Barrister Parvateesam

The words stuck in my throat.

As soon as Raju and I stood up, everyone else there also rose to their feet.

That girl, too, stood up. Once again, our eyes met. She smiled shyly. But I—unable even to return her smile—could not manage so much as a grin. Like a bashful bride, I lowered my head in embarrassment and stepped out onto the street.

Achyutaramaiah garu came along with my sister and escorted us up to the road. “I’ll let you know first thing in the morning what your father has to say. I’ll be here,” he said.

Without a word, I folded my hands in farewell, leaned on Raju for support, and trudged forward as if walking in my sleep. We reached the end of the street and turned the corner. Suddenly, Raju burst out laughing.

“Parvateesam, your game is up! This is the end of your freedom. I thought you were some great hero, a man of courage. After traveling through so many countries and seeing countless beautiful women, how is it that the moment you set eyes on this little girl’s face, you turned into a nervous wreck? Where has all that bravado you used to spout gone now?” he teased me mercilessly all along the way.

I didn’t utter a single word in reply. My heart was still back there, fixed on the eyes of that girl, who stood at a distance, looking at me with a smile, her gaze following me as I walked away. Raju practically dragged me along until we reached the place where we had sat the previous night, but that daze did not leave me.

Raju patted me on the back. “Well, my boy, have you come to your senses yet? Or should I fetch you a bed, a blanket, and a pillow so you can sleep right here? If you want, do so—your father will come tomorrow and wake you up anyway. I’ll be on my way,” he said, getting up to leave.

With that, the spell was broken. I returned to my normal self.

“Why are you standing? Sit down!” I made Raju sit again, and we slipped back into our usual chatter. In the midst of our conversation, a stray word or two from Raju’s mouth revealed to me that both he and his father were, in fact, the root cause of the entire episode that had just transpired.

The next morning, just as we were finishing our ablutions and breakfast, a message arrived from Achyutaramaiah’s house. The messenger informed us that my father had given his consent, and that they would be coming over before three o’clock that afternoon. He added that we should be ready, as they would bring us the news as soon as they arrived.

Raju and I exchanged glances and burst out laughing.

“Parvateesam, your father will come today, and while you’re still lost in your daydreams, they’ll have that girl tie three knots around your neck. By the time you regain your senses, you’ll find a fresh, green turmeric thread dangling from your neck, and a brand-new mangalsutra sparkling away. So, if you want to avoid this calamity, you’d better stop daydreaming right now, stay alert, and keep your wits about you. Otherwise, for the rest of your life, you’ll be gazing at that girl’s face, losing your mind in her gentle smile, fluttering about in the shade of her eyebrows, serving her like a slave, forgetting all your studies and ambitions, and spending your days basking in the divine glances of that goddess—happy and contented,” Raju said.

I sprang up, grabbed my towel, and stuffed it into his mouth.

“I’m glad. It was clear to me yesterday evening that you were the mastermind behind all this. Well, I suppose you did it with good intentions. But don’t push your luck—I won’t tolerate too much of this nonsense,” I said.

With a broad grin, Raju pulled the towel away and smacked me in the face with it.

“Parvateesam, have you completely forgotten your Edinburgh lady friend? Did just one look at this girl bring you such joy? Don’t you want to see anyone else? Looking at you, I’m reminded of that song: ‘If this is how you are for just one word, what will happen next?’ To be honest, this girl is—”

I must admit, she is indeed a fine girl. I have known her since childhood—very clever and intelligent. Recently, I came to know that Mr. Achyutaramaiah is actively seeking a marriage alliance for her. After you arrived, it occurred to me that it would be good to inform them about you at the earliest opportunity. In this entire district, Mr. Achyutaramaiah is a very famous lawyer—so gentle in nature, and even while being in the legal profession, there is no one else as upright as him. It would be difficult to find another like him. Even your father must have heard of his reputation. That’s why, as soon as this idea struck me, I whispered it into my father’s ear. He was delighted and immediately did everything necessary to facilitate this alliance. As a result, I suspect that this very evening, the formal betrothal ceremony might even take place. I suppose this is what our people call an “incident.” Otherwise, I know you are firmly against marrying a young girl. I also heard that this was one of the reasons you rejected previous proposals. But the moment you saw this girl’s picture today, you forgot all about that, didn’t you? For whatever reason, if your father does not approve of this match, would you simply let it go? Tell me the truth. I am sure he will like her. The marriage will happen. This girl will become your divinely ordained wife. I cannot express how happy that would make me. In such situations, all our plans, our ideals, our stubbornness—they all get swept away," he said.

"Enough already! Stop your philosophy," I replied, feigning annoyance.

Thus, we