1. Cravings
A draft of cool air caught Anushka off guard as she opened the fridge to look for the components of a grilled cheese sandwich. She had spent the better half of the morning, at her desk, daydreaming of the perfect buttery crust, oozy cheese filling with just a hint of Maggie’s sweet and sour sauce. Now, hours later, standing in front of the fridge, it was finally time for her to satisfy this craving.
The upbeat hum from the fridge’s compressor mimicked her excitement as she looked at the big block of Emmental cheese she had picked up from the farmer’s market which she could swear was eagerly waiting for the occasion to be grilled. However, there was one missing ingredient; she was flat out of bread. This wasn’t in the least bit surprising; she had, in fact, made herself a midnight snack the night before using up the last slice of bread with a heaping dollop of crunchy peanut butter. Had it been any other household, such as one teeming with kids, parents and unwelcome relatives, the fridge would have been fully stocked with a battalion’s worth of food.
Anushka’s fridge catered to her and her tastes alone. Having lived by herself for over eighteen years and being single for the last two, she had found her rhythm when it came to stocking the fridge. That same rhythm had told her she’d be out of bread even before she had felt the fridge’s frosty air. However, it wasn’t Saturday, the day she had for years dedicated to going to the grocery store to buy her weekly staples. It was, indeed, Friday, and on this day, it was her rhythm that had intentionally failed her.
That’s how she wound up standing in a relatively short queue to get into the Kirana store. It was probably a good sign that her cravings coincided with her weekly grocery haul, she mused, even if it was a day earlier than what she was used to. Anushka, just like the seven people in line, was obeying the lockdown protocol. Masks on, heads down, and everyone minding their own business. She hoped she wouldn’t have to wait too long before she got to eat some carbs.
Armed with her earphones, she reached into her purse to grab her phone. The TEDtalk on following your life’s passion had ended, and she needed a good dose of pop music to lighten the mood and keep her entertained while standing in the queue. Her playlist was a messy mix of songs from her favourite 90s Madonna hits to the recent 2019 pop charts. When it came to music, Anushka only listened to songs that compliment her mood; she believed that songs should be a soundtrack to feelings. Today’s feelings were that of grilled cheese and bliss, so she scrolled through her playlist called ‘pretty bad but always catchy’ which were a collection of songs from the early 2000s.
Had she listened to any other music, she would have completely missed the opportunity that would change the course of her thoughts that day. In fact, the music was so loud that she almost didn’t hear him, so it was a good thing that the song changed just in time for her to hear his crisp, polished accent.
“Looks like we’re both in need of diet coke and dark chocolate.” Confused, she turned toward the voice that was standing behind her, still unsure of whether the statement was directed at her. At first, all she saw was his strong chest, then she looked up and was met with the most captivating green eyes.
“What?” she said quizzically, now looking more clearly at the enormously tall man who was holding up a piece of paper.
“This fell out of your bag,” he said.
“Right, I didn’t notice, thanks,” Anushka said, taking the handwritten list from his hands as she quickly stole a glance at his eyes, which she now noticed had a speck of brown in the left iris.
“No problem, I always seem to forget my list at home, don’t know why I write them in the first place,” he said amusingly.
“This is actually an old list, probably from months ago. Don’t know how it landed up in my bag” she admitted sheepishly, stuffing the paper back into her green handbag.
“Well, chocolate is a staple, even if I didn’t write it down, I have the good sense to add it to my basket,” he said as he tucked an eco-friendly tote bag under his arm. “I’m Harry, by the way.” He was about to reach his hand forward but stopped midway.
“Anushka,” she said, smiling under her mask.
“Sorry, I’m still getting used to not shaking hands, this virus has made it very difficult to make new friends,” he said earnestly.
“Shaking hands is all it takes to make new friends? No one sent me that memo” she said sarcastically, one eyebrow raised.
He laughed at her response, which took her by surprise. Her ability to deliver deadpan one-liners was something Anushka was notorious for. It was also something that had gotten her into trouble on many occasions. However, at this moment, the gorgeous man in front of her understood her twisted sense of humour.
“Well, it’s probably among the other memos about having to wear a mask with a beard,” he said with a chuckle as he wiped a small bead of sweat from his forehead.
“So many memos, how to keep up?” she asked.
