Ride on Time

Chapter 55

Shree sat at the dining table and wrote in a diary with her treasured fountain pen. It wasn't a very expensive one, but she treasured it since she got it as a prize back in high school.
So she wrote, about the costume party, the part where she won for her costume, and the part where the strange man asked about her book.
And then the part where he chased her.
Shree shuddered as she got to that part.
Finally, she closed the diary and then her pen, gathering her things before going to her room. She put them away and headed off to the master bedroom, while untying her hair.
She climbed into bed, next to her mother, and the rest soon followed. Her grandmother always insisted upon sleeping on the ground, no matter how much the others urged her to sleep on the bed. Shree and Chandrika even insisted on sleeping on the ground instead but she wouldn't listen.
"I can peacefully sleep on the ground," Devi would say. "You three just leave me alone."
So leave her alone they did.
Shree fell asleep after wishing her family members Goodnight and saying a prayer in her heart.

A man went towards a doorway. Shree ran to him, calling his name at the top of her voice.
The man turned and came to her, but she couldn't see his face, though she very much knew who he was. Shree ran to hug him, wrapping her arms around him so tight like it was the last time she was going to see him.
And after that, the man pulled away and continued into that doorway, which seemed to radiate some sort of light. A light that seemed to be a portal to a completely different place than the one she was in.
"Come back!" Shree desperately screamed, reaching out. "Please!"
The man turned to her for a second before stepping in, disappearing into the blinding glow.

Shree woke up with a start, finding herself laying on her back. She turned to the side, facing her mother, remembering how Devi always said that sleeping on your back always led to nightmares or sleep paralysis.
Her neck felt wet and she wiped off the beads of perspiration before going right back to sleep.

***

Mitsuo suddenly found himself on a bridge. He looked down and just knew that it was the Shirakawa Canals that he knew well.
A string of protests sounded behind him and he turned around, seeing a fight break out between a man and a woman. Mitsuo went towards the man and shoved him aside before turning to the woman.
The woman seemed to be a geisha, dressed in a formal kimono with her hair done up in the shimada style. Her face was painted, but he couldn't see what her features looked like.
The girl bowed and thanked him before walking past him. Mitsuo went after her, wanting to know more of her, but she climbed the railing and jumped off the bridge. He quickly went to the railings to have a look, but she was swept away by the currents.
He jumped off the low railings too, crashing into the water.

Mitsuo awoke with a jump, back on his bed in Sheralbon Hotel. The air conditioner was on but he couldn't help but realise how sweaty he was. He reached over for his phone on the nightstand and realised that it wasn't even six yet.
He sighed and got up, going towards the balcony. Mitsuo slid the glass doors open and stepped out.
The city was half-asleep, but lights illuminated the roads and buildings. A faint male voice sang prayers, evidently the early morning azan from the nearest mosque. Mitsuo retreated into his room and decided to use the bathroom before going back to sleep.

Mitsuo went downstairs for breakfast and frowned at himself when he was done. This trip to Malaysia... he had been overeating since the first day.
Or at least, that's what he felt like.
He decided to take a trip to the gym later. But then again... he just ate so that wouldn't work, right?
Mitsuo didn't want to come face-to-face for a second time with whatever he just consumed. He wished for it to digest the right way.
And digest it did, especially because of the spicy laksa he had the day before.

Shree got ready for work, changing into a loose shirt and yoga pants before tying her hair into a topknot with a stick kanzashi. She packed a change of clothes into her tote bag before making her way to the living room.
She bade everyone farewell as she grabbed her keys.
"You're picking up Vasu later, right?" Devi asked.
"Yeah, Awah," Shree nodded before praying at the altar. "I'll pick him up and then go to work. He'll bring the car home."
"Okay," Devi nodded, tilting her head side-to-side Indian-style.
Shree waved at her and went out the door, getting into the red Perodua Viva and was soon heading straight to Vasu's college to pick him up.
She arrived at the college and got out of the car, getting into the passenger side instead. Vasu soon came and took her place behind the wheel before heading straight to the Sheralbon Hotel to drop his sister off.
"Akka, don't forget that if you see that feller again, call me," Vasu warned again. "Okay?"
Shree nodded. "I will."
She bade him goodbye and got out of the car, making her way straight for the gym.

Mitsuo saw that it was around an hour before lunchtime and decided to make his way to the gym to try and work off the calories he had gotten during his trip.
He tried the treadmill first, lost interest a few minutes later and ended up hogging the weights. Then that was a failure too so he ended up using the biking machine.
Lost interest in that too.
That was when he spotted a glass door labelled Zumba. There was another one beside it too, but it was labelled yoga. Mitsuo decided that he would flunk yoga too so Zumba it was.
He entered the room and was slightly dismayed at the fact that there were no men in there. He was the only one but he decided to try it anyway.
The instructor was a young Indian woman who seemed to enjoy her job. Mitsuo found here a little familiar, especially her eyes. He had never seen eyes that dark in anyone else.
Except...
The owner of the kanzashi in his pocket.
Mitsuo suspected that she was the one who ran off the night before but wasn't really sure of it. He decided to just ask her after class to make sure.
Then again, the stink-eye she gave him was confirmation enough.

Shree was peacefully carrying on her Zumba class when a certain man showed up. It was quite unusual since not many of her students were men, but this guy made her extra uneasy.
It was the strange man that tried to chase her the night before!
Shree frowned at him, straight at him whenever their gazes locked. She then turned away, smiling at one of her regulars, and decided to enjoy the music as she danced.
It was Right on Time by Vantage.
Shree smiled to herself as she silently sang Tatsuro's lyrics in her mind.

Mitsuo was surprised. He had never heard of this lyrics of Tatsuro Yamashita's song. It seemed odd, though he knew it was Ride on Time since the title was repeated throughout the song, but why were the lyrics different? He wanted to pull his phone out to look it up but his feet wouldn't allow him.
Mitsuo couldn't stop dancing.
Especially not when the beat dropped. The bass was irresistible.
And so were the lyrics, both cheerful and motivational at the same time. He couldn't catch much, mostly the female chorus singing something that sounded like taking and making something, maybe an opportunity?
Mitsuo ended up smiling to himself as he danced, enjoying every bit of this class.