Without A Trace

Being the weekend, Dev hit the tracks on a different train. It had more standing space than the usual ones, yet, he chose to stick around the entrance and savor the cool breeze whipping against his face.

All night, the rain had drenched the thirsty earth to its heart’s content. It was a cozy morning, the perfect day to be in bed tucked under warm covers, wake up to a late coffee, and have a lazy brunch. But here he was on his daily routine. The fact was he was in no mood to stay under the blankets. On one end, he had his job to look after, and on the other, there was this large chicken that he was looking forward to seeing.

He had become so used to seeing her that a single day without it never felt right. There were two real reasons for him to hit work on a weekend. One, he can save himself from his mother’s nagging about marriage and anything and everything to do with marriage. Two, he also wanted to see her. He had no clue why. He just wanted to. She was a part of his harrowing journey to work. Taking her out of the equation just didn’t seem right.

The weekend trains didn’t give him much of a glimpse compared to the weekday trains. A handful of seconds was all that he got. It never hung around long enough for a good look. If it weren’t for the weekday express trains, he’d never even get to know her, let alone seeing her.

Dev’s chest clenched as the train inched up to the crossing. The previous day’s events rushed back to him. He had witnessed and experienced the brief, not-so-right encounter between Murgi, that man (whoever he was), and then, himself. Something rolled in his guts. That man gave out all the wrong vibes. He wished that he didn’t have anything to do with her.

As the train squealed to a stop, he scanned her yard eagerly. She was nowhere to be seen. Her chickens were out and free as usual. A disturbing thought popped into his mind. What if something happened?

A blink later, the train slowly pulled out, and yet, there was no sign of her. He couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was very wrong indeed.

***

Come evening, there was still no sight of her. He ran his eyes frantically in and around her house and to wherever it would take him. The kitchen lights were on, but the backdoor was shut. Where is she, he wondered uneasily, I hope she’s okay. Something kept telling him that this ‘missing act’ had something to do with the man he’d seen the other day.

***

Despite being a Sunday, Dev was out on the tracks on the pretext of shopping in the city. Well, not entirely a ‘pretext’. He wanted to get something nice for his mother. He wasn’t one to wait for a special occasion to pamper her. He got stuff for her on a whim. After all, who wouldn’t love to see a smile for the love given?

Unfortunately, the train he’d boarded today had no plans to halt at the crossing. As he whipped past Murgi’s place, he kept an eye out for her. Alas, she was nowhere to be seen.

What happened to her, he wondered frantically, it simply isn’t her to be missing like this. She’s always around.

Out of nowhere, the nightmare from the other day returned to haunt him. Could it be that she’s hurt? Was that just a dream or...?

He thought about that man once again. His rigid facial features and piercing stare gave one the impression that he was indeed heartless. Maybe it’s all in your imagination, a voice in his head suggested.

Dev shrugged. He couldn’t shake off the uneasiness. I’m going to wait till this evening. If I still don’t find her, I’m going to walk right in.

***

That night, he struggled to sleep. Despite just getting off the phone after a lively conversation with his mother, he was going through a serious case of the blues.

He lazed around in bed and mindlessly wandered through his social media accounts, flitting from Twitter to Instagram to Facebook to WhatsApp. Yet, he couldn’t relax.

Having nothing else to turn to, he opened his photos and video gallery. His thumb hovered over the video he’d captured the other day, the day when their eyes first met.

He opened the video and relived that moment once again, the moment she realized that she was being watched, the shock, the embarrassment that followed, the confusion, and the disapproval.

Her eyes were something else, like fiery orbs of amber. He just couldn’t break the connection. Dev paused as he pondered over the direction in which he was headed. He barely knew her and it wasn’t him to be hitting on just any girl. Why am I being pulled so much to her? It disturbed him very much.

Once again, he was drawn to her, to her sharp, piercing eyes. They were deep and mysterious.

“Murgi,” he chuckled softly and was amused at the name he’d coined for her. “I just want to see the look on your face when I call you so.”

***