"𝐈 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐜𝐚𝐠𝐞, 𝐬𝐨 𝐢𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐞."
He glared at her with an icy expression and remarked, "What am I supposed to do with you, my love?"
Fear enveloped her, but she summoned som...
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They entered the living room and settled onto single wooden beds positioned on either side. The room, small in size, had walls adorned with a mixture of cow dung and mud. The handmade wooden beds, crafted with ropes and wood, reflected the natural essence of their home. Almost everything in their house was handmade. The air carried a faint sandalwood incense stick fragrance, creating a serene atmosphere. The environment was refreshing, with clean and comforting air.
Geeta, Ramlal's wife, brought cold water in copper glasses from an earthen pot, offering to relieve their thirst. She mentioned preparing food and suggested they could take a bath.
Abhirudra declined, expressing the need to inform his manager about their whereabouts. Aisha agreed, and the couple, mindful of the forest hardships, insisted they wouldn't let them leave without a meal. According to village tradition, guests shouldn't depart without eating. They understood the likely hunger and exhaustion from spending the night in the challenging forest.
Abhirudra hesitated to decline further, but before he could speak, the couple went inside, urging them to rest while they prepared food and warm water. An awkward silence hung in the air as Aisha kept her gaze down on the copper glass, fidgeting with it to ward off the discomfort. She couldn't figure out why she suddenly felt uneasy, perhaps due to the dream where she slept on his lap in the forest.
Abhirudra, oblivious to Aisha's thoughts, was less affected by the awkwardness. He silently pondered their next steps. The tension lifted when Ramlal Ji emerged, drying his hands with a red cloth around his neck.
They could wash and hang their clothes in the back of the house, where the sun dried things quickly. The house had two bathrooms, one on the veranda's east side and another tucked in the inner corner, making it convenient for simultaneous showers.
Abhirudra mentioned he would use the bathroom on the veranda before asking Ramlal Ji for a phone charger. When Ramlal Ji saw Abhirudra's expensive mobile phone, he hesitated, fearing his son's charger might damage it. He explained they didn't have a suitable charger but offered a landline phone instead. Beforehand, Ramlal Ji insisted Abhirudra take a shower. Abhirudra agreed with a nod and headed for the bathroom.
Aisha, having already bathed while Abhirudra inquired about the charger, emerged first. Her long hair was wrapped in a towel, and she wore a light green salwar suit with white flower prints on the trousers and scarf. She went to the spacious back area, adorned with greenery, a garden, and a narrow path connecting the back and front sides of the house. She hung her clothes on a rope, dried her hair, and observed the garden, featuring vegetables, a stable for cattle on the right, and fields on the left. After completing these tasks, Aisha joined Geeta in the kitchen to assist with cooking, avoiding the chatter of women in the fields.
The kitchen, although simple, was spacious enough to comfortably accommodate five people. Despite the house appearing small from the outside, the interior proved more generous. Geeta sat by the chulha, a traditional cooking stove in India, chopping vegetables and preparing ginger tea. Aisha joined her, sitting on the carpeted floor, and offered assistance. Geeta kindly declined, emphasizing that guests were treated like gods, and there was no need for them to worry; she insisted Aisha make herself at home. As they chatted casually, Geeta shared an incident from five years ago when she and her daughter got lost in the forest.
