Five-Thirty AM - XXVII

Noel had left early for work the next morning, when Shomu went in to clean his room. The first thing that caught his eye as he entered was the picture on Noel’s bedside table. It was back. He quickly made the bed, dusted and swept the room, before picking up the picture and taking a good look at it.

The doorbell rang and he ran to open it, letting in Maria and Matthew, who had returned from their morning stroll. He brought out juice and fruits on a tray for them, putting it down on the center table, before he spoke.

‘Ma-ji, do you want to see Mitul’s picture?’ he asked hesitantly.

Maria and Matthew both looked up surprised. ‘Of course, we do, Shomu,’ she exclaimed.

He gestured for them to wait, before heading into Noel’s bedroom. He came out carrying the photo frame reverently. Not for a moment did it cross his mind that Noel might object to his things being moved around while he wasn’t there, or that Shomu would actually show that photo to his parents. But Shomu did it anyway. Noel was like a son to him. He knew what the Figueiredos had gone through with this boy, and he more than anything wanted to see his Noel baba happily married with a family of his own. Something which Noel had avoided for the longest time.

He handed over the frame to Noel’s parents and stood there with a smile on his face, waiting for their reactions.

To say Noel’s parents were astonished would be to put it mildly. Noel’s girlfriends had all been typical model material. He seemed to prefer them that way. Tall, leggy, with the size zero figure that most models seem to sport these days. They wore high-fashion clothes, and were perfectly made up always, not a hair out of place on their glossy heads.

The girl they saw in the picture was nothing like that. She was short. Even they could see that Noel was taller than her sitting down. She was slim, but not unnaturally so. Her dark hair was in a high ponytail, and she wore casual clothes. As far as they could make out, there was no make up on her face. She was good-looking in an earthy kind of way. Not perfectly beautiful, but with an inner charm that drew one in.

What grabbed their attention however, like it had done with Dev, was the way they were posed. Noel’s hand visible on her waist. Her hand on his chest. The way she glowed up at him. The way he was glowing, just smiling at her, his green eyes crinkled up, lips upturned, a real smile of happiness.

Maria sighed looking at the picture.

‘She’s really short,’ said Matthew.

She looked at him and said, ‘Matthew. See how they’re looking at each other, how comfortable they seem with each other.’ She smiled. ‘I like her already.’

Matthew looked resigned and said, ‘wedding bells, here I come.’

‘Shomu,’ said Maria, ‘what did you think of her?’

‘Ma-ji. I liked her. But after that day, Noel baba never brought her here.’ He frowned. ‘I don’t know why.’

‘Thank you, Shomu,’ said Maria. Maybe, just maybe, her Noel had found the light in his life.

*****

The shooting scheduled for that day was a long one. They were shooting the closeups for the action scenes for which they’d already done in the outdoor portions in El Paso. The set had a green background - which strangely enough was called a blue matte - as a backdrop. It resembled the interior of a train. The action sequences would be shot in this, including the closeups. Then the whole thing would be put together later, the exteriors being added during the editing process.

Noel sat in his chair, sipping a bottle of water, when Dev came and sat down next to him.

‘Talked to Mitul?’ Dev asked.

Noel shook his head. ‘Just called to say hi. Dev, can you ask her to come by my place on Friday afternoon? For lunch, instead of in the morning. I left my phone in the vanity and I ....’

Dev had already taken out his phone and pulled up a number, ‘here you go,’ he said.

Noel grinned at him and said, ‘thanks!’. He was reaching for it when the Assistant Director walked up to him.

‘Raghu wants a word with you,’ he said. ‘Shot is almost ready, but we need to go over some lines.’

‘Sure,’ Noel got up, his lean body encased in nothing but a pair of khakis and a vest that showed off the golden hue of his sculpted body. He wore a pair of crocs on his feet, although he would actually be shooting bare-footed.

The Assistant Director walked away, and Noel turned to Dev. ‘Just please call her and tell her, okay?’

Dev waved him off, before dialing Mitul.

Noel was relaxing in his vanity during lunch when the phone rang.

‘Hi!’ he said, having already noted the caller id. Piya. What was she calling him about?

‘Hey, Noel,’ she said in a strangely flat voice.

‘Sorry for running out on your party last night,’ he began.

‘Forget that, Noel,’ she snapped. ‘What the hell were you doing last night?’

