Mridula kept quiet. She was upset because Sanjay had not asked her for her opinion and had made a unilateral decision. For the first time, she felt uneasy in her marriage. It was not wise to bring a person like Shankar into their nursing home and expose their finances to a relative. Moreover, if they started staying in the same city, then it may lead to misunderstandings later. Mridula retreated to the kitchen and started cooking so that she did not have to think about it any more.
18
Money Brings Changes
Fourteen years had passed since the nursing home had been started and Sushruta Nursing Home had now become one of the leading maternity homes in Bangalore. Many people had written Sanjay off before but now, he had become a role model. He had progressed in leaps and bounds, amassed a fortune and made a name for himself.
Anita and Alex had shifted to a home in Palace Orchards in Bangalore; Julie was in her final year in high school. Maggie had got married to Joseph who had started working as Anita’s driver. Anita and Alex had given them separate quarters.
Mridula and Sanjay had sold their Vijayanagar house and were now living in a beautiful four-bedroom house in JP Nagar. They had three cars. Mridula continued to work and had become principal of a high school in Jayanagar. Sishir was now in medical college and had a large circle of friends. He was intelligent but stubborn, and pampered by his father. Their driver, Nanja, and his wife, Chikki, worked for them. Mridula helped them to buy a house in Puttenahalli. The cook, Sakamma, came every day at 6 a.m. and left at 10 p.m. The three servants were honest. Mridula did not want to keep a stay-at-home servant.
Sometimes, Sanjay made fun of her job. He said, ‘Mridula, why do you still work? I spend more money than you earn on our cars, cook and driver. If you stay at home, it’ll be cheaper for us!’
‘That’s impossible. You were able to start the hospital because of my salary. My pay has helped me in our difficult times and I enjoy and respect my work. I’ll never leave it. It is oxygen to me and not just a source of income.’
Things had changed a lot in Aladahalli too. Rukuma Bai and Champakka were no longer alive. Krishna stayed in Hubli with his family and Bheemanna was left all alone. Krishna visited his father twice a month but Bheemanna was not doing well health-wise. The yield from the fields was not good either because there was nobody to till them. The villagers did not want to work there and preferred to go to work in the garment factory on the outskirts of Hubli, even if they got paid less. They looked down upon working in the fields.
Champakka had willed all her property to Chandrakant Jog. When she died, Chandrakant came to Aladahalli, but he was not interested in the land because he was settled in Bombay. As he was leaving, he told Bheemanna, ‘Sell this property to good people. I don’t mind if they buy it at lesser than market value. I want to use that money to renovate the Hanuman temple.’
There were many contenders for the house because of its good location. The rich Basavantappa Patil wanted to buy the house but Bheemanna rejected the offer on moral grounds. He thought, ‘Basavantappa and his friends will use the house for playing cards and other such activities. I don’t want Champakka’s house to be used like that. Her soul won’t rest in peace.’
One day, Sanjay had gone for a minister’s daughter’s wedding. As he was about to make his exit, he ran into his ex-colleague Dr Lata. She seemed happy to meet him and wanted to talk to him. She said, ‘Sanjay, how are you? Do you remember me? We’re seeing each other after at least ten years.’
‘I’m fine.’ Sanjay did not want to talk about the past and fell silent.
‘Sanjay, I can’t believe the way you’ve grown. Just the other day, I was attending a seminar where you were presenting a paper. Your presentation was absolutely fascinating. I wanted to congratulate you but there were so many people around you that I didn’t get a chance.’
Sanjay sponsored and attended medical seminars since they helped advertise the nursing home and him. He usually attended them for just ten minutes—either at the beginning or at the end. His talks were short and powerful. Hence, he was quite popular. Sanjay tried to change the subject: ‘You must have become a professor by now.’
‘No, not yet. It isn’t easy in government service. You’re lucky. Your name is famous in Bangalore. I’ve heard that people wait for as long as two months to get an appointment with you.’
