Dollar Bahu by Sudha Murty Read Free Book Online Page B

and varieties. Greedy Gouramma was at another counter making her choices. Chandru quietly asked the salesman to show him an aquamarine sari with a pink border.
    When he saw the sari, he told his mother to buy it for Girish’s wife and not for Jamuna. Gouramma took a look at the price tag: it was seven thousand rupees.
    ‘Chandru, she doesn’t were such expensive saris. It would be wiser to buy two printed silk saris for the same amount.’ But Chandru insisted on the sari he had selected, and Gouramma backed down. He was paying the bill after all.
    Chandru reasoned that when Vinuta had taken such good care of him when he was not so well off, social restrictions had held him back from gifting her a sari of her choice. But now, when an appropriate occasion was coming up, he could repay what he felt was a long-held personal debt.
    Vinuta took one look at the sari and her face lit up like a flower in full bloom. She murmured, ‘Oh! I love this colour. I have been planning to buy one for a long time. Thank you very much, Chandru.’
    Gouramma felt she had to give Jamuna something from the family. Shamanna was not a wealthy man. So Gouramma took two of her own bangles to a jeweller and got them redesigned into new ones. Vinuta’s sharp eyes noticed this.
    As the wedding date drew near, a whole lot of relatives and friends started visiting their house. Gouramma enjoyed herself, boosting her own self-esteem, showing off Jamuna’s jewels and saris, humiliating them, destroying their peace of mind, paying them back for every insult she believed she had suffered for so many years. Her son lived in America and her future daughter-in-law was the only daughter of a rich man. Such charming scenarios, mere dreams for so long, were gloriously coming true. In her mind she thanked the blessed power of the Dollar.
    Krishnappa was a wealthy man. He wanted to use the wedding ceremony to display his wealth and exploit this occasion as a business party. So, the most expensive hall was selected as the venue for three days of grand celebrations. The hall was decorated with the choicest flowers, live music was played throughout the ceremony and the affluent guests, especially the ladies, flaunted their silks and jewels. Of course, the wide spread of rich food was the gravitation point for all appetites.
    From behind the scenes, Girish and Vinuta ensured that everything went off without a hitch. But it was Gouramma who handled all money-related matters.
    After the wedding, Jamuna’s mother made a dramatic appeal to Gouramma. ‘Please consider Jamuna as your daughter. She has been brought up in luxury. If she makes any mistake, kindly forgive her. If there has been any lapse in the marriage arrangements from our side, please pardon us.’ With that, she handed over an expensive gift to Gouramma. Gouramma was overcome with emotion and hugged Jamuna’s mother fondly.
    Chandru and Jamuna went off for their honeymoon and returned just one day before Chandru’s departure for the US. That evening, Chandru said to his mother, ‘Amma, Jamuna will stay with you until she gets her visa, and I shall only be back here for Surabhi’s wedding. Till then, take care.’
    ‘Jamuna is my eldest daughter-in-law. It is, after all, her own house now. Let her get used to us. You needn’t worry about her,’ Gouramma reassured Chandru.
    The day Chandru left, Jamuna politely told her mother-in-law, ‘My cousins are all at my parents’ place. I want to spend some time with them before flying off. I will be back next week.’ From the airport Jamuna went straight to her father’s house.
    Gouramma realized that she could not boss over Jamuna the way she did over Vinuta. She told herself it was all right. Her rich relatives had come from all over and there was nothing wrong in Jamuna’s decision to go to her parents’ home.
    ‘Come back any time. This is your home too after all,’ she said cordially.
    But Jamuna simply vanished from their lives for a long