He frowned and looked at the phone. ‘Huh?’

‘Noel, what were you thinking? You were letting Myna paw you all over and all you can say is huh?’

‘But, Piya-’

‘No buts, Noel. I knew something was wrong when she came back from the US. And yesterday!! Argh! First you dance with Myna, and then you dance with Mitul. Then you kiss Mitul and then you sit next to Myna and let her drink out of your glass. And then, you walk away! Are you playing with both of them? Is that it?’

‘Piya, you’re mistaken,’ he tried to make her see, finding her anger all the more amusing in light of the conversation he’d had with Mitul in the early hours of the morning.

‘No, I’m not,’ she was furious. ‘I saw her give you her phone number. How do you think Mitul felt?’

‘Piya, stop! Okay? Just stop!’ he finally managed. ‘Have you spoken to Mitul today?’ he asked, gently.

‘No,’ she said sullenly.

‘Well then, last night I spoke to her after I got back. She’s fine. I’m not two-timing on her, Piya. Least of all, with Myna,’ he assured her. ‘Mitul and I.’ He didn’t quite know how to explain it to this tigress of a sister, but he had to give it a try. ‘Okay. Mitul and I had problems, I won’t deny it. We’re going to sort them out. I promise you. I care a lot about her, and I won’t hurt her.’

‘She was hurting, Noel,’ Piya said softly.

‘That was before I knew what was wrong. I promise to make things right between us. I .. really do care about that sister of yours. All right?’

‘I’ll take your word for it,’ she said grudgingly.

‘Thank you,’ he laughed. ‘Seriously, Piya, you should be paying this attention to Anuj!’ he teased.

‘Hah!’ she said, the smile evident in her voice.

‘I’ve got to run now. I’m working like a dog and I need to finish fast so I can call up your sister,’ he said. Funny how he’d begun thinking of the twins as something like friends, almost, little sisters.

‘Okay, I’ll let you go. But be warned,’ she said.

‘I am taking your warning to heart, Piya mine. Now I really have to go. Bye,’ he chuckled as he disconnected.

Dev walked in as he was about to step outside, and said, ‘Mitul will be over on Friday, she said.’

‘Thanks, Dev,’ they headed back to the set.

It was true. Noel was now on a mission. Finish this week and then find some quality time for Mitul. He owed her that. Not a rushed phone call and a fleeting slice of time.

****

By the time Noel got home that night, it was almost nine. He was dog tired, and all he wanted was a shower, dinner and bed. And of course, a call with Mitul. With that thought in mind, Noel walked in with a smile on his face, heading to his bedroom after saying hello to his parents.

He picked out some clothes from his closet and walked right into the shower, shedding clothes as he went. He walked out and was rubbing his hair dry when he realized something was amiss. The photo on the nightstand was gone! He spun around looking for it. He’d put it there this morning! He rummaged through the drawer and it wasn’t there either!

‘Shomu!’ he called, looking for him. Shomu came running, they met in the living room. ‘Where’s the photo from my nightstand?’ he asked.

‘Noel baba, it’s-’

‘This one, Noel?’ his mother asked holding up the frame.

Noel blushed. Nothing in this world could have stopped the red from spreading up his face. He swallowed and tried for a nonchalant look. Actor or no actor, Noel James was still his mom’s youngest son.

‘Yes, ma, that one,’ he said, holding out his hand for it.

‘Sit,’ she instructed, not returning the frame.

He sat down, composing himself. He was an actor, dammit! He was good at hiding his feelings.

‘So this is Mitul?’ she asked.

‘Yes, Ma,’ he was blank faced.

‘She’s short,’ she said, echoing her husband.

Noel gave her a quizzical look. ‘So?’

‘So are you ready to talk about her or not? Or is she just another one of those women you parade around with?’ she asked sternly.

‘Ma, she’s not like other girls,’ he protested falling neatly into her trap.

She looked at the picture judiciously, ‘no, she doesn’t look like them. Tell me about her.’

Noel sighed, knowing he was not going to get away from this one. ‘She’s short. She’s a journalist, works for a magazine. She pitched the idea for the biography to her editor. They got a publisher and so, I met her.’

His mother looked at him pityingly. ‘Noel. I know all this. Tell me what I don’t know.’

