The West Wing

The West Wing

Rao Ramrakh walked through the corridor reminiscent of the old times. He could hear the noise coming from the residence where all the ladies were preparing for the puja. The irony wasn’t lost to him, he and the children had been given rooms in the west wing of the palace that was meant for guests. He, the guardian of Bijolia, heir of the Punwar clan had become a guest in his home.

“Careful with the baskets,” the head servant told the men who were bringing in huge baskets filled with fruits, dry fruits and other edibles. “These are for the wedding,” the servant told them as they all nodded their heads and walked off in the direction pointed by the head servant.

Preparations were almost finished, Ramrakh observed, the whole palace was covered in marigold garlands, twinkling lights, traditional colourful rangoli were drawn on the entrances, and drapes- just like Hansabai preferred were set in the gardens. He turned to walk back to his room when he heard her voice.

Heer stared at the old stage that was visible from her room’s window while in the back Patta and Jagmal grumbled about being moved to the west wing. She loved the west side because all the rooms provided a full view of the old dance practice area but looking at the stage only infuriated her. She forcefully closed the curtains blocking the sight and turned her back to it just like she had done two years ago.

Dheerbai patted the girl’s head as she explained to her the duties and responsibilities of the daughter-in-law of a royal family. Heer nodded her head as she walked away missing the envelope that Dheerbai had hidden from her sight,

“I’ll never dance again.”

Signalling to the right, Pratap turned his black BMW onto the side road zooming past the distance sign that read Bijolia – 35KMs. Shakti sat beside him staring at the blank message screen, on the top read Heer’s name and the message space was empty. He turned his cell off and focused on the road ahead; they still had a bit to go, and the sky had turned orangish pink signalling the dawn.

“Dadabhai will you please tell me a little about Ajabde,” he asked his cousin who looked at him for a second and turned his gaze back on the road.

“Ajabde is like Kuber, whatever she touches turns to gold” he smiled as the image of a younger Ajabde floated in his mind. “Her ethics, business sense, principles and values make her stand out from the crowd. She’s not a people pleaser,” he chuckled, “but she can do anything to see Hansa mausi happy.”

Shakti nodded his head, “She’s a force to be reckoned with for sure.” He looked straight ahead as he continued, “I asked Ranimaa to tell me the circumstances of your break-up with her.”

Pratap continued to drive hiding the storm brewing inside of him, but he glanced narrowly at his younger brother who seemed to be in a turmoil,

“Is everything alright between you and Heer?” he asked concern reflecting in his voice.

“Everything is” Shakti stopped mid-sentence unable to tell him the truth, “okay.”

“Inform Kokoia ji about Pandit ji’s visit” Hansabai’s voice came from nearby, she stood wearing one of her chiffon sarees with very minimal jewellery, and her hair was tied in a bun. She was instructing her maid about something when he walked towards them. He waited patiently for the maidservant to leave because he needed to speak to his wife in person about everything that was happening. 

Before he could call her out none other than the other man appeared out of nowhere, Champak Lal wore white bandhgala kurta-pyjama with a black vest. He strode confidently towards the lady who stood up upon hearing her name,

“Sorry to disturb you but dinner is ready. Everybody is waiting for you” he spoke calmly and softly to her, but for Rao ji it was the way he talked to his wife that made his blood boil.

Hansabai ji nodded her head, but her eyes sought someone else, someone whose presence she knew very well, but upon not seeing his physical self she resigned it to her imagination. She walked away from the scene berating her stupid heart for making her think about the person who hurt her and her child.

All the kids looked at Rao ji scared and surprised after his impromptu declaration,

“We will stop this madness,” he told his kids, “and for this, I need your help.”

Ajabde smiled as she saw Rao ji, her siblings, Pratap and Shakti work on a plan to stop the wedding. They were unaware of the hidden cameras that had been placed in the west wing especially in the rooms allocated to them,

“It's time to issue the challenge.”