“Just in case you were wondering, wearing a mask over a beard can make a man very hot in this city’s heatwave,” he said, rubbing his beard over his mask. Her tummy did a quick jump at the mention of the word hot; she silently cursed her body for betraying her mind.
“I see.. well, you might want to include a razor on your to-buy list,” she said, taking in the man she was looking at, feeling a sense of attraction forming in the pit of her stomach again, like a seed about to take root. He had broad shoulders and the type of strong arms you see on men who flex at the gym that look incredible in kurtas, she mused.
“Perks of not going to the office; don’t have to shave the ’stache” he said, distracting her thoughts.
“Madam,” shouted a store clerk, motioning her to move up the line. She turned around briefly to see that the person standing in front of her had taken a few steps ahead. Moving up the line, she realised this short conversation was the most fun she’d had in a while. It was also the most physical interaction she had had since the World Health Organization had declared the deadly pandemic and the local government enforced a lockdown. In the 40 days of self-quarantine, this conversation with a stranger was fast becoming a highlight.
“So, the office is against facial hair then? Think I might like to visit,” she said, turning back to face Harry.
“Well, I’m the boss, here at the India offices, so beards are allowed but the higher-ups back in London wouldn’t take me seriously if I walked in looking this rough,” he said, pointing at his short beard that was concealed under a white mask.
“Perks of the boss,” she retorted quickly.
Moving up the line further, Anushka was almost at the entry of the shop. Their conversation had been the ideal light-hearted entertainment she needed while waiting in the queue. It was also at this point that she realised the people around them were starting to stare at the man she was talking to. It wasn’t solely his commanding presence, but it was rather unusual to see an expat, most of them had left the city on the last few flights before the lockdown. Therefore the sight of a statuesque foreigner standing in line at the local Kiranawala, with a beige shopper bag, blue T-shirt and a white cloth mask was peculiar.
“Hand sanitiser madam,” the store clerk said flatly.
Anushka was at the entry of the grocery store, and while she was ready to get her freshly sanitised hands on some bread, she didn’t feel ready to say goodbye to her new companion.
“See you in there,” she said, and with that, she walked into the store. Anushka didn’t need a physical list, which is why she had found it funny when Harry found the piece of paper. After years of buying the same food and hygiene items, she could navigate the store blindfolded. Almost like muscle memory, she knew exactly what she needed and where in the store she could find it, the world may have changed, but her local kiranawala with its tiny aisles were the same, she comforted herself with that thought. So, she took off like a writer on a deadline and started to walk the aisles, keeping in mind that she wanted to spend some time picking up the perfect loaf of bread for later.
“Sourdough... where are you” she muttered to herself as she browsed through the limited options of bread. Unlike other women who constantly watched their carb intake, she revelled in it. Nothing satiated her cravings like a slice of pizza could, and for those days when her jeans felt tight, a few body combat workouts would help her squash the guilt which she sometimes felt when she overindulged. She was about to reach for the sourdough when she felt a niggling sensation, the kind you get when you know someone is looking at you. She turned to find Harry standing a few feet away, the narrow aisles making him look larger than normal.
“Sorry, can I just squeeze past you, I need to get the pasta” he said as he took a step in her direction. She shuffled closer to the bread, now pressed up against the rack behind her. As he turned sideways to walk past, only the handheld shopping basket between them kept them apart. The heat of his body and the faintest scent of men’s soap washed over her, making her heart start to race, and her skin feel flush. She had found the source of Pune’s heatwave; it just happened to be a chestnut-brown haired man standing in the pasta aisle. Such were the thoughts that were running through her mind. Secretly, she thanked the Gods that her face was partially covered by a mask, so she could keep her emotions hidden.
Before he could cross back over, she picked up the bread closest to her in a hurry; whole wheat sliced bread would have to do, she thought. Not wanting to do anything silly, she felt the need to check out, but not before allowing herself one quick peek in his direction. She saw him holding a bottle of pasta sauce and noticed how he raised his eyebrow ever so slightly while reading, a quirk that made her tummy tie in knots. Sadly, what she mistook as knots was actually her gut trying to give her the courage to put herself out there. However, she resisted the silly urge to run up and give him her number. If there was one thing she was superb at, it was ignoring her instincts. Instead, she turned around and headed to the check out counter
