Manjari sat down on the kitchen table and looked at the note again. She should be happy but all she felt was worry. She refused to sift through reasons for her worry. It was COVID, she told herself. So many people were dying, and she didn't want him to die, no matter how much she disliked him. Plus what would she say to Prof. Dawson if he rang her up?
Making up her mind, Manjari ran up to her room and grabbed her mobile phone. She quickly played the security camera recordings for the last night to find out when exactly did Neel leave. It was with great relief that she found out that he had left some 15 minutes before. Since no car had come to pick him up, Manjari assumed that he was walking to the nearest subway station which was at least a walk of 20 minutes in this cold weather at least half an hour. But by car, it would only take her ten minutes. She checked the clock and jumped into action. She ran to Amaira's room and left her a quick note. She then slipped on a pair of denim, a chunky sweater, socks, and boots. Grabbing her car keys, she was out of the house in five minutes. She had to find that idiot. Stupid, moron, who was hell-bent on dying. But not on her watch. She had promised Prof. Dawson that she would take care of him and she would do exactly that. She pressed the phone to her ears as she started her car, dialling his number. No response. She was not surprised. She was so focused on finding him, that she did not give her urgency and her panic a moment's thought. In the car, she turned on the heater to the maximum. Its warmth quickly warmed her frozen body.
Manjari had been driving for the past fifteen minutes, keeping a lookout for him. He had not been at the bus station or the subway station. Had he gotten a ride to the station? Or had she miscalculated the distance? She checked the time. She should make her way back, she thought. Amaira would be waking up any second now and she did not want to leave her alone for a long time. Manjari rubbed her face with her hands and dialled his number one last time. Still no response. Absently she looked out of the window. Where was he? Where had he gone? She was still thinking about what to do next when she stopped her car with a jerk. Seating outside Starbucks was Neel. His luggage was resting beside him. She parked her car and made her way to him.
"What the hell were you thinking, leaving like this?", she said without any preamble, shivering in the cold. Numbness and piercing chill was creeping to her toes and her body and she shivered.
Neel had been so lost in his thoughts that he never noticed Manjari approach him. He was busy planning his next move! After last night, he knew that he could not live under the same roof as Manjari. So, he spent the night packing his luggage again and cleaning the space. After making sure that everything was the way it should be, he left quietly. For the past half an hour, he had been thinking of alternative places to stay and had come up with none. He had come to Toronto with the sole aim of finding Manjari and he had not made any friends- the price of which he was paying now, he rued.
He was jerked out of his thoughts by Manjari who was standing in front of him looking furious. He stared at her, taking in her tousled air, the body-fitting jeans, and the thick sweater. She had come looking for him. Why? he thought. Her words from the argument last night still rang in his ears. Neel blinked when he saw her body shivering from near-freezing temperature and glowered.
"Where is your jacket? What were you thinking? Stepping out of the house like this", he almost screamed at her, as he took off his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders. Thank god, his jacket had double layers.
Manjari's eyes narrowed at his gesture but she willed herself to relax. She was freezing and the jacket was warm. She had been so worried sick about him leaving like this, in times like this that she had forgotten to grab her jacket.
"Get in the car", she ordered. "Anything you have to say can be said later."
He looked at her as if she had sprouted horns. She wanted him to come along with her. Why?
She shuffled from one toe to another to keep the blood circulating. She examined him again. he was watching her, and she felt herself flush as last night's argument came to her mind.
She sighed and tried a different approach. "The pandemic is severe, and the police are patrolling. If they find out that you have nowhere to go, they might just send you back as they have done with other students. So, for god's sake, get into the car before we are fined and before I freeze to my death here".
Saying this, she grabbed one of his suitcases and began to drag it to the car. She opened the boot of the car and put it inside. She turned around to grab the second one when she saw Neel walking towards her. She helped him load the other suitcase too and then motioned for him to get in. She cranked up the heating to the max as she tried to warm her fingers.
