Chapter 44: Jagat and Sujata
Rahim and Teg, waiting in the drawing room had heard the commotion outside which had now died down; it was quiet outside but the tea Teg had made was still on the chullah and the glass of water Rahim had asked for had sat untouched because he had been worried and consumed by the situation Jagat was dealing with.
Carrying bagful of greens Sujata came in through the main gate, saw the Fiat and then noticed walking towards the drawing room.
"Jeeja ji, when did you arrive, is everything OK?" she yelled.
"Everything is ok. Let me take the bags from you?"
He took the bags and placed them on the floor near the chullah.
"Not there but don't worry. You go and sit in the drawing room. I'll make tea."
Noticing the tea on the chullah she asked, "who made it?"
"Teg did," said Rahim from the hall.
"Rahim Bhaaji, wow, so nice, I've grown old since we last saw you."
"Not you alone, all of us; it must be the country's troubles."
"Give it some time, freedom is bound to grow. Although seeing men like Ram makes me wonder," said Jagat looking into the distance.
"You're being too judgmental about Ram," said Rahim.
"The man's corrupt, he's corrupting the officials and robbing the poor of their money and I'm being judgmental, eh?"
"To heck with Ram, let's have tea," said Rahim as Sujata strode into the drawing room with the tray carrying tea in the mansion's fine china.
She lifted two cups and handing over to Rahim and Jagat one each said, "Jeeja ji, Teg made the tea but I reheated it with love. I hope you like it."
Soon she lit two lamps, one on the shelf in the drawing room, the other in the kitchen.
"Sujata, may I help in the kitchen. I'm good at it."
"No Jeeja ji you sit and chat with Teg and Rahim Brother."
Teg went to the kitchen to see if she needed help.
"Go sit with Papa ji and Rahim Taya." Sujata said and resumed chopping the vegetables.
Alone at the chullah her thoughts turned to her life, loss of Uttam and Preeti. She felt ashamed for making a hint of a pass at Jagat by saying of the tea she had 'reheated it with love for him' but then she remembered Preeti had once said to her after Uttam's death that "widowhood can't suddenly turn us into Goddesses of celibacy." and reassured herself that it was only human to have such feelings. In front of the chullah, the glow of fire lighting her face, she could feel the truth of Preeti's words in the pit of her stomach; she was young, widowed and lonely; Jagat was younger than her, widowed and he must be lonely, too. She wondered how he contended with Preeti's loss although she believed it was easier for men, particularly upper caste men, to find female company.
While she cooked, Teg reclaimed Eesa's and his previous room by by putting Ram's table and chairs out and placing the cot, bedding, his study desk and chair back.
"For the first time since long, I'll be back in my initial room Papaji though it may have come at the cost of your friendship."
"My friendship wasn't strained today; the strain began with Ram's ingratitude to his family; they were like my own."
"Jagat, you do know goodness is not universal and there's nothing unusual about the devil in our Ram. You shouldn't take it so personally and hard," said Rahim.
"It's more than personal, it's national, about the country because he who was once the President of the District Congress, and that too during the independence movement, should've had at least some qualms in taking and offering bribes."
A call to the dining room ended the debate as Teg poured water in the three steel glasses at the table accompanying the thalees on the dining table. Jagat pulled one of the chairs to sit on it and asked,
"Sujata, only three settings? Well wait until you finish making the rotis." She continued making rotis. Teg thought she hadn't hear so he said,
"Mom, Papaji wants me to add a thalee for you."
"No, no, I'll eat after feeding you all fresh rotis of the chullah."
Modesty had demanded that answer; after all she was an untouchable who hadn't sat at a table with a man since Uttam's death and now she was being asked to sit with Jagat and Rahim.
"Mom you burnt the last roti it's hard to breathe." said Teg waving his hands through the wafting smoke. Sujata relented, sat across from Jagat at the unclaimed setting and waited for everyone to serve themselves from the dongas of dal and vegetable and the pile of buttered rotis wrapped in a cloth.
"Dig in. Don't defer or concede power to anyone just because you've been taught to," said Jagat handing her rotis from the pile. Soon they were finished eating and Teg helped his mother clear the table.
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