Serendipity {Complete}

Chapter 1 - Miraya

The afternoon sun lashed down mercilessly. The crowd at the bus shelter grows rowdy as people try to squeeze themselves inside the shade of the little shed.

Trapped all the way in the back, Miraya curses herself for coming here at all. Wedged deep behind, she had been teetering on her toes, fighting to keep her head above the press of sweat-soaked bodies. As she tries sucking in the dusty air, the last thing she wants is to faint and get trampled on.

She was not supposed to be here.

The original plan was for her to be at the Bandhargaj textile factory tomorrow. The boutique she worked for had arranged her trip to close the final production of their new launch of metalwork dupattas.

Bandhargaj was a tiny village, hiding the secret of crafting fabrics embellished with delicate threads of copper, silver, and brass embroidery. It was an art form that no longer had a place in today's contemporary fashion. But last season, Miraya successfully pitched the idea of incorporating these delicate brocade fabrics as part of their collection, hoping to revive the sagging sales of the boutique's custom wear in Delhi. Retail giants, with their fast fashion, have more or less killed the bespoke market.

If she had stuck to the initial plan, she would have traveled to this blistering hellhole in an air-conditioned cab. The taxi would have picked her up from her hotel in Khora and dropped her safely back as well.

But, no. You wanted adventure.

She had revised her plan to travel a day early to the local market of Bandhargaj in the hopes of catching some sights and perhaps some bargains. Palak, from the sales team, had sold her on the idea of visiting this quaint village with a not-to-be-missed merchant's market. Palak, who had visited the factory in the past, had been trying to convince Miraya for some months to make this trip, gushing about how amazing her own experiences had been.

That should have been her first clue. Palak's relentless insistence should have alerted her. They had never gotten along. The saleswoman was a bully and went out of her way to harass and intimidate Miraya. But, like a trusting twit, she eventually bought into Palak's exuberant reviews of Bandhargaj.

Fanning herself with her hand, she now bemoans her lack of planning. Her impromptu decision had failed to factor in the heat. Or the crowd. Or the fact that Bandhargaj was a smudge on the map, with no options for public transport except for the local buses that apparently the entire village depended on.

The morning bus Miraya took from Khora to Bandhargaj had immediately taught her that she was woefully ill-equipped to handle solo travel or roughing it. The entire bus ride consisted of her trying to thwart multiple hands determined to grope her.

Her experience at the market had been even worse; she had spent the afternoon being swindled by the merchants and harassed by the crowd.

She eventually left the bazaar when a fight broke out in the crowd. Worried about being caught in a stampede, she quickly walked to the road leading back to the bus shelter.

Dejected with her abysmal experience at the market, Miraya finally admitted to herself that Palak had played a vicious prank on her by encouraging her to come alone to this infernal dump.

All she wanted now was to get back to the relative coolness and safety of her hotel in Khora.

Over the din of the crowd, Miraya hears the distant chug of a bus engine. No matter how hard she tries to stand on her toes, she cannot see beyond the sea of turbans and greasy heads. Sweat trickles down her back as she contemplates getting back on the bus and suffering through the hours of groping and lecherous comments.

Her other option was just as bleak. She could venture to the adjoining tea stall in the hopes of hitching a ride with the public carriers who stopped for snacks. That had its own risks, but stranded as she was, she had limited choices.