Forget Me Not, Stranger

by Novoneel Chakraborty

  ‘Hello, where are you guys? I have been calling all day.’

  ‘We were sleeping. What happened?’

  ‘I regained consciousness only an hour back. Are you safe?’ Sadhu Ram sounded genuinely concerned.

  ‘Yeah, I’m all right. But what do you mean you regained consciousness?’

  ‘I was knocked out last night.’

  ‘Knocked out?’

  ‘I had gone to the washroom while the party was on, after which I don’t remember anything. The Little Door guys took me home.’

  Shit!

  ‘When I woke up, I was sure something must have happened to you.’

  Rivanah was lost in a trance.

  ‘Hello? You there?’

  ‘Yes, I’m here. Where was Argho at the time?’

  ‘He had already moved out of the party. I have already checked. He stayed with a friend in Bandra after he left the party. He has a strong alibi.’

  ‘Does that mean he isn’t the—?’

  ‘That’s what it seems like as of now. I think it is someone who is very close to you . . .’

  Just then Danny came out of the bathroom in his boxers.

  ‘Nothing like a cold shower,’ he said and noticed Rivanah holding his phone to her ear.

  ‘Whose call is it?’ he asked.

  Someone close to you, she thought, and vaguely remembered how Danny had suddenly appeared in front of her at the party.

  ‘Sadhu Ram,’ she blurted.

  Danny took the phone from her and talked to Sadhu Ram. He recounted the same story to him. Danny hurled his phone on the bed after disconnecting the call and looked at her.

  ‘Did anything happen last night at the Little Door?’

  I was talking to the Stranger and then I saw you in his place, Rivanah wondered and said aloud, ‘No. I don’t remember anything strange.’

  ‘Can you tell me what time I reached the party?’ Danny asked in an interrogative tone.

  Rivanah said she wouldn’t know.

  ‘I thought so. Even if something had happened, you wouldn’t be able to tell.’

  Rivanah kept staring at Danny as he wore his tee.

  ‘When did you come last night?’ she asked. Danny paused for a trice and said, ‘I don’t remember the exact time. Should be around 12.30. Why?’

  ‘Just like that.’

  ‘I haven’t seen you so sloshed before.’

  Rivanah hung her face in utter disappointment. She knew she shouldn’t have drunk so much. Damn the client, damn those tequila shots and damn her teammates. And, above all, damn her own self. She remembered nothing concrete. Not even whether the Stranger had approached her or not. If he had not, then all was fine. But if he had, then she knew what was coming next. She had to respect her part of the deal. She hadn’t received any message from the Stranger yet. Rivanah got ready and left for work, hoping against hope that there was more time.

  ‘You were amazing last night,’ Smita said. Rivanah immediately threw a what-are-you-talking-about glance at her. Smita took out her phone and showed her a video of Rivanah gyrating her hips against Nivan. She might have enjoyed it the previous night but in the morning it looked plain vulgar to her.

  ‘No, I didn’t do that!’ she said, feeling flabbergasted to say the least. She took the phone in her hand and watched the entire clip. By the time the video ended, her expression had changed to one of utter embarrassment. What would Nivan think of me? A cheap despo! Rivanah immediately deleted the clip.

  ‘Arrey, why did you delete it?’ said Smita, snatching the phone back.

  ‘Isn’t it obvious?’ Rivanah shot back. ‘Did I do anything else?’

  ‘Well, after you went and pulled Nivan to the dance floor and danced like crazy with him, I don’t think there was much left to do. And it’s good you didn’t. Your boyfriend was there shortly after.’

  ‘You met Danny?’

  ‘Yes. You are lucky to have such a caring boyfriend.’

  ‘Thanks.’ I indeed am, Rivanah thought. But first things first.

  ‘Did you say his name was Nivan?’ When he had told her his name for the first time, she hadn’t registered it, but she was too tongue-tied to ask him again.

  ‘Uh?’

  ‘The guy I danced with last night.’

  ‘Yes. Nivan; VP, sales.’

  Oh god! This gets worse. I had a sexy dance with my VP with no memory of it.

  ‘I need to apologize to him.’

  ‘Well, even I think you should, though he didn’t look too offended. Still, you never know.’

