Aboli

Part 15

"Watch your mouth Chhotey, don't get any wrong ideas!" Randhir chided Parth, who refused to back down. "Dada, she is attracted to you, it has been obvious from day one, even Vidushi knows about it. When you were well aware of how she feels you still let her sleep in your bed all these days, surely you are not looking forward to Raksha bandhan after this!" Parth justified himself. "She is just a confused, maladjusted kid who needs some looking after, that's all! And we all know the backstory of Dad and her mother. Don't start putting wrong notions in her head, I don't want to see her hurt in any way, besides Dad would kill me first if anything happened to her." Randhir warned Parth. 

"All right then, how are you going to get her over you?" Parth posed a very relevant question to his brother. Randhir mulled over it for a couple of minutes. "That should not be hard, she'll will get over things in a few days!" He responded enthusiastically. "What are you planning to do? Hope you are not going to be harsh with her, I think after she began working for you she has become more vulnerable." Parth asked. "Don't be silly, she is just a child, how can I be mean to her? And you will know soon enough! Now let's go down for dinner before we get room service." Randhir put an end to the discussion. He had an idea forming in his head but was unsure of its consequences. Should give it a shot, maybe it will work, his mind told him although his heart did ring out a warning. 

Dinner consisted of cream of mushroom soup and mushy moong dal khichdi. "Hey, this is worth falling ill for again, but it also means a longer workout in the gym!" Randhir complimented Sanyukta on the simple but delectable nosh drizzled with ghee just like he had asked for. "Convey my regards to your mother Mowgli, she has done a great job training you to cook!" Parth told her affectionately. "Actually she only lets me help to keep me from meeting my gang, otherwise she insists that I study rather than invest my time in the kitchen. She is scared that I will end up becoming a wastrel if I hang out with my friends." Sanyukta admitted, and the boys grinned while Vidushi smirked.

"Why don't you hang out with girls instead, surely your mother would not have a problem with that!" Vidushi suggested. "Well, girls my age have their heads filled with romance and dating nonsense, plus they spend way too much time and effort in salons trying to draw attention to themselves, I find that quite trivial. It is liberating to be among boys, they are more outdoorsy, with their interest in sports and biking. Also I don't have to doll up to be accepted, they don't care about my looks!" She admitted candidly. " That's because they hardly notice you are a girl. Some day you will realise that dating and  being wined and dined is better than scrambling up trees. It is charming when a guy pampers you, but how would you know anything about that?" Vidushi winked at Parth as she spoke. 

Vidushi's words changed the mood. Sanyukta did not respond and they finished the rest of their meal in silence. Later, as she drifted off to sleep on his bed, Randhir continued to work on his laptop, responding to mail and brooding over reports. He glanced at her sleeping form and wondered how much she was affected by Vidushi's jibe. Her brash words had made it clear that Vidushi had a low opinion of her. Like other girls in his circles Vidushi was class conscious to a fault, to her Sanyukta's background reflected dependent culture, with no stake in the life of the privileged. Salon and spa treatments, which girls like her regularly indulged in, were beyond the reach of the working class. To Vidushi, Sanyukta's lack of sophistication was a reflection of her modest means . 

The next morning when Randhir came down for breakfast after his workout and shower, the maid told him that Sanyukta had gone home to do some tidying up and would go to work on her own. He guessed what had caused a change in her routine, Vidushi had managed to do what the good-natured Shekhawat boys would have never dreamt of, belittle Sanyukta. For a moment he considered going after her to make up for Vidushi's folly. However, he changed his mind after he realised that being jolted out of her illusions was what she really needed. Vidushi's words could be a powerful negative motivation to help change her outlook. He resolved to take the next step in that direction and reached for his phone to call up someone he knew.