Chapter 1
A Settling of Accounts

Each morning, Tiya saw the women in her neighbourhood driving to work. They seemed to glide through the busy streets with aplomb. She was envious of them. Not because they were employed. Tiya wasn’t keen on having a job; she and her husband were fairly well-off. But, she wished to go about independently like them. She was tired of depending on Sapan (her husband), or on fickle rickshaw and cab drivers to go out each time. So, of late, she had resolved to learn driving and make Sapan buy a compact hatchback for her.

She had enrolled in a driving school nearby and was about to complete her course. On a night, at dinner, she broached the subject of buying a new car, once again.

“Finishing your driving lessons is just the beginning,” Sapan said. “Now you need to practise regularly for some time.” And then he said he’d help her practise in the car that they already owned; a bulky sedan which he drove to work.

However, in the days that followed, Sapan kept postponing the practice sessions he had promised, saying he was too busy with his work. But, Tiya knew that Sapan didn’t actually want to help her. He didn’t want to buy her a car. He always gave her what he wanted to give, not what she asked for. That was a weird quirk of his. That was the thing she hated the most about him. It had been bothering her right from the time they got married, around two years ago. Except for this peculiar thing and his occasional bad temper, Tiya considered him quite a nice person. Nonetheless, this time, she was determined to somehow compel Sapan to buy her a car.

Soon, Sapan had to hire a chauffeur for his car. His backache had worsened, and he could no longer drive easily. The chauffeur, Manoj, seemed like a polite and hard-working guy to Tiya. On most days, he dropped Sapan at the office, brought the car back home, and went to work at a shipping company close to Tiya’s place. He returned in the evening and took the car again to pick up Sapan. He greeted Tiya with a warm smile whenever he came to collect or hand over the car keys. When she had rode with him for the first time a few days ago, she had noticed that he had remained surprisingly calm in heavy traffic, and she had reckoned that he was a better driver than Sapan. Several times, she had thought about asking Sapan whether Manoj could help her practise, but she hadn’t done it because she knew Sapan would say no.

One morning, when Manoj came to hand over the car keys after dropping Sapan, Tiya spontaneously urged him inside and insisted that he have some tea.

She then asked him where he worked exactly. He named a nearby shipyard. Is he always busy? She inquired. His daughter is starting college, so he has no choice but to work two jobs, Manoj informed her.

Then, Tiya hesitantly asked, “Do you think you can make some time for me? I need you to help me practise driving in our car,” She said. “I can compensate you for this. And, this will only be for a month.”

Her request seemed to surprise him. But he nodded finally and said he could make time.

“Please don’t tell anything about this to Sapan,” Tiya added, as she walked Manoj to the door. “I intend to surprise him.”

The next morning, by the time Manoj returned from Sapan’s office, Tiya was already at the gates of her two-storey house. Manoj suggested that he’d drive her to a not-so-busy area where she could begin her practice, and Tiya agreed. Throughout the session, Manoj was patient with her and instructed her politely when necessary. He didn’t get even slightly irritated when she swerved or stopped abruptly. Tiya would look at him after a mistake and smile, and he’d just smile back. It wouldn’t have been the same with Sapan, she reckoned. He would’ve reacted angrily at every error. Her husband not being keen on tutoring her was a good thing, in a way, she thought. It was better to learn from someone like Manoj. After an hour or so, they drove back home, and Manoj even taught her how to park the car in the garage.

They continued going to that empty area for a few days. And, in the following week, they began driving around in the neighbourhood. Tiya was more assured at the wheel now. With each passing day, she could feel her driving get better and better. She was glad that soon she’d be able to drive around independently, confidently like the women in her neighbourhood.

However, shortly, a minor mishap occurred. After their practice session in the noon, Tiya was parking the car when she inadvertently hit the garage wall, leaving the front bumper slightly scratched and dented. She immediately told Manoj not to talk about it when he went to pick up Sapan in the evening. To say that he didn’t know about it, in case Sapan noticed the damage. And she’d herself explain about it to her husband that night.

When Sapan returned home, Tiya tried to relate everything to him in a clever way. She told him that she had been practising driving in their car. Manoj was helping her in his spare time. She had asked for Manoj’s help. In fact, she had even told him to keep this a secret.

“I wanted to surprise you,” she said, with a false smile. “I wanted to take you on a surprise drive soon.”

He just glared at her. He had a strange look on his face as though he had just sipped some turned milk.

Tiya continued. She said she was having to reveal about the practice prematurely because of a minor incident. She had accidentally scratched the car today, while parking it. The scratches were slight, though. Anyway, this incident aside, she was slowly getting better at driving. She had been driving on multi-lane roads, on narrow streets. Flyovers. Through heavy traffic and chaotic crossings. Manoj could attest to this. Sapan could come along someday too. “So, the important thing is, I’m practising often like you wanted me to,” Tiya said. “Soon, I’ll be able to drive well, and we can buy a car for me,” she said. “A hatchback will be perfect. Frankly, your car is too big.”

However, as Tiya had pretty much expected, Sapan was not too pleased. He lost his cool. He berated her for taking the car out without his knowledge. And for damaging the car. His voice grew more and more threatening. “What’s the matter with you?” He yelled. “You’re being stubborn and immature. I didn’t expect this at all from you.” It seemed like he was holding back a few more choice words. He then said that, from the next day, she mustn’t go anywhere near his car. In fact, he’d ask Manoj to keep hold of the car keys. And he warned that if Tiya involved Manoj in such matters again, he would dismiss the driver.

Sapan paced around the sofa for a bit. Finally he stood still and spoke softly but sternly. “Let me make one thing absolutely clear,” he said. “We’re not going to buy you a car,” he said, and stormed off to the bedroom.