Nandini straightened from the floor in the kitchen and winced at the pain in her back. She had been on her knees for too long, sweeping and mopping the rooms in Ayodhya. Sumer uncle would be coming tomorrow and Prithvi would also move back to his room. The rooms had to be cleaned thoroughly before then, and the maid had said she would only start coming after two days.
She hadn't had time to rest at all after coming from college. After returning from the temple, her tuition children had arrived and after that she helped her mother clean Ayodhya's kitchen and ensure that it had all required supplies. Her mother had now gone to the market to buy groceries, leaving her to tidy up the rest of the house.
Broom in one hand, and water-filled bucket in the other, Nandini ascended the steps to the first storey. She was done with the rooms on the ground floor. Next on the agenda were Sumer uncle and Prithvi's rooms. Her thick black hair had been twisted into a large knot at the back of her head and was being held together with an old plastic clip, and her dupatta had been tied around her waist securely.
She put down the bucket outside Prithvi's room, pushed open the doors and began sweeping it, beginning with the corners.
"I suppose I should just give up the hope that you'll learn some manners and stop walking into people's rooms uninvited."
Taken aback, she turned to see Prithvi striding hurriedly from the bed towards the table with his laptop in hand.
How long had he been here? Ayodhya's door had been open for some time now as she and her mother had been walking in and out for various tasks. He must have returned after his walk and come straight here, instead of Vrindavan. And, as the books and laptop proved, he had already begun shifting his belongings back to his room.
"When did you come here?" she asked, bewildered.
"I've been here for an hour. I suppose those pumpkin-sized eyes on your face are just for decoration," he retorted, still not turning to face her.
So he had been here all this while. If she had not been so preoccupied with her thoughts she would have seen him. And if he had been sitting on the bed, he must have seen her walk into the room.
And then, out of nowhere came the realization that her duppata was still tied tightly around her waist. Extremely conscious, the pink-cheeked girl dropped the broom and turned her back to him, fumbled with the knot and quickly removed it and draped it gracefully around her shoulders. And with greater confidence, she swung towards him again.
"I didn't know you were inside," she said indignantly, responding to his earlier charge. "I would have knocked otherwise. In fact, I wouldn't have come inside at all, because I wouldn't want to disturb the greatest thinker of all time in his work," she concluded angrily.
Apparently gauging that it would be prudent to look at her now, he turned around, looking unforgivably entertained. "Uh-oh, looks like someone is in a bad mood," he murmured.
"Is that against the law? Or are you are the only one with the right to behave badly with anyone anytime you like?" she snapped, a furious red invading her face. And picking up the broom again, she went down on her knees and began to sweep the area under the bed vigorously.
"I guess that's fair. Now what I can do to compensate for my earlier behaviour," he said thoughtfully, turning the chair around to face her. He sank into the chair, and idly rested his feet on the bed.
"Would it help if I said you look like a natural at this kind of work? I think you should quit college and take this up full-time."
Nandini looked up and glowered at him, her beautiful face framed by sweat-dampened tendrils of hair that had escaped the knot.
"I don't know how to thank you for that," she said frigidly, "Now if you don't mind, could you move out of the chair. I need to sweep that side."
"Its fine the way it is," he returned. "You didn't have to clean the house in the first place. And whatever you've done is enough. Go home now."
"That's so kind of you," she said angrily, getting to her feet. "Why should the house be cleaned at all? It's a pigsty in any case....that's what you called it...I should have remembered."
"I hadn't meant it like that and you know it!' Prithvi snapped, leaning forward and seizing her wrist to stop her from scrambling up.
"No, I don't," Nandini said angrily, trying to twist her hand out of his. "I think you only said what has been in your mind all this time. You hate this house and everyone else here. I'll make sure the next person who comes to stay here isn't as bad-tempered and arrogant as you."
"A better idea would be that you made sure you were less of an interfering nuisance," he replied harshly, not even discerning her efforts to free her hand. "That by itself would be enough for anyone who lives here to have some peace."
