A Promise (Completed)

Chap 22

Payal’s POV

I was already angry as that idiot rider splashed water on my dress, on top of that I saw Manav unabashedly smiling.

I went speedily towards him and started hitting him on the shoulder, he controlled his laughter and walked to cross the road and dragged me along with him holding my wrist saying “We stand any longer here, I bet the road will be cleared of all mud water.”

I sat on his bike and we moved towards the home. It was strange how we hesitated to talk to each other a moment back and now we are so comfortable as if we have known each other for years.

There was a sudden break and I was out of my thoughts and I got pressed to  Manav’s back.

“I’m sorry, You Ok ?” he asked turning towards me, I shifted backwards and said ‘Absolutely’

“I tell you, people here, they got crazy driving skills” – he said irritatingly.

“Yes, Indeed.” I remembered the previous day where I was almost close to death, all great thanks to the person behind the steering, Siddharth. Vague recollection of his image aroused fear inside me and I gulped the saliva down my throat.

We reached the house and Manav drove back to the road after dropping me.

I went straight to the room, opened the tap and had a long warm bath. Best part of having warm bath, it has the magic of washing off all the tiredness in you. I dressed myself in a long plain white gown and stood in front of mirror. I remembered it was this mirror in the room which has witnessed and welcomed me and him in the wedding attire.

Ok!! May be it was just me in wedding attire. Here mere image of his bought all the anger stored up in me to my face. I searched for the bag that I packed earlier, 'I wanna be the old Payal,I’ll go back to mom and Rahul’ – I thought.

I picked my mobile to make a call to mom and tell everything but dismissed it, what I’m gonna explain it to her.Once I reach there, I’ll tell her everything in detail and this whole matter of being his namesake wife would end.

I took a notepad and pen kept on the table and thought to write an ending note to this marriage.

I began – ‘Dear Sid.. but then strike, why dear? he isn’t dear to me, I teared the page and began on a fresh page.

‘Siddharth

'I tried to adjust myself in this new world of yourself, I tried to convince myself of better tomorrow, I Know that I’m not a perfect girl for you, not an inch match of your wife, Kaira ,but I still tried to give a chance to our relation. But I realised we are far different, our thoughts they are poles apart.

Anyway I’m leaving your house not because I got tired of trying but your act made me realise my efforts aren’t worth it. So try not to contact me. This is good for both of us.

‘Bye’

I kept the notepad open for him and made my way towards the door holding a bag and purse in my either hands.I kept walking down the stairs and believe me, I felt something as miserably wrong. Still I kept walking, but my every  footstep felt heavy it is as if someone is trying to pulling me back.

I got loose of bags in my hand and went towards the kitchen to fetch water. I took a bottle out of fridge and allowed chilled water to flow through my throat.

I looked to my left there was a beautiful calender hung, there was a quote on it, but I could see only the word ‘Loosers’, the other words were of small font and I didn’t wear my glasses. I ignored it.

I walked towards my bag and newspaper came flying onto my feet due to strong wind, I bent to pick up the same and as I lifted the paper, I saw the word ‘Quit’ highlighted in bold in a statement, I ignored it but a pamphlet broke from  in between space of newspaper and freed itself, I picked it up and again my mind caught a word ‘Escape’, it was about the sale of new brand of clothes.

I turned the pamplet and I read ‘Not’ the first bold word that I saw. I felt odd, why these words are crossing my way, first ‘LOOSERS’, then ‘QUIT’, then ‘ESCAPE’ and now this ‘NOT’.  I repeated realising the sequence of the words, ‘LOOSERS QUIT, ESCAPE NOT’.

I quickly kept all the papers in a messy way and picked my bags and reached for my footwear, but before that seems like even the woollen mat had a message to pass on -
‘FIND A WAY’ was inscribed on it.

All the words together rang aloud in my head and as I was about to step out I heard the honk of Manav’s bike and he was there and his cap too had to speak to me, it read ‘STOP THERE’. And I hide the bags behind the door and left the footwear.

Manav was humming a song but he stopped suddenly looking at me and questioned “What happen? Why you are standing here?”

I didn’t know what to answer, I was trying to build a reply for his question when his mobile rang and that saved my efforts for later.

Manav excused and answered his call and I quickly took the bag, climbed the stairs and entered the room and closed the door, behind.

I kept the bag under the bed and laid back on the bed with a sigh. I heard flicking sound of the paper and I lifted my head in its direction. It was the notepad, I felt like it's laughing at me. Irony is I wrote a note to leave, but all the other notes bought me back to the square one.

But why did I stop on Manav’s arrival, why did I not move ignoring him, this is all very confusing. My instincts tried dominate my act and it very well succeeded too.

I felt like crying at my cowardness. I closed my eyes and all the words found their way back into my head and it was   ‘LOOSERS QUIT, ESCAPE NOT’ ‘FIND A WAY’ ‘STOP THERE’ like all they want me to stay back.