When he didn't persuade me to let him in or strike a conversation through closed doors, I realized he was counting on my coming out of the room eventually. After all, I had asked Prithvi to take me along to Jula bazaar for shopping paints and pigments and I had little doubt that Shiv didn't already know of my day's agenda from Prithvi.
Once my heart sunk back without a flutter, I picked myself to shower and get out of the house - the latter of which I was largely skeptical about achieving so without falling into his line of sight.
Opening the door a crack, I peeked out with my bag slung over my shoulders and clutching my sandals in one hand while I held onto the two ends of my dupatta in the other - just so because my dupatta had the tendency of snagging at something during the most inopportune of times. My feet shook as I raced out the hallway stretch and out the front door. Without risking to look my left or right, I ran straight down the garden path as my feet picked up speed on its own volition.
But, it was just my luck that I heard him call my name when I was nearly out the front gate. His voice wafted without a hurry from somewhere along the right side of the house. My head rolled back and my shoulders slumped with defeat.
Lord! Why won't he understand that I had no intentions of meeting his eyes. Not that day when his gaze had me wanting to bolt and hide in a corner for no particular reason at all.
"Are you heading to the bus stop?" I heard him ask while I threw the sandals down and wore them.
He was already by my side, when I straightened after adjusting the sandal straps.
"I'm getting late Shiv," I said without looking at him and continued proceeding towards the right corner of the street.
"The closest way to the bus stop is this way," I turned to see him standing with his one hand braced against his hip and pointing in the direction opposite to where I was going.
"I know," I turned about not wanting to give away my annoyance over his suggestion - its the last thing I wanted that day: standing in the middle of our street to tell him that I hated crossing the horny road workers who pooled at the cigarette shop by the other end of the street, right about that time and leered at any woman passing by. In reality, they were harmless, unlike the ones back from Jaitsar; they never so much as uttered an uncouth comment, but I was unable to grow indifferent to their lascivious looks and opted to go around instead.
"I get a good walk by taking the longer route," I said continuing to walk.
It was a few steps before he addressed me again, "Wait! Don't tell me its the men at the corner shop."
Without intending to, I came to a stop and gasped at his conclusion.
Even as I swung around to convince him that I had other motives behind taking the longer route, he swiftly turned about his feet and advanced towards the shop.
"Shiv!" I yelled to get his attention, "Its nothing like how you are assuming it to be. Listen to me!"
"Shiv!" I called again beginning to run, for he was far along the road.
My breath caught in my throat as I strode to his side. "Shiv, Liste..."
He flipped his head around to face me and the anger in his eyes silenced my pleading. "Just because I don't stay in the area, don't take me for a fool," he spoke shaking a severe finger at me, "I get the security patrol reports everyday. Don't forget that Saanchi lives here too."
In moments, I saw him rounding the corner and reckoned that I had stood frozen for that time not comprehending what had commanded his implacable rage.
Panic struck and I picked up my cellphone to call for help when I remembered Prithvi was going to pick me from the bus stop that morning and that he couldn't be too far from where I was.
"Prithvi," I cried just as I heard him pick up my call, "I need you here. I need you to come to my street right now."
With that, I hung up without waiting for his response and rushed to find Shiv. For a moment, I began to breath again when I found the cigarette shop free of the anticipated commotion, but it was also then that I realized that Shiv wasn't there. Buckling on my heels, I skidded into the nearest galli and found a few men crowding the far end. Surely, I was ready to throw up when I could pick up the signs of what appeared to be developing street fight.
"Oh! shit," I mumbled and clobbered along the way. Somewhere half way down the galli, I was able to spot his grey shirt bending over to punch a man on the floor. The two other men were boisterous in their movements and swearing while trying to pulling him away from the man on the ground.
"Shiv!" I cried again catching everyone's attention there.
"Don't you have jobs? You rascals!" He gritted out as he pushed aside the man clasping his shoulder.
He reared his head up and slapped the other man who had just about given a roar of disapproval. "Chu**ya, I will cancel your contracts if I find you standing there one more time.."
I cringed at his choice of words and closed my ears with my palms, my dislike splayed over my scrunched forehead.
"Shiv," I managed to run to him. "Listen to me," I laid a hand over his chest and tried to push him far from the group.
And he shoved me away while I attempted to grab him from his side. To him, it was as if I didn't exist that instant.
"Where do you live? bas***d!" he got hold of a man's collar and slapped him without letting the man answer him.
By then, tears I hadn't shed in a while threatened to surface up. I couldn't tell if it stemmed from my disappointment or shame that he was creating a scene over nothing or if it was owing to my concern for him.
"Shiv! Please!" My knees strained to keep me straight while I hung over his back and he went around beating up the men one after another. There was no blood as far as I could gauge, but I knew the men had been punished far beyond what was deserving for their puerile actions.
During those clouding seconds, I forgot I had called Prithvi and raked my mind of ways to make him stop; the monster that he'd become and so, it was more than a welcome sight when I saw Prithvi enter the galli.
"Prithvi," I left to take Prithvi's help and make Shiv see reason.
"Ennada? (What happened?)" Prithvi directed at Shiv appearing nonplussed as he caught me by my arms as I began to trip and fall.
There was no response as Shiv steadied and swiped at his mouth, his eyes filled with morbid heat I had never seen in him. He simply took in my limp form hanging over Prithvi's arm. A moment passed as though he was in wait for something to settle inside him and then went back to bashing the guy in front of him. This time around, he punched the man more violently than I had observed before.
"Prithvi," I pulled at his arm, "do something. Anything. Make him stop."
"Hush!" Prithvi placed a hand over my shoulder to calm me. "Its all right."
To my surprise, Prithvi didn't react like I expected of him and was overtly at ease with the goings on. It was as if he was familiar with this still ghastly unfamiliar side of Shiv. Prithvi remained with me until Shiv was done beating the men to a pulp. I saw that their faces were swollen and bloodied and bruised badly beyond any accounting.
A flash of anger twisted in my stomach red and hot. It was too late by the time I realized, I didn't know the man who lengthened to his full height and crossed the unconscious man nearly dead on the ground. No! he couldn't be the man I had believed to be among the most patient men I had come across in my life. Suddenly, I felt he'd breached an unspoken promise that his polite actions had indirectly guaranteed until that day. Without a word or notice, I grabbed Prithvi's hand and began to walk out of the galli.
I was merely grateful then that Prithvi obliged and offered no explanation to justify his friend's inexplicable and uncalled for act.
"Its not a street fight that he needs rescuing from. Trust me," he said as I dragged Prithvi along and rounded the corner.
My eyes flipped back to him, but I wouldn't stop. Although, there was little I could understand of Prithvi's words that distressing moment, I couldn't wait to leave the area and wanted nothing of Shiv again.
Despite my resolve and the bitterness he'd stirred between us, I couldn't help but turn and look at him for what I thought was the last time I would lay eyes on him.
And I hated myself for the last look I cast his way, for it was then I saw how much he was starting to enjoy the rancor his actions had sparked in me.
Edited by Lahari. - 12 years ago
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