Chapter 3: When Saturn finishes its revolution
"Who was that guy?"
Khushi looks up and finds herself face to face with her
fraternal twin, Payal. "What?" Khushi winces as her neck groans with sudden
movement.
"The guy. That good looking, expensive suit-wearing, wild
haired limping guy. You know the one to who you offered food and shelter?"
Payal gestures her hands around.
"Ah. Arnav." Payal's annoyance at Khushi's monosyllabic
answer is palpable.
"And?" Payal prods not to gently.
"He tripped and busted his toe. Came in. I offered water. He
said his blood sugar was low and he asked for chocolate. I gave him. That's
all." Khushi uses the tone that's reserved for children. Her neck and upper
back starts to hurt after being hunched for hours. Payal closes in on her and
presses her palm at the base of Khushi's neck. Khushi's shoulders sags in
relief.
"Is he coming back?" Payal's question startles Khushi.
"Payal." Khushi's tone is steely.
"Hey, did I tell you I am installing some security cameras
inside the store this month." The rapid change in topic doesn't reduce the hot
flashes of anger that are bursting through Khushi's skin.
"Don't." Khushi's rigidity makes the impromptu massage
awkward.
Payal drops the topic and vacates the store, leaving huffed
words behind.
Khushi doesn't calm down for hours. She sits in her
workstation with a stiff posture, eyes vacant and mind distant. "Please God. Not this again. The scab on my
skin haven't let me forget." Her prayers were quiet ones. Her heart didn't
stop trying to crawl out of her ribcage.
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"Last night's party was a success." Anjali's announcement
brings genuine smile on Lavanya's face.
Lavanya pinched Arnav's thigh when he tried to open his mouth. He
promptly shuts up and crams an entire toast just so the bitter words trying to
escape his throat stay put.
"Congratulations," Lavanya says warmly.
Anjali preens when attention is directed towards her. Arnav
downs a tall glass of lemonade without saying anything.
"I didn't see you contributing
anything to the cause Chotey." Of
course Anjali would drag him to a conversation he wasn't interested in
following.
"I did contribute. Just not the way you expected me to or
wanted to." Arnav smiles, all teeth and no humor.
"Enlighten us." She says carelessly, knowing the structure
of the impending argument and finding ways to nail Arnav.
"I decided to become a vegan last night." Arnav says
brightly. Lavanya looks taken aback along with the rest of the family. "I am
sure Page 3 will cover it when they write about your party."
"Is this a joke?" Anjali's voice was normal but there was a
storm brewing in her eyes.
"Nope." Arnav smile is big and full of teeth and
unquantified emotion when he flashes it around the dining table. "I was inspired."
"Bull shit." Shyam chirps behind tall glass of milk.
Irony was never this bright.
"You throw tantrums like a baby when Naani asks you not to
eat chicken." Anjali countered.
"People change all the time Anjali." Arnav quips.
"Not overnight." Anjali is quick. Lavanya watches the
exchange with a worried expression. She nudges Arnav hoping he would take a
hint. If he gets it, he doesn't show.
"You did."
Arnav's words invite silence as their new company. Anjali is
furious. Arnav is disappointed in himself Stupid.
Should have shut up. Shouldn't have done this. Shouldn't have said it.
It is when she draws out her words he knows he has crossed
the line. She doesn't yell. She doesn't cry. She doesn't flinch at his
allegation. She sips her juice slowly and readies for battle. Lavanya finds his
hand underneath the table and clasps it in hers.
"I guess I did." Anjali shrugs at the collective surprised
faces staring at her. "Excuse me." She smiles at Lavanya and cocks her head at
Shyam. Shyam scrambles to his feet and follows her.
"Even when she forfeits, she manages to make me look like a
super loser," Arnav mutters angrily. Lavanya's nails leaves dents on his wrist.
"Let's go for a drive," she drags him away from the now
almost empty table.
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"Why don't you drive anymore?" Lavanya smoothly navigated to
far lane and took a sharp right to enter a smaller road.
