Rikara Scribblings by Savina

Amber Eyed Girl

He watched her twirl as the lights blinkered around her. The skimpy material hardly left anything to imagination. He observed men lustfully hooting as she shimmied around, the bells of the delicate chain tinkling on her waist. Omkara Singh Oberoi had never been more captivated until now, that too by a woman. Even though her face was veiled, and her eyes were the only part of her body that he focused on, he felt a strong attraction towards her. He watched one of the men trying to crawl up to her and hold her in his arms, and an unknown rage rushed through his veins. He shouldn't have even been bothered this way. The woman, however, waved a finger in front of the man indicating a no, and the other men whistled and teased the guy. And soon, once the music stopped, the woman bowed gracefully in front of them as her performance came to an end.

While the men continued to cat call, she focused on picking the notes of money that was thrown on the stage. Just when she looked up at the crowd, her eyes spotted this long-haired man staring at her. What took her by surprise was the look in his eyes. While she wasn't new to the sight of lust in the eyes of men, this look was different. It was... intriguing. And in seconds, she found herself staring back at him, almost drowning in those mahogany eyes that shone in the dim lights of the dance bar. A flip of his hair, and she knew she was lost. Unfortunately for her, her world did not permit such feelings; at least not while she was still a part of the world. Irony laughed at her; had anyone ever been able to get out of this world so easily? She was stuck here forever! A reason for her helplessness had become a reason for her to stay. And she knew that she could only do as much as admiring this long-haired man from far, and nothing else. The moth did not deserve to be engulfed by her burning flames. As quickly as the though entered her mind, she collected the money and left the stage.

"Woh ladki kaun thi?" Omkara asked the bartender, who refused to answer. Placing a bundle of notes in his hand, Omkara repeated the question. The bartender saw the money that was placed in his hands and looked at him, "Laila..." While Omkara watched the direction in which she disappeared behind the screens, he heard the man chuckle. "Hass kyun raha hai?" Om enquired, to which the bartender replied with a smile, "Kuch nahi Sahab..." Pausing for a while, he continued, "Waise Laila kisi ko zyada ghaas nahi daalthi. Par first time apun ne usko kisi ko taadthe hue dekha... Aapko..." he said, to which Omkara did not react. He still kept watching the screen of the tiny door that led to the backstage, hoping that she would come again anytime soon. "Laila sirf Saturday ko dance karti hai. Issi time pe..." the bartender said.

"Tum mujhe yeh sab kyun bata rahe ho?" Omkara asked as he sipped the whiskey. "Sahab, apun paanch saal se yahan pe kaam kar raha hai. Bahut mard se mila apun jo ladkiyon ke bare mein poochte rehte hain. Unn sab logon ke aankhon mein apun ne bass hawas dekha. Woh saale ladkiyon ko aise ghoorte hain jaise koi bhookha sher apne shikaar ko dekh raha ho. Bass aap thode se different lage apun ko." Omkara smiled lazily, "Woh kaise?" The bartender simply smiled, "Kyunki aapke aankhon mein apun ne Laila liye koi hawas nahi dekha, izzat dekhi, jo apun ne kisi aur ke aankhon mein yahan ke ladkiyon ke liye kabhi nahi dekha. Jahan baaki log Laila ke jism ko taadte rehte hain, aap sirf uski aankhon ko dekh rahe the..." Omkara was shocked at the observation skills of this man. He chose not to respond, but simply gulped down his drink, while still looking at the screen.

Seven days later, Omkara found himself at the same bar, seated at the same seat. His eyes followed every move of the amber-eyed dancer- Laila. He could so imagine his entire family chorusing an "Oh My Matha" if they learnt that he, of all the people, was sitting at a local bar, watching this unknown girl twirling and dancing to some music. This time, the bartender, whose name was Dandi, grinned proudly at him. Again, Omkara saw the girl watch him, like she did last week. And a few seconds later, she bowed to the crowd, picked up the money thrown on the stage, and walked away.