The Masquerade

Chapter 4

4

'I was being stalked.

Who was he?

Rudra?

Was he following me?

But why?

Rudra appeared genuine and he left the clinic gracefully.

Why would he do so?'

'Then, who if not him?

An admirer? A psychologically unstable patient? A serial killer?

Should I tell di and dadababu about it? No, they'll be worried.'

Mrinalini was quiet for a long time. Her eyes were focused on her plate on the dining table. Ritusmita and Debojit exchanged glances while waiting for Mrinalini to speak. Debojit blinked to ask Ritusmita to be patient. Ritusmita nodded to agree.

Debojit was a pillar of strength to the Sengupta family and had ensured that they stayed strong and didn't shatter even during the toughest of times. He was taller than Ritusmita at nearly five feet and eleven inches, had an oval face with matted brows and fine lines of ageing around his eyes, the only feature that spoke of his age, at forty-five. Otherwise, he was well built and phsyically well-maintained. His calm, mature face had the innocence of a child but a nerve of steel.

Ritusmita cleared her throat to get Mrinalini's attention. She had waited the whole day to know more about Rudra Raghuvanshi and his appointment with Mrinalini. Like a lioness, Ritusmita fiercely guarded and protected her clan from every danger. Not just family, this privilege was extended to close friends and loved ones as well. Ritusmita was the wall of support people craved to have beside them. But her love and concern came with a price - a pile of questions, doubts, and advice about everything.

Mrinalini rotated her spoon in the pool of prawn rice and curry in her plate and pressed her lips. Ritusmita said, "Pihu, we are waiting."

Mrinalini replied, "I'm sorry. I didn't realize that I've been quiet all this while."
"Was Rudra difficult? Tell me if he misbehaved," Debojit asked her.
"No, dada." Mrinalini was quick to defend Rudra, well aware of the negative assumptions her family harboured against him. "He didn't misbehave. He was not even difficult. Though, we didn't talk much today."

"Why?" Ritusmita asked.
"The session was cancelled because he was late. For a 4:30 pm appointment, he arrived at 7:00. So, I sent him back and rescheduled his appointment for 6:00 am tomorrow."
"Pihu, I'm getting bad vibes about it since yesterday. I'm scared. We don't want you to talk to him or meet him or have anything to do with him. Not now. Not any time in the future."
"Di, I'll be fine." Mrinalini smiled to relieve Ritusmita.

Ritusmita put her hand over Mrinalini's and said, "Listen, Pihu, I was worried even when he booked an appointment with you. I didn't stop you as you wanted to go ahead and talk to him. But it is not worth it. Rudra is a dangerous man. We can't trust him."
Mrinalini held Ritusmita's hand. "Trust me, di. I won't let him harm me."
Debojit echoed with Ritusmita. "Mrinu, I think Ritu is right. You don't need to meet him. We want you safe first."

"Yeah, I understand...but," Mrinalini's words trailed off when Debojit spoke about her safety. She weighed the merits of telling them about the stalker. She was deeply shaken, but, unfortunately, she was not even sure whether someone was really stalking her, or it was one of her hallucinations.

She had never discussed with them about the presence of shadows she felt around her. About the sounds which were almost a part of her life now. From New York to Cremona, they followed her everywhere - inside her washroom, behind the curtains of her room, outside the window, under her bed, in the garden, in the car, around her cabin in the clinic - they were everywhere. They troubled her. They scared her. They confused her.