Board exams were over. Mukundo had gone to Mumbai for some work. It was a two-week long trip and he would be returning the next day. Piyali was bored of wandering around in her home and his library. She decided to spend the afternoon with Saina, who would soon leave the town for Kolkata. Her father had been transferred. So, they won’t be going to school together any longer.

“Hello Piyali,” it was Saina’s father who opened the door for her.

“Hello Uncle. Is Saina not at home?”

“She has gone to Kolkata. She got a modeling assignment. Since she was getting bored sitting at home, she decided to pick it up.”

“How nice to have some work! I am also getting so bored.”

“Why don’t you pick up a summer job?”

“Who would give me a job here, Uncle? Fully qualified graduates hardly get a job.”

“Why! I can use your help. I have to wrap up so much paper work before leaving. It won’t be a formal job with my company. But in my personal capacity, I can have you as an assistant.”

“Really?”

“Why not?”

“That… that would be great.” She thought she’d surprise Mukundo with a gift for him with her first salary.

“Why don’t you report at my office tomorrow after 6 pm?”

“After office hours?”

“That’s when I finish my regular day job and work on wrapping up the paperwork.”

“Ah! I see. Sure Uncle.”

“By the way, how rude of me. What can I get for you? Some juice? Tea? Coffee?”

“Oh no! Nothing. Is Auntie not at home?”

“No. She and Sonal have gone to market.” Sonal was Saina’s younger brother.

“I will take your leave now, Uncle.”

“See you tomorrow?”

“Yeah. Sure.”

—

“Dad! Mom wanted me to take the keys from you…” Saina barged into her father’s office, where Piyali was sitting and waiting for instructions to begin her work. “Piyali! What are you doing here?”

“Hi Saina. How did your assignment go?”

“It went fine. But what are you doing here? Dad?”

“She… she is just helping me… finish some work… some paper work, Saina.” Her father stuttering surprised Piyali. Why was he behaving like he was caught stealing?

“Yeah? Helping you?” Why was Saina so bitter? “Your own family is never enough for you, right?”

“Saina. Why are you…” Piyali tried to intervene.

“Leave Piyali. For your own sanity and ours, leave. Right now.”

Piyali looked at her father for support, but his eyes were downcast. This was more than she could take. She ran away from there in tears.

It was unfathomable. Saina had a job. Must have made thousands of rupees with her modeling. Why would she grudge her a small job that would barely make her enough to buy a gift for Mukundo Babu? Piyali hated her with all her might.

—

“Excuse me, Saina,” Mukundo found her in the market and called out, “How are you?”

“I’m fine, Mukundo Babu. How are you?” she bore her awkwardness rather well, Mukundo observed.

“Have you got some time? I wanted to talk to you.”

She was surprised, but nodded. They went to a coffee shop at Mukundo’s suggestion and took a table in a secluded corner.

“So, all packed up for leaving?” Mukundo started the conversation with small talk.

“Yeah. Almost.”

“But why leave with broken relationships?”

She stared down at the table as she spoke, “Piyali is super mad at me, isn’t she?”

“Well, she is. But I have a feeling that she is so for wrong reasons. You didn’t grudge her a little job.”

“Why do you think so?” she smiled sadly.

“I… might be… going totally wild here… Saina. And if that is so, I apologize in advance. You stop me and we will end the conversation right there. But you sound mature for your age. And that often happens when you have faced more in life than you should… You father has not been an ideal father… Am I right? And if I am, the first thing I must ask is if you need help.”

She laughed. A brave, but sad laugh. “I envy her, Mukundo Babu. She is so lucky to have you. But no. I don’t need any help now. I put a stop to it when I was twelve. And I have been able to keep my brother from harm’s way.”

“But is that enough? Shouldn’t he be…”

“No. My mother is a simple woman, and she knows nothing of it. She needn’t. Besides, this isn’t a TV serial with a bunch of kindly cops by our side to help us out. If he goes behind bars, who will provide for our family? I have thought it all through. It will remain as it is.”

“Hmm… Obviously you know what you are doing and I appreciate how strong you are. But won’t you mend things with your friend before leaving?”

“I would like to… But… you figured it out. I don’t want anyone to know. Including her.”

“She doesn’t need to know about what you faced, Saina. But she can know what danger she was in. That won’t be bad for her to know…”

“I’ll try.”

“Thanks a lot! And if you do need help at any point of time, you can reach out. Kolkata is not that far…”

“Thanks,” she smiled gratefully.

—

“I hate to admit it, Mukundo Babu. But you were right about Saina. She wasn’t exactly envious about my job.”

“What was it then?”

“Something else. Leave it. But how on earth could you know? You don’t even like her. And still, you defended her?”

“Since you have conceded where you were wrong, I must concede too. I think I was too biased against her. Probably just because she wore fashionable clothes. She is a fine girl.”

“Why this change of heart?”

“Just observing. For almost a year now…”

“Hmm… I hope I can keep in touch with her.”

“Kolkata is not that far away.”

“I am not going there every week. But you could be our messenger.”

“Gladly!”

“She has promised to send me some fashionable clothes, if you would carry them,” she grinned.

He rolled his eyes at her, and they broke into a friendly laughter.

—

To be continued