Chapter 7

                                    CHAPTER 7

We had only walked a few yards away from the fruit shop when I spotted a teenager running hastily towards us. He was after us; it was very evident. I stopped walking, Aadhya stopped too. Fear gripped my mind. I knew he was coming to snatch my chain. Or is he going to kill us? The word ‘kill’ echoed in my brain. All the headlines about chain-snatching flashed in my mind. I wanted to run, but my legs weighed a ton. I looked around. There were few people on the road, but I doubted if they would come to our rescue. I was waiting for the ‘adrenaline rush’ to occur hoping that it would help me out, but nothing happened. My legs were transfixed on the road. I felt a tight knot in my stomach, and trust me, it had nothing to do with my bowel movements or hunger. I stood before Aadhya, shielding her. I will protect her till my last breath, I thought. My heartbeats grew louder as he neared us. Suddenly he stopped. Now we stood facing each other. My intuition said that I would faint after a few seconds. However-

“Can I have your autograph, please?”, he blurted out.

I gasped.

At last, I’ve met a person who wants my autograph! The fear of fainting deserted me, but I feared that I would be shocked to death.

I gazed at him. He was deeply coloured. Well, if I had seen myself in my make-up mirror, I also would have found my cheeks in the deepest shades of pink.

“Sure”, I said, trying to hide my excitement.

When I returned the book after signing, he said, “I’ve read all your books. I like The Hit man the most.”

My eyes turned misty. Oh! God, I would rather die than cry in front of Aadhya. So, I quickly regained my composure and managed to say “Thank you.” I saw him leave with a sense of pride and joy.

A crazy idea popped out. Maybe I should invite him to my house. Then, an even crazier idea occurred to me. Maybe I should adopt him. I rejected both the ideas and I decided to feel content with the satisfaction of meeting an avid reader of my books.

I wasn’t too keen on using the share-auto. When you sneeze or burp, all the eyes fall upon you, and when you talk through the phone, everyone hears most of the talking and the shrewd ones try guess the person to whom you are talking to.

When I was in college, one day, I was taking a ride in a share auto. I remember, I was going through a very tough phase of my life. Only two months ago, I had broken up with my boyfriend. I looked at the dress I was wearing and remembered that he had once complimented how beautiful I looked in that dress. I suddenly felt so sad, so depressed. At first, I tried holding back my tears, however, after a few minutes, I found myself weep bitterly.

Everyone gaped at me. An old woman asked me if anything had gone wrong. I felt so weak and vulnerable, and so I told them everything. Thus, everyone, including, the driver heard my ‘break up’ story. Many threw a sympathetic look at me. The kinder souls tried consoling me. Even now, I feel ashamed about revealing my personal experiences to a bunch of strangers.

However, after a few months, my boyfriend and me fell in love again and fortunately or unfortunately ended up marrying each other!

At present, the share auto came to a halt.

“ Srirangam “, called out the driver. Two people left the vehicle. At last, I can breathe fresh air, I thought. How congested had the vehicle been when I squeezed myself and Aadhya into it!

I caught a glimpse of the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple. I could immediately feel the serenity and tranquillity of the temple, though I viewed it from a distance. I folded my hands in reverence and made a silent prayer for my family. I hate to admit it, but I finally included Shalini in my prayer, too!

Visit my blog on May 31 to read chapter 8 !!!