Chapter 4: First Sight

The first day of a new week started on a low note with Dev being late and missing his usual train to work. He’d reached his rented place quite late the previous evening, and after attending to a couple of chores and dinner, it was way beyond his normal schedule.  

This morning, he felt zapped out. He was groggy and yawned every now and then. How he wished he could have slept some more! The meeting with the Saxenas was a pleasant one, especially seeing Ruhi after so long. She had transformed from a cheesy, irritating girl to a gorgeous, smart, intelligent and decent, independent woman. With all her class and elegance, she kind of made him nervous.  

“Whoa!!!”  A voice shot into his ears. Dev tore his eyes open. He’d dozed off and almost fallen off the train when a fellow passenger caught him just in time and broke his fall.

“Brother, you had fallen asleep, you nearly fell off the train!” he rang in alarm. 

“Oh! Sorry, so sorry, long day, man. Thanks buddy!” Dev wrung his face and patted the guy’s back in appreciation.  

“Better stay in,” he suggested, looking very concerned. 

“Sure,” said Dev and moved in. The shock had snapped him out of his zombie mode, at least for a little while.    

As they chugged past the houses, he wondered if this train too stopped like the other to let past the express train. Maybe not, he thought bitterly. The after-effects of yesterday’s shocking discovery, about her being married already, still weren’t done with him. Yet, he still wished to get a glimpse of her every day. Somehow, she had become a part of his daily routine.  

To his surprise, this train too slowed down and came to a halt. Funny, all the local trains give way for the express? 

“Another Express train?” Dev asked the man standing next to him.  

“No, another local,” replied the stranger.  

“How long does it stick around?” 

“Five minutes sort of.”  

Dev smiled. The longer the better. Am I the only one who enjoys these stops? He craned his neck to get a glimpse of the Murgi.  

Murgi!!?  

Murgi!!!  

(Note: ‘Murgi’ means ‘chicken/hen’ in Hindi)

He laughed at the new name he’d coined for her. That’s a funny name for her and a befitting one, he thought. “Here she comes,” he muttered on spotting her in her backyard. This time, she was busy spreading wet laundry on the line. Around her were her pet chickens, feasting on worms and other bugs.  

Feeling mischievous, he pulled out his phone, turned on the video cam, and began to record her live.  Have you lost it? Since when did you start doing all this? Besides, she’s a married woman for God’s sake. Forget about her being married, she’s a woman, isn’t that reason good enough? A voice in his head, his own voice, in fact, reprimanded him. 

Dev felt uncomfortable. Terrible. He’d never done something like this before. He never was that type. Yet, he couldn’t stop himself.  

For the first time, he saw her up close. She was beautiful. I wonder where she’s from, he thought. She looked like a complex blend of all four corners of the land. The beautiful features of her face were smudged and worn out from a lifetime of neglect. 

As she went about her chores, she talked and laughed with her chickens. From the way they responded, it seemed like this was an everyday thing.  

“Lajo!” He heard her calling out to one of the naughtier chickens, a black one with a bright red comb, to be precise.  

At that, he chuckled. Lajo? She’s given them names too.  

He caught a glimpse of her eyes. They were different from the ones he’d seen so far. They were sharp and a clear, dark shade of brown, like crystals of amber.  Her expression was amusing, like that of a toddler’s executing an ‘incredibly difficult and important task’. 

As she straightened up and wrung a wet shirt, his eyes fell on the mangalsutra lying flat over her bosom. She’s married, he was reminded yet again. I’ve never seen her husband around; he thought and quickly scanned the surroundings. It looks like he’s out most of the day. She must be feeling lonely. Could be the reason why she’s so fond of these birds. 

Dev was so busy contemplating; he didn’t realize that the camera was focused where it shouldn’t have been – on her breasts. Her hand skittered over her blouse and pulled up the sari over her exposed skin.  

That made him pause. There was something in the way she did it that he zoomed out to get her face in the frame. When he did, he found her bewildered eyes locked on… him?