"I'll keep that in mind while I wait happily for you to move to another house," Nandini retorted, ceasing her struggle for a moment. A quick blaze of rage and some other elusive emotion flashed across Prithvi's eyes at her words and a vicious tug at her arm reduced the already small gap in-between them. Nandini felt a tiny thread of fear mingle with her rising anger, but she was far too incensed to back away.
"You can't be as eager as I am to get away from here," Prithvi muttered in a voice laced with fury, staring down at her lovely face, which was so close to his, with something bordering on hate, while she glared up at him in silence from her kneeling position. Then all of a sudden, his hold on her slackened and he thrust her away from himself and got to his feet.
Nandini sat inert on the floor on her knees, feeling curiously drained and miserable. Why had she said those things....she really shouldn't have. He would be going away in a few days....she should be able to overlook everything he says and be friendly at least until he was here. After that, she knew for certain she wouldn't have any place in his life. She would apologise and make it up to him.
Prithvi stepped around her and began to walk towards the door, and then spun around and contemplated the slender form of the girl who was still on her knees with her back turned to him.
Nandini was just rising to her feet with the broom in hand when she felt a small tug at her hair and the luxuriant black mass unravelled from the knot and tumbled down her back to lie heavily at her waist. Astonished, she immediately felt her hair to find the clip while simultaneously turning to see Prithvi walking in the direction of the door. But the clip had vanished and a quick look showed that it hadn't fallen off to the ground either.
That left only one - highly absurd - possibility....
"Prithvi," she called out, impatiently brushing aside some silky strands from her face.
Prithvi turned around, eye brows raised. "Yes?"
"Did you take my clip?"
"I did," he agreed.
"What did you do that for?" she asked, annoyed and puzzled at the same time.
"Certainly not because I want that hideous thing myself," he assured her.
"Give it back," she snapped.
"No," he said calmly.
"Why not?"
"You look less ugly with your hair down," he shrugged.
Nandini gaped at him wordlessly. What was he playing at....This certainly was a novel way of harassing her.
"I - I don't care what you think," she spluttered, "Give it back."
"No," he repeated, and coolly strolled out the door.
Nandini stood in the room fuming, torn between the need to finish cleaning the room and the need to let him know that he couldn't get away with this.
After a few moments, she made her decision and sprinted out the room and down the steps. Prithvi was opening the connecting gate to Vrindavan when she reached Ayodhya's door.
"Prithvi," she shouted, and he halted with his hands on the gate. "Are you going to give it back to me or not?"
"All right, if you insist..." he said resignedly and Nandini smiled in victory. But instead of handing it over, he tossed it to her. She missed by inches and it fell onto the hard concrete of the steps and the old plastic snapped.
"It broke!" she exclaimed in dismay and looked up at his innocent face.
"That's too bad," he said gravely, as she picked up the two pieces.
"You did that on purpose!" she shouted angrily.
"I didn't. It's not my fault you have such poor reflexes."
"Nandini, why are you talking like this with Prithvi? What did he do?"
Nandini turned to see her mother at Vrindavan's gate, her hands full of grocery packages. Even as she struggled to recover her composure, Prithvi walked over to her mother and relieved her of the bags.
Sarojini smiled affectionately at him and then looked at her daughter again. "What was going on here, Nandini?"
"Nothing, ma," she replied meekly, while Prithvi grinned from behind her mother. "I just - he -he dropped my clip and it broke."
"You were raising your voice against him for that," Sarojini asked, surprised. "The poor boy has just recovered from such a serious accident, and you got angry with him for such a minor thing. I didn't expect this from you. Apologise to him right away."
"Apologise to him?" she asked, aghast.
"It's alright, aunty. It was my fault, after all," Prithvi said, looking positively saintly.
"See, he is feeling so bad for no fault of his own," Sarojini said sympathetically.
"Fine, I'm sorry," Nandini said resentfully, almost choking on the words.
"No problem," he said magnanimously. Sarojini beamed at both of them, and then made her way into the house, followed by a smug Prithvi who was holding all the bags. Nandini hurried after them.
Prithvi kept the bags on the kitchen table and came out to see Nandini come down the steps with her hair pinned up yet again.
