A suitable Man

Chapter 6

Chapter 6.

Smriti woke up with a start, she was running late today. Quickly she did all her household work, just dumped the fodder in the shed and got ready for school. She didn't speak with Ganga too, although she kept mooing for her attention. She had to go through her usual route of Urkeri as she was late.
She was walking hurriedly when her colleague Mangala too joined her enroute.

The common village roads were mud roads and lined by boulder bricks on either sides. Only the main highways and roads joining the small towns were made of tar, rest all were mud roads. A huge water tanker was passing by the road spilling large amounts of water on the road creating muddy puddles. As her usual self she was walking chattering away with Mangala, the water tanker lurched on one side and " Dhaaaaam" Smriti lost her balance and fell flat on her face in the muddy puddle.
She somehow managed to get up hurling choicest of abuses to the driver saying, " Aye driver, Can't you see, have you gone blind!!!!! I will complain in the municipality, people here will not see a tanker again, Not even a photo of the tanker !!!!! Huh!!!!. Mangala calmed her down.Her face and saree all soiled. She helped her come out and looked ahead if there was any house nearby so that Smriti could wash her face.

She saw workers working on a building just a few metres away. Mangala said to her," come Smriti, see here we can wash ur face, These labourers are working so there must be water too". Smriti agreed and went inside the gate. The enormity of the house stunned her. She passed from this gate almost everyday, but never paid attention to it as it was always locked and dilapidated.This was the first time she came inside and was asking the whereabouts of a tap when she saw him standing at the rear of the building. She quickly changed her path and went straight towards a tap in the open area. She chided Mangala, " out of all the 100 houses in Baggon, you found only this house!!!!!, even you are going blind I guess!!!! Mangala laughed and was about to say something when Mahendra walked towards them smiling.
Smriti went weak in her knees when she saw that killer smile and top of that he was wearing his aviators again. He was clad in a jet black shirt and beige trousers looking every inch stunning as stunning can be. Although of a good height herself, she felt small before him at that moment, small and like a pig bathed in mud. He extended his hand for a handshake saying,

" Hey, Miss Teacher, what happened! It seems you had fallen somewhere, may I help you?
Mangala replied, " yes, she fell down in a muddy puddle and now we have to reach school but her house is also too far, so we came in here to just cleanup".
He said, " that would be my great pleasure to help you mam, Mr. Talgod always at your service", he gestured a bow and winked at her. Smriti eyed him narrowly, he was still in his teasing mode, Oh god, what should I do of him!!! She thought. She quickly cleaned her face, thanked him and was walking away. Mangala was puzzled, she asked Smriti, " Who, what did he say? Who is Talgod?, He is Mr. Shetty Na? Smriti didn't reply anything, just said, " let's go fast, we are getting late".

As Kumta was a coastal town, there was no dearth Of beaches. When Mahendra was exploring the town, he had come across a beautiful temple of Goddess Durga situated just next to a beach at Baad a small village in Kumta, not more than four kms from his house. He had stayed his entire life in Bangalore and few years in the USA, but the beauty of the beach, he had never experienced.
The beach was yet untouched by tourism and that's why it was so serene and calm that every evening he used to go there to spend some time, to gather his thoughts. There was nothing more beautiful than the way the sea refused to stop kissing the shoreline, no matter how many times it was sent away. Mahendra felt the same, no matter how much time it would take, he would be persistent in his quest for the truth and for the justice.
On one such beautiful evening he was sitting on the rocks, lost in his thoughts when he heard a familiar voice, a voice which warmed his heart and he heard a tinkling of a bell. He looked back to see Smriti and Ganga strolling towards the rocks he was sitting. He lowered himself so that he could not be seen. Smriti was singing some Kannada film song.... Although it was not that melodious, it was knocking at his heart, and to add her more melody, Ganga too was lending her beautiful background music. Mahendra was amused by the duet.
Smriti stopped and looked around, she didn't see anybody around, so she started speaking with Ganga, unknown to the fact that Mahendra was listening to it all.

She said, " you are getting very naughty nowadays, I brought you to Baad for your shots at the vet and you mooed your way here to the beach, and top of that asking me to sing too." Bad girl!!!! I will tell your doc to give u two extra shots", and what is it happening to you, always lost in thoughts??? Whose thoughts may I ask ? One meeting with that CID Shetty and you lose your head!!!! But I will tell you one thing about this hero of yours, he thinks he is too smart, teases me in front of everyone, winks at me" .... Smriti sighed.... Speaking in a trance, " So what if he looks killer in that black shirt, talks to Mangala while looking at me through his aviators, what does he think I can't see, silly boy!!! Who asked him to be so handsome??? Who asked him to behave so nicely with people around here?? Who asked him to come knocking at our door?? . The last sentence was finished with a trickle of a tear from the corner of her eye.

Suddenly Mahendra jumped in front of her and said smilingly " I did". Smriti was startled at this intrusion. She was speechless. She just gathered herself, pulled  Ganga's  tether and almost ran when Mahendra caught her hand from behind. He pulled her against himself and pinned her to the rocks behind. His touch, his nearness was playing havoc with her senses. Both of them were looking in to each other's eyes.So many things passed between them... unsaid... there was something blossoming inside. Something beautiful, Smriti's heart was beating so fast that she felt as if it would burst. Mahendra was still looking at her... he moved his gaze from her eyes to her quivering lips. And before he could realise, he kissed her deeply, she closed her eyes and gave him no resistance. His mouth blended with hers as his hands crushed her against him. He let go of her lips, She opened her eyes and said, " Oh Mahendra.... He replied, " Smriti.......

She just pushed him aside and said, " you watch too many English films".... And ran away pulling Ganga along. Mahendra didn't stop her, he was smiling at what had just happened between them!!! He stood there smiling, watching her go. He was in sweet turmoil....

Smriti was breathless when she reached home. She just pulled Ganga to her shed, slammed the door shut and slid down still breathless. She cried her heart out, Ganga nuzzled at her hand, as if she was trying to soothe her. Smriti just embraced Ganga and said, " what is happening to me, what has he done to me...  he has touched me here"  She held her arms up, " he has touched me here" she touched her lips, " he has touched my soul Ganga, it's hurting Ganga....its unbearable ...... Is it Love ??? Oh god!!!! How can I be so sure??? . She was still in her thoughts when she heard her father yelling.
She just got up, cleaned her face and got back home.

Mahendra sat till late on the rocks contemplating all that happened that evening.  Shankar called him to ask his whereabouts and whether he would come home for dinner. Mahendra replied that he would be back in sometime. As he walked back home, he was lost in his thoughts.