Timeline: Early 2000's

Riddhi's POV:

Except, I wasn't.

The lady in front of me really who I suspected her to be.

I am going to get her good.

I crouched low behind a dusty, old sedan, its paint chipped and peeling. My heart pounded in my chest, each beat echoing the fear of being discovered. The narrow alley was dimly lit, the glow from the streetlamps casting long, eerie shadows that danced across the cobblestones.

The woman ahead moved with a purposeful stride, her heels clicking against the pavement, oblivious to my presence.

I ducked behind one of the parked cars, peering through the gaps to keep an eye on her. I had to be careful. If she saw me, it would all be over.

The building wasn't exactly abandoned, but it certainly wasn't bustling either. There were a few people milling about, engaged in hushed conversations or buried in their work. It was easy to blend in if you knew how to act natural, which was precisely what I intended to do.

I peeked again slowly, ensuring she had resumed her path. She was heading towards her office, its façade worn and unassuming.

One wrong move and I would be busted.

I straightened up, casually mingling with a small group of people exiting the building. I kept my eyes trained on her, making sure to stay a safe distance behind.

She moved with purpose, her bag clutched tightly against her side. Each step she took, I mirrored her movements, keeping a steady pace without drawing attention to myself.

The lobby was dimly lit, with flickering fluorescent lights casting eerie shadows on the walls. A security guard sat behind a desk, but he seemed more interested in his crossword puzzle than in monitoring the people passing by.

Good. That made my job easier.

She entered the building, and I waited a few moments before following. My hands were clammy, and I wiped them on my jeans, trying to steady my nerves.

The building's lobby was dimly lit, the flickering fluorescent lights casting an unsettling glow. I slipped inside, careful to stay out of sight.

The elevator doors were closing just as I reached them, but I managed to slip through at the last second. My heart raced as I pressed myself against the wall, praying she wouldn't turn around.

The ride was agonizingly slow, each floor passing by with a soft ding. When we finally reached the third floor, she stepped out and followed at a safe distance.

The corridor was silent, the only sound being the soft hum of the fluorescent lights. She turned a corner, and I waited a few seconds before peeking around the edge.

Her cabin door was slightly ajar, the light inside casting a sliver of illumination into the hallway. I crept closer, my footsteps barely audible on the worn carpet. As I neared the door, I could hear her talking, her voice low and urgent. I strained to catch every word, my curiosity piqued.

Peering through the crack in the door, I saw her seated at a desk, papers strewn everywhere. She was on her PC, her expression serious.

I couldn't make out much of the conversation, but I heard enough to know I was on the right track. She was hiding something, and I was determined to find out what it was.

Slipping away as silently as I had arrived, I retraced my steps, my mind racing with possibilities. She would never know I had been there, but I had what I came for.

As I exited the building and disappeared into the shadows, a sense of triumph washed over me.

Maya's POV:

As I exited the building and disappeared into the shadows, a sense of triumph washed over me.

Today was a long day.

I mildly regretted skipping my lunch time to browse literary collections and find important clues. My stomach was grumbling louder by the minute. I had to get something for myself.

I thought about the eerie feeling that I was nearing my office.

Something was off but I couldn't pin-point to what it was.

Pushing away the lingering suspicion from my mind, I stepped into a nearby restaurant to have dinner.

Meena Restaurant was one of those few places you could have south-indian food. I had never really had them, except for a few occasions in childhood.

There weren't many people here. The cozy ambience was just right for me to feel at ease.

I ordered a plain dosa and sambhar.

The order arrived a few minutes later. The dosa was large and crispy, served with a side of sambhar and green chutney.

I dug right in and my stomach finally felt at ease. The day had definitely worn on my nerves but a sense of satisfaction lingered.

I had found one important clue of my company. There does seem to be a larger force at play, but for now I decided to relish my food.

As the 306 bus took a familiar turn, I let out a sigh as I was finally close to home.

I changed my apparel and took a quick shower before sitting in front of my PC.

AST was founded in 1980 in Irvine, California, by Albert Wong, Safi Qureshey, and Thomas Yuen, the company initially focused on manufacturing expansion cards and other computer peripherals.

Over time, it transitioned into developing its own line of personal computers. By the late 1980s, AST had become the third-largest producer of IBM-clone PCs, behind IBM and Compaq, with year-to-year sales increasing significantly.

The initial success was short lived as AST faced financial setbacks and was eventually acquired by Samsung in 1996.

Later, in January 1999, AST Research was acquired by Beny Alagem, the founder of Packard Bell, who created AST Computer. However, the company ceased production altogether within a year.

I bought it a few months back for myself from the savings I had stashed away. It wasn't as "luxurious" like Acer, as some people liked to put it, but I saw value in it the moment I laid my eyes on it. It was a beast of its time, and even as it had ceased production and was rarely available, it did the job.

image alt-text: first image is of a desktop with "AOL Desktop" app and Internet Explorer (MSN and Internet Explorers were all the craze back in the day, trust me.)

the second image is of AOL Email sender when you want to send out a message to someone.

