Smitha, Chapter 2

Gail promised me to be good girl, a promise which did not really settle properly in my heart. Somehow I had to trust her. Archie was already impatient constantly reminding me that he was supposed to “meet” them at around 12. (Most of the time, meeting them met bumping into them by accident.)

He was driving his black Aston Martins. He loved the car more than his dates. To him, the car will never let him down and when it’s down, it can be fixed unlike a person who can get all moody. There I had to endure the constant description of the one like I had never heard before. From his description, one would assume that we were talking about the flawless Barbie doll models. Most of the times, he was near to that description but sometimes the beauty of someone depends with the viewer as well as the angle you are looking at.

We got at the shopping mall at exactly 12 and there I was following him to the end. Although he was talking about the friend, somehow I was more worried about Smitha. That gutty feeling of leaving behind her with the top chef of the Cheekville was eating me up, had I made a bad call? Somehow I was already regretting coming here in the first place. I should have asked Abe to watch over them. Abe was my next door neighbour who was quite friendly to the kids. A 20 something young lady, who usually spent most of her time at time at home. God knew what she really did in the house. Archie allows thought that she had a crush on me as she would even volunteer to look after Smitha for free.

“Hey man, are we still together?” he was waving his hand right in my face and it was annoying. I lightly brushed it away. “So where are your ladies, I need to get it over with.”

“Merl, quit daydreaming or you will mess it up,” he got my attention. “She is seated at the bench opposite to the lake and your date is the walking to the bench.” My date, was he even serious? He was already pacing off to the bench while I slowly followed. Although he had described her friend for me a thousand times, I barely remembered anything. He was going to kill me when I mess it up.

“Ladies,” he was already at the bench while I was pacing behind.

“Archie, what are doing here?”  ‘My date’ was now seated right beside Archie’ I had even forgotten her name too. All I remembered was that she worked in the same hospital.

“Here you are, you like disappeared before ... good day to you ladies.” He gripped on my left shoulder which was still sore from Cal’s assault as well as banging on the bathroom door. He introduced me as usually as Merl not Merlin and my date was Beth something. That was the easy part, getting Beth from Liv was the hard part, I thought.

All was going on smoothly for him off course. As events turned out, Beth was in the deal and either been bribed by Archie.  She was too easy and even introduced the idea of me and her going to the mall and buying some stuff.

“Do you see the two of them turning into a couple?” she was pretty stolid as if she had not said the words. “Come on Merl, I work with him and you his friend. We both knew him.” She had stopped to stare at me. Why was she asking when she knew the truth?

“I don’t know but this time, he seems like he means it.” I was lying.

“You got to be kidding me, listen he follows almost anything in skirts and at times leaves a trail of destruction behind.” I was impressed; this guy was leaving behind a legacy for his future kids.

“Wow, you seem to really know him but you let him off with your friend unless you were paid.” I had touched a spot as evidenced by the silence. The silence was now killing me. “So he did bribe you, what did he bribe you with?”

“Let’s just say he did me a great favour which I will always be grateful for and what’s your excuse?” for a moment I had thought that she was going to use the silence treatment on me. She was seated on one of the bench which was at the end of the park away from the sight of those two.

“Well,” I sat beside her, “I needed to get out.” She gave me one stare as if she wanted me to continue. That was the truth. “He never needed to bribe.”

“Oh” she was not convinced. From there emerged a long real chat about work, likes and the stuff. She was quite open or she was lying. She was called Elizabeth Brown, a 21 yrs. old junior medical practitioner at the Richforte Hospital. She seemed to be having a really great time in the 6 months, she had been in there. She was somehow pretty, pale and blond. She was well composed and seemed like someone with a clear direction of where she was heading. I could not help admire her a while. Somehow in the midst, I got carried away by the admiration that she had to click me on my head.

“What was that for?” it was irksome. “Why is that I got the feeling that you aren’t listening?” she was right and I had to defend myself.

“I was just wondering why on earth are female doctors are pretty and intelligent. Look at my work, ‘m surrounded by seemingly ordinary ladies except a few.” What was I saying?

“Are you hitting on me?”  No. She was no way near my type and my heart beat was perfectly normal. Before I could even answer back, my phone went on. I was beginning to think that it was dead or I had left it at home. Surprisingly it was Abe.

“Been trying to knock on the door but the din is too much. Can you please reduce your volume before some of the neighbours call the cops?” She was straight to the point. What was she talking about?

“Din is too much? Listen I’m in the Avenues right now ...” I was cut short.

“So who is the party freak at your apartment holding this seemingly wild party?” There was a party at my apartment!

“What!” Fury was already building up. “I’m coming right now!”