Noel smiled, looking away and shaking his head. He knew what his mother wanted to know. But he was having a hard time putting it into words, himself. ‘She’s fun to be around,’ starting with the safest thing. ‘She loves to drive. She’s smart, and sometimes, she’s stupid. She’s funny. She’s fiery. She’s protective of me. She’s brave. She’s very real. There’s nothing fake about her. She talks a lot, she has a way with words.’

He didn’t. How could he tell his mother what she meant to him? That her absence in his life almost drove him crazy. Just having her around was peace and happiness. That to see her possessive about him, made him proud. That to see her sad was like the worst thing in the world for him. And her happiness meant that he could be happy too.

His mother saw the distant look in his eyes, and read it correctly. ‘When am I meeting her?’ she asked gently, cupping his face.

‘I’m so busy this week, Mom,’ he said. ‘Friday is the earliest I can do, and I don’t know her schedule.’

‘We leave on Thursday, Noel,’ she reminded him. ‘Why don’t the two of you come down to Goa sometime, then, when things are a little less hectic? Perhaps over a weekend? I know your Father and I would love to have her over.’

‘I’ll do that, Ma,’ Noel promised, holding her hands.

****

Myna seemed to sober down, as the week went by. She had joined the Puri sisters on their shopping sprees with Mitul, but she seemed to have lost a little of her joie de vivre. Although she was still animated, still full of attitude, her general air of quietude was attributed to the put down she received from Jiya about her behavior. Of course, Jiya didn’t mention the relationship between Noel and Mitul, after having spoken to the latter about her twin’s conversation with Noel. Mitul had assured her that things were working out between them.

The second reason was of course, the fact that Noel never called her up. She had always been sure of her power over men. Rare was the man who refused the summons - or in this case the proffered telephone number - of Ms. Myna Imani. Yet here was Noel who had presumably, not bothered to call her. Initially she thought it might be because he was busy.
However, one afternoon, after lunch, Mitul and she had been sitting and watching television when Mitul’s phone had rung. She’d picked it up and said, ‘Hi, Noel.’

Myna had been reaching out her arm to take the phone, but Mitul said, ‘sure’ and wandered off, as if she hadn’t seen Myna reach for the phone. She hadn’t returned for half-an-hour and when she did, she had a smile on her face that made Myna wonder about the call.

‘Was that Noel?’ she’d asked.

Mitul had nodded.

‘Why didn’t you let me speak to him?’ Myna had asked.

Mitul had just looked at her and said, ‘sorry. Didn’t know you wanted to speak to him,’ before turning back to the television.

But the biggest cause of her disquiet was the kiss. She hadn’t been able to get it out of her head. Much as she disliked Dev, she found herself wondering if she would bump into him around town, every time she went out. She’d be lying to herself that she didn’t feel a little disappointed when it never happened.

For Myna it was a long week.

****

Friday couldn’t arrive soon enough for Noel and Mitul, either.

Phone calls at the end/beginning/middle of the day were proving to be highly unsatisfactory. The need to see each other was gnawing at each of them, hunger growing with each moment spent apart. But there was also a sweetness in the anticipation of meeting each other. The dance of courtship was reaching a new tempo, and they waited impatiently for the music to strike up, poised and ready to start the dance. Just a little while longer, they told each other, their minds and hearts already straining towards that first meeting as lovers.

Mitul had told her mother that she was meeting him that day, and would be having lunch with him. The glow on her daughter’s face told Kamini that all was finally coming right in her daughter’s life.

Mitul arrived at Noel’s door and for a while, held her hand on her chest, willing it to stop thumping so hard. She rang the bell.

Shomu opened the door and welcomed her in, ‘come in, Mitul beta.’

She smiled her thanks, surprised he remembered her name. She stepped in, and looked around for Noel.

‘Noel baba had called. He will be here just a little while. He asked you to wait. Sit down, and I’ll bring you some water.’

She nodded again. All week she had been waiting to see him, talk to him. And now, that she was here, he was late! She almost felt like laughing at the irony of it. Shomu had left her with the water, and she sat there, flipping through a magazine, waiting for him.

Almost twenty minutes later, the doorbell rang. Shomu hurried to open the door. She stood up waiting for him to come into the living room. She heard the murmur of voices and her gaze stayed put on the entrance.

