Shyam didn’t wish to think anything. He felt more horrible to reflect about Preetu than labra. Labra... Labra. Preetu used to mention him about her dog. She would reveal she loved the dog. Shyam was negligent the dog was a name of speaking, in fact, she liked Shyam. Shyam was still puzzled why she liked him even if she knew he loves Archana. Why she was going after him. He struggled to divert his thoughts toward the labra. Many questions remain unsolved however they are associated with your own life.
“The lab is a friendly dog vis-a-vis violent. Preetu said the lab never attack its owner or family members. But you it is not true about the pit bull.” Shyam said.
“Means Pitbull will be riskier to us,” Charmi spoke.
“I consider so.” Shyam again found to drown in the reflections. Preetu... Dog... and... in fact Preetu wanted to establish the collar in his neck and perhaps she was a little success in her task. But What was her intention? Oh God! I want to think about the dog instead of Preetu. But he couldn’t think about dog holding the bitch separate.
*
“Shyam..” He saw up. Roshan Bahal had rushed in his cabin. Shyam startled as the boss never usually occurred in his cabin. He called him in his chamber generally. He rose in the honour.
“What is the matter, sir?”
“You shut your system down.” The boss was in a hurry.
“Sir, it is 4:00 pm yet.”
Roshan Bahal handed him a pen drive, “Income tax department raided at Gupta. You must leave now with this pen drive. You should show up to the office tomorrow only if I call you.”
Shyam understood. It is natural in the corporate world. It is always the priority to carry some data out from the office when it is likely income tax or sales tax department to raid at our place. He promptly shut his computer down and flew out picking the pen drive.
It was 4:00 pm now and Archana was to come back from her duty at 6:00 pm. Shyam was always grateful for raiding official as he could go home early and the leave one paid as well. He had a key of the home. He directly went home. The gate was not locked. He assumed Archana had come early or Preetu had turned from the college. He buzzed the doorbell. Preetu opened the door.
“Jiju, You.. “seeing him Preetu’s face glowed. Shyam knew Preetu was longing for him but he consistently ignored her. She was in the last semester and he had to avoid the next six months her to shield himself from her. He occasionally thought to reveal to Archana about Preetu but he was anxious whether or not Archana believed him.
Shyam entered in. Preetu closed the door. They would keep the door closed in Chandigarh. They always had an unknown fear. Preetu was from Delhi. Archana was from Sonipat and Shyam was of Gujarat. The city was strange to them yet. Shyam’s mom always complained no one from the brothers close the main gate when going out or come in.
In Gujarat, people never close the door but in Shyam’s home, no one care to close even the main gate except the mom. But it was different in Chandigarh, and Shyam never forgot to close the main gate as well as the door. Shyam put his bag aside and perched on the sofa.
“I have just come. History is a boring one for me. I left the last two lectures. Let me prepare coffee for us.” Preetu spoke.
It was 4:30, and he had no way but suffer Preetu until Archana returned.
I have to live with a fear in Archana’s home, my Archana’s home. Shyam cursed himself, “yes, but sugar limited.”
She went to the kitchen. She had blue jeans. Jeans was an old one, or the colour was faint but it fit on her body tightly. Her red t-shirt was as fit as her jeans. Shyam was now conversant to the concepts like matching and cross-matching. Pairs like Blue-red or blue-blue now common to him.
Preetu was a pretty girl. Her weight was 60 kg somewhat believed heavy among Gujarati ladies but in Punjab it was ordinary. She was a little heavy, but she had no fat on her belly as she was a hockey player.
Shyam had no interest in Preetu. She claimed him Jiju. But in fact, she was not Archana’s sister. Preetu and Archana were from a different caste. Archana had a cousin serving in Gur Gaav. Preetu was the daughter of a friend of that relative. Shyam never got concerned in Archana’s folk. Archana informed him that Preetu had some complications in her college at Delhi and she was to accomplish her last year in Chandigarh. She would pay us Rs. 5000 per month for lodging. Shyam had no interest in money but Archana told him that Preetu would help her in the kitchen, Preetu’s study would be continued and the relationship with her cousin be preserved so Shyam agreed to keep Preetu in the home.
