Life of a Slice - PDA Files.
‘Excuse me, don’t sit so close. Maintain a distance,’ the security guard tapped her stick in the air and looked at us in disgust as she said so.
It had been weeks since Akanksha and I had not met. She was sick. She had no strength to step outside her house, let alone meeting me.
All those days, I was concerned about her health. I was worried if or not she is getting any better with time, and is she taking her meals and medicines as required.
Initially during her sickness, we had talked very little. She needed rest. I kept on wondering about how she would be feeling throughout. I was consumed by her thoughts. I was hoping she would recover soon. I missed her so much.
And then one day, she asked me if we could meet. No doubt, I was desperate to see her but at the back of my mind, I was alert as she was still in her recovery phase. So we settled upon going to a mall near her place.
I reached a little early that day at the decided spot which is just a minute away from her place. I texted her,
‘I've reached. I am standing near the bank. You take your time and come. And please, do not hustle. I’ll wait.’
In a few minutes, I saw her coming. She did not spot me immediately as I was hiding behind a car. I did this deliberately. I always do this— hide from her sight so that I can catch her ignorant of my presence, her eyes looking for me, her fingers repeatedly brushing her hair in an attempt to set them perfect against the wind. She always has this grace, while she walks, as if she is shedding a hypnotic aura for everyone around her. This sight of her never fails to freeze me.
When she found me standing behind a car, I stepped ahead. She walked closer and smiled and said something, in her very soft voice. I did not track what she said. I was overwhelmed with her presence, I always get so.
We took an auto to the mall. I enquired in detail about her health and how has she been improving. She had a sort of physical weakness, still. So, at the mall, we headed straight to the food court and sat there and talked for hours. And then, we went down to sit in the open area outside the entry point to get some fresh air.
When I saw her hands tremble a little, I shifted close to her and held her hand tightly. She smiled. She told me not to worry. She told me she is feeling pleasant after all these days stuck at home in her bed. I could see a twinkle in her eyes when she thanked me for coming to meet her. I pretended a scoff on this, ‘Thankyou? Seriously?’ I said so and hugged her. ‘I will always be with you, for you. Always,’ I assured her. She stared at me in peace, in hope, in happiness. I stared back at her.
And there she was, the lady guard, who came to us at that moment, staring at us in a frown. She reacted to us as if we were suspected of a crime. She spoke to us in a captious tone and stared at us with angry eyes. She said what she said, and when Akanksha and I shifted a little apart, she walked her way to the security cabin. She kept checking on us again and again. That had irritated us and we walked back into the mall.
That day, we knew we were not doing anything wrong but I don't know why we could not speak a word against the guard.
Showing affection to your partner in public is a taboo and crime in India but who gets to decide to what extent it is appropriate, as what is vulgar to every person can never be the same.
Written by Pooja Kakde
The fourth episode of the series releases on 13 Sept.
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