【Sunshower Grove】 CH5.01: Enough Problems (I)
CH5.01: Enough Problems (I) 【Suu】
Suu stared at the words on a scrap piece of paper, her eyes twitching each time she read it. Her words. This was the neatest her handwriting had looked in a long, long while, possibly ever; and she was delighted about that. But as for the words themselves, she was not delighted about that. Face scrunching into a painful grimace, she exhaled hard.
Never doing this sh*t again, she cringed. Crumpling it, she chucked it into a bin. The only things I want to get good at writing, are cheques.
But her sentiments remained, just like her problems.
She still had no idea what Fox-face’s little book was all about, she still had to make sure Pa never got around to meeting him, she still had a large stack of books left in Professor Desakshi’s order; and last but not least, she’d given away her favorite umbrella.
Thankfully, Fox-face did return it to her a few days later on campus, away from prying eyes.
Problem solved, she’d thought, feeling relieved. Until he pressed a small paper-bag into her hands and insisted that she keep it.
Later, she opened it to find a small packet of weird, blob-shaped biscuits and a small, neatly folded hand-written note.
Suu stared at the note for a long while. A waterfall of emotions crashed into her while she was at it: handwriting-envy, more handwriting-envy, and a whole lot of weird, warm happiness. And even more handwriting-envy.
His handwriting threw her all the way off, just like how his voice and face hadn’t matched on the day she met him at the bookstore.
Gimme a break, Fox-face, she thought to herself. It brought her no joy to know that a big dude with hands the size of bus tires wrote with such care and elegance. Meanwhile, most of her language teachers had her to blame to for their blistering migraines and possibly, later-life brain hemorrhages.
Gods, I hate this guy, she chanted in her mind as she ran her eyes over the neat loops and curves of his words. At the same time, she struggled to stop the goofy smile that tugged at her lips.
“Please taste f—king disgusting so I can send back hate-mail,” she mumbled to one of the biscuits before sniffing and biting into it.
The rich sweetness of coconut-sugar and honey was enough to send her screwing her eyes shut. It was soft, a bit chewy, and it melted in her mouth. And with that, her last chance to roast him over it went flying out the window.
Suu couldn’t let a single soul know about any of it: not about his cooking, and certainly not about his handwriting. Yaa and Loh would tease her to the depths of Hell if they ever found out. Which was the perfect excuse to wolf down all the biscuits as soon as possible.
Popping the last biscuit into her mouth, a wave of disgust surged through her at the fact that she made a meal out of a snack that was meant to be shared. But right then, the thank-you note fluttered in the wind, and she reached out to grab it tight, its words dancing between her fingers. Disgust out, Distraction in.
Fox-face clearly put a lot of effort into this, even if he went about it in a way that felt borderline silly to Suu. It was like being tickled; emotionally tickled, if that made sense. And as much as she wanted to laugh about it, another part of her nearly wanted to cry over it. If that feeling had a name, she had no clue what it was called. But the last emotion that followed, she knew well enough: suspicion.
What does this guy really want from me?
That thought haunted her mind for the rest of the week and well into her weekend shift today at the bookstore.
“What’s going through that pretty little head of yours, sweetheart?” a smooth, alluring voice jolted her.
Sh*t. Suu pushed down an angry sigh as she sat up straight behind the counter. Her least favorite customer was here. Mentally preparing herself for the unwanted conversation, she slowly looked up to meet the gaze of a tall, strong, handsome young man.
Ajey Sarguna was a bloody rich son-of-a-mother; a smooth talker who was next in line to take over the Sarguna family’s vast conglomerate.
It didn’t help that Prasu worked under Ajey’s father, Dr. Sarguna, at the city’s Medical Research Centre. To top it all off, they were exceptional patrons who supported artists across the city.
The Sarguna family commissioned several large murals over the years, keeping Pa and his peers busy. All that good will and regard fizzled out when it came to their firstborn, however. Ajey had a cute name, attractive face, and body. Everything else about him made him a strong contender at a Sleazy Jerk Championship.
Customers are royalty, Suu thought to herself. And this guy’s the corrupt crown-prince.
Suu tossed him a mechanical, retail smile. “Good day.”
“Coooolllld,” he drawled, tossing a large business textbook onto the counter. “Not in the mood for chit-chat, are we?”
