Arnav Singh Raizada felt exhilaration go through his body as he rode his Royal Enfield up the winding roads of the Western Ghats. He was passing through the famous ‘green route’ of the Ghats on the way from Bangalore to Mangalore. The breathtaking views began right after the Hassan district and turned all the more picturesque at the town of Sakaleshpur. This route was a favourite of the trekkers who came there to rejuvenate themselves as they hiked through the evergreen tropical forests that blended with lush valleys, majestic waterfalls nestled in the folds of the hills, gushing rivers, and the grey, misty skies. He had trekked on this route a few times in the last few years.
He remembered the first time he had made this trip to Mangalore when he joined the mechanical engineering course at the Sai College of Engineering. Even though there was an airport in Mangalore he more often preferred to take the flight from Delhi to Bangalore so he could take a road trip to Mangalore along with his buddies who lived in the city of Bangalore. As the wind hit his body with full force, he increased the throttle a little more.
It was afternoon when he rode his bike through the busy streets of Udupi but refrained from stopping there for lunch and drove straight to the beach resort at Malpe. He sat at a table at a makeshift shack close to the beach and looked at the vast ocean ahead. As the waves crashed over and over again on the shore, thoughts began to whirl in his head. These thoughts had been his constant companions for as long as he could remember.
How could you do this to me?
What are we going to do with him now?
He will have to stay here
There is no other choice!
Why was life so unfair to some people while some enjoyed a carefree blissful life free of burdens and obligations? Some people called it fate. But Arnav did not believe in those things. He believed that it was people who created undesirable circumstances and blamed it on fate. His fate had been decided by other people’s bad choices — people who he was unfortunately associated with. He couldn't control his past but he would make sure he would be the one controlling his future.
This was his final year and after that, he would be flying off to study Masters in the United States. He didn’t care about the University. All he wanted was to leave the country. There was nothing left for him here. There was nothing left for him after his mother had died ten years ago.
Loud squealing brought him out of his reverie. He spotted a group of people a little farther. Payal and her friends had arrived. He didn’t really want to be here but Payal had insisted and he didn’t want to refuse her. It was just that he wasn’t too thrilled to be in the company of her classmates. He spotted them as they sat under the shade of umbrellas, engrossed in their own world of revelry. Arnav’s thoughts went back a year ago when he had seen them all for the first time as nervous first year students during a session of friendly ragging. Payal, with her good looks, had instantly attracted the attention of most of the male students, juniors and seniors alike.
Suddenly, Arnav noticed a girl in the water. She wore a bright red t-shirt. Her braid hung down her front like a rope as she stood in thigh deep water. She was farther than she should be, he thought. Her back was toward the ocean and her entire attention was toward the group. She seemed to be lost in thought. There was a huge wave coming toward her and she was completely unaware of it. What the hell?
Arnav sprinted toward the ocean and dived into the waves. In the nick of time, he had caught the girl before she was swept away by the wave. When he carried her back to the shore, he noticed her glaring at him.
‘Let me down!’ she yelled at him.
Taken aback at her erratic behaviour, he put her down on the sand and held her arms. ‘What the f—-’ he swore, ‘you were going to be swept away!’
‘No, I wasn’t!’ she shot back, ‘I am a champion swimmer — I am used to swimming in the ocean.’
As he watched in disbelief, she shrugged off his hand and walked back into the water.
Later that night, Arnav stood in the night club of the resort, holding a bottle of beer in his hand. The DJ was playing all the popular bollywood songs to which the crowd was dancing away in a frenzy. In the haze of smoke, he could see dark bodies moving, glittering, as light flashed on them now and then. He had to get away from Payal and her gang for a little bit. There was only so much he could handle.
From his vantage point, he noticed the firebrand of a girl — Khushi, step into the discotheque. Payal had introduced him to her sixteen year old sister who was visiting her for the weekend. She looked like a deer caught in headlights as she slowly made her way through the crowd. It was obvious she was looking for her sister. She stood in one corner looking at the crowd in a daze.
He saw Payal walk up to her, and after a brief exchange, Payal left Khushi to join her friends on the dance floor. He saw Khushi heading back toward the exit, but suddenly, she seemed to have changed her mind as she turned around and made her way to the bar counter. It looked like she was trying to order something but the crowd at the counter made it difficult for her. Then, a man approached her and offered her a drink. She politely refused the man and turned away from him but the man became persistent.
Without further thought, Arnav walked up to her.
‘I have been looking all over for you,’ he said, ‘What are you doing here?’
