Moving

August, 2019

Elle has no intention to go to South Dakota, though it is only four hundred odd miles from Minneapolis as