FF Paragon Update-chapter 14 - Page 2

Chapter 5

Today Madhu was working on Sareen Gupta's hair trying to give it the desired curl that she wanted.

Miss Sareen, as she liked to be called was sixty years old. She used to play second lead in the movies that were made in the 1970s. She lived around the corner from the parlor in an old dilapidated building called 'Naveen Apartments'. Never having married, she lived alone in her sprawling apartment. She visited the parlor every month to either get a haircut or an updo. Madhu suspected that coming to the parlor was her only outing. She was very chatty and had tons of stories to relate to anyone who was listening. Whenever she came in she always asked for Madhu. She liked the fact that Madhu listened to her intently and did not interrupt her stories and showed respect to her.

"Where were you all these months? Heard you got married to that new boy, that Superstar. What's his name?" She asked

"RK" Harsha chimed in.

"Yes, yes him, so all is well?" Miss Sareen looked hopeful

"So Miss Sareen last time you were here you were telling us the story of the ghost in the studio you worked in" Harsha tried to change the topic.

"I did NOT work there, I acted there, in a movie, there's a difference" Miss Sareen was outraged. These girls had no respect, using the word 'worked' like a commoner when she was an artist no less.

"So yes my story…..this was in 1975 when we were shooting at the Natraj Studios for a very big film. Once during a night shoot one of the doors kept opening and closing on its own. There were rumors that twenty years ago a junior artist named Kanjama had committed suicide. No one knows why……"

Madhu's hand stilled, she motioned Urvashi to take over from her. She stumbled out of the parlor. She needed some fresh air, she could not feel her legs and needed to sit down somewhere.

It was not ALL a lie. RK had mentioned the ghost of Kanjama, maybe there were other truths too. He had said "Biwi I eat at YOUR house everyday" when she invited him for lunch at her mother's immediately after he had scared her with the mention of the ghost. He could not be telling the truth in one sentence and then lying in the other.

Her heart somersaulted with this flicker of hope and then she stopped herself

"You are not worth being RK's and you cannot be of any use to me"

Madhu took a long breath and kept walking. She kept walking for a long time, she did not realize when, but she had reached home. It was dark, she saw the yellow light shining through the open window. It was inviting her to rest her weary, empty self. She was drawn to it like a moth. Her heavy steps made its way to the stairs. She needed her cocoon to engulf her so she could stay warm and comfortable in it until it was time to venture out in the cruel world again.

000

RK was sitting and sipping his coffee. He was sitting in a quaint little coffee shop in front of the Notr Dame in Paris. This is the life, he thought, no one to bother him and ask unnecessary questions. He looked around, it was late afternoon and the place was packed with people. Everyone was engaged in conversation, laughing and talking and enjoying their time with their friends and loved ones. He took a sip of the coffee and went back to observing everyone around him.

It was then that he heard her tinkling laughter, coming through the door. A man was walking towards him and she had her arms around him from behind. He was holding one of her hands close to his heart. He was looking over his shoulder laughing trying to get her to stand beside him so he could hug her. RK was witnessing a game between two lovers.

"Madhu" he whispered and got up from his chair. The man finally pulled the girl in front of him and kissed her. She responded to the kiss and placed her arms around his neck. They broke their kiss and sat on the table in front of him, holding hands lost in their own world.

No, no what was he thinking she wasn't Madhu, the coloring was wrong, she wasn't tall enough and her hair was tied in a ponytail, Madhu never did that and the girl's eyes did not have the same sparkle in them.

He took out the money from the wallet, put it on the table and walked out of the coffee shop.

000