7. Love develops between Mohandas and Jayalaxmi

CHAPTER 7

Love develops between Mohandas and Jayalaxmi

Jayalaxmi took upma and water up the stairs to Mohandas’s room.

Mohandas was sitting on the bed. He was thinking of Jayalaxmi. “How beautiful she is. I feel like staring at her all the time.”

Jayalaxmi entered the room and placed the upma on the table. Their eyes met. Jayalaxmi was shy. “Please take.”

Mohandas sat at the table and placed one spoon of upma in his mouth.

“How is it?”

“If I tell you, will you get angry?”

Jayalaxmi laughed. “Why? Did you not like it? Tell me please. I will not get angry.”

He looked into her eyes. “The upma is as good as you.”

Jayalaxmi felt blood rush into her face. She felt shy and looked at him with happiness. “You are a very well known Harikathadasa in the State.”

Mohandas looked at god’s photo. “It is that Sharadamba’s gift.”

“Your wife is very lucky to have you.”

He looked at her with a shocked face. “I am still unmarried.”

Jayalaxmi was surprised. “Why?”

“I did not get the perfect match. I am still searching. You are the lucky one for you are already married. What a beautiful house you have.”

Her face fell. “You don’t know the reality. Actually my father forced me to marry a man who was much older than me. He is like a sanyasi.”

Mohandas felt sad for her. “Forgive me if I hurt your feelings.”

Suddenly she heard the sound of the jeep. She went down the stairs.

Mohandas kept looking at the door through which she left. “So beautiful. She is in my line already. I can be happy here for 10 days.”