Part 157

8:09 PM,

Khanak dried her hair as she sneezed away… gold flecks glistened in her skin, it sparkled under the giant vanity lights… she was quiet, as she rummaged through “her” cabinets for a hair accessory.. found a orange velvet like string with bells on each edge… she braided her still damp hair with it… her magenta kurta had an orange trim, it was full sleeved… she reached for it, looked at herself once before she slid it off the hanger… there were red welts on her neck and on her arm, there was on her left breast…………

She wore her kurta in a hurry… found a orange crystal like bindi… shut the lights out, rubbing lotion on her sore spots… it singed…

She walked back to the bedroom, he lay sleeping on the bed… face down..her gorgeous green saree a crumpled mess on the floor, leaking gold color………..

She didn’t know where the blouse was, both were soaked in the gold sparkling dye he had used………..

She had gotten off the elevator, the Gujrals apartment was also at the penthouse level, but the common terrace area could also be accessed through an elevator, Gujrals had their private terrace, accessible through a spiral staircase, all bedrooms had an exterior door leading to the corridor to the terrace………..

There was NOBODY… no cleaning crew… no servants… the place looked spotlessly clean……… like no Holi was ever celebrated…………

She wandered, the afternoon breeze teasing her green pallu and wet hair……….. smiling, she walked to the 15 foot rails………. Peeking down…….. started looking for the bracelet………… spends over 20 mins poring over every nook and crany, disappointed she punches 912 on the intercom, Dadi answers, she tells her she cant find it, Dadi asks her to search harder…

Khanak is tired, but agrees quietly….

Hangs up the phone, the overhead misting tubes, suddenly start spraying a gold liquid… she tries to scamper under an awning…. She is soaked in gold water…

“Happy Holi Khanak” Shaan appears grinning, in a white V neck vest like tee, and a crushed cotton tan knee length shorts…. All DRY…