Short story collection

BUS STOP

It was raining, not like a thunderstorm but more like a downpour ,where water poured down like a steady stream , making this delicious sound on the tin roof of the waiting shed. Pitter patter...pitter patter...and it vaguely felt like a lullaby to her ears.

The waiting shed wasn't crowded ,only a few people stood at the other corner, irritated by their drenched clothes and eager to get home and surround themselves in warmth and comfort of their home.
Malvika sighed pensively. She was hesitant to get back to home today. Actually she was stalling time to go back to home and announce the news of her resignation. That's why she texted her Amma that she would be late today, buying some more time to prepare herself to go back.

She knew how her Amma is going to react. How her eyes will show the disappointment she felt for her daughter even if she is not going to say anything at all. Perks for having over achieving siblings. She sighed inwardly.

It is not that Malvika was not a good student when she was in school or college, in fact she was always counted in the group of best students in the class but she never bagged the first position or maintained it like her older sister and brother. Well that's why she is still here, unsure of the job she was doing, unsure of everything unlike her siblings , who were chasing their dreams in another country.
She gnawed on her lip to shake away the unpleasant feeling. She was being petty, thinking about her own siblings this way is not going to help her anyway.

It was her choice to stay , because she didn't want to go abroad, she liked it here and she was living with her Amma. Amma needed her here especially after her dad passed away a few years ago.

But her job at the bank and the sheer repetitive nature of her days was slowly demolishing her.
That's why she has decided to quit her job as the young assistant manager of the branch before it became a burden.

Her colleagues were shocked, they must have thought she has lost her mind. Maybe she has. This job wasn't something she wanted to do for the rest of her life but she has to face the uncertainty of her future now.
The more she pondered, it became more cloudy like the evening sky above her head. She closed her eyes for a moment as she moved her head to and fro , following the rhythm of the rain. She doesnt want to think about anything at least for a few more minutes. She let herself relax a little, listening to the rain. It was soothing like always, magic maybe.

' Hey pickle girl...is that you?'
She froze, quite literally.
She wasn't expecting anyone to show up there and it's highly unlikely for someone to call her except someone from her school days.

She was too self cautious and uncomfortable to make friends, her colleagues were just colleagues nothing more and her school and college mates were not in this city anymore.

She was never part of friends groups, it made her sad sometimes but she was okay on her own. But this pickle girl reference put her on a tight spot because she knew exactly who was this person.

' Hey Vika , open your eyes mann, I know it's you..'
There it was again, making it clear that this person is not going to leave unless she opened her eyes and acknowledged his presence.
She hated these kind of surprising encounters where she doesn't get enough time to prepare herself.

She braced herself and opened her eyes and tilted her head to her intruder.
' Hey there...' she knew she sounded almost snappy but couldn't help herself.

' Oh..hi Vika, it's so nice to see you after such a long time' his smile faltered a bit on her snappy reaction, but he recovered quickly.

Malvika eyed him with a curious nod. It's not everyday she gets to hear that someone felt nice about seeing her.
She wasn't looking her best in a pale pink cotton kurta and leggings and her long wavy hair in a ponytail. Her expression softened a little looking at the tall lanky guy with a huge smile and closed space eyes.