"That wasn't the only clip I had, you know," she said sweetly.
"Fine," he muttered, "I'll break all of them."
"You wouldn't dare!" she hissed, careful to keep her voice low to avoid any more scolding from her mother, and stiffly began to walk past him. She didn't see him move at all, but a second later her hair was once again cascading down her back.
"Prithvi!" she exclaimed despairingly, spinning around to face him.
"Nandini!" her mother's warning call came loud and clear from the kitchen, forcing her to bite down on her temper. She could have tied her hair into a simple knot without a clip, but it wouldn't stay put for long due to the velvety texture of her locks. And she couldn't bring herself to go find another fastener or rubber band right now. She had to go and clean the other rooms in Ayodhya before sunset, as it would be inauspicious to sweep the house after that.
So she had to content herself with looking daggers at him, while he studied the thing in his hand. "Hmmm...a metal one, this could take a few seconds to snap."
"I'll get you for this," she burst out.
"If you want revenge, all you have to do is make me eat something you've cooked," he smirked as she stomped out of the house.
*************************
Nandini looked amusedly at Vrinda, who was poring over a piece of paper with never-before-seen dedication.
"Don't worry, Vrinda. You'll remember your lines perfectly day after tomorrow," she said reassuringly.
"No, I wont," her friend moaned. "I'll definitely forget everything. I just know I will."
"That's going to be me, not you," Nishi said sullenly. "I'm the one who's going to go blank on stage."
"Neither of you is going to forget your lines," Nandini said earnestly, tucking one errant strand of hair, that had escaped from her ponytail, behind her ear. They had only had one 3-hour lecture today and it was not even lunch time yet. So they were sitting in the canteen to idle away some time before returning home.
"Easy for you to say," Vrinda said grumpily. "If you really cared for us at all you too would have been giving the audition."
"Not again," Nandini said exasperated, pushing back another lock from her face. "Will you both stop nagging me about that?"
"What's with the changed hairstyle today? You normally leave it half open."
"I couldn't find any clip and had to use this hair band, thanks to Prithvi," she said indignantly, and then turned pink at the words that she had spoken unthinkingly as her friends looked at her with identical bewildered expressions.
"What do you mean by that?" Nishi enquired.
"Nothing," she said quickly. "So what time is your audition tomorrow?"
"Don't change the subject. Tell us what happened," Nishi grinned.
"Well?." Nandini began reluctantly, cursing her stupidity for always ending up in soups like this. "He broke the clip that I use everyday, by mistake," she added hurriedly, "and I couldn't find another one in the morning rush. I'll have to go look for others in my cupboard today."
"How did your clip get into his hands?" Vrinda asked with great interest.
"Errrr...it - it was on the table and he .... he, by mistake, pushed it off and - " she broke off as Nishi suddenly pulled her hand from under the table to see the index and middle finger crossed.
"Stop making things up," she laughed as Nandini blushed guiltily, "and tell us what really happened."
Nandini squirmed. "Sumer uncle was supposed to come today. But he called up today morning to say he'll be coming tomorrow instead. Thinking that he would be reaching today morning, I went to clean Ayodhya yesterday and had tied up my hair so I could sweep the floor without it coming in the way. And Prithvi pulled the clip out of my hair," she admitted, and felt perplexed as her friends exchanged thrilled glances.
"He pulled it out of your hair?" Vrinda breathed. "But why did he do that?"
"Just to trouble me, why else. That's his favourite pastime after all -making me miserable."
"Nandini, come on," Nishi said shrewdly. "This is the guy who is doing his Phd in rocket science. He wouldn't do it for such a childish reason."
Nandini wrinkled her nose trying to recall what he had said, looking so adorable that her friends smiled at each other. Then she remembered....He had said she looked less ugly with her hair down. Had he meant that he liked to see her with open hair....or was she reading more into it as usual. She had been too furious with him to think about it yesterday, and had been convinced that he was doing it purely to annoy her. Now she didn't know what to think...He had not been able to mess with her ponytail in the morning with her grandfather around, and she knew from his frown that he hadn't liked her outright defiance the minute she walked into the living room on her way to college.
