The Forbidden Daughter (16 page)

Flicking it open, she said, “Hello.”

“Mrs. Tilak,” said a male voice. “I’m glad you’re there. I was just about to hang up.”

“Who’s calling please?” Sheila tried to guess. It wasn’t Manoj Munshi’s raspy smoker’s voice. She would have recognized that at once. This one was smooth and refined, and she was fairly sure she hadn’t heard it before.

“I’m sorry. Have I reached a wrong number?”

“No, this is Mrs. Tilak’s phone.” Entirely puzzled, Sheila racked her brain, trying to come up with a name. “I’m her sister-in-law.”

“Oh . . . Is Mrs. Tilak all right?”

“Yes. Why wouldn’t she be?” This was getting more mysterious by the second.

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The man hesitated for a moment. “I just thought . . . well . . .

if you’re her sister-in-law, there might be an emergency with Diya or Priya.”

Strange, but he seemed to know about the new baby and Priya. “No emergency,” she assured him. “I just came to visit them. What is your name, sir?”

“I’m sorry. I should have introduced myself. I’m Diya’s pediatrician, Dr. Salvi. I was calling to ask if I could stop by this evening to administer Diya’s vaccine.”

Despite his explanation, Sheila’s confusion remained. “But Dr. Bajaj is the children’s pediatrician.”

There was a long moment of silence. “Uh, maybe you should talk to Mrs. Tilak. I’m not sure how much you know about her and the children, and their situation.”

“I know the whole story, Dr. Salvi,” she retorted. Who was this man who seemed to know everything about Isha and the kids and presumed to think Sheila knew nothing? “I’ll tell Isha you rang.”

“That’ll be sufficient, thank you.” His voice had turned a little cool, too. “Please tell her I’ll stop by around seven o’clock.

I’ve already cleared it with Mother Regina.”

“I’ll tell her that.” She shut off the phone and put it on the nightstand. Well, well, he even happened to know Mother Regina. How about that?

So who was this mystery man who’d tried to reach her sister-in-law? On her mobile phone, no less. Isha hadn’t given her mobile number to anyone in the past, not even Sheila. That made him even more mysterious. Well, at least he was a pediatrician.

That was somewhat comforting.

Some twenty minutes later, Isha and Priya returned to the room. “Did Diya give you any trouble?” asked Isha.

“No trouble at all. She’s been sleeping like an angel.” Sheila smiled at Priya. “And what did you eat today for lunch?”

“Something yucky with beans and bread. I didn’t like it.”

Priya stuck out her tongue in disgust. “I don’t like anything in the dining hall.”

“Beans and bread?” Sheila glanced at Isha, her heart aching.

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What were her niece and sister-in-law eating? Priya was always slim, but now she looked skinny. And Isha had lost most of the weight she’d gained in pregnancy. There were purplish circles around her eyes that indicated lack of sleep and nutrition. Sheila made a mental note to bring some nutritious snacks and fruit for them the next time she visited. Her resolution to get them out of the convent as quickly as possible strengthened right there and then.

As expected, Priya was reluctant to go back to class. “Can’t I stay?” she pleaded.

When Isha’s attempts at coaxing her to go back failed, Sheila took the little girl by the hand. “How about if I walk you back to your class? That way you can show me your classroom.”

“Okay.”

“And I’ll come back tomorrow with a present for Diya. Since you got a present and she didn’t, I’ll have to buy her something, won’t I?”

That was all the incentive Priya needed to run and use the bathroom, then return and pick up her schoolbag. Sheila gave Isha’s arm a quick squeeze on her way out. “By the way, someone named Dr. Salvi called for you. He said he’ll stop by around seven to give Diya her vaccine.”

“Oh!” Isha’s brow creased.

“I thought your pediatrician was Dr. Bajaj.”

Isha glanced at her sister-in-law and then looked away. “Dr. Bajaj is the most expensive pediatrician in town. Dr. Salvi does charity work for the orphanage and Mother Regina asked him to check on Diya.”

The puzzled look on Sheila’s face cleared up. “I see. Why don’t you let me take Diya and Priya to Dr. Bajaj for a thorough checkup?”

