6. Hike? Sike!

KALPANA

"How have you been?" He took an unintentional glance at a glaring bruise almost hidden on my wrist before I pulled my sleeves and rubbed my palms pretending it was cold.

"I've been...well. To what do I owe this pleasure, Dhruvan? You asked to visit me out of the blue today. Why?"

There go his beautifully inconsiderate lashes batting like wispy wings under the sun.

"I thought of ways to learn about you and felt like asking you out on a date. I could start from there, right?"

Is he seeking validation from me about going on a date with me?

"Why are you asking me? This is a man's world after all. You should know better."

He was evidently taken aback by my comment that it brought out a smile of disbelief on his lips.

"Oh, don't declare it like that Kalpana."

"You may say that but that's just how it is. Lead the way, Dhruvan," I said and started walking to the parking lot, ahead of him.

"Where would you like me to take you?" he caught up to me and started walking backward, facing me but never stopping me.

"Wherever you think best."

As if seeing him smile for the first time wasn’t bright enough, he grinned wider now.

"I can think of a place."

"Where are we?"

Every hair on my body was as erect as a 90-degree line. If I were a porcupine, I’d have mistakenly killed Dhruvan the very next second.

"We're at the foot of a hill. I come here often on the weekends when I need to clear my mind. There's no signal here but don't worry, there's a decent inn nearby. We could camp here for the rest of the day."

What...was happening here? What is he saying? I hate these places. I abhor them.

"I-I'm just...wait, I haven't asked my mother's permission yet. She'd be so upset if I'm still out without notice."

Why is his expression the same? Why isn’t it changing? Why isn’t he as anxious as I am?

"I asked Auntie already. She granted us her permission, so you have nothing to worry about," from what I’ve read, he had a reassuring tone.

This was the tone of a parent telling their child there was no monster under the bed. An innocent and ignorant one.

But what in the name of God am I hearing?...Amma agreed?

"Did you tell her where you'd be taking me?" I asked him, holding my arms close to me, hoping I’d mold myself into one warm blob from this body. I just had to be closer, no, closest to myself right now, in body and mind.

"Of course, Kalpana. I told her everything down to the last detail, and answered every question of hers with utmost honesty and precision."

Could he be a stalker?

Nah, he doesn’t have what it takes to be a stalker.

I still questioned him though. "She knew where you were taking me? Despite...?"

"Despite what? Are you alright Kalpana? You're flushed like a peach."

I couldn't believe this. My body was physically unresponsive to his words and my mother's affirmation but my mind wasn't taking this well.

How could she? Even after what happened to me? Had she forgotten what happened to me in the mountains?

How far will she take her cruelty with me?

"We can go back if you're unwell. Please, talk to me."

"I want to get out of here. Take me away, please. Anywhere but the highlands. Please."

"Of course, let me help you get in. There's water and snacks in the boot."

He swiftly picked me up and placed me gently in the backseat of the car, while I was trying to stop panting due to breathlessness.

"Here, drink up. Does it hurt anywhere? Would you like a painkiller? Or a sleeping pill to calm your nerves?"

"A sleeping pill, please, and could you do something for me?"

"Just say the word."

"Please drive. We don't have to stop anywhere unless we have to but keep driving aimlessly. I don't want to stay sedentary till I feel otherwise. I want to feel the running road beneath me."

"That was all? Absolutely. Do you want to maybe go to another city? Like a weekend getaway?"

"Anything is better than hilly areas."

"Understood. Let me bring you a blanket and we can get the hell out of here."

And off we went.

This was the first time someone listened to my plea without asking questions about my judgment. He just went with it with no complaints.

I think I know now why cartoon characters had steam blowing from their head and ears when they were furious. If I were one, I'd have combusted into a huge ball of hot, melting gas from anger, leaving behind nothing but my clothes.

Disbelief struck me hard, blow after blow with every second in the car. It's the same lesson but I am forced to learn it newly every single time:

My mother's cruelty knows no limit.

I can assure you reader dearest, that I am sincerely unaware of who Dhruvan is as a person, but he does seem the kind who would be the perfect listener appearing at the perfect time. For someone like me, it is almost astonishing that he understood I wasn't okay being here without asking too many "how" or "why" questions. It puts me a little at ease on the positive side but I don't like how I keep wanting to put my guard down even though just a little in his presence.

"Honestly speaking, Kalpana, I am tempted to ask what made you tremble in fear of the mountains but I'd like to respect the boundaries you have for yourself. I can help lighten your burdens by listening to them, and even solving them if you'd like me to."

I would have been flattered by that if that was the first time I heard those words from a man. He's not the first, and he's certainly not the last.

I am grateful for his kindness, but it's not magnanimous or unfamiliar that I have to acknowledge it for him.

I got so sick of that line in life, that I pretended to be asleep to avoid further conversation till I passed out for real.