by Jai T J
A loud banging sound came and with that, she flew forward with her arms flying back and the gravity took care of the rest. The echo was too strong as she fell flat on the bed of water with a tight slap on her face as it made its first contact. Her widespread gown resisted her from sinking. Slowly the water began to traverse all the way through the fabric and finally, it gulped her. She traveled downward, sinking very slowly as her gown flew like the jellyfish in the shimmering blue light around her. Multiple layers of cloth made the resistance to move at max, and she lingered in the mid water with her arms floating above her head and finally, her one side cheek began to redden and the tears began to dissolve.
Chapter 21
HARD TO DIGEST
“Can I see now?” He couldn’t see anything with his face covered in a sack. He didn’t even look at her face when she covered his face in front of his home. He complied as usual and got into the car and kept his mouth shut after her constant ‘shut-up, don’t talk’. After what felt like an hour, he felt the car coming to a halt.
He got off the car when she instructed. He walked blindly forward and here & then she gave a nudge on his shoulder pointing the right direction. She pulled his shirt backward to stop him, and he felt a sudden drag as the elevator began moving up. The lift door opened with a ding, and he slowly stepped out. He felt the unlocking sound of a door in front of him.
“What the hell is he doing here?” Devin heard the familiar male voice from inside.
He removed the cover out of his head and saw her two friends standing. The one who drives the Lamborghini and the other who intimidates with his muscle.
“I invited him” Yuleika said entering.
He saw her for the first time after traveling with her for an hour. She was in white boot cut with tucked in dark blue shirt with a black open cardigan. Her posture made her look like standing on the high heels but when he saw, it was flat. Her eyes distracted him despite all the bright colors surrounding. It looked the same like the first time when he met her. The just-now cried eyes look with the muscles under eyes slightly swelled up.
“Devin, she is Mia” She said waving toward her friend. “You might know as the thin Asian girl driving the Lamborghini and this is...” She looked at her handsome, hunky friend.
“He knows who I am” He said folding his arm, showcasing his bulging chest on his tight white shirt.
“Please, have a seat” Mia said with a polite smile.
“Can I speak with you for a moment?” Hiran said to Yuleika and they both went inside.
Devin sat on the leather couch and Mia just stood there with hands clasped in front. He noticed her unusual silk attire. It looked like a mixture of robe and Hanfu type dress in the combination of white and glossy green along the edges, with wide sleeves hanging below her waist level. A matching broad layer of green ran across her waist like a cummerbund with a wide leg pant below.
He saw her noticing his gawk with her wide eyes. He distracted his gaze and looked around the house. Everything inside the house, starting from pen in the table to the TV pushed inside the wall was extremely well- organized. Even she appeared to be standing at the spot meant to be filled by her.
She delicately moved, floating around in the fluttering dress and sat to his left. He didn’t know what to speak. The awkwardness filled the room. She smiled again when he looked at her.
“Nice house” He said finally.
She pressed her lips, raising her eyes with a slow nod. “It’s OK, you can be honest. She told me you are an artist”
“No, I’m serious. I like the color combinations and the way every tiny detail telling hidden stories all over the places”
“In that case, thank you. You have very keen eyes”
She gave a polite smile again and with that, he didn’t know how to continue further.
“I think I owe you an apologies for taking her like that. I’m sorry. It was kind of emergency and I didn’t want to leave her there”
“Taking who?... Oh, Eva!... Yeah, no that’s OK. I understand”
“I hope you are not too hungry. She didn’t say what time she will come so it got a little late, and we can have it in half an hour. Will that be OK for you?”
“No, that’s alright. At least now I’m getting a feeling that I’m not the lunch”
He saw her bright eyes smile along with her lips. “I’m sorry, where are my manners? Would you like to drink something?”
He paused and looked surprised at her constant niceties. “Are you?... I mean no. I’m OK”
“I’m sorry, you were asking something”
“No, it’s just. You are so... I mean, are you really her friend?”
She half laughed. “Yeah, we are”
“How long you know her?”
“Ah, almost 12 years. Yeah, that long” She said nodding her head, probably thinking over some profound memories of their friendship.
“Oh, that’s something” He agreed along with her. “So, what do you do?”
“Mia, she is calling you in the kitchen” Hiran said disrupting the pleasant moment of Devin since the morning, and she went inside leaving him alone with the ramp walk cop. Devin rose and walked around the hall, looking at the photos of Mia, Yuleika and him on the shelf.