“Sadly not,” voice flat, she picked up the book to start writing the bill. “Is this the only book you’ll need?” she immediately regretted her question when she met his gaze. He tossed her a nasty grin and leaned against the counter.
“Got any books that’ll help me understand you better?”
Suu sighed, the snark-works in her mind screaming to set off. But as much as she wanted to chew him out, she couldn’t risk his family’s patronage.
Customers were royalty, but generous patrons were a lifeline.
Over the several years that she’d known Ajey, he’d never outright bullied her; but she always assumed it was because he had bigger fish to fry. That disturbing look in his eyes always felt like a warning though, and she hated it. It was the gaze of a man who changed his lovers more often than his own undies, as far as Suu could tell. Prasu kept him at a distance, which certainly helped. Even so, it felt like walking on eggshells every time she had to speak to him.
“We don’t have that, sorry. You should look for one that’ll help you understand your future-wife instead,” she said as gently as possible, hoping it didn’t reek too much of ‘go-f—k-yourself’. Ajey snickered and titled his head at her.
“Aah, a loyalist, how sweet,” he snickered. Suu raised her eyebrows to pretend to be shocked and continued writing up the bill. She could tell he was getting pissed off. Hopefully he’d feel pissed off enough to leave. But his voice said otherwise.
“I wish I’d find someone as loyal as you seem to be,” he leaned in, eager to tease.
Oh for f—k sake. Suu blinked at him several times, trying to make it as awkward as she could before handing over the bill. Unfazed, he took it with a smile.
“Terrible customer-service today,” he drawled as he checked the bill. “For shame.”
“Terribly sorry about that,” she replied dryly.
An elderly woman browsing somewhere near them coughed hard, and this got Ajey to straighten up. He tossed the old lady an irritated glance before placing the money on the counter. When Suu returned his change, he shook his head.
“Keep the rest,” he smirked. “Consider it a tip.”
“Please take your money,” Suu frowned. “What are you even tipping me for?” In a perfect world, she would slap that cheeky smirk off his face without ending up with assault charges.
“Let’s just say,” he dragged out the last word, “Because you’re not like other girls,” he said, and with that, he strolled out of the store.
“Hey, wait!” she reached out an arm, but he was gone in no time. One of these days, she was going to throw a book at him. Beyond a handsome face and a thick wallet, she couldn’t understand why anybody would flock to him; the man was spiritually upsetting to be around.
“Don’t you fall for that boy’s games, Suu,” an old, gravelly voice spoke up from behind the counter. Suu gave her old customer a warm smile as she took her books, finally letting out a relieving breath.
“I wouldn’t believe that guy if he said the sun rises in the east,” she began preparing the bill. “I’m sorry we kept you waiting, Granny.”
“That’s quite all right, dear,” said the old woman. Granny Leela was a regular at the bookstore who typically bought biographies and memoirs. The colorful bangles on her frail brown arms often jangled when she browsed through books, and it was a sound that deeply comforted Suu. It reminded her of the neighborhood grannies who baby-sat her as a child; the constant jingle-jangle of their bangles as they played with her, or best of all, rocked her to sleep.
Granny Leela didn’t say anything for a while, watching in silence until Suu passed her the bill.
“Don’t fall for those words even if it comes from a man you love,” Granny’s voice was a low whisper as she unfurled her money upon the counter, bangles clinking.
Suu raised her eyebrows. “What do you mean?”
“Listen, child,” she said, and Suu immediately leaned closer. When grannies began their sentences that way, it was a sure sign they were about to drop a lifetime of wisdom.
“Watch out for any man who tells you that ‘you’re not like other girls’,” she began slowly.
Suu tilted her head, thinking over this new piece of wisdom as she counted the money to return her change. “Even if he’s in love with me, for example?” She cringed on the inside at the thought of it. Not like that’s ever going to happen.
“Even if he’s in love with you, yes,” Granny’s bangles clinked as she adjusted her shawl-coat. “It’s okay to feel special and needed, but I’ll tell you what. Don’t let him trap you into it,” she said.
Suu mulled over Granny’s words. She’d read this stuff in romance novels before, but she’d never really thought about it, and certainly not like this. “How would it be a trap?”
“Because,” Granny chuckled. “You get put on a pedestal, faaaar above the others,” she said. Suu mulled over it again with a growing frown.
