Second Last Life

Chapter 4

Tiyash felt a bit nervous while sitting up close to Isabelle. He could hardly believe that he had spent the past couple of hours talking to Isabelle with such ease as if he had known her for a long time. It was quite unusual of him to talk to a girl so confidently, that too, when meeting for the first time. His conversation with the opposite gender always involves the events of him feeling shy or numerous amounts of stuttering which would lead to his embarrassment. Surprisingly, Isabelle radiated an aura which made Tiyash feel comfortable enough. His nervousness was due to the fact that he now had to find a home for Isabelle, because his homeowner would surely not let him stay in the apartment with a girl whom he wasn’t married to. Typical Bengali mentality. Isabelle seemed very interested in her surroundings. She swung her legs and her eyes inspected every nook and corner of the local train. Her actions severely discomfited Tiyash and made him feel conscious about the amount of dirt occupied under the seats and how the lack of garbage bins in the compartment made people either throw the waste outside the running vehicle or nonchalantly toss it under the seats. Even if the railway authority provides bins beside each and every row of seats, it will overflow in a few hours and people will throw the rejected stuff outside again. Not to mention, some people will casually throw the waste away anywhere just because they are lazy and cannot reach the bin. Tiyash frowned and scolded himself in his mind. “Ugh, quit overthinking Tiyash! You are not at fault over here.” He regretted not sending a complaint letter to the concerned authority beforehand for the amelioration of the railway environment. At least he wouldn’t have to feel awkward while Isabelle’s eyes moved here and there to catch a glimpse of everything present around her.

“Why are these people staring at me?” whispered Isabelle after bringing her mouth close to Tiyash’s ear. He then noticed how everyone, including the female passengers, were crudely staring at Isabelle. Many of them averted their eyes away when they were caught checking Isabelle out, but some extra smart buggers unabashedly continued. It was certain that Isabelle didn’t like it. Isabelle was a white-skinned foreigner to begin with. In addition, she looked really fine. Her face bore a pleasant aura that was quite soothing to look at. Tiyash himself got caught staring at her just a few hours ago. There was no way he could accuse other people of misconduct. In the midst of such a situation, he found a quick solution to her problem.

“How about we pretend that we are a couple?”

“What?”

Instead of agreeing to his suggestion, Isabelle asked him “What?” … Did that mean she didn’t want to pretend to be his girlfriend? That’s embarrassing…

Without confirming what she actually meant, Tiyash started apologizing to her. “Sorry, sorry. I did not mean to take advantage of the situation-”

Isabelle blankly stared at the creature sitting beside her, apologizing without giving it a stop. She just could not hear him properly at first, due to the sounds of the wind gushing against the railed windows. Hence, she wanted him to repeat his words, but all he did was apologize for no reason.

“Hey, give it a rest. The noises around us deafened my ears, so I could not hear you. Please repeat what you said earlier.”

A feeling of relief coursed through the entirety of Tiyash’s body. “Can we…you know…if you don’t mind…Can we hold hands and sit? Like a couple?” Tiyash waited for her answer while holding his breath captivated in his lungs.

Isabelle’s face lit up in one go. Her eyes shined so bright; it twinkled like the stars in the dense blue sky. Her lips curled up into a smile which made Tiyash’s heart skip a beat. “God…she looks majestic.”

“Yes, we can!”

Tiyash could swear that he felt extraordinary bliss after hearing her approval. Shyness mixed with an unexpected sensation of happiness created a different kind of emotion inside him. He had no idea what to call it, but he sure had never felt it before.

“Then…,” Tiyash left his sentence incomplete as he inhaled a good volume of air and slowly moved his right hand to rest it on Isabelle’s knee. Isabelle watched his hand carefully for a while, expecting him to take the initiative to grab hold of her hand, but it never happened until she nudged him a little using her shoulder.

“Just hold it!” Isabelle impatiently grasped his hand and entwined their fingers together.

