Destiny's Gamble

Caged Bird No More

"I told you, I don't want it," Manik snaps, eyeing me warily. "But I swear to Lord if you make a mess in my car - "

"Yeah, yeah, I know," I roll my eyes. "You'll throw me out of the car and leave my sorry ass on the road. I've heard this threat ten times already." Manik purses his lips, as he raises the lever of his seat, reclining it backwards. I watch his actions with confusion. What's he doing? Once the seat has completely gone back, Manik throws his arm across his eyes, his body relaxing. 

"Are you kidding me?" I exclaim, punching my fist against Manik's stomach. He doesn't respond. I hit him once more. Still no response. "You're not going to sleep."

"You said that I have to take you for a drive, not that I need to also keep you company throughout. Go ahead and pig out on the pav bhaji, while I catch up on some much needed snooze time."

"No, you have to keep me company," I whine. "Otherwise I could've just rented a car for the day and hung out with that driver. I mean, I wanted a special one." Aiyappa, I feel like a whining child, but what else can I do to melt the Devil's heart? A mischievous smile adorns my lips as a thought enters my mind. "Oh," I say, dragging out the word. "Now I understand. You want me to sit on the special seat, right? Your lap, I mean. Ah, of course. I'm such an idiot." I face-palm myself, smiling slyly. The arm hesitantly lifts off Manik's face, as he watches me unsurely. I lift my behind off the seat, sending the message across that I'm getting off my seat and moving onto his lap. 

At once, Manik straightens up, his hand raising the back of the seat as well. The structure hits his back because of all his haste. I look out the window to hide my smile. Manik is such an easy man to fool. 

"Oh, would you look at that?" He asks, drawing my eyes back towards him. "There's no space left. How sad," he sighs dramatically, his shoulders slouching. 

"Well, next time, I guess." I say, feigning disappointment. "I mean, eventually you're going to get tired of driving and sitting, right? And that's when I'll come into the picture." Manik narrows his eyes at me, as he tries to gauge my game.

"Angel, you're going to do no such thing," the Devil states. "Don't forget that you're the Angel and I'm the Devil."

"Well you know, Manik, nowadays you aren't properly fulfilling your duty. And so it's up to me to fill in your shoes." I raise the plate towards him. "Want some?" I ask, smiling innocently.

"Don't do that." I pout, furrowing my brows together.

"What?" 

"Don't give me that smile," Manik says. "It...It's distracting." Oh, so now he holds an issue with my smile as well? It's good to know that I have more than one weapon in my arsenal. Manik's eyes land back on the Kinder egg in his lap. He picks it up and turns it around, his eyes holding the inquisitiveness of a child who has just seen an action figure for the first time in his life. His thumb and index finger play with the corner of the plastic, as he tries to peel it open. After about three tries, Manik manages to tear it open, the egg breaking in two. 

The tip of his tongue juts out through his lips, as he removes the white spoon and stares at the top of the gift-bearing egg. 

"Is this the one with the toy in it?" He asks, his eyes not leaving the goody for even a second. 

"Yeah," I say, amused at his actions. Manik places the chocolate containing egg and spoon back in between his legs and turns his attention to the half in his hand. 

"So I peel it like..." He trails off as the plastic neatly comes off, revealing three pieces of a dismantled toy. "How do I figure this out?" He asks, making it sound as if he's trying to bring a tough mathematical equation to an end. 

"There's an instruction manual inside," I reply. Manik pulls the sheet of paper out and unfolds it, his eyes absorbing the instructions. Before I know it, my husband has pieced together his first Kinder egg toy. 

"It's a cycle!" Manik announces excitedly, placing the little figure on the center of his dashboard. He turns to face me. "Do you have more?" I'm taken aback by his question, a small giggle escaping my lips. 

"There are a few more boy toys inside the bag," I nod towards my feet. Before I can bend down and grab it, Manik has already leaned across the center console and taken hold of it. The entire weight of one side of his body is leaning against my legs causing my breaths to come out in short, quick intakes. However, once again, Manik is completely unaffected by our proximity because all his attention is focused on the eggs. 

"This is amazing," he comments, as he fishes out another boy egg and tosses the bag onto the floor near his feet. I shake my head in amazement. Who is this man? And what has he done with the Devil? 

Aiyappa, You completely messed up while You were creating my husband. And yet somehow everything worked out just fine, and I ended up with a gem of a man.

*****

"Manik, I want to go out and bathe in the rain," I say, my nose pressed against the window. 

"No, Angel, it's too dangerous." He says, being true to himself and acting like the party pooper that he is.'

'Yeah because it's raining fireballs, right?" I roll my eyes, trying vainly to open the door once more. "I don't even understand as to why there's child lock on your doors. I mean, it's not like you're a father, you know?"

"Actually I do have a child." Manik claims casually. My eyes widen, my fingers slackening around the handle. "You." Who knew a word could provide me with such relief?

"Daddy, daddy," I whine. "Open the door. Please, daddy." I turn my body to face Manik, as I press my palms together and put on my best doe-eyed look. He glances at me through the corner of his eyes, his fingers still actively working on joining another toy's parts.

"Don't call me that," he snaps, and diverts his attention back to the task in hand. Huffing, I slump back in the seat. How do i get this tyrant to let me out and to exit this car himself so that he can let loose?

Of course! Flipping my hair over to one side, I walk my index and middle fingers up Manik's bicep.

"Oh, so does that word affect you?" I ask innocently. "How so, Daddy?"

Manik stops what he's doing, his entire body tightening up.

"W-What are you d-doing?" He stammers.

"Just acting like a good little girl." I reply, reaching over his front with my other arm. "Just how you want it," I whisper. My fingers find the lock, making me smile. I click it to the other side, winking at Manik as I do so. Before he can come to terms with my mischief, I throw open my door and rush out of the vehicle. 

"Angel, get your ass back inside." Manik yells, poking his out of the window. His words fall on deaf ears, as I turn my face towards the sky, the fat drops directly landing against my skin. I grin, as I slap the sole of my shoe against a puddle. 

"Stop being such a daddy." I call back over my shoulder. The issue with Manik is that he holds onto the reins of life too tightly. The man doesn't understand the art of letting his spirit run free. I, on the other hand, can only speak the language of a free bird. 

"This is ninety-nine percent acid rain. It could turn you into an uglier version of yourself." I cup my hands together, as I turn around and chuck a handful of water towards Manik's open window. He flinches away, squeezing his eyes shut tightly as if I've aimed a handful of acid towards him. 

"Then let's be ugly together," I say giggling. I toss another handful towards Manik. This time he doesn't shy away from it, but allows the liquid to splash against his face. His index and middle fingers reach up to his cheek, as he cleans a streak of the water from his face. Manik stares at the wetness on his fingers as if he has never seen rain water in his life before. A slow grin spreads across his face, as he pushes open the door and gets out as well. 

I bite down on my lower lip, as I watch Manik kick against a puddle of water with the toe of his shoe. Finally! The caged bird is rattling against the bars of its prison, questioning its captivity after years of being submissive. I have a feeling that soon this bird will soar high in the open skies.