I don't Wear Sunscreen (9 page)

“
You know her, she pushed me
in the swimming pool when I was 10 years old and asked me to swim
all by myself, even when I was drowning and shouting out for help,
even when people around yelled at my mother, she said that I should
come out by myself. You think she even cares a damn until I
forcefully tell her?” Laksha said.

“
She must be curious at
least,” Pallavi raised her brows in astonishment.

“
She is, but she won’t ask
me, stubborn lady,” she smiled with pride.

“
That’s good too, let’s not
pull them down, they sent you so far away, it involves a lot of
trust. It’s not easy for them, so don’t break it,” she held her
shoulder and gently shook her.

“
I am worried about my job
actually, it was his recommendation,” Laksha confessed.

“
Crap, as if it’s the only
company on Earth, quit that damn job,” Pallavi said
furiously.

“
I would definitely get
another job, but it's just not that, my role here and the learning
is just great, no one can understand that I know so much as a
trainee, its beyond words, I love my role,”

“
Okay, fine, he is just your
friend, right? You didn’t propose or anything yet, keep going that
way. If he proposes, say a big no, don’t even let him know that you
understood he is a cheat. Promise me,” Pallavi rolled out her
fingers and pointed them straight to her eyes.

“
But what if he asks
why?”

“
When he hasn’t even
disclosed his full name to you till date, what makes you want to
explain why you are not interested?”

“
Makes sense,”

“
Or, okay, tell him that
your parents found a groom for you,” Pallavi exclaimed with an
invisible bulb switching on over her head.

“
This is so stupid,” Laksha
turned towards the road. “Leave this, I am leaving next week, let
us tackle it later. What’s the news your end?”

“
Tragedies, as usual. We are
facing the same old hassles, we are bankrupt and the debtors are
forcing us to hand over the house. The interest has piled up and is
now huge, we can never repay in this lifetime. So the only option
is to give away our only home, which had been preserved for
generations,” Pallavi pressed her lips together and looked up
seriously.

“
I am so sorry, how stupid I
am, involving you in my small problems when you are already facing
such big issues in your life,”

“
Come on, big deal! Facing
the same for years together, the debtors thought I will bag a job
and repay in lakhs, stupid people. They don’t know that I will not
get a job, and even if I do, repaying will take my whole
life!”

“
Are you nuts? Look, I’m
sure you will get a job next time. All I dream of is to see you
grow big, really big. You will get better opportunities, they say
engineers get work in the US or UK and make a lot of money in a few
years. Repay all your debts, settle and live happily ever after!”
Laksha threw her hands up in the air at acute angles.

“
Very nice to hear, let’s
see, thanks for the high hopes, it boosts me up,” she gave Laksha a
bear hug.

***

It was late when Laksha went
to bed. She didn’t notice her mobile, which she had left on the
bed, as it rattled whenever she turned left and right, trying to
sleep. Some keys got pressed and the music player started off on
its own, with the heart soothing
Tum hi
ho
song from Aashiqui 2. It just took 2
seconds for her to recognize it, she hastened to switch off the
volume and peeped out to see if it had disturbed her parents. By
then, the phrase
Zindagi, ab tum hi ho
had
begun.

The only Hindi song in her
mobile that Sai had uploaded, even before handing over the mobile
to her.
“I love one song and I want you to
hear it, open the music folder and play it, I will stay on
WhatsApp,”
he had ordered in the sweetest
way possible through a small greeting card that he stuck over the
gift wrapped phone. She carefully unwrapped every part and
smoothened the wrapper to keep it safe forever. She read the
greeting message four times and flicked open the mobile, inserted
the SIM card and opened WhatsApp,
“Hi
dolly, been waiting all day long to see your name pop.”

She swiftly clicked the Music folder
and found Aditya Roy Kapoor holding his jacket open while Sharaddha
Kapoor hugged him tightly, their noses sliding next to each other.
She smiled broadly, listening to the romantic song.

Chapter Eight

“
Laksh, remember, don’t
disclose anything to Sai, and try to behave normally. Go and work
as usual and don’t meet him. If you need to just keep giving him
some excuse, like you have to be in office for long hours.
Concentrate on your work and nothing else,” Pallavi gave her a lot
of advice before she left.

“
Yes, sure,” Laksha nodded,
feeling low.

“
It’s totally okay,
prevention is better than cure. I am so happy that you did not
disclose your love for him. I really did not expect him to go to
such lengths, otherwise I would have warned you in advance. I
underestimated him so I am also responsible for this mess. I am so
sorry, I feel like I am the mother of all misery,” Pallavi said all
this in a very low, sad tone.

“
Cheer up, he is such an
unethical and cheap person that I don’t want to meet him again.
I’ve blocked his number already.” Laksha spoke with confidence,
which helped Pallavi feel better.

