Chapter One
At eleven-thirty at night, everyone was either going home or to a late night party. The city was quiet and the streets were quickly emptying as the traffic lessened. The stall keepers were closing down and counting the earnings of the day before they too would return home.
Sitting under a building on a wooden bench, Preeti watched an old man put a wad of notes in his shirt pocket and get on the bicycle. He would go home where his wife and children were probably waiting for him. That image added to her despair. Only a month had gone by since Abhi had broken up with her. He had been the love of her life, unfortunately, she hadn't been his. They had been together for three years and he had professed his love for her every day, along with sweet promises of marriage. She had even found a ring in one of his drawers one day while cleaning out his room.
When a week passed by and the proposal hadn't come, Preeti had become restless and had asked him straight up if he intended to marry her. Then to her horror, not only did Abhi refuse to do so but also admitted to having an affair with another girl. She couldn't say anything as he told her how moving in with her in the first place was a big mistake and his parents would never agree to their marriage because of her open-mindedness to have a live-in relationship. She had just stared and said nothing for a while. When he started to walk away, she had grabbed his arm, whirled him around and slapped him hard on his face.
He had been shocked at first and before he could open his mouth to vent out a tirade, she had screamed at him and thrown him out of their house. No... hers. The month she had spent without him had been pure agony. Her heart was broken and the will to eat or sleep or do any of her regular activities, waned.
Then last week, came yet another blow-she was fired from her job at the call center. That had been the last straw for. She had gone back home and cried her heart out. Her friends had called her numerous times, but she had no strength to attend to them they even sent her texts and when she read them, she had felt more miserable.
One of her friends, Aksh, had finally become a doctor and wanted to celebrate. Her friend Maya also told her that Aksh was getting engaged to an affluent girl. Seeing her friend's lives better had filled her with jealousy and misery. Here, her world was falling apart and there, her friends were progressing in theirs.
Maya had texted her about a promotion she had gotten in the newspaper office she worked in. Dhiraj had made it to the badminton championships and her photographer friend, Rudra, was dating a beautiful model. Preeti had thrown her phone on the nearby couch and wept into her pillow. When they were all in college, Rudra had proposed to her in front of everyone. She had declined and told him that she was looking for someone else who shared her ambitions. Now look where she was. She had wiped the tears from her face.
Perhaps, she should have given Rudra a chance; he wouldn't have cheated on her like Abhi had. The phone had rung again and Preeti had finally given up trying to ignore her friends. It was Aksh and he told her that he was arranging a get together at his parent's farm house and that she would have to come. Preeti had tried to make excuses, but Aksh assured her that he would break the door of her house and drag her out. That had made her smile. She couldn't imagine her scrawny friend dragging her much less breaking open a heavy wooden door. But he was smart and she was sure he would find a way to get to her.
Now here she was, waiting for her friends on a dark and windy night. She imagined if Rudra was driving, he would no doubt be late. Then a thought occurred to her. Aksh had confirmed that it was a friends-only get together, but what if Rudra was bringing his girlfriend to flaunt in front of her? Preeti took out her phone from her pocket and drew her small grey trolley bag, closer to her. She was about to call Aksh when she saw the wallpaper. The one thing she still hadn't been able to do was get rid of Abhi's pictures. She missed his smile and the way he always made her special and tell her he loved her.
Taking a deep wavering breath, Preeti went into her photo album and started to delete all the memories that were nothing but lies. She didn't want to remember how he had held her hand when they had gone to watch a movie, she didn't want to think of the moment he had asked her to be his girlfriend at a lavish restaurant. She couldn't bring herself to remember that perfect day on the beach when he had kissed her just as the sun was setting. The water under their feet had been cold and so was the wind, but his touch had filled her with warmth and that was when she knew she had wanted to be with him for the rest of her life. When a teardrop fell on the screen, Preeti realized she had been sobbing out loud. She turned to see the security guard of the building, watching her with hesitance. He obviously wanted to ask her if she was okay, but like the neighbors, even he knew that she had just broken up with her boyfriend.
"Madam..." he said.
