Destiny's Gamble

Unfinished Tales

As the screen lights up, I click my way into the camera's gallery. Several images of an aesthetically pleasing sky greet me.

"Am I now allowed to put this camera to good use?" 

"It's yours. Do what you will with it." 

Manik and everything related to him causes a reel of memories to play out in my head. At least I think they are memories and not pre-mature signs that I'm losing my mind. Alas, the pictures of this sky are not enough to guide me. Curious, I continue to go backwards through the gallery. Sky. More sky. God, does Manik capture anything other than Mother Nature? On any other day - in any other circumstances - I would admire these beautiful shots. Today, however, they are a cause of great disappointment. Every time I raise my hopes, they come crashing down.

"Is Rishabh in his room?" Manik yells, his voice dangerously close to the room I'm in. What in the world is he doing out of bed? I had told Manik to sleep and recuperate. Heart hammering against my chest, I hastily place the camera back in the box. As I'm shutting the lid, my eye catches a glimpse of the camera screen, which is displaying a picture that isn't of the sky. In fact, it looks like a side shot of a woman with long hair. Alas, I do not have enough time to get a good look, as I can hear Manik's footsteps nearing. As I glance around the room in panic, my eyes land on the bathroom door.

"Okay, well, I'm going in his room. Remember, you gave me permission." Manik's footsteps are nearing and my nerves are getting the best of me. With my heart almost in my mouth, I make my way into the bathroom and silently shut the door behind me. Just as I do so, I hear the room door open. A moment of silence passes. Pouting, I press my ear against the door. What's Manik up to? This silence is eerie, especially because I know I'm in the wrong.

"Fuck, Rishabh," I hear Manik hiss. The sound of the cardboard box being dragged across the floor enters my ears. "Don't you good evening me!" Manik says indignantly to someone. Is he conversing on the phone? 

"Oh, for fuck's sake, don't act the fool." I'm sure Manik's called Rishabh. "You went through my box of things, when I've specifically told you not to." Silence. Rishabh must be presenting his case. "Rishabh, you've already fucked up by going through the stuff and now you wish to lie and deny your intrusive actions." Silence once again blankets the room. "I know because the camera's left on and her picture is on the screen." A button beeps and Rishabh's voice fills the room.

"Manik, my leg hit the box when I was leaving. The items must've shifted around and so the camera probably turned on." The man on the other end of the line truthfully defends himself. I don't understand what's so special in that box of utter disarray that Manik's creating a mountain out of a mole hill? "I didn't go through the items in the box." 

I can hear shuffling, as if Manik is tossing the box's belongings around. 

"You haven't misplaced anything, right?" Manik asks. "Because I have count and if even - " 

"Manik, I haven't touched the box and neither have I lost anything from it. Look, I know you don't want anyone touching her items, as they're very precious to you and being her husband, they rightly belong to you, too. Just don't forget that she's also my sister and if ever I wish to view her belongings, then you should grant me that right." 

"I know," Manik sighs. "They're just...Angel's belongings are very close to my heart. They're intimate." 

"I understand," Rishabh replies, sounding genuinely sympathetic towards Manik's situation. "Manik," he continues, his tone teasing. "If you love that box so greatly, then you should keep it in your room. The damned piece hits me everyday." 

"Rishabh, Rishabh, Rishabh," Manik says, tsking. "If your eyes are only show pieces, then what's the poor box's fault? If I could, I would honestly have zero issues keeping it in my room. Truth be told, I'd be more than happy to do so. But you know that I don't sleep in my room anymore. She's there now and - "