyes, a strange peace spread over his face.

Suhasini watched him in awe when Madhavi’s words distracted her, ‘Princess Suha, will you please make me ready for dinner? I don’t want Sudha to do it’, she had said as she stood with a doll. Suhasini and Nihaal both smiled at her, ‘yes, of course I will get you ready for dinner my dear’, Suhasini had said and gotten up. Madhavi took her hand and chattily started to take Suhasini away when she looked back at Nihaal and wondered how much a man can love his wife? To keep the vows, he made even after her death!

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