Khushi turned around. She looked thin in her skinny jeans and t-shirt with her collar bones jutting out. She had left her long hair loose. Her face was completely devoid of any makeup.
‘I — I was trying to order a — drink.’ She stuttered. ‘A soft drink.’ She added in a rush.
He turned to the man next to her. ‘I think you can leave can leave now.’ He dismissed the other man rudely.
‘No!’ Then man slurred, obviously a little drunk. ‘Who the hell are you?’
Arnav’s eyes turned to slits. ‘I think you should leave when I am asking you politely.’
‘How dare you?’ The man pushed Arnav’s shoulder.
Arnav held the man’s hand in a crushing grip, bent down and spoke in his ear. ‘If you don’t leave her alone right this instant you son of a b@#$%^, I will drag you out and break all your bones one by one.’ He said in a chilling voice.
The man held his bruised wrist and stepped back, pain and fear clearly written on his face.
Arnav turned around and grabbed Khushi’s hand and walked away from the bar counter.
Taking her back to her room would be a great idea, but he heard himself asking, ‘Have you had dinner?’
‘It’s alright — I am going to order room service.’ She replied quickly. ‘Didi asked me to do that earlier.’
‘But you decided to defy her.’ He said, staring down at her.
Khushi looked away from him as tears threatened to drop from her eyes.
God help him but he couldn’t take it. ‘Come with me.’ He led her to a table nearby. ‘Sit here. I will be back soon.’
In a few minutes when he came back to the table, she was right where he had left her. She seemed to have composed herself. As he took his seat opposite her and she looked at him her face twisted with curiosity.
‘What did you tell the man?’ she asked him, as she leaned forward on the table. ‘Did you hurt him?’
He shrugged his shoulder. ‘I asked him to leave.’ He left out all the gory details and changed the topic. ‘Why did you come back?’ He questioned her.
‘I always do that,’ she replied with a smile, ‘whenever didi tells me something I do the opposite.’ A dimple had appeared on her cheek. She looked innocent and alluring all at the same time.
Arnav had a good mind to get up and bring Payal here so she could take care of her sister.
‘I am sorry!’ she suddenly said. When he raised an eyebrow in query she continued, ‘Earlier at the beach I was rude.’
‘That’s okay.’ He dismissed it.
‘It’s just that -- I was embarrassed when you carried me like I was a child.’ Her face was flushed. ‘I guess you were worried about me.'
Arnav decided to keep silent as he sipped his beer. Khushi looked at the crowd on the dance floor, her eyes alight with excitement.
‘Do you want to dance?’ He asked her.
‘No — I can’t dance.’ Khushi shook her head, her eye wide with anxiety.
‘How will you know unless you have tried it?’ He took her hand and pulled her to the dance floor.
Arnav had no idea why he was doing what he was doing. But within a short time, he realized that Khushi was a natural. In no time she had learned the steps and was soon matching her rhythm to the music. Excited at her newfound confidence she emulated others and improvised. Then the music changed to a popular song and she began to dance. He was pretty sure she wasn't paying attention to the lyrics of the song about body shapes and the smell of bedsheets, but he wasn't sure why he was so attuned to it tonight. He stood still and just watched her. As she danced with unconscious sensuality, she looked simply stunning.
Suddenly there was a tap on his shoulder. ‘Sir, your food has been served on the table,’ a waiter had come up to them.
He grabbed her hand. ‘Khushi — come, let’s get you fed.’ He ushered her back to the table.
‘Dancing is so much fun!’ She breathed. ‘Can I go back and dance after I eat?’ She gathered up her long hair and tied it up in a bun. There was a sheen of sweat on her face and throat.
‘I have to go.’ His tone was clipped. It was more for him than her.
Once she had eaten her dinner, he stood up. ‘I will take you back to your room.’
At the door to her room, Khushi looked at him. ‘Thank you.’ She said softly.
Arnav tilted his head. ‘What for?’
Suddenly she raised herself on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around him in a hug. ‘For teaching me to dance!’ She stepped back looking up at him with her big doe like eyes.
Of his own volition, his hand moved up to undo the bun, so the hair fell down her back like a waterfall. He looked at her for a few moments and said. ‘It was nice to meet you Khushi. Take care.’ He stepped back and walked away from her as fast as his legs could take him.
He was not in the habit of giving in to his impulses but he was close to doing just that tonight. Giving himself a good mental shake, he got on his motorcycle and rode into the night. He had to remind himself that she was Payal’s little sister. He didn’t need anything like this at this time of his life. He had a girl friend for God’s sake!
