Chapter 16

It was 5 pm on Friday and almost all the staff had clocked out. There were a few teachers working on their notes of lesson, one or two staying back and chatting away, waiting for their ride home. Leela stood by the stairs near the entrance of the staff room, impatiently tapping her foot as she waited for her favorite senior. Her phone lay glowing in her hand, alive with a flood of notifications.

Dittle-eet

Dittle-eet

Dittle-eet Dittle-eet

Her phone chimed with a blast of messages, earning a few suggestive glances and chuckles from the ladies that stood nearby. “Answer your desparate lover, Leela!”, someone teased, making the bubbly teacher instantly redden and fumble with her phone to shield it away, just as another added, “God, I’ve forgotten what newly-wed texting looks like, it’s like watching a movie in fast forward”. By now, most of the teachers knew how happy and crazily in love the newly-wed couple were, and there was not a day when the two didn’t get teased.

Ashok has easily become the talk of the town among the younger population of the faculty — a kind, soft-spoken guy, who had stolen not just Leela’s heart, but the general approval of all who’d met him, making him popular and Leela jealous. “Why are you still here, Leela? Isn’t Ashok waiting for you at the gate?” , Brinda ma’am asked her.

“Not today, madam,” Leela mumbled, eyes still stuck on her screen. “He is a little busy and I have some shopping to do. I’ve asked Sharini akka to accompany me. I’m waiting for her”.

“Oh Yeah? It sure seems like he is busy” , Brinda air-quoted the word busy as another message tone chimed through Leela’s phone and everyone laughed. Sharini hurried down the stairs at the very same moment, carrying a huge bundle of notebooks. “Sorry Leela, I had to collect these” , she nodded towards the load in her hands.

Leela wordlessly took away half of them, with a shy and grateful smile, ready to escape the middle-aged ladies’ teasing. She then followed Sharini as she walked up to her cupboard. Once the notebooks were neatly arranged, Sharini turned to her table to see that her things were already packed. Sharini chuckled at Leela who just sheepishly smiled at her. “Are you trying to kidnap me? At least let me freshen up a little.”

Leela grinned back, “No time to waste. You are my hostage for the evening”.

Soon, the two left, making their way to a shopping mall not too far from their school. The golden hue of the sunlight was still falling across the glass windows of tall buildings, lighting up what marked the beginning of another weekend escape. They entered the first clothing store that their eyes landed on, they had a lot of shopping to do.

True to the Friday energy, the shop was bustling with flashing SALE signs, peppy music and aisles of endless options.

Leela was already ahead of Sharini, hopping between racks, pulling out shirts, comparing colors and holding them out for suggestions. Sharini could almost see the energy bouncing off of her as she followed along mostly as a baggage carrier, laughing quietly at Leela’s hyperfocus on the tiniest of details.

“Too lemony?” Leela asked, holding up a bright yellow shirt.

“You’re asking me?” Sharini raised a brow. “You’ve seen how I dress.”

Leela stuck her tongue out. “You’ve got a point, but that’s not helping kaaa“, she whined, “Nevermind, wait, that red one looks nice, come with me“. And just like that, Sharini was being pulled into another aisle.

Before she even realized, her mind drifted, almost without permission, to a memory of herself shopping with a bubbly Sheetal, how she would chatter away till her ears bled in a blissful way.

“Sharini, look at this! Wait no, this one’s better – oh my god, imagine me in this saree at the Pongal function, I’d look crazyyy beautiful- you will help me with the pleats, right? What about the orange one, do you think I can pull off orange? Actually, maybe orange is too much- ugh, I hate decisions!”

Sharini could almost hear it now, the way Sheetal would talk without stopping for breath, piling every word with emotion, dragging Sharini by the hand to see “just one more” aisle for the third time. She remembered pretending to be annoyed – arms crossed, eyes rolling – but never really meaning it.

Shopping with her was less about the clothes and more about the chaos-singing out loud in trial rooms, chatting with the billing staff, acting like she was a runway model with every pair of sunglasses and salwars.

Sharini smiled involuntarily. It had been loud, chaotic, even a little exhausting. But it was also the warmest kind of noise.

“Akka, I think this is the one.”, Leela’s voice pulled her out of her train of thoughts. She looked at the younger as she held out a blue shirt, the length of the soft cotton with little flowers embroidered intricately along.

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After that, they managed to buy a sleek wallet, in which Leela stuffed a picture of herself and Ashok; followed by some paper plates, little wall hangings and other decorations.

They were just leaving the last shop when Sharini glanced at the time. Nearly 6:40 p.m.

“I should let Sheetal know I’ll be late,” she murmured, more to herself than to Leela, as she fished her phone out of her bag.

Leela didn’t respond, busy examining a pack of scented candles shaped like roses-“too much?” she’d asked, holding one up with a wrinkled nose.

Sharini thumbed out a quick message.

Hey, running late. Helping Leela with some errands. Might be home closer to 9.

She barely had time to put the phone away before it buzzed again.

Sheetal.

Sharini hesitated, thumb hovering. Before she could answer, Leela leaned over, snatched the phone from her hand, and picked up with practiced ease.

“Leela-“

“Hi, Sheetal akka! It’s me-Leela,” she said brightly, already walking ahead. “Don’t worry, I’ve officially kidnapped Sharini again.”

A pause.

Then Leela laughed. “Yes, yes. We really have to stop only meeting through her.”

Another beat. This time, her brow lifted slightly, amused.

“She didn’t tell you?” she asked, casting a quick look back at Sharini. “It’s Ashok’s birthday in a few days and I am planning an early celebration tonight. Nothing big-just a small get-together. She’s been helping me pick up some last-minute things.”

Sharini looked down, pretending to retie her bag strap. Leela tsked and turned her concentration back to the phone. “You should totally come! I’ll send you the address.” 

There was a brief pause on the other end, and Leela caught the faint hesitation in Sheetal’s reply — what Sheetal didn’t know was how persistent Leela could be.

“I get it, Sheetal akka. No pressure, but you’re really gonna miss out if you don’t come. We’ll have some games and snacks. Don’t you want to make fun of Sharini akka’s singing with me during Anthakshari?”

A small chuckle, followed by a reluctant agreement.

“Okay, I’ll come.“

Leela’s smile widened. “Yay! That’s settled. I’ll wait for you!”