13. Disparity
13
Disparity
Vera
Fourteen Years Ago
V era slung her bag across her body, slipping on her regular flats. A quick glance at her watch told her that she still had time to meet Vihaan before she began her shift at the local library. It was dull work, but it gave her some discretionary income to put aside for emergencies. With a hurried brush of her hair and one last look at herself in the mirror, she ambled out the front door, jogging down the steps when her grandfather waved to her from their small yard.
“Vera, come. Sit with me a second.”
“Now? Nanu, I have to get to work, and I’m meeting a friend before.”
Ambernath patted the ground beside him.
“It’s about your friend. I won’t take long. ”
Quietly, Vera slipped her bag off and hung it on the spikes of the fence next to them, plopping down next to her grandpa. The smell of grass and earth filled her lungs, broken only by the faint strain of cloves which came from Nanu. He always had one tucked away between his teeth to keep his breath fresh.
She accepted the spade he handed her and began to mix the mound of soil nearby with the fertiliser he pointed to.
“I noticed that Little Master has been dropping by more often than before.”
“Just call him by his name. It’s Vihaan. And he’s not so little. He’s almost eighteen and you still address him like he’s five,” Vera grumbled, pushing the dirt around and digging down to create a crater for the flowers Nanaji was trying to plant.
Ambernath nodded, running a loving hand over her head.
“You’re a strong girl, my child. How I’ve always wanted you to be.”
“Because you raised me like this.”
“No,” he declared, his voice full of admiration. “You’ve had this strength inside you since the day you were born. I am not that strong. Maybe that’s why I still address Mr. and Mrs. Oberoi as Sir and Madam. And why their son is Little Master to me.”
“Nanu, you’re speaking in circles.”
He smiled, something akin to regret marring his features when he spoke next.
“My sharp, little Talwar. Maybe it is because of the person you are that class differences do not intimidate you like they do me,” he admitted, patting the earth down around the sapling they had placed in the ground, grimacing when he had to stretch to reach behind, as if doing so was causing him pain. “The Oberois are our employers, Vera. Unlike so many of their ilk, they are kind to their help. They treat us with respect, may even befriend us, but we are not their equals. It would behoove us to not forget that. ”
Vera stood up, agitatedly swiping away any dirt from her pants. Her love and immense respect for her grandfather were the only things keeping her temper in check.
“I can’t believe you said that. You’ve always taught me that the worth of a person is measured by their deeds. By what they have earned.”
“It is,” Ambernath agreed, coming to a stand slowly, with effort, until he was facing her. He placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently. “But some differences are too large to overcome even with good work. I don’t want you to make plans that may end up hurting you, beta.”
“Plans?”
“You like Little Master, don’t you?”
Vera couldn’t look away from her grandfather’s all-knowing gaze. Of course he had observed her increasing closeness with their employer’s son. Of course he’d noticed that she didn’t breathe fire every time Vihaan visited now. It wasn’t as if she’d tried to hide it from Nanu either. She simply hadn’t found the right opportunity to express it in plain words yet.
“I know how teenage feelings work,” he said. “I saw your mother fall in love often, flitting from one boyfriend to another like a butterfly in the garden searching for the prettiest flower.”
“You think I am as frivolous as her?” Vera asked, hurt.
Age roughened hands cupped her cheeks, patting them with fatherly affection.
“No. On the other hand, you are too serious. Always have been. Which is why I worry more for you. Because I know your feelings are not momentary and superficial.”
“Don’t you like Vihaan? You always told me to be nice to him and now that I am—”
“I do like Little Master,” Nanu interjected. “He’s a good child with a good heart, even if a little lost. But he is an heir to multi-millions. And you are their driver’s granddaughter. In a society that still judges a person by their bank balance, this difference is too large a chasm to overcome. Will your pride survive if people think you are with him because he has money? Will your feelings survive such conjecture if your self-respect is hurt?”
Her heart ached. It wasn’t that the difference in their social status was hidden from Vera. But she’d stubbornly believed that it was something she and Vihaan could overcome. She’d thought that, like always, her grandfather would agree with her. She hadn’t considered that his outlook would be this bleak.
“You’ve never asked me for more than what I could give, and I have never asked you to limit your dreams in return,” Nanu quietly said. “But this? A relationship in that family will not come without challenges. I have never stopped you from making decisions for yourself because you’ve always been mature beyond your years. Think about what I’ve said.”
She nodded, accepting his words, not letting him see how disturbed she was.
At one time she would’ve said that Vihaan’s presence in her life was inconsequential. But how was she supposed to consider the alternative now?
Now, when he’d promised her an always.
Now, when she’d finally begun to believe him.
Now, when she’d already fallen in love with him.