Cycle of Time

11.The unravelling

The Unraveling

It was one of those lazy days where it rains when you are just about to wake up. With the sun unable to peek out from behind the clouds, the relative darkness and the gentle rhythm of the rain tricked your mind into thinking it was still not time to wake up. But for Uben having already woken up, it wasn't any easier; he still couldn't muster the will to get out of bed. As he lay there looking out of the window at the rain falling, he found himself wondering how people who usually rushed to work on other days, were less rushed today. The rain had suddenly made them much more mindful. They seemed to be aware of the little muddy puddles and the vehicles passing by, just so they wouldn't get wet.

It was then that the doorbell rang, making Uben himself more mindful of his surroundings. His mind finally managed to drag his unwilling body to the door. To his surprise it was Maya who stared at him through the peep hole.

"Good Morning, I wasn't expecting you on this lovely morning" he smiled as he quickly opened the door.

"Just thought I'll come by" she said as she came inside and shook her hair like a wet puppy. As Uben got her a towel, they sat down to talk. Now cosy over a hot coffee they were almost glad it was raining. As they talked about the most irrelevant of things and the rain kept on pouring down, they still found things to talk about. It was as if even the most mundane of topics found a new liveliness for the two of them. It seemed that his thoughts were hers and what she felt, he felt. It was a warm and cosy place to be that neither wanted to come out of. It was only as the rain stopped that Uben managed to ask the questions that he really needed to ask.

"Why are you afraid of Anjaya, Maya?" he asked gently.

Maya didn't hesitate to answer; it was as if she had been waiting for him to ask this.

"His conviction scares me .It is as if he is someone I want to believe in, but I am afraid to".

"Well when I was talking to him I felt that he was almost fond of you, It was as if he was purposefully making you afraid for your own good".

Maya was surprised by this revelation.

"Are you sure? I never thought of it that way".

"Well I tend to think about what I feel in these situations, my gut feelings are usually right. I think I am pretty sure about this, and it has worked for me many times. I also know when people try to manipulate situations but I didn't feel anything of the sort with Anjaya".

"This is so new to me". She was relieved but also puzzled in a way.

"Why would he do that? "

"I have no answer really. Maybe we should find out".

There was a silent agreement between them and the conversation shifted to more enjoyable things.

After Maya had left, Uben spent the rest of the day trying to get about his work, but his thoughts seem to always gravitate towards the conversation in the morning, or more specifically towards Maya. This was a pleasant experience for Uben, who was bit of a paranoid and was used to less pleasant thoughts and doubts crowding his mind uninvited. It was this halo of pleasantness that was telling him to do something to help Maya but it also made it difficult for him to see things in a detached and factual way that he was used to.

He had agreed to meet Anjaya that evening, and had hoped this haziness in his thinking would have gone and he would be able to think clearly by then. However even at the door to Anjaya's workshop in the garage he was still not his analytical self. This all changed the moment Anjaya opened the door. It was not the sight of Anjaya that shook him back into reality but the assortment of contraptions that were stacked behind him. They were all from ages gone by.