  Rivanah knew where the Sales head’s cabin was. She just didn’t know who occupied the cabin until today. She excused herself and went straight to the cabin. With every step forward, she felt her heart beating faster. The man inside the cabin wasn’t just her senior at work. He was someone on whom she had had a secret schoolgirlish crush.

  ‘Hi sir, I’m sorry for last night. I wasn’t in my senses and . . .’ Rivanah kept mumbling the apology to herself softly while preparing herself to knock on the door. The moment she knocked, she heard a voice very close to her ears.

  ‘You dance really well.’

  Rivanah turned around and saw Nivan standing very closely behind her. Nivan took a step back and she wondered why. She wasn’t complaining about the closeness. The thought made her feel guilty but the pleasure in the guilt made her go red in the face.

  ‘Thank you,’ she mumbled.

  ‘You’re welcome. Please excuse me,’ Nivan said. Rivanah moved so he could enter his cabin but the moment he tried to step inside, she stopped him by his arm. He looked back at her. She let go of his hand immediately.

  ‘I’m sorry for this. And for last night,’ she said.

  ‘Last night?’

  Does he really not remember or is he intentionally pushing it? ‘I’m sorry to have pulled you to the dance floor and . . .’

  ‘That’s fine. You were drunk. I got that.’

  Rivanah smiled at him saying, ‘Thanks.’

  Nivan went inside his cabin while Rivanah traipsed towards her cubicle like a little girl who had spoken to her crush for the first time. She hoped her apology was enough to take care of the embarrassment she had caused herself and probably him too. She casually checked her phone which displayed a couple of WhatsApp messages from Danny and a message from one of the Stranger’s number. She checked the time. It had come a minute back. She stopped dead in her tracks.

  I kept my promise, Mini. I was right there in front of you last night. We had a little chit-chat too. Now it’s your turn.

  Rivanah missed a heartbeat. He must be lying. He couldn’t have possibly revealed himself to her when she wasn’t in her senses. Or was it all planned? Or was it all a . . .

  You are bluffing. She messaged back.

  LOL was the response.

  Rivanah stared at the message for some time and then typed back:

  What was the colour of my dress last night? She waited impatiently for a response.

  He replied: Pink.

  But she was wearing a purple dress . . . Rivanah paused. Her undergarments were pink. Rivanah swallowed hard.

  How do you know that? she messaged.

  Why do you always forget that I have my ways, Mini?

  Did the Stranger really come in front of her?

  ‘Shit!’ she blurted out.

  ‘Any problem?’ It was Argho. Rivanah was quick to realize she was blocking his way. She shook her head and moved aside to let him pass. And she kept looking at him. When will she know for sure if Argho was the Stranger or not?

  Rivanah went back to her cubicle and was about to call Danny and ask him not to believe in any message or call unless it was actually from her. Chances were the Stranger may manipulate Danny the way he did by messaging about her presence in Ekansh’s flat the other night. Just then, her desk phone rang. It was from the security guard, informing her that there was a parcel in her name.

  ‘I’m coming,’ Rivanah said, put the receiver down and went
to the security post.

  A large parcel was waiting for her. She took it after signing in the register and then tore it open. It was a white, one-piece dress in floral print. A sudden smile appeared on her face, the kind that happens when you aren’t prepared for something but really like it when it happens. Her phone vibrated with a message:

  I’m sure you’ll look beautiful in this dress.

  Rivanah couldn’t believe the Stranger had gifted her that dress. She had known the Stranger for a good while but he still didn’t stop surprising her. Admiring the dress, she started walking towards her cubicle when she messaged back: Thank you. But why this gift?

  You should look beautiful when you confess an ugly truth to Danny.

  Rivanah paused reading the Stranger’s message. Another message popped up precisely then:

  Don’t disappoint me, Mini.

  There was nothing she could think of except: Why this dress in particular? Why the dramatics?

  The dress is bugged, Mini. I want to hear you confess. The message popped in her phone as if the Stranger had read her mind.

  Coming in front of me when I was sloshed wasn’t part of the deal. You have cheated me. She messaged back sitting on her chair in her cubicle feeling a restlessness brewing in her.

