"Sanyukta, please tell me what the matter is!" Randhir whispered urgently, trying to size up the situation. Instead of replying she began to hyperventilate making him realise that she had been in some sort of a stressful situation and instinctively knew what it could be, considering her history of abuse. "Hey Mowgli, don't worry, just calm down. I am right here, you are absolutely safe!" He said to her reassuringly and she hugged him tight, as if having him around was the best thing to happen to her in that moment of distress. He smiled a little thinking how different this girl was from the feisty one whom he had chastised for wrecking his car. Something stirred inside him, he felt a sudden urge to ensconce her in his personal safety net. 

She was still breathing too fast and he had to do something quickly. "Just give me a minute, I'll be back soon!" He told her and went looking for something, returning shortly with a newspaper rolled into a cone. "Here, try to breathe in and out of this!" He said to her, holding it over her mouth. She was inhaling too much oxygen for her own good, a common symptom for someone suffering a panic attack. After a few minutes her breathing steadied and he was able to get her on her feet. She narrated the incident to him briefly. "I went to the bathroom. A man forced his way in, switched off the lights and tried to molest me. I resisted and ran out of there in a panic. You know the rest!" She muttered blandly.

"Did you recognise him?" He asked her out of concern. "No, I barely saw him but he was unfamiliar!" She replied. "Sanyukta, we should report the matter immediately, he could still be around somewhere!" Randhir said abruptly. "No Randhir, what's done is done, I don't want to pursue this. Besides, I doubt if he'd wait around for the alarm to be raised. I just want to get out of here quickly!" She sounded desperate. "I understand, but it would be prudent to tell the hotel manager about the matter to prevent any future mishaps. There is obviously a security lapse here." Randhir told her.

"You are right Randhir, but I don't want to talk to anyone else about this!" She confessed. "Ok, I'll do it myself, meanwhile let us get back inside, you will be safe among people." He said, gently leading her back to the party room. She walked to her table and sat there quietly while Randhir went to report the matter, ensuring that the manager made a log entry of the incident with a view to improving security arrangements in the future. He returned to the party room and had his dinner quickly before bidding goodbye to Nafisa, avoiding any mention of Sanyukta's incident. He did not want to upset Nafisa, as a young mother she already had enough on her plate. By informing the hotelier he had done what was essential.

"Great party Nafisa! I'll take your leave now, take care of yourself and the baby. I am dropping Sanyukta on my way home, she wants to say goodbye too!" He said before stepping out. Sanyukta followed him soon after. "Randhir, can we stop by somewhere for a while, I need to recover fully before going home to Mom! She'll worry unnecessarily, and I don't really feel like sharing with her!" Sanyukta hoped that he would understand her turmoil. "All right, but just for a while. If you reach late your mother will worry anyway. Let us get some coffee!" As soon as he made the offer she consented and they found themselves a quiet corner in a café.

Sipping the warm coffee made Sanyukta feel better. She was still trying to convince herself that she had done nothing to provoke the attack. Randhir watched as frown lines formed on her while she brooded over the incident. "You ok?" He asked her. "Yes, sorry for being distracted!" She mouthed. She felt awkward, in her heart she wanted to open up to him and cry, it was upsetting that she was being targeted repeatedly. Unknown to her Randhir had already sized up her emotions. "It was not your fault Sanyukta, not before and not now! A predator is an opportunist, he just needs to find a breach in you security perimeter. To discourage such attacks you need to be more cautious in the future!" He said to her.

"I hope you are not implying that I provoked the guys who tried to take advantage of me!" She said earnestly. "I want to share some tips with you Sanyukta, please hear me out in good faith. Crime against women is about power over someone perceived as vulnerable. When you isolate yourself instead of staying in the crowd you are likely to be preyed on. People with malafide intentions can often identify a person who has been abused previously. Your best bet is to stay around company, avoid being in isolated places and arm yourself with such confidence that a potential attacker may be dissuaded." He explained.

"You are probably right, but I am not sure how to go about it. I have always preferred being alone!" She could not explain how while growing up she was shunned by the girls in the neighbourhood because they found her strange, being prone to episodes of inexplicable behaviour. She never had birthday parties nor was she invited to too many. Other girls would invite one another for sleepovers but she was never a part of them. She spent time with the boys instead, swimming or running after a football. But there were also times when she would shun them all and prefer solitude, her sense of self worth having taken a dive.

"I know how you can get started. There is a capoeira school that I am planning to join, you can come along. We can enrol for the evening slot, after work. They run a women's batch in the same hall. A couple of trainers have come down from Brazil, and I hear they are really good. Since your body is flexible enough to get started there won't be any hitch. Capoeira is a full body workout that helps build strength, agility, stamina, coordination and balance. I am sure it will help reduce your stress and give confidence for self expression. Let's start tomorrow itself, if we work out together there are less chances of us playing hooky." He sounded cheerful enough for her to take notice.

https://youtu.be/-35qxelMt6E

"I don't know Randhir, I am not sure if Mom will let me." She hesitated. "Oh come on, I remember seeing you doing cartwheels, you are a natural! I'll convince your mother, I don't think an hour out of your daily schedule invested for physical and mental fitness will come in the way of your academics. So, it's settled then! Time to head home now, let's go!" He paid for the coffee and they got back into the car. On their drive home he played some upbeat samba music, singing along till she had forgotten about her encounter in the hotel bathroom. She hoped that her mother would give consent to let her join the capoeira class, it made her happy to think of how it would mean spending more time with Randhir, and with a valid excuse too! She did not know the first thing about capoeira, but that hardly mattered!