"Your room is ready"

"Please, stop this marriage"

It was the way she said it that got to him. So simply, like a tired child wanting you find her toy.

This was not the first time they had met, of course.

This afternoon, Ashish had been waiting for full fifteen minutes for the newly opened hotel to give him a room. Apparently, the previous occupants was a family with small children and they had not finished packing yet. Never a man to pick up fights when he could avoid them, Ashish chose to hang around the hotel lobby. The lobby was not large but it was plush and bright enough for a new hotel. He saw two cafes and one bar connected to the lobby. The bar was at the turn of the corridor, as if hesitant to reveal its existence. Of the two cafes, one was a posh looking one with an attractive Eastern Indian girl standing behind a small lectern stand replete with a small mic and a stack of menus. The other café was more of a regular one designed especially for people who were waiting for something or someone. This is where Ashish sat observing people. Of whom there were a lot today. A strategically placed announcement board announced a wedding. "Sushil Raina Weds Ria Pillai. Join the Clerbration" Gold letters on bright red, the spelling mistake seemed to challenge anyone to discover and fix it. Chances were most people will not notice and those who will just laugh about it and keep going to the Ballroom where the function was taking place.

People of all sizes, dimensions, ages and color populated the lobby. some looking frustrated, most charged with excitement, and were exploring the hotel. The children were deliberately rubbing their shoes on the newly waxed floor to produce an annoying squeaky noise. Some parents half-heartedly tried to put a stop to this but almost immediately got busy chatting up other guests. More than having arrived, it looked like the wedding party had descended and taken over the place. Children of various ages ran around while older ones suppressed their excitement trying to appear more mature. He had even heard some bicker about how there were no welcome drinks. A complaint they had probably picked up from their parents.

It was when he was grudgingly considering a second cup of coffee when he heard the announcement.

"Detective Ashish!"

Ashish looked up, shocked.

A hotel page in a cheap suit was going around calling his name. His earns turned hot. Many people even stopped talking and started following the page with their eyes to see who would respond. "Damn Rati!" Ashish thought. He knew she had deliberately got him registered under this name, just to tease him. "And damn the bloody hotel staff for not calling me on my phone! Which age do these idiots think they are living in?"

He got up slowly to not try to attract attention. He picked up his lone piece of luggage - an old and weathered brown Da Milano bag gifted years back and still bearing the twin burden of his clothes and status symbol. Bill for the first coffee had already been paid. He followed the page nonchalantly as he crossed the corridor towards the bar. The page had already entered the bar when Ashish caught up with him. All the few people inside the bar got was "Dit...", which was fine.

"Excuse me!" The page turned hopefully.

"I am Ashish"

"Oh, hello, sir! I have been looking for you"

"Yes, I heard"

"Your room is ready, sir"

"Yes. Did you try calling me?"

"Yes, sir! I called you many times…"

"On the phone, I mean."

"Oh yes! There was no response so we called the alternate number." A gap then. As if wondering he should say the next thing or not. "Your wife said to announce you as Detective" he completed, giving up resistance.

Ashish suppressed a deep bout of irritation. He did not bother clearing that the woman in question was not his wife but his cheeky secretary.

They both extended their hands towards each other. Not shaking hands but Ashish asking for his key and the page asking for the luggage. The page won this one and looked pleased when Ashish readily moved with him towards the elevators.

"Probably adding a 20 to his tip collection for the day", Ashish thought.

The room was on the third floor and after riding the cramped elevator they arrived to travel a circuitous passages that made Ashish thankful that this man had come along with him. The carpets were suitably plush in the center but they were already showing some wear and tear at the edges. "Are these available second hand too?" Ashish thought casually as they reached Room no. 309. The page withdrew a keycard, inserted it into the slot and opened the door. He bowed slightly letting Ashish enter the room first.

It was a pleasant room and much more specious than Ashish and anticipated. This made Ashish happy and he wondered about the hold that hotel rooms had on his mood. The dull purpose of his visit notwithstanding, at lease his stay will be comfortable.