"He has lost his hand-eye coordination to adulthood," Aman's
deep voice cuts over from her left.
Lavanya's impromptu picnic seemed better and better with
every passing moment. Arnav was sprawling on the backseat and was watching the
scenery go by.
"How did you find this place?" Arnav ignores the obvious
jibe and Lavanya's condescending snigger sent in his way.
"My client went bankrupt. I bought it off of him for a
fairly decent price. He was in desperate need of money and I helped him out."
Aman turned to look at Arnav to answer. "I had some renovations made and today
seemed like a good day to show you two."
"Thanks Aman." Arnav's earnestness for a simple gesture is
sweet. Aman smiles sincerely in response.
"I swear, you two are like adorable puppies." Lavanya coos.
Aman snorts a laughter, Arnav makes an unpleasant gesture.
They spent the rest of the drive to lake house exchanging
raunchy jokes, bad humor and crappy anecdotes. Arnav would have it no other
way.
"I going to name this place The Black sheep'. Suits us,
don't you think?" Aman pushes the door open and pulls his friends in.
"Us?" Lavanya asks glances around the vast expanse of the
property. Its bafflingly beautiful and endearing in its emptiness.
"I bought it for the three of us. Got three set of keys
made, put your name in contract and everything." Aman stood in the middle of
what could be a living room, hands on his hips and basked in the late afternoon
sunlight that streamed through floor to ceiling windows. "You are co-owners of sorts now."
Arnav and Lavanya were aware of Aman's generosity. But this
beat every act of kindness he has shown in the past.
"Why?" Lavanya asks peering through windows. "Why Black
Sheep?"
Arnav looks away, biting his lip. Aman smiles gently at her.
"My family thinks I have a disease since I like both men and women. Arnav's
family has issues with his existence and his morality. You, my dear Lavanya,
showed your family the middle finger and defied the path they set out for you. Our
families tolerate us. They don't want anything to do with us but don't want to
alienate us completely - which by the way would have been a f**king blessing. Our
families cringe when someone they know ask about us. But they never shy away
from using the conveniences that comes from knowing us. They are emotionally
vacant when it comes to what we want but have multitude of problems when it
comes to who we are. This house, is
my sanctuary. It can be yours too. If you want, that is."
Arnav's smile was an answer enough.
Lavanya turns around and joins the two men. "I am putting my
feet down for threesomes."
Aman's laughter response was lacking the edge and
melancholia. Arnav felt his shoulder lose some of its tension as he leaned on
his friends.
"Why not?" Arnav's voice held mock indignation. "Are we not
hot enough for you?" He links his arm with Aman.
Lavanya's eye roll is epic. Her smile doesn't waver. "To
watch, yes. To participate? No way. Too weird, honestly." She is kind enough
not to disclose her sex life with Arnav in front of Aman. It wouldn't be weird.
It would be heartbreaking. She wants the carefree smile to stay on Aman's face
as long as possible. He deserves it.
Hell, all of us deserve it, she thinks idly.
The joint laughter of the three brightens an already bright
day.
"If this is a haven, then no outsiders are allowed." Arnav
says it first. He knows the other two are already thinking about it. "No
girlfriends, boyfriends allowed."
Aman grunts. "You two are in a relationship Arnav. How is
that going to work out?"
"Not here. In this place we carry no relationships, no
shared history outside our friendship. We are three people who know one another
better than anyone - even our own families. We can't bring our work here
either." Arnav finds himself passionate about the place that he now partially
owns since about eleven minutes.
"You are always working." Lavanya isn't either condescending
or accusatory. She is stating things as is. He adores her for being this way.
"You are right. Here I won't." It's that simple.
A beat of silence later Aman chimes in. "Sounds like a good
rule."
"I am agreeing to this because it will be so much fun to see
two workaholics twiddle their thumbs in the middle of nowhere and itching to
reaching their gadgets." Lavanya's smile
is picture worthy.
"Uff please. Speak for yourself." Arnav's haughty response elects
another bout of laughter.
