Hidden Hues Of Henna

Jaane pehchane

Pallavi recounted the sarees which were placed in two tall piles before she finally began to put them in the large box.

Fifty-one sarees. A mix of Pochampallys,Mysore silks and a handful of Ikkat works.

It was an order she got every two months by a kind old lady who was Mrs.Nayak.The Nayaks were rich industrialists and their mother queen Mrs. Shalini Nayak,was the most charitable woman Pallavi knew.Every two months,Shalini held a grand pooja at the womens' shelter she ran and as a post-ritual routine all women residing at the shelter were gifted sarees by Shalini.Fortunately for Deshmukh Saree Emporium,Shalini trusted their collection of sarees more than anywhere else and hence was still placing orders ten years later.Pallavi could easily claim that it was an order she looked forward to every odd month ever since she had started working at the shop.

Once done filling up the box neatly,she methodically covered the top and taped at the flap-meets to secure it. After that being done,Pallavi took a copy of the bill and attached it to the box and put the other one in her own shoulder-bag.

Hiking her bag on her left shoulder,she began to pick up the box.

"Arey Didi,let me help you..."Krishna called out from the other end of the shop but before she could reach Pallavi another pain of arms gathered the packed box up with ease and pulled it away from her.

Pallavi's eyes snapped to the person and she let out a huff seeing who it is.

"Harish,"Pallavi began to pull the box back from the bulky man's hold,"I will manage by myself. Krishna is here for my help.Aap jaiye.Go and do the work your Anna has told you to." Pallavi smiled sarcastically.

"No worries Pallavi ji. Let me just help you. You have to keep it on your scooter,right? I should help afterall you are being so kind to me." Harish smiled sheepishly.

"Offering tea and a chair to sit is nothing but basic human nature." Krishna muttered as she came to stand beside Pallavi and the two women watched Harish carry the carton to Pallavi's scooty.

Pallavi smiled lightly and shook her head.

When two days back,the morning after Raghav dropped her home,Pallavi spotted Harish again on the very same spot in front of her shop as she did all those days back she has been very confused but decided to ignore him nonetheless.However,Harish was watching her shop and her the entire day not so discreetly and the mere act was enough to set her temper off. When evening arrived an angry Pallavi had marched up to the bulky man and dragged him to her shop bombing him with accusations and questions,he had reluctantly told her about Raghav telling him to watch the shop.

flashback

"Watch the shop?" Pallavi asked Harish incredulously."Why!?"

"I don't know Madam." Harish explained urgently lest she should make anymore criminal assumptions about him."But I was not doing anything else. Just what Anna asked."

"Call your Anna."Pallavi grit her teeth.

"Madam-" Harish protest was cut off when Pallavi gave him a bone-chilling glare. He rapidly retrieved his phone from his pocket and began to ring his boss,all the while glancing at Pallavi worriedly, ensuring she wasn't acting upon her threat to call the police on him.

When the call connected,Pallavi snatched the phone from his grasp before he could complete his hello.

"Kya gorilla? Why are you calling? Did something happen there? Is saree ka duk-" Pallavi cut off Raghav's rambling.