“You know I don’t like you” Hiran’s voice felt rather concerning than intimidating.
“I am very well aware of that” He said looking at the pictures, ignoring him.
“What do you want with her? Why are you still following her?” He approached Devin.
“I don’t want anything. She invited for lunch and I came. I didn’t know you would be here”
“Why? You were planning something else?”
He exhaled with frustration and looked at him. “Look, I’m not trying to –”
“Are you yelling at me?” He said raising his eyebrows, with the usual cop attitude.
He sighed, shaking his head. “No, I’m not”
“Listen, I don’t care about your explanation but if you ever try to hurt her, I hope I don’t have to tell you again”
Devin nodded.
“I’m hearing so many stuff lately. She, going to the mall in the broad daylight, falling on the road from the bicycle, hospitalized after going to your home. Everything seems to be connected to you. Someway or other, you had your own alibi. It’s always she gets hurt and it’s always an ‘accident’. Do you want me to believe it’s a coincidence?”
“I know it looks like that but trust me I did not want that to happen”
“You have no idea, how much I hate you for all this. I literally hate you the most, but she...” He looked behind and walked toward the aquarium. “She sees something in you. I don’t know what exactly is. For all the things happened to her after she met you and all the things you did to her -”
“Look, I understand your –”
“Thank you” Hiran said over his voice.
Devin paused, unable to believe what he just heard. He thought he misheard and asked “What?”
“Thank you”
He puzzled over his word and approached near the wide fish tank. “This is high-five. She used to be like this, doing crazy stuff or pulling pranks and things like that. Everything changed after that incident. She told you, didn’t she?”
Devin nodded silently. “It was really horrible”
“She said you didn’t even cross the introduction part and you interrupted her”
“Shockingly detailed monologue. I didn’t want her to think about that”
“Anyway, ever since then we tried everything to bring her back. Bring back the one we fell in love with. The one who made us feel more alive, but we both failed terribly. Mia is been in her life for almost a decade and even she couldn’t do anything. Sometimes I felt like she is absolutely lost. We tried to do everything just to see her little exotic activities but it was too much to ask”
“And then I heard about you. I thought you were just bad news. Then I saw her changing right in front of
my eyes. I don’t know why she decided that or chose you to bring herself back, but she is still failing herself on that. This is a very short time to bring such a drastic change in her, and she is doing her best. You may not understand this. You don’t know her or anything about her, but she chose you to bring herself back. I’m kind of jealous on that fact”
Devin looked at him with utter shock. There were absolutely no words came to his mind. None of his words made much sense to him with the shocking transformation of the intimidating, condescending man to a deep, emotional guy talking about his friend.
“Still that doesn’t change anything about my hatred towards you. I’m not going to turn into Mr. Nice-guy, remember that”
Devin ignored his warning and began to think over everything he told him as he looked at the sea horse swimming inside the tank. Each was of different bright colors. The orange one went under submerged decorative stone mason bridge. The one wandering next to the tiny hut was in green with traces of white. The yellow seahorse with a big belly was resting under the shade of submerged greeny bonsai tree. The white background with the realistic landscape under the bright white light and the still water made them look like floating in the midair.
“I think his date is near” Devin jerked at the voice.
He saw her standing very next to him, bent down and admiring the world under water.
“It’s going to die?” Devin asked
“No, no. His due date”
“You mean ‘he’ is pregnant?” Devin asked
“That’s the most beautiful thing, isn’t it? Male being responsible”
“You want to take away one of the greatest things that happens in the women’s life. The very most important part of their happiness and you want to give that to men? Every woman loves someone without even seeing the face. They don’t care how it looks and what it is, but they simply love. A man can never replace a mother”
“Yeah, yeah, listen to him” Hiran said at her. “What does a woman know about being a woman? We are glad our country is filled with mystique men like him who tells how women are supposed to live, dress and behave. Who knows, he may have more experience about being a woman than you ever will be, you should agree” Hiran said before leaving them in the hall.
“Do you want to leave?” She asked
“For what? His commentary? Hey, I’m not going to be offended by these little things. I was prepared for this since I met you and I got used to these unusual things so it’s fine and also he was not that wrong”
Once again he thought she smiled but it was the usual disappointment. Her just cried eyes stared at him with neutral expression albeit little bit sad.
