Serpent in the Garden

Chapter 14

Tanya stopped a couple of houses before Parveen's house and turned to Sam.
She said to him,
"Actually, Parveen's parents are very strict, she asked me not to tell her parents that I was meeting you. So maybe you should wait here while I go in and get my bag."
Sam gazed at her, deliberating on what to do.
Should he stay within his boundaries? No, enough of that, he has been doing that for so long with no avail. He cocked his head at Tanya.
"Did she say that? That's so weird, her grandma and my Velyammachi are friends. She had come with her family to invite us to her cousin's wedding"
Tanya's small eyes flew open, her lovely features crumpled into a look of disdain for Parveen.
"Are you serious? That is not what she told me!" Tanya exclaimed.
"What did she tell you about me?" He asked her with curiosity.
He wanted to know. He was worried Parveen divulged details about his life that he had shared with her in a moment of vulnerability.
While sitting together in front of the koi pond, four years ago, he did not remember how they touched upon the topic of family. But he remembered that she was the one who initiated it. She had heard of his grandfather's condition from Grandma Fatima and asked him how he was doing. One thing led to another and he told her about the things he kept hidden from others his age. While looking at her soft features and wide eyes, full of concern for him, they had unraveled on their own.
He told her about his anxieties concerning his grandfather's deteriorating health. His grandfather was like a pillar that kept his family together. So, when he became bedridden, it affected them a lot. His mother became fraught with anxiety and took it out on his father, making the situation at home difficult. Work at his father's tech startup was getting hectic, so he spent a lot of time away from home in Bangalore, at one point, he even considered moving to Bangalore, to which his mother reacted by considering divorce.
At the time, the adults gave him advice on how to navigate the issues at home, none of these domestic squabbles should affect him, he should focus on his studies. They tried to minimize the issue as if he wasn't in the eye of the storm. As if he was being childish for worrying about his father leaving.
In hindsight, he probably felt comfortable sharing it with Parveen because she was a perfect stranger. She was outside his circle of friends and did not study in the same school. She did not give him any advice on how to deal with it but just listened to him dumbstruck, without a clue on how to solve it or even address it. She thought it was a big deal. She already had a deep sense of gratitude towards him for accommodating them and letting them play with his toys. He still remembered how she looked at him, her innocent eyes filled with concern and love for him. She promised him she would not tell anybody, and that she would get up at three in the morning and pray for him. Apparently that is when her God listens the most.
Eventually, things got better, his grandfather's chemo was successful, and his parents patched up after going for marriage counseling. It was old news but he wanted her to keep her promise. The thought of her sharing those details with Tanya brought a bad taste in his mouth.
"She said she did not know you very well!"
Tanya's angry reply brought him considerable relief.
Good girl, he thought to himself.
There is a possibility that Tanya could be hiding more details from him. But her expression seems genuine. If she knew more, she would have used it to her advantage by now.
"Let's go" Sam walked ahead.
Today he shall trespass into her garden.

—

Parveen was giving some finishing touches on the sketches she was doing for Tanya when she saw Sam and Tanya walking towards her home from the window beside her study table.
A dark cloud descended on her.
Why is Tanya bringing Sam here?
She started panicking.
She had told Tanya to not talk about boys to her family, but here she is bringing Sam home!
I am so tired of her antics!
She screamed internally.
They walked past the gate and entered the front yard. She took a deep breath, then closed the books and went downstairs after draping a shawl around her head. Tanya rang the doorbell and woke up her father who was taking a nap on the diwan cot with the TV on. She walked to the door to let in Tanya and Sam. She avoided Sam's eyes and stared at Tanya, in a pained expression.
How could you do this?
Tanya was far from being apologetic, instead, she rolled her eyes at her. Parveen was taken aback by her attitude. Tanya ignored her and faced her father with a bright smile.
"Hi, uncle, I just came to pick up my things. This is my friend, Samuel."
"Hello uncle," said Sam.
Parveen felt like she was going to have a heart attack. Tanya gave her a cold stare before walking past her to go upstairs. Parveen looked at Sam and gave him a tight, aloof smile.
Abdul Wahhab nodded his head, still groggy from his sleep. Speculations on the relationship between Sam and Tanya were already underway in his head and a sour expression appeared on his face.
"Sit," he bluntly said as he motioned for Sam to sit on the couch. A frown furrowed between his eyebrows. Sam sat opposite him on the 3-seater.
"Where do you live in the housing society?"
He asked Sam in a grumble.
"In lane 6, Grandma Fatima had come to invite us to the wedding a few days ago" Sam replied with a smile that looked completely unaffected by her father's hostility.
The frown on his face eased a little bit and he blinked a few times. Abdul Wahhab replied,
"What is your father's name?"
"Roy. My Velyammachi is friends with Grandma Fatima" said Sam with a polite smile, he stole a glance at her.
Abdul Wahhab's face lit up. Parveen flinched at the sudden change.
"Ah! So you must be Reena's son, right? Your Grandpa, Mathews, is a good friend of mine. Wait a second, I will get you tea. Parveen." Her father nodded at her.
In response, Parveen went to the kitchen to make tea.
She often wondered how Sam's family was doing. She got tidbits from her grandma but she couldn't ask anyone to give her a clear picture unless she asked Sam directly.
Parveen deduced that Sam's grandfather, Mathews must be a client of her father. He has a habit of calling his clients 'good friends'. Her father owns several shops in town that sell architectural hardware, tiles, and other building construction materials. Sam's grandfather, as far as she knew, had a construction company, his mother worked in the same company. So it was likely that they knew each other.
She finished brewing tea. She took out the teacups and arranged them in a tray, then poured hot tea into it. With the tray in hand, Parveen came to the living room. Tanya and her mother had also appeared.
The atmosphere was relaxed, she felt stupid for having worried so much. Her mother was asking Sam about his grandmother's whereabouts. Sam was replying cheerfully.
She put the tray on the coffee table. Sam and her father picked up the teacups from the tray as soon as she put them down. Tanya was holding her tote bag and locked gazes with Sam. They shared a smile that looked flirtatious to Parveen. It made her heart drop. She felt irritated and wished they would go and take it elsewhere, away from her sight. But she did not show this on her face.
"Tanya, have tea" Parveen asked Tanya in an affable manner, but Tanya didn't smile back.
"No, I don't want it." She was very aloof.
Why is Tanya acting so prickly? The easygoing attitude from the morning was nowhere to be seen.
She knew this fickle nature was charecteristic of Tanya and she shouldn't get her hopes up. Showing affection was second nature to her.
When she is happy she can act very familiar, sweeping everyone off their feet. But when Tanya was not in the mood she could instantly turn the tables on you. She will be bitter and disdainful. Parveen felt like she was at the mercy of her mood swings.

