Strangers & Secrets Read online

  She befuddled as he began to peel.

  “What are you do-” He pushed the tape on her lips. “This is to punish you for your behavior” he pasted her lips, preventing her from speaking further.

  She mumbled over the tape. Her eyebrows bent inwards with her wide eyes.

  He turned her around, brought her hands behind. He rolled the tape around her hand and tied them together. No one was nearby to notice. He spun her back. “You are not going to make a noise, got it?”

  She nodded at him. He pulled down the veil of her burka, and they both entered inside the car.

  He pushed the key, revved the engine and drove inside the traffic.

  She sat facing him, didn’t leave her gaze from his side. He got out of traffic after a while, accelerated on the freeway. She turned herself, facing the road on her side. They both traveled in silence.

  “It seems you are entering someone’s house?” His tone reverberated inside the car.

  “mmmm.... mmmm” She mummed the words

  “Silence” He took out a manila folder from his side, kept it on his lap. “You are doing something beyond your limitations. Your daddy never told you what happens to a pretty girl who does bad things?”

  She struggled to keep herself from saying anything. She brought her focus back to the side view mirror.

  “Mm...Mm” She made the noise, soft and calm.

  “What?”

  “Mm...Mm” She said with increasing pitch.

  He removed one side of the tape.

  “Take right” She managed to bring the words out of her half-opened mouth.

  He did as she said. They went into a narrow street. The bikes parked on the side made it difficult to drive.

  “Take right” She said as he reached the main road.

  “What happened?”

  “Maroon accord. It’s been following us from the hotel” She kept her eyes on the side mirror.

  He glanced at the rearview mirror as he drove. A maroon colored image came into view. He revved the engine to confirm the doubt. “Who do you think it is?”

  “I don’t know”

  He kept an eye on the rearview mirror. The accord also raised its speed, followed through the traffic. It came so near to their car. The needle on the dashboard went to 120kmh.

  She couldn’t shift quickly with her hands tied behind. She twisted her head, bent forward and pushed her head back facing sideways. Her veil got pushed backward. “Slow down. I need to see his face. Take this left”

  He reduced the acceleration of the car. The needle fell below 90 as he turned left. The maroon car followed them. She turned around, kneeling on her seat. She looked at the driver as he turned the car around the sharp corner.

  She caught the glimpse of who it was. None other than her recent following fan - Devin.

  “Oh, this idiot” She dropped herself on the seat. “It’s OK. It’s not a problem. You go ahead”

  “Is that your personal stalker?” He searched for his face on the mirror.

  “Yes. Leave him. How have you been? It’s been a month”

  “Should I stick that tape back?” He said with the same voice.

  “You are being careless, high five.” He said after a long pause. “I was shocked when I heard what happened. That’s why I came back so early to knock some senses”

  “It’s OK. Leave that. You got something for me?”

  He opened the glove compartment, took out a small knife. He handed it over to her. “Cut yourself loose”

  She turned around, grabbed the knife between her fingers. She fell back on the seat, rubbing the knife up and down on the tape.

  “Careful, if you put a mark in my leather seats, I’ll kill you” He noticed the car behind him maintaining a distance.

  She cut the tape, freeing her hands. She ripped the remaining tape and threw it in his face. “I hope you enjoy condescending little girls, you masochistic jerk”

  He grabbed her mouth, pasted the open corner of tape back to her mouth. “Now sit silently or you won’t get what you wanted”

  She sat quietly with the tape in her mouth. He pushed the manila folder to her. “I got two lead. The warden and the lawyer. Their photo and details are in here. The father of the accused committed suicide just after his son’s murder. It rose too many questions but there was no trail”

  She opened the folder, looked at the photos. “Thank you” She said as she peeled the tape from her lips.

  “I hope you won’t do anything stupid”

  “Don’t worry, I promise. You will be with me when I do anything stupid”

  He smiled at her. “There is a rumor inside the cell. The warden might be involved in murdering the convict. So you might have to start from there”

  “I’ll ask Mr. Krish to look at the other one. Asking a criminal lawyer to find the criminal among the lawyers will make thing easier”

  “Just be careful”

  “I will” She put the photo inside the folder, kept it on the back seat and said “- try”

  “Since when do you trust men?” He stopped the car in the signal. The maroon car halted behind them, 20 meters away from them.

  “I’m not trusting him. I just wanted to give him a chance”

  “Why?”

