A Pocketful Of Peace

9. Morning Glory

Aman walked at a brisk pace. He had overslept himself on the living room couch and now after getting himself ready and presentable flat under 10 minutes, he was trying to minimize the distance between himself and his destination. One glance at his wrist watch and he broke into a sprint.

He bent around a corner and bumped into another jogger.

"Ouch!" yelled the affected party in Sandy's voice.

"I am so sorry... Sandy!" Aman exclaimed as he came to an abrupt stop.

"Twice in two days! I must say you are getting rather good at the art of collision. Is it only people that you prefer bumping into or other moving and non-moving objects also come under the purview of your craft?" She asked cheekily.

"What are you doing here?" Aman asked as he rolled his eyes at her lame attempt to crack a joke at his expense.

"Practicing for the next marathon." She replied flatly. "Of course, going for work, what else?"

"But why?" Asked Aman.

"What do you mean, why?" She enquired. "That's what I do every day."

"I know. But why today? Didn't I tell you to sleep-in a little late today? I said I would fill in for you. Don't you trust me?"

"Trust you with Appa's kitchen? No way! I still remember the day when you burnt a whole lot of idlis. Who does that?"

"Come on! That was just one time. I was tired after a whole night of studying and dozed off. I didn't spoil it intentionally. And it was almost a decade ago. I am a grown up, responsible guy now." He argued.

"Oh I know. Believe me, even Appa thinks of you as a responsible guy whenever anything goes haywire. But that's besides the point. It's just a habit now that I can't change. I woke up as usual so decided to go for work." She said in a matter of fact tone. "By the way, you can also tag along if you wish to. I can do with an extra pair of hands today."

"You mean other than yours, my dear wonder chef?" He asked, shaking his head sideways. She merely shrugged and he fell into a brisk walk alongside her, as she resumed her jogging. Oh yes, Sandy had to jog at a considerably high speed to match his pace. You could say she was participating in a 100 meter race!

During the entire walk, Aman could think of nothing else but her. She might have difficulties maintaining pace with him but once inside the kitchen, she outclassed him with ease. Every morning, she would get up at 4:30 am, practice yoga, get ready and reach the kitchen by 6:00 am. Single handedly, she had the breakfast counter up and running by 7:00am. Since the day Sandy had joined Prasanna as a full time employee, rarely had Aman seen his Prasanna uncle come and open the kitchen at early hours. It had become a de facto practice that she would open the diner and only at sun down would he let her off. When her mother had taken ill, around three months before her demise, Sandy used to take the afternoons off. Doctor visits and chemotherapy sessions usually ate up all her free time. Once her mother passed away, she started staying back till the shutters were pulled down. She never took a day off other than the times when Prasanna's taunts and the work pressure really got to her.

He was brought back to the real world when a light tap landed on his shoulders. "Hello! Sandy calling dreamland... may I please talk to Aman Katti?"

"Hey! I am here." He replied, feigning annoyance.

"If you say so. Doesn't look like though." Gesturing towards the locks, she asked "Will you do the honors, now that you are finally here?"

With a plink the locks gave away and they both pushed the shutters up. It was time to get down to business. Time for Aman to do what he always tried to avoid.

As the steaming hot Idlis and crisp dosas were getting ready to be served to their patrons, Aman willed himself to be drowned in the bottomless pot of sambar, before he became entangled forever in the mess that was Katti Appa's Kitchen.

True to his punctual self, Prasanna landed up at his Kitchen by 7:00 am just as the early customers walked in for their daily fills of filter coffee.

The day progressed as any other in the lives of Prasanna the employer and Sandy the employee. Prasanna was cordial with her as well as his customers and Aman it seemed was a non-existent entity for him. Sandy as usual was clueless about the previous night's happenings but she was smart enough to gauge the tension in the air. The diner was abuzz with activity and it was difficult to even acknowledge each other's presence, let alone converse at length. Before she could confront Aman and ask him about what transpired between him and his uncle, Aman had slipped out of the diner. The lunch hour kicked in and the rush kept everyone on toes to even register his absence. The skeleton staff that comprised of Prasanna himself, Sandy, Manjunathan and another cleaner boy called Sheikhu; did not find anything amiss when Aman left. Truth be told, they were by now so attuned to his continuous absence that only when he made an appearance did they feel something was not quite right.

So, all in all, it had been fairly easy for Aman to get out from there. Its altogether a different subject matter for discussion as to why it took him three hours to get away. Sandy had started the kitchen which Katti Appa had religiously taken over, prompting Sandy to take over the cashier's post. Manjunathan was busy with disbursement of orders and Sheikhu was putting away the remnants of food and dishes. The operations were running quite smoothly, as always. It would've needed a trained eye and an analytical mind to understand what kept Aman busy in a place he didn't have any business to be in.

As dawn shifted towards dusk, Sandy realized his absence and tried calling him. Aman's number was out of coverage area.

It was 10:30 pm by the time Sandy got off from her work. As she walked down the road, she remembered the fiasco from the previous night and her feet dragged on their own accord. She willed herself to go ahead and face the worst of her fears head on. On and on she walked, placing one foot in front of the other, until she reached the gates of her modest cottage. Nervously, she glanced inside through the gap between the wooden planks of her gate. It was eerily quiet and deathly still. Yet, there was a nagging sensation at the back of her mind. As if someone was watching her. As if, every move that she made was being monitored. Shrugging away the feeling of unease, she pushed open the gate and stepped inside. It was then, that she encountered the nightmare that awaited her!  

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Hi there! How are you doing? Hope you liked what you read. Just another cliffhanger from your favourite hanger! ;) 

I know, I have been away for quite some time. Did you miss me and my characters? Just out of curiosity though, whom did you miss more? Aman or Sandy? I know... the answer is Me, right? You won't get to meet either of them unless you miss me!

Hey, No offense meant. I was just pulling your leg. Life has been so serious and messed up these days, it was high time we shared a laugh. :)

on a more serious note, stay safe and keep showering your love in the form of likes, comments and share. 

Until next time, Adios!