Through gritted teeth she muttered, ‘I want you out of here by the end of the week… Else Rani Maa will be meting out her own justice that won’t be pretty. Get out!’

‘You didn’t snitch on Mehtaab. You kept quiet about Sukhmani and him.’

‘Don’t test my patience. I have my ways, I want you out of the ashram by the end of the week!’

Kuljeet limped away and Rajjo followed her barefoot with a pleading tone.

‘Please hear me out before you do anything or say anything…’

Kuljeet entered her room and shut the door in Rajjo’s face.

Rajjo trembled with cold and fear. Just when she thought things were finally falling in place, down it went like a house of cards. She felt helpless. She could see the fog closing in the dark stinging night.

She went to her room, had a quick bath and changed her clothes. Wrapping herself in warm layers she stepped out to look for Arjan. She found him coming out after his morning prayers from the prayer room.

She repeated what had happened and asked for help.

‘I need to reach out to Kuljeet; she cannot go and tell Rani Maa the truth about Mehtaab and me.’

Arjan shook his head and turned away from Rajjo.

Rajjo called out to him once again. ‘Please help me.’

‘You don’t know what you are doing.’

‘I am fully aware, I know what I am doing, Arjan!’

‘The men asleep, mad or drunk may have knowledge, and not use it and that is the condition of men under the influence of passion!’

‘Who is not using the knowledge and who is under the influence of passion and who is asleep, mad or drunk?’

‘You are. All of the above.’

Arjan turned away, a trail of red anger staining his face.

Panicking, Rajjo finally cornered Raahat. Raahat turned beetroot red as soon as Rajjo asked to know more about Kuljeet. Rajjo knew there was something there to uncover.

‘I am not sure if Asha will let me touch the her again if she finds out I shared with you what she shared with me what she shared with her in bed…I mean we were all together at different times. Me and Asha and then Asha and Kuljeet. So indirectly I may have made out with Kuljeet! Gawwd!’

Rajjo’s deaf ear erupted with the sound of bugles and drums. Raahat came through for her. She had to be sure of what she heard. .

‘Raahat, what the heck are you saying?’

‘Ok. It’s a sad story though and it should not come back to me…’

Rajjo dragged him outside by the arm into the vast farmlands as dawn broke and morning prayers began in the ashram. Raahat narrated the story of a woman named Kuljeet.

Rajjo gently knocked on Kuljeet’s door to seek her compassion and grace. Not waiting for a response she pushed through the door and stood there as Kuljeet looked at her with a rigid expression. Before she could ask her to leave Rajjo launched into a tirade.