Conversations

Dev stood at the door of his train and gazed longingly across the track. Unlike other days, Murgi’s backyard was littered with dead leaves. The kitchen door was closed, and the chickens weren’t around. This was how it has been for the past three days.

Three days! Three days since he last saw her, and he felt very disturbed. This was so unlike what he was used to every day, scenes that teemed with energy and life.

What if something happened to her, he wondered anxiously. His guts were in knots, and he couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was wrong.

She may be out of town, he reasoned with himself, or she’s probably keeping a low profile after your little video stunt.

Dev sighed. He considered how she’d reacted to him filming her the other day. She was freaked out. Who wouldn’t be, considering circumstances these days?

He wondered if her absence had anything to do with how his life was going on right now. Things at work weren’t smooth. There were all kinds of delays, obstacles, and ‘funny’ people to make matters harder than they already were. And how could he forget his personal life? His mother was being rather difficult these days, making him run around in circles and do stuff he wasn’t even interested in, like look through scores of proposals coming in every other day.

Suddenly, the kitchen door opened, and out emerged the Murgi. His heart lurched in his chest and a smile appeared on his lips. All this while, he’d glued himself to the walls of the train, but now, he straightened up to get a better view. To his delight, she looked perfectly alright.

Brandishing the broom, she headed to the coop. Excited clucks floated out from there. It grew louder and more frantic as she fumbled with the bolt. “Alright! Alright! Stop pushing!” The chickens were getting impatient. As soon as she opened the door, the birds shot out of the coop and fluttered their way to freedom.

I hope that the express train is late, he thought.

Disappointing him, a loud horn sounded in the distance.

Murgi started sweeping out the yard. As usual, her chickens stuck around for company. The black one, Lajo, stuck the closest as if supervising her. She caught Lajo’s eyes and smiled. “What are you looking at?” she chuckled, and the bird responded with a curious ‘cluck’.

Enjoying the chemistry between Murgi and her chickens was meditative. He found himself getting lost somewhere. He’d heard of pets forming special bonds with their owners, especially dogs, cats, and parrots, but never chickens.

Suddenly, she gathered the broom and straightened up.

It all happened so fast that by the time he registered it, she was giving him a glare from hell.

He just stood there, unable to move or do anything other than return a sheepish, bug-eyed look.

Jaw throbbing threateningly, she tapped the top end of the broom on her palm and glowered at him. It was the kind of broom used in villages.

He tried to squeeze out a smile, but those amber eyes singeing a hole through him made it nearly impossible.

As she watched on, he pulled out his phone from his pocket, bringing another glare out of her.

I wasn’t filming you… he mouthed and signed at the same time. Not now... not before. And about the other day… sorry! He scratched his ear lobe.

Her eyes softened, and a blush crept up her cheeks. She glanced around, wondering if she was being watched. She even doubted if the ‘conversation’ was with her or someone else.

The horn sounded again, this time, much closer. They could hear the other train rushing in from the other direction.

As Dev leaned onto the railings, he couldn’t help but smile at her reaction. It was contrary to his expectations, plus, he had to admit, she looked adorable when she blushed.

***