Chapter 3

She was troubled. She needed to think it through.

Confused about whether to listen to her friend or just ignore the business card.

The question became a deadly rush in her veins, leaving her fidgeting and biting her lip in tension.

And finally, she gave up on her blood rush and picked up the receiver of the landline, sitting on her left and picking up the card on her right.

Holding the receiver against her shoulder and her ear, she dialed the number with her fingers still holding the cigarette.

Her heart was thumping, her fingers were not sure, and quickly a ringing sound occurred.

As soon as she heard the bell ring, she quickly disconnected the line and jumbled more than ever.A sudden purge of fear had taken over her. What if she was making a mistake?

Yet, once again, she inhaled sharply, not letting her thoughts wild out, and she called again.

This time she did not disconnect the call but waited for more than ten seconds.

Her feet hammered in the air, legs folded. She puffed in the smoke and released it, abruptly hearing a calm and still tone.

"Hello!" a female greeted, adding, "This is WAV. How many I help you?"

She sounded confident, well mannered, in a perfect balance of her pitch.

"Umm. Is this the place where I can --" Mira confidently said, not letting her disturbed mind corrupt her character.

The lady chuckled at her words and intervened in Mira's speech, "Yes. It is. How may I help you?"

"I need to book an appointment." Mira quickly said, playing with her tongue inside her mouth. More like pressure.

"Wasn't so hard, was it?" The lady said, snickering once again.

"It's my first time," Mira replied.

"I know. --- We have no appointments after 6 tomorrow. What time would like to book after?""9 pm would be fine, I assume."

"It would be perfect." Mira could sense a smile on the lady's face through her light words.

"Are you not going to ask me any questions?" Mira asked. Confused.

"Ma'am, we will send you a link which will only be valid till tomorrow. After that, it will be invalid. Make sure you arrive on time. Otherwise, your next appointment will happen after a week. And please show the link to the guard. So, he can let you in. Any further questions will be asked, only if you make it in."

The lady's words had confused her more.

"That's it?" Mira asked, astonished at how easy it was.

"Yes, ma'am. That is it. I'll be waiting."

The brief conversation was confusing to Mira.

She sat quietly for a while after the call, in the same place. Had she made the right choice? She wondered.

The phone rang on the left of her bed, somewhere under the pillows as the sun shaded its color from the vast glass door on her naked back.

She had silenced her phone. Yet it won't stop vibrating.

Irritated and sleepy, she lifted the phone to her right, ignoring the beaming light of the sun, glancing half-dozed at the screen to a familiar, irritating name.

She grated her teeth at the time. It was just 10 o'clock.

Being a sleeper who sleeps till 12 or mid-day, did not like to be disturbed during her sleep.

"What?" she growled, frustrated at the snickering man. Mr. Rao.

"You're still sleeping?" He boomed, adding, "I told you I'll come to help you."

"I don't need your help. Now get lost." She plopped back on the pillow, waiting for the call to be over.

"Hey! Hey. Don't hang up. We need to work. Together."

"I can do that by myself."

"I know. But --- I need to learn from you!"

"I don't want to teach you anything. Fuck off."

"Okay, how about I help you with other things? I can help you with other trivial matters." Quickly, he spat out the words he did not think thoroughly. He just wanted to step inside the apartment.

Meanwhile, intrigued by his offer, she agreed to let him in.

"Do not touch anything!" She warned, as she unbolted the door, straining her eyes at Mr. Rao, wearing her black nightgown, which made him sway away his eyes.

He was dressed pleasantly. Bluecoat, with a white shirt inside and grey pants. Well dressed as if he's out to meet officials.

Rolling her eyes at his smiling appearance, she loudly thumped the door after him, watching him freely step towards her living room, which was right in front.

"So, what have you written so far?" Rao quickly asked, shamelessly sitting in the middle of the couch, without her offering.

But he rapidly read the emotions on her face as she stood at the entrance glaring at him with her arms folded.

"Ok. I won't ask you anything." He smiled again, lifting up the TV remote. And once again he looked at her; she had not moved a budge, with her body and with her face.

Stiff, he slowly placed the remote back on the side table, watching her gingerly step towards the couch, back facing the flat TV screen on the wall.

She stared at him quietly, shaking her right foot, folded on her left.

Her poking eyes shuddered his mind as well as his body, and finally, after gallons of courage, he stated.

"So, what do you need help with?"

"I don't need your help." She denied it, making him smile vaguely.

"Okay. How about what I would do in a weird situation? You can ask me about any situation. Take it as a game." He had somehow read the room. No one would deny that he was starting to learn from the best.

As he said that, her disturbed mind hailed to unfold. Her eyes may have been traveling on the floor, but her focus was still on the confusing question.

"What would you choose?" She paused. "Between doing something not so ethical, with a solid possibility to like it, or something ethical and makes you feel alone."

"It's very easy." He said, serious and serene, "I'd do something unethical." He was aware that the question related to her but did not know how. And it did not stop him from giving her an answer he thought to be right.

"But what about your principals?" astonished she argued, adding, "If you even have some."

"Everyone has principals. But it does not mean you have to be alone." He snickered at her words, replying, "And how would principals rub off my loneliness?"

His words quickly paused, "It's not like you're committing a crime, are you?"

"We — we're not talking about crime as unethical, right?" He asked with his eyes suddenly poked out, astonished and scared. Waiting for an answer.

The irritation in her eyes on his clown reaction was truer than anything and she wanted him gone, but she was more intrigued by his point and asked. "What if that unethical choice is not as good as you assumed, then?"

"You'll never know unless you try it. Only if it's not a crime."

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to be continued.....

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