by Jai T J
“But when that happened, her father was the only support she had. He prevented her from anyone visiting her. Soon rumors began to spread and one night, all the villagers came together with one motive. They set their house in arson, burning them alive inside”
“She died in his arms with a child inside her. Since then, she is been here. Just waiting”
“For vengeance?” She asked
“No, for love. She loved that child and still does. She is waiting for her due date”
“For 28 years?”
“She is waiting for the help and that’s where I came in”
“You are going to help her deliver her child?”
“I can’t help her. I’m trying to find help” He noticed the lights turning on inside Mara’s house. “And I’m not sure I can, but I want to”
“What if you can’t?” A beam of white light came from the corner of the street. The two headlights raced toward them.
She stood up, moving aside to let the dark car pass through. The Lamborghini took a wide U-turn before it stopped in front of her. The tires smashed the burning candles.
“Goodbye” Yuleika said before getting into the car.
“I don’t have your ‘contact’ number” He air quoted with his fingers.
“I give my numbers only to my friends and you said you don’t want to be one” The window slid up, the engine revved and then launched the car into the night.
Chapter 10
THE GIRL IN THE WHITE SKIRT
Devin placed the frying pan on the stove. He turned the flame lower, poured the oil. He grabbed the bowl full of chopped vegetables, added it to the hot oil and began to stir and fry.
He picked his prepared sauce from the island and added it to other ingredients. He went for his refrigerator and picked up the yogurt and cheese. He closed the door and saw Senandra standing at the entrance.
“Hey, Good morning” He greeted her.
“Are you sure?”
“Why are you asking that?”
“Because you say one thing and something else happens”
“I’m really trying to find the solution. I’m not tricking you”
“I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about her. You told me she is the key. You told me she is the one. Was that not a trick?”
“I was trying to protect”
“You don’t even know her. Why are you protecting her?”
“I wasn’t protecting her. I am talking about you. Sometimes you get carried away and I had to stop you”
“She will be coming here again. What are you going to do then? I won’t stop myself then”
“She is not going to hurt you. Trust me” A knock came on the door. Devin turned the heat to sim, walked out of the kitchen. He opened the front door, saw the newspaper on the puddle.
Damn it, When did it rain? He picked it up, shaking the water away. When he turned back, the door shut at his face.
“Hey, open the door” He twisted the knob. The door didn’t move.
“Senandra please open up. I can explain” The door still didn’t open.
He stood there staring back, being kicked out of his home. He ran out of the front gate, across the street, to Mara’s house. He knocked on the door. “Mara! Open quickly” He yelled.
She opened the door. “Hey why are –“ He ran past her, marched into the room to his left.
“Eva! Eva!” He searched for her.
“She is upstairs” Mara said closing the door.
He sprinted up the stairs. She followed him. “Kicked out, again?”
“Yes, where is she?”
She chuckled. “Right side room. You should be careful”
“Oh stop it, I can’t stay out the whole day” He entered the room. Eva was licking her chocolates filled fingers. He grabbed and lifted her in his arms. Her fingers smeared the liquid cocoas in his t-shirt.
“Hey, she is late for school. You have to drop her then”
“With pleasure” He strode carrying her.
He reached his home and let her down. “Open it, Eva”
“You promij me to buy a jijjors now, I’ll open it”
“What? Your mother will kill me”
“Then OK. I’ll go back”
“Hey, are you kidding me? I told you already, scissors are dangerous and you might hurt yourself”
She kept tasting her fingers one after another. She looked at him, offered her stained palm.
“OK, fine. I promise I’ll buy you another chocolate. What do you say?”
She turned the knob and said “Open sesame”. The door opened and Senandra was standing in front.
Eva ran back to her home. He smelt something burning from inside.
“She is a liar” Senandra voice split with overlapping dual pitch.
He ran to the kitchen. The pan was on fire when he entered. Smoke was coming out of the oven below. He turned off the oven and the stove. He threw the pan into the sink and tried to put off the fire with a large shrug.
“She is a liar, Devin”
“I heard you the first time” He disposed the burnt food into the garbage bin and put the pan back into the sink.