Ashish was about to withdraw a 100 from his front pocket to pay the page when he suddenly noticed the presence of a small laptop on the dressing table. He looked confused "Really?" he thought, "does this room come with the laptop too?" He was about to ask a question related to this to the page when he found further evidence of another life in the room. The other side of the double bed, in the corner, was pile of clothes strewn on the floor. A bra peeked from beneath a worn out jeans. Woman's clothes.

Ashish turned around to bring the Page's attention to them and realized that he had already followed Ashish's gaze and was looking equally puzzled. It was then Ashish became aware of two voices coming from behind a door he assumed to be the bathroom.

"You should have gotten this done at the parlor! What did they charge you 6000 for?" said a voice followed by another voice – younger and whiny "Mama, please! I was not going to ask anyone there to shave it! Now please leave me alone!" Realization dawned on both Ashish and now his accomplice together but before they could both say anything the door to the bathroom opened and a woman of about 45 stepped out wearing a green sari. She was big. That's why it was a surprise when the scream she let out was rather small. As if it was also trying to assess the situation before ripping out. Ashish looked ready to scream louder if given a chance. The two intruders stood frozen still in the center of the room. The said scream was not loud enough to have called everyone on the floor but it surely attracted the attention of the other person inside the bathroom. And sure enough, on the heels of her older woman a young girl of 23 appeared, wrapped in just a towel, carrying a razor in her hand. The mother suddenly sprang into action "You go inside!" she curtly ordered the girl and turned to face the two men.

By this time the poor men had found the basic usage of their voices and we're offering sounds as broken apologies. They were also simultaneously moving towards the door in a jerky fashion hoping that this move would convince the women of their intention of getting out of here as soon as possible. Ashish was the first to formulate actual words to try explaining the situation. His indignation and anger at the hotel and its staff was genuine enough to get to the woman who was also a customer and had suffered, if not exactly similar, but enough incompetency at the hands of the service industry, to empathize with his predicament better.

The woman, Sheetal Jain, turned out to be surprisingly understanding. She even laughed at one point when Ashish was describing his reaction at the women's voices coming from the bathroom. Maybe, her leniency had to do with the general festive mood too. She talked about how the marriage preparations have had everyone so busy and strung up. By now the girl - the bride, Ashish assumed, had also joined in, properly dressed this time. For Ashish, it looked like had made new friends. Ashish was told how various relatives are running around getting small things done. The page had immediately called the reception from 309 as soon as normal conversation had resumed and informed them of the "fuck up". Both the woman and Ashish looked slightly embarrassed and pretended not to hear this but the girl giggled and then controlled herself. "The problem has been cleared, Sir. Yours is the next room. They are sending your key over. Mr. Ashish, room 210" Finding a respite from embarrassment, he immediately excused himself to wait in the corridor outside and let the two women carry on. But he couldn't help noticing the Ria observing with him a new interest.

Though, his actual room was not as luxurious as the one he had been mistakenly allotted, with the biggest upset being the missing mini-fridge. Still, Ashish was glad to see the sight of a bed he could call his own. For a couple of days, anyway. He was still thinking about the whole episode when he slipped into dreamless sleep without changing.

The knocking was gentle yet persistent. It was the intent of the person knocking and not the knocking itself which penetrated his sleep. Ashish believed in such things. He sat on his bed, still in sleep. "Who is it?" he managed to ask. When the reply was more consistent knocking he got up and made his way to the door. As he was opening it, he was asking himself why did he not use the door eye glass to first check who it was. The corridor was dark and silent except the figure who stood in front of his door.

"Please, stop this marriage"

The occasions where Ashish gained full wakefulness without a coffee or a really strong tea were rare and this was one of those. His first reaction was to assess the corridor again for anyone else. Realiaizng what was in his mind the girl said, "Everyone is in the lobby. Sangeet is about to start". He noticed that she was dressed for the party in a rather elaborate lehenga chunni. But her make-up appeared muted or maybe it was what she carried inside had made it appear dull. If she had not uttered those words, Ashish would have attributed it to good taste. "Please stop this marriage, please." She repeated. He made way for her to enter his room. First things first, he thought.

