First Ride

Pratap was brushing Chetak when Patta bowed to someone behind him, making him turn.

“How are you, Baisa Hukum?” Patta asked as she eyed Pratap and smiled at Patta, “How nice of you to ask Patta I am fine.” She gave him an eye roll and sat down on the haystack.

“I will go get his fodder.” Pratap declared to no one in particular as Patta stood waiting for him to leave.

“Hukum!" Patta sounded excited. "I think Bhaiya has someone.” Patta giggled in a whisper.

“Huh?” Ajabdeh frowned “Meaning?”

“Like you city people say. Girlfriend.” Patta nodded matter-of-factly, making Ajabdeh raise her eyebrows, as her heart made a funny leap.

“Is it so?” She wished the boy hadn't noticed the colour fade a little from her face.

“Yes. I saw them yesterday at the fair.” Patta couldn’t understand why Ajabdeh chuckled, amused and said, “That is interesting, but don’t tell anyone.”

“No, I didn’t. I told you.” He shrugged.

“Promise?” Ajabdeh asked, giving Patta her pinky finger.

“Yes, Hukum.” He promised the way she taught him to. "I won't tell anyone what I saw."

“What did you see?” Pratap put down the fodder in front of Chetak and asked Patta, who looked pale.

“You apparently have a girlfriend.” Ajabdeh smiled, amused, “He saw you two at the fair!”

“WHAT?” Pratap’s eyes were fixed on her amused face as she asked, “Was she pretty, Patta?”

“I think so.” He nodded. Pratap opened his mouth to protest when Ajabdeh said, “Oh, that is so nice!”

“I don’t have a girlfriend.” He shook his head firmly, eyeing the boy.

“Then who was it with you?” Patta asked, “What’s her name?”

“Yes, Pratap, tell us!” Ajabdeh smiled, amused “Then who was she?” He stared at her briefly and shook his head.

"I told you she is a guest, Patta. Badimaasa's..." Patta looked intrigued.

"I will go ask her." He stood up, alarming both of them. Pratap blocked his way.

 “I swear, if you talk to Badimaasa, I will kill you, Patta.” His words were firm as Patta frowned at him.

“Oh, he promised not to tell anyone, haven’t you, Patta?” Ajabdeh’s words made him nod as Pratap shook his head. Patta went to put the brush away, stealing amused glances at Pratap. He walked up to Ajabdeh, making her stand in front of him, arms crossed.

“It is not funny. Some things are not funny, okay? Even if you don’t value them, you should respect the ideas of others. This is a village. You have no idea if such things are talked of....” His words came out rude, and it made her fume.

“Excuse me? Who told you I don’t value and respect things, Pratap? Just because I made a light-hearted joke out of the kid’s observation...” She shrugged.

“I did not find it funny!” He cut in.

“That is your problem then, how dare you say I don’t value...” Ajabdeh's brows narrowed.

“Rajkumarisa.” Patta interrupted them, “You are going for your first ride?”

“No, she is weak and...” Pratap’s words were cut short by her “Yes, I am.”

“But...” Pratap stared at her as she patted Chetak “Are you ready?” She hugged him, making Pratap clench his jaws at her stubbornness.

“Why don’t you ride him and let me watch first?” Ajabdeh suggested, “Before I take him?” 

A little taken aback, Pratap agreed to it and took Chetak to the ground. Ajabdeh leaned against the wooden fence, watching Chetak gallop as Pratap instructed him. At the moment, Ajabdeh could not take her eyes off them, as if she were watching them for the first time.

“He is good, isn’t he, Baisa Hukum?” Patta smiled behind her.

“He is.” She murmured.

She smiled at the scene in front of her eyes. And at the moment, Ajabdeh reminisced about the way Pratap thought of others before himself, never complained about his loneliness, unlike her and stood there firmly beside her whenever she needed him. She had never come across such a person in her life or remotely imagined that coming back to Surajgarh would make her meet someone this way.  

Pratap got down, carefully avoiding the fact that the princess was staring without blinking, and tied a rope to his rein. He walked towards the princess, who walked towards them, ready to ride.

“I will control the rope, in case you do wrong.” He instructed as Ajabdeh held his shoulder for support and got up on the horse. Patta sat down on the haystack at a distance, watching them, whistling unmindfully.

“Hold the reins firmly, this one to tell him to move a little to his right, this one to the left, one pull to accelerate and two to start and stop.” Ajabdeh breathed in heavily and patted Chetak eagerly, “Come on.”

Pratap held the rope and watched Chetak pick up the pace. As Ajabdeh smiled, feeling the air in her ears, she held the reins perfectly and stared at Pratap, who nodded at her. After almost half an hour, Pratap held the reins and said, “It is enough for today. He should rest now, and you too.” Ajabdeh stared at him and reluctantly got down from the horse.

 “He chose me, didn’t he?” She asked in anticipation.

“I guess he did.” Pratap smiled at Chetak and back at her.

“It is so strange.” She sat down on a haystack while he gave Chetak a pail of water to drink. Pratap frowned at her words.

“What?” He asked without looking up at her.

“I have these drawings... “She almost smiled, staring at him and Chetak “I made these drawings of a horse in a childhood drawing book of mine, and now I am beginning to think... it was Chetak.” Pratap stopped patting the horse and stared at her. He then came up to sit beside her and stare at her, looking at Chetak, perhaps in admiration.

“How are you so unsure?” he frowned, "I mean, if you drew him, that means you remembered him right?”

“Nanosa told me I fell down a staircase and had an accident when I was small. I had lost immediate memory from the time before I left. I woke up in the hospital in Udaipur, from where Nanosa took me to his home.” She shrugged, “Nanosa said I won’t get those memories back, and it wasn’t important, as nothing significant happens when you are three.” She frowned. “I believed him.”

“You don’t believe him now?” He asked, narrowing his eyes at her as she stared right at him and sighed, “I don’t know.”

“What makes you feel he was lying?” He asked again. Ajabdeh shrugged.

“I had a horse of my own, who was injured and no one knows how. I have these drawings of the same horse and...” She stopped as he frowned.

“And?” She looked at him, looking all confused at her as she said, almost in a murmur, “I am beginning to feel...” She looked away.

“Feel...?” He asked, urging her to go on. Ajabdeh suddenly felt restless.

“Excuse me, Pratap, I have to leave.” Ajabdeh looked away as she stood up “I will see you tomorrow.”

“Are you okay?” He frowned at her pale face, worried. She looked up at his worried tone with a faint nod and left.

Bolting her room, Ajabdeh opened her drawers and took out her drawing book.

Tracing the figure of the boy beside the horse, she sat down on the carpet and shuddered. She knew not why she held the drawings close to her chest and let her tears flow. She did not know if she had ever felt this way in her life. The sorted-out Ajabdeh Punwar always had things her way; she controlled her heart and mind like she wished to, until now. Feeling an emptiness in her chest, Ajabdeh wept to lie down on the carpet. What would she do, take a step ahead, or move away forever?

“Is it really you, or do I wish it was you?” She whispered as a tiny droplet of tears fell on the drawing of the boy, and blurred it a little.