Trouble

Today, Dev was in exceptionally high spirits. Things at the workplace took a 180-degree turn from awful to awesome. Deals fell in place just like that, all obstacles magically vanished, superiors were pleased with him, and ‘funny’ people became extremely cooperative. Weird, isn’t it? He could only pinpoint his good luck to one factor: the Murgi.

Something about her was extremely auspicious. Getting a glimpse of her early in the day seemed to work wonders, at least for him, or was he just being ridiculously superstitious?

***

Bhoomika stepped out into the backyard to pluck some vegetables for lunch. Yes, that was Murgi’s real name, something which Dev didn’t know yet. She spotted a neighborhood woman and gave a sweet, inviting smile, but the woman simply scooted back into her house.

Her face dropped. She was trying to get used to this… people not returning her smile, not responding to her, avoiding her, but it wasn’t easy. The chickens were her only friends, and they made her forget all her woes, but still, from time to time, she couldn’t contain the pangs of loneliness that stung her.

People were afraid of her, afraid of anything and everything to do with her and the space she was enclosed in. It was as if she stood on haunted ground. They dared not even smile at her.

She knew why all of this was happening, but what could she possibly do about it? Nothing!

She wished that people would stop punishing her for a crime she wasn’t even guilty of. She felt trapped, frustrated, and sad. It was in times like these that one finds oneself searching for that source of comfort, anything or anyone who could wipe away the pain. Like a vision, Dev’s face popped into her mind. Yes, the stranger who’d smiled at her this morning. Unlike others, he wanted to interact with her, or so it seemed like. But that would probably be because he didn’t know a thing about her. If he did, he too, like the others, wouldn’t dare in a million years.

For how long had he been watching her? And why? What was so special about her? She never considered herself beautiful, at least not with the weather-beaten skin that she was in now…

Speaking about ‘beautiful’, he was handsome. Very handsome. She had no clue as to what kind of person he was, but everything about his physical traits was oh-so-perfect. His wavy hair, tall, athletic frame in smart formals, and his irresistible smile to name a few. His eyes were the most remarkable of them all. They were warm, deep, and mesmerizing. Somewhere, she felt that he was a nice person.

She was smiling. It took her a while to realize that.

***

Mother Nature was getting ready to be a bitch this evening. She’d been silently taking crap from her tenants for quite some time now, but she’s had enough. The skies said so. It was ready to burst.

Dev was on his way home in one of his usual trains. As it closed in on the crossway, humongous pellets of rain pitter-pattered like bullets on the roof, one after the other. As Murgi’s house came into view, Dev’s heart quickened, and his eyes stayed peeled.

The clothesline in her backyard was occupied from one end to the other with clean laundry she’d put out to dry earlier in the day. Something clenched in his chest knowing that the clothes she’d painstakingly washed were at the risk of getting drenched any time soon. “Come on Murgi, where are you? Your clothes are going to get screwed!” He mumbled and desperately eyed the kitchen door and surroundings.

Just then, a thought popped into his mind. What if she’s sleeping?

Does she ever do that, his cocky alter ego countered?

Seeing all those clean, dry clothes fluttering on the line made him so jittery. He itched to go and clear it out, but of course, it was none of his business. He also had the aftermath to consider. Jumping off the train to pick up a stranger’s (please note: a married woman’s) laundry was bound to earn him a ton of weird looks and snide remarks. Possibly even a viral video.

As the clouds weighed down, the surrounding greenery grew brighter and glossier, when suddenly, the Murgi shot out of the kitchen door.

“Hah!” He chuckled on seeing her, a little surprised at the relief he was feeling.

The line shuddered when she barrelled from point A to B, ripping the clothes down.

The drops grew heavier; it felt like gooseberries were falling from the sky. She was about to dash back in when she sensed a movement in the distance.

It was Dev with one of his cockiest expressions ever. It looked like he was teasing her.

“Run! Run!” He mouthed, flapping his ‘wings’ like a chicken, motioning to run faster.

She shot a scowl, and he simply shrugged it off with a laugh. Her stare was so beady that she looked like a big chicken with a bright red comb. He flapped his wings again.

That was enough! She whipped around and hurried to the kitchen door, not because the teasing had crossed the line, (she kind of found it amusing) but because the rain was growing heavier.

She almost barged in through the door when she stopped dead... as though she’d seen a ghost.

Standing in the doorway, almost filling it up, was a tall, rugged man with a muscular frame and a thick, manly mustache. He was clad in a yellowed sleeveless vest and pajama pants. Savoring on a cheap cigarette, he gave her a hair-raising glare.

He allowed her to pass, but not before slowly puffing onto her face and engulfing her in smoke.

Dev saw it too. Was that her husband? Something about him was odd.

Wait... what if he’s not her husband?

So many questions with no answers! Dev was riddled with discomfort. Whoever the guy was, he sincerely hoped that she didn’t get into trouble.

The skies finally let go, unleashing a torrent of rain, hard enough to bring down the visibility to a good stone’s throw. Yet, the man’s piercing, intimidating glare cut through the downpour and met Dev’s.

He wanted to tear away. His ugly stare stirred up a storm, one that made him restless, but he held on. He felt no reason to break the connection. Nothing wrong had happened here, and this guy needed to know that. For some reason, he didn’t seem like an easy-going, understanding kind of person.

***

The rain had managed to soak the clean, dry laundry at places, so Bhoomika spread them out to dry on a stand. She glanced out the window to see Dev’s train slowly pull out from the crossing.

Sunset was still due, so, it was semi-dark in there, and eerie. She sensed someone come into the room and her heart raced. From the smell of cigarette smoke, she knew who it was and didn’t dare turn around.

Her heart pounded so fiercely in her chest that her head throbbed painfully. She listened hard to figure out where he was. Thunder rumbled overhead.

“So, there’s some truth to it?” His voice came out of the blue from right behind her shoulder.

Startled, she swung around to face him, a little breathless.

“Huh? Bhoomika?” He probed her again.

Despite his voice being calm, composed, and possibly friendly, she was petrified. “What?” Her voice was barely a whisper, and she kept her eyes away, only to find him lean onto the wall right before her. She took a step back.

“What was that all about?” he asked, taking a deep puff from his cigarette.

“What?” She mumbled.

He smirked. “I’m sure you know what I’m talking about.”

She was tempted to respond with a ‘no’ but chose to remain silent.

He leaned back and enjoyed his cigarette.

Bhoomika’s heart calmed down a bit when he took his eyes off her.

“I’ve been hearing things,” he said.

She finally looked up at him and their eyes met. She didn’t know what he meant.

“About your game of dumb charades with this guy,” he clarified.

She couldn’t even move. It felt like she would pass out.

“But don’t worry, I trust you.”

She studied him, not sure what he was coming up with.

“I’m confident you won’t pull any stunt.” He took another long puff. “You won’t. You know what will happen.”

Straightening up, he left her, allowing her to breathe freely once more.

***