He walked in, then, dressed all in black - a pair of black jeans, wingtips, a black leather jacket on top of a black vee-necked tee. His hair was tousled and gelled, styled into spikes, the sideburns just as long as his ears His face seemed more angular, the bones more pronounced, defined. The straight brows hooded over the intense green almond shaped eyes, framed by eyelashes so thick, they look eye-lined. His jaw still had the light stubble that gave him a slightly bad boy look. He carried a helmet in his hand.

His eyes lit up as they came to rest on her. He dropped the helmet on a chair, and came over. For a second they just looked at each other, neither sure of how to greet the other. He raised a hand and touched her chin, rubbing his thumb over it.

‘Sorry I’m late,’ he apologized. ‘Give me five minutes to freshen up. Can you tell Shomu to have lunch on the table, please?’ he asked.

She nodded, and ducked her head shyly.

He headed into his bedroom and stopped, turning around to watch as she walked to the kitchen to talk to Shomu. His lips lifted in a smile. He didn’t know why, but all of a sudden he felt complete. It felt good to be home.

Ten minutes later, they sat down to lunch. Shomu had placed everything on the table, and then he said, ‘Noel baba, I am leaving, now. I’ll come back later tonight with your dinner.’

‘Thanks, Shomu,’ he said easily, and sat down as Shomu left.

Mitul’s heart had started racing when Shomu had mentioned leaving. It looked like Noel and she would be left alone! It was a long time since they’d been alone together, and suddenly it felt very new.

Lunch was almost awkward, both of them finding the solitude unnerving, though they did try to make conversation. Lunch over, Noel decided enough was enough. She had finished clearing the table and was putting away the left overs in the fridge, and much as he liked the domesticity of the scene, he didn’t want to waste any more time.

He caught her hand as she shut the fridge. Lacing his fingers through hers, he led her to the couch, and sat her down on it, his hands on her shoulders. He sat down next her, facing her, holding her hands.

His gaze was intent, and he seemed to be gathering himself to say what he wanted to say. Instead, he bent his head, and tenderly kissed her tiny hands, lingering over each knuckle. His heart was so full, that he couldn’t speak and so he did the only thing he could.

Mitul’s eyes filled with tears as she watched him, his head bent in front of her. He lifted his head and looked at her. The tears in her eyes were his undoing.

He reached out to wipe the single tear that rolled down her cheek.

‘Mitul,’ he said softly, ‘don’t cry, babe. I can’t bear tears in your eyes.’

She tried to smile at him and next thing he knew, she’d launched herself at him, her arms going around him, her face buried in his neck. She was sobbing as if her heart would break. The weeks of staying away from him had finally come to an end, as his arms came around her, tentatively at first before hugging her fiercely to himself. Her face was buried in his neck, as she kept repeating, ‘I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,’ between sobs.

They stayed that way for a long time, until finally she was done. She pulled back, and he let her go only a few inches away.

‘What happened?’ he asked.

She shook her head, and got out of his arms to go to the bathroom. When she came out, she looked calmer, although her nose was still red. He smiled at that, holding out his hand. She took it and settled into the couch. He lay back against the side, pulling her over, to lie over his heart, his arms protectively around her.

‘I’m sorry, Noel,’ she said, playing with the collar of his tee. ‘I .... When we were in El Paso, I saw you with those girls around you. All the time, there seem to be women around you. I know this is something that you’ll face.’ She lifted her big eyes to his. ‘You’re an actor and for me to expect otherwise is stupid. I mean, you’ll always have this. I didn’t want to be just one of them, I wanted you to myself, selfishly. But then, you started telling me all about the stuff that happened to you. Somewhere along the line, I realized that you weren’t like that. You wouldn’t take what was offered to you, just because it was there. You’re not that kind of person.’

He smiled at that. ‘You thought all this through by yourself?’

‘Ma helped. A lot.’ She rested her chin on her forearms as they lay atop his chest. ‘So did Myna.’

‘Myna?’ he frowned.

‘Mmm-hmm,’ she nodded. ‘When I saw you with her that night, I knew you wouldn’t do that. Use my sister.’

He kissed her nose. ‘I’m glad you understood.’

She sat up, even though he protested, his large hands spanning her waist, brushing against the skin. He watched in fascination as her eyelids drooped at the touch, the way she jerked at his touch. She was turning him on just by blinking! The woman had so much power over him in her little hands, and she didn’t even know it!

*****