Chance Connection

Part 9

Manik and Nandini entered the village, and Nandini saw a borewell. She stopped to wash her locket. She was having a tough time pumping the water and washing the locket on her own without anything to hold the water. Seeing her struggling, Manik decided to help her. 

        Manik : "I will pump, you can wash yourself, but make it quick, we don't have all day."

        Manik pumped the water and Nandini washed the locket. After a long day, she had a smile on her face. Otherwise, she was either upset or nervous all day. 

        Nandini : "I am done, let's go."

        Manik looked at the locket in her hand wondering what was so special about it. It had two pictures, of which one seemed to be hers. He assumed that the other was probably her fiancé 's.

        Manik's thoughts : "May be their relationship really matters to her. That's why she was so upset.. Why I am even thinking about her or her relationship?"

        Manik looked at her hands and dress which was still dirty. She had focused on getting the locket clean, but she hadn't cleaned herself.

        Manik : "No one will give us a place to stay looking at your state. Clean yourself."

        Manik continued to pump the water and she washed herself. They started looking for Cabir. Nandini's dress was wet and she began to feel cold. Cabir saw them and came to them, and just then the power went out.

        Cabir : "A couple has agreed to give us place to stay for the night. Tomorrow morning the man of the house can drop us to the nearest city in the bullock cart. From there, it seems we can get a bus."

        They reached the house where they had to stay for the night.

        Lady of the house : "Wash your hands, I will serve dinner. After dinner, I will show you the room, you can go off to sleep. You must be tired after the long journey."

        No one noticed that Nandini was shivering in the light of the lantern. Nandini didn't say anything, so Manik did.

        Manik : "If you could show her the room, she can change first. Her clothes are wet."

        The lady took Nandini to the room. Manik and Cabir washed their hands and sat to eat. After dinner, Nandini went with the lady to help her clean up and the man directed Manik and Cabir to their room after a little chit chat.

        When Nandini was about to enter the room she heard Manik and Cabir's conversation.

        Cabir : "I am glad that you have started showing concern for Nandini after leaving you both on your own for sometime."

        Manik : "Come on Cabir. You know me for so long, then how could you misinterpret. I don't have any concern for her. If she would stay in wet clothes and fall sick, then you wouldn't be ready to start off tomorrow morning without her. I don't want to stay in this village tomorrow too."

        He had begun to care slightly for her, but he wasn't ready to show it.

        Nandini entered the room and pretended as though she hadn't heard them. They all went to bed. By the time, Manik and Cabir woke up the next day, Nandini was already ready.

        Cabir : "You are ready so early!"

        Dark circles had started forming under her eyes.

        Cabir : "Did you sleep well?"

        Nandini : "I couldn't. I could hear the mouse squeaking all night."

        She was sleeping on a mat on the floor, so she was worried that the mouse would come to where she was.

        Cabir : "You can sleep for sometime now if you want. It will take some time for us to get ready anyways."

        Nandini : "No I am fine. I will sleep later."

        She didn't want to delay their journey. 

        Manik and Cabir got ready and they were ready to leave. Since the lady of the house was up early, Nandini was chatting with her and she had explained the reason for her journey and the obstacles she had faced so far.

        Lady of the house (to her husband) : "Take them to the temple on the way."

        Lady of the house (to Nandini) : "We all believe that our village deity is powerful. Pray there and god will make sure that you won't face any more obstacles on your way."

        Nandini did as the lady said and the man of the house dropped them to the nearest city. They enquired and figured out as to how they could reach their destination. They got on to a bus that would connect them to their next stop and from there they had to take another bus to reach their final destination. 

        Manik and Cabir sat together, and Nandini sat on another seat. A few stops later, the lady sitting next to Nandini got down and the guy who was standing, sat next to Nandini. After a while, that guy pretended to fall asleep and placed his head on Nandini's shoulder. She moved his head away, but he repeated the same again. Nandini tried to call him and wake him up, but he didn't respond. There were no seats available so Nandini was thinking of getting up from there and standing. 

        Cabir couldn't go without food or sleep. He had slept the previous night, but not that well, so he fell asleep soon after they got on the bus. Manik observed what was happening and he felt that that man was doing so deliberately.  Manik didn't want to wake up Cabir, so he shook the man sitting next to Nandini and woke him up.

        Manik : "Let's exchange seats."

        Man : "Why?"

        Manik : "It appears that you aren't able to keep your head under your control while sleeping. It is causing discomfort to her."

        Man : "It isn't causing you any discomfort, then why are you bothered?"

        Manik : "She is with us.."

        The man thought that Nandini was alone. The moment he heard that, he got up and they exchanged their seats.

        Nandini thanked Manik and he just nodded his head to acknowledge it. Nandini was very tired and she couldn't keep her eyes open any longer. She fell sleep. The roads weren't in good condition. She bumped her head to the window rail a few times and woke up, but went back to sleep again. When she woke up next, she found herself leaning onto Manik. She steadied herself quickly and looked at him.

        Nandini (murmuring to herself) : "Thank god, he is sleeping. Otherwise, he would taunt me again that he helped me and I am taking advantage of it. Don't know why he hates me so much. .. If my assumption is right, he belongs to a wealthy family, and wealthy people don't like to interact with people inferior to them, that could only be the reason.. but then how is he friends with Cabir?"

        Nandini assumed that Cabir wasn't from a wealthy family because of his easy going nature.

        The driver applied the brakes and that put a stop to Nandini's thoughts too. Manik also opened his eyes. He had heard Nandini murmuring. He was just pretending to be asleep because he didn't want Nandini to think that he was okay with her leaning on to him. 

        Manik had tried to move her away a few times when she leaned onto him, but later he let her be. He knew she wasn't doing so deliberately this time. She had tried to sit as far as possible from him and he also knew that she hadn't slept the previous night after the tiring journey. Even he had fallen asleep after sometime, and he woke up when he sensed movement when Nandini woke up and moved away from him.

        Manik's thoughts : "She thinks that I am wealthy, but Cabir isn't because of his easy going nature. In a way that's good, even if she isn't genuine, she won't try to take advantage of him for wealth."

        Manik woke up Cabir and they all got down from the bus. They had to take another bus from there.