Unhoused

There was no other alternative. He gave a second thought and looked for a ray of hope but all that he could see was darkness. Suresh Babu didn’t have a choice but to sell the three bedrooms flat that he bought with the money he had received from the government during his retirement. He was waiting for dawn. However hard he tried, sleep wouldn’t resume its duty on his eyes after four in the morning.

He lit a cigarette and went to the restroom. Smoking usually supported him to do his job but now thoughts of selling the house oscillated in his mind increasing its speed every second and then numbed his mind as well as his physical system for a few minutes.

He came out with no fresh ideas. His wife Shyamala handed him a towel. She was an obedient wife and a good mother who raised her daughters into wise women.

“There is just a week’s time to pay Sandhya’s fee,” Suresh Babu said with an expressionless face and stared at the clock on the wall.

“We married Hema with all our savings last year. The loan that you got from bank for Malati’s engineering is still not cleared. Now, where do we get money for Sandhya? Didn’t I caution you that we cannot afford to make her a doctor? I knew this day would come.”

Shyamala went into the kitchen to make their favourite ginger tea. To Suresh Babu, she seemed more like the Pontius Pilate than the mother of his children and it meant that it was his fault for such predicament they were in.

Together they sipped tea. No one spoke.

Shyamala looked for her rangoli design book and said to herself, “Yes, this.”

She took a piece of chalk, dipped it in water and opened the door. She squatted herself on the floor and began making rangoli.

The door behind her opened.

“Which design is it?”

“8 x 8 – swastik shaped petals.”

“Oh. Aunty, have you decided about selling the flat?”

Shyamala turned around surprised.

“How did you…?” she stopped herself and quickly darted into the house to seek answer to her question.

***

 Vijayshree was a shrewd woman. She and her husband Mukesh ran their own business of dairy products and spices. They made an annual turnover of two crores which they thought was not reaching their expectations. Mukesh was also into real estate business but he often failed miserably. The couple was childless. They had been visiting the Kanaka Durga temple every week to be blessed with progeny.

“How much is the flat’s value Mukesh?”

“Seventy lakhs now and 1.5 crore after the state is bifurcated.”

Vijayshree’s eyes gleamed with certain urgency. “Tell the old couple that the flat’s value is fifty lacs,” she said.

Mukesh wasn’t naïve and quickly understood his wife’s calculations.

***

“Did you speak to anyone about selling our flat?”

“Did you meet Mukesh now?”

“His wife. You should have spoken to our son-in-law first.”

“Let’s not trouble them Shyamala. Ajay’s parents might think we are asking for help. With the money that we get after sale, we can pay for Sandhya’s education and get her married in a good family.”

Shyamala looked into her aging husband’s eyes. They showed his desperation to be relieved from his responsibilities.

She raised her eyebrows and asked, “After that?” Her husband managed to smile. With a deep breath he said, “Just the two of us in some rented house.”

Suresh Babu enjoyed his evening walks. He met some of the retired folks at the walking path every day. They shared their thoughts, their fears, history, politics, food and of course, their children. Their favourite topic for discussion would be politics. Today they sat in a park. Some depended only on their pensions and some didn’t even take their pensions; either their sons or daughters managed their finance. It was hard for them to provide any suggestion.

He returned to the apartment and waited for the elevator to come down. Oblivious to the surroundings, all he could do was stare blankly on the elevator switch. He felt a hand on his shoulder.

“What happened uncle? You seem to be lost.”

“Oh, Mukesh. Sorry. Did you find out the market price for the flat?”

“Yes, fifty lakhs is the maximum in this area.”

“Fifty lakhs? That’s it?”

“Real estate business is not doing well now. You know it.”

“Do you think the state will be bifurcated?”

“I don’t think so. This has been going since ages.”

“Yes, true.”

“Do you want me to look for someone?”

“Is there any possibility to get some credit?”

“Do you have any property to pledge?”

Suresh Babu didn’t have an answer. He quietly stepped into the elevator.

The next morning, the doorbell rang.

“Can we come in aunty?” Vijayshree asked with a deliberate smile that was apparently fake.

“Suresh garu, we thought if you are really interested in selling the flat, we could buy it.”

“Yes, but…”

  “Uncle, we will pay fifty two lakhs for the flat. Two lakhs more than the market rate.”

“Sandhya was telling me last night that she has checked in the internet. The value of our house is close to 70 lakhs.”

Suresh Babu looked at his wife and the question was obvious in his expression, Why didn’t you tell me?

Shyamala’s eyes spoke, I didn’t know they would come.

“Not in this area,” Mukesh replied.

“After bifurcation?”

“Aunty, it is uncertain. Even in that case, it might be around ten lakhs more. Now you need money for your daughters, isn’t it?”

“It’s not a small sum, is it?” Shyamala retorted.

“Okay. We are ready to pay 60 lacs,” Mukesh said.

“Tomorrow is Ekadashi, an auspicious day. Let’s go for registration and we will pay the amount in full,” Vijayshree said.

Mukesh made an offer to the old couple. He allowed them to stay in the same flat as tenants. This satisfied Suresh Babu. He turned towards his wife for approval. She nodded her head in affirmative.

After two days, as usual Suresh Babu switched on the television to listen to the morning news. The state was bifurcated officially. He didn’t expect it would happen so soon. In the evening, when he returned from his walk, he found Sandhya crying.  It took some time for him to pacify her.

“They have asked us to look for another house. They said the value of the flat is one and a half crore now.”

Suresh Babu rushed to his neighbour’s house, pulled Mukesh by the collar and said, “You knew all this, right? You are a cheat, fake, a fraud.”

“Excuse me, why are you creating this nuisance here?”

“God is there and he is watching.”

Vijayshree and Mukesh were unaffected. They were shrewd businessmen and wanted to amass as much property as they could but God only knows for whom.