Shyam removed his shoes and socks. Preetu came with the cappuccino.
“How is the coffee, Jiju?”
“Nice”
“I added the sugar very less but still if the sweetness of my heart included in the espresso, forgive me. You know I do every work by heart.” Preetu threw a die.
“Don’t worry, as per my choice.”
“You are speaking about the espresso or me?” she flung the second die.
Shyam couldn’t find out whether she was trying to seduce him or just teasing him as a sister-in-law. Shyam was thirty, and she was merely twenty-two.
“You haven’t responded, jiju.” Preetu rolled her eyes.
“I like you call me jiju.” Shyam tried to alter the talking.
“Don’t you like if my sister claims you jiju?”
“I am the brother-in-law of you and the same for your sister, aren’t I?”
“Do you think something missing in me?” she was clever and always ask cleverly. She succeeded to convey what she wanted but her expression remains innocent.
One defect. You are chatty. Shyam felt to reply in the same innocent tone but he couldn’t. It was all because of Archana. He was also responsible. One day after dinner, Shyam was going to switch on the T.V., Archana told him, “Preetu was disappointed today. I scolded her at noon. She hadn’t taken lunch, and she was still hungry. Please, you go to her room and make her happy. Please be there until she eats. I don’t like anybody be hungry in my home.”
That day Shyam went with a dinner plate in her room, he forced her to have dinner and from that day lo-and-behold, her fear dissolved. Now Shyam felt fear of her. Shyam was afraid if Archana doubted on him then? He knew Archana always was in search of any accuse for quarrelling with him. Shyam also liked Archana quarrelled with him and he would make her happy again but in this case, if the quarrel created, no one likes the quarrel.
Shyam rose from the sofa after coffee. He thought he should go to the public garden which was very near to Archana’s quarter in sector-11. I will turn after Archana comes he made his mind and went to the door. He placed his hand on the handle of the door; Preetu caught him from the rear.
Shyam startled. It happened what he was anxious about. Her fingers were tight on his wrists. She pulled his hand down. Shyam resisted but his grasp on the knob slipped.
Shyam tried to escape. She was a young lady a hockey player. She was stout. Shyam was thirty, but she was younger than him. She had more energy and stamina. Shyam felt himself a poor and feeble and ambushed.
“Preetu, this is unfair. Archana is to appear, Please..” Shyam tried to look at her. Shyam felt the fragrance of oil from her hair.
“What is wrong with me?”
“Not..hin..g.. you ... are.. Perfect. I.. like... you.” Shyam could speak struggling to breathe. Preetu might have thought Shyam was agreed. She might be contented with his feedback and she slackened her grip over him. Shyam removed his hands with a jerk vis-a-vis pushed himself backwards. Perhaps, Preetu had no expectation of such resist after the word ‘I like you’. She stumbled and Shyam pushed him heavily forcing his both palms.
Preetu couldn’t hold his feet on the floor. She fell down on the settee. The edge of the sofa caught her waistline, and she cried with pain. Shyam pressed her both palms on her mouth to stop her more shouting.
After some time, Shyam removed his hands. He made Preetu sit on the sofa. She was still half faint like. Preetu put her hand on her midriff and cried again. She saw her hand soaked with blood and so did Shyam. Shyam frightened. Her red T-shirt was changing more and more red and wet. The blood began to drip through T-shirt. Shyam realised his mistakes. He ran to the T.V. showcase and arrived back soon with a first aid box.
“I am sorry, Preetu.” Shyam pressed cotton on the cut. “I am sorry, Preetu, My purpose was not so. Please forgive me.”
“It’s ok, Jiju. I shouldn’t play mischief.
The sheet of cloth on the sofa was blooded. Shyam remembered Archana. She was to come soon.