Manjari neatly parked the car in the driveway but none of them made any attempt to leave. She sat with her head resting against the window. She knew Neel was watching her but she refused to meet her gaze. She was busy rationalizing her actions of the past half an hour. She did not have feelings for him. She helped him because that is what any decent human being would have done, she reasoned. That did not mean she had a soft corner for him.
It was Neel who broke the silence in the car "Thank You", he said softly. "I was in a tight spot....seriously ...I had no place to go and after last night...."
She swivelled to look at him and said in a low voice, "look whatever had to happen, has happened. I think we should focus on finding a way to go past it. In future, let us just maintain our distance and respect each other's space. I do not think it would be that difficult and we should be able to co-exist at least for the duration of the pandemic..."
Neel looked at her again and asked, "Can you answer one question for me? If you do, I promise to leave you alone...to never get in your way...?"
Manjari cocked her head to one side and nodded in acquiescence.
"What have I done? Why did you leave...throw me out of your life like that...?"
Manjari pursed her lips and looked straight ahead. She opened her mouth to give him an answer but before she could say anything, she heard someone say, "Neel papa? Is that you? You are finally here........."
Manjari banged her head on the steering wheel.
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This had to be the most uncomfortable breakfast of Manjari's life. She went back to the sequence of events of the last half an hour. Amaira had squealed with delight on finding Neel and had literally jumped in his arms. She had then promptly dragged him inside, holding his hand the entire way and giving him the grand tour of their house. The traitor had completely forgotten about her mother.
She had asked Neel a thousand questions and had been over the moon when she got to know that Neel would be staying with them. She had promptly offered to set up the guest suite for him but Manjari thought it prudent to intervene then. She had politely told Amaira that Neel uncle would be staying downstairs. Amaira had pouted a bit but then relented. She had then invited him for breakfast. All three of them were sitting around the breakfast table. Manjari was sipping on her tea while Amaira ( the traitor, thought Manjari)and Neel were busy munching on dosas. The two had connected instantly again and Amaira had given Neel the details of their life over the past two years. No matter how much Mnajri tried to stop Amaira, she just refused to take the hint.
Neel knew that Manjari was upset about him being in her space. But he could not bring himself to break Amaira's heart. He loved her like she was his own and had been glad of the chance to spend some time with her. Manjari had been doing a good job with her. She was articulate, polite, and well-behaved. A true credit to her mother. He eyed Manjari from the corner of her eyes. She was looking out of the window in her backyard. He wondered what was going on in her mind.
Manjari was never more relieved than when Neel excused himself so that he could unpack. She cleared the breakfast dishes and got started on lunch and dinner.
"He will have lunch with us. Right ma?", asked Amaira.
Manjari rested her palms on the countertop and said "No"
"Why?"
"Pandemic. Social distancing", Manjari and you are not to go downstairs.
"But he just had breakfast with us..."
"Yes...because you dragged him by his hand and would not take no for an answer. But enough is enough. Go take a shower and do not go downstairs for two weeks. I mean it. If you do not listen to me, I will take away all your privileges."
"But you said when he visited us, I could spend as much time as I wanted with him..."
Neel's head shot up on hearing Amaira say that. Manjari just rubbed her forehand and simply motioned for her daughter to leave.
Amaira looked at her mother and realized that she was profoundly serious. There was no getting out of this one. She stomped her feet in frustration and went to take a shower.
Manjari heaved a sigh of relief. And prayed for the day and for the pandemic to be over soon.
"What did Amaira just say? You were expecting me? What...?, "
"Amaaira what", Manjari responded with a growl. "What did you want me to say to my daughter after what you did....and break her heart again...so I lied...but you listen to me carefully...STAY AWAY FROM MY DAUGHTER..."
"What have I done? ", Neel asked again. Seriously this was getting frustrating. Manjari just picked up her tea cup and left asking him to show himself out and stay within his limits.
Neel could just look at her retreating back.
Manjari slept like a baby that night. But Neel did not know and was up the whole night. He waited for her to come to the backyard so that he could get the answer to his question....