She looked at the watch. It was barely noon time. He would be in the university at least until six. Exams were going on. He was busy. She went to his house and ran straight to the chamber. He had given her a key. She stood in the middle of the room and looked all around. All those beautiful portraits. But the girl she had seen in the mirror was not the one in these pictures. Neither physically, nor emotionally. She was damaged at both places. Ma was right. He had rejected many better girls. This won’t do… won’t do at all…

She broke down sobbing. After a while, she managed to lock the door and go to a bathroom without being noticed by his house staff. She washed her face and stayed there, until her face looked normal.

“Ma. I want to go to Baadi,” she told her mother after coming back. They referred to their native village as  Baadi.

“You do? Why?” Debangi was surprised. Piyali had never liked visiting the place. She found staying in the village too inconvenient.

“I need to get away for a while, Ma. I am getting restless here. I will stay there until my job starts.”

“But Pihu…” her mother hesitated.

“What happened, Ma?. Send Shanta with me. I will have no troubles. She will take care of things there.”

“That’s fine, Shona. But you know… people are too nosy there. Instead of feeling better, you might…”

“I will stay inside, Ma. I am not going to meet anybody.” The house and gardens were very big there. If human company was not essential, one would not need to go out.

Debangi sympathized with her need to get away. She sent up a silent prayer to Goddess Durga to grant her daughter some peace of mind. If this is what it took, then so be it. “Fine. When do you want to go?”

“Right away.”

“Right away?”

“Yes. Its barely two hand a half hours by car. I will reach before sunset. I will ask Shanta to pack. Will you call the driver?”

“Fine.”

—

Mukundo was nonplussed to hear of Piyali’s departure. She didn’t tell him, didn’t call him, didn’t even leave him a note. What was going on?

“Has something happened, Kaki?”

“No Mukundo. She just wanted a break. I thought it would do her good.”

But he was restless. She was alone again. What if… He shuddered to think of it. Debangi looked calm enough. Still, he could not be at peace. Talking to her even on phone was not possible. Mobile networks didn’t work in the village. The only mode of communication was local phone booth. He thought he would call there, but Debangi stopped him.

“She doesn’t want to meet people, Mukundo. You know how nosy they can get. If you call on the phone booth, everyone will know.”

He had to give up on the idea. Due to exams in the university, he could not get leave for at least three more days.

—

Piyali had done nothing other than eating, sleeping and working on his portrait since she had come to her village house.  She wasn’t thinking about anything. Not even about him, even while working on the portrait. In just a few months, her simple life had become terribly complex. And she wanted to run away from it.

Her easel was placed in the large verandah of the house. She was trying to get those eyebrows correct, and was struggling with it, when she heard a creak on the main door. Who could have come? Did Shanta go around talking to the neighbors? Did the driver get the vegetables from the village market instead of going to the main road, as she had instructed him? But when she saw the visitor, she forgot to breathe. All that she didn’t want to think about came rushing back to her. She felt a strange sense of relief as well as annoyance.

Mukundo had come prepared to demand answers from her. How could she just run away without as much as informing him? What was she thinking? But when he saw her awestruck, lovely face, he forgot all about that. He ran to her and drew her in an embrace. Then he tried to kiss her, but she avoided it.

“I am sorry,” he let her go with an embarrassed grin. He assumed that she was afraid of someone being around, “I got carried away.”

She smiled weakly. Having gotten over his initial elation, he also remembered his grouse, “I am mad at you, Piyali What were you thinking? How could you just come away… Kaki won’t let me call up at the phone booth… And I couldn’t come after you because of exams… And you didn’t even leave a message…”

She looked at him as if not aware of him talking at all. The eyebrows. Ah, right! They were shapely, soft – almost like a woman’s. How had she not noticed them earlier? He might know everything about her. She didn’t know anything about him. What kind of a wife would she make him? And she looked at him from head to toe. How many times had she heard the women, young and old alike, talking in the neighborhood about how handsome he was and how difficult it would be to find a wife for him who would be as beautiful? And she remembered how awful she had looked in the mirror. Sickly, pale, handicapped… What kind of wife would she make him?

“Piyali!” he shook her this time, frowning.

“You must be tired, Mukundo Babu. Did you drive yourself? Would you have something to eat? Some tea… I will ask Shanta…” she made to go away, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

“What is going on? I have not come here for food or tea. You are coming back with me.”

“I will stay here, Mukundo Babu.”

“Why? You hate this place. And how will you stay here? No electricity, no generators…”

“Mukundo Babu. It wasn’t your fault,” she said suddenly.

“What? What wasn’t my fault?”

“What happened to me… My wedding or my depression and suicide attempt…”

“So?”

“Let me stay away from you, Mukundo Babu. If you see me all the time, it must cloud your mind and your decisions get affected. ”

“What is wrong with you, Piyali? What are you thinking? I had bared my heart to you. Do you not believe that I really, genuinely love you?”

“I believe that, Mukundo Babu. But Ma is also right. You have rejected better women in past. I am a bad choice for you…”

“Ma? Kaki has said something? What?”

She gulped and stayed silent.

“But she wasn’t supposed to… Pack your stuff, Piyali. We are going now. Or rather let Shanta pack it up and come back with your driver tomorrow. Come with me right now.”

“But…”

“Are you not going to listen to me, at all? Are you going to make be beg you?”

There was nothing she could do after that except to follow him silently. “Do you need to eat or take medicines?” he asked before leaving.

She shook her head. She had just finished her lunch and had her medicine.

—

To be continued