Fiction

Lavender Dew

By Monica Bakre

“I was very particular about the garden. When my husband, Shankar and I built this house, he had specifications about the tiles, fittings etc but I just had one -‘The garden should be huge and beautiful.’ And he did heed my words- employed the best architect to design the house and an accomplished landscape designer for the garden. My garden is indeed breathtaking, complete with a water fall.” said Devayani, as she walked her evening stroll with her new friend, Kalpana.

Somewhere, a serpent made its appearance. Deep, in the region of Kalpana’s chest. Medium sized, slim, slithering lazily, the kind that makes its appearance out of a seeming nothingness. Kalpana, almost on reflex, got a visual of the two bedroom apartment that they had purchased in far out Malad. Drab, tiny and on the third floor, it accorded a view of the neighbour’s bathroom window, nothing else. Garden? Yeah- if you could call the strips of greenery along the chalky compound wall that!

Devayani and Kalpana were in walking shoes, traversing the cobbled walking track laid out for residents of the housing complex. Kalpana, in her late-thirties, was on her annual vacation–for–kids break, at her sister’s place in Mysore this year. Devayani was older, though it was difficult to gauge her age with precision. Both wore neat, cotton sarees with Kalpana having got accustomed to Devayani’s slower, almost aristocratic gait. They had met only the day before, and seemed to hit it off quite well.

Kalpana’s sister was married to a high ranking official in a large MNC and hence had the good fortune of residing in a company flat in this complex. In fact, this was more than just a complex of residential buildings. It was an entire layout, which consisted of pretty, new bungalows nestled in individual little alcoves of greenery. Interspersed, were six–storey buildings, all built with ample parking space each, as well as skirtings of green and flowering bushes.
The layout had been planned meticulously, by an experienced architect, who surely had a gift in finesse’ and subtle grace. There was nothing garish about this place…mellow hues had been used all over the layout.

Sunny yellows…pale sky blues…pista greens …all offset the lush greenery that the outskirts of the city easily afforded. In keeping with the current trends, the layout also had a swimming pool, a tennis court, a badminton court, a community hall as well as commercially run restaurants, health clinics and a few shops. “Tomorrow there is a party that I have to attend. Shankar’s colleague proceeding on transfer. Poor chap, just as he and wife were hoping that this would be their last posting before retirement. They had just about begun getting attuned to Mysore and its laid- back ways, and along came this new company move.” said Devayani.

The serpent now seemed to be coiling around itself, wriggling a little before that. He also seemed to form an uneasy knot, in phases, leaving Kalpana with a distinct, growing heaviness. “Parties…Wow!…could she even dream of one ?”, she rued .She had read enough though ,also seen pictures of happy, expensively dressed people flashing broad smiles at high-society events ,a life of which Kalpana was a regular, wishful voyeur.

“Parties?”- Not with her husband, Mohan, with his mundane nine to five job, no contacts at that level…and what about the three children? And the mother-in-law, who seemed a permanent fixture in her schedule and unhappy, restless existence.

They had reached a curve in the road which now accorded a view of the children’s play area. Swings, little merry-go-rounds, slides, sand pits etc had arrested the attention of the children effectively, as they played with gay abandon, under the hawk eyes of maids and two security guards. In fact, the layout itself had huge gates, manned by trained security guards at three prominent places. Internal telephonic security was in place, as was the schedule of upkeep for the same.

Kalpana saw the kids at play in their designer wear and maids in tow and an envy-filled thought crossed her mind.
“How lucky …maids watch over them as their Moms party, I guess.” she thought, visualizing her three under-twelves, of which Kartik and Megha had been planned and welcome. Little Munnu, the youngest, had been an accident discovered too late for the happening to be reprieved. The kids were messy and boisterous as normal, but somehow at this point, Kalpana saw them as utterly torturous, unnecessary add-ons to her already colourless existence.
“So what are you going to wear, Auntie- to the party, I mean?” asked Kalpana , beginning to get comfortable with this new friend she had found. Also, a sense of self-punishment seemed to have taken over, inside her.

“Lets hear more of this…let me know how much I miss in life. Mohan will never know, much less do anything about it .No, not ‘won’t do’. Cannot do….all this is for me just to gaze at, from a distance… I will never be able to extend my hand and actually touch any of it …never ….”, Kalpana’s thoughts ,automatic ,dark and intense had begun to spring up automatically now.

“Oh me? Let’s see… well, with me, it is not just choosing a garment, wearing it and going. For me it’s a process. You know…a process…” emphasised Devayani. “First thing in the morning, I will be steaming my face …that will open up all the pores… and then shall be massaging a paste of milk cream in. My mother initiated me into this beauty routine.”

Kalpana was impressed.

“Milk cream? You mean –top of milk?” she asked.

