I didn't realize this until Arin completely disappeared from my sight. His absence became a stain that hurt my eyes. I threw the bag in the compartment and as soon as I got up, a voice made me turn around.
"What time is it, beta ?"
Her face was full of wrinkles, as if her whole life had been spent in deceiving her in some way or the other. An old shawl hung down to her shoulders, like some useless thing that someone had worn. Her eyes were deep, but also empty. As if she never expected anyone to rescue her.
"Four forty-five," I glanced at the watch and answered.
She remained silent for a few moments.
Then, she said softly,
"Will you drop me at this address?"
and placed the paper in front of me. Her hands were trembling so much that the page was on the verge of falling. I guessed, at this moment, she might deceive someone, but still, there was an impatience in that face.
"Aunty," I sighed, "I will be there in a little while, you can take help from someone else"
But she kept looking at me quietly. There was a deep coldness in her eyes. As if ice had frozen in the eyes of a dead person.
should I take this woman with me? Could she be a cheater?
she is just an old lady, Aira. Show some humanity.
I felt as if her soul was staring at me. And then I took the paper, feeling a little guilty.
"Okay," I said, "sit down."
She sat down slowly, and I started the engine.
Oh God, let us reach safely,
I felt an uneasiness inside me, but I ignored it. All I cared about was her face, and I was trying to keep myself from quarreling.
Her voice broke the silence again, "What is your name?"
For a moment I was silent.
Should I tell her name or not?
The depth in her face was frightening to me. But then I calmed myself down.
"Aira," I said.
She murmured, "Strange name."
I looked at her, shocked.
What did she say?
There was something in her voice, as if she had said something else, but I could not understand it. There was a sense of loss in her words, as if I was losing myself, and she was searching for my lost identity.
We reached her house. I heaved a sigh of relief and stopped the scooty.
"Here we are," I said.
But she stopped. Why? I turned around. Was she hiding something from me?
Then suddenly, as if a stranger breaks the distance between , she grabbed my wrist.
"You will meet the man who is your destiny," she said, "but remember, he will not be yours, and he will not bring only happiness."
Her voice was so deep, as if she already knew which way I was going. She went inside, closed the door, and left me in silence.
Did she really know anything, or was she just an old woman who scattered words to confuse people?
I blinked my eyes, and said to myself, "It was just a stranger meeting."
But as I started to return home, his words started to haunt me. I felt, I had somehow fallen short in understanding what he said, and there was something I could not deny.
Forget it, Aira. It's just another strange encounter.