“You still trust her”
“I don’t trust her. I don’t even know her” His voice was loud.
“You will let her here. You will let her in and you will leave. She is your distraction”
“What do you want me to do? I’m trying really hard. I’m doing everything I can to fix this. I know you have spent years but all I am asking is to be patient for just a little while. If nothing works I will go with plan-B”
“She will kill you before you can convince her”
“If that is the risk then I have no problem. One way or another, it will come to an end”
Her stark eyes looked sad. She came toward him slowly “She is the exact opposite of the girl from your dream. I don’t want you to do that. Try to go with the first plan but find a solution quickly. I can’t wait anymore”
“I will. I gave you my word and I still stand by that. If I don’t then you can do whatever you decide”
She stood there with burning smoke trail around her. He studied her flaming pupil. She turned around and left the kitchen without a word.
“Are you ready?” Devin asked as he entered Eva’s room.
“Almost” Mara was helping her daughter with the school uniform. She pulled the shirt down from under the skirt. She inserted her finger in the skirt, behind the belt and swiped around her tiny waist straightening the tucked in shirt.
Eva danced her way out of the room. “Did you ask about wearing pants in school?” He asked.
“They are very strict about that. They said girls shouldn’t wear pants. It appears no one really cares about what a girl wants. They complained that Eva is kinda rude like boys and asked me to teach her some politeness. I would have kicked that bald fat ass jerk if that principle hadn’t come”
“You threatened him?”
“No, I just told him politely to go have some fun with himself”
He chuckled. “You shouldn’t have. He is the students’ counselor”
“He is such an anti-childist. Believe me, he will wind up in prison soon” She packed Eva’s schoolbag. It looked bigger than Eva herself.
“Anti-childist? Is that even a word?”
“They might create it after him” She handed over the heavy bag to him.
“Can you make something for me to eat? Mine’s all burnt”
“Sure”
They both came out of her house. Eva was already inside his car. “And No secret chocolate”
“You heard that, huh?”
“She already had more than enough”
“I already promised her”
“Then go eat your promise for breakfast”
He came to his car, threw the bag on the back seat, and he buckled her seat belts. Eva waved at her mom as the car accelerated.
“Dev” Eva looked at him with a pleading face.”Dev!�
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“What?”
“You promij me”
“What did I promise?”
“You know”
“I don’t remember. What was that?”
She searched in her pocket then she turned toward the window. She began to write in the foggy window.
“You think writing in the window will stop your mom from finding your naughtiness”
She erased it quickly. “I wajn’t writing anything” She pouted and folded her arms around her.
“It’s alright. I did promise you” He took the chocolate from his jacket. “But you cannot eat today, OK?”
She nodded excitedly before pulling the chocolate from him. She played it for a while until she got bored at the glittering wrapper. She peered outside the window. A huge empty white banner torn apart from the storm flew smoothly on the breeze.
“Who ij white girl?”
“What?”
“Who ij white girl?”
“White girl? I don’t know. A girl who looks whiter than others”
“Jee ij your friend?”
“Who?”
“White girl. You were looking for her?”
“Where did you hear that?”
“Mom jed onge that you are looking for her”
“Oh, her. She is not white girl. She is the girl in the white skirt”
“Mmm. Ij jhe your friend?”
“No, she is just a girl from my dream. A dream that I once had”
“What waj that dream?”
“Just a simple one. I was driving in a bike, and I was angry about something but I don’t know what it was. So I overtook this girl driving in front of me. I wasn’t paying attention to anything. The same girl came again from my side and gave a look at me. When I looked at her, I forgot everything. I got mesmerized by her look. I forgot my anger and began to follow her”
“She was waiting to cross the road on her right. She looked at me again before she drove across the traffic. I lost myself and drew behind her. I wasn’t even trying to catch her but I just kept a distance and followed her”
“Then she went into this very small street. Only two bikes can go at a time in there. When I saw her she had already parked and climbed into the narrow space between two houses. She walked through it and reached the road on the other side of the house. I went straight and cut toward the same road, but she wasn’t there. I looked everywhere but I couldn’t find her. So the only thing I remember is she was wearing a long white skirt”
She yawned. “Thatj a jupid boring dream”
He chuckled and agreed with her.