“No. I won’t allow you to pay Dr. Bajaj’s fee on top of what you’ve already done for me.” She glanced at the money sitting atop the nightstand. “Frankly, I like Dr. Salvi much better. He has a way with children. Mother Regina tells me the orphans love him.”

“I like Dr. Salvi, too,” chimed in Priya.

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“Is that right?” Sheila ushered Priya out the door. “In that case, maybe one of these days I should check out this wonderful doctor myself.” She looked back over her shoulder at Isha. “I’ll stop by tomorrow. And I’ll be sure to call Manoj Munshi for you.”

Seeing her sister-in-law standing on the threshold of the pathetic little room she called home, Sheila sighed.
Niku, why did
you have to die and leave your wife and children to rot in this?

Chapter 13

Harish nearly smiled with relief when the rather shy Sister Rose informed him, “Mother Regina is busy this evening, Doctor, so I’ll be escorting you to Mrs. Tilak’s room.”

He’d rather deal with Sister Rose any day than with the old Amazon. “Thank you, Sister. Please give Mother Regina my regards,” he told the small, quiet woman as he picked up his medical bag and a plastic bag from the passenger seat of his car.

With a silent nod she led him into the boardinghouse. The nuns spoke as little as possible, especially with men. They both went down the long, now-familiar passage that reminded him of a prison scene from a movie he’d seen years ago.

In some ways this was a semiprison. The boarders were pretty isolated here. And that was probably the precise reason their parents had enrolled them in this school—the guarantee that their girls would be watched over night and day and receive a good education at the same time.

The food and living conditions were not much better than those in a prison, either, from what he’d learned so far. The nuns were about as formidable as prison wardens, too.

The strong odor of meat cooking hung in the air, telling him the dining hall was getting ready to serve the evening meal.

Today, many of the doors on either side of the hallway stood open. He couldn’t help venturing a quick glance into the rooms.

Like Isha Tilak’s room, they were tiny, and crammed with narrow cots and desks, with two girls to each room.

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The young boarders appeared to be busy with their homework. Hearing footsteps, they looked up. The shocked expressions on some of the faces spoke volumes. A man! He doubted if they’d ever seen a male anywhere within a hundred feet of this building.

Getting to the end of the corridor, Sister Rose knocked on Isha Tilak’s door. Hearing an invitation to enter, she went in and Harish followed her.

Priya, who was sitting on the floor with a coloring book in her lap, looked up and smiled at him, her expression so sunny and welcoming, the drabness in that long passageway was all but forgotten. “
Namaste,
Dr. Salvi,” she said, putting the book down to join her small hands.

“How are you, Priya?” he asked, returning her cheerful greeting. He put his bags on the floor and turned his attention to Isha, who was sitting on the bed beside the sleeping baby.

“Hello, Mrs. Tilak.”

“Hello, Doctor. And hello to you, Sister Rose,” she replied, getting to her feet. “Thank you for coming all the way out here just for this, Dr. Salvi.”

“It’s not a problem.” He moved his medical bag to the chair by the window and offered the plastic one to Isha.

After a moment’s hesitation she took the bag. “What is it?”

He winked at her. “Just a few samples.”

“Oh . . . okay.” Her brow was still furrowed when she put the bag in a corner.

He breathed a quiet sigh of relief. She’d taken his hint. He started pulling out his paraphernalia.

Sister Rose moved forward. “Do you need help, Doctor?”

He shook his head. “Thanks, but this is quite simple.”

A minute later, while Isha held the baby’s arm in place, and Priya looked on with big, curious eyes, he administered the vaccine. Other than a sharp cry that lasted no more than a second or two, Diya took it quite well. Harish noticed the baby’s face had lost its crepe-paper look. It looked smoother now and her features were more pronounced.

She no longer looked like a newborn. She was a very pretty THE

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baby, too, with fair skin, delicately arched eyebrows, and a tiny pink mouth. She strongly resembled her sister. Both the girls had large green eyes with flecks of gray and gold, fringed by long brown lashes. They’d inherited those from their late father. He once again recalled Nikhil Tilak, the handsome athlete with the macho swagger from his college days.

“A small bump or scar might develop on Diya’s arm,” he advised Isha. “But don’t apply any cream or bandage on it. It should be left open to dry and heal.”