Sanjay knew that she was exaggerating. He said, ‘Maybe, I don’t know. My three secretaries manage my appointments.’
Sanjay remembered how Lata had used her father’s connections at work and asked her, ‘Tell me, is your father still working?’
She said sadly, ‘Oh, he retired a long time ago.’
‘Where all have you been transferred to till now?’
‘Once to Mysore and once to Hubli.’
‘You must not have liked leaving Bangalore.’
‘I had no choice in the matter. I would have had to quit this easy job if I didn’t go. But you don’t have transfer troubles like us.’
‘Yes, that’s because I didn’t have a godfather to protect me. I had to stand on my own. That’s how I learnt to take calculated risks and become successful. I have to go now. See you, Lata.’
Lata wanted to talk some more but Sanjay turned around and left. It was the same Lata who had played games with him during his transfer and Sushma’s delivery. Lata used to make fun of his honesty and sincerity. Now, she wanted to talk to him, but he was not interested. He had seen and learnt many things in the last fourteen years on the path to success.
A senior gynaecologist in Bangalore, Dr Rao, owned a big nursing home in an expensive neighbourhood but his son chose to work for a software company. So Dr Rao decided to sell his practice. By then, Sanjay and Alex had made enough money to buy the nursing home.
Sanjay had no hesitation in taking a loan. He had taken several loans in the past, and expanded the nursing home and acquired the most modern equipment. Repeated success had made him confident. Though Alex was Sanjay’s partner, he rarely came to the nursing home. He was busy establishing new pharmaceutical companies on the outskirts of Bangalore. But the two of them split the profits and did not have any problems. Their friendship remained the same.
Shankar lived in Malleshwaram now. Sanjay monitored him closely, so Shankar worked diligently at the nursing home. His son, Anil, had taken many years to complete his bachelor’s degree in commerce and was now working in Alex’s pharmaceutical company’s sales department.
Sanjay had learnt a lot—things that one can never learn from any management book. When he was a child, he had been fascinated by his father’s words but with experience, he had developed his own philosophy about running a business. This philosophy contradicted everything that he had learnt from his father. People who came to private hospitals were different from those who visited government hospitals. Affordability was a major factor. Every patient had their weakness and Sanjay knew that their weakness was his strength.
When Sanjay and Alex had first started the nursing home, Sanjay’s initial consultation fee was fifty rupees. One day, he overheard a conversation between two patients. One of them said, ‘SRK Nursing Home is very good. Their doctor is excellent.’
‘Why do you say that?’
‘The doctor there charges one hundred and fifty rupees per consultation and you have to wait for appointments. The doctor is always busy. He spends just fifteen minutes with every patient.’
Sanjay figured that if he took more money and said that there was a long waiting time to get an appointment, people would think that he was a better doctor. The very next day, Sanjay increased his fee to a hundred rupees—and just as he’d expected, the number of his patients also increased at once. He decided to revise his consultation fees every year. But he spent more time with his patients and that made him popular.
When Sanjay was teaching at the government medical college, he used to tell his students, ‘A normal delivery is the best. That’s how nature wants it. We should do a C-section only if the
re’s a problem. Don’t listen to the patient or ask if they have a preference. Decide using your expertise and skill.’
Years later, after starting a private practice, Sanjay had changed his stance. VIPs preferred a C-section. Now, Bangalore had many software companies and young engineers earned at least fifty thousand rupees a month. So when they came to a maternity home, they did not mind spending more, but they expected a five-star facility and Sanjay’s nursing home catered to them.