“I don’t have a white ijkirt. Jo ij not me then”
“It could be you” He maneuvered cautiously through the vehicles parked on both side.
“I don’t like ijkirt. I can’t run on that. Boyij made fun of me when it lipted in the air”
“You can wear a three fourth pant inside”
“They will make fun of me even then”
“You are right. You can’t shut their mouth”
“But not Jam. He ij jweet and kind”
He parked in front of the school gate. “So when are you going to meet him?”
“Mom jed thij weekend”
“Maybe you can give this chocolate to him” Devin removed the seat belts around her.
She looked at the bar in her hand. “OK” She gave it back to him and got off the car. “Keep in the pridge, I’ll take it later” She said before pushing the door close.
The pebbles of cereals fell from the box with a crackling noise. Mara filled the bowl and passed it to him.
“This is what you cooked?” Devin asked with a tinge of frustration.
“I have to buy some groceries. So adjust today” She filled the bowl with milk.
The doctor’s warning came to his mind. He tried hard to distract himself from the grievous though. He couldn’t ask her about that.
“So how did it go?” She asked filling up her bowl.
“She finally found a real deal. She sacrificed her chocolate for him”
“Yeah, I heard that. It’s all new” She said with her mouth full. “But I was asking about yesterday, you were not home”
“Oh. That was quite different. I met her. Twice”
“How is she?”
“She is different again. I mean she is some kind of bipolar character I guess. Suddenly she spoke more than she used to”
“You went to the same restaurant?”
“No, I went to her workplace”
“Oh, what does she do?”
“She works in the morgue”
“What?” She spat the milk. “Seriously?”
“Yes, she is some kind of technician for postmortem”
“That’s strange”
“You think that’s strange? Last night meet was in graveyard”
“She might be a witch who knows. You can ask for help”
“I don’t know that but I did ask her number. She said she will give only to her friends”
“Then I hope she won’t take you as a friend soon”
“I wish the same”
“So how did you find where she works?”
“I went to the hospital”
“Why did you –” She realized the reason behind his action. She averted her eyes, focused at the half-emptied bowl.
“I’m not going to say anything against and I’m not good at advising either but have you thought about Eva and her future”
“I have. That is the only thing going inside my mind. She is the only reason I’m here”
“Then why are you doing this? Why do you want to leave her? You have this house and your bank balance. You can use that. Even I’ll help if you let me”
“I don’t want help. I’m beyond repair. I can find a way for Eva, You don’t worry. She is a strong girl, and she will understand”
“She will understand? She has no one except you. She can’t live in this world alone”
“Think practically Devin. The surgery alone costs the whole thing I own and then, what? You can’t help me forever. The sweet neighbors are already calling me a whore. I don’t want her to suffer. I want to give her a life she deserves.”
“I can find some work for you, Mara”
“You do remember what happened last time?” She poured the orange juice in his glass.
“That guy was a sick pervert. I can find somewhere safer”
“It’s not me who needs help. She needs that. I’m a terrible mother. I’m spoiling my daughter’s life. She is not living a normal life. The other day I went to pick her up from school. She was standing there with tears in her eyes. She was staring at the kids running toward their family members who came to pick them up. She wants that, but she never demanded such things to me. She has started to do sacrifice. At this age, Devin”
“So you decided to end your life to build your daughter’s future?”
“Do you want me to cry again? It’s for her betterment. I will bring her down if I raise her”
“How is it that a child growing without her mother is betterment?”
She didn’t respond.
“She will not forgive you”
“She will not” She shook her head.
“I will not forgive you”
“You don’t have to” She stood up, pushing the chair backward. “Because You are going to do something else for me”
Chapter 11
THE CLASSIC
The morning news played on the huge flat screen. Yuleika was lying on the couch, resting her head on the cushion arm and chewing the white thread which went around her neck. Three more threads were already there, wet and Grey in her neck like a necklace.