The wet tips of her hair soaked her crimson coloured blouse into brown though she
had dried them. She looked into the mirror and applied kohl into her eyes and blinked
those brown eyes twice. She then carefully took the sindoor from her tabletop and
pinched it on her forehead and underlined it with a bindi. A smile caressed her lips as
she looked at her reflection.
Humming an ancient folk song to
herself, she took the Jasmine flowers she had made into a garland and tucked it to her
hair. The fresh fragrance of the flowers intoxicated her insides with passion.
Once she covered the pots with a lid, she stepped out to the veranda to embrace the
setting sun. Her anklets rhymed with the crickets that were calling the birds back
home. She took the loose end of her mehandi green saree on to her laps and sat down
on her mud steps. The sky was the colour of her half sleeve blouse and its elegance
resembled her glee.
She watched the world going back
home. The birds with their family, the cows, the sheep, the flowers. And soon, her
love would be back home too.
Her neighbor, Narayan Anna saw her in a trance as he returned home and sighed
loudly,
'Jyothi, get inside your hut, my girl. It's getting late.'
'But Anna, he will be home anytime. I am waiting for him.'
'God save this child.' muttered Narayana Anna to himself and told his wife Kuttiamma
to persuade Jyoti to go inside.
'Oyy, Jyothi.' Kuttiamma called over the wooden fence. She couldn't help noticing the
sindoor on Jyothi's forehead.
'Kuttiamma, what have you made for dinner tonight? I have prepared brinjal baaji and
pulav. It's Arunappa's favorite now. Thanks to your cooking classes.' glowed Jyothi
with enthusiasm.
'That's great, my dear. But you should get inside. Haven' t you heard of the wild boar
that's been haunting the village at night?'
'Yes, I have but how can I go in when Arunnappa isn't home yet? He must be tired
from all the work and I should welcome him home.'
Kuttiamma gave out a sob. She wiped her eyes and cried,
'My dear, how many times have I told you...' she paused to give out a louder sob.
‘....that he isn't coming back!' her eyes lost all control of the tears that were streaming
down her cheeks.
'You have made a habit of saying that, Kuttiamma. But today he is coming home!'
affirmed Jyothi.
'Dear, it's been a month and you are waiting tor him since. Ooo, jyoti, my girl, he is
not coming back.' kuttiamma wailed.
Jyothi stared at Kuttiamma as if she had just heard a foreign language. She saw
Narayan Anna come and comfort Kuttiamma and take her inside.
She then sat there again, now more firmly.
She began humming the folk song her mother had taught her. Her heart had only one
thing in its beats:
'My love is coming home soon!'
The sun had replaced darkness in its throne and the world around was all set to go to
bed. Not a mile away from Jyothi's Hut, the hungry grunting of a wild boar could be
heard.