“But isn’t that the point of being loved, though?” she reasoned. “You like one person more than the others, I mean.”
Granny crossed her arms playfully atop the counter. “It sure is, and it’s beautiful, I say. But some bastards will use that against us,” the old woman smiled as she eyed the books she’d just bought. “I say. Let’s pretend you were happily married to that boy from before.”
“Extremely hard to imagine, but all right,” Suu winced.
“Yes, just imagine. Now, what happens when you find out he’s been fooling around behind your back?”
Suu winced again. “Extremely easy to imagine, that one. Let’s see, I would leave before I found out.”
“Darling, pretend you like him,” Granny tried not to laugh. “It’s an example, come on now.”
Suu pinched the bridge of her nose. “Gods, he’s such an annoying bastard though, please excuse my language—”
“Fine, I say. Imagine you were married to someone lovely then,” Granny waved her hand.
“Okay, phew,” Suu nodded. “Uhh, well, let's see...I’d be very angry at him,” she scratched her cheek. “And I’d still probably leave.”
“Oh but you wouldn’t,” the old woman’s bangles clanged as she tapped the counter, pointing at Suu as if to say ‘gotcha!’.
“I would, though,” Suu frowned. “Why wouldn’t I leave after being disrespected?!”
“You’ll understand when you’re in love," Granny sighed. "But more than that, it's because you’re not like other girls, remember?” Granny chuckled, and Suu’s eyes lit up as the pieces started to connect in her head. She parted her lips, but said nothing.
“You’re special,” Granny continued, “unlike those other silly girls, you’re mature, darling. No one compares to you,” her old wrinkly fingers picked up one of the books she’d just bought, and pointed to the picture of a beautiful brown woman on the cover. “And so you’ll forgive your jackass of a husband no matter what he does. Just like her.”
Suu stared at the woman on the cover again. Her hair was adorned with flowers and she was covered in a dark red shawl-coat. A memoir about somebody who was once famous. “Is that really what happened to her?” Suu asked, wondering how Granny knew that about the woman.
“It happens to the best of us,” Granny’s voice became hoarse. “A doormat on a pedestal, was what she was.” The old woman flashed her a wrinkly smile, a deep sadness swirling within her sunken eyes.
After Granny Leela hobbled out of the store, Suu sat with her thoughts behind the counter for a long while, drumming her fingers atop the counter. The old woman’s words and sad eyes haunted her, and she couldn’t stop thinking about the lady on the book-cover. She’d held a slight resemblance to the old woman—down to the color of her skin and the way she wore that shawl-coat. But before Suu could follow that thought, another familiar voice jolted her.
“Wake up, Tiny-Auntie,” Prasu’s large hands waved in front of her, and she instinctively swat him off. Her curly-haired, irritatingly-tall older nephew stared her down with a large steel lunch-box in his hands.
“Ma wanted me to make sure you ate this, I’ve put away Grandpa’s portion in the cooler,” he handed her the lunch-box, which seemed to be packed with sliced fruit.
“When will she ever stop treating me like a child?” Suu asked, immediately popping a few into her mouth. Red grapes, sliced rose-apples, blackberries, and a lot of cubed musk-melon. Looking closer, she spotted a few adorable coconut-cane-sugar dumplings in between, making her grin. A tiny surprise within a sea of fruit. Just like how Big-Sis used to pack them for her back in school.
A pang of guilt crept up Suu’s chest, but she swallowed it down with a few more berries, munching comically hard.
“Uhh, going by your size and maturity, I’d say never,” Prasu rolled his eyes as he turned to go.
Suu managed to pinch his bum from where she sat on the floor, and he pretended to yelp. “Not all of us get treated like the World’s Greatest Son Ever,” she waved her hands dramatically with the last four words.
“Ma loves you more than she loves me, so there’s that,” he quipped back, greeting his grandfather inside the studio before closing the sliding door shut.
“Oh suuuure,” Suu called out as Prasu walked around the bookshelves. “She loves her baby-sister more than her precious little baby-boy? Man,” Suu sassed back, munching on a rose-apple. “Whatever you say, Baby Boy.”