  “Because” She looked at Devin’s car in the reflection. “The first time when he met me, he said I looked like someone he knew but the truth is I felt the same. He felt familiar to me”

  “We both know how this is going to end. Why don’t you just stab him with the knife in his heart and get over with it”

  “It’s not going to be easy, but I have to do it at least for my father”

  He glanced at her. “You have given your number?”

  “You know me” She said with a bossy voice

  He nodded looking front, drove through the entrance of the airport. He halted near the parking zone.

  “You brought it?” He asked

  “An eye for an eye” She took a tiny saffron colored paper package from the side pocket in her burka, gave it to him.

  “Do you want me to have a talk with your follower?” He asked.

  “No, I got this” They both got out of the car. He walked toward the front gate of the airport. She turned back, came toward the maroon car.

  Devin expression changed as he saw her approaching with an angry face. His face buried itself in the awe and confusion. He stared at her as she approached. Oh no, this is bad.

  Yuleika came to the passenger side, knocked on the window. He pressed the button next to the hand-break. The window slid down on her side. He lifted his finger just as the glass opened enough to see her face.

  She bent down tilting her head to her left, stared at him through the opened space. “Didn’t I make it clear?”

  “Look, I just thought you were in trouble. You had plaster in your mouth and –”

  “Oh, the damsel in distress!” Her sharp eyes pierced through him. She put her hand inside the window, released the lock and pulled open the door. She got into his car and took her phone, swiped across with her thumb. He sat dumbfounded and kept gawking at her. No thoughts came to his mind.

  She looked at him. Her stark eyes made him deflect his look. He looked at the black car in front of him and the man who walked out of it. She turned on the GPS in her phone before throwing it at the dashboard in front of her.

  “So who is that hunky male model of yours?”

  “He is Hiran. A trusted friend of mine”

  “Then why did he... I mean why you were- ”

  “He always comes up with something like that. He is the only one allowed to have that privilege.”

  “Allowed to?”

  “Yes otherwise he will kick their asses off”

  “You don’t say. Although he looks kinda like one of those male models in the underwear advertisements”

  He chuckled slightly, looked at her. She stared back, keeping a straight face. Her forehead wrinkled as she folded her fist. She looked at both of hi
s eyes and at his lips and back to eyes.

  “Calm down, it is just a joke”

  She turned her face toward straight.

  He noticed her relaxing. “Why do you not smile?”

  “What?”

  “I’ve noticed. You never smile. Based on your face I can say it will look brighter with a smile”

  She raised an eyebrow like a falcon.

  “Again I’m not flirting” He shook his head, failing to converse. “I’m just saying”

  “You will regret the most when I do”

  He couldn’t understand her twisted undone language. He looked outside through the windshield, noticed two women joining that hunky friend of her. One of them hugged him as they approached.

  “You were looking for someone with interesting story. If you really wanted that then -”

  “I never told you that” He interrupted her, puzzled at her expensive knowledge about him. What else do you know? He wondered.

  She lowered her head forward, looking up beneath her eyebrows and shook her head emphasizing the question no? He thought she is going to smirk. She straightened her head back. “Anyway, that is the guy you should be following”

  “I guess he looks interesting to young girls in those packed abs and muscled arms”

  “You see that person on the blue shirt”

  “Who, the girl who stands too close to him?”

  “She is his wife”

  “Oh”

  “Ex-wife actually. The woman on the other side, She is her wife now”

  “I’m sorry?” He half-expected that was a grammatical mistake.

  “You heard me right. Her family kicked her out and his family didn’t allow it. So he suggested divorce, helped her to find a job and after a couple of years later he married her with that woman. Now he is making them go to England”

  “To enjoy honeymoon?”

  “To stay alive”

  His smile faded. “Didn’t they make it legal in India?”

  “They said it’s not illegal to marry but the other things. They can’t adopt a child either”

  “So he got a job for them?”

  “Better, He got a home for them. He made them citizens of England”

  “How is that possible?” His curiosity ran through his face.

  “He knows someone who can make these deals”

  “Running away from family, society, nation just to stay alive. Children came from their parents, not for them” He mumbled to himself.

  Her phone bloomed. She took and read the message before putting it in her pocket. “Do you support them?”

  “LGBT? No, I don’t”

  “It’s unnatural, isn’t it?”

