The hostess stood with a welcome smile, flaunting her pink leheriya sari blending amongst the splash of scarlet salvias. The vintage cast iron bell and the pitch dark tar road announced the grandeur of the Jiti bada bungalow. Just as the two contrasting facets of the compound complemented each other, Sangeeta’s boldness was married with warmth and a glint of shyness in her eyes. She invited her guests into the jaali kamra. "Happy Birthday!" they chorused and gave in to the banter, the witty games and not so witty zaniness. The ladies were dressed in different hues and shades of pink mirroring the pleasant April season. A welcome breeze heavy with the sweet whiff of yesterday-today-tomorrow flowers wafted in, invigorating all the senses as they paused to bask in the moment.
The jaali kamra had witnessed many get-togethers but never one quite like this. An eloquent hostess, Sangeeta had foreseen to every detail to cater to her friends including – excluding the gentlemen for the day!
Biting into the crispy paneer fingers, one of her friends said, “delicious – the flavours are bursting in my mouth!”
Another added, “please do share the recipe,” as she washed it down with her cocktail.
Their inhibitions were lowered but when it came to the games, their competitive streak blazed bright and they came up with well-thought responses within seconds! At times they would be silent, concentrating on the task at hand and then, hilarity would start all over again.
Oblivious of the merry affairs, the blue Gypsy came to a screeching halt, as it entered the curvy roads of Sevoke from Siliguri. The taillights of the car ahead flared. Dusk was gathering now as the sun was a dull glow in the overcast sky. Navneet sat gazing at his cellphone for the umpteenth time. His patience was wearing off as the queue of vehicles ahead was at a standstill. He glanced at the text message again and asked the driver to reverse and take the other road. He snagged his teeth on the bottom lip as the driver jerked the steering wheel, slid off the highway and backed up to take the other route.
Navneet willed his mind to think positive in spite of the peculiar message on his cellphone. But his mind time and again would conjure up the scene of the near abduction of one of the managers of the corner tea estates, but was safe as the messages on his cellphone had been decrypted in the knick of time. Jiti too was a valley with Bhutan at its border and militant outfits were not unheard of. He tried reaching his wife’s cellphone but as was the usual scene in the estate, her phone was unreachable. He sat flustered, as his means of communication were limited in the year 2005. After what seemed like an eternity, they reached Oodlabari and stopped at the public phone booth trying to call her again but to no avail. He tried contacting the other assistants but as luck would have it, he could not connect with any.
He balked at the idea that his wife might be in danger but he had to act fast and all he could do was rush back as soon as was possible. As he reached the bungalow, he threw open the door of the vehicle, even before it had come to a complete halt. With long strides, he made his way up the wooden stairs towards the bedroom, as fast as he could. A million thoughts played out in his mind within split seconds. The compound gate had been open when they entered. The jaali kamra had been in disarray. Pieces of paper lay strewn all over the verandah. This was very unlike his wife. He visualized the worst-case scenarios and every possible permutation of their solutions. There was a lull all over the bungalow. He called out, “chowkidaar! Bearer! but there was no answer. He pushed open the bedroom door, not sure of what to expect.
Across the room, his eyes met those of his wife and a huge wave of relief surged over his entire being. She smiled at him warmly, leisurely settled on the easy chair, still dressed up.
“How was your day?” she asked nonchalantly, “you’re back earlier than expected.”
But Navneet’s mouth remained an uncharacteristic grim line amid his French beard. He dug into the pocket of his denims and pulled out his cellphone, flashing the text message in front of her eyes.
“I love you,” it read.
And precisely at that moment, there crept a grin on her face for she was the happiest in that rush of realization.
“What’s funny?” he demanded an explanation as he slumped on the sofa.
“Oh! We ladies had a fun-filled day today!” she began explaining the games that they had played.
“I’m glad you had a good time but what does that have to do with this?” he pointed at the text message on his cellphone.
“Well, that was one of the games. And it was a huge hit! Each of us sent an “I love you” message to our husbands and whoever had the best response – courtesy of their mobile networks, would be the winner. We pranced around the swimming pool and the gazebo, hunting for even an iota of signal," Sangeeta narrated cheerily.
Navneet was intrigued by the ingenuity of this game that his wife had come up with. Now that his nerves were soothed, he asked, “have you any idea how we dashed back?!”
"Oh, dear! But you should have seen some of the responses!" Sangeeta could barely conceal her excitement.
“Let’s hear them.”
“Some responded simply with sweet “I love you” and “me too”. Another one asked, “how many vodkas down?”
“One of them even went as far as to say that she had the wrong number!”
"Yet another, almost fell off the cliff as he read it during his round of kaamjaari and was overwhelmed as he always expressed his love but it was the first time his wife did."
“Interesting game indeed,” said Navneet, feigning a sporty smile. "I guess the mobile network was not in our favour.”
Sangeeta came next to her husband giving him a tight hug, and said, "the mobile network might not have been but our connection is as strong as ever!"
Glossary:
Leheriya: tie and dye style typical of Rajasthan, usually of bright colours
Bada bungalow: Manager's Bungalow
Jaali kamra: Wire room
Chowkidaar: Night sentinel
Kaamjaari: Daily work supervision