Prasu chuckled. “She sends you hand-made food despite her busy schedule, Tiny-Auntie,” his voice called out from between the bookshelves. “Meanwhile I eat from the Medical Centre’s lunch-halls! You’ve gotta really love someone to cook and serve food for them, haven’t you heard?”
Suu stilled at that, nearly choking. The image of a certain fox-faced man and his silly bag of biscuits flashed across her face, and she screwed her eyes shut to push those thoughts away. But then, her eyes snapped open as she remembered something more.
“Prasu,” she called for him, lowering her voice when she remembered Pa was busy with his new piece in the studio. “Come here, I gotta ask you something!”
When Prasu sat down next to her on the floor, he grabbed a few pieces of fruit in the box and popped them in his mouth. “What’s up?”
“Is Pa’s door closed?” Suu’s eyes darted nervously across the room toward it, while her nephew looked back to check.
“Yeah, I closed it tight. Our man’s very busy today. What’s the matter?”
Suu sighed and looked at her lap where she clasped her fingers, trying to figure out the right words. “There’s…um, there’s someone in my university, who…who said he knew you,” she leaned into him, whispering.
“Uhh, He?” Prasu’s eyebrows rose, and he opened his mouth to yell towards the art studio. “GRANP—” With lightning speed, Suu grabbed his head with her arm and slammed her hands onto his mouth, sealing it shut. She knew he was just teasing her, but this wasn’t the time for that.
“Wait-wait-wait, just listen to me will you, you bum?!” she snarled low, her poor giant of a nephew squirming within her vice-like grip. Typical Prasu-behavior to start roasting her before she was even done saying the stupid thing she wanted to say. Prasu nodded hard before she let go of him, and he exhaled and nearly tumbled over.
“F—kin’ hell, I was just teasing you,” he grumbled as he ruffled his hair and scooted close to her. “Tell me all about this guy,” his face twisted with genuine concern. “I'll bet good money he’s got a few screws loose up there.”
“Gods, just listen, Squirrel Boy,” Suu huddled closer to him and turned back several times to make sure Pa wasn’t out. “Listen, do you know someone called Vaishaka Desakshi?”
Whipping his head at her with pure alarm in his eyes, he accidentally bonked their heads together. Several swear-words, whispered curses and forehead-massages later, Suu’s nephew gave her a long, narrow-eyed stare, his chin resting on his palm.
“So that guy actually spoke to you?” he sounded halfway between concerned and surprised, but she could feel no malice in his tone. “I didn’t know he went to VCU.”
“Yeah, well, he does now. And look,” she muttered, scooting close to him again and tapping his forehead as if to say ‘don’t-attack-me-with-your-big-head-again’, “promise me you won’t tell your Grandpa.”
The young man narrowed his eyes at her. Nephew as he was, Prasu was still closer to being an older-brother of sorts, and she knew he was just looking out for her. Suspicion was natural in this case. However, Tiny-Auntie and Big-Nephew also had a strong code between them, and promises were seldom broken.
“Uhh…as long as you aren’t in love with the guy or something,” he bargained, frowning.
Suu would’ve face-palmed herself if her forehead wasn’t still sore from their previous bash. “Gods, no,” she snarled, ignoring the weird flutter in her stomach. “We’re just…friends, okay? Look, promise me first. Can’t have Pa finding out I know the guy,” she whispered.
Prasu grimaced. “That sounds insanely suspicious, why the hell no—”
“Boy,” she cut him off, giving him a stern no-nonsense look. “Pa wants me to get the guy to model for him for a painting or something. Do you want that?”
Prasu sucked his teeth and shook his head as if he’d heard something extremely gross, which made Suu raise her eyebrows. Her nephew had a high tolerance for this stuff, but working at medical centers didn’t seem to help right then. “Eurghh, hell no,” he screwed his eyes shut for a moment before looking at her again. “Alright. Promise,” he said, placing his hand on her open palm. The deal was set.
When she finished telling him about Professor Desakshi’s order, their first meeting, Fox-face’s juvenile jail stint, and the latest biscuits, Prasu was studying her face with an unreadable expression. Suu realized that he’d never once interrupted her; not even to clarify anything she’d told him. If anything, his slight frown told her that he barely believed any of it.
“What?” she asked, growing annoyed.
