House of Cards Read Online Free Page A

house?’
    ‘That’s easy. His house is next to the Hanuman temple and Champa Bai’s house is opposite his.’
    ‘How do I go to Aladahalli?’
    ‘That’s not a problem. There is a non-stop bus tomorrow at 2 p.m. Otherwise, there is a regular bus every hour.’
    Sanjay ate his dinner quickly. When he reached for the water, he found it was warm. Sanjay asked the serving boy, ‘Who told you to give me warm water?’
    The boy pointed his finger towards Mridula and said, ‘She did.’ Mridula was smiling at him, but Sanjay felt ashamed. So he just nodded at her.

    The wedding took place the next day—and without any rains. The atmosphere was full of glee. Sanjay gave his gift to the couple and decided to catch the two o’clock bus and leave for Aladahalli. At the bus stand, he saw Mridula standing there. He was astonished to see her in simple clothes—like an ordinary girl. This was the best time to apologize to her. He went near her and said softly, ‘Miss Mridula, I’m sorry.’
    She turned back to look at him. Surprised, she said, ‘Why are you here?’
    ‘I’m sorry for my harsh words.’
    ‘Yes, you mistook me for a thief. Maybe because of my wet clothes. You were so impatient that you wouldn’t even listen to me, Mr—’
    ‘I am Sanjay, a doctor from Bombay.’
    ‘I didn’t ask you for details,’ Mridula answered.
    ‘I apologize once again.’
    ‘No, it isn’t your fault. The way a person dresses is important.’
    The bus arrived and both of them climbed aboard. This worried Mridula. Sanjay looked handsome and said he was a doctor, but why was he following her? As far as she knew, nobody knew him in Aladahalli. If he followed her to the house, then old-fashioned Rukuma would not keep quiet. She would kill her with her questions and his arrival would be immediately broadcast in the small village. The best way out of this was to send him back right now. Mridula asked Sanjay, ‘Whose house are you visiting in Aladahalli?’
    Sanjay looked at her. Her face had given her away. He knew that this innocent girl couldn’t hide her feelings and so he wanted to tease her.
    ‘Yours.’
    ‘Why?’
    ‘I want to meet your parents, explain everything and apologize to them.’

    ‘I have already forgiven you. You needn’t come for that purpose.’
    ‘It is my duty to apologize to your parents.’
    Mridula got even more worried. When the conductor came, Sanjay bought two tickets to Aladahalli. Mridula felt uncomfortable through the entire journey. She cursed herself, ‘Why did I go upstairs with the candles?’
    When the bus reached Aladahalli, she got down quickly.
    A young boy, Budansabi, was waiting for her. There was a wound on his leg. He said, ‘Sister, yesterday the bicycle chain hurt me badly and I thought of you so much. Will you look at it and tell me what to do?’
    Sanjay wanted to tell the boy to get a tetvac injection immediately. But Mridula recommended, ‘Clean your wound with Dettol and come to my house. I will give you medicine.’
    Budansabi said, ‘Okay,’ and went away.
    Sanjay was upset. Mridula was beautiful and her family may be rich but she was not a doctor. She should not advise people without knowing the consequences. He could not control himself. ‘Mridula,’ he said, ‘you must not misguide the villagers. Dettol is not the solution. You have to give him a tetvac. It is a necessity. Otherwise, the consequences can be heavy for the boy.’
    Mridula smiled and did not mind his words. She said, ‘Oh, is that right?’
    ‘I don’t know what you have studied, but you don’t have the right to play with somebody’s life. You should have told him to go to a doctor.’
    ‘Well, I am a teacher but that doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t try to help them. Let’s do this. From this moment on, whenever we get patients, we will send them to Bombay. However, you should pay for their fare.’
    Not waiting for an answer, she walked away. Sanjay was offended because Mridula had made