A Bend in the road - Vol 2

64. Inquiries

Dev hiked his bag higher as he got down from the bus at the familiar outskirts of the village.

The welcoming wheat fields and the fresh breeze filled up his senses. He had felt something twist in his gut painfully. He remembered this was where he had seen her first. Covered with dirt, and worry in her eyes, it's here he had laid his eyes on an innocent only to hurt her immensely.

In his bag, was the rolled up chart of his portrait and a couple of other sketches she had drawn in the past month, each of them depicting a random corner of their home, but somehow interconnected to the intimacy they had got accustomed to.

There was a sketch of his backyard, yellowed leaves shed around it, a man stretched across the bench, the back of his head and his spread arms across the metal seat visible.

Another one had the silhouette of a couple, their eyes not meeting each other but looking down at the base of the candle placed between them, nothing but a part of their faces glowing in the golden light of the candle.

Somehow each of these sketches held so much significance that it physically hurt him deep in his heart.

He stopped on his way for a smoke and tea when something caught his attention.

Someone at the tea still was talking about the downfall of the once village head Handa's family.

He could see through the disgust as the men discussed the topic.

"Brij has gone where he deserved to go" they spoke.

"I can't believe that man could not think twice before wanting to murder his sister"

At the outset we can't see any change in the city guy who was having his tea. However, only if you observe closely can you see that his hands slightly shook.

The men continued on about the mysterious disappearance of young girls before Geet's case has come out in the open.

Dev felt his throat go dry, but he steeled his heart. This is why he had come, to face the truth, and face it, he will.

He had waited till the men left before going to the tea stall vendor and paying up for his tea, and casually asked about the girl they were talking about. Just to ensure she was alive.

The tea stall vendor, if found a question from a random stranger weird, he didn't mention it.

All Dev got from him was that Brij was arrested and he heard some villagers saw Geet a couple of months back.

And that was that.

Only when Dev was walking away had the vendor stared at his back long enough before picking up his phone to make a call.