  The deal was that I would come in front of you. Then you would confess. I didn’t ask you to drink. My part of the deal is done, Mini. It is time for you to comply.

  Rivanah read and re-read the message. No, she can’t simply comply, she kept telling herself. A message popped up after some time.

  9 p.m. tonight, Bungalow 9, Bandra. I’ve booked a table for Danny and you.

  After Rivanah read the message for the third time, she smiled. It wasn’t the end of road for her after all, she thought. She had a plan to catch the Stranger.

  She called Danny and told him that she had booked a table for them at Bungalow 9. Danny promised her he would be there directly from work. Next, Rivanah called Sadhu Ram and noted down his email, immediately after which she created a new email address for herself. She couldn’t trust anything or any medium any more. She wrote Sadhu Ram an email where she mentioned all the details—from her dress being bugged to the venue and time Danny and she were supposed to meet. She also wanted to clear her doubts regarding a bugged dress. How far should a person be if he wanted to hear a conversation?

  Sadhu Ram confirmed that chances were the person would either be inside or just around the restaurant. Rivanah asked him to stay away from the scene in case the Stranger already knew who he was. After sending the last mail to him she sat back in her chair waiting for the clock to strike 9. She stared at the floral dress she had placed on her table.

  ‘That’s a lovely one!’ Rekha said, seeing the dress. ‘Where did you order it from?’

  ‘It’s a gift,’ Rivanah said with a tight smile. A few seconds later she picked up the dress and tried to feel it. She felt the microphone placed inside the cloth around the shoulder. The Stranger had taken the trouble to not only buy the dress but stitch the microphone inside. Rivanah sighed. Tonight she would finally know who the Stranger was.

  16

  Rivanah reached Bungalow 9 before Danny. She had changed into the floral dress in her office itself. She was escorted by one of the restaurant managers to the table reserved. She looked around to see if she could locate any familiar face but found none. Rivanah settled down and ordered a beer to calm her nerves. She kept checking her phone with every sip. Around 9.15 p.m., Danny was escorted inside by the same manager. As he came to the table, Rivanah stood up. They hugged, pecked each other on the cheek and took their seats.

  ‘You look lovely,’ Danny complimented.

  ‘Thank you.’

  ‘Why don’t I remember you buying this dress?’

  ‘That’s because I bought it today itself. I wanted to literally look like your better half.’

  ‘You look way better, my better half,’ Danny said and leaned forward to kiss her cheek again.

  A waiter came and placed the beverage menu on the table along with the food menu. Danny took the former while Rivanah picked up the latter.

  ‘I want some red wine,’ Danny said and looked at Rivanah inquiringly.

  ‘I’m done drinking for the night,’ she said sipping the last bit of beer from her pint. She couldn’t afford to get drunk tonight.

  ‘You suddenly sound so health conscious,’ Danny said and added, ‘Remember how you used to go to the gym once?’

  ‘Yes,’ Rivanah said. The time when the two had connected for the first time seemed long time ago.

  ‘I never went there to get a good figure,’ she said with a naughty amusement on her face.

  ‘Is it? Then what for?’ Danny responded with the same naughtiness in her tone.

  ‘I wanted to set my life right,’ she said and blew him a kiss.

  Rivanah helped Danny choose his red wine while she zeroed-in on a sushi platter.

  Danny picked up his glass of red wine and gestured at her. Rivanah knew how Danny would do a ‘cheers’ with her. She smiled naughtily and asked, ‘Here too?’

  ‘Why not?’ Danny whispered back.

  ‘Okay,’ Rivanah said. She took a small sip from his glass. He followed suit and they kissed letting the liquid merge.

  ‘Cheers!’ Danny said, breaking the kiss and gulping down the wine she had in her mouth.

  ‘Cheers!’ Rivanah repeated, conscious of the fact that the Stranger was privy to every word of their conversation.

  ‘So, why this sudden dinner plan? Any more surprises coming up?’ Danny said gazing into her eyes. Rivanah’s guilt broke the gaze. She took another sip from his glass even though she had said she wouldn’t drink.

