Lost And Found

13. Stranger guy

'Put the mehendi cones in that corner. Where is the chairs that were specifically brought for the groom's family? And tell me..',my aunt, Mariam was hollering at the workers for the final touch ups.
I touched her shoulder to interrupt her.
'What happened Sera?',she asked me.
'Sarah, khalajaan,sarah.'
She always called my name wrong.

'Amisha is saying it's too cold to be out with bare hands and feet. She wants to sit inside.',I relayed the message from Amisha.

'What! Is she insane? Did I put three lakhs set up for her to sit inside?Wait I'll go talk to her. You ask, no scream in their ears if you have to but get the chairs arranged for the groom's family within ten minutes.',and she was gone.

I was directing the workers to put the chairs and there was, I cannot deny, a feeling of accomplishment. I felt like I was doing something very important and not just watching people arrange plastic chairs into a neat sequence of tens. As a kid all of watched our elders do 'important' stuff and dicuss things that made me feel left out.

But now that I got to arrange satin clothed plastic chairs, that feeling had vanished.

I looked around and everything looked immaculate under the twinkling fairy lights and the perfect canopy of stars. Anyone could fall in love here, had they met each other here in this calming bliss.

I sighed. I had to rush to get dressed. The function was about to begin.

I ran upstairs for my room.
There was hardly fifteen minutes before the bride arrived and I didn't want to miss anything.

Trying to remember where I kept a particular set of earrings that would match my green suit that I wanted to wear tonight, I didn't pay attention and dashed into the strange guy from the morning.
He immediately moved away, his face still covered, but his eyes, they were speaking, mocking, laughing.

I was ticked. I had a strange feeling that was completely undefined. I would call it my sixth sense. Something was wrong with this guy and I wanted to find out but not then. I was in a rush.

He stood there watching, eyes completely provocative to say least.
He was trying to challenge me?

But I didn't knew him at all !

In my room , I got dressed up and hushed down as fast as was possible with human speed.

The atmosphere was euphoric and Amisha was the brightest bride to be.
Soft music played in the background as Amisha sat down to get her henna done.

Every lady in the lawn was eagerly waiting to get themselves tattooed with henna.

So when my turn came ,I hopped in without any delay.

The only problem after getting henna applied is your hunger and the fact that you are human and need to supplement yourself with food that needs your hands, perhaps atleast to pick the plate and spoon.

I walked to the, buffet table, finally resigning to my hunger pangs.

I struggled to not get the dried henna into my food, failing miserably.

Plus the duppata kept falling off my shoulders.
Ah! The pains of being a lady.

When my duppata fell down the third time,  I huffed angrily and bend down to pick up the damned piece of yard long cloth.

The strange boy was there again.
He picked my duppata , a scene no doubt picked from a typical Indian movie and, his collosal nerve, put the duppata on my shoulder nicely. He then filled my plate with the food.

I was seething in anger.

'You never open your face. Who are you?', I spoke angrily but curiosity toned my question softly.

He kept shut his mouth as if he was stopping himself from laughing.

I couldn't be not angry.

' Look you are too much. You have been giving me strange looks since morning and were not Amish's brother, I would really get you scolded. Stay...', I was about to warn him when my words were drowned in my mouth.
He put a huge piece of pastry from the  table right into my mouth.

My expression was pure horror.

He rushed away right then or else I was about to call someone for help.

Things were really getting out of hands.
I didn't wanted to spoil Amisha's mood or create a ruckus.

So I decided a strategy. I would always  have someone next to me.
I knew only two person around my age here. One was the strange guy I was trying to stay away from, other one was Bubbly.
My choices were limited.

So I pathetically stuck with Bubbly throughout the event. At one point he felt confused by my sudden likeness of him.

I endured his pitiful glares.

Right before midnight, we all gathered in the centre.
It was time.

Everyone looked alert and equipped themselves.
It was time for haldi !
We played with haldi.
The bride to be was lovingly applied with haldi, rest of us were ruthless to each other.

There was no place on my cheeks where it wasn't covered with haldi.

Bubbly hid in the corner with other guys to avoid getting drenched in haldi paste.
So maybe that was why the strange guy had been going around covering his face. It was common thing to target the groom's brother and bride's sister while playing haldi.
He wasn't anywhere to be seen. Good for me.

I watched Bubbly and his gang watch everyone smack haldi paste onto each other's faces from behind the chairs.

Not long.

I took a handful and attacked him from behind.

It was all fun when he was squirming away to save himself until he just gave up the struggle and joined in with us.
He took a bucket of haldi water when he thought I wasn't looking and slyly moved towards me.

A bucked of cold water was not the best thing right now. I ran hard, laughing.

He was almost about to drench me wet when the strange guy, running from somewhere who knows, dashed into him. The water fell on Bubbly and he groaned.
I wanted to laugh loud but that might encourage the strange guy so I held it in.

Bubbly was completely wet and shivered from the cold.
He excused himself to get changed leaving me alone in the company of the strange guy .

I looked around and nobody was to be found.

I had ran away from the lawn and we both , then , were alone.

He moved closer to me and I took a step back.
He closed the gap in few strides.

My hands flew in front of my face, 'I will scream if you come closer.' , I warned uselessly because he was almost next to me.

I held my breath and swallowed hard.
This reminded me of the alley in brothel and simultaneously of Riyan.

Riyan how I wish you were here, was my silent prayer.

The strange guy touched my cheeks and I felt my cheeks stain further with the moist haldi paste.
I stood locked, my eyes looking down on the ground because of fear. I didn't dare look up.
I heard him laugh,' Sera.' or so I thought.

When I finally looked up, he was gone.