"Losing one's husband doesn't reduce you to a goddess of abstinence. You're young and human with very human needs. You should thing about remarrying."
"Sister, my in laws would have me killed. They shall brook no widow remarriage," sh remembered saying to Preeti.
"Absolute nonsense, if the men can remarry so could we," had said Preeti.
Sujata didn't want to remarry because it would complicate things for Teg too but she felt Jagat's pain mingle with her own in her heart and all she wanted to do was embrace him and say she understood what he was going through.
Teg brought two glasses of water and said,
"Papaji take this and I'd make tea."
"Teg I'd make it. Ungodly people have killed Preeti Sister, the most ungodly is the partition that devoured Preeti,"" said Sujata standing a few feet away from chairs and the table.
"No mom, you sit with Papaji. I'll make it."
"Come Sujata the child has brought water for both of us," said Jagat.
She didn't move. Standing near Teg who was already taking teacher training said,
"Mom Papaji's brothers are Dhumma and Gamma chamaar and Beeru Jheer; Papaji tells me you don't need anyone's permission to claim equality. That's why he fought for freedom."
"My brother Beeru, too, was snuffed out by paartition; chacha Atma died of illness."
"Sorry Jeeja ji, so much loss so quickly."
Soon they were all at the same table drinking tea Teg had made.
"I'll be going to the Congress office before returning to Qaadian."
"Papaji, may I go with you to Qaadian. It's been a while since I've seen my brothers?"
"And I haven't seen the Ammas and Seeto Sister for a long time. May I come along? We can take train back from Chajjuwara," said Sujata.
He nodded but his mind was already attending to other things long unattended like seeing Sham, Ram and the condition of the Zillapur Congress. He was thinking what next when Sujata said,
"Sham was killed in a lathi charge by police when he'd led a demonstration at Zillapur Starch Mill for better working conditions. Ram was the defence lawyer for the police."
"When was the last time you saw Sham or Ram?"
"Sham had asked to use Teg's old room in the mansion as his office for the Congress. Preeti Sister read the Trust. Som always gave money to Congress. Sister Approved. But Ram wjho's the president of the Congress now uses it for his law practice more than for Congres. I'm sorry if I made a mistake in handing over that room to Sham."
"No, you didn't make a mistake."
Jagat got up pushing the chair away with his foot and walked to the Fiat. It raced to the Zillapur Sessions Court Complex, his head rebuking himself all the way for befriending Ram at school and then helping him win the presidency of the Zillapur Congress. The Fiat kicked up dust as it entered court complex. Parking the car he banged the door shut and ran in. Soon he was at Ram's cubicle at the complex.
"Hey Ram with the Congress and law, you must be very busy, a big time lawyer defending murderers and muggers," standing beside it he said out loud. Hearing Jagat's words and voice many other lawyers jumped up and out of their cubicles, curious what was going on between the two friends.
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