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Word Count - 3700

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21 | The Aroma of Dosas

Has it ever befallen you?

You were breathing in the fresh air, untroubled. Maybe not that merry, but you were content. You were free, spreading out your arms apart, reveling in the brilliance of luminosity, and living in that moment of blithe. But then something crawled in---from behind you, slowly. You felt the presence. You looked behind, but you found absolutely zilch. So, you turned back, carefree.

Seconds passed.

And then you felt it again. An ominous presence, and it's dark umbra. It's slimy fingers slithered over your skin as your entire frame shuddered under its sinister touch. You gulped as all of a sudden, the light around you started dimming down. And then you sensed the ghastly, dark, and viscid entity engulfing you in its cataclysmic embrace. Concrete walls paralleling those of a penitentiary started rising up around you in a trice.

Breathing became a task of extreme agony as the radiance of light gradually transformed into the darkness of doom.

You struggled.

You screamed.

You cried.

You bled without bleeding.

You were killed without getting killed.

But no one heard you.

And as the murky and slimy embrace of the unknown entity consumed you whole, you realized you were trapped. Trapped---trapped in the dark---with no way out.

Fear.

That feeling is called fear.

Hinduja had gone through that feeling once, ten years ago. And, oh, sweet Lord, she was neither prepared nor willing to go through that feeling once again.

Yet here she was, ten years later---the deadly, prickly yet slimy essence of fear steadily strangulating her whole. Just when she thought that she was slowly learning to breathe in the fresh air again. Just when she was letting light embrace her once again and just when she mused that she was getting closer to her aim---the retribution and the impending justice.

Fifteen minutes. Fifteen minutes had passed since she last saw him.

He was her silly little boy. Her sunshine.

Her tears didn't stop. Her screams didn't cease.

She searched around relentlessly as Mahadevan followed her around in a state no different than hers. But he had a weird way of expressing his emotions, though. Crying was a task she hadn't seen him doing at all. He screamed though---only in front of her, and not in front of the others.

Stepping out of the nave of the holy establishment, they hurriedly rushed to the backside of the church. Some of their friends followed them out too.

"Anirudh!" Mahadevan yelled out while his shivery hand comfortingly rubbed the quivering back of his wife. "Laddu!" She yelled out again.

Hinduja's breathing became even more labored as she searched the empty spots behind the dustbins. He had a habit of playing peekaboo.

And then something struck her. She immediately wiped her tears while turning around to face the rest of the people. Her gaze finally fixed on the figure of one particular person. "Joseph bhai!" She called his name out loud.

"Yes, bhabhi?" He shot back while strutting closer towards her and his friend.

"Is there an eatery here? I mean, any sort of place that sells food?" She asked, trying to control her nerves.

Joseph stared at her with a comical expression. She was feeling hungry. ...Now?

"Yes, actually." He pointed his index finger at a medium-sized outhouse-like structure next to a humongous Gulmohar tree at the far left corner of the land the church was built on. "There is a small refreshment canteen over there. They sell bakery items, packaged snacks, and sometimes even Masala Dosas over there. And believe me, they taste lip-smackingly delicious. The Sambhar is to die for!"

He then directed his gaze towards his wife and inquired. "Suzi! Sweetheart, do they sell Masala Dosas there on Sunday as well?"

Suzanne immediately shot back daggers at her husband, "Are you for real?! You clown!"

Joseph innocently shrugged his shoulders with a confused frown on his face. He then projected his finger at the gait of Hinduja and asked. "But, isn't she hungry?"

Both Suzanne and Mahadevan facepalmed in exasperation as the latter sprinted behind his wife to the refreshment canteen.

The rest of them followed suit.

As they entered inside the paint-chipped walls of the canteen, Hinduja and Mahadevan's troubled gaze hurriedly meandered around in every direction of the canteen.

And then they saw it---a masculine figure completely garbed in what looked like a black cassock. He was facing towards the billing counter, with only his rear side visible to both of their specs-clad eyes. But what drew most of their attention was the plump little boss-baby sneaker clad feet dangling down from the left side of the man's clothed waist.

Both the husband and the wife immediately locked eyes with each other and then promptly rushed in the direction of the man, with Joseph, Suzanne, Tapan, Manisha, Aryan, and Prithvi tailing behind them, cradling each of their respective children in their arms.

"Laddu!" Hinduja called out loudly.

As if on record, the said toddler, who was presumably missing for the last twenty minutes, peeked out from over the stranger's shoulder.

Drool dribbled down from the corners of his pouty roseate lips as his tiny pink tongue licked on a spiral-shaped rainbow lollipop. He straightaway flashed a grin at his mother.

Just as she set her foot next to the billing counter, her arms desperately stretched out to heave the little boy out of the unknown man's arms into her own embrace. Violent sobs shook her sylphlike frame, as she showered him with kisses all over his chubby face and body.

