Yakshagni - An odyssey of unbroken devotion - II

 7) The Sparring

Dharma and Maurya strode out of the canteen silently, both engrossed in their own thought. For a short space of time, they had been caught in a powerful, inexplicable trance. They balked from calling it attraction because, to Dharma, he was already taken. It went against her principles to chase someone who was committed to a relationship. So far, she had acknowledged the magnetism that Maurya held for her, but beyond that, she had not expected it to progress. However, a few moments ago, they had connected in a way that was incomprehensible.

Maurya regarded her with suspicion. He recoiled from the exquisiteness that he had felt in holding her. Their proximity had obliterated everything else from his thoughts. He had been aware only of the intoxicating blend of her fragrance; a whiff of something strongly floral, a trace of aromatic spice, and a fleeting scent of her feminity. For a brief spell, he had yielded to his senses.

Dharma stole a glance at Maurya, he seemed preoccupied. She wasn't brave enough to intrude into his contemplation. Her phone rang and she answered Brahim's call, "Hi...No, I am outside the canteen."

Brahim waved at her, regarding them with surprise. She introduced, "This is my friend Brahim and he is...." Before she could introduce Maurya, Brahim chimed in, "Yes, Mr. Maurya Verma, your boss!"

Maurya gave a half-hearted smile and took Brahim's offered hand, "It is a pleasure to meet you, sir," Brahim gushed, prompting Maurya to say, "Chuck the sir out! It is Maurya."

"So, you are from Mohandham?" Maurya asked as they reached his car in the parking lot.

"Yes, we all grew up together in the township."

Maurya nodded politely, "Nice to meet you Brahim, got to go!" he clicked the automatic car key and strode to the other side of the car without glancing at Dharma.

"Whew, what is he doing here Dharma?" Brahim asked. Dharma shrugged, faintly disappointed that Maurya had left. Brahim and Dharma went back to the ward where Kamya was admitted. Dharma noticed that the old man had left, and so she enquired about his grandson to the duty nurse. Following the nurse's directions, she visited the boy’s ward to have a look at him. He was sleeping peacefully. The boy and his face did not affect Dharma as much as his name. She gave a warm smile at the sleeping boy; unknowingly, the boy or his odd name had brought Maurya and Dharma together for a short time.

****************

Driving back home, Maurya glowered at the biker who was trying to overtake him. Swearing loudly, he brought the car to an abrupt halt and stared at the partially visible road. It was a foggy night and everything was wrapped in a misty veil. Thankfully, the road was wide and a broad median ensured that the headlights of oncoming vehicles were not blinding.

Smacking the steering wheel with frustration, he cursed the moment he had decided to visit Dharma's friend at the hospital. He had wanted to know the progress and had gone to check on her. He had not expected to find Dharma and seeing her in that distressed state, his focus had strayed.

He recalled the stormy evening when Dharma had rushed to pull him out of the car. If she had not, the heavy bark of the tree could have injured him but Dharma had rescued him in the nick of time. He was indebted to Mahendran who had freed him from child traffickers and to Vasukinath Krishna who had groomed him, but he shrank away from feeling obligated to Dharma.

Dharma stoked his innermost fear; the fear of losing control! He still reeled from the volatile encounter of that evening.

From a young age, Maurya hated losing. Be it a game or an argument or a fight; he had never liked to lose. And he had made certain that he always emerged as the winner. It had become an obsession. He had continuously stood first in the class; he had scored the highest in the entrance exams and he had made sure that he became the head of Krishna Industries. Mahendran Namboodri had often reproved him for his competitive nature and had advised Maurya to be less aggressive. Nevertheless, Maurya had followed his own logic and so far, he had never lost to anyone. He had earned every bit of his success with his hard work and acumen. And now, he wouldn't allow anyone to jeopardise his plans or his future.

************

A week later, Kamya was discharged from the hospital and she moved to Brahim's flat. Dharma too moved there temporarily to take care of her. Dharma and Brahim had not yet told Kamya about Seema. They shied away from breaking her heart. Brahim was particularly keen that they should talk about the accident only after Kamya had recovered completely.

Dharma's work progressed smoothly. She worked late hours, trying to complete the bulk orders to deliver them on time. She visited the factory regularly and sometimes, even worked with the garment makers.

Some evenings, after coming back from work, she assisted Brahim in preparing dinner. While she took great joy in watching Brahim and Kamya grow closer, Dharma was haunted by obscure images in her sleep. The images would appear and fade intermittently, disturbing her sleep pattern. One night, she had even called out, "Ekveer" in her sleep. It was Kamya who had woken her up and asked who Ekveer was.

On Friday afternoon, she was looking forward to buying a few gifts for Kamya, and Brahim for his house. Kamya was limping back to normalcy and Dharma planned to move back to the hostel that weekend. Perusing the mail, she did not see the envelope that the office boy had left on her table. When her eyes fell on it, she slit open the envelope curiously and found an invite pass from Krishna Industries to the Winter fashion week that was starting in a fortnight.

 The intercom buzzed and it was Lekha's croaky voice, "Dharma, there is a meeting in half an hour. Get ready."

"Where?"

"At the head office of Krishna Industries. We will have a discussion on our upcoming runway show, the fall collection, the venue, the theme, etc," Lekha explained breathlessly.

"With Rashika?" Dharma asked, aware that she annoyed Lekha with her questions.

"No, Rashika is on leave and she won't be available for the weekend. Mr. Maurya Verma is holding the meeting with some of our departments."

Dharma snuffed out the flicker of thrill that crept up on her suddenly. Sonia, Lekha, Dharma, and some others arrived for the meeting in the office van. Dharma was delighted to see the charming place that brought back memories of her first visit there. She had arrived here by mistake then, assuming it to be the main office and it was near the lake behind this building that she had first heard the whispers.

