Once again, she looked at her image in the mirror. True to her name, she was Sandhya – the dusk. The golden sun of her beauty, her youth and her vigour was now tired, and wanted to cuddle itself into the arms of night somewhere stretching across the western horizon. But today, she wanted to defy time. She wanted to be young again. There was something special about this day; otherwise Sandhya, who always considered the evening to be her biggest foe, was today all prepared to welcome it with opened arms.
“My heart says, Mr Bhargava will surely come this evening,” she told herself. Well, whether this was a case of telepathy or extra sensory perception, but Sandhya was quite sure that he would come. She blushed like a newly married bride and started burying the wrinkles on her face under the sheets of white makeup.
“Arre, Bhargava ji! How are you? After quite a long time!” suddenly she heard a voice from outside.
“I knew it,” she murmured and a glimmering smile ran on her lips. She now began to conceal her silvery tendril-like hair with the wreaths of flowers. But her ears were fixed on the ongoing conversation beyond the threshold of her room.
“I was out of town, Malini,” she heard Bhargava.
“Humph! So, which one for today? Your very own Sandhya?” asked Malini.
“Sandhya… er… er…” seemed as if Bhargava was searching for a good reason to say ‘no’. Malini read his mind.
“Oh, come on!” she laughed loudly, “Wait! I’ve a blossoming jasmine for you. Just one single glance and you’ll be tempted to feel her.”
On hearing this, Sandhya’s heart sank, which she veiled under her silk bodice.
“What is she doing?” Sandhya thought, “Why is she sending Bhargava with someone else? I must hurry up and stop her from doing so.” Thinking thus, she quickly started draping sari around her slender waist.
“Kaya! Kaya!” Malini summoned someone. She got no reply.
“Aye Kaya! Listening?” she called again.
Kaya still did not come. Instead Chakori came from nowhere.
“Where is Kaya?” Malini asked her.
“Watching TV,” replied Chakori.
“Oof! This girl and her love for TV! Go and call her. Tell her that I’m calling,” Malini ordered.
“Who’s Kaya?” questioned Bhargava.
“Arre, Bhargava ji! Just wait and watch,” Malini winked at him. Bhargava, in response, smiled at her.
After a moment or two, Chakori came with a young beautiful girl. She was barely fifteen in exuberance of youth and beauty. Doe-eyed, pink-lipped, long-haired, she was really a berry, which any man would love to relish.
Bhargava was at once drawn to her. Chewing his lower lip, he gently touched her chin and said, “Quite a beauty! Is she new here?”
“Oh no! She’s Sharada’s daughter,” answered Malini.
“Sharada!” his gaze reluctantly migrated from Kaya to Malini, “It was really sad to know about her. Last time I saw her, she was reduced to just a crumbling skeleton.”
“Oh yes! She was severely ill. Anyways…” replied Malini.
“Ill?” interrupted Chakori, “She was suffering from a deadly disease, the one common among our kind of women.”
Malini gave her peevish glances as if asking her keep mum. But Chakori continued, “You know, Mr Bhargava! She never wanted her daughter to get tangled in this vicious web. But…” she looked at Malini wincingly, “But this is such an ominous swamp! You just can’t escape it, once you fall into it.”
“Aye hey, you slut!” now it was Malini’s turn to interrupt, “What vicious web? Which swamp? Are we torturing her? What is it that she doesn’t get here? Food, clothes and a new lover every night! What else does she need?”
“Yes! This is all that we need in life,” Chakori said with sarcasm dissolved in her voice.
Bhargava was bewildered. He knew not what to say. Perturbed, he was just watching the two women passing rude comments on each other. Occasionally he was casting glances on Kaya, who was busy biting her nails.
Suddenly, Sandhya appeared on the scene. “So, are you going with Kaya, Bhargava ji?” she asked beading her wrists with glass bangles.
“Sandhya!” Bhargava chuckled, “How are you, my nightingale?”
“I’m good. But tell me, are you going with Kaya today?” her eyes were abrim with fake anger.
Bhargava laughed and said, “Well! She looks too young but…”
“No but…” interrupted Sandhya, “No one else can dare to touch you here till I’m alive.”
“Oho! What’s wrong with you, woman? It’s solely the customer’s choice whom he wants to sleep with. Why are you imposing yourself on him?” Malini was slightly angry. And why not, Kaya was now capable of fetching her more money than ageing Sandhya.
But Sandhya, completely deaf to her remarks, held Bhargava’s hand and dragged him towards her room. She pushed him inside and bolted the door behind her.
“Ouch!” smiled he, “Sometimes you behave as if you are my wife.”
“I wish I were…” Sandhya nearly said this; but these small words quietly withdrew their steps from her lips.

.....................To be continued next week