  “No, it is quite a nature like any other thing”

  “Many will disagree with you. Some say they are just fooling around. Only the opposite attracts each other”

  “Yes, positive and negative forces but do you know electrons some times pair up with other electrons of opposite spin. Basic quantum physics explains the origin of gayism routed in the big bang. I don’t support them. I believe in them”

  “L-G-B-T-I-Q-Q-A-2S-P- is that all?” She asked curiously

  “How long you are going to test me?” He turned toward her. “If you want to know anything, just ask. Stop with this third-degree interrogation”

  She saw Hiran bidding adieu to his wife. “I’m not going to stop testing you. I’m not a nice person and you are still a stranger, stalker, strange-stalker. If you really wanted to continue, you have to make yourself ready for this”

  He exhaled with exhaustion. He understood this wasn’t what he expected. He couldn’t decide anything.

  “Goodbye, Devin” She pulled down her veil and got out of his car and probably out of his life too.

  Chapter 8

  HELLO MOTO

  The ringing of alarm waked him. Devin pushed the snooze button, wrapped himself in the duvet. The slim straight early morning light fell on his bed through the tiny slit between the curtains.

  The knock on the door made sure he wasn’t going back to sleep. Once again the knock came. He pushed the blanket away, got out of the bed. He looked at himself in the mirror. His messy hairs stood up-right and eyes shrunken down.

  The knocking sound continued without a gap. “DEVIL! OPEN!” Eva’s squeaky voice overlapped.

  He reached the door. “Senandra cannot play today, you know that” He said as he opened the door.

  Eva ran away as he came out. “Hey, what are you –” He stopped when he saw Mara standing on the side.

  She looked darker and sad in the Grey sweats.

  “I’m sorry” Mara’s voice made her sound like crying. “I’m sorry, Devin”

  She averted her eyes, looked aimlessly at his torso. “I shouldn’t have shouted at you. I’m really sorry. I would have been miserable if you had asked one more question. Please forgive me”

  “There is nothing to forgive. Come inside”

  “No, Devin. I don’t deserve it”

  “Oh, come on” He grabbed her hand, pulled her inside.

  “No, please stop” She refused to enter. “As I said I don’t deserve to enter. I know you don’t like to be shouted, that’s why I did it”

  “What happened Mara? Tell me, I can help you”

  “That’s exactly why I can’t tell you. You will do anything to help me. I don’t want you to do that”

  He couldn’t let her suffer. “You don’t respect me. You don’t care enough to trust me with the truth. Why did you come here again?”

  Her face saddened. She looked at the ground

  “Next time you shout at me will be the last time I’ll be listening to your shout”

  She raised her face, looked at his eyes. She nodded slowly “I understand” She inhaled deeply before speaking again “I hope I will do that next time after giving much thought”

  She gave a sad smile. “Goodbye, Devin” she walked back to her home. She paused near the fence “I’m free this afternoon. If you want to go for lunch somewhere, we can go”

  He wasn’t sure which came more shockingly. The fact that his friend doesn’t want his help or the second time he heard the word goodbye in a different context or that she asked to go out.

  “I’m sorry I have other plans. I really wanted to go with you but I can’t. It’s really important”

  She smiled again, nodding at him. It shattered his heart. Her almost teary eyes made him want to give her a hug and get rid of her problems.

  “Wait” He glanced back inside his house before looking at her eyes. “I’ll come” He nodded “We’ll go together”

  He watched her return to her home, and then he went back inside his home, closed the door behind. The lump in his throat moved as he looked up at the stairs. “Senandra! I can’t go today”

  “Why here?” Mara asked as she entered the mall. Both Mara and Eva came in matching camel color trench coat with huge buttons.

  “There is my favorite restaurant in here. I always wanted to bring someone” He walked inside the metal detector. He was in black wool jacket and Grey turtle-neck with dark maroon pants.

  Eva ran away the moment she saw the swing set in the middle of the mall. Few kids were jumping on the trampoline, few playing on the plastic slides and few in the seesaw. Eva climbed and sat on the lonely swing. The seat was too high for her. Her feet were hanging in midair, and she couldn’t push herself. She got off, turned and hugged the seats by bringing her arms over it. She kicked and the seat began to take off as she watched the ground below moved.

  He brought Mara to the restaurant opposite to the play area. Mara sat facing Eva outside. “Oh, it’s an Italian hotel!” She asked as she saw the Italian landscape pictures around. She studied over the different items on the menu, couldn’t understand the food, and she put it down. “Your Wish”

  She looked at her daughter. A tiny, petite guy smaller than Eva, came next to her. He took the adjacent swing, copied her by hugging the swing seat and swung ne
xt to her. Eva and he exchanged a smile.

  “So what happened between you and your super secret woman” Mara asked as he finished ordering.