One day, when Begum Sahiba had a headache, she told the maid, ‘Go and call Mirza Sahib. He must fetch medicine from the hakim for me. Run, hurry up.’ When the maid went to convey the message to Mirza he said, ‘Go, I’m coming.’ Begum Sahiba was not in the mood to wait. She simply couldn’t take it that while she had a headache her husband continued to play chess. Her face blazed in anger. She ordered the maid, ‘Go and tell him to come this moment, otherwise I’ll go to the hakim alone.’ The game had taken a critical turn. Just two steps and he was going to checkmate Mir. He got annoyed and said, ‘Is she on the verge of death that she can’t wait a moment? Does the hakim have a magic wand to make the headache disappear?’
Mir said, ‘Why don’t you go and listen to what she has to say? Women are delicate creatures.’
‘Of course, you’d surely like me to go. Just two manoeuvres and you’re checkmated!’
‘Sir, don’t be so confident. I’ve thought of a move that’ll checkmate you even while your pieces stay where they are. But go, hear her out. Why do you want to hurt her feelings needlessly?’
‘Then I’ll go only after defeating you.’
‘I won’t play. Just go and hear her out.’
‘Come on, I’ll have to go the hakim. She doesn’t have a headache. It’s just a trick to trouble me.’
‘Whatever it is, you must do it for her sake.’
‘All right. Let me play one more move.’
‘Certainly not! As long as you don’t go and listen to her I won’t even touch the pawns.’
Left with no choice, Mirza went in to face Begum Sahiba. She groaned as she said, ‘You love this cursed chess so much that you don’t care even when somebody is dying. Is it a game or my rival? God forbid there’s anyone like you!’
‘What can I do? Mir Sahib wouldn’t let me go. I had to try hard to get rid of him.’
‘Does he think everyone else is as worthless as him? He also has a family and children, does he not? Or has he got rid of them?’
‘The fellow is an addict. When he comes over I cannot but play with him.’
‘Why don’t you shoo him away like a dog?’
‘Subhanallah! He’s my equal in society. In fact, he’s two steps ahead of me in age and status. I have to show respect.’
‘Then I’ll shoo him away. If he feels bad, let him. As if he provides us with our daily bread. I have to protect my husband. Hariya1, go bring the chess board from outside. Tell Mir Sahib that master won’t play any more. He may leave.’
‘Come on, don’t be so rude. Do you want to defame me? Stop, Hariya, don’t run like a stupid woman.’
‘Why don’t you let her go? You’ll see me dead if you stop her. Fine, you’ve stopped her. Stop me if you can.’
She stormed out of the room in a rage. Mirza turned pale. Mist gathered before his eyes. He began to plead with his wife, ‘In the name of the martyr of Karbala2, you’ll see my dead face if you go there.’ The begum didn’t pay any heed to him. She went up to the door of the drawing room but all of a sudden she stopped in her tracks, feeling embarrassed to go in front of a stranger, a na-mehram. She peered into the room, which was empty now.
Mir had shifted the positions of one or two pawns, as he was wont to do, and had gone out and was pacing the courtyard. Begum Sahiba had her wish fulfilled. She went inside and upturned the chessboard, threw some of the pieces under the settee and some outside. Then she bolted the door from inside. Mir was at the door. He saw the pieces being flung out and also heard the jingle of bangles. When the door was banged shut he realized that Begum Sahiba was in a temper. He slunk away from the scene and made for his home.
Mirza said, ‘What a disgrace!’
Begum Sahiba was unfazed. ‘Now if the fellow comes here again, I’ll have him turned out. Does he think it’s a guesthouse? If he had shown such devotion to God he’d have become a saint by now. You go on playing chess and expect me to wear myself out grinding and cooking? You think I’m a slave? Are you going to the hakim right now or not?’
Mirza left the house. However, instead of going to the hakim he went to Mir’s home and told him the whole story.
Mir said, ‘I could guess when I saw the chess pieces being flung out. I fled! She seems to fly off the handle. You have really given her a long rope, this is not proper. How does it concern her what you do outside? It’s her duty to keep the house in order.’
‘Anyway, where shall we meet now?’ Mirza asked.
‘That’s no problem!’ Mir reassured his friend. ‘My house is big enough. We can have our sessions here.’
‘But how shall I convince Begum Sahiba? She flew into a rage when I played at home; if I start coming here she’ll surely kill me.’
‘Let her babble. She’ll come around in a couple of days. But you should show some backbone.’2
For some unknown reason Mir’s begum had always preferred him to stay away from home. Therefore, she never showed any displeasure towards his means of entertainment. On the contrary, if he ever got late for chess or was in two minds, she made sure to remind him about it and would in fact encourage him to go. Because of this Mir was under the delusion that his wife was gentle, forbearing and faithful. But when the sessions started happening in the drawing room of their house and Mir spent the entire day at home, she felt that her freedom had been severely curtailed and so was deeply worried. She yearned