Prasu exhaled hard. “Nothing, it’s just…err, that was a lot,” he said, looking into the distance. “Honestly, I’d bet good money this guy actually likes you, for some reason. Err, in my opinion, as a man. I was right about his screws being loose.”
“Get outta here,” Suu groaned and ran her hands across her face to cover up the growing redness there. She heard Prasu chuckle from beside her.
“Sorry, sorry…” he sighed again, and she watched his gaze soften. Prasu was a pain in the ass, but as much as she hated to admit it, he was a supportive sweet-heart at the end of the day. “…well. Vaishaka was, what, two grades below me? Three? I don’t remember. Anyway, people called him ‘Vi’.”
Suu leaned in, eager to know more. “Right, ‘Vi’, was it?”
“Yeah,” he continued, looking upward as if he were trying to remember more. “He was a cold kid. Didn’t really speak much, you know? We used to play hoop once in a while, if I remember right,” he pinched his chin. “Oh yeah, he used to be friends with Ajey.”
“Ajey?!” Suu grimaced, feeling her stomach drop. That wasn’t a name she was hoping to hear in connection to Fox-face, and it felt bitter on her tongue. “Ajey Sarguna, that Ajey?! Oh Gods, please don’t tell me ‘Vi’ was a creepy lover-boy too?”
Prasu laughed and shook his head. “Nah, not back then at least. He was a cold kid, like I said. Can’t say the same for Ajey though. Speaking of that guy by the way, Ajey got engaged last month.”
Suu grimaced. “Like that’s gonna stop him from being a creep,” she rolled her eyes, thinking back to his earlier visit. “I feel bad for the poor girl who has to marry him. Gossip about him keeps so many aunties and uncles employed.”
“Working overtime,” he huffed out a humorless laugh. “He messes around, that one.”
“Gonna mess himself with the wrong girl someday, and I hope she teaches him a lesson.” Suu mumbled.
Prasu tilted his head towards her and tossed her a bored face. “Yeah, just make sure it’s not you.”
Suu rolled her eyes. “No sh*t! So, this, ‘Vi’ wasn’t like Ajey, yeah? You sure?” Suu asked, desperate to hear the answer to that.
If Fox-face was no different than Ajey and his sleazy tendencies, then perhaps it really was better off for her to avoid him. She frowned at the thought, feeling the anxious knot in her stomach tighten.
“Vi was quite the opposite, from what I remember,” Prasu began slowly, his face stiffening with concentration. “We were surprised they were ever friends in the first place, but…” he sighed. “…well, they had a pretty ugly fallout before Vi went to jail.”
Suu’s fingers drummed upon the lunch-box as she leaned against a shelf, mulling over all of this new information. She briefly wondered if their fallout had anything to do with the reason Fox-face went to jail.
“Any idea why they had a fallout?” she pried.
Prasu scratched his head as he leaned against the same shelf. “I mean, I don’t know the details. It was a big no-no to talk about it back then since the Sargunas paid a lot of money to silence the story. But apparently, the person who Vi beat up back then, was Ajey’s uncle.”
Suu’s grip on the little lunch-box tightened. Her thoughts landed on Vi’s sister, and she felt a pressing urge to punch a certain sleazy uncle-nephew duo in their faces.
“Uhh, well anyway,” Prasu cut in, trying to ward off the uncomfortable air between them. “Vi’s not like Ajey. I’m sure he’s at least a decent guy, but…” His eyes hardened as he turned to look at her. “…but I think its best not to get involved with him. Just to be safe. If he ever ends up troubling you, just tell me. I’ll handle him.”
Suu’s gaze found the floor as Prasu’s words tumbled around in her mind. “Right…thanks,” she muttered. She wasn’t going to argue with him when he was in his serious ‘big-brother’ mood. And for all intents and purposes, he made a good point. Even it made her sad, for some reason. Not that it mattered.
“I’ll deliver Professor Desakshi’s order to their home. You can’t risk Grandpa seeing the guy anyway,” Prasu offered as he slowly stood up.
“No, that’s alright,” Suu felt a heavy weight in her chest at the idea of not seeing Fox-face as often again—when she knew she had no business feeling that way. “He’s scheduled to come in for just a few more days, and then that’ll be the end of that.” She huffed, feeling that strange weight sink further into her.
Why am I upset, she frowned. What the hell is wrong with me?
