The Trail to Spring

Chapter 12

We stood silently in front of the detective's front door as we tried to comprehend what had just occurred.

I couldn't bring myself to believe that we got turned down yet again. We heard the scraping of some heavy object on the floor inside. The detective was most probably trying to block his front door with his book case.

I sat down on the stairs with the door to my hopes also closed down along with that of the detective's. Why did everyone have to make our task so difficult for us?

"Great," Atifa put up her hands in resignation, "Now our one lane drive way has turned out to be a dead end again."

I couldn't believe the detective had the nerve of narrating to us his own foolish escapades just to turn us out immediately after. But I knew that something was wrong. I couldn't take out the feeling from inside me that the detective's eyes almost seemed to be afraid of something. Now what could he have to fear?

"We should have never come here," Atifa continued, going round and round the stair landing.

She stopped and looked at me.

"What's next, Maya? It's just six in the evening."

"I don't know," I replied, "We have nowhere else to go. I'll just sit here and wait for him to open his door."

There was something odd about the detective and I needed to find out what it was. He may not think that I am anyone important but I couldn't just leave my resolution like that. There were absolutely too many things at stake here to turn back now.

"We haven't done anything correctly till now, Atifa," I said, "But this time we will do it right. I'll make him at least listen to my problem, whether he accepts to help me or not."

"You don't mean we are going to beg a complete stranger to help us?," Atifa asked, hesitantly.

"No of course not," I replied, "You can go away. You don't have to stay with me."

She came and sat beside me in the stairs.

"And leave you in this strange place all alone? Never," she said, "I am going to stay here as long as you do."

I shook my head. It was my problem. I couldn't drag my friend into this mess and make her compromise on her dignity. I'd never forgive myself if I did that to her.

"Look, it's just a few minutes to the Sealdah station from here. If you hurry, you can still make it there to bid the others goodbye before their train arrives," I suggested.
I felt pleased that Atifa suddenly looked a bit uncertain.

"You don't have to sacrifice so much for me," I continued, "You should go and meet Rahul before he leaves. And you ask him yourself who he is going to take with him to his posh restaurant."

"But," Atifa said slowly, "What about you?"

"Don't worry about me," I said trying to sound as cheerful as possible, "I'll be right here."

Atifa got up from the stairs but she still seemed to be uncertain.

"Come on, Atifa, I am not a child, you know," I pushed her again, "And if you don't leave me now, you'll probably remain a virgin forever."

Atifa chuckled. Her resistance had finally ended. I grinned.

"You got your phone?," Atifa asked.

"I got it right here in my backpack," I replied, patting it.

"I'll call you within twenty minutes," she said.

"When, most probably, I'll still be sitting here."

Atifa nodded. She climbed down the stairs and hurried to catch an auto rickshaw, leaving me alone with my thoughts.