"Hey, stop dreaming, we are so dying to know," Vrinda said excitedly. Troubled, Nandini wondered what she could tell her friends. They would make a mountain out of a molehill out of this, the same way they did with everything connected to Suvek. And somehow, she knew that being teased with Prithvi would be a lot more difficult for her to bear.
"What's up, girls." Rishabh was walking up to them, his hand also clutching a piece of paper like that in Vrinda and Nishi's hands.
Nandini smiled at him, inwardly torn between relief at the timing of his entry and fear that her friends wouldn't let go of the topic. She cast a pleading look at the girls by her side and they took pity on her, though it was evident from both their expressions that they were not going to let her off the hook so easily.
"We were just talking about the audition, Rishabh," Vrinda quipped.
"This is the first time I'm taking part in a play," Rishabh said excitedly. "Never had the confidence before. But now that I have three pretty girlfriends, I thought I'll give it a try."
"Rishabh!" Nandini laughed and hit him with a novel, and Nishi and Vrinda also made similar motions.
"Okay, okay! Three ugly sisters!" he cowered, which earned him another beating.
When the commotion had settled, they began talking about the plays again.
"So which play are you going to take part in, Rishabh?" Nandini asked.
"I'm auditioning for both. Lets see."
"I know you'll get selected in both. And you'll have to choose which role you want," Nandini smiled.
"I wish that would happen," Rishabh said wistfully, and the sudden desperation in his eyes pulled at her heart. This was the first time he was trying to come out of his shell....and she would ensure that he succeeded.
"What's the story of the first play?" she asked all three. "It's based on some book, isn't it?"
"Yeah. It's the story of a girl who is in love with her boss. But that man is only interested in having an affair with her," Vrinda rattled off. "And when he gets a marriage proposal from a rich family, he ends his relationship with her. But just before his wedding, the heroine finds out that she is pregnant and she goes and informs her lover but he refuses to marry her. And she is thrown out of her house. But she doesn't give up. She gives the child for adoption and then she becomes a famous businesswoman and comes back to take revenge on the man, who is now happily married with children."
"Its fabulous na," Nishi gushed.
"I'm auditioning for the role of the boss's younger brother," Rishabh cut in. "He helps the girl achieve her goal."
"It's a very dramatic story, and I can see its going to be very emotional," Nandini said thoughtfully.
"Please take part in the audition with us, Nandini," Nishi begged.
"Yeah, come on, Nandini," Rishabh said.
"I'll make a fool of myself on the stage, I really can't do it. And it's not just that. My grandfather will have a fit if he hears the story."
"But why?"
"These dialogues that you are preparing for the audition will be enough for him to throw me out of the house," Nandini laughed.
"Oh alright!" Nishi said, defeated. "We're staying back to rehearse for some time. You should also stay back with us."
"I wish I could. But I have to take extra tuitions. I've already missed taking three classes because of some reason or the other," Nandini sighed. "You three wait here. I need to go and call ma at the school."
She had to tell her mother she would be home very soon and ask if she needed anything from the market. It was a blessing her mother had to be at the nursery for only 2 hours every day, she thought as she walked towards the PCO near the cashier's desk. And even then, she had had to take leave to take care of Prithvi....Prithvi...who wasn't going to be around for long...but he would be coming to the same college at least, and she would be able to see him from afar.
That was the best she could hope for....because if he could be so inconsiderate towards her despite living next door, he was sure to cut her out completely once he shifted....
***********************
"What is this thing? The first radio invented by man?" Prithvi asked in disgust. He was sitting in front of an enormous, dusty box with many knobs and dials. Grandfather was beaming at him with great expectations writ all over his wrinkled face, and Prakash was sitting by Prithvi's side holding a screwdriver, looking totally resigned to his fate.
"I don't know if it's a radio at all," Prakash whispered in his ear, "It doesn't look anything like one."