I pulled out my notes and found Riddhi's email.

[email protected]

I logged into mine: [email protected]

After successfully logging in, I sent her a message. She was online so she responded immediately.

The "You've got mail!" were repetitive but the soothing sound of its ringtone filled the background as a hum of its own.

We had opened our accounts on AOL together after she insisted we had to do it, since everyone was doing it. It didn't seem like a great idea to me, but... her excuse was, we'd be more connected than just the visits we have once in a while. I had to budge to her request.

Me: Hello Riddhi. How are you?

Riddhi: Hello hello hello!! I am good. How are you?

Me: I had a long day, but I managed to get through. I think that is a win.

Riddhi: I can imagine. I had a long day too. Address Verification is no fun.

She never told me about this before. Was it her side hustle? That sounded interesting, though.

I ask her.

Riddhi: I picked it up as a side hustle recently, yes. The wages are not very good. And I cannot quit because of family. They say I should not quit the first job and try to stretch it as far as I can. My only option was this.

I couldn't imagine being in her scenario but given her distress with the telecalling, I think it was a fair decision.

Me: What about your IT help desk role? Did you finally get the tester role that you wanted to get so badly?

Riddhi: It is great that it did not work out. I love telecalling, it might give me some leads, should I ever get into sales or business in general.

Me: You are doing your best under your circumstances. I am ready to help you in any ways that I can. If you do decide to get into sales or business, what are you planning to do?

Riddhi: Newspaper subscription. Technology might be getting ahead of its time, with advancements in all fields but I believe newspapers would still be around in any day and age. Maybe in different forms, but it is a business as timeless as life itself.

I was impressed by her perspective. Newspapers were indeed a common form of communications and announcements, regardless of the timeline.

From the days of independence when news was spread through chapatis to current day newspapers and magazines. Times had evolved a lot but something about spreading news and information to other people in oral or written format had somehow remained the same.

Me: Impressive. You know how to reach me if you ever start your business. ;)

Riddhi: You got it. I thought I saw you today. Where had you gone?

I contemplated on how much I could reveal to her. Did she already know?

Was she the one stalking me?

No, but she would've definitely come up to me.

I was probably reading too much into it.

Maybe not.

Me: Library. I was looking for some books to read.

It was half truth but it had to do. I was probably overthinking too much into everything around me. I needed some good rest.

Riddhi: That is so cool! Did you find something?

I decided to play along. If I had rolled the die, I was willing to play it.

Me: The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. It got me interested. But I decided to check it out later.

I didn't think twice. The book caught my attention while we were heading towards the basement but I had no idea what it was about.

It was a tale of the hunchback bellringer of medieval Notre Dame, Quasimodo, and the love for the gypsy dancer, Esmeralda. I never delved as far into the story. Maybe some day.

Riddhi: That sounds cool. I wanted to tell you something.

She got me curious. What did she want to tell? I ask her.

Riddhi: I know you would get mad at me but...

Her pause wasn't looking too good. Was she hiding something from me?

Before I could overthink into the matter, her response came through.

Riddhi: I want us to be on Yahoo! Messenger.

I had heard a good deal about Y!M. It was all the rave about social connection. People could connect to anyone they wished to, and this was particularly an advantage for online gamers who wanted to chat outside of the game zone. All you needed was a yahoo email and login.

Maintaining AOL in itself was a huge accomplishment for me. I was never thrilled about virtually connecting with people.

Riddhi, on the other hand was all about connecting and networking and she's skilled at it, knowing how to make it work for her advantage.

It wasn't for me.

Me: Not another social media... We already have AOL. Why do you need it?

Riddhi: It is because social media is fun! You are always in your shell, you need to get out and make friends. Living inside a pot would not get you too far in life, Maya.

She did not just do that. I am going to get her.

Me: I do not live inside a pot. Second of all, I hate social media. I am only maintaining AOL because you dragged me into it. I do not even talk to anyone! On another note, I was planning to bring carrot halwa when I visited you next time... I guess someone is going to be left out. ;]

Riddhi: MY CARROT HALWA! It is fine. I will postpone this till when we meet. If you do not like it, you do not have to make it. Deal?

Deal.

❛in that muffled monotone, feel a glory in so
rolling, on the human heart a stone...❜
— Edgar Allan Poe

A/N: Another chapter is up, yay! I am having fun with these chapters, dynamics and everything in between.

I am also trying mostly, to flip the POV shift on same sentences to create a sense that, the narratives might be far into the past or the future, but they're connected.

The AOL, AST, and Y!M were peak nostalgia moments for me, along with the texting style. Goodness, I was grinning ear to ear as I wrote about it. If you were around that time, you'd know how trends were and how it impacted people.

The timeline of "Early 2000's" isn't necessarily hung to the Year "2000" as it might seem. Its just a vague pointer. It ranges from 2000-2003ish but I like to keep this particular timeline vague.

Who do you think Riddhi was stalking? 🧐

And what will Maya have to do with the note and her company? 👀

Read ahead to find out!

Cheers,
Sara