Chapter 15 – An Impatient Wait
Another beautiful morning had arrived. It was almost seven o'clock.
Krish woke up from his sleep, sat up on his bed, and after drinking some water, stepped out into the hall. The new guests were already awake. The moment Krish came out, all three of them looked at him as if they had been waiting just for him.
Krish:
"You all woke up so early?"
Saloni:
"Yes. Good morning."
Deepak:
"We have to go home."
Krish:
"What, do you think I'd keep you locked up here? I'm hoping your father's intoxication has worn off by now."
Saloni:
"It seems like it has."
Deepak:
"In the mornings, his mood is usually fine."
Krish:
"That's good to hear. Come on, I'll walk with you."
Krish stepped out of his residence along with the three of them. Walking together, they soon reached their house. Krish followed them inside the compound. The main door was still locked from the outside. Deepak opened it. As they went in, they saw their father sleeping on the sofa, snoring heavily.
Krish:
"Looks like everything's fine here. Don't wake him up right now. You two take care of whatever you need to do."
Saloni:
"Yes… now we're just waiting for Mom to come back."
Krish:
"Don't worry, she will. If there's any problem, call me."
Saloni:
"Okay."
After that, Krish returned to his own place. Seeing that everything was under control brought him a sense of relief.
By the time it was almost ten in the morning, Krish had gotten ready and reached his office. As soon as he entered, his eyes went to the main counter where Ruby usually sat—but her seat was empty today.
Krish wondered where his new friend Ruby was. He looked around while walking further inside, but she was nowhere to be seen. He then went into his small cabin and sat down.
After a short while, one of his office colleagues, Ghanshyam (age 29), came in with a cheerful smile on his face.
Ghanshyam:
"Hello, my friend… how are you?"
Krish:
"Hey, I'm fine. How about you?"
Ghanshyam:
"I'm great. What have you been up to these days?"
Krish:
"Just work and rest. And you?"
Ghanshyam:
"My name is Ghanshyam. Think of me as your friend—and just call me Ghanshyam."
Krish:
"Sure, Ghanshyam."
Ghanshyam:
"Tomorrow is the boss's birthday party. You're coming, right?"
Krish:
"I didn't know about that."
Ghanshyam:
"Oh, that's okay. The party hasn't been officially announced yet, but it's fixed for tomorrow. You must come. Like every year, the boss will give gifts to everyone."
Krish:
"Yeah, why not. I'll come."
Ghanshyam:
"Most people here are over thirty, except a few of us. We have our own little group. Would you like to join us? Once a month, we get together and party."
Krish:
"Thank you for the offer, but I don't really get much time to party or hang out. And right now, the workload is quite heavy."
Ghanshyam:
"Oh come on, what time, what work? If you keep going like this, your whole life will pass by. My friend, you should enjoy a little too—just like us."
Krish:
"Maybe. Let's see, if I get the time."
Ghanshyam:
"By the way, your very close friend Ruby isn't around today?"
Krish:
"I didn't see her either."
Ghanshyam:
"She's very special to the boss, you know. You should be aware that she's having an affair with him."
Krish:
"I don't know anything about that. We're just friends—we only met two days ago."
Ghanshyam:
"Alright. Still, it looks like today as well, the boss has taken her along for some extra birthday preparations."
Krish:
"Can we talk about something else?"
Ghanshyam:
"Sure, no problem. We'll catch up later."
Krish:
"Yeah… okay."
It was seven in the evening—the time for the office to close. Krish stepped out.
He already knew where his heart wanted to take him today.
A small, fragile hope pulled him toward the garden.
Krish headed back home, and after a while, mounted his bike and once again stopped in front of that very garden. But before going inside, he entered the restaurant opposite the garden. He ordered his dinner and began eating. Yet, again and again, his mind was being drawn toward the garden, as if something inside it was calling out to him.
After finishing his meal, Krish came out of the restaurant. He checked the time—it was almost eight. He walked into the garden. There was still a lot of movement around, people strolling everywhere. Admiring the beauty of the garden, Krish made his way toward the far end, from where the sea was visible. Quite a few people were roaming around there.
Krish knew that Vanshika—who was used to solitude—would not come at such a crowded hour. To pass the time, he moved toward another section of the garden.
While wandering, Krish reached an area where several couples were lost in their own world of romance. He was the only lone boy there, without a girl by his side. Some of the couples began staring at him, making him uncomfortable. So, he walked away again, toward the outer part of the garden.
Waiting alone like this was not an easy task.
Krish found a quiet spot in the vast garden and sat down. But within minutes, a group of children came running in, filling the place with noise and chaos. Still, watching those children play brought a faint smile to Krish's face.
There were just eleven minutes left for nine o'clock. Krish stood up from the bench and once again headed toward the seaside. When he reached there, he noticed that the crowd had vanished. Only one girl was sitting alone on a bench.
Krish's eyes lit up.
From a distance, and from behind, she looked like Vanshika.
A smile spread across Krish's face. He walked toward the girl and stood in front of her. But as soon as he saw her face, he realized she wasn't Vanshika—she was someone else entirely.
The girl:
"What do you want?"
Krish:
"Oh, I'm sorry. I misunderstood."
Girl:
"Misunderstood what? Do I look like that kind of girl to you?"
Krish:
"No, that's not what I meant. From behind, you looked like a friend of mine."
Girl:
"From behind?"
Just then, her boyfriend arrived after relieving himself in the bushes. He stared at Krish aggressively.
The boy:
"Hey… what are you doing near my girlfriend?"
Krish:
"Nothing. There was just a misunderstanding."
Boy:
"What do you mean by misunderstanding? What are you trying to say?"
Girl:
"Baby, let him go. He seems like a nice guy."
Boy:
"Nice? Fine. Now get out of here."
Krish quietly moved away and sat on another bench a short distance away, gazing at the sea. After some time, the couple also left. Krish was left completely alone.
As time passed, Krish's hope began to fade.
With a sad expression, he kept staring at the sea. Just then, from behind him, a soft and melodious female voice was heard -
Girl:
"Hello…"
Next Chapter…