Mia prepared the food and served the table. It wasn’t the usual dining arrangement. They were all sitting on the floor on top of cushion and pillows. They all sat opposite to each other with a large wooden square table between them.
The bowls of various noodles, colorful dishes of salads and sides were spread among the table. Everyone used chopsticks except Devin. He liked the hospitality skills of Mia, and he enjoyed the food too. Mia eyed at Yuleika who was opposite to her and pointed at the way Devin ate. They both spoke silently with their eyes.
“Is it too spicy?” Mia asked him.
“No, it’s perfect. To be frank, I like all the dishes which I have tasted so far. Especially the Szechuan chicken. You should try it” Devin said to Yuleika.
“She is vegetarian” Hiran answered on behalf of her. “You don’t even know this?”
“Oh... I’m sorry” He kept the bowl down. “You know, you will make a good chef” He said trying to distract Hiran’s offenses.
“Thank you, Devin” Mia said dropping a Manchurian ball into her mouth.
“So is this how you eat back in your home?”
“This is a fusion of Chinese and Thai. My home country is Taiwan”
“Is there any special reason behind the way we are eating today like this or is this how you people usually do?”
Mia looked at her with the wide eyes and full mouth.
“Yes, it is a special meal” Yuleika said. “She is leaving. This is the last food she is serving us”
“Oh, where are you moving?”
“Back to my country”
“Because of work or...?”
Mia nodded. “If you visit her again and make such a lunch, please invite me, I’m so much in love with your cooking”
“Oh, thank you” She paused before continuing. “I won’t be coming. Actually, I can’t come”
“Why is that?”
“It’s the agreement”
“What kind of company provides the agreement that doesn’t allow you to see your friends?”
She just smiled without answering him. She brought the plate full of spring roll toward him.
“Hmm... Hmm enough, enough, My plate is already overflowing” Devin said.
“So when are you leaving?”
“Tomorrow” Mia said wiping the sauce at the corner of her lip with tissue paper.
“Twelve years is a very long time. It must be hard for such close friends to be apart from each other. Even if you can’t come she will visit you, I guess”
The three of them looked among them self, with a building silence in the table. Mia gave a smile which looked like coming out of pain than politeness. “She... She can’t come” She said looking deep into her eyes. Devin saw a small moment shared between them.
“Are you going to work for the government or something like that?”
“No, nothing like that”
“Then why not? Are you people having a dispute or something?”
“That’s because of my agreement” Yuleika said with a loud noise. The room echoed her voice in the newborn silence.
“Yours?” Devin asked after a long pause. “What is that?”
“An NDA to terminate friendship”
Devin looked at Mia surmising her statement. The whole table felt more silent. No one ate from the plate. Devin looked around. Each one’s face buried in their food with the chopstick prickling on the plate.
“An agreement to end your friendship? I don’t understand. Why would someone want to do that?”
“She wants to seize the moment when it is better. Have you ever had any close friend and no longer in touch with them anymore?” Hiran asked
Devin nodded. “Few”
“What happened to them?”
“We drifted apart”
“That’s what she doesn’t want to happen to her. She doesn’t want to gradually lose a friendship over time. She wants a happy ending”
“That’s stupid. She has been your friend for a long period and suddenly you make her do this?”
“I don’t force anyone and it is not a sudden thing either. She agreed to this when we started this friendship. She knew what she was getting into”
“Are you... God, I mean, how do you come up with such things? It's just plain hurtful”
“So we should do it like your way?” Hiran asked with a point of derision.
Devin paused over the hint of revelation about his very private thing. He tried to comprehend and focus on her thing rather than distracting with his comment.
“What else is there in that agreement?”
“I can’t reveal everything but pretty much simple, you just choose an end day and until then you will be friends and after that, you should forget and move on. You should not try to come again into their life”
“Why are you doing this?”
She gave a sharp look and continued to eat.
“So what happens now, Mia?” He wanted answers, so he tried with the friendly one on the table. “When is that day?”
“Coming Wednesday” Mia said in her clinging voice.
“So this is your last meet before you leave?”
“No, farewell day celebration is still there. She will be coming with me”
“Celebration? You people celebrate breaking up a friendship?”
“It’s
not breaking up” Yuleika said with a loud, strong voice. “It’s termination”
“Doesn’t sound different. So what, you will be like partying or something?”
“Last 24 hours of the bonding period will be spent for me” Mia said
“Yes, it’s her day. Her wish is my command”