“Yes…top of milk, perhaps with a dash of turmeric and honey too. The honey softens and the turmeric subtly bleaches the skin. It is also an antiseptic”, explained Devayani.

At this point, Kalpana encountered a wicked, naughty thought, which popped up in her head, suddenly.
“What if ants get to her face????” she thought, with some amused alarm!

Expressly suppressing the loose thought, Kalpana smiled. “Ok…then…?” she asked instead, with a cover up for the unexplained smile, neither of which Devayani seemed to notice.

“Following this, I will be applying a face pack. Soaked ground almonds. Leave the paste on for about half an hour…I don’t really trust these market ones, face-packs, I mean …full of Multani Mitti ,which leaves your face all dry and caked up…Oh, that reminds me –must soak the almonds tonight …”,she continued.

“Much to learn from Auntie”, surmised Kalpana, quickly running a tentative palm over her slightly rough face.
“I can start with that milk cream thing at least …”, she thought, with some hope.

“What about Uncle? What does he have to say?”, enquired Kalpana, referring to Shankar.

“Oh, he? Always supportive… a little frumpy himself I must say. Not very concerned about beauty treatments for himself etc. but has no problem with me indulging myself….”

“Don’t you motivate him?”, asked Kalpana ,unnecessarily ,not quite having got over her amused responses.

“Oh yes, I do…I tell him often of these new parlours in town that have come up lately, catering exclusively to men …but he just laughs it all off !”,replied Devayani, her eyes meeting Kalpana’s ,first time in a while….

“Parlours for men? Yeah, I have heard of them too…”, agreed Kalpana.

“Hmmm…you know what Shankar says? Men should be rough and rugged …not all pretty and powdered up, like women …I think I see his point”, Devayani said, smothering an impish giggle.

“Ok…after I wash off the pack, I will be resting awhile, with my feet up…. I may put packs of cucumber to restore freshness in my eyes. You know, cucumber is an excellent coolant …once I get up, there’s more to do. I will be oiling my hair…olive oil…warmed, mind you …”

“Olive oil? Isn’t that very expensive, Auntie?”, asked Kalpana as she got engrossed in Devyani’s description. The cheer seemed to be crawling back in, a little.

“Oh yes, indeed it is …but Shankar always insists that I must use only superior quality products…no ordinary stuff for me when it comes to beauty treatments.. why…he often fetches authentic almond oil from Ooty ,on his official visits there…I use it for nourishing softness before my Sunday baths.”

“By this time, it will be afternoon and after a light meal, I will sleep…as my mother used to say, nothing like a fine, long afternoon siesta. Tell you what? The best beauty treatment is something that is available free to us, right in our homes!”

“What, Aunty?”, asked Kalpana, truly amazed at Auntie’s wealth of information.

“A good two to three hour sleep in the afternoon, my dear.” replied Devayani.
Kalpana knew that she could never afford such a luxury, what with all the dependants in the house, perpetually hungry or disgruntled.

“Now..then…listen …”,urged Devyani, not wanting lose Kalpana’s undivided attention.

“Coming back to my hair-oil, it will also seep in well into my hair and scalp by then.” explained she, quite enjoying Kalpana’s interest in her.

“And then?” Kalpana was also keen nevertheless, to listen to more.

“Oh, this is the best part…now…Shankar is expected by six pm. After serving him tea and light snacks, I will have to get ready for attending the farewell dinner at the Taj.” Devayani’s eyes looked very bright now.

“Wah – Taj ! Oh – that was the tea ad! Zakir Hussain …This is the five star hotel Taj !”, Kalpana reminded herself. “Will I ever see the insides of a five- star?” The serpent seemed to be getting progressively docile now.

“I will have a leisurely shower …you know what, Shankar bought the most ‘state of the art’ fittings for my bathroom…it looks straight out of a movie set. All gold and white tiles with, again, superior quality material.” continued Devayani.

“What time have you to reach the Taj, Auntie?” Kalpana asked a logical question, getting excited with this picturesque description.

“The invite says eight pm but people start coming in only by nine. So I guess we will start by about nine pm and reach in good time. Plenty of time to dress up!” Devayani seemed very pleased.

“I will be timing the shower around dusk… about the time the skies get to be a bit grey and shiny…my favourite time of the day. I can almost picture myself tomorrow!” beamed Devayani, obviously coming to her favourite part.

“The water heating will be timed and handled by the maids. All I have to do is, have a cup of tea and relax in the Jacuzzi. The Jacuzzi has become a part of my daily bath ritual now, in fact…I can’t imagine how I managed, all those years with just a bath tub…..”

Kalpana once again slipped into ‘private’ mode.

“For now, this is all I can manage”, had said Mohan, as he had placidly shown Kalpana the brochure of the new apartment that he had decided to purchase and where they would settle on retirement. The bathroom there had grey mosaic flooring and the same material, coarse and cheap, covered about three fourths of the walls. The shelves were bare wood, the fittings, spartan.