Propriety made him keep the door slightly ajar. What would look weirder if, say someone walks in? He turned from the door to encounter another unexpected problem. Where should we sit? Me on the bed or she on the bed? The girl took the decision for him and slumped herself into the chair. He made his way gingerly to the bed and positioned himself awkwardly on the edge.

He observed her for a bit. Gone was the glee she had exhibited at the page using the expletive. She looked the same girl but somehow more advanced in years "Does anyone know you are here?" She shook her head. No. "Listen", Ashish resumed "You said the Sangeet is about to start, right? Where all the relatives would be dancing and celebrating... Don't you think it's too late to think about stopping the marriage?"

If she felt surprised by Ashish's reaching to the point directly she did not show it. She was ready for this question.

"Yes, I know! But I have not been married yet am I? It would be too late then" The girl had a point.

"But...where do I fit in? You should tell your parents directly about how you feel. Ask your friends and cousins to back you up."

The girl laughed at this. It sounded like a genuine laughter but Ashish could hear the bitterness beneath it.

"Do you think I have not tried any of that? Why do you think I am sitting inside the room of a stranger in a hotel at midnight?" Do you think that this is what I do?" Ashish realized he had said the wrong thing. Of course, the poor thing had exhausted all options before coming here. Imagine the courage it would have taken for her to take this step.

"I am sorry. Truly. I admire that you have been brave enough. I am sure you have thought things through. It's just that you are a pretty, intelligent you can get anyone you want. You do not have to get married to someone of your parents' choice"

Had he said too much? No. The girl seemed to relax at his response. "That's the thing. He is my choice."

Ashish was not expecting this. He waited for her to elaborate.

She did.

It was a girl meets boy, girl likes boy, handsome boy appears cool but gradually reveals a nasty temper story. By this time the girl has already fought at home for the boy she first ignores the nasty streak then she pretends not to see it then she wonders whom should she talked about and before she knows the situation has come to this. Her tone has the quality of a confessional. A well- rehearsed one. Ashish listens to the girl with required attention. is eyes closed he has heard and seen many such cases but he is still confused about what role he has to play in this drama. He asks her.

"I just need some time. To think things through. Just do something that the marriage is postponed."

"What can I do? Kill someone?"

"Yes…if you have to but please help me."

"You are being completely irrational. Do one thing. Let me speak to your mother. She looks like a reasonable lady and I am sure she will understand"

"Hah! My mother is reasonable just for the strangers. She will be the first one to directly go and report this to my father!"

He got up from the bed feeling slightly irritated now. She looked at me expectant. Aware by instinct that this is an argument she was losing. "He is even worse! He will get Himalaya killed…" she spoke in a rush. She froze as soon as the name was out of her.

"Himalaya?" Ashish remembered that the name of the groom was something else. Looking at her he immediately sensed that she was holding something back and has now blurted it right out. A part of his mind felt proud that he held on for so long. He had read somewhere that good detectives are good listeners and let the other side do most of the talking.

"If you want me to help you, you have to tell me the whole thing"

She sighed and looked down. Ashish waited for her to break the silence. She kept on staring down if committing the pattern on the carpet to her memory. Ashish felt his chest constricting. "You don't say anything. Let her say! Give her time" he told himself.

Finally, she sighed and looked up directly in his eyes. She had come to some kind of decision. "He is my boyfriend".

"What? You mean another one…?"

"Don't look at me like this is what I do. I am not one of those two timing girls"

"Hey! When did I say that?"

"I can tell by the way you looked at me"

"I am just surprised, that's all. This is a new character you have pulled out of your hat!"

"Ok. Fair enough."

"Thank god! Thank you! Now please…the whole story"

"He is my friend's friend. He always liked me but I was into Bobby. He got to know how Bobby was…treating me through my friend and confronted me. I told him all. Just couldn't hold it back. It was then that I realized that I have felt relaxed with him always. I used to tell him everything so casually earlier too. He…we started talking more regularly and fell in love"

Fell in love. So easy for this generation, Ashish thought. Do they even know what love is? At his age he was still trying to understand.

