Vows of Misfortune

11.

On the train, I was sitting opposite Romir who was reading a book and sitting next to Jose uncle. I, on the other hand, had to settle in either speaking to my friends or reading on my phone or looking out the scenery which wasn't much to look at except for a bunch of greenery.

How much longer till we get there? I thought, wanting to bang my head against the blue cushioned seats. I didn't think I'd miss being with mum and dad on long trips, sleeping against mum's shoulders or just listening to dad talk about nothing that made sense, until I didn't have them with me.

A short man with a black blazer and a white dress shirt came up to us. "Tickets," he droned. Romir handed them over and, behind the train conducter, I spotted a man in a maroon t-shirt openly gawking at me.

I looked away, shifting in my seat so that I wasn't facing him. Now that I was aware, there was a tingling on the side of my head. Turning back on instinct, the man was still staring at me.

"Can you please stop staring at me?" I snapped. The guy startled. He blinked and then turned away.

Romir glanced at the guy and then raised a brow. "Don't make a scene here," he said. "This isn't England or wherever it is you're from."

"I'm not going to let someone ogle me like that. It's rude."

"It happens. You can't go around telling everyone to stop staring. Or do you think you can gauge everyone's eyes out instead?"

"Prick," I mumbled, leaning back into my seat.

Jose uncle cleared his throat. "Okay, enough. God, can't stop bickering like two children, now can you?" He waved his arm in the space where the conductors and the snack-boy was walking up and down. He stopped the snack-boy who was holding a jug and glasses of coffee. "Two cups of coffee and some nuts, thank you."

"I'm more of a tea person, uncle, so no thank you," I said to him.

"Make that one cup of coffee, then." He handed it over to Romir who took it without a word. I wrinkled my nose. How hygienic was that? Jose uncle handed me the nuts which I took.

"Don't you want anything, uncle?"

"I'm good for now. The chips were too much for my stomach, unfortunately."

"Are you sure?"

"One hundred percent."

After eating my nuts, I excused myself to go to the bathroom. My bladder was going to explode if I was rocked back and forth by the train without a break. The walls didn't look as...clean, but it wasn't as bad as I expected. I made sure that I was being safe and not touching anything without placing toilet paper on the bowl and washing my hands at least two times.

As I made my way back, I overheard Romir talking to Jose uncle. "—I wouldn't have to put up with her attitude if I didn't care about you."

"Romir, give her a chance."

"No thanks."

My body shook. First Varun, now a total stranger thought they could do and say whatever they wanted about me? Did I not have feelings or did they just conveniently forget? What gave this idiot of a man the right to say that stuff?

I straightened up and pretended I had just arrived and heard nothing. I shimmied into the booth I was seated at and plopped down, taking my phone out and scrolling through. Jade had messaged me:

Jade: How's life over there? How long are you there for? I hadn't told her what exactly I'd come here for but she didn't need to know this right now. In case she spilt everything to Varun if she ever came across him.

Me: Boring. I'll fill you in on everything later.

I was too tired.

I was sick of it. I was sick of people dragging me through the mud. Okay so I could be a bitch sometimes but if this was the treatment I was constantly getting, could anyone blame me?

***

"Arshia," a whisper floated through to my ears. "Arshia, wake up."

Was I home? Varun? He'd come back to me? I jolted awake. My vision adjusted to the surroundings, blue booths, white walls, square windows with blue bars and no glass: where the heck was I?

The train. We were still in it. It had stopped moving for a little while. And the person that had been shaking me awake was none other than Jose uncle. He was straining over a little from his wheelchair, peering into my eyes.

"What's wrong, uncle? Do you need help with something?"

A fond smile lit up his features. "No, I'm fine, sweetie." He was holding a rectangular shaped package wrapped in newspaper. "Here, eat food. You haven't eaten since we took the train."

I took it, but looked around for his own food pack. "What about you?"

"Romir's gone to buy something."

My stomach tightened in protest of not being given anything. "You would be more hungry than me, uncle. You can have mine." I went to give it back to him but he forcefully shook his hands in front of him.

"Romir will be back soon."

"No, I can wait for Romir." I put it in his lap and put his hands over it. "Eat, uncle, I'm serious."

When he finally came back, there was only one package of food in his hands and a packet of nuts. He sat down next to uncle and chucked the packet of nuts onto the small pull out table in front of me. My jaw dropped. Was this guy for real?

"Romir, where's the food?" Uncle hissed. That was when he looked up.

"I'm not going to waste money on someone who complains."

I complained about the Lays chips once! All I said was that I didn't like the flavour.

"It's okay, Jose uncle," I said, taking the nuts. "This'll be enough." Fucking dick, I thought as I chomped on the cashews and peanuts. I heard a sigh above my head. Romir had placed his food on the table and got up. I stopped him. "You don't need to go out of your way and 'waste' your money. I'm not going to eat it anyway."

He turned to sit back down. "Fine with me," he drawled.

Now I was seriously regretting my decision to get married to this insufferable man.