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?
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
Bhoomika toweled her hair before the mirror. She’d just finished a quick shower. It was her habit to do so before bed.The rain was deafening with occasional flashes of lightning flooding the gloomily lit room. Yet, Bhoomika wasn’t aware of the man’s reflection in the mirror. She was standing with her back to the door. It wasn’t until the stench of cigarettes hits her that she realized she wasn’t alone. When she caught his steely gaze in the mirror, her heart lurched in surprise.She dared not turn around. There was something very intimidating about him that she couldn’t hold his gaze. Was it his piercing stare? Or his overbearing masculinity? Or something much more terrifying?Smirking back at her through the mirror, he quietly slipped closer, making her heart beat harder and her breaths shallower. He wrapped an arm around her soft, cold waist, tipped her chin towards him, and planted a gentle ki
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 cluewhy
Bhoomika raked her wet hair before the mirror in the kitchen veranda. She’d just finished her morning shower. It was a routine that she stuck to religiously. In a way, it helped her to relax.Despite the mirror being smaller to the one inside, she preferred it over the other, mainly because there was plenty of light outside compared to the dark and dingy room. She also felt more secure. Her creepy husband, Anand, had the bad habit of sneaking up on her almost all the time. She loathed him for that besides a lot of other things. The very thought of him led her eyes to rest on the purplish bruises around her neck, that of fingers. The night before, he had strangulated her to the point of death.***Flashback***Bhoomika struggled hard, fighting to pry open Anand’s iron clutches around her neck, wheezing through the tiny gap that was left in her throat. The pressure built to dangerous levels so much that her
“What? What is it?” asked Kamal curiously and followed his gaze to the backyard of the house across.Standing on the kitchen veranda and checking herself out in the mirror was Bhoomika. She looked beyond ravishing in that jet-black salwar she was in. The fabric hugged and defined the curls and curves of her elegant frame. Flowing down her shoulder was a crisp red dupatta with a generously printed border.Flashing his pearly white teeth, Kamal turned back to Dev who looked completely lost.Bhoomika tossed her luscious mane, allowing the sun to comb through her rich, copper strands.How can anyone be this beautiful,crossed a thought in Dev’s head. It took him a moment to realize that her amber orbs were already locked with his chocolate brown ones.Through the noise, there was an air of dead silence as they searched the depths of each other’s soul through their eye
Bhoomika felt terrible. It was a common emotion post their never-so-pleasant sessions in bed. For one, no matter how hard she tried, she could never respond in the way he wanted.Anand was always rough. And he expected her to be as wild. Being sore and hurt in places after an episode of ‘making love’ wasn’t something that was new to her. At times, she felt that he wanted to prove something. She just couldn’t figure out what.As of today, Anand was being a sourpuss like always. Their session didn’t last long. He did what he wanted and slipped out of bed without a word. Wearing the worst scowl humanly possible, he cleaned himself up, put on a shirt and stormed out of the house without a spot of breakfast. He didn’t really like her food anyway.It stung her every single time. Did I do something wrong, she always wondered? Yes, she concluded. They’ve been together for seven long years, and it’s entire
As Dev’s train pulled into the crossroad that evening, the beautiful mouth-watering aroma of a delicious curry floated in through the bars, one that immediately reminded him of home and of his mother’s cooking. His taste buds tingled as it strongly brought to mind that divine, crispy, goldenbhatureand tangy chole masala he had two weeks ago when he had visited his mom. There were many households in that area and it was hard to pinpoint where exactly it was coming from, that is, until, the train stopped right across Bhoomika’s house.The white lights from her kitchen’s veranda shone like crystal specks in his eyes as he caught sight of her in the garden, picking on fresh curry leaves and cherry red tomatoes.He wondered what she could be cooking as he lingered on how the setting sun cast its orange hue on her hair, making it look like smooth, polished sheets of burnt copper.He noticed that s
That evening, dinner was exceptionally silent for Anand and Bhoomika. Not that they shared any conversation otherwise. They hardly spoke to each other. And even when they did, it was barely a handful of words, only because it was absolutely essential. When in close quarters, there was always an air of unrest, of uncertainty.Anand was unpredictable. One could never figure out when he’d snap and for what. As of now, it was so quiet that one could even hear their fingers touching their dinner plates.Anand tore out a piece of the roti, dipped it in the sabzi and stuffed it into his mouth. Visibly, it looked appealing to anyone, but he never appreciated it. “The curry is good,” he said out of the blue, surprising Bhoomika enough to make her steal a glance at him before returning her gaze to her plate.He studied her fiddling with her food, rolling it several times in the curry before putting it back on the plate
