Chương 12: The One Who was Rescued

Suhasini held her place opposite Shekhar as they continued to dance. Shekhar’s warm hand in the small of Suhasini’s back as he grinned at her, openly taking in her beauty and enjoying her presence. Though Nihaal standing in a corner seemed to derive little pleasure from their dance.

‘It must have been quite unexpected running into Mr. Nihaal, here at the party?’, asked Suhasini as they slowly moved on the tunes of the gramophone. ‘Unexpected?! No…not at all, I knew I will find my old friend here’, smiled Shekhar.

‘Really? I thought Mr. Nihaal didn’t like parties’, she added.

Shekhar smiled, ‘you know Suhasini – may I call you Suhasini’ he asked. Suhasini politely nodded with a smile, ‘well I knew Nihaal will come to the party for Mr. & Mrs Shrivastav are our old friends.’ He looks at Nihaal standing alone in a corner, watching them quietly and sighed, he said, ‘I have seen Nihaal dance the night away at many parties, he actually loved them.’

Suhasini’s eyes were wide with surprise, ‘really? You are not fooling me, are you?’

‘No, not at all’, Shekhar said as a somber look took over his face, ‘he loved them, he and Rani were the spark that took over every party, but then after she was gone, Nihaal became quiet and lost.’

Suhasini’s smile vanished and a strange pain crept over her face when Nihaal’s words astonished them both, ‘may I too have the pleasure of a dance with you Ms. Suhasini’, he asked. Shekhar let out a happy, hearty laugh, ‘I couldn’t be happier to see you dance after so long, my dear friend and I believe Suhasini will have no objection either’, he looked at Suhaini who smiled and agreed. Nihaal gently took Suhasini’s hand and slipped in Shekhar’s place and said, ‘so I see you and Shekhar are on first name basis.’ The words slipped out before Nihaal could check them and he regretted them. Suhasini looked at him squarely as though the words were spoken politely, she sensed an edge of irony. The two danced quietly as the chords wafted from the music box. Nihaal’s gentle fingers at the small of her back sent shivers through her body, his touch sparked fire in her belly and fear – that she is slowly slipping away – in her eyes. She looked at Nihaal who was quiet and composed, his eyes clear and in charge. But it was not true at all for deep inside Nihaal struggled. Beneath his calm and matured demeanor was a turmoil stirring – what is happening to me? Why I felt so disgruntled at the site of Suhasini and Shekhar dancing? Why did I interrupt the dance? What made me ask for the dance? – he wondered.

*****

‘Were you terribly bored, Mr. Nihaal?’, Suhasini asked as she sat next to him in the car as he drove them back. ‘No’, said Nihaal surprised.

‘You were very quiet in the party, hardly talked to anyone’, she said.

‘I danced, didn’t I’, he said with a hint of amusement which made Suhasini smile as she added, ‘yes but not as much as you used to dance. Shekhar tells me you were quite a carouser…’

Nihaal’s face hardened, the reminiscent words of Suhasini brought over pain, his eyes grew so dark that it matched the darkness of his austere suit. Suhasini felt guilt, almost unforgivably guilty and cursed herself – my wretched tongue!

They drove in silence for some time until Suhasini who was looking outside the window, clutched his arm, ‘oh stop! Please!’

Nihaal screeched the car to a halt, alarmed, ‘what?’ But before he could get an answer, Suhasini was already scrambling out of the car. They were on a narrow bridge as Suhasini worried cut through knee length grass and ran towards a stream below the bridge. Nihaal ran after her. By the time he had reached alongside Suhasini, his pants were ruined and his shoes sodden. He looked at Suhasini who was oblivious of her condition, the saree completely drenched, the curls of her hair unpinned and windswept.

‘There’s an animal in the sack’, she said worriedly as she pointed at a sack in the stream. Nihaal looked at the sacked which slightly moved and made whimpering sounds under the light thrown on it by a streetlight from top. As the distressed sounds became louder, Suhasini to Nihaal’s surprise was ready to step in the stream, her saree lifted to her ankles and concern all over her face. Nihaal looked at her shapely ankles and slowly raised his eyes to her concerned face, her eyes showed determination and he added, ‘wait, let me.’

‘Oh, would you?’, she asked in surprise. Nihaal nodded and stepped in the stream, grabbed the sack dexterously as she watched him with growing admiration. The coarse material of the sack leaked water as Nihaal put it on the grass. Suhasini undid the sack with hasty fingers and peeped in, ‘oh my god…there are puppies in it’, she said as the squeaking reached Nihaal’s ears. ‘People are ruthless’, said Suhasini under her breath as she took off her expensive ivory white shawl and cleaned the three puppies with it, wrapping them to the warmth of the shawl. Nihaal watched quietly and with amusement.

‘Let’s go Mr. Nihaal’, said Suhasini as she held the puppies in her arms.

‘Where?’ asked Nihaal slightly alarmed.

‘Home’, she added casually.

‘No…you cannot take these puppies back home. No…!

‘So what do you suggest I do? I can’t leave them here, they are barely few days old’, she said upset.

‘But I don’t allow pets at home, I have never allowed Madhavi to have a pet and she has asked me a million times, trust me’, he said throwing his hands in irritation.

‘They are not pets; they are poor animals who were left by some unkind person to die. They are rescued lives, you don’t abandon some creature you just rescued’, she appealed.

‘But…’

‘But, don’t worry Mr. Nihaal, I will find homes for them once they are better, I promise. But we cannot leave them here to die…please’, she added with misty eyes.

He nodded quietly. Suhasini smiled and holding those tiny creatures in her arms walked towards the bridge. While Nihaal stood wondering if she rescued those puppies or was he the one rescued from doing a sin against the humanity.

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