“Preetu, Say nothing to Archana, Please.” Shyam requested.
“I will say, you poked me and I slid down.”
“Pease, Preetu, you know Archana won’t understand the incident. She misinterpreted the matter” Shyam felt Archana would think I am a handicap and simple in looks hence Shyam attracted to this bird. Oh, God! Archana will surely collapse.
“I won’t tell her on a condition.’
“What?”
“I need Rs 5000.”
“We made a bloody mistake welcoming in our home.” Shyam realised Preetu wanted money and so she was lusting him, “You bloody characterless girl!”
“Jiju, I will return the money. I want to bring a dog.”
“So you were flirting me for money.”
“Jiju, you misjudged me. I will return in instalment per month.”
“Puppy? Which breed?” Shyam would feel sympathy for her. Her parents took divorce. She was in her dad’s guardianship. Her parents separated when she was ten. He had read a girl raised by the father is always emotional and sensitive. He felt pity for her again.
Archana took money from her for the first two months but then she didn’t take any money from her. Archana used to share everything with her.
“Jiju, it’s not a puppy. It’s a lab about seven months. It seems not an adult dog but also not a puppy.”
“Who will give you a seven-month-old lab in just 5000?” Shyam got to know the rate of every breed of dogs after coming in Chandigarh. in Chandigarh, a pet dog is a sign of prestige and he came to hear about I bought a dog in 50,000 or I sold my dog in 40,000 from every third mouth.
“My classmate is going to abroad for study, she has got a visa. She is rich.”
“She must be rich then only going to study abroad. Come to the point.”
“It’s her dog. The dog is of 50,000. You know, jiju, the dog has GPS tracker costing 15,0000. She will give me a chain, rope, collar and dog food left with her along the dog. She loves her dog much but she can’t carry the dog with her. Her family members have no interest in the doggy. She doesn’t want to sell the dog. She will gift me the dog. I have to just click the dog every week and send her photos of her dear dog. Jiju, I told her as a formality I cannot take free of cost and she told me to give me five thousand if you don’t want to take free but promise me you will never sell it to the third party. Jiju, I need five thousand. I won’t get such a dog again.”
“Okay, when do you need?”
“Tomorrow? Can you manage?”
“You will have five thousand at tomorrow evening. but, what will you say to Archana?”
“I will say I slipped while practising dance steps. Don’t worry. Thanks for the help, Jiju.”
“Welcome”
Shyam had lent her money the following day. After a couple of days, they have labra in their home. The dog was a nice one. It was trained, so they had no trouble from the dog. Preetu, Archana and he were engaged to the dog for a week.
Gradually, Archana and Shyam disengaged to the dog but Preetu was always crazy after the dog. Preetu used to talk to her dog for hours. She went on walk both morning and evening with the dog. Preetu sometimes talked about the dog to Shyam.
Shyam thought Preetu felt lonely due to her parents’ separation, and she kept herself busy talking to her dogs and taunting him innocently.
Shyam found many details about labra from Preetu. She also informed him about the attributes of a bulldog, pit bull and mastiff.
“Preetu, can your dog bite me in the night mistaking me as a stranger?” asked Shyam someday.
“Jiju, The labra is a clever dog. Labra recognise the human by body smell. You know, jiju, if one wants to steal something from our house at night, he must enter our house and steal our clothes first. If he comes putting on our clothes, our lab doesn’t attack him feeling him a family member. But to steal the clothes he enters our home and our lab will eat him up.” She laughed as she told any joke.
“Let’s bathe your dog. Today is Sunday. Archana will come after 2:00 pm as today is a session in assembly.”
“No” she cried, “never”
“Why?”
“Jiju, never bathe labra in cold. It will be sick. It may die if you bathe labra with cold water.”
“Then?”
“Clean its body first with wet clothes and then with dry clothes.
“It is good you instructed me otherwise I will bathe your labra someday.”
“Never even by mistake. Never in winter.”
***
To be continue...
