A Confection, a foe and a guest
She had no expectations from Ashvin. If he was beginning to have some... then it was his problem.
Or so it seemed like these days
The morning after Chirag's visit he found her stacking some college work on the top shelf of her closet from her backpack
She wore inexpensive street fashion that looked ludicrously good on her
A line skirts with skinny tees or wrap around skirts or denim pencil skirt with a street tee with lettering or wording displaying famous bands or distant world locations
This morning she was wearing a Aline full length skirt in a paint swirl pattern with a slit upto her knee on one leg with a skinny yellow tee.
As she stretched on the step stool he was gifted a sight of her luscious leg all the way up as she happened to spread her leg to balance herself
Not a blemish, he told himself.. the color of liquid gold
Though he held his breath she was aware of the movement and paused and turned and jumped off the stool
"Need help?" he asked politely
"No... thank you" she nodded
And waited for him to leave so she could shut the door
Her tee sticking to her belly and plunging down her neck
Her mangalsootra was gone now
He never expected it for the ceremony so she wont wear it anymore it looked like
She was back to wearing her Udupi Krishna
He walked away pretending to be unaffected
She was in the same boat secretly
She was reaching for a cup in the kitchen when she reached the handle of the cabinet he happened to be nearby and the back of her hand came in contact with his cheek
She withdrew as if she touched fire
He was unshaven, since it was early
It opened a floodgate of memories of Jayadev always carrying a stubble and how she would shave his jaw for him.
She felt Ashvin's bristle long after she brought her chai to her room
She ran her left hand under warm water to rid herself of the feeling.
She set out for Ullal that evening and did not tell him
Arrived at 5 AM at Mangalore bus terminal
The university would be empty she knew that
She walked over to his housing and knocked on the door
The guy he shared the miniscule apartment with opened the door
He looked shocked at first
"he is not here" she was told
"Oh? where did he?"
"I dont know, he has been gone two weeks"
"Did you call him?"
The man woke up
"Did YOU?" he countered
She turned a guilty red
"All of the pretty ones get married to rich men and dump the decent ones" he bit out
He still had the door open a crack
She tried to peek in
She wanted to inhale the smell she was longing for it
The mixture of cheap take out food, stale smoke and knock off male cologne
She didnt get any
The guy clutched his lungi in one hand and the twin door in another and stepped out
"What is left here?"
"I came to see him"
"Ofcourse you did. Is the rich main waiting in the big boat like car?" he was livid
"umm.. no"
"Then he must be hiding to attack Jaya"
"No... no.. he didnt come"
"why did you come?"
"I had unfinished business"
"It finished the day you married the rich man" cruelly
"I havent had a chance to talk to him" she began to cry
"Well then you should have thought about it before you dumped him no?"
She nodded sadly
"Did he change his number?" she begged
"I am not going to answer that."
"Please?"
"BTW you asking for your lover's number after marriage? Does your husband not perform in bed?"
She cringed and staggered back
Hitting the waist high wall
"That is cruel"
"You only got what you gave. You ruined his life. You always talked about your failing reasearch, and one fine day you sprung your impoverished father on him and then married a fat cat"
"He knows my father"
"then your father must have helped nab the fat cat"
"Oh nooo he didnt... he did not" she sobbed
"You did it because you wanted shopping"
He scanned her from head to toe
Nope
She was the same Trisha
Simple, ordinary... unglamorous
"Go back to your mansion" she was told
He slammed the door
She got home after 7 30
Her father was taking a bath by the water tank in the bank wearing his dhoti and banian like he always did
Chanting and mumbling stepping down slowly into the sub level cement tank where water filled in a trickle in the small plastic bucket
The mornings in Ullal were perfect
Cool salty sea mist blew with the breeze
Horse driven goods carriages trotted on the street occasionally... the bells tinkling wildly
The images of bygone era fast disappearing among honking Toyota and Honda honking
He dropped the bucket with a clatter
His eyes lit up
"Aanu" she said softly
He began to smile and stopped
Slowly walked up the underground tank steps
Holding on to the above ground tank wall.
His fingers splayed, wrinkly and glistening in water
"Are you getting ready to go to work?" she asked
"You came?" he asked in shock
She nodded fighting tears
"Now you are guest" he said nodding... convincing himself first?
quietly wrapping two towels around him one on the waist the other around the shoulders
He walked up the steps leading to the house chanting softly
He appeared a few minutes later clothed and wearing a red bindi from the shrine
"Will you have coffee?" he asked politely...
She shook her head and began to cry...
comment:
p_commentcount