Oh My R!

5. An isolated incident

The autopsy infered the cause of Red's death to be cyanide poisoning.

It was the first ever dramatic death that Portonovo had witnessed. They got something movie-like to chew for the years to come.

The boy had gulped a handful of powdered apple seeds with a bottle of water apparently some minutes before his meeting with Thashi. It became lethal on reacting with the stomach acid.

Red had utilized Google well for transpiring a memorable death.

It was, therefore, proved that R's demise was clearly a suicide. But, Red's mom still blamed Thashi for what happened to him. So did the town by virtue of her surprise pregnancy and miscarriage.

Miss.Apsara was fuming over Thashi's sudden rape accusation that sent a ripple of shock-wave down the few that kept R in respective places of their minds.

Red was dead so was his infinitesimal reputation. It catalyzed Miss. Apsara's once-weak determination to sue Thashi. That's why she filed a complaint on her on the first hand.

Local newspapers sensationalized the tragedy - CYANIDE OR LOVE? AN ILLICIT TEENAGE ROMANCE AND A DRAMATIC ENDING.

It all happened too fast that Thashi, for the first time, saw through the fog and confronted the abomination that's always been around. The cruel reality she had so far overlooked.

She finally realized that the world she walked until her first kiss was just a semblance of how she wanted it to be.

The world was, after all, what Red like people percieve. A defective sphere of hypocrisy.

Mrs. Varsha was devastated. She resigned her job at PAC. She wanted to hate her daughter for the disgrace she had brought in despite being well aware of the fact that it was not Thashi's fault.

Thashi was just one step away from slipping into insanity.

Her mom's unfading trust on her daughter was what kept Thashi going amidst the cacaphony of murmurs and gossips around her - about her.

Mrs. Varsha wanted to kill Red all over again for what he did to her darling daughter. But, all she could do was nothing but self-loathe for having poured her precious trust on a guy like Red - for letting a GUY LIKE RED to hang around with Thashi.

Her explanation to the people who didn't even demand her side of the story only brought back rhetorical questions - How were they even friends after Red raped her? - How can a girl kiss a guy who defiled her without her consent?

They were right. No answer could be convincing enough. It was a situation when there's a conflict of opinion on deciding who's the victim? - still... The dead ones are always safe.

On situations like this, we would be showered with unprecedented sympathy from strangers and accquaintances. It would be satiating for those who are fortunately naive - infernal for those who are wise enough to catch their smirks at the ephemeral blackness of a blink.

People wear masks. We are safe as long as we are also behind one. We will be infinitely vulnerable the moment the fate tears off our mask leaving us naked. Truth is naked. As mentioned in one of the Thashi's favorite writings of Red - At the hands of a naked visitor, prostitutes are always covered.

Thashi could guess when the repugnant act must have transpired.

It was almost two months back - Sunday - Red invited Thashi over to his house claiming that his mom's not home and they could chill out all day having the whole house for themselves.

His mom was a clairvoyant. No matter how bizarre it sounds, she really managed to bag some loyal customers who spread the word consistently, making sure that she never spends a day without predicting something for a curious someone.