Sanjay had also learnt a lot about money management. Every patient did not pay by cheque; many businessmen paid in cash. Sanjay figured that he did not need to declare all his earnings to the Income Tax department. So he had black money as well as white. Shankar was good at handling this. He was strictly instructed not to talk about money matters at home or outside and was paid handsomely for his discretion. Shankar ensured that only the white money went to the bank. Sanjay also had a share in Alex’s new factory. Black money was used to buy the site and get the factory up and running. All bribes were paid using black money. Mridula was unaware of this and Sanjay did not want to tell her. She kept track of the money in the bank. Sanjay knew that if Mridula learnt about the black money, she would oppose it and say that it was immoral. Besides, she could not keep a secret and shared everything with Anita. Sanjay did not know if Anita was aware of the black money. Even though Alex and he were good friends, they did not discuss personal matters. Sanjay wondered why some women shared all their secrets with other women. His mother and sister were not like that. But there was nothing called privacy for a simple girl from Aladahalli like Mridula.
One day, Sanjay told Alex, ‘We don’t value what nature gives us for free. We whine about the rainy season, but in the Middle East, there are people who have never seen rains. Why don’t we introduce a monsoon package? We can advertise it in the papers in the Middle East. People with small and not-so-serious ailments can come to India in the monsoon, see the rains, shop, visit the forests and take medical treatment in our nursing home. We can make loads of money.’
Alex was surprised at how Sanjay converted every idea now into a moneymaking scheme. He sometimes wondered whether he was the same old Sanjay who once felt too shy to even ask for a consultation fee. Time could change anybody.
A few days later, Sanjay decided to buy a Mercedes-Benz, but Mridula opposed it. She said, ‘Let’s not form unnecessary and expensive habits.’
‘Mridula, I have earned money with my hard work. When I didn’t have money, I rode a scooter. Now, I want a Mercedes. Please don’t try to stop me.’ Sanjay kept pressurizing Mridula with such words until she accepted his decision.
One afternoon, Anita came to Mridula’s home. She was looking stressed. Mridula kept her hand on Anita’s shoulder and asked, ‘Anita, what’s wrong?’
Anita ran into Mridula’s bedroom. Mridula followed her and Anita closed the door. Then she started crying. Mridula got worried. She asked, ‘Is Julie all right?’
‘Yes.’
‘Did Alex say something?’
‘No.’
‘Is everybody okay in Goa and Mangalore?’
‘Yes.’
Mridula did not know what else to ask. After some time, Anita stopped crying and said quietly, ‘Mridula, I want to tell you something personal. But promise me that you’ll keep it to yourself.’
‘Of course, Anita.’
‘You know that I went with Julie to my cousin’s wedding in Mangalore.’
‘Yes, you had invited me too but I couldn’t go.’
‘Alex did not come for the wedding because he’s busy with the new factory.’
‘But that’s okay, Anita.’
‘I know that it is. But when I came back from there, I wanted to have a bath—you know where my bedroom is.’
Mridula knew Anita’s house very well—she had stayed there several times. Anita’s heart was in her house. She spent all her days decorating and cleaning her house. Anita’s bedroom was large and had a huge bathroom with a marble tub. She also had a big dressing table.
Anita continued, ‘I was hot and went to the bathroom to have a bath. After that, I wanted to comb my hair and I pulled open the dressing-table drawer to take the hairbrush out. But by mistake, I pulled out Alex’s drawer. Do you know what I found?’
Anita started crying again. Sobbing, she said, ‘Condoms.’
‘I don’t understand. What’s wrong with that?’
‘Mridula, don’t be stupid. We don’t use them. Moreover, for the last two months, I’ve been bleeding continuously and Sanjay has been treating me. Didn’t he tell you?’
‘No, he didn’t. Sanjay doesn’t tell me anything about his patients and I respect that.’
‘Now, put yourself in my shoes. What should I think? What would you have done?’
‘Anita, have a little patience. Let’s not jump to conclusions. Was Alex in town?’
‘Yes, I asked a few people and they told me that he was here in Bangalore. We always lock our bedroom when I’m travelling. Alex has one key and I have a duplicate. Maggie doesn’t have any keys.’
‘Was Maggie here in town too?’
‘Yes, she was.’
‘Anita, do you suspect Maggie or do you think it’s someone else?’