She nodded. “I remember it from when Priya got her BCG

shot.”

Now that his task was complete, it was time to go, but Harish was reluctant to leave. Sister Rose had clasped and un-clasped her hands several times, making it clear that the two of them should make their exit. She must have a dozen chores to complete before she could go to dinner. The nuns probably kept the novices busy every minute of the day. Idleness was sinful.

Once again he scribbled something on the back of a calling card and handed it to Isha. “Please contact me if there are any complications or if you have questions.”

“Thank you so much, Doctor.” Her expression was the same as the last time—so full of gratitude that it embarrassed him. He noticed the tired look about her eyes. Did she get any sleep at all? She was probably exhausted from taking care of two small children. Babies could cause a lot of work and deprive the mother of sleep, not to mention the fatigue from all the feeding, bathing, cleaning up, and everything else that came with them—

which Isha probably wasn’t used to doing.

Sister Rose and he stepped outside after saying good night to the Tilaks. This time, when they walked down the hallway, a few of the bolder girls were at their doors, openly staring at him.

Sister Rose shooed them away. “Back to your homework, girls! Go on now.”

Outside, she locked the gates the moment his car passed through them. Now that she was rid of him, the prison was once again secured for the night.

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* * *

He had carefully wrapped plastic bags around the containers to keep the strong aroma of his mother’s leftover chicken curry from escaping. He must have been successful, because neither Priya nor the two women had sniffed suspiciously.

Unsure of how the nuns would react to food being delivered to someone in the convent, he’d had to resort to silly tricks. He hoped Isha wouldn’t consider his offer an insult—something like charity.

He also wondered if he should mention Isha Tilak to his family. His parents definitely knew who she was and who her parents and in-laws were. Everyone in Palgaum had to know the prominent Ketkars and Tilaks. But did his parents know about Isha’s separation from her in-laws?

Would Isha mind if he shared the information with his family? She seemed like a very private woman, and she was clearly hiding from society by staying in the convent.

As his thoughts shifted to Priya, an affable child with no television or games or other children to play with, an idea came to him. His niece was close in age to Priya. On Sundays, his family sometimes took the little girl to the park and for ice cream. Harish wondered if he could offer to take Priya along. Would Isha Tilak trust him with her precious child? He didn’t think so. She hardly knew him. How could she entrust a five-year-old to his care?

How could anyone trust a child with an unknown man?

As soon as the door closed behind Sister Rose and Dr. Salvi, Isha opened the mystery bag. It was all very secretive, the way he’d silently requested her to keep her mouth shut. What could be so questionable that Sister Rose would disapprove? More chocolates for Priya?

She peeled off the multiple layers of packing and discovered THE

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the disposable plastic container with something that smelled delightfully spicy. There were also clear resealable bags with
chapatis
and rice. There was a note taped to the container.

“Hope you don’t mind this. My mother’s chicken
curry is excellent and I’m only guessing you and
Priya are nonvegetarians. If you’re not, feel free to
throw it out. Otherwise, I hope you enjoy it.”

The aroma made Isha’s stomach growl. Priya looked up from her book and raised her nose like a puppy sniffing the air. “I smell something good. Is it . . . um . . . is it curry?”

“You guessed right.” Isha opened the lid and took an appreciative sniff. How long had it been since Priya and she had had anything like this? They had survived on bread and boiled vegetables with little or no seasoning. No wonder they’d both lost weight. This was pure luxury.

But then the guilt started to scratch at her. How could she and Priya eat the curry when dozens of children, including the boarders and orphans, were forced to eat the slop they served in the dining hall?

Nonetheless her decision was made for her when Priya shot to her feet. “Chicken curry! Yum! And
chapatis!
” Priya’s sudden interest in food in recent weeks was a source of both surprise as well as regret for Isha. Deprivation was forcing the previously picky eater to crave tasty foods, but sadly Isha couldn’t give her much.

Priya must have been starving, because she could hardly wait for Isha to unwrap the
chapatis
and rice. In the next instant they were eating the best meal they’d had in months, even though it was cold. With each bite, Isha’s guilt escalated, but she couldn’t stop gorging herself. She watched Priya devour more food than she’d ever seen the child eat in one sitting.