When she looked up at Prasu, he was carefully studying her face, as if he didn't quite like what he saw.
“There’s a reason the Professor asked for such a huge order, you know,” he said casually, crossing his arms. “I’m willing to bet she’s financing this herself. The Desakshis may not show it off, but they have looooong bank-balances,” he wiggled his eyebrows.
Suu wiggled her eyebrows back before settling into a deep frown. “I mean, if they could afford to send their son to Kshirasa Academy of all places,” she waved her arms dramatically at the name. “They better be bloody rich,” her voice nearly strained, and Prasu chuckled. “You were probably the only kid there who earned his spot,” she declared.
At that, Prasu’s laughing ceased into an mean scowl. “You passed KA’s entrance exam too, never forget! You even cleared their scholarship requirements,” he accused. “But no! You refused to go. How many times did your Big-Sis and brother-in-law assure you that money wasn’t a problem?”
Suu pursed her lips and looked away sheepishly. To think Prasu was still salty about it, to this day. About the fact that she chose to stay back at her high-school instead of joining KA. In truth, she'd just cleared the scholarship requirements, and sure a sob-story about being a mother-less child would've gotten her in. But family or otherwise, Suu would’ve preferred to eat glass over inconveniencing her elder sister and her brother-in-law any further than her existence had already imposed upon them. Being sent to some posh school on their hard-earned cash? That, had felt downright ridiculous to her.
“Well, look. Your parents’ money should be used for your education and your needs, not mine,” Suu put up her hands defensively. But before she could finish, Prasu was halfway through rubbing his hands on his face.
“Tiny-Auntie, you know they think of you as their own daughter, don’t you?” he groaned.
Suu let out a deep breath. “I know, I know,” her gaze fell upon the last pieces of fruit in the lunch-box. “Oh forget about it, please. Back to what we were saying, tell me more about Fox—I mean, Vaishaka. Uhh, or Vi or whatever.”
Prasu glared at her with a disgruntled frown before uncrossing his arms.
“He wasn’t much of a talker, but his face made up for it—most of the girls in our school were crazy about him. I’m not sure what he looks like now, but back then he looked so good that it was almost unsettling, you know? Makes sense that Ajey wanted to hang out with him,” he said, chuckling low. “Nothing wrong with guys crushing on each other, but that guy? Eurghh…” he grimaced and shrugged. Suu nodded with understanding. Love was love, unless it involved the eldest Sarguna son. “Anyway, coming back to Vi. Your nutcase was a real head-turner, regardless of who was looking.”
“Squirrel Boy, please,” Suu rolled her eyes and tossed him an exhausted look. “I don’t want to hear that from Prasanna ‘my-fans-help-the-economy’ Nemari,” Suu shot back with a dry laugh. “Plus, should you be talking sh*t about Ajey when you work for his dad?”
He tossed her an unimpressed stare. “Hey, you asked. Plus, Dr. Sarguna’s a good man, it’s pretty sad how his son turned out this way,” he sighed. “Anyway, that’s all I’ve got for ya, Tiny-Auntie.”
“Thanks a lot, Big-Nephew,” Suu leaned back on her arms as she watched him walk away, her mind whirling with what felt like a messy folder full of information.
Prasu suddenly turned halfway through and gave her an unreadable look; as if he were holding back from saying more. But before she could taunt him, he flashed her a cheeky smile.
“I don’t know much, but I can tell you this for sure. Vi definitely has enough problems in his life,” he drawled in a lazy tone as he sauntered away. “The last thing he needs is a stool-sized motor-engine trying to flirt with him—” before he could finish his sentence, Suu was halfway across the room chasing him with a hardcover book.
The ensuing brawl got so loud that Pa rose from his studio, his cloud-like hair speckled with paint splotches. Big-Nephew and his Tiny-Auntie froze in their tracks at the sight of him.
Paint-man’s p*ssed, Suu realized far too late. Oh sh*t.
With a big tumbler of dirty paint-water in one hand and a bucket of liquid gamboge in the other, the old man began chasing the ‘kids’ out the store with the speed of a bus.
A/N: Thank you so much for reading! Thank you for reading! This chapter was nearly 5K words, and possibly my longest one yet. I hope you didn't mind the simple illustrations
Please let me know what you think.
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Well…we know here ajey gets it from.