Page 84 of 12 Years
‘Let us do it the right way,’ I said. ‘You can speak to my parents. We can have a ceremony whenever you want. I would ideally like to wait some time before the actual marriage, as would Payal, that’s all.’
‘Ceremony?’ Yashodha said.
‘Roka or whatever traditions you follow before marriage. We would like to do it with your blessings.’
Anand and Yashodha looked at me blankly, as if I was a foreign tourist talking to them in Greek.
‘Listen to me carefully, Mr Saket,’ Anand said after a long pause. ‘I’m not going to repeat this or meet you again. Payal is going to marry Parimal. We’ll perform the ceremonies, but between Parimal and Payal. Clear?’
He set his empty teacup aside and popped another modak into his mouth. He spoke again only after finishing thesweet. ‘This is the last time I want to see or hear from you. Otherwise, I’ll have you arrested. And you’ll never be able to live in Mumbai. Payal, Yashodha, get up.’
Yashodha stood up. But Payal didn’t move.
‘Get up. Now, Payal,’ Anand shouted.
Payal stood up reflexively. And before I could respond, they were gone. I realized they’d left the mithai box behind, with four modaks inside. I popped all four into my mouth, hoping the sugar overdose would numb my pain. It did. A little bit.
I dropped my face into my hands, fighting back tears.
‘You will pay for the tea?’ the tea-stall owner said, tapping my back.
Messages to Payal didn’t get delivered. Calls wouldn’t go through. Her WhatsApp display picture vanished. She’d blocked me. I checked her Instagram and Facebook profiles—I’d been blocked there as well.
I hadn’t heard from her since the Siddhivinayak meeting a week ago. In desperation, I called the Blackwater landline number.
‘Blackwater Capital, how may I help you?’ a lady answered.
‘May I speak to Payal Jain, please?’
‘Who should I say is calling, please? And what is this regarding?’
‘Tell her it’s Saket. It’s personal.’
‘Please hold a moment,’ the receptionist said.
I was kept on hold for two minutes, but it felt like two hours.
‘I’m sorry, sir. Ms Payal is in a meeting. Can she call you back?’ the receptionist said.
‘Sure.’
I couldn’t write a word for my new set. Comedy was the last thing on my mind. I hadn’t been able to work, work out or work things out with Payal.
Why hadn’t she called? How could she block me? Did I mean nothing to her?
Painful questions swirled around in my head like stones in a blender, pounding my brain.
Two hours later, my phone rang. It was the Blackwater landline number.
‘Hi Saket,’ Payal said, her voice subdued.
‘Payal, finally!’ I said. ‘Where have you been? I’ve been trying to reach you for days. I even called your office earlier.’
‘I know. I was in a board meeting. It just ended. Why did you call at work?’
‘What am I supposed to do? You’ve blocked me everywhere.’
‘Yes. Sorry about that.’