"So this guy…are you running with him or something?" She hesitated. Then nodded.

"And where exactly this Himalaya is taking you?"

"We will go and get married. Simple."

"What if this Himalaya also turns out to be the same as Bobby?"

"I have known his since 10 years now and his family too. He is not this way. Plus, we genuinely love each other"

There it was again. What the fuck was genuine love, anyway?

"Listen, I don't have much time. They will start looking for me soon. Till now this friend was with me but she has cold feet now. Himalaya will be waiting for me at the station. All I am asking for you to do is to just drop me there. No one will suspect you."

Ashish, though swayed, was still fighting an argument inside his head.

"I can pay you." She said. Ashish looked at her surprised. She mistook his shift as agreement and started taking off her ear rings.

"What? What are you doing?"

"I don't have money right now. But just take these and my ring too. They are expensive"

Something moved inside Ashish.

"Hey, stop it", he reached out and grabbed her hand on her ear gently. "I don't need this. I will help you."

An instant happiness colored her face. It was turning like someone turned up the color on a black and white image. Like an artist's last stroke which suddenly start making sense of the painting for an onlooker.

"I knew you would agree. I knew you were a good man the very first time I saw you."

Ashish was suddenly confident of himself. Yes! He would do this. Rati's message flashed through his mind but he ignored it. It was like closing a window in on your computer to focus on another one.

"Do you have a plan?" he asked.

Ashish had no idea that it was raining when he stepped out. He was taken aback. He felt as if he had walked out not on the same day as he had arrived but some other day with a completely different weather. Some other day in someone else's story, thought bemused. The rain drummed incessantly on his old Honda City. The air was suffocating inside. He rolled down the window an inch only to be rewarded with rain water on his clothes. "Shit!" he said and immediately winded the window back up.

He sighed and took out his phone.

He opened whatsapp and searched for the name Rippy. He had decided to save Ria as Rippy in case someone asks to check his phone later. A very remote likelihood but he thought of himself as a very careful person. Her profile picture was with a couple picture of her and what he assumed was Bobby. The heavily muscled boy looked pleasant but it took experience to be able to see the brute behind those eyes. Ashish prided himself on that. There had been instances where he had spoiled films for his friends by predicting who the murderer would be. "I am in my car outside. Come quickly" he typed and sent. He let out a long held breath as he looked at the hotel entrance. The guards had large black umbrellas and were receiving the cars at the main gate with exactly the same efficiency as before. Years of training and practice had make them perfect, Ashish thought. He had gone through training, as well. At times standing for hours inside the office to look out the window. He would observe people and had made a list of the people who regularly passed in front of his building. His office colleagues teased him by calling him "Karamchand", the famous carrot eating detective of yesteryears, but he did not care. But he was still relieved when some of the old staff was let go and the new, younger one came in. The reference of Karamchand was lost on them. Though soon enough they themselves started calling him Sherlock. Secretly, he liked it. Much better than Karamchand, he thought. The message from Rati still wanted to infringe his happy thoughts and he again dismissed it rudely.

He looked at the time. It had been close to ten minutes since he had texted Ria. What could be wrong? What if she has been caught? Five more minutes, he thought, then I would go in to check myself.

He spent the next ten minutes fervently wishing that she would come out. The las thing he wanted was to himself go to draw her out.

She did not come. No message either.

Despite the A.C. on full blast, he felt a trickle of sweat as chilling as a premonition go down his back.

If he has committed to something, he must take it till the end. It was a promise he had made himself many years ago and he never failed to dictate this to everyone else who came in contact with him. Right now he was committed to give this story a happy ending. At least, for the two lovers if not for that rascal Bobby.

He switched off the engine, opened the door and prepared to run out towards the doors. He began running almost as soon as he was out of the car. He used his remote to lock the car and continued till he reached the hotel doors without looking back.