Tiyash, who had never really had a girlfriend before, could sense the goofy feeling in his stomach. As if all of his organs, tissues and cells were congratulating him for getting himself a girlfriend. Sorry, that’s obviously wrong, because this was all pretentious and wouldn’t last forever. Even so, Tiyash made sure to cherish this teeny-tiny period of romance with all his heart.

“Can we have those ?” Isabelle pointed at the hawker selling various kinds of nuts (the extra masala ones, the extra salty ones and the normal ones) and other stuff like “Jhal muri” (Spicy puffed rice). “Are you sure that you’ll be able to handle the spice?” Tiyash asked instead of immediately buying her the food she wanted.

“I guess, I can. I’m habituated with tasting some morsel of spicy Bengali cuisine by dipping my fingers in some sort of curry one or two times.” Isabelle bumped her fist in excitement with the palm of her other hand.

“I’m not sure just two or three dips will make you immune to the real spice that the Indian dishes are famous for,” Tiyash sighed. “Okay, we’ll try it.”

“Yaaaay!” Isabelle’s cheer made some of the nearby seated passengers give her a look. Others didn’t care. Perhaps, it seemed like the whole of the train compartment was conscious of the fact that a foreign beauty was travelling along with them.

“Calm down now,” Tiyash let go of Isabelle’s hand and took out his purse. “Which one do you want to eat?” Tiyash glanced at Isabelle to hear her answer.

“All of them.”

Tiyash noticed the sudden glow that liberated Mr. Vendor’s sweaty brown face. Judging by his genuine smile, Tiyash could well understand that the uncle had started to believe that Isabelle was loaded with money. And a girl so rich would not roam about with a guy with no penny, would she? So, in conclusion, the vendor predicted the scope of his belongings getting sold all together to the ‘rich’ couple on the train. Poor man…his smile diminished immediately on seeing Tiyash pull out a ten-rupee note, ordering a packet of salted nuts. Isabelle’s face imitated the expression of the vendor. Tiyash successfully made two people unhappy.

“I want all.”

“I am short on money.”

“But you are carrying other notes in your purse, is it not?”

The vendor uncle placed his lips in a crooked way, highly disappointed by the miser he had just encountered. “What a horrible boyfriend he is! This girl deserves a richer guy,” he thought.

“I bought you a cake, Isa. That’s why I don’t have that much money to spare. We also have to pay for transport, please understand.”

Tiyash was patiently handling Isabelle’s tantrums. If only he had been recompensed handsomely for babysitting her! Oh yes, he mentally noted his keen interest in tracking down her not-at-all-good-parents to ask for some payment for his utter “selflessness” which he was exhibiting by taking care of their daughter. Surely his deed would hardly remain selfless after that.

“Okay, I’ll consider it this time,” Isabelle pouted in disappointment. She glanced at the hawker’s belongings one last time and then averted her eyes away.

“I never thought you would be such a pain in the a…” Tiyash managed to not distort his conduct in front of Isabelle. She would probably feel uncomfortable after witnessing his rudeness.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

Judging by the situation they were in, none of them could have imagined how this could be a start of a bittersweet romantic tale.

It suddenly occurred to Tiyash that the events that were taking place were quite weird. Why was he even bringing her to his place? Should he not have sought help from the police? He did not want to involve any of his friends, nor did he plan to call up his parents and say “Can I let this girl, whom I magically found in a haunted house, stay with me because his parents left her?” Panic-stricken, his mother would make an exorcist, or rather I say a lean and untidy Tantrik with a turban decorated with spells, concealing the tangled mess of hair on his head, show up at his residence and force him to abandon this pretty girl. He definitely did not want to let go of her. For the sake of friendship of course!

Rimi, his best friend, would literally question their friendship if she came to know about Isabelle any day in the future. Tiyash did not fail to keep her updated about the latest things occuring in his life. They are close enough to be mistaken as lovers. This irritated Tiyash to the core, but surprisingly, Rimi was okay with it. She probably couldn’t care less about other people’s way of thinking.

