Sonia stared at Renuka in surprise, then quickly glanced down at Nidhi. The cat raised her head, blinked innocently, then purred throatily. A feeling of amazement filled Sonia’s heart. Darling Nidhi!
“Can we talk?” Renuka asked.
“Right now?” Sonia hesitated. It was a little late. And she had no idea if Jatin had left. He was always full of criticism for the way she accepted clients without appointments. But on the other hand, she couldn’t afford to turn her back on a much-needed case. Never mind Jatin and his advises about appointments and creating impressions. Even he would agree that getting a case deserved top priority at the moment. And, most important, she couldn’t fail Nidhi, who had worked very hard to tip the scales in her favour!
Sonia said brightly, “Okay, let’s go in and talk.”
“Good. I’ll leave you two and return to my shop. See you later, Sonia,” Devika remarked.
Sonia flashed her a smile and led the other woman into her Office. From the corner of her eye, she noticed Renuka pause to read the nameplate and experienced an immense sense of pride. She swung the door open and to her surprise found Jatin still at the Computer. He glanced up as they entered and within seconds he had grasped the situation. His eyes gleamed in anticipation.
“Chai, Boss?” he asked hopefully. Chai was their code word for business.
“That will be nice, Jatin, and you can join us, if you are not in a big hurry to leave,” Sonia told him.
“Right, Boss!”
Sonia deposited Nidhi onto her cushioned windowsill and the cat immediately began licking her golden fur. With an unconscious smile, the detective turned to Renuka, gesturing her to sit.
“Yes, should we begin, Miss Gunaji?” she asked politely.
Renuka nodded, then took a deep breath. Jatin entered with a pad and pen and drew a chair next to his Boss.
“You can call me Renuka,” the older woman began. “First of all, let me tell you that I’m not supposed to be here. And I’m not even sure that you can help me. But when I was at Devika’s boutique, I saw your nameplate and I was tempted. Besides, Devika spoke extremely highly of you.”
At this point Sonia couldn’t resist flashing Jatin a look, to gauge his reaction. But her Assistant seemed to have mastered professionalism faster than her. His face was impassive.
“I thought there’s no harm speaking to you because it couldn’t get worse, could it? Already too much harm has been done and I simply didn’t know how to deal with this situation.”
“Renuka, could you please explain what you mean?” Sonia prompted firmly.
“It’s about this very good friend of mine. Her name’s Vidya. A very sweet, soft-spoken, wonderful girl who has never hurt a living soul in her whole life. And that perhaps is the real reason for her misery!”
A mild tap on the door was followed by the chaiwala from the hotel next door. He handed out steaming cups of tea. Renuka accepted hers absently. Sonia took a sip and relaxed against her chair. It was now completely dark outside and the moon was streaming in through the big windows.
“Vidya and I studied together in BM College of Commerce,” Renuka continued. “We both were really keen to do Chartered Accountancy and we even studied together till the intermediate exams. But then quite suddenly, Vidya’s father took ill and he wished to see her married. Vidya comes from a very conservative family and she had already consumed a lot of time on her studies, which according to them was a waste, since she had to ultimately marry and settle down. Vidya had no choice but to give up her CA and marry the boy of her father’s choice. Parmeet Sahay was an Engineer and a good match. Life was smooth for a while, until Parmeets parents began making demands on Vidya.”
“Demands?” Sonia frowned.
“Dowry demands. They began with small items like a Tape Recorder, then a TV, and then they asked for a car! A car! Can you believe it? In this age, when demanding or accepting dowry is completely illegal! My blood boils when I think of it!” Renuka exclaimed.
“It’s a crime,” Sonia agreed. “But not an unusual crime. It’s happening in the best of households. What did Vidya do?”
“She hasn’t given in to these unreasonable demands. But that’s where her problems really took firm hold. Her in-laws began harassing her. Screaming and shouting at her for petty mistakes, insulting her in public, calling her names, and threatening to send her back home if she didn’t concede and get them the car they demanded.”
“Goodness!” Sonia couldn’t suppress her rearing anger.
“Vidya confided in me that she was going nuts. I told her she had to talk it out with her husband, but she said that Parmeet was helpless against his domineering parents. I was horrified to hear that. If your husband is not in your corner, marriage becomes bondage. A suffering. And I told her so - I told her to leave Parmeet. What was the point continuing a relationship which was based entirely on mercenary gains? But she refused to listen to me. She believes that marriage is for keeps and that she must endure the harassment for the rest of her life! She really does believe in this age-old Indian thought that a daughter was given away and married into a family for life or death.”
“But that’s absurd!” Sonia exclaimed.
“I know. I was annoyed and impatient with her. I can’t imagine in which age she’s living.”
“Obviously in the same age that most young Indian girls live in - caught in the trappings of tradition and culture, and a transition period fraught with the process of finding their own identity,” Sonia murmured. “Did she speak to her parents about this matter?”
Renuka nodded. “They are at a loss