"Mamma!" He giggled.

"Where were you, you silly little boy?!" She chocked on her own words as she tightly held the boy to her bosom, her tears never ceasing to flow down her now blushed cheeks, even for a second.

He immediately flaunted the confectionery item that he was licking on, its protruding white stick tightly clutched in the chunky fingers of his right hand, and then brought his left hand up to wave a packet of potato wafers in front of his mother's sheeny eyes. "Mamma-Ollipop! Thips!" Savoring another lick of the sweet rainbow-hued delight in his tiny right hand, he blabbered. "Tasthy!"

Mahadevan funnily stared at his son, half relieved, half in disbelief.

"What?!" The ever-so-calm Tapan yawped out.

Sensing the desperation in her husband's cognac eyes, Hinduja gently passed on the toddler to him.

Unable to comprehend the situation at hand properly, she finally diverted her gaze from her drooling son to latch her eyes on the silent profile of the unknown masculine figure before her.

Mahadevan followed suit, and so did the others.

A benign smile and a clear and forbearing pair of ebony eyes----those were the first two things that Hinduja and Mahadevan noticed. Dressed in a black cassock with a cincture band made out of intertwined gold and green threads neatly wound around his waist, his bearing resembled that of an ordained member of the clergy.

Recognition flared in Joseph and Suzanne's eyes as the former stepped forward with his son Sebastian in his arms. "Your Excellency, you are here today?" He asked as surprise took over his and his wife's visages.

The others silently looked on.

"Yes, my dear." The man answered back in a calm tone as he raised his right hand up to tenderly pat the crown of Sebastian's head while flashing a soft smile at the others.

"You didn't come inside the church? I mean, Sebastian had his baptism ceremony today. It would have been great had you graced the ceremony with your holy presence and bestowed your blessings on him." Suzanne said.

"Oh, that's great news! Welcome to the faith, little one." He said, while looking at Sebastian and then averted his gaze towards his parents. "And I am sorry; I was not able to witness the ceremony with my own eyes. Actually, I was just here to have a talk with the deacon regarding the feast of Pentecost, but then I saw this little boy here." He stated, while directing his index finger at Anirudh. "He was signaling at the canteen owner to give him candies. It all felt out of order since he was all alone, so I approached him to ask about his parents, but he couldn't tell me much due to his age. So, I instructed a few workers here to ask around in the church if someone's child was missing while I waited here with him. I guess those workers are still inside, following my instructions." He concluded as his lips tugged up considerately.

"Oh." Joseph nodded in understanding.

Mahadevan, on the other hand, glowered at his son, who reflected back an equally menacing glower, while Hinduja rolled her eyes in utter disbelief and shock.

"You gotta be kidding me! All the people sitting in the congregation out there inside the church are literally shitting in their pants, already anticipating the news of his kidnapping. All of Mahadevan's and Joseph's security personnel are running around like headless chickens! We all have been sprinting around at each and every nook and cranny of the church like clones of freaking Usain Bolt and P.T. Usha for the last fifteen to twenty minutes in search of him while this hungry little brat here was munching on potato wafers and freaking lollipops all along?! What the fuck!" Prithvi raised his hands in jocular indignation.

Hinduja's face scrunched up at the words 'brat' and 'fuck' while Mahadevan slapped his son's buttocks.

The toddler puckered his lips out while slowly rubbing his butt cheeks with the potato wafer packet, his eyes still throwing daggers at his father. He then flailed his arms and legs in the air in an attempt to get out of his father's embrace and go back to his mother.

The others guffawed.

Clearing his throat, Mahadevan finally fixated his gaze on the figure of the revered man in black. "I am so sorry for the inconvenience caused by my son to you, sir. And thank you so much for buying him the snacks, staying with him and keeping him safe till we reached here." He stated politely.

"No, he didn't cause me any inconvenience at all. In fact, he is a very cute and sweet little boy, and, might I add, he seems like a die-hard foodie." He answered back courteously with a chuckle, with his right palm caressing Anirudh's ruddy cheeks.

Mahadevan nodded back and then asked again, "And if you don't mind, may I know your name?"

"Anoop Philip. I am the bishop here." He replied while peeking at the dial of his watch.

"I am Maha---." Mahadevan was cut off in between by the bishop.

"Mahadevan Dogra, I know. I don't think, you out of all the people need to introduce yourself." Philip joked in amusement.

Mahadevan nodded back.

"And this is?" The bishop asked while looking at Hinduja, who was mock-slapping Anirudh's buttocks.

"My wife, Hinduja." Mahadevan stated with a faint smile. "And that's my son, Anirudh."

Nodding his head, the bishop glanced at his watch for one more time, and then he passed on a benevolent smile to the rest of the group. "I'll take my leave then. Goodbye."