“Hey, what are you thinking about?”

“You.”

Isabelle’s eyes sparkled and grew wider. “What exactly are you thinking about? Be more specific,” Isabelle could not suppress her curiosity.

“Thinking about how to get rid of you.”

Isabelle felt something break. Most probably, it was her heart. She quickly averted her eyes away, trying to hide the tiny tear drop that rolled down her cheek. “Oh…,” was her faint reply.

It took just a second for Tiyash to grasp the fact that something hurtful just escaped his lips and the worst part was that he could not take it back even though he wanted to. “Hey buddy! It was a joke!” Yeah, a joke that made a girl express the opposite reaction to laughter. If it was an empty train, with no passenger to look her way, Isabelle might have drowned the compartment in tears, but she was mature enough to keep her sadness to herself, locked up in her heart.

“I’m sorry Isa. I was just thinking a way to find you a home where you’ll live safely forever. The way I worded it was brutal. I deserve punishment. Isa, if you want to slap me, you may…”

“It’s fine. I don’t want to slap you,” Isabelle spoke softly. Tiyash could feel the pain in her voice which made him grew angry on himself. “s**t, I messed up.”

“If I were you, I would ask you to stay with me, in the same room, using the same bed and…”

Okay, Tiyash was now experiencing emotional turmoil. The ultra-fast pace of taking an innocent friendship to a whole new level, where lying in the bed next to each other was being taken into consideration, was hurting his brain. But soon he realised that the female he was addressing as a ‘friend’, was of European origin and he was acquainted with the famous belief that the English people can sleep with a person just after they have met. That is a casual activity for them. Sounds racist.

“Are you out of your mind?! What if the warden finds out!” Tiyash looked horrified and a bit embarrassed as well. Having a girlfriend is fine, but sharing a bed with her…that’s just a bit too much for him. Only because he’s shy, of course. No boy would ever want to miss out on such an opportunity. He immediately looked around hoping that nobody had heard him rejecting a young and beautiful female’s offer for…as Sheldon Cooper would say… “coitus.” His hopes were shattered in seconds when he noticed the neighbouring passengers were sharing knowing-looks with their friends or partners. Some couldn’t hold back their blush. Tiyash could not blame them because if he were in their place, he too would enjoy eavesdropping on some inter-racial spicy conversations.

“I did not mean it in a way which’ll bring you trouble,” Isabelle tried to clarify, but before she could process anything, Tiyash beckoned an older lady nearby before standing up and letting her occupy his seat. Isabelle quickly stood on her feet as well, and adorably mimicked the generosity that Tiyash had just enacted by letting a middle-aged woman sit.

“Y-You sure are kind,” Isabelle complimented Tiyash, but only Tiyash and maybe, the passengers who were sitting near him knew the actual reason for the withdrawal of the seat. To escape the sheer embarrassment, of course!

“Yeah, I know,” Tiyash replied in a fake English accent to amplify the sarcasm. The aisle was not that crowded, so they could easily travel to the bogie’s doorway excluding the obstacle created in the middle of the small passage where a vendor and an aunty started yelling at each other to win in the battle of negotiation to lower the price of a bunch of bananas. Isabelle was enjoying each and every moment, unlike Tiyash, who was growing astonished at how familiar and accepting Isabelle seemed to be with the Indian way of living. Tiyash knew of a friend, whose niece was born and brought up in America, and the previous year she had visited the friend’s place and regarded everything as dirty and unhygienic. The friend was on the verge of losing his temper but he knew how disciplined and clean the foreigners were, compared to the Indians…so he could really do nothing but tolerate the disenchanting niece with American accent.

“Are you an Anglo-Indian?”

“Sorry?” Isabelle raised an eyebrow in confusion.

“Nah, I mean…you seem to be so unbothered by our permissive lifestyle. England must be so well maintained and organised…” Tiyash felt ashamed that he could not arrange for a luxurious means of transport to make Isabelle feel secure.

