Stranger Beings

Mopping up the granite floor one last time with a soaked towel, Malti scans the room for any speck of dust. Pleased by the shining floor, she marches towards the kitchen to line up her delicious preparations for the day. The aroma of Indian spices fills her nostrils, and a satisfied grin plays on her lips. Samosas, jalebis, puris and Cholas occupy almost the entire table, waiting to be served.

Living in the city of dreams, aka Mumbai, comes with its own benefits and flaws. There is ample opportunity to soar up in the sky and see the world. Nonetheless, at the end of the day, one has to return to their matchbox-sized apartment. In such living arrangements, nothing is personal. Everyone lives like a fat happy family.

The happy part could be debatable.

Although money is scanty, Malti refuses to disregard her mother's teachings. Atithi Devo bhava- The guest is god.

Besides, she refuses to give her friends a single opportunity to question her hospitality. When you invite your neighbours to your home, it becomes a matter of pride. Nothing can go wrong.

The doorbell rings and Malti welcomes four of her dear neighbours. “Kamla, Aasha, Sushma, Rashmi! Come in, come in. Make yourselves comfortable”, she says, fixing a pleasant smile on her visage.

“Oh, what a lovely home you have! Always spotless!”, Kamla exclaims clapping her hands.“Too bad you can’t afford an air conditioner. Mumbai’s heat roasts me alive, I swear. But don’t worry, days will change for you. Trust me.” Aasha says feigning sympathy.“I heard about a Tantrik who does pooja for cursed fates. Maybe you should take your husband to him. There could be some problem with his nakshatra (stars)”, Sushma adds.

Rashmi does little to hide her disinterest and grabs the first opportunity to lead her womenfolk to the table.“Now, can we all sit by the window and have some tea? Let me tell you all about my Goa trip this summer!”

Thanking Shri Krishna for the change of topic, Malti gets the cups ready for serving her special cardamom tea to her lovely friends. When they are all seated with their cups, taking sips and criticizing the road in front of the building, the government and then their husbands, a particular man catches their eye.

Buttoned down in a blue shirt, his hair combed flat and polished shoes, he looks like a gentleman. Malti is not quite sure why her four friends eye him this suspiciously. “What happened?” she asks hoping to catch up with her friends. “I saw him yesterday, and the day before, and before that” Aasha replies with a sinful smile. “Word is that he comes daily to visit 201. And stays for precisely two hours.” Rashmi says with a wink. “Seriously how have you never seen this man Malti. Everyone is talking about him!” Kamla expresses her surprise. “Well...has anyone asked Mrs Hina then? I believe she is the resident of 201. Right?” Malti frowns in confusion. “Are you crazy? No one asks such things to their face. Besides he always comes after her husband has left for work. This could be scandalous! And no one wants to get in the middle of that!” Aasha almost shrieks the words out, her grin getting wider at every word.

“What are you getting at?” Malti asks. “Connect the dots, you idiot. This man comes after her husband leaves. Always. No one has seen him coming on weekends, when Mr Gaurav, her husband is home. This could only mean one thing. Mrs Hina is having an affair with this mystery man! I mean come to think of it, he is handsome, tall and young. Why not?” Kamla elaborates with a malicious smile.

“Uh-huh, you see the problem in your theory? He is not just young. He is too young!“ Aasha counters and continues “I was having a little chat with Mrs Hina the other day in the vegetable market. She told me something about having a crush on her university professor when she was young, while we were discussing how celebrities get married to people way older than them. What if she got pregnant at a very young age and abandoned the child? You know old men get away with this stuff easily and families were never supportive back in our days.”

To this Sushma rolls her eyes and articulates “Your theory sounds more like a Hindi daily soap script. But for a wild second if we even consider this to be true, why would her abandoned son visit her daily after so many years?” “I’ve heard Mrs Hina’s father passed away last year. He might be visiting to settle his share. Since he is an illegitimate child, the property would be hard to acquire once Mr Gaurav gets involved. Maybe he wants to settle it with his biological mother, you know, under the table?” Aasha replies nonchalantly.

“Your story is insane.” Sushma points out “You know what I think? Since it’s no secret things aren’t going well between Mr Gaurav and Mrs Hina, clearly, she wants to get rid of him. So, he could be a lawyer. They could be devising a plan to frame him for divorce in a way that Mrs Hina gets all his money!”

“Oh come on, and that isn’t daily soap script?” Aasha fires. “What? Do you not watch TV? Such cases are in news all the time!” Sushma fires back. 

To this Rashmi goes pale and stutters “Did...Did you s-say news? Oh my god, I read a piece of horrible news the other day. A woman in Navi Mumbai hired an assassin to kill her husband, whom she suspected to have an affair with some colleague. Do you think this person could be a country assassin in disguise?”

At Rashmi’s words, everyone goes still for a while. Malti is not really sure how the conversation rocketed from looking at a man entering the building to assuming him being an assassin so quick. Apparently, her friends were not bothered by the speed of this conversation.

After a short-lived pause, all of them, sans Malti, indulge in a heated feud. Each tries to defend their theory passionately and reasons how it makes the most sense.

After 15 minutes of squabble, Malti raises her voice. Loudly and clearly she pleads “Enough! This man is right here on this premises while we are building our nonsensical conjectures. Let’s just go there and investigate who he is. Perhaps knock on the door and confront Mrs Hina. If he is a dangerous person indeed, we need to report the authorities. After all, it is a matter of our safety. A stranger visiting this apartment daily mustn’t be taken this lightly!”

The room quiets again. Looking at each other the friends feel courageous. Like superman to the rescue, all the ladies set off to rescue the building from the mystery man. With their heads held high, puffed chests and determined set of face, they are sure all evil will bow to them. They are of course the empowered women of the 21st century. They are incarnations of Durga and fear no one. If they decided they could conquer the world. With such spirits, they finally reach the apartment in question. 202.

At the door however, their confidence quivers a bit, and they hesitate to knock.

Like a true leader nevertheless, Kamla steps forward. She gently knocks, and Mrs Hina opens the door.

The unexpected visit of not one but five ladies of Hina’s building surprises her, but she quickly regains her composure and invites them in. The ladies however, refuse the offer and merely stare at each other surreptitiously.

Eventually, Aasha takes the charge and breaks the ice “We were actually thinking of organizing a pooja next month for the well being of residents of this building you see. So, we just came by to ask if you know a pandit who could help us perform the rituals?” “I am not a very religious person, so I don’t have any contacts with pandits. But I could ask my husband if he knows anyone.” Mrs Hina offers politely. “I know a pujari who serves in the temple across the street. I could give you his contact number” somebody interjects from inside. In the blink of an eye a tall, young, handsome man clad in a blue button-down shirt steps out to stand beside Mrs Hina. “That would be great thank you” Malti says softly as her friends try hard to conceal the alarm on their faces. “And who is this gentleman by the way?” Malti asks Mrs Hina directly. Finally.

“Oh him? He is my daughter’s tutor. He comes five days a week for 2 hours to teach her math. And he is doing an excellent job by the way. Her grades have improved so much! And just in two months! I’d totally recommend him for your children too.” Mrs Hina explains while the young man blushes at her side.

...

The five women thank Mrs Hina and start walking back to Malti’s apartment. Malti breaks the silence first “So..What did we learn today ladies? Never jump to wild conclusions. Hurrah!”

Everyone nods in agreement, except Kamla, who seems to be lost in her own thoughts. “What is now, Kamla?” Malti asks irritated. “Mrs Hina’s only daughter is on a school trip with my son. They have been gone for a week!”