Everyone sighed as the bishop ambled out of the refreshment canteen.

"But how the hell did this kid get here? How did he even come to know that they sell food items here?" Aryan inquired in perplexity.

Hinduja cleared her throat while scratching her arm. "Eh---I think I can answer this." Taking a pausing, she peered at a small setup directly opposite the billing counter, where a man was making Dosas. "The aroma. I mean, it must have been the aroma of the Dosas." She looked down at the toddler for a second and then concluded her statement. "He can smell food from really long distances. I guess he must have gotten a whiff of the Dosas when he was inside the church, and then he must have directly walked out of the church and wended his way into this canteen, tracing the aroma."

Tapan strolled towards Mahadevan. "Damn, I have really got a weird lot of friends. One has a kid who is mad about my daughters." He said this while scowling at Sebastian, who was flashing a shy grin at his elder daughter, and then he redirected his gaze at Anirudh, who was munching on a piece of potato wafer. "And the other one has a kid who is mad about food. Just bravo! What a fucking combo!"

Suzanne, Hinduja, and Manisha faintly chuckled as Joseph and Mahadevan glared at Tapan, who shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.

"Anyways, it's all over now. Little Anirudh is safe and sound, and as for me. . .well, I am feeling damn hungry. Plus, we all need to reach my home before eleven a.m. for the reception. The catering company just called me, so hurry up everyone!" Joseph spoke while advancing towards the door. "Till then, I'll inform the congregation, the search party, and all our security personnel that we have found Anirudh."

***

Forty-five minutes later, Hinduja had her eyes fondly fixated on the distant figure of her little boy while he gulped down another sip of the mango juice from his father's glass.

She chuckled.

As if in sync, Mahadevan shifted his attention from his friend to meet his wife's eyes. A crimson tint engulfed her cheeks as she bashfully looked down at her lap, which in turn caused him to pass a lopsided smile in her direction while his own cheeks flared up.

As she lifted her head up to put a piece of spring roll in her mouth, the booming voice of her husband's friend caught her attention. "Ladies and gentlemen, I now declare the dance floor open!" Joseph announced it in an ebullient tone.

The next second, she found herself being dragged towards the dance floor by her husband, with his left arm wound around a giggling Anirudh. The toddler clapped in glee, flashing all twenty of his teeth at his mother.

The venue of the reception was the Varghese family's own bungalow, so all the guests were gathered in the ballroom of the Varghese house, which was comfortingly cozy yet had the classic gold and ivory theme.

Aryan, Tapan, Joseph, and their respective spouses hooted while the other guests cheered on.

Bringing his wife to the center of the cozy little ballroom, Mahadevan crouched down to make his son stand up on his feet. "Listen, you little brat, I want to dance with my wife, and that's why I am letting you on your feet. So, you better don't mess up this time, and don't you dare run behind food again. Just stay here, close to us. Okay?" He ordered his son with a scowl on his face.

Surprisingly, the toddler bobbed his head up and down without glaring back at his father.

"Good." Saying so, he immediately got up and snaked his herculean arms around the curve of his wife's svelte waist, the difference in their heights and body sizes blatantly noticeable.

"Gosh! She looks like a teenager in front of him." Aryan chortled

Mahadevan instantly flashed back a smirk at him and said, "Well, let me remind you then: I am still your boss back at Dogra Corp. And you do need to show your face at the office tomorrow, don't you?"

Aryan immediately zipped his lips up and shrugged his shoulders while the others cackled together in unity.

Hinduja, on the other hand, stared down at her feet, her face burning up due to the ongoing conversation and the fact that she was in the limelight, too, in the middle of the hall with everyone's gaze latched on her and the man holding her, only added to her awkwardness.

"Look up, little tigress."

She raised her head up to look at him.

"Let your shoulders loose, please." He gently coaxed her. "I saw you dance at the Dogra Manor that day, and since then I have harbored a wish to dance with you." Taking a deep breath, he brushed his lips against her forehead. "So, will you please help me fulfill my wish?"

She knew that by now her face almost resembled a red, ripe tomato. "Okay."

The funky beats of a Bollywood number called 'Slow Motion Angreza' from a classic Farhan Akhtar starrer movie grabbed her attention for a second as Mahadevan held onto her fingers and then instantly spun her around.

It was nothing sensual. Rather, it was more of a jazzy dance matching the rhythmic beats of the music.

They first performed a chasse step together, twirled their hips around, and then moved forward in a jazz walk together. He then stepped forward to hold her waist and pirouetted around himself.

She feebly laughed as he tried to wiggle his stiff waist.

He then shifted his weight from his left leg to another while kicking out his free leg forward at an oblique angle to perform the Charleston move. She followed his steps while the plump little kid standing next to them jumped up and down in exhilaration at the sight of his parents dancing.