“
That’s nice,; thank God you
had his picture! Otherwise, it would have been an epic
disaster,”

“
True. Anyway, you take
care, and I am sorry that I feel terrible today. I can't make it to
the station,”

“
Come on; don’t be so formal
with me. So when are you planning to leave?” Pallavi
questioned.

“
No
plans yet, I am just feeling down and I want to spend time here at
home, so let’s see. I will call you once I decide,” Laksha
said.

“
Bye
Laksha, I want to spend more time with you, but I might have any
interviews next week. All these months I have been preparing only
to get placed, so I haven’t really enjoyed student life as a normal
person would do.
I used to think that those
who do that and don’t study would have nowhere to turn after their
course. But look where I am, fallen flat on my face,” Pallavi
vented her thoughts.

“
This is not rock bottom.
You come to Mumbai after you get a job, we will
celebrate,”

“
Sure, pray for
me!”

***

Laksha felt lonely as soon as Pallavi
had left. Though it takes a lifetime to forget someone who gives
one so much to remember, there comes a point in life, to dial it
down and swing in life’s own way. Just being mean, doesn’t make it
easy. Even though you survive a storm and feel relaxed for a while,
life may suddenly throw another one your way.

Laksha took a break, she
took a drive along the marina beach from the light house to the
Anna square in the morning, dropped by the Spencer plaza to for
some window shopping, drove across the mount road, and reached
Amethyst for a cup of coffee. She walked past the garden, with
thoughts of Sai creeping and welling her eyes. “
Why did he do this to me, why this happened to
me
,” and more
“Why’s”
crossed her mind. She drove
back to home in Gopalapuram, after the “Me” time she spent in
Amethyst, that one place she goes often to revamp
herself.

***

“
No... No... Let me go, it
hurts! Ahhhh…. No... Let me go, leave me, I want to go home, let me
go, let me go!” Laksha screamed.

“
Laksha, are you alright?
What happened?” her father was sitting right next to her with a
frightened expression.

“
Nightmare, nothing much,”
Laksha gasped. “Just let me have some water,” she stretched out her
hands to get hold of the bottle.

“
I warned you not to see any
stupid TV show before sleeping. I got so scared,” her dad walked
out of the room while her mom stood next to the door and laughed at
him.

“
Stop laughing, will you?”
he glared at her.

“
Stop kidding, will you? She
is just shouting from her bed and what else can it be except a bad
dream? Grow up, old man,” she winked at Laksha and closed the door
as he walked away with a small smile.

Kids they are, thank God
they don’t know what has happened. I don’t want to tell them ever,
so that they stay chirpy as always. I will grow in my career and
walk their way, going forward. This crappy incident shouldn’t
dominate my life. I will let this humiliating truth and bury it
within me.
Laksha thought this and whiled
away the gloomy night alone

The next morning, she woke at 11:00 A.M
and wondered when she had fallen asleep. She walked out and saw
Pallavi’s mom sitting in the hall, discussing something seriously
with her mom. She went a few steps closer; her mom noticed her and
gestured to her to get back into the room.

Laksha kept thinking about the unusual
visit, again and again.

“
Why did she come? What she
is trying to do? Did Pallavi tell her everything? What will mom do,
will she lose her cool? Will she inform dad and stop me from going
back to Mumbai? No, no, I can’t afford to lose my job, I am trying
to grow there, I can’t imagine myself in any other company. What
can I do?” Laksha’s mind popped all these questions again and
again, and her heart raced like a drunken person driving a car on
the empty ECR route.

As soon as she heard the door shut, she
rushed towards her mom and asked what happened.

“
Why are you so bothered?
Calm down first, this is the first time I am seeing you so anxious
about something,” Laksha’s mom asked with a suspicious
expression.

“
No, just curious mom,” she
was expecting an immediate answer.

“
They are moving, handing
over the home to the debtors. They signed an agreement that if they
don’t return the amount, it will leave their hands forever. She
just came today to inform us and share her worries. Now you don’t
take this to your dumb heart,” her mom spoke in a flat tone, with
thoughts on Laksha’s behavior.

“
That’s awful, to where are
they moving?”

“
Back to their hometown, but
Pallavi will continue to study in Coimbatore till she finds a job.
Don’t share this with her, if she tells you, just nod and don’t
comment,” Laksha’s mom kept talking while working with the vessels
in the kitchen.

“
How will she know that I am
nodding? If we talk over the phone that is, mom,” Laksha asked
playfully, popping her head into the kitchen door.

Her mom looked around for something to
hit her with, and ran out with a whisk.

“
Thank God, I don’t know why
I turned so anxious all of a sudden, phew,” she mumbled and walked
past the hall.

“
Aye, come for lunch,” her
mom pulled her braided hair. “Thought of asking you days back, your
hair looks shinier and softer than ever, how come?” she
asked.

That question reminded her instantly
one of her best days with Sai.