Chapter 5: Duplicity

Team : Writers’ Express
Read the Chapters of the story here

Chapter 1: Pawan Hegde

Chapter 2 : Partha Sadhukhan

 Chapter 3 : Sujata Tawde

Chapter 4: Shilpa Halwe

Chapter 6: Shazneen Pathak 

Chapter 7:  Anuradha

Chapter 8 : Anuradha

Round 1 ended after 8 chapters and now we are through the second round along with other teams.

The diamond danglers shone bright, the wedding trousseau looked stunning and decked up to the full, the bride looked happily intoxicated with joy. The grand hall buzzed with music, chit-chats and laughter. It was a wedding reception hosted by a rich Indian businessman at Le Meridien, Kochi. One man in white felt relieved by looking at his handsome son, who was all happy to lose his bachelorhood to his school time sweetheart. Aside from her exquisite engagement ring from the bridegroom Ravi, the bride Kanchana had ensured that she wore completely traditional look. Every accessory that she adorned looked just perfect for the moment.

From one corner of the hall, there was someone who was loving every bit of it through her DSLR.  She was the only one in the room who had the courage to put on a denim with a cool tee.  The tattoo of the sweet little bird was about her true calling. She wanted to keep  flying here and there. Nothing could make Jennifer happy but photography and Indian weddings were her favorite. She loved the grandness about the North Indian weddings. Jennifer dreamt of two ceremonies for her own wedding, one in the church in the elaborate white gown and the other like Kanchana’s.

Jennifer had thanked her friend and partner in crime ( photography passionate) Maya more than once for cracking this opportunity. She had got bored of the church weddings and was in need of something grand as this. Maya was blessed with persuasive PR skills and her talking had helped them bag this assignment. Not one but five professional photographers were covering the reception party. Five years back when she had started as an amateur, she has shot weddings for free, for friends of friends who couldn’t afford to hire a professional but now she was one among the elite.

Jennifer Joseph was always very creative, she had developed a bond with photography when her father had gifted her a cool-pix. Soon she wanted to pursue this art. Her family had  wanted her to have a “safe” job, one that gave her a fixed salary every month but she had convinced them that this was her true calling. No money could satisfy her creative pangs. When the wedding assignments had come calling one after the other, her parents had instantly become supportive.

Hey Jenny, Hows is it going?…. called Maya

Great! Everything looks so vulnerable and inspiring. I am loving the theme, the angles and the lights are just perfect.

Jenny, get going with the job soon. I swear there is more to do in the crowd too… Maya winked

Maya, you can have all the fun darling, go ahead. I aren’t interested in crow watching. Let me know when you are done, we will have dinner together and make sure you don’t return until you have settled a date for yourself.

Maya grinned…. I have something to tell you, Listen to me…

Later girl and soon Jennifer was gone to the other side of the hall from where she could capture human gestures. There stood the elite bandwagon of the close relatives of the bride and groom.

Maya, the cherubic girl was excited in her own way. Today, it wasn’t the lights, vision, angles, camera where she was focused but the bachelors. She knew Jennifer excelled at her job personally and professionally and did not need her help. Jenny wasn’t interested in anything except the job. However, Maya was blushing because she had just fallen for a cute guy in the crowd whom she was not able to locate now.

The situation played again in her mind and she tried to gather his looks better. An hour ago while she  was enjoying the great food and the wines in her own company, a guy had come to tell her that a yellow clutch was lying unattended on the table far away. First she had not bothered to pay attention to his looks except his height but the moment she focused her gaze, her heart had skipped a beat.

For one moment she had been robbed of vocabulary and had managed to mutter a thank you only. However, the two had smiled gracefully. The exchanged glances and the smiling gesture from the guy had led to her high hopes.  While watching her steps to claim her arm candy, she had wondered… could he be her next boyfriend?

The reply from her heart had been quick. ‘It has been six months from the last break up and I am all ready to mingle girl.’ Maya had walked down all the way from the lavish lawn to the hall to share her excitement with Jenny who had shown no interest. However, Maya realized she had no time to waste. She had to look for the tall, specky guy with curly hair.

……………………………………………..

 Hey Hi,  the husky voice from the back interrupted her while she was packing her camera.

Jennifer turned to get a view of the owner of the voice. The pearls in her earrings tinkled.  I have been watching you run around the hall taking pictures from all angles. You looked so happy and satisfied in your own world. And I must say I have been inspired. Can I learn photography from you?

Jenny loved the complements but she was not in the mood to take the conversation ahead.

Though the photo-shoot was done, she looked disarrayed. It had been more than two hours and Maya had not returned. It seemed she had already gone for a date and had decided to return only after fixing her engagement date.

The guy interrupted her again… Are you looking for someone? May I help you?

Hey, hold on to my card and I will get back to you. If you need some photography tips, I am just a call away. Right now I am looking for my friend and we got to trace back our steps to our home.  Please excuse me… Jenny made her way to the lawn.

Soon she found Maya was all happy and high talking to herself.

———————————

A week later, Jenny was still asleep when her mobile buzzed in the early morning hours.

Jenny answered in her husky tone but Maya on the other end sounded too low but awake. It seemed she hadn’t slept in the last hours.

What happened Maya? Whose giving you sleepless nights?

The guy I had met at the wedding. The one who had made me drink glasses after glasses…

He isn’t returning my calls.

The truecaller denies to show his identity too.

He was so sweet and I loved baring my heart to him Jenny and see he is gone. I can’t let him go. Why does it happen with me so often?

Hey, Maya, hold on.. Tell me the whole story baby…

Chapter 6: Shazneen Pathak

Read the next part of the story here : 

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