by Jai T J
He looked at her with a quizzical look. “I am left” She said keeping the briefcase on her lap.
He started pedaling. It took a few seconds before he got the speed. The wheels flew faster and easier on every movement. He looked on both sides, with a hint of embarrassment in his face for driving a girl’s cycle. The road was nothing but lonely.
It was his breathing, only his breathing he could hear and the rotating chains in the wheel. It’s been almost twenty minutes or who knows and no one said a word. He heard only a couple of whispering noise from her.
“Why did you come to me?” He started the conversation
“What?”
“You obviously look irritated by me. You said you don’t like my words either and you didn’t even accept me as your friend. Then why are you coming back to me?”
“Why do you think?”
“I don’t know. That’s why I’m asking you. We all want something. Some want answers. Some want money and what do you want? What are you searching for?”
“Not everyone has to have a want. The want of one is the pain of many”
“You talk strange”
“And you talk too much”
“I can’t understand you. One day you are in church and another day in a graveyard wearing full black and now this. I don’t know what to make of you. Are you even real?”
He didn’t stop for the red signal on the empty road. He took right and rode down the shaded road. The trees on both sides gave a chilling weather on the dry journey.
“That you have to find it yourself”
“Why exactly did you come back after what happened that night?”
“I gather secrets. I never thought I would find such a beautiful one from you. I liked yours”
“Are you meaning Senandra?”
“I like her”
“Don’t presume to think that you know her. You know nothing about Senandra. You don’t know who she really is or what she is capable of. If you want to know what fear really is, go back to the house one more time and you will know”
“She is still mad at me?”
“You are going to be reasonable with her?” He snickered and turned his head toward her. “She cannot be taken for granted. There wasn’t a single day I went into my home with a calm mind. She makes sure I fear her as much as I love”
“Should I be afraid of her?”
“Oh, shit” Devin missed the speed breaker bump on the road and wheels got the hit. The seat threw both of them above half feet on the air. Yuleika fell back on the metallic carrier seat, hurting her bottom. “Oww” A tinge of pain flew through her from under the thighs.
The handlebar began to shake left to right. He pulled the brake, rubbing his feet on the road brought the speed almost to zero. “Are you alright?” He asked halting the bike.
She climbed off and kept the briefcase on the carrier. “Remove your belt”
“What?”
“Give me your belt”
“Why?” He asked rising from his seat.
“Don’t ask questions for which you won’t get answers”
You moron. He did as he was commanded. His pant stayed hugging his waist as he handed it over to her.
She inserted the belt under the metal carrier, brought it other side and locked the buckle with briefcase inside it. She yanked it harder, bringing the shiny buckle to the edge. She shook the briefcase but it stayed firm under the tight grip of the belt. She climbed back and sat on top of the case.
“You can continue” She said.
He shook his head and began the ride again.
“Why did you save me?” She asked
“I’m sorry I didn’t notice the speed breaker”
“Not that. I’m asking about that night. Why did you save me?”
“What do you want to know?”
“You said I am the one. What did that mean?”
“It’s nothing”
“Tell the truth”
He was silent for a while. “You know... about the baby she is carrying. I was trying every possible way. No one really knew how to give what she wants then one day I had this dream. A dream in which I was mesmerized and made to follow a girl”
“A girl?”
“Yes and the next day I told this to Senandra. I don’t know why, but she told me to find this girl. That night when I saw you on pain, I didn’t know what to do. So I told her, it was you the girl from the dream”
“You think I’m going to help her”
“I don’t think anything. I just wanted to stop her from hurting you and now that has grown deeper in her mind. I don’t know what she will do if you are unwilling to help”
“What?”
“She will kill you” He said matter of factly “That’s for sure but I can vouch for you to make it less miserable”
“You are using me as your escape plan?”
“I don’t want to do that. But you got yourself into this. You shouldn’t have come into my house”
Yuleika didn’t speak for a moment. He turned right and rode down the slopey road. A streak of blue and red appeared in front of him. The siren whistle grew louder as he pedaled forward. The ambulance raced past him, striking them with a huge blow of wind.
“You gotta be kidding, me” He heard her saying under the noise of whining. Before he could ask her, she began to move on her seat. She turned and slowly bent her knee. Her grip on his shoulder was strong, almost inflicting pain. She finally rose and stood on the case and let go of his shoulder.
“Drive straight” She commanded.