I threw it in my pocket with an angry force. “Is everything ok?” Beth inquired.

“It was nice knowing you but something came up. Tell Archie I will text him.” I was already pacing away from her trying to piece together what Abe had told me. I was gone for less than an hour and there was already a wild fiasco. There was a party at my place and it only meant that Gail was involved in this. Why had I told her that I was going to come in the evening? Why had I even left her there in the first place?

Maybe Abe was lying but she had no reason to lie in the first place. So indulged in rage, I never picked up any details of the trip except that I took a taxi.

 

The noise was great even when one was outside. Inside, it was like a show. No one picked me up as I opened the door. I had expected to see a bunch of teenagers but it was a whole lot scary. Some of them had the nerve to ask me where they can get from weed from. This was too much and I had to end this. No one had noticed me getting to the speakers and plucking the plugs out.

Every one froze.” Get the hell out of my house before I call the cops!” No one moved.

“Fine, have it your way,” I reached out for my pocket and suddenly there was a great commotion for the door. They must have been really afraid of the police. It took more than 10 minutes for the crowd to disappear leaving me alone. Gail emerged from the door prettified and ready to defend herself. I was quick “You get ready, I’m calling your lousy parents and where is Smitha?”

Come to think of it, I had not seen her since I got back. Several devilish notions raged in my mind and there were so bad for me to retain them. I was never great at my conclusion. She had better have a straight answer or else there was going to be war.

Sometimes fury is a bad thing as it tends to blinds us from the obvious. It rides people to do the unspeakable without checking first the surrounding. Smitha had been right behind me all this time somehow overwhelmed by the rare burst of high level fury. I had tried to hide that from her at all cost. It was only Gail’s stare at my side which made me realise that I was about to prosecute her over nothing.

“She was at the next door.” She proudly announced it. I hoped that she would proudly explain to her parents what the mob was doing in my house. I had enough of her for one day so I was never going to ask her that. Smitha looked fine and remarkably bubbly with the ice cream covered lips with such a chill. She was now mimicking what I was doing when I told people to buzz of. For a moment, my anger melted away as a wink was covering my face. At least I learnt a lesson that certain people have got strips which are only removed by only a really complicated and expensive surgery. This simply meant that this was the last time Gail never sets foot on this place.

It took only a couple of minutes for her parents to collect her. Their once cheerful character seemed to have to be robbed by some unfortunate event. It was never about Gail but it was their problem, not mine. They know their daughter was a holy terror at times and they had got used to it.  Not mine.

I followed them to the door with the pure intentions of closing the door eavesdropping was never part of the plan.

“What’s the hell is wrong with that lady? Doesn’t she know that it is our divine right too?” Cal was raving with fury. Pity on the guy who accidentally bumps into him hope he had the best medical care.

“Don’t worry, she will come around and it isn’t her decision to make. Stop whining for Christ’ sake, you will end up looking like my granny.” She seemed to be mocking which somehow worked before they disappeared to their dungeon.

A slow and calculated turn revealed the mess which the bunch of hooligans had left behind. As cloaked with fury that I had never picked the new loathly organisation put in place. It was meant to be a Saturday in which I relax and try to deal with a few of my irregular class work. Now I have to deal with this mess alone unless Smitha volunteers which she always does.

 

From the onset, I knew that cleaning on my own was going to eat up all of my weekend. Weariness, anger and even laziness had built inside me. The mere sight of the mess made me sick and I was not going to torture Smitha for my mistake. There was always one person who was allows willing to do things for me. Talk of a hypnotised woman who is willing to do anything for me just because she had a crush on me. It was never right to use her like that but she seemed like she liked it even though she was aware of the fact that I would never date ever. I was never a big fan at the moment of love, it screwed me once but I could make an exception.

True to my word, Abe was right on the job asking for no compensation in return. For my part, I did what I always do even with Archie: pretend like I’m helping even though she did most of the work. What was in me that drove was a mystery. I was neither smart nor handsome. Some described me as stubborn hard-core conservative of personality. I liked what I liked, hated what I hated and the rest were invisible to me.

“Hey I think we almost done here.” It was not yet over but I was done using her for today.

“You sure because I still see dirt in your kitchen,” she had edged forward to close for comfort. I could even smell her lavender hairspray. She was really desperate for a man. One day I think she might molest me if she continues these up close advance.

“Off course we done,” I edged towards the door. “Don’t worry about the rest of the stuff. You go and prepare for tomorrow’s church service.” Somehow it worked and she left without fuzz. At least, the lounge looked fine and Smitha could torture herself with cartoons while I cleaned the kitchen and prepared supper.