A Hundred Flukes

Gravity

Chapter 11

"Mohan stop the car here, these are the old narrow roads of east Delhi, I don't want to trouble the pedestrians with my car. I'll go on foot to the wholesaler." Akash Singh Raizada politely told his driver and got down from his Mercedes. The driver reluctantly obeyed, wondering how his master would reach his destination, treading on a path where stray dogs, cattle and humans, all squeezed together to make their way. Mohan considered parking the car a little inwards the market for his master's convenience and came to a screeching halt when a little boy came in front of the car. A young woman rushed to him and threw her arms around the kid pulling him away just in time, saving him from being hit by the car. The kid began to weep, the girl tickled him to make him laugh, "see, you are not hurt." she said softly.

"I am sorry." said Akash as he hastily walked to the site of the could-have-been accident. "Why should you be sorry? He should be sorry" she said glancing angrily at the driver. "Why do people bring such big cars to these narrow lanes, can't he see there is hardly any place here?"

Akash opened his mouth to explain but something in him refrained. He simply stared at her, he hadn't seen anyone talk so softly in anger. It was adorable. There was an air of sincerity surrounding her, a sincerity that felt soothing. She felt soothing. "You pull up the glasses of your windows to avoid the sounds from outside reach you, but that doesn't mean there is no world outside your car's closed windows..." Payal continued her soft rant. None of her words really registered with Akash, she said something about world, hello? Was there any world beyond those light brown eyes? Not for Akash Singh Raizada at the moment. Payal suddenly blushed with embarrassment, "Sorry, I think I spoke too much...., I just got a little frantic....I mean the kid could..."

"No, no, please, don't say sorry. It w..was so nice...., so nice to see you speak like that..." Akash blurted.

"huh?" Payal said looking flustered.

"Please say something....anything." he entreated.

"huh?" Payal turned and hurriedly walked away.

"Hey, at least tell me your name," said Akash slowly, "my...name w..was A...kash." he whispered almost to himself. He stood there watching her disappear in the crowd, she wore a plain, simple yellow salwar kameez and her light brown hair was tied in a ponytail, he hadn't known anyone so simple to look so attractive. An auto-rickshaw honked at him, "Oye hero, side hoja", Akash didn't realize he was standing in the middle of the road. Side? Which side, he wondered and simply walked in the direction where the girl went. He found her soon, followed her dreamily, she stopped at a road side vendor selling dopattas. She tried a few and stopped at a magenta one. The color suited her so well, she looked fairer, the dopatta swayed in the wind, "how much for this?" she asked the vendor. "Five hundred." Her face fell, she gave the dopatta back to the vendor and went away. So simple. Akash found himself buying the same dopatta the next moment, he gave the vendor a thousand and left. So simple. But would she take it if he gave it to her? Not so simple. "Sir your change." the vendor cried from behind. Akash ignored his call. Payal was gone. He couldn't see her anymore. He felt like laughing at himself...

****

Khushi was lucky to have spotted a tea-stall in CP. She downed two cups and gave the vendor fifteen rupees and went happily to work again. When she reached the office tower she was surprised to see about five uniformed men mopping the shining granite, "how many times do they clean here?" she asked the receptionist who still had every hair in place, just like she had in the morning. "Oh, the fire alarms went off, there was water everywhere a few minutes ago." she replied.

"Fire? Where was the fire?"

"Can't be sure, they suspect, perhaps somebody lit that lamp over there." she said pointing at the far corner. "It'll be confirmed in the cc tv footage, anyway."