He couldn’t see what she was doing. He held the handle from shaking. The siren sound vanished and his pedaling sound overtook.
He turned and tried to look at her. Her skirt waved in front of his face. He saw her standing calmly, keeping her hands open like the athlete reaching the end line. Her eyes were closed and hairs flew back rhythmically in the upwind.
Are you praying? He spoke to himself. She was still and serene. He thought he saw a tiny smile at the corner of her lips. When he turned his face front, his heart skipped a beat at what he saw. A dark fluffy crow sitting in between his hand, gawking at him with something covered in blood in its beak. “Oh, shit” He gasped, jerking his hand.
Yuleika’s leg lost its balance and slipped out and everything happened in slow motion. She landed on the suitcase before falling backward on the momentum. She turned and saw the ground racing toward her. Her left arm came forward, protecting her face as she rammed the floor. She spun and slammed and spun again on the floor before her body came to a halt.
Devin stopped suddenly, making the back wheel drift almost 90 degrees. He pulled the stand and ran toward her.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t want to do that. Are you alright?”
She pushed herself up. Her legs had fresh scratches near the ankles and her right arm was under the mixture of bruises and dust. She held her other hand tightly around the wrist. He came around and saw blood flowing out of her left hand.
“Oh, god. I’m really sorry” He looked around the shops on the side of the street. All were closed including the one with the Red Cross logo on billboard.
“I’ve to stop the bleeding” She said. Her fingers were wet and dripping with thick blood.
“I don’t know if there is any hospital nearby. The pharmacies are closed”
“Get my bag” She said breathing with her mouth.
He went back. He saw a red strap, on top of her burka on the basket. His eyes played an illusion game with his mind. He moved around, looking at it from a different angle. He stood when he understood what happened. The black burka and the red strap created the shape of crow he saw before.
“NOW” She yelled.
He moved the cloth and took the handbag from the basket. “I’m sorry I thought I saw a crow. That’s why I panicked”
He kept it on the ground, next to her. He looked at the blood dripping on the road. His stomach began churning.
“Remove that belt�
�
He went back and pulled out his belt from the cycle. Oh, you are a doctor. How did I forget that? He ran, ignoring his case falling on the ground.
He kneeled next to her. “Should I tie it around your arm?”
“There is a green packet in my bag. Take that”
He opened her bag and found the green, flat pack. He pulled it out. “This one?”
“Yes, take it out”
The pack opened from the center. He ripped it open and took out a white soft square sponge. When it unfolded he recognized what it was - A sanitary napkin. He paused looking at his doing. He held it between his nail, barely touching it, showed it to her.
“That’s just cotton” Her voice was frustrated. “Place that here, when I remove my hand”
She slowly moved her hand off the wrist, and he placed it at the cut and wrapped it around her hand. She held it in position.
“Now tie this with your belt”
He couldn’t argue anything. He brought the belt around and pulled the buckle until it hugged the napkin and kept it in place. She double-checked the belt. The blood stopped flowing at once.
He came forward, trying to help her. “Don’t touch me” She snapped and pushed herself up.
She began walking back, away from the bike with her eyes focused on the road below. She was searching something.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m looking for the spot where I fell” She said keeping her head down.
She kneeled and touched the ground below then she returned toward him. She looked at him with stark expressions. “I’ll drive now”
“No, you can’t. Let me drive. I’ll be very careful”
“Then you have to do what I tell you. Can you do it?”
He nodded slowly suspecting a hidden motive behind her statement. They resumed their ride but this time she became a guidance system to him. She ordered him to go right. She ordered him to turn left. He complied with her monotone.
“Over the corner, stop it” She said.
She got down before he halted. “Leave this here. Follow me” She said picking up the burka and bag from the basket.
He left it resting on the compound wall and walked behind her. She was already in her black. She rolled the rest of the belt, holding it in her hands, hid it under the sleeve.
She took right and vanished from his view. He tried to read the board above the gate where she went. Just when he thought his day couldn’t get any worse and the letters on the board spelled – Police station.
Chapter 17
A VICTIM’S RUN
“I’ve got something for your higher officer” Yuleika said to the middle-aged guy in khaki, sitting behind the desk.
He smiled at her and his eyes trailed behind her. She turned her face and glanced back. Devin was standing at the entrance.
“Sit down, over there” The middle-aged man said to Devin, pointing toward the long wooden chair to his left.
