1 A Silk Scarf
Izzy was looking outside the window. It has just started raining. The day was sunny ten minutes ago, so bright that it looked like a page from a children's picture book. Then, the moment she entered the cafe, clouds started blocking the sun.
Thank god she was inside. She left her umbrella at home. She knew about the weather forecast, yet, she left it at home, as though she intended to go out in the rain. She sat in a corner and started going through her phone. There were a couple of unread messages, a voice note, and an email. Out of habit, she opened the mail first. A small smile of excitement made her cheeks pink.
It is a confirmation of two tickets to Prague. Mike thought he would surprise Izzy, and as usual, he forgot that the account he was using was hers. She has been nagging about a vacation with Mike for the past year. The year has been a roller coaster ride for Mike. A promotion in his office and loads of new responsibilities have added to his stress, but the position has also given him happiness. Nowadays, he has become very busy with his new project. Izzy's smile broadened. A vacation was exactly what she and Mike needed right now.
The text messages were confirmations of the paid amounts, and some other related to the unpaid bills. She had asked Mike to pay the electric bill last week, and obviously, he forgot about it. She checked her Instagram account and then browsed through the new pictures Ruby had posted. She went to the beach last week. Izzy wanted to join her, but Ruby said that it was meant to be a getaway with her boyfriend. Izzy checked all the photographs carefully. In none of them, Ruby had added the mystery boyfriend.
She typed a text to Clara.
Have you met Ruby's boyfriend?
Clara texted back in no time.
No. I don't think she wants us to meet him.
Izzy sighed and looked out at the rain-soaked street again. She loved monsoon. Since her childhood, rain made her very happy. She felt like a plant that waited for the rainwater throughout the year, and finally, when the sky started showering over the land, she would find that immense happiness nothing else had ever given her. She called Mike. She knew she shouldn't. It was not even his lunchtime. Calling him at this hour may disturb him, but he could just find two minutes to let her hear his voice, right?
The first time he didn't receive the call. The second time, she heard his slightly annoyed voice. "What is it, Iz?"
"Nothing serious. I just wanted to talk to you."
"Iz, that sounds so childish. Do you have something important to say?"
Izzy hesitated. She wanted him to look out and look at the sky, and see how beautiful it all looked. Thinking about it, it did seem childish to her. She pressed her lips together and took a moment. Then she said, "Where are you? It's raining outside, and I am kinda missing you."
"I am at the office, preparing for a meeting." Mike inhaled deeply and continued, "Look, I can't talk right now."
"Oh, yes, sure." Embarrassment crept through her bloodstream. She knew Mike was a mature, level-headed person. Things like these didn't affect him. Yet she called him and ended up irritating him. She should do something for him. He was working hard, only to make things better for them in the future. In return, at least she could give him something he enjoyed.
She looked at her reflection on the glass door of the cafe. She looked sad. She was wearing a beige dress with flats. Her face had no make-up on, and her ponytail looked like it had drained all its energy. She was the shortest girl in her office, and also the simplest looking. She used to be highly self-conscious about her appearance. Now, in her mid-twenties, she believed it was all alright. She had everything she needed. A good boyfriend, a house of her own, and a good job.
The rain had stopped, she noticed. She ordered another coffee and paid for it. The moment she stepped outside, a cool breeze froze her. She looked around herself. Suddenly a drop in the temperature had made everybody in the vicinity alert. Rain was in the forecast, but not this. She held the coffee in her hand tightly and took a sip of it. She didn't like the sudden change in the weather.
The little girl was standing across the road. At first, she didn't notice her. When she did, she took a double take. The girl was probably seven or eight. She stood bare feet, with no umbrella or raincoat to save her from the rain. Her hair was wet, and so was her red, printed frock. She waved at Izzy like they'd known each other for a very long time. There was something in her eyes. Izzy stared at the girl for a long time; she did not make any effort to look away or go on with her schedule. Time was becoming an irrelevant idea.
"Excuse me, Miss, do you mind?"
A lady pushed her out of the way and ran to catch a bus. Izzy stood there, looking around curiously. "What the hell just happened?" She murmured, hoping nobody had noticed her stupidity. She glanced at her smartwatch and cursed. She had to enter her office in the next ten minutes. Today's meeting was very important for them.
She started walking as fast as she could. In between she took small pauses to drink the coffee. She was getting late, and at this state, she could not enter the office with a coffee in her hand. She finished her coffee in a rush and then started running.
She would have missed him if not the silk scarf.
It was a green scarf. A vibrant, cadmium-green scarf, made of silk. It flew towards her from nowhere and fell on her feet. She had wanted such a scarf for a very long time. She had found one online, but it was an exorbitant Valentino product. She leaned forward, took it in her hand, and gasped. It felt like a dream on her finger. She raised her eyes to find the owner of the scarf.
She was standing at a square. Surrounding her were countless shops, restaurants, car showrooms and a bustling crowd. She was looking for a woman, or a man, who was looking for a scarf that had accidentally flown away.
She found Mike instead. Mike Willowby, her boyfriend of five years, whom she was planning to marry, was affectionately placing a kiss on the forehead of a woman. At first, she squinted to see clearly, then she took out her glasses to get a better view. There they were, across the road, sitting in a restaurant.
She looked at him again. What if he was just another man who looked like him? He was wearing a light peach shirt, along with formal trousers. He just took off his glasses and placed them on the table, and looked deeply into the eyes of the woman. There was an expensive wristwatch in his hand, the shine of the metal blinded her for a second.
Or was it the lie he just told her?
This morning, Izzy had asked him to wear the peach shirt because it brought him good luck, and made him look very handsome. The wristwatch was a birthday gift she had bought a couple of months ago. She saved from her salary for almost half of the previous year because she knew Mike loved that brand. And the way he was sitting, tilting his head slightly to watch the woman's face, that was a move very familiar to Izzy. He would do that in the first year of their relationship.
Izzy forgot about the scarf in her hand. She forgot about the meeting in her office. She even forgot about moving. In the middle of the busy street, she stood like a statue.
The cold breeze blew again, shivering her to the core. She came back to her senses. Fishing out the phone from her bag, she dialled his number. It went on ringing for the first time.
It went unanswered for the second time too. Both times, he glanced at his phone and turned the ringer off.
The third time, she heard his voice. Even from a distance, she could make out the expressions of annoyance written on his face. She knew this expression very well. She had seen it many times in her bedroom, living room, kitchen, and every other place she had given him access to.
"What's it now?" He didn't even try to hide the annoyance in his tone.
"Where are you right now? I need to talk to you."
"I told you I am at the office. I can't talk to you right now," he said.
"Why not? It's urgent," she pressed.
"Then leave a text. I am in a meeting," he said and disconnected the phone.
Izzy wanted to rush inside the restaurant and catch them red-handed. What kind of woman he was with? He lied in front of her and yet she was there, sitting with him. She wiped the silent tears and turned away.
This was not the correct time. She would watch him to find out, what was the extent of his betrayal.
