He remembered almost all of her dresses. He could have and had given her so many suggestions. If he remembered as much about the dresses of any of his girlfriends, he would have been married much earlier. He chuckled and then looked around to ensure that nobody had seen him sitting alone and laughing for no apparent reason. Thankfully there weren’t many people in the coffee shop. Nobody disturbed him and he was left to contemplate.

She had looked gorgeous in that skirt. Her long, athletic legs – smooth and… Wait! Had she started waxing them? Since when? She usually wore jeans and it wasn’t possible to know. The day he had washed her knee-wound… No. It was certainly not waxed then. Did she do it only for wearing this dress? He was too harsh on her. Whether or not she should have worn it, it did look so good on her shapely figure. A pair of boots would have made it even better. But…

All said and done, he concluded finally, he wasn’t her guardian. He really had no right to impose on her like that.

—

“Will you continue to be in a foul mood forever?” he asked on their way home.

“I am just tired. Why should I be in a foul mood?”

“Because I made you change your dress?”

“You are as much of a hypocrite as any other man. Everyone likes to gawk at scantily-clad women in magazines and movies and even on roads. But God forbid, if someone they know should wear a slightly short skirt!”

“Piyali!”

“I apologize. You are the elder and the wiser one. But Maths journals are not the only sort of magazines in your library either.”

He took a deep breath before speaking. “I admit. I have been a hypocrite. And in more ways than you claim. Yes – not only do I apply different standards to you and to others, but also to you here in Haldia and to you – if you were elsewhere. If we were in New York, or London, or Mumbai, or even in Kolkata, I wouldn’t have batted an eyelid at what you wear. But we are in Haldia. It is a small town with its conservative manners. That you can wear jeans without attracting attention is the limit of this town’s modernity tolerance. When you go to a city, you wear whatever people there wear.”

She chortled, “As if I am going to travel to New York and London! Baba won’t let me go even to Kolkata.”

She wasn’t looking at him. So, he used the opportunity to have a good look at her face. She had a lovely face. And a hyperactive teen-age brain. And a healthy body that loved outdoors. She loved his motorcycle! An idea suddenly struck him that was sure to better her mood.

“My motorcycle is back form servicing.”

“Did it cost you a lot?” she looked at him with anxious eyes.

“A bit. But it is as good as new now.”

“Good. You would enjoy riding it,” she smiled weakly, clearly conscience-struck that the bike was as good as destroyed because of her.

“You would enjoy learning it too, I think.”

“Me?”

“Who else? You are the only one who has to learn. I already  know how to ride a bike.”

“Don’t tease me, Mukundo Babu. I had smashed the bike. I know you wouldn’t let me even touch it again.”

“Someone is scared.”

“I am not scared!”

“Of course, you are. Making excuses for why you wouldn’t learn. Putting words in my mouth.”

“Oh, shut up!”

He grinned. “Friends then? Tomorrow evening your bike riding classes begin.”

She grinned back, happy beyond words.

—

“I can’t believe this, Mukundo Babu. I was looking for this shoe the entire day today. It had just vanished into thin air. And now suddenly, it is there, just where it should have been!”

“You can’t do anything straight, unless you have had a lecture from me. You have missed it for past two days, haven’t you?”

“Arghh… Must you always talk like that to me?”

He laughed and handed her a gift-wrapped package. “There is something for you. From Kolkata.”

She unwrapped it hastily and found a coffee-table book about Kolkata. “The photographs are beautiful.”

“I thought you may like it. Where is Kaku? I have some news for him.”

“What news? Pishima is not thinking of coming, is she?” she frowned. The arrival of her father’s sister wrecked havoc on his nerves.  She could never be careful enough about hygiene and health for his comfort.

“No. I didn’t run into them in Kolkata. It is something else. Is he in the hall?”

“Yes,” Piyali confirmed and followed him to the hall, the curiosity about the news getting the better of her than the excitement about the book.

‘Has he gone mad?’ she found herself thinking as she heard Mukundo delivering the news. There was a news doing round about certain flu virus that had come to India from South America. It was quite deadly and regular medicines didn’t work on those who were struck with it. Haldia being a port town was particularly vulnerable. Injections were available for protection, but they would have to go to Kolkata to get the shots. Piyali was getting furious by the moment. What did Mukundo Babu mean by sharing this with her father? He knew very well the effect it would have on him. Piyali knew about this, and had removed the health supplement from last week’s newspaper to keep her father from reading about it. And you couldn’t even get the shots here. Going to Kolkata!! How will she manage to calm her father down after this?

“We must go then?” she heard her father saying.

“Yes Kaku. And this Saturday itself. You don’t have to worry about anything. I have a serviced apartment there, which I use every time I travel. Very clean and hygienic. And I know people in the hospital who would give the shot. There would be no problem at all.”

“Travel is not a good business ever… But we can’t take risk, can we?”

“Not at all. And I will be driving myself, Kaku. We have seat belts and air bags in the car. It will not be risky.”

“If we have to, we have to…”

Piyali’s eyes bulged out in surprise. They were going to Kolkata!! Mukundo looked at her and winked.

“Come with me. There is something else for you in the car.”

“You have come here in the car?” Mukundo would usually just walk, or at best ride his bike to her home.

“I have come directly from Kolkata,” he replied.

She was puzzled to see the boots he had brought her. “These are for… me?”

“Yep. They would look very good with your skirt, which you will wear to our Kolkata trip.”

She gawked at him in disbelief and he burst into laughter. “Silly girl,” he said ruffling her hair and drove off, while her stupefied gaze followed him.

—

To be continued