When Dev’s usual train pulled up at the crossing the following day, Bhoomika was in the backyard spreading wet laundry on the line. She peeked out from behind one of the sarees fluttering before her and eyed the door of the train, but he wasn’t there. Heart racing a little, she craned her neck further and scanned the windows, but he wasn’t there either. She stood there, waiting, hoping to get a glimpse of him and alleviate the fears that had been building inside her since last evening. But alas, despite the express train whipping past, and this train slowly chugging out, he was nowhere to be seen.With a sinking feeling, she retreated from view. There was a storm brewing in her mind. How come he never turned up today, could he be ill? Or, is he avoiding me on purpose?She was dead sure that he’d seen her getting hit by Anand last evening. Anand was one who never wasted an opportunity at that. He always made sure he put up an act before oth
That evening, dinner was exceptionally silent for Anand and Bhoomika. Not that they shared any conversation otherwise. They hardly spoke to each other. And even when they did, it was barely a handful of words, only because it was absolutely essential. When in close quarters, there was always an air of unrest, of uncertainty.Anand was unpredictable. One could never figure out when he’d snap and for what. As of now, it was so quiet that one could even hear their fingers touching their dinner plates.Anand tore out a piece of the roti, dipped it in the sabzi and stuffed it into his mouth. Visibly, it looked appealing to anyone, but he never appreciated it. “The curry is good,” he said out of the blue, surprising Bhoomika enough to make her steal a glance at him before returning her gaze to her plate.He studied her fiddling with her food, rolling it several times in the curry before putting it back on the plate
As Dev’s train pulled into the crossroad that evening, the beautiful mouth-watering aroma of a delicious curry floated in through the bars, one that immediately reminded him of home and of his mother’s cooking. His taste buds tingled as it strongly brought to mind that divine, crispy, goldenbhatureand tangy chole masala he had two weeks ago when he had visited his mom. There were many households in that area and it was hard to pinpoint where exactly it was coming from, that is, until, the train stopped right across Bhoomika’s house.The white lights from her kitchen’s veranda shone like crystal specks in his eyes as he caught sight of her in the garden, picking on fresh curry leaves and cherry red tomatoes.He wondered what she could be cooking as he lingered on how the setting sun cast its orange hue on her hair, making it look like smooth, polished sheets of burnt copper.He noticed that s
Bhoomika felt terrible. It was a common emotion post their never-so-pleasant sessions in bed. For one, no matter how hard she tried, she could never respond in the way he wanted.Anand was always rough. And he expected her to be as wild. Being sore and hurt in places after an episode of ‘making love’ wasn’t something that was new to her. At times, she felt that he wanted to prove something. She just couldn’t figure out what.As of today, Anand was being a sourpuss like always. Their session didn’t last long. He did what he wanted and slipped out of bed without a word. Wearing the worst scowl humanly possible, he cleaned himself up, put on a shirt and stormed out of the house without a spot of breakfast. He didn’t really like her food anyway.It stung her every single time. Did I do something wrong, she always wondered? Yes, she concluded. They’ve been together for seven long years, and it’s entire
“What? What is it?” asked Kamal curiously and followed his gaze to the backyard of the house across.Standing on the kitchen veranda and checking herself out in the mirror was Bhoomika. She looked beyond ravishing in that jet-black salwar she was in. The fabric hugged and defined the curls and curves of her elegant frame. Flowing down her shoulder was a crisp red dupatta with a generously printed border.Flashing his pearly white teeth, Kamal turned back to Dev who looked completely lost.Bhoomika tossed her luscious mane, allowing the sun to comb through her rich, copper strands.How can anyone be this beautiful,crossed a thought in Dev’s head. It took him a moment to realize that her amber orbs were already locked with his chocolate brown ones.Through the noise, there was an air of dead silence as they searched the depths of each other’s soul through their eye
Bhoomika raked her wet hair before the mirror in the kitchen veranda. She’d just finished her morning shower. It was a routine that she stuck to religiously. In a way, it helped her to relax.Despite the mirror being smaller to the one inside, she preferred it over the other, mainly because there was plenty of light outside compared to the dark and dingy room. She also felt more secure. Her creepy husband, Anand, had the bad habit of sneaking up on her almost all the time. She loathed him for that besides a lot of other things. The very thought of him led her eyes to rest on the purplish bruises around her neck, that of fingers. The night before, he had strangulated her to the point of death.***Flashback***Bhoomika struggled hard, fighting to pry open Anand’s iron clutches around her neck, wheezing through the tiny gap that was left in her throat. The pressure built to dangerous levels so much that her
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 cluewhy
Bhoomika toweled her hair before the mirror. She’d just finished a quick shower. It was her habit to do so before bed.The rain was deafening with occasional flashes of lightning flooding the gloomily lit room. Yet, Bhoomika wasn’t aware of the man’s reflection in the mirror. She was standing with her back to the door. It wasn’t until the stench of cigarettes hits her that she realized she wasn’t alone. When she caught his steely gaze in the mirror, her heart lurched in surprise.She dared not turn around. There was something very intimidating about him that she couldn’t hold his gaze. Was it his piercing stare? Or his overbearing masculinity? Or something much more terrifying?Smirking back at her through the mirror, he quietly slipped closer, making her heart beat harder and her breaths shallower. He wrapped an arm around her soft, cold waist, tipped her chin towards him, and planted a gentle ki
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