In the conference room, Maurya and others were already present. Lekha sat at one end of the rectangular table and Sonia and Dharma took the chairs opposite her. Dharma's view of Maurya was partly blocked by Sonia and others in the board room style seating.

The discussion and debate centered on the location of the show.

"I think the lake here would be the perfect location for our show, it also has the right backdrop," Lekha suggested

Maurya's eyes moved to Dharma, "Have you decided on the theme?"

Dharma shook her head and everyone stared at her. Lekha professed, "I am sorry Mr. Maurya, that Dharma hasn't come up with a theme yet."

"You must have received the circular about this meeting in advance. Didn't Rashika tell you that I wanted to know the theme?"

Dharma's eyes shot to Lekha. No one had informed her about the circular and even if Rashika had told Lekha, the other woman had not conveyed it to Dharma which made Dharma believe that it was intentional.

Maurya demanded, "Didn't you?" Dharma was not sure if he asked her or Sonia because both fell in the same line of his sight.

"Yes, we did." Sonia nodded, surprising Dharma.

"We have come up with a theme," Lekha interceded, including Sonia in her glance.

"Let us hear it."

"We were thinking of a Mughal-inspired bridal attire. This lake and its surrounding structures would be the perfect setting," Lekha explained

"Also, the venue has an old-world ambience," Sonia added enthusiastically, waiting eagerly for Maurya's approval.

Maurya's phone vibrated and he rose suddenly, "Excuse me, I have to attend this call."

Answering the call, he marched to the doorway. Dharma could hear him and she listened unabashedly while Lekha and Sonia tried to reprimand her for coming unprepared for the meeting.

"No, I think I will get a bit delayed. No Rashika, I have to attend this dinner. I told you it was important. And if I get too late, you enjoy yourself with your friends. I will try to meet you tomorrow," he ended the call, ambling back to his chair.

Dharma now studied his face. From his conversation, she deduced that Rashika was waiting for him. However, Maurya didn't look as if he was in any rush to wind up the meeting.

"So, what were you saying?" he asked Sonia

"That this lake would be ideal for the runway show."

"Bridal attires, especially a Mughal-inspired one on the ramp, has become outdated," Dharma voiced her opinion for the first time in the discussion, and her unwarranted opinion shocked Lekha and Sonia. Dharma was sure that if Tapan had been here, he would have agreed with her. But he was not here so she could not gain any support.

"So, what do you suggest?" Maurya asked, seemingly irked with her.

"If you give me time," she began

"You had enough time as it is," Maurya shot back

"Yes sir, I am sorry I hadn't come up earlier with a theme but I can show you an entire line in an hour."

Sonia and Lekha darted furious looks at her but she did not bother to be nice to them. If they could intentionally keep her in dark about the purpose of this meeting so that Lekha could impress Maurya, then she had no interest in being nice to them. It was not a client meeting anyway.

Maurya returned, "I have other meetings here, till about nine. If you can show me by then, I will see."

"I will show you before," Dharma promised, eliciting grudging admiration from one of the men who worked for the marketing department.

There was further discussion on Lekha's suggestion of a bridal line. When the meeting ended, Lekha and Sonia jumped on her, "How dare you, Dharma? Don't you know it is not correct to overstep your boundaries?"

"Why don't you first tell me the reason for not informing me about this meeting earlier?"

"I guess, everyone thought that the other had informed," Sonia claimed with a faint trace of guilt in her eyes.

"So, in spite of me being the lead designer, I was not informed of the bridal line that you were planning for the show. May I ask why?" Dharma asked, having learnt at a young age, that unless one fought one's own battles, one cannot survive in the world.

They glared at her, failing to come up with an answer and Lekha snarled, "Stop questioning us, Dharma. If you are the designer, you should have volunteered with a unique line. And don't forget that Rashika asked me to lead the team. So next time, before you open your mouth, think twice," with that parting shot, Lekha walked out.

"It wouldn't help you to make an enemy of Lekha. I advise you to listen to her," Sonia voiced.

"Why was I not informed, Sonia?"

Sonia shrugged, "I don't know. I thought you knew about this meeting. Anyway, be prepared for a nasty outburst from Rashika. Lekha will complain about you to her."

Dharma nodded, pondering if Sonia had made peace with Rashika because she was reconciled with the situation.

After they left, Dharma settled in one corner of the table and opened her sketch pad. She carried a sketch pad with her always. Taking inspiration from the glimmering waters of the lake; she began to draw stick figures.

Within two hours, she had come up with a theme and four designs for the same. She did not answer Brahim or Kamya’s calls, concentrating only on her sketches.

Concluding that Maurya would have left, she sauntered out of the room with a satisfied smile. To her surprise, she found Maurya seated on a couch in the reception area, sifting through a newspaper. Catching sight of her, he folded the paper and asked, "You finished?"

"Yes, I will show...."

"It is late, let us have dinner. You can show me then."

She stared at him, murmuring, "It is alright. I can take an auto."

"No, I will drop you."

Remembering his conversation with Rashika, Dharma asked sceptically, "Aren't you getting late?"

He narrowed his eyes, "What do you mean?"

Her ineptness at the meeting, Lekha and Sonia's duplicity, and now with Maurya's invitation, a conflict arose in her. Detesting his assumption that she would be free to accompany him for dinner, she snapped, "Don't manipulate me like you do your fiancée."

Maurya froze, and the lurking warmth in his eyes turned glacial. The air crackled with the sparks of dented pride and suppressed anger, slashing the subdued passion that had gently raised its head.