“Where are we going?” she asked as she perched up on his bike. It was a Saturday morning. She didn’t have to go to Partiosh’ house. So, she had accepted Mihir’s invitation to meet him after her night shift at the pharmacy. The dawn was still an hour away. He had a car at his disposal, but he was fond of riding his bike. Rupali also liked the sense of freedom and adventure it brought. She let the wind kiss her face and play with her hair as Mihir rode through some deserted, hilly terrain in a part of the city she was unfamiliar with. This is reckless, cautioned the responsible elder sister in her. She barely knew him for a month. And to have come with him alone to an unfamiliar, lonely place. If something happened to her, what would become of her brothers? Oh shut up, chided the twenty-four-year old girl, nothing bad will happen. Enjoy the moment.

The sun was just coming up the horizon when they got off the bike and walked to the edge of a cliff. They stared out at the red-orange eastern sky. The first rays of sunlight were playing hide and seek with trees.

“It’s beautiful, Mihir.”

He turned to her and cupped her face without breaking his silence. It is coming, she realized, partly in excitement and partly in dread. A kiss. Her first kiss. What would it feel like?

It was just… a lot of… wetness. Of his mouth and tongue. She tried to reciprocate his actions hoping that he was having a better time than she was. When they broke the kiss, he smiled. Her reciprocation must have worked. She also willed herself to smile. His arms slipped around her pulling her close. Was she ready for this, she wondered. Thankfully, she didn’t have to decide, because her phone rang conveniently just then.

“Sorry!” she mumbled as she wriggled out.  The name on the screen surprised her.

“Dr. Khanna?”

“Ms. Banerjee. I know you aren’t supposed to be working today. But, I am at my wit’s end.  Meenal is sick and is constantly asking for you. It has been four hours now. I was just waiting for the first light to call you. Can you… can you please come here?”

“Yes. I… I am coming. It will take me sometime though. Forty minutes–”

“As soon as you can manage, please!”

“Mihir! I am sorry. I must go.”

“Some emergency?”

“Yes.”

“In your family?” He had already started walking towards his parked bike.

“No. Not family. But I need to go.”

“Sure.”

She was thankful he didn’t pry any further. She didn’t want to explain her two jobs to him, or the circumstances that forced her into them.

—

“What happened?” Rupali barged into his bedroom.

“Thank God, you are here! Please sit beside her.”

Meenal was lying on the bed bundled up in sweaters and blankets.

“Meenu!” she touched the child’s forehead. “She is running a fever.”

“Can you please try to feed her the medicine? She won’t…”

“Mamma… Mamma…” the girl mumbled in her semi-comatose state.

“It’s me, Meenu. I am here,” Rupali pushed her hand beneath the blanket to hold hers.

Meenal opened her eyes laboriously. They were expressionless as always, but in the two weeks that she had worked with her, they had already started speaking volumes to her. Rupali coaxed her into drinking her medicine and she fell asleep soon.

“She is prone to getting these sudden bouts of fever,” Paritosh explained, “So, I always keep her medicine handy. She was thrashing about restlessly when I woke up. I have been trying since then, but she wouldn’t take the medicine.”

Rupali’s heart went out to him. “She would be fine now.”

“I don’t know how to thank you for coming today.”

“It’s my job, Dr. Khanna. You don’t need to–”

“It isn’t your job. But… Anyway. Please join me for breakfast. You wouldn’t have had time for–”

“Thank you, Sir. But I need to go home.”

“Yes. You would have plans. Just that… Never mind. We’ll see.”

She realized that he was worried about Meenal asking for her after she woke up. But she did need to go. Her brothers would look for her and she had promised to cook them their favorite breakfast.

“I wasn’t at home when you called. So it took me longer to come. From home, it won’t take more than fifteen minutes. I’d take an auto as soon as you call.”

He nodded, put on a stoic face and thanked her once again for coming.

—

Soumitra woke up when she entered her house. He rubbed his eyes and looked at the wall clock.

“You are coming only now?” he asked. She was usually back before dawn after her night shift.

“I had to go to Prof. Khanna’s place.”

“This early? And on a Saturday?”

Saugata had also woken by then and was looking at her questioningly.

“Meenal was ill and she was asking for me.”

“For God’s sake,” Saugata groaned, “You are not on call 24/7.”

“She is a just a little girl, Pintu. She was shivering with fever, and was not taking her medicine. How could I just ignore that?” She regretted telling them about going to Paritosh’ house. She could have told them that she was with Mihir. That would have made them happy. The orphan teenagers were responsible and mature beyond their years, she rued. They were aware of her sacrifices and wanted her to enjoy her life too. But there was only so much she could do. Without a college degree, the salary she could earn was meager. An old acquaintance had rented them this dilapidated house at a nominal rent by Mumbai’s standards. But living in this city and meeting the needs to two fourteen-year old growing boys, apart from her own, was not an easy task.

“Okay, guys! Don’t fight,” Soumitra intervened, “Didi. Let me help you with laundry.”

“But–”

“I can’t study twenty-four hours in a day, Didi, even if I have to write the board exam next year. Besides it is vacation time. Let me, please!”

“Fine. And you, Mr. Pintu. Are you going to hold a grudge the entire day? Or do you plan to brush your teeth and eat the luchi-aaloo I am going to cook now?”

Luchi-aaloo was their favorite breakfast and her mood lifted when Sugata grinned happily.

—

To be continued