Mahadevan next brought his right hand up to gesticulate a sign of 'drinking' to match his steps with a particular word 'whiskiye' that was present in the lyrics of the song, and then he pointed at her shy form as the word 'soniye' came up.

She bashfully averted her gaze from him.

As the groovy melody reached its chorus part, they neatly executed a chasse step together again. Then they gyrated on their own axes while lifting their arms up to clap in a synchronized pattern.

A light-hearted chuckle escaped her lips as Anirudh tugged on her pallu. She ceased her movements and then bent down to lift him up. She twirled him around in the air as his tiny body violently shook with his incessant giggles.

Mahadevan warmly gazed at his wife, absolutely mesmerized. A tranquil smile took over his face as he looked on at the lively faces of his wife and his bratty son.

He moved towards them while performing a jazz walk. Engulfing them both in an endearing hug, he spun around with them in his arms, matching each thump of the music. Hinduja laughed at the frown that her little boy passed at his father, as the said father breathed in her essence and heaved a sigh of relief.

Finally, as the music ended, the family of three walked out of the center of the ballroom to their respective places. Gently smiling at her husband and son for one last time, Hinduja ambled towards the ladies section as the other two wended their way towards the men's section.

Suzanne handed out a glass of juice to her as she perched herself up on the high chair.

"No. Actually, can I have a glass of water?" Hinduja asked.

Suzanne nodded with a faint smile and then looked around at the drinks counter. A frown spread across her visage as she replied, "I guess the water bottles are finished here. How about you come with me to the kitchen?"

"Alright." Hinduja nodded.

Five minutes later, gulping down an entire glass of water, she trailed her gaze around at the modular kitchen of the Varghese household.

"You want some more?" Suzanne lifted up the transparent glass jug filled with water.

"No." She shook her head politely.

Placing the jug back in its place, Suzanne said, "This is the first time in years that I have witnessed him smiling and laughing so freely without any burden."

"I beg your pardon?" Hinduja looked at the woman in confusion.

"I am talking about Mahadevan. Joseph was right; you really mean a lot to Mahi."

Hinduja scratched her left ear.

"My dear, my next set of words to you are addressed from the point of view of a clinical psychologist to a criminal psychologist, which you are, in terms of profession. Aren't you?" Suzanne questioned her while lifting herself up to sit on the kitchen island.

"Yes."

"You are hiding things, and you have an agenda of your own that you have been hiding all along from others' eyes. Isn't it?" She probed further.

Hinduja vaguely nodded her head as she looked down at her lap.

"And knowing you, I already deduce that it's nothing unjust that you are aiming for. But I have a request, if you don't mind." Suzanne trailed, observing the young woman before her.

"Go ahead."

"My dear, while trying to achieve your aim, don't leave him behind. Please give him a chance." Placing her palm on the back of Hinduja's hand, Suzanne continued, "You deserve him, and he deserves you."

"I know." She whispered as she gazed at the Sankha-Pola around her wrists---a sign of her marital status. "And I will never leave him behind." She mumbled.

Suzanne's lips tugged up affectionately as she caressed the crown of the younger woman's head like an elder sister.

They sat on the kitchen island in silence for a few minutes while gazing out of the window.

"I think, we should go out now. Hm?" Suzanne broke the peaceful silence.

"Yeah."

As they both got off the marble slab and started walking towards the combined dining space outside next to the kitchen, something caught Hinduja's eye.

It was a calendar that was hung up on the dining room wall, but despite being in English, something seemed different about it.

Stepping closer to it, she asked. "What is this?"

Suzanne turned her head around to find Hinduja projecting her forefinger at the calendar. "Oh, that's a liturgical calendar." She replied.

Knitting her eyebrows together, Hinduja traced her fingers across the said calendar while her eyes keenly scrutinized the dates on the glossy cardboard sheet. "What is a liturgical calendar?"

"It's basically a Christian year calendar. In simple terms, just like how Hindus follow the Hindu calendar called Panchangam or Panjika, we Christians follow the liturgical calendar, which is based on the cycle of five seasons. Clear?" Suzanne said this while fixing her dress.

"Oh." Taking a deep breath, she about-faced to look at the woman in white bodycon dress. "May I know where the washroom is?"

"Yes, sure. It's over there." Suzanne pointed her finger out at a door situated in the right corner of the dining space.

Nodding her head, Hinduja promptly strutted in the direction of the washroom.

Just as she closed the washroom door behind her, her phone rang.

Answering the call on the third ring itself, she brought it close to her ears. "Jai Hind, sir."

"Jai Hind. Report to the headquarters now. Four more girls have gone missing." Raghav commanded.

Massaging her forehead, she replied, "Yes, sir."

Taking a pause, she called him. "And sir?"

"Yes?"

"I have some news to share regarding the case."

"What?"

"I think I found the pattern."

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