The guards looked surprised at this small man running towards the hotel but one of them recognized him as he was at the post when Ashish had come out to get a valet to pick up his car. His involuntary salute made the guard inside instantly open the doors. Ashish was wet but not soaking. Inside the A.C. chilled the water on his body and he felt an onset of a sneezing bout coming. Letting two out he focused his attention on the music emanating from the walls of the hotel. He could have asked the staff at the desk where the Ballroom was but he wanted to leave no trail. He followed the music and children as they ran in and out of a

corridor to the left of the bar where he had caught up with the page.

Sangeet seemed to be in full swing. The hall was pulsating with music but the capacity of happy Indians gathered to celebrate outshone all the best music systems in the world. The laughter, happy screams of the children, the loud sing along of a group of young friends along with the dazzling display of colorful clothes – the whole energy made Ashish forget the seriousness of this purpose. He stared at the crowd from outside the hall mesmerized. When was the last time he was a part of such a crowd? It seemed that the older people had left this day to the young. Either day had already retired or they had decided to sit this one out.

Scared of being spotted, he was standing a little distance away from the doors of the Ballroom. The lights from inside shown on the bright, shiny marble outside. Before he could decide what to do Ria stepped out of the venue. Pretty in pink, she seemed to be looking for someone inside. Ashish found his body go tense. Ready to rush back to the car at the first indication from her. Another girl of the same age wearing a red lehenga joined her. The Red Girl said something to Ria and they both burst out laughing. Had Ria forgotten their arrangement, he thought. How can she? This is so important for her. She was still laughing when her gaze lifted to him. She stopped laughing and The Red Girl looked at what Ria was looking at too. He realized for the first time how odd he must be looking. A small, fattening middle aged man wearing wet clothes and staring mouth open at two young girls. He closed his mouth involuntarily. Ria kept looking at him and then ran towards him.

He should have felt a sense of relief at this but strangely he tensed even more.

"What are you doing here?"

"I was waiting for you outside. We have to leave now!"

Ria stares at him as if she can't believe it. "Are you serious?" Then she bursts out laughing. Ashish stared at her confused. He couldn't think of a single reason why Ria would be behaving in this manner. By now The Red Girl has joined the conversation too. She looks amused. He looks at her and then it occurs to him.

"How did they get to know?"

"Get to know what?"

"About you and Himalaya?"

She began to laugh even harder at this name. The Red Girl joins in.

"Him..Himalaya? Are you serious?", The Red Girl asks Ria as she gasps for breath between laughter.

"There was a bottle of mineral water on his table that said Himalaya so I used it" Ria responds matching her companion's glee.

"You are crazy!" The Red Girl says.

Ashish still finds it difficult to understand or maybe he does not want to.

He grabbed Ria by her both her arms and roughly turned her towards him.

She instinctively slapped his face hard. There was a silence for a split second, then she screams.

"Don't you get it? It was a prank. Who the fuck asked you to go run around like this?"

Ashish stared at her, stunned.

People in the lobby stopped and started surrounding the scene. The Red Girl put her arm around Ria and held her close as she said to Ashish. "Mr. Whoever you are – please leave" There is something about his face. So sad and stricken that it gets to Ria. She takes a deep breath.

"I am sorry that this happened. I heard your name being called out in the lobby and then you ended up in our room. So we decided to play a prank. Hell, I am not even getting married! I am Kajal, she is Ria!" Kajal said pointing towards the girl in red lehenga.

Three large burly looking young men stepped out of the ballroom. All muscles and brawn.

"It was supposed to be a prank."

"What?" he asked feebly. A part of him understanding completely what she meant.

The page that Ashish had not tipped is pointing the angry men in his direction. As if in unison, they all rolled up their sleeves as they strode towards me.

"Bobby?" I said meekly.

"Bobby? Oh, Bobby is a darling! This is my brother… He really does have a nasty temper. And he has read your texts." The genuine sympathy in her voice made me look at her. But no. Beneath the sympathy there was something else. A sense of enjoyment. The same shine in her eyes I had seen in her hotel room. She raised her hand, patted his shoulder walked towards the Ballroom past her brother and his gang. Ria followed her.

As the angry group walked towards Ashish, he was left with no option but to run out in the rain.

All the while the text from Rati going off like an alarm in his head:

"Don't start playing the detective again!"

THE END