Vijaya: The guy who had been investigating Pran's murder. He's been found dead.
Madhu received this text two days later from Vijaya, who had moved from their apartment to Kishore's.
Me: What else do you know about it?
Vijaya typing...
Vijaya: They are investigating, that's what Kishore told me from his inside sources at the station. The inspector apparently died in his house, telling in a typed letter that he had killed Pran for he hated sexual harassers. He had apparently received complaints from more than one source about Pran's misdemeanours. But he was close to being caught so he committed suicide rather than go to prison. There was even evidence against the inspector, where petrol was found in his house. Imagine that. This will come in the papers tomorrow. Talk about surprises, eh?
Damn.
Madhu hadn't expected this to happen. She turned her attention to Ashok who was sitting opposite to her. They were at a lavish restaurant, having their third "unofficial date," as she would term it.
"Did you know about the inspector?"
"No,"
She filled him in, to which Ashok just stared in mute horror. "I see."
"Yeah. I mean, he was questioning me with all this aggressiveness as if he wanted to dig the truth up and he turned out to be a murderer." She pursed her lips. "It doesn't add up."
"Maybe he was aggressive because he wanted to project his offense on someone else, so he could be saved."
Madhu shrugged her shoulders. "I'm just glad someone found that asshole's murderer. It'll be off my back. Uff! I didn't even do anything and one drunken night has caused so much trouble."
"Hey, it's all right. You are quite cute when you are out of your senses."
"Don't get so comfortable with it." She smiled.
*
Vijaya had left after the weekend and around Monday; Madhu heard they were all going for Pran's funeral. Madhu declined, citing her issues with funerals, but there were other reasons as well. She didn't want to go to a molester's funeral as much as she would try and convince herself. She didn't want to mourn for him because she didn't feel anythingâno hurt, no pain. Nothing for Pran. He was a scum and at some level, she was joyous that he got what he deserved.
Rather on that day, Madhu left to meet Ashok. She showed him places in Delhi such as Hauz Khas village where they sat close to the rock that faced the Deer Park.
"It's beautiful here."
"I'm surprised you haven't been here."
Later, she took him to Ugrasen ki Baoli, a famous step-well near central Delhi.
"It's haunted," she said as they walked in the autumn weather, the wind was quick and snappy.
"Do you believe in ghosts?" he asked through his clenched jaw.
"I don't know. I always feared them though."
"Why would you fear ghosts when you don't know if they existed?"
"Sometimes you fear what you don't know, right?"
He nodded. "The philosophy of haunting is what I'm deeply interested. I feel the spirit of the person from this world never leaves even after his death and burning. Nothing can end a spirit. It's among us, floating around us. And we are too blind, too naïve to see it, to understand it."
The idea of Pran floating around and ghost-raping her was something she didn't prefer thinking about.
Walking among the historical sites with Ashok, who was wearing a polo t-shirt and cream pants, was lovely. She felt warm and fuzzy. They sat close to the lake and talked about the people close to them. Madhu said how she had always had been a sort of person who didn't really feel the absence of parents in life, while Ashok said that he had forgotten how he was like when he had been young.
Ashok bought her lunch, to which Madhu shoved money at the table, in high dudgeon.
"You are unemployed," Ashok said.
"I don't care. I have savings." She raised her brows.
Ashok then dropped her back at her flat which was now empty. She almost wanted to go with Ashok but she didn't say anything.
"We should do a movie night," she said, while still in the car.
"What's that?" he lowered his brows.
"It's where we watch a movie of any kind at night."
"That explains," he pulled up a smirk, with the nose flaring trait he had. "It was nice with you today."
"Same here,"
Will he kiss? Will he not? Should I kiss him? The thoughts were running in her mind. She had no idea what to do in this steamy atmosphere of the car. She almost wanted to grab his face and smother him with her lips but the idea of doing that in reality was absolute embarrassment. She pulled herself back and just smiled at him.
"Well, that's about it."
"That's about it." She repeated and felt like an idiot right now. "I guess we should see each other again. I'll take you to Lodhi Garden. It's another pretty place. Will that be cool? We can do a picnic or something. "
"I don't mind going anywhere with you."
God, he's adorable.
She squeezed her lips together and reluctantly bade him goodbye. He held her hands in his own. But when she left, there was something on his face, an uncertain, troubled expression, as he left.