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Authors: Shobhan Bantwal
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private properties she’d traveled through had attached itself to her sari. When she trembled he sat down beside her and patted her arm. “Calm down, Megha.”
She shifted away from him. “I must smell awful, Kiran.”
“You don’t. You probably feel that way because you’ve been walking through some rough neighborhoods to get here.” He must have seen how she sat warily on the edge of the couch or perhaps noticed the apprehension in her eyes because he said, “Relax, Megha, and sit comfortably. You’re safe here and you don’t have to go back.”
“You won’t let them kill me?” Despite his smooth assurances Megha was still suspicious.
He nodded and smiled a little, offering her a glimmer of encouragement. “I promise. I knew they were planning something. I heard them discussing it earlier. When you and my cousins were playing cards in the kitchen I was in the master bedroom at your house. I was pretending to read the newspaper while the rest of the men went for their forced walk.” He stopped then, seemingly trying to gather his thoughts.
“I had a hunch Amma was up to something. She made it sound harmless enough while she discussed it with my mother and my aunt, but this defies reality.” He still seemed dismayed. “I didn’t think it was this bad. I thought it involved packing you off to your parents and then getting Suresh to divorce you. I even heard Amma mention big words like breach of contract and infertility.”
“I thought she might have been considering divorce, too,” said Megha, “especially after I disobeyed her and helped our Muslim neighbors.”
“Although I should have—” As he stopped in mid-sentence Megha’s head bobbed up instantly, her eyes posing a mute question. Kiran raked a thoughtful hand through his hair. “Damn, I should have guessed!”
She stared at him. “Guessed what?”
“Several weeks ago, I found some literature on bride-burning in Amma’s bag,” Kiran said.
“Amma’s bag!”
“She forgot her shopping bag at my parents’ house and I was asked to return it to her. Curiosity made me look in the bag. It had all kinds of articles on national and regional statistics and about how no arrests are ever made because of lack of evidence and how the police usually look the other way when offered substantial bribes. It even had information on the unique ways people dispose of the bodies so no one can guess what happened to the brides who disappear mysteriously.”
“You didn’t think it was strange that Amma was reading such bizarre things?”
“It was very puzzling, but I didn’t understand the purpose at the time, so I dismissed it from my mind. The articles were printouts from the Internet.”
Megha frowned. “But there’s no computer at home.”
“She probably went to a cyber café or some such place to do her research. I should have suspected something then, but I didn’t put two and two together, never thought my aunt could be that evil.” His expression was bitter. “Even a little while ago, I thought of every possible thing that could have happened to you, but I never wanted to believe my aunt and cousin could have tried to kill you. I guess I was wrong.”
At hearing his chilling words Megha shivered once again. “We were both wrong.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t rescue you from them earlier, Megha.”
Something in Kiran’s expression let loose the emotions within her. Despite her efforts to rein them in, she couldn’t help bursting into tears. Kiran offered her a handkerchief then sat quietly, letting her cry as long as she wanted. All he did was pat her hand occasionally and say, “I’m sorry.” When the sobs finally turned to mere sniffles, he looked at her. “You must be exhausted and hungry. Would you like something to drink or eat?”
She shook her head. How could he think about food at a time like this? Didn’t he understand the gravity of her situation? “I would have been dead by now, Kiran. They were going to tie
She shifted away from him. “I must smell awful, Kiran.”
“You don’t. You probably feel that way because you’ve been walking through some rough neighborhoods to get here.” He must have seen how she sat warily on the edge of the couch or perhaps noticed the apprehension in her eyes because he said, “Relax, Megha, and sit comfortably. You’re safe here and you don’t have to go back.”
“You won’t let them kill me?” Despite his smooth assurances Megha was still suspicious.
He nodded and smiled a little, offering her a glimmer of encouragement. “I promise. I knew they were planning something. I heard them discussing it earlier. When you and my cousins were playing cards in the kitchen I was in the master bedroom at your house. I was pretending to read the newspaper while the rest of the men went for their forced walk.” He stopped then, seemingly trying to gather his thoughts.
“I had a hunch Amma was up to something. She made it sound harmless enough while she discussed it with my mother and my aunt, but this defies reality.” He still seemed dismayed. “I didn’t think it was this bad. I thought it involved packing you off to your parents and then getting Suresh to divorce you. I even heard Amma mention big words like breach of contract and infertility.”
“I thought she might have been considering divorce, too,” said Megha, “especially after I disobeyed her and helped our Muslim neighbors.”
“Although I should have—” As he stopped in mid-sentence Megha’s head bobbed up instantly, her eyes posing a mute question. Kiran raked a thoughtful hand through his hair. “Damn, I should have guessed!”
She stared at him. “Guessed what?”
“Several weeks ago, I found some literature on bride-burning in Amma’s bag,” Kiran said.
“Amma’s bag!”
“She forgot her shopping bag at my parents’ house and I was asked to return it to her. Curiosity made me look in the bag. It had all kinds of articles on national and regional statistics and about how no arrests are ever made because of lack of evidence and how the police usually look the other way when offered substantial bribes. It even had information on the unique ways people dispose of the bodies so no one can guess what happened to the brides who disappear mysteriously.”
“You didn’t think it was strange that Amma was reading such bizarre things?”
“It was very puzzling, but I didn’t understand the purpose at the time, so I dismissed it from my mind. The articles were printouts from the Internet.”
Megha frowned. “But there’s no computer at home.”
“She probably went to a cyber café or some such place to do her research. I should have suspected something then, but I didn’t put two and two together, never thought my aunt could be that evil.” His expression was bitter. “Even a little while ago, I thought of every possible thing that could have happened to you, but I never wanted to believe my aunt and cousin could have tried to kill you. I guess I was wrong.”
At hearing his chilling words Megha shivered once again. “We were both wrong.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t rescue you from them earlier, Megha.”
Something in Kiran’s expression let loose the emotions within her. Despite her efforts to rein them in, she couldn’t help bursting into tears. Kiran offered her a handkerchief then sat quietly, letting her cry as long as she wanted. All he did was pat her hand occasionally and say, “I’m sorry.” When the sobs finally turned to mere sniffles, he looked at her. “You must be exhausted and hungry. Would you like something to drink or eat?”
She shook her head. How could he think about food at a time like this? Didn’t he understand the gravity of her situation? “I would have been dead by now, Kiran. They were going to tie
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