THE NEW MUGHAL : PART V
Alone we cannot do much
Together we can achieve much more Anonymous
Prelude
As Anju's wedding date neared, Yakub had softened his control on the family. Thambi was still controlled for the few remaining activities in the renovation of Rang Mahal, but by and large, he, Hema and Anju were left free by Yakub.
Tarun was footing part of the bill for his honeymoon. He wanted it to be memorable part of his life. The location, accommodation, transportation, dresses and catering were planned in great detail. He had kept it a secret from Anju, so that it would be a surprise.
But Yakub knew everything. He was going to be Tarun's best man. At least till the newly weds reached their honeymoon suite.
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Chapter 18 : 04 Jun
Tarun and Anju were a modern couple, who did not believe in lavish extravagance. They had insisted against the futile expenditure of a traditional wedding, and had forced it to be a small family affair at the office of the Registrar of Marriages. However, Thambi had worked out a small concession, and compensated for the frugality by clubbing the wedding reception with the silver jubilee celebrations of his marriage with Hema. None of the revelers asked how the silver jubilee coincided with the wedding of the 26 years old off-spring.
Thambi organized the dual celebration in the banquet hall next to the five star hotel where Tarun had booked the honeymoon suite. Tarun called it a coincidence, Thambi called it God's will.
By noon, the formalities at the Registrar's office were over. Tarun and Anju left for his parent's house, in a hired luxury sedan. Hema saw off her daughter, who was going to start a new life as a wife and daughter-in-law.
The sedan made a detour to Rang Mahal, so that the driver would know where to pick up Yakub from. Binny's house was the penultimate stop, where Yakub got off after instructing the driver to pick him up in time from Rang Mahal, so that they would reach the banquet hall by 9 pm. Then he went up the stairs to get fed.
It was almost 5 pm, when Yakub woke up from a refreshing afternoon nap. Binny was there to give her breasts for emptying. Maya had gone for the evening stroll with the baby, and the mother-in-law. Having emptied the milk jugs the second time that day, Yakub dressed and left for Rang Mahal.
On his way out he saw the father-in-law sitting in the lawn. He was ignored, but he wanted it that way.
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Yakub entered Rang Mahal with the customary pat on the dog's head. Abbu was tending to a customer. It was natural for the customer to be a female at this time of the day, with most men at their jobs. This girl was fashionably dressed in a sleeveless dark shirt atop a white capri. She must be a regular, as Abbu was chatting with her. But Abbu chatted with everyone. Probably his age.
Yakub stopped, and Abbu turned his head towards him.
Abbu : Ah, Yakub.
Y : Salaam. Abbu.
Abbu : Salaam, my son. Will you come here for a couple of minutes, please? I want to answer nature's call.
Y : Sure, Abbu.
Abbu : Angela has already taken her stuff. Just total the bill and collect the amount. (to Angela) Sorry, dear. Old men have poor bladder control and I don't want to be embarrassed at my age, may Allah forgive me.
Yakub replaced Abbu behind the counter of the grocery shop and faced a woman of Mongoloid features. She must be new around here, as she had not been one of the regular customers he had manipulated.
Yakub examined her. At just over five feet in height, Angela was nubile young female with very fair unblemished skin, high cheek bones, straight waist length hair coloured blue, orange and purple, and full lips painted black. There was a hint of a tattoo extending from below her right ear along her graceful neck down the back. Small breasts, but adding to her lure.
Yakub had other dishes to savour, so he just did the preliminaries. By the time she left, he had planted her brain with the unnatural need to meet him after fifteen days, when he would have returned from his honeymoon.
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It was almost midnight by the time Tarun was finally able to extract himself and Anju from the boisterous revelry. With Chitra escorting Anju, the trio walked to the foyer of the hotel. He let the girls walk ahead, and went to the reception to collect the room keys. While they waited for the lift to arrive, Chitra called up her mother Hema to pick her up from the hotel when they would head home, excusing herself from joining her parents at the banquet hall.
By the time Tarun joined the girls, the lift had arrived. A sun-glassed tall man was inside the lift, but he did not get off. He was dressed like an Arab in a full sleeved ankle length single robe, covered by a striking purple coloured sleeveless jacket. The trio entered the lift, ignoring the previous occupant.
As the lift started moving upwards, the tall man said softly "CLICK, FLICK, DICK, KICK, LICK, PICK".
There was an unnatural silence as they rode up to the fifth floor, then walked down the corridor to where the honeymoon suite was.
They all walked in. As the door closed, the clock inside chimed.
The calendar had turned to a new day.
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Chapter 19 : 05 Jun