Lavanya waits out till the collective laughter slows. "I
kind of like this place the way it is. Furniture would kill the roomy vibe."
"Except for a grandfather clock." Aman agrees Lavanya's
suggestion.
Arnav's private smile goes unnoticed. "I'll find you one."
Aman and Lavanya look at him with matching surprised looks.
"You don't like watches in general and the one watch you own
doesn't work." Aman snorts.
Arnav shrugs in response. "But you do. So I'll find you one."
He says again.
Aman's eyes soften at that. He nods bashfully reigning in
his feelings for his friend. Aman desperately tries to keep his feelings at
bay. But then Arnav does something incredibly kind like this or be a great
friend which makes his heart claw and tear its cage to be let free. Just to
lean in a little more and cross the line. He bites his lip hard and smiles.
That's all he can do for now.
Lavanya doesn't comment instead she leans a little towards
Aman offering strength and support in his self-made misery.
"Let's go for a swim," Aman picks up Lavanya as he stands
making her shriek in laughter.
"Let me down you tool!" Lavanya's yell is drowned by Aman
and Arnav's laughter as the two men run towards the lake. They all fall
together, clothing still on, into the lake.
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"Universe doesn't cooperate. It tries everything in its arsenal
to find a way to f**k you up. All we can do is try. Many of us have to try
more. Some of us, this small subset of this unorderly f**ked up species that is
humanity, keep losing every fight we walk into. We make money, lose a bit of
integrity, chip away morals along the line and get disliked by people we are
expected to rely on. We are universe's win, in a way. And here we are -"
"Arnav, shut up." Lavanya swats in his direction lazily.
They are lying on the bank of the lake on old tarp covered by a thin sheet. Evening
is a hum around them and the honeyed air settles into their bones.
Aman holds his gaze for a moment and offers a half-smile. Arnav
grins in response and stops his self-deprecating, misery filled monologue.
There would be time for that later. Now, it wasn't about the
darkness the three of them carried in their hearts. The venom that was thrown
in their direction was neatly bottled and stowed away in a bone's crevice. The would
hold it till end of time. They have the power to destroy people but the process
of it would destroy them more.
How could one stand a chance to win when everything and
anything they ever wanted was already lost?
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"I am sorry for last night." Khushi looks up from an
intricate looking model. Payal hovers few feet away from her.
"You get testy whenever a guy walks into the store and
strikes up a conversation." Khushi rests her chin on her palm. "Let it go."
Payal looks away. "What are you working on?" She asks a
moment later.
Brightness blooms on Khushi's place. "A couple of years ago
these people made this incredible watch. They have mimicked planetary
revolution around the Sun on a watch. Entire solar system on your watch. How
amazing is that?!"
"It does sound amazing." Payal accepts. "Are you trying to
recreate that?"
Khushi laugh is brimming with self-deprecation. "The amount
of mathematics that goes into making a watch like that is astronomical. Pun
totally intended." She stops there and turns to watch the street from her
corner. Streets are empty on a Sunday evening but they get a good number of
customers on Sunday.
"It isn't surreal to see movements on planets on your wrist.
It is magical. You become part of it, in its movement. Imagine how it would
feel to see Saturn making just one round on your watch and thirty years have
passed while doing so." Khushi's voice holds regret.
"Maybe you should start working on it pronto." This is the
apology Payal offers. Khushi smiles and turns to her workbench.
"I am." Khushi's acceptance makes Payal smile wanly.
The sisters have grown without parents since they were
teenagers. Each took the role of parent when the other was down. Khushi notes
belatedly that since the disaster that has been her life in the past, Payal is
yet to step down from parental role.
Maybe it's time to
change that status quo, she wonders as she pulls a notebook and pencil to
workout mathematics. A genius when it
comes to mathematics, machinations of watch making but didn't even pass high
school. Father would have been so disappointed, she smiles inwardly and
gets to work.
TBC
The watch Khushi is talking about is real. Here is the link: Rotating Planets
Edited by RockBarbie - 7 years ago
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