Destiny's Gamble

Mother Nature And Us

"Wait a minute!" He exclaims, as I stand up and move to the other side of the tree. "How'd you charge your phone? I know it couldn't possibly have retained its battery for all these days." 

"I have a power bank," I reply absentmindedly. 

"And you didn't share when I was going around the entire village looking for a goddamn charger." I shrug my shoulders, biting down on my lower lip as I zoom into a gnarled knot of roots. 

"It's not like you can make any calls, or send messages. Even a charged phone is as useless to you here as a drained out one." I sneak a peek towards Manik from behind the bark to find him heading back the way we came. "Where are you going?" I ask, puzzled.

"Home! What's the point of being with a deceiving witch like you?" Manik calls out over his shoulder. "I rather dine with the mountain lions."

"Well, I guess you're going to get your wish then. I mean, you're going the wrong way, Manik," I lie, smiling. "Right towards their den." My husband applies the brakes of his feet at once. 

"We came from this way." Although Manik tries to say it with confidence, I can hear the doubt in his tone. Big mistake on his part.

"Maybe...maybe not," I say, shrugging. "I guess you'll find out when you hear their roars." Smiling knowingly, I turn around and continue to head further into the forest. 

"But you just said there are none." Manik's voice comes from right behind me. Ah, so someone's following me now? 

"Yeah, well, I didn't want you to ditch me. Truth be told, though, only Aiyappa knows what - and who's - out here in this dense colony of trees. I mean, lions are the least of your concerns. You should worry more about the ghosts and zombies that run around here." 

I sneak a look at Manik over my shoulder, hoping to gauge his reaction. His eyes are flitting all across us, worry lines creasing his forehead. Oh come on, even a six year old would laugh in my face, and then there's my overly believing husband. What in the world am I to do with this man? 

"Angel, come on." Manik lets out a nervous bark of laughter. "Zombies don't exist." 

"Oh really?" I look at him questioningly. "And how exactly would you know this, Manik? I mean, there's so much left unknown in this world. Maybe zombies are just another such species." My gaze travels downwards to find Manik's thumb and index finger pinching the hem of my shirt, as he follows close behind my heels. 

"Why aren't we turning around then? Because I sure as hell don't have any intention of discovering someone unknown to mankind today." I turn to the left, avoiding a broken tree. Manik obediently trails behind me, his footsteps shadowing mine. 

"Don't worry, I'm here to protect you. Once the lions, the zombies, the ghosts, and whoever else is out here sees me, they'll go running in the opposite direction while soiling their pants." I stop and since Manik's attention is on all the unknowns his front hits my back. I look up to find him staring down at me, his lips just mere inches from my forehead. The urge to kiss him once more is stronger than any emotion I've ever felt. Aiyappa, this man has messed me up beyond belief.

"You're beautiful." Manik whispers, his fingers trailing down the side of my face. His skin leaves a burning sensation on mine, the task of breathing suddenly becoming quite tough. Clearing his throat, Manik takes a step back, his eyes landing on everything except my eyes.

"Why'd we stop?" He asks, still not meeting my gaze.

"Picture time." I say, passing my fingers over the parts of my face that he touched. 

"I never knew you were so interested in photography." Manik comments, as I lower myself to capture a photograph with good lighting. 

"I actually wanted to be a photographer once upon a time." I smile at the thought of this childish dream. "Then when I spoke to Chachi about this she made me realize I'll be on the streets if I pursue this career, and that's how this dream ended."

"But there are so many well paid, famous photographers out there. This line of work is a proper profession, you know?" I shrug. 

"Those people are just lucky. I mean, there must be a thousand out there who wish to do acting, or photography, but only a few are fortunate enough to actually live a life in which their passion is their career." After a few seconds of getting no response from Manik, I glance over my shoulder to find him deep in thought, as he stares at the ground.

"Angel, why don't you use a professional camera instead? I'm sure the resolution and photographs would come out ten times better, and you could even develop them." I stand up and gesture for Manik to follow. 

"I thought of buying one a couple of years back, but then I saw the price tags and chucked the idea altogether." I wave my phone proudly. "Ever since then this good old friend has been my constant companion." 

"Money shouldn't shackle you," Manik says. 

"Easy for you to say," I murmur. "You've got it all, Manik, but not everyone has a filthy rich mother, like Nyonika." 

"I had to pay a price for all this luxury, you know?" Manik's tone is accusatory, making me stop and turn around to face him. He's staring at me with anger. No...there's disappointment and hurt in his orbs, not anger. "Nothing's free in this world and neither is my lifestyle." He marches past me and down the path. I squeeze my eyes shut, mentally banging my head against a wall. I'm such an idiot. Everything was going so well, but then I just had to let my uncontrollable tongue run wild.