  ‘I’m a little worried about something.’ She paused seeing Danny’s expectant face. And then continued, ‘There’s a friend of mine . . .’ she said, with her throat drying up every second, ‘who loves her boyfriend a lot. Like, genuinely. But she had a slip.’

  ‘Slip?’

  ‘She cheated on him. Just once. Not wilfully, though. It just happened. She didn’t intend to cheat on him, and in her heart she still loves her boyfriend. Only her boyfriend.’ Rivanah stopped suddenly, realizing she was justifying this ‘friend’ of hers a little too much.

  ‘Hmm, and whom did she cheat on him with?’

  ‘Her roommate’s boyfriend,’ she said, looking at Danny who was lost in thought while sipping his wine.

  ‘Actually, the roommate’s boyfriend was an old friend of hers,’ Rivanah corrected herself. Danny still didn’t respond.

  ‘I mean the roommate’s boyfriend was this girl’s ex,’ Rivanah finally blurted out. Danny shot a sharp glance at her as if he had already judged this imaginary friend of hers.

  ‘If it was her ex, then I’m sure it wasn’t just a slip. Like, if I meet my ex and it ends up in a . . . wait a minute. Did you mean she simply kissed him when you said she slipped, or did she fuck her ex?’

  ‘They . . .’ She took yet another sip from Danny’s glass and said, ‘They fucked.’

  ‘Whoa, then it obviously isn’t a slip. By the way, are you sure you don’t want to have wine?’

  Rivanah shook her head and said, ‘Why do you think that?’

  ‘Because you are drinking all of mine,’ Danny said in a lighter vein.

  ‘Not that. Why do you think it was not a slip? How are you so sure?’

  ‘You slip with strangers but you don’t slip with people you already know. Especially your ex.’

  Rivanah frowned. It didn’t make sense to her. She probably didn’t want it to make sense. All she wanted to hear from him was: it was just a slip, why bother? And since it didn’t come the way she desired from Danny, Rivanah felt all the more frustrated.

  ‘Anyway, what’s up with this friend of yours?’ Danny asked.

  ‘She is in a fix whether to tell her present boyfriend about it or not.’

  ‘Hmm. Okay.’

  By then, the waiter laid out the sushi platter. But
instead of the platter, Rivanah’s eyes were on Danny. He was about to say something when she cut him short saying, ‘What do you reckon? What should the girl do? Tell her boyfriend everything?’

  ‘I don’t know. If it is not important, then she probably shouldn’t,’ he said, gobbling up a sushi.

  ‘It’s yum—’ but before he could finish his sentence, she shut his lips with a kiss. He had finally said what she wanted to hear. There was no reason whatsoever for her to confess anything. Danny’s opinion was, of course, more important and valuable to her than the Stranger’s demand which now seemed all the more futile. The slip wasn’t important for her so there was no reason why she should tell Danny about it. Period. She knew this from day one. It was the Stranger who had pushed her to believe otherwise. She took a bite of the sushi wondering if the Stranger had heard Danny’s point of view. But he wouldn’t know she wasn’t going to comply with him. Doesn’t matter what he said, he hadn’t kept his part of the deal. Coming in front of her when she was in an inebriated state was a sheer breach. And now he would get in return exactly that—a breach. Danny took out his phone, stretched his hand and the two of them squeezed together beaming ear to ear for a selfie. Rivanah grabbed the phone from him to see how the selfie had come out. They looked happy together. No confession was bigger than the happiness that seemed to emanate from the selfie for her.

  ‘What are you looking at?’ Danny asked, taking the phone from her. Rivanah simply smiled and said, ‘I love you.’

  ‘I love you too.’

  The waiter was back. ‘Would you like to order your main course, sir?’ he asked Danny.

  ‘Certainly.’

  ‘You order. I’ll be back from the restroom,’ Rivanah said.

  ‘But what do you want to have?’

  ‘I chose starters. You choose the main course for us,’ she said with a heart-warming smile and headed towards the restroom.

  In the restroom, Rivanah received a call from Sadhu Ram’s number.

  ‘Where are you?’ Rivanah said the moment she picked up the call.

  ‘Hello, Mini.’

  Rivanah almost bit her own tongue.

  ‘The first thing you will do after you step out of the restroom is confess,’ the Stranger said.