“I don’t know what you’re going on about! I think India is beautiful! I have lived here for ages!” Isabelle made sure to defend the country that she loved from the bottom of her heart.

“Hein!” Tiyash made a surprised noise. “You are a citizen of India?” Tiyash was now doubting each and everything Isabelle had narrated to her. He really was a fool to invite such a suspicious girl to tag along with him. It was time for him to dig out the truth even if it lies as deep as the Mariana Trench.

“Did I say that?”

“Hell yes! You should tell me the truth, Isabelle, otherwise I have to take you to the police…which I naturally will after someday, but I will not spare a moment henceforth,” Tiyash made sure his was stern enough, else Isabelle would take him lightly…as a joke.

“I admit I stayed in India for a while, but…,” Isabelle fell into the trap which she unknowingly had set up for herself. She did not know what excuse she could come up with.

“But your parents left you and the country to rejoice the life that they had before you were born?” Tiyash smirked. He caught a liar red-handed. Tiyash began creating a situation in his head where he would apply for a role in the next Byomkesh Bakshi movie and would be nailing the audition.

Isabelle straightened her posture. Her face, which was being clad with a scared expression, suddenly changed to a composed, yet confident one. She looked directly into Tiyash’s eyes. “I lied,” Isabelle’s face grew scary. Tiyash was now questioning his decisions. He could swear he was seeing a very beautiful and lovely face change into a dangerous countenance.

Isabelle started giggling out of the blue. Tiyash was left in awe. He wanted it to be dream. Ever since he ventured into the Haunted House, strange things have been taking place.

“I lied to you about my Mother and Father. They did not leave me.” Isabelle blurted out suddenly after stopping her giggles abruptly.

“Then why are you…” Tiyash took a step back and continued, “here?”

“I have no one. I want someone to talk to…,” Isabelle pouted, trying to act cute and innocent, but Tiyash ignored all of that. He was in despair.

“You are not a human being, are you?”

“Are you crazy?” Isabelle acted as if she had heard the most offending thing in the world.

“No! You are crazy! You are a ghost!”

“Does a ghost have shadows?”

“That’s not the way you can different-“

“I have shadows, look!” Isabelle frantically tried to fold her arms and bend her neck to create some shadows in the areas of her body where the light could not reach. “Can a person touch a ghost?” Isabelle grabbed Tiyash’s hand and gripped it tight. “You can touch anywhere, and confirm.” Isabelle spread out her arms, exposing her torso and waist.

“Stop it!” Tiyash frowned. “I am not cheap,” Tiyash said and turned the other way, hiding his red cheeks.

Isabelle stared at the shy figure for a couple of seconds, before bursting out into laughter. “Ah ha! I know where you were thinking about touching!!” She giggled again and failed to notice how Tiyash went beet-red mode.

“Stop it! I don’t want to touch you anywhere!” Tiyash stomped his way to the other door, where from a gush of wind blew all his worries away. It was cool and soothing. Oho! It was going to rain and they had no umbrella. As much as he wanted the rain to show its enormous cooling capacity, he also did not want to turn wet and in turn, uncomfortable, with a girl with him.

“I like it when it rains…the sky looks beautiful after the dark clouds disappear,” Isabelle said. Tiyash did not notice earlier than Isabelle had scurried up next to him and the fact that he too adored the sky after it rained made him feel happy. He will probably show off the paintings of the sky made by him.

“I still did not forget about your mom and dad's case,” Tiyash reminded.

“They have passed away, long ago,” Isabelle murmured.

“That’s terrible…,” Tiyash felt sorry for Isabelle. But he also could not ignore how she lied to him. He wondered what her reason was and, again, the feeling of confusion and fear clouded up his mind.

“If you are generous enough to let me stay with you,” Isabelle turned towards him and smiled, “I’ll make you breakfast every day.”