After having tea, Sam and Tanya went back. Abdul Wahhab and Halima sent them away warmly. After they were past the gates Abdul Wahhab enthusiastically talked to his wife about Sam's family, he was pleased to know that they invited them to the wedding. Being on their good side is good for business. She went inside before her father took note of her presence listening in on their conversation.
Parveen was glad her parents were civil, but they viewed dating as a heinous sin and regarded couples with disgust. They probably have already assumed that Sam and Tanya are a couple. She knew there would be some chastisement in store for her later for bringing a couple under their roof.
Still, her worst nightmare did not happen, her father did not realize that Samuel and Sam from four years back were the same. The punishment would be for harboring bad company, not for something far more serious.
On second thoughts, do they even remember his name?
She expected her parents to be more concerned, considering how her father reacted four years ago. But she was realizing that it was not a memory that they dwelled on as she did. In their eyes, the wound was an unfortunate mistake but it healed, and their daughter learned from the heavy-handed punishment and became more diligent in living up to their expectations. No wonder Tanya looked at her with disdain, she probably thought that she was overreacting by being so paranoid.
She ascended the stairs and went back to the window beside her study table. Sam and Tanya could be seen a few feet away.
She watched them walking back hurriedly. Tanya was chattering away and he was smiling at her. Her eyes focused on the two retreating figures, picking out the details of each person. The squiggly lines of the graphic on Sam's T-shirt, the way Tanya's hair bobbed as she talked to him expressively. She had it in a ponytail today. Sam was gazing at her attentively.
She grabbed one of the ornate bars that covered the window, it oddly felt like she was caged. Now that they were together, Tanya wouldn't need her anymore.
Is that why she was rude earlier? She asked herself. Has she extinguished her usefulness to Tanya so soon? Has Tanya finally become Sam's girlfriend?
She thought she would be relieved when it happened but what she felt acutely was envy and oddly a sense of loss.
Parveen realized something. She never wanted them together. Considering everything, her mind told her that it would be best if they got together. But her heart told her otherwise. It felt like feelings she shackled deep within her heart were pulling at its chains, clawing at the walls to get out.
Sam's attentive gaze on Tanya and the difference in their worlds brought forth a profound sadness in her.
Look at me.
She gripped the bar. Her knuckles were raised in her hand, the metal bars digging into her palms.
Don't look at her.
It felt like a war was raging in her mind, between her errant feelings and her mind that kept ordering her to stop acting sinfully.
Unexpectedly Sam's eyes darted away from Tanya to give a final seeping glance to Parveen's home. His eyes settled on the very window she was standing by. His sharp gaze pierced through her.
But she did not avert her eyes. He stopped in his tracks. After turning his body towards her halfway, he waved at her. She gingerly raised her hand and waved back at him in a solemn exchange. Tanya followed his gaze to look at her and looked back at his face as if trying to read his mind.
It felt like Parveen had put a spell on him.
Parveen begrudgingly stepped away from the window, her heart beating erratically.

(I am currently in Bangalore. I just saw a movie called Aadujeevitham and I bawled my eyes out)