“Where have you been the whole day ? “ Mother enquired.
“Been working hard” Meghna replied and thrust a packet of biscuits in her hand. It was her way of saying ?keep quiet?. As she entered her room, mother wondered why she was walking slowly. “Did anybody call ?” Meghna called out from her room. “No, but your friend Sheetal had come. She has left an invitation”
Meghna closed the door and collapsed on the bed. She stared at the ceiling for awhile and closed her eyes. She unbuttoned her skirt, eyes still closed and reached for her steal. Slowly and carefully she pulled out the chain so as not to hurt any one. She held the chain a feet away from her eyes. The chain looked a little baffled over the treatment meted out by its new master. A hair raising ride was not something a fake chain in a jewellery counter would ever expect. But that did not make it loose its lustre. The ruby shined like a gem in the sun and Meghna could not take her eyes away for a while.
She heard her father arrive at the gate. She sprung up immediately, looked around for a place to hide the chain. She opened the cupboard, and found her folding umbrella. She unzipped the umbrella, popped the chain in, packed the umbrella as it was and kept it in its place. ‘The monsoon is still 2 months away’ she thought.
As she was sipping tea in the living room, she found the invitation card. ?Why sheetal did not tell me she was coming ? she thought. She opened the invitation. It was the most elaborate invitation she had ever seen. Sheetal Zaveri, her ex classmate was marrying next month. The Zaveris were a big clout in Mumbai?s elite circle. They had amassed wealth out of their business in South Africa and were one of the few such people in Mumbai who did not owe anything to the underworld. While in college Meghna had heard interesting stories about their business operations. About how Meghna?s dad was caught carrying a sack of currency while ducking the income tax and the politicians who lined up to release him.
Sheetal did not show a clue of a rich parentage. She was a cool girl in college and a good friend of Meghna. But she was spoilt. She was as mischievous as Meghna and lent a helping hand in most of the troubles she created. Meghna was surprised to hear Sheetal was marrying so early and wondered what type of house wife she would make.
As she prepared to sleep, she couldn?t just help replaying the evening?s incident. She planned to attend Sheetal?s wedding next month. But by then life would have come back to the drab usual, and she would need to recharge her batteries. Suddenly a crooked thought flashed her mind. Sheetal?s wedding would be lavish. It would be the right place to ?lift? something. She would not only lift something, she would create a drama and watch it from behind the curtains. She would make people run around tensed and confused. It didn?t matter if it was her best friend?s wedding. A kind of electricity passed her body as she thought of it.
But she had to do something before that. Her daring act at the Kapadia Supermarket wasn?t complete. She looked at the watch and then at the umbrella. As she rested her head on the pillow, she thought about tomorrow.
To be continued ?..
Author: Remy DSouza- Kuwait