"Of course it is a radio. It belonged to my father, and was working perfectly till last year. I tried to get it repaired but those ill-mannered boys at the shop laughed at me. They said the only person who even knew how my radio worked had died 30 years ago," Bhoothnath bristled.
"30 years? They were being kind. I'd say more than a century must have passed," Prithvi snorted.
"Don't bother with him, grandpa," Nandini said, sitting on the other side of the room with four children, one of whom had won the race to her lap. "He is only saying these things because he doesn't have any clue how to repair it." As the children around her sniggered, she met Prithvi's nasty look with an overly sweet smile.
"I'll fix this thing before evening," he said coldly. "I need to work in quiet, which I don't think I'll get with some people in the house."
"Ah yes! There is a lot of noise right now because of Nandini's tuitions," grandpa agreed, not seeing his granddaughter's offended visage. "You can start working on it after that. And if you succeed with this, I'll let you try and repair the TV also."
"I can hardly wait," Prithvi mumbled. "I'm going home for a while....for some peace," he informed offensively and strode out the house.
With his hero gone, Prakash came running over to Nandini, and not heeding his sister's scolding, he forced a little boy off her lap and sat down comfortably in his place. Nandini, who was smiling on the inside, knew it was his way of proclaiming wordlessly that for all the time she gave the other children, she was only his sister. And after the initial reprimand, she let him sit on her lap for the rest of the class.
An hour later, she was at the gate, waving them goodbye, when she heard a sound and turned to see Prithvi locking Ayodhya's doors.
Nandini resolutely looked outside again. He was probably going out for another round of house hunting....She sincerely hoped his new neighbours would be the friendliest and most sociable people in this universe, who wouldn't let him sit for a second in silence.
"Hey"
Nandini spun around, her hand instinctively reaching to protect her hair, and then felt very foolish when she saw that he was still on the other side of the wall and was looking very amused at her reaction. "I'm not going to do it again. If you want to look so pathetic, that's your stupidity."
Red-faced, she pulled down her hand and turned her back on him again. "What do you want then?" she asked briskly.
"What were you asking me yesterday? Before that old fellow arrived?"
Nandini looked at him, eyes wide in surprise. He had actually remembered that she had been asking him something when the wandering saint had come up to them.
"I was only....I mean, I thought, since you won't be living here for long...if you'll...."she began confusedly.
"I don't believe you'll be completing that sentence in the next hour. I'm sorry I asked," he said edgily.
"I just wanted to ask if you want to come for a walk around the temple," she said hurriedly, and then promptly turned crimson. What had she been thinking....she had surely gone barmy to ask him something like that...he would simply mock her again.
But he didn't respond as expected, and his face was completely unreadable as he studied her.
"Its ok if you don't want to," she said, feeling mortified. "I simply -"
"I was going to go out myself, and not for anything in particular," he interrupted smoothly, "I suppose a walk wouldn't hurt."
Nandini stared at him....had he actually agreed to go for a stroll with her?
"Oh....Ok...I'll...could you just wait for a minute," she stammered, extremely flustered. "I'll be right back."
When he answered with a curt nod, she fled into the house, up to her room and only halted once she was in front of the mirror.
Nandini scrutinized her appearance frantically with a thudding heart, and found only innumerable defects; she could not see the flawless creamy skin, the exquisite features, the huge jet-black eyes which were glowing with a special light, and the sudden soft blush on her smooth cheeks. She only saw a very ordinary girl...of very ordinary appearance...
She was not in the habit of using any kind of makeup. The completely herbal face-packs that her mother prepared with her own hands, and the sandalwood oil that she rubbed into her skin before taking a bath, were the only form of cosmetics she used. Now for the first time she found herself wishing she at least had something to powder her face.
Should she change her dress? Which one could she wear? But it would take too long, and he might get restless and leave without her. She came to the gloomy conclusion that there was nothing she could do....she would remain plain and unattractive no matter what she did.
She started to turn away....then hesitated, and looking into the mirror, she tugged her hair free of the band and let it tumble down. She quickly ran a brush through it, smiled shyly at her reflection, and then hurried out of the room to meet the boy waiting downstairs.
****************************