Yakshagni - An odyssey of unbroken devotion - II

20) The Warning Whispers

Dharma was surprised by the summons from Rashika. What she didn't expect though was the other woman's scathing attack on her.

"Oh, you have consented to come to the office today? Should I be pleased or honoured?"

Dharma regarded Rashika's flushed face with perplexed eyes, "I come every day to the office."

Dharma's dignified composure provoked Rashika further. "So, where were you the last few days? Did you take permission from me for leave?"

"I was in Modhera officially. I thought you knew that I was going there with Mitali and Nikhil," Dharma frowned at Rashika's displeasure.

"You thought? Really? You are supposed to inform me before taking off to some wild town," Rashika rebuked, running her eyes over Dharma. This was the first time that she was actually taking note of Dharma. She pondered what attracted Maurya to this tramp.

"Sorry, I assumed that Sonia would have..."

Rashika interrupted, "I am your boss, not Sonia."

"Right! Next time, I will certainly inform you," Dharma replied, observing Rashika's long open hair, her light eyes and the immaculate outfit.

"There will be no next time if the fashion show flops. You will be out of Index the minute the show does not meet our expectations," Rashika blustered, her resentment apparent to Dharma.

"Yes, ma'am!" she complied and marched back to the door but Rashika's next words made her pause in her steps.

"And stay away from Maurya."

Dharma viewed Rashika thoughtfully. Rashika feigned to concentrate on the file in front of her.

"Don't you trust your fiancé?" Dharma's soft query enraged Rashika and her face shot up.

"It is women like you that I don't trust," Rashika snarled.

"Women like me? Care to explain?"

"No, I don't have to explain anything to you. Get out of my office."

Dharma's wilful spirit did not allow her to retreat quietly.

"Fine by me. But next time, before you point your finger at women like me, have a word with your fiancé first," Dharma's retort managed to wipe off that self-righteous look from Rashika's face.

Rashika stood up violently, and for a moment Dharma thought Rashika would assault her physically.

"What do you think of yourself, you desperate woman? And what do you mean by alleging that I should ask my fiancé first?" Rashika's face took on an ugly expression and Dharma balked from the venom she espied in the other woman's eyes.

"I don't have to explain anything to you," mustering courage, Dharma walked out of the office.

She expected Rashika to barge into her work room anytime and fire her, but Rashika did not make an appearance and Dharma heaved a sigh of relief as the day drew to an end.

On her way to the hostel that evening, Dharma mulled over Rashika's warning to stay away from Maurya. Why did Rashika think that she needed to be warned? Had Maurya conveyed something godawful about Dharma to Rashika? If so, Dharma was angrier with Maurya than with his fiancée.

Beleaguered at the unfairness of life, that tended to put her in a spot without any provocation, an indignant Dharma strode to the hostel. She noticed that the spell of Spring had faded and a warm cloak of aromatic air surrounded her. The zephyr carried the sweet-smelling fragrance of tender mangoes. At once, Dharma was reminded of Parijatpur where the heady fragrance of Coral jasmine flowers left one with imperceptible longings. Coral jasmine flowers, also called the night-flowering jasmine bloomed only at night. According to folklore, a princess called Parijataka was in love with the Sun and she tried to win his heart but the Sun rejected her and she committed suicide. A tree sprung from her ashes. Unable to stand the sight of the Sun, the tree flowers only at night and sheds them like tear drops before the Sun rises. Hence, it was also called the sad tree or tree of sorrow. Sighing, Dharma wondered what made her ruminate about those flowers. It was probably the shifting seasons and the balmy night.