“There is a back door to my garden- a small grilled, white door. Wearing my bath robe, I will be walking in my Singapore slippers -they are fluffy and snowy white, on the cobbles over to my favourite spot, near the pond.”
“Oh, you have a pond too?” Kalpana asked, wide eyed…

“Of course, a nice round one. It has lotuses in it and facility for lighting Diwali diyas along its rim”, described Devayani.

“Wow! That must be lovely …” exclaimed Kalpana, now picturing the pond herself.

They had covered almost two-thirds of the walking track by now. The sky was beginning to turn grey. Somewhere in the distance, the sun was taking its daily dip into the distant horizon, sweeping with it, long rays of light, like the train of a bride’s wedding gown.

Most children were on their way home, not all happy about it. Some were being coaxed to hop into their prams, some onto their tricycles. Mothers and maids were lazily clearing themselves off from their positions …they all had more to do in their homes. “Or perhaps got to attend a party”, thought Kalpana, with dark devilishness, which seemed to give her solace in a vaguely twisted, perverted manner.

Devyani and Kalpana now settled down on a concrete bench laid out on the narrow grass strip skirting the walking track. “And then…I will lie down on the grass….smooth, green velvety grass…Ooooh…how lovely it will feel …the sky , getting to be inky blue now, will be like a patch work blanket for me, you know, star spangled. It is getting to be near Full Moon. Forgot to check the calendar but I think tomorrow will be a gorgeous full moon night…The soft , slightly dewy grass, my mattress …the sky ,my blanket…what do you think?”, smiled Devayani to Kalpana who for her part, by now clearly envied Auntie , for her luxury.

The serpent had now formed a tight ball around a vertical, sharp sword and looked as though it would be there for keeps, torturing her for days …not to speak of the nights. “The soft blowing wind will caress my skin…slowly…softly as though with a silk feather…and oh…do you remember the fragrance ‘Lavender Dew’? Well…it is my favourite perfume in talcs…I will be carrying a small pack of it, outside with me…”

The serpent that had started vertical had now begun twisting just a little every now and then…like an electric driller being turned in slowly, to drill a hole in a stubborn wall. “Uuuummm…can almost smell the ‘Lavender Dew’ perfume, Auntie…” said Kalpana, now beginning to feel a slight private shame at her act of dual attention.

“Yeah…and as the wind softly blows over my clean, fresh and tender limbs, I will spray the talc generously over my arms, neck and shoulders….how beautiful it will feel….!”, Devayani had closed her eyes and seemed to be lost in another world now…

7pm! Kalpana discovered that she had stayed on longer outdoors than she normally did.

“Auntie, I must take leave of you now. ‘All the best’ for your party tomorrow. Tell me all about it day after, ok?” said Kalpana, as she took leave. The kids will have returned .They would need coaxing in washing up. Didi was finicky about cleanliness…Also, the serpent had now begun getting swiftly buried in growing layers of automatic thoughts related to Kalpana’s predictable routine.

“Bye, darling…thanks for listening ….”, bade Devayani goodbye ,her eyes shining with happy anticipation now.
Devayani straightened her saree, adjusted her blouse and patted in place, her necklace of pearls. Casting a long, breezy glance around the park, she got ready to get up from the stone bench .Her walking stick was resting on the back rest of the bench. She bent, took the walking stick and with some effort and stood up, still slightly stiff in the knees.

She shuddered a bit as she felt a heaviness in her right knee, quickly followed by a cracking sound inside and the hint of a faint piercing pain, all at the same place. The knee would need a little time to ‘come around’.
With small baby steps, Devayani walked on…the knee began to loosen up…

Crossing a narrow strip of a layout road, she was now opposite a huge building with large gates and a lush garden beyond. The security guards scampered over hastily, to assist her in walking up the ramp to the main door.
One of the guards also accompanied Devayani to the lift. On the second floor, she got off …and slowly walked to her abode to the right of the lift….

Opening the door to her room, Devayani turned on the light- switch. Her palms, joined together, almost immediately flew into a ‘Namsakar’ to the lights. She looked around…small, neat, tastefully decorated, her room had a faint lingering perfume of the ‘agarbatti’ that she had lit this morning. Slowly, she sat down on her bed…instinctively reaching for the TV remote…

Downstairs, all the lights had come on, also on the board atop the huge building where Devayani lived.

‘PEACE –HEAVEN’ — Senior Citizens’ Home – it said, simply….

As for Shankar … he has been dead, seventeen years ….
About the Author: Monica Bakre is a qualified counselor/psychologist, with interest in reading, writing, cooking, music, and pets. She describes herself as an observant, absorbing, thinking, speculating, and sensitive individual.

 

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