‘Mridula, I really don’t know. I’m confused. But my intuition says that something’s not right.’
‘Did you ask Alex?’
‘Of course. He swore on St Maria and said he doesn’t know anything about it.’
‘How many condoms were there?’
‘It was a strip of ten, but two slots were empty. Mridula, tell me honestly, what’s your opinion?’
Mridula was quiet. She was aware that whatever she said next may have a profound effect on Anita. So she carefully said, ‘We shouldn’t think that we know exactly what happened without knowing the details and without proof. Think rationally. Your future will get affected if you take a wrong step. Anita, have you observed any changes in Alex’s behaviour?’
‘I don’t know. He travels a lot. But I’ve never known what he does in other places. My mind says that there’s something wrong here but my heart doesn’t want to believe it. Tell me, have you ever suspected Sanjay that way?’
‘Not at all.’
‘Mridula, I’ve lost my peace of mind. A woman can go through anything but not this. I can’t share this fear with anyone. Alex’s sister, Barbara, is of the same age as me. If I tell her, she’ll blame me. She already says that I don’t dress well. Mridula, infidelity, deceit and lies are like close-knit brothers. All liars don’t deceive. But all deceivers are liars. All deceivers are not cheaters. But all cheaters are deceivers. I’ve seen Alex lie many times for his business. So I don’t know what to think about him any more. Has Sanjay ever lied to you?’
For the first time in a very long time, Mridula thought about Sanjay’s personality. She believed that he told her the truth. Why would he lie to her when she had been honest with him? Just the thought of Sanjay lying made her uncomfortable.
Anita continued, ‘Mridula, do you know that when men get more money than they need, their wife starts looking ugly to them? They think that they could have done better. They forget that they were nothing when their wife married them and that she has stayed loyal to them through their ups and downs.’
‘Where’s Julie?’
‘Fortunately, she’s still in Mangalore. I don’t want anyone else to know about this.’
‘Anita, be careful with your servants and behave exactly like you did before. Don’t let them get suspicious.’
‘No, I won’t. I still can’t believe that Alex might have cheated on me. Sometimes, I feel that all these problems are because of money. If we had a fixed income, then I would know everything. But now, I don’t know where the money comes from or where it goes. Mridula, you’re more intelligent than me. Do you feel the same way? Don’t you think money is affecting our children? I feel that Julie is becoming a little too headstrong.’
Mridula knew that she was right
. She had noticed that Sishir was also becoming very stubborn. She asked Anita, ‘Do you think Alex has changed with money?’
‘I think so. I don’t know where he goes or what he does. He’s permanently on the phone, even when he’s at home. When I was crying about this incident and talking to him, he didn’t show any emotions at all.’
Anita started crying again and said, ‘I’m really worried about my marriage.’
‘Anita, don’t worry. Things will work out in the end. Please don’t cry. I feel so helpless.’
‘Mridula, you are a sister to me and that’s the reason I can cry in front of you. I feel much better now.’
Though Mridula insisted that Anita have lunch with her, Anita refused and left without eating. Mridula became jittery, nervous and unusually quiet. She did not tell the cook, Sakamma, what to cook for the day. Instead, she told her to make whatever she wanted to and went to her room. Sakamma saw Mridula’s worried face but told herself that it was not her business to think about her employer’s issues.
In her room, Mridula thought about Anita. She was shocked to see what Anita was going through and did not know how to react. She examined her own life and analysed it—something that she had never done before. Had Sanjay changed with money? Was this affecting Sishir and changing him too? She was aware that money had brought a lot of comfort into their lives but she had never thought of the difficulties and changes that had come with it. When they had less money, she would take Sishir with her to buy groceries and they had a lot of fun at the store. Now, the servants went to buy the groceries. Even otherwise, their family time together was minimal. If Mridula had a school holiday, Sanjay came home for lunch. Otherwise, everybody met only in the evenings. They had separate televisions, computers and friends.
19
A Silver Spoon