Preeti raised her hand. "I'm okay, Suresh." Suresh nodded and went over to tend to his dog. "Haven't you eaten yet?" he cooed to the dog. The black dog barked happily and walked to his dish. With the security guard now also gone, Preeti was all alone on the lonely street. The winds were getting colder and the trees surrounding the building were swaying. The branches brushed against a glass window and made a screeching sound.
Preeti jumped and tapped the phone in her hand. She hoped the Suresh would come back soon. Picking up her phone, she started to dial Aksh's number when she saw her phone had no service. "What the hell?" she muttered to herself. Raising the phone she found she still had no signal to make a call. "They'll be here any minute," she said to herself and put the phone away. The wind brushed against her and she shuddered. It was getting colder by the minute on this moonless night. The clouds were gathering up, promising a storm later on. She hoped that they would be further down the road and away from this impending storm.
"Where are you guys?" she shivered and then slowly jogged on the spot to provide her body with some warmth. A tap on her shoulder made her gasp and when she turned, she saw no one. Suresh's cabin was still empty and she couldn't hear the dog anymore. Preeti grasped the handle of her suitcase and looked all around her. She was certain the touch on her shoulder felt like someone's hand, however with the wind strengthening, there was a possibility that a twig may have... When there was a tap on her shoulder again, Preeti let out a cry. She turned, but again there was no one.
"Is anyone here?" she asked. She took a few steps forward toward the road and looked both ways. There were no cars on the road, so the chances of her friend's playing a prank on her was unlikely. Besides, Maya knew the state of mind she was in. She hadn't talked to her friend, but had messaged her about the break up in two lines. Maya had responded in concern and kindness. She had told her she would call her when she was ready to talk and for now they would have a fun weekend to forget all their worries. It was only later that Preeti had wondered if perhaps Maya was going through something as well, based on her melancholic tone.
"Hello?" she called. Looking down at her watch, she saw it was midnight. Where were her friends? Something touched her shoulder and Preeti froze. Holding her breath, she tried to recognize if it was a twig or a plastic bag that had clung to her shoulder-but the touch felt like a hand, and that meant someone was behind her. She counted to three and turned, but again there was nothing.
"Who's there?" There was a loud crack and she turned to see a broken branch landing on the ground. Preeti stepped back instinctively and a gust of wind brushed against her.
"Don't go," someone whispered in her ear. Preeti let out another cry and turned all around her.
"Who is it?" A loud blare of horn startled her and Preeti stumbled to the ground. The car was speeding toward her and all she could do was stare at the bright headlights. The car came to a stop, just inches from her and she swallowed.
"Preeti?" It was Rudra's voice, as he climbed out of the jeep. "Hey, are you okay?"
Preeti gazed up at him. He had combed back his wavy long hair and was dressed in a black jacket and white t-shirt with black jeans. He offere
d his hand and she took it, wondering absurdly if he had dressed neatly for his girlfriend. Her friend Maya too came out of the car. In this cold weather, she had donned a brown mini skirt and a brown jacket with an animal print scarf. Her short curly dark hair was covered with a black cloche.
"Preeti? What are you doing in the middle of the road?" Preeti stared at her, trying to collect her thoughts.
"I thought I heard..." Then when she realized how foolish this incident would seem to her friends, she took a deep breath and lied. "I just tripped. Clumsy me." she smiled.
"Let's go!" Aksh said from the car. His usual friendly voice was a bit harsh today and Preeti blinked at him. Aksh should have been happy after finally getting his medical license, yet he seemed perturbed. His hair had thinned quite a lot since she last saw him and he kept pushing up his glasses in annoyance. Dhiraj was sitting behind him, but he was lost in his own thoughts, gazing out the window.
"I have to get my bag," Preeti said and ran back to the bench. She grabbed her suitcase and saw Suresh standing in his small cabin and looking at her. She put up her hand to wave at him, but he didn't respond. He only stared at her while the dog started barking. Preeti saw the dog looking at her and growling. Shaking herself, she dragged the suitcase behind her and tapped on the car. The trunk opened and Rudra helped her put her bag in.
"All set?" he asked.
Preeti smiled. There was no one else in the car apart from them; he hadn't brought his girlfriend. "Sure, let's go."