Devin looked at him, confused and looked back at Yuleika. She turned and sat on the chair in front of the table. The policeman handed over a pad and pen to her. She began to write on it.
Devin went to the chair pointed and sat next to a lady crying in her glittering red probably a wedding reception saree.
“Don’t cry ma. I told you what the solution is?” A woman in khaki said as she walked past her, carrying a bunch of files. She kept them on the desk and stood in between Yuleika and him.
“You are lying. I have seen it in movies. They don’t have the right” The crying lady said wiping her tears with her expensive saree.
“In movies, they will say anything. They don’t know the law.”
“No, I want justice” She started crying again.
“Listen you can charge him for domestic violence act. That will get you the justice you are asking”
“No... No” She sobbed.
“You are an educated woman. Look up on the internet and tell me what it says. You cannot tell in the court that your husband raped you. It doesn’t qualify as a crime in our country. There is no law for that. Do you understand?”
Devin got into their conversation not paying attention to the middle-aged cop standing right in front of him.
“What’s your name?” He asked dropping a pan masala into his mouth. Devin’s eye widened over the stern voice.
“Ah... Devin”
“Where do you work?”
“I don’t work anywhere... now. I’m looking for the job”
“Hmm” He gave a snorty look and eyed him from head to foot. Devin sensed a trap waiting ahead.
“How do you know her?”
Oh, Hell. “I... I met her at a diner” Devin swallowed.
“She is your friend?” He sprayed the red mixture of murky saliva. Few drops fell on Devin’s shoe.
“No. We just... We have met sometimes. That’s it”
“Huh... Where?” He raised his eyebrow with curiosity.
“One time at church and another time at...”
“You are Christian?”
“Ah... No sir”
“Then what were you doing in church?”
“I followed her. I –”
“Followed her?” His face transformed. His appearance turned more intimidating.
“No, it’s not like that sir. I mean –”
“Then how is it like, sir?” he asked snorting. The policewoman came with a water bottle and gave it to the weeping lady. Devin felt a claustrophobic feeling surrounded by uniform colors.
“I just met her once in a diner then I spoke to her. Since then, we have been meeting few times. Even now she called me. I don’t even know where she lives or even her number”
“What did you do to her?” The policewoman asked this time.
“What?”
“She filed a complaint on you. You tried to hurt her?”
“What?” Devin appalled. “I didn’t hurt her. It was an accident”
Oh god. This is bad. This is so bad. His amygdala began to get hijacked. He couldn’t think clearly. Various negative shades of memories and a delusional vision appeared in front of him. Devin spying where she eats, where she works. Him stalking her to the church. She - running out of his house, with blood down her face. Him pushing her off on the lonely road. No, No... NO.
A rattling sound came behind them. A black shadow flew across. Before he could see what happened, Yuleika ran out of the station.
“Hey” Both police shouted at once. The lady cop went to the entrance. She stood there looking outside.
She came back hurriedly and whispered. “Sir is here”
“Okay, good. Let’s just hand him over” He gave him a look before striding back to his table and began to don his cap. He cleared the desk and pushed the bunch of files to one end.
Another man entered inside in the same dress except his attire was sharp and perfect fit. The muscly biceps were protruding out of the small sleeve. It took a few seconds before he recognized the hunky man.
It was the same person who kidnapped Yuleika. It was the guy she explained about the ex-wife. It was her handsome friend. Now I am totally screwed.
Mia helped her tie the cotton wrap around her wrist. They both were in Mia’s home. Yuleika tore the rest of bandage with scissors and then Mia tied it firmly. Yuleika wiped the wounds on her leg with a cotton ball and antibiotic. She hissed at the stinging feel. Mia held her legs as she applied the spray-on bandage.
“Does it ever occur to you, you come back bleeding every time you go and meet him?” Mia asked letting her legs slowly down.
“It wouldn’t have happened if you didn’t give your stupid instructions”
“Hey, that’s your standard game rule” Mia said going inside her kitchen. “By the way, what happened to him?”
“He is fine. Bring me something to drink”
Yuleika tried to stand. The wounds in her body registered their presence. She held the side table for the support and began to walk slowly toward the recliner. She picke
d up the remote control and turned on the TV.
Every news channel was reciting the strange happenstance occurring in the silicon valley of India. Various footage of abandoned roads and shut downed bazaars were playing in a loop along with the sad, irritating music. Mia came back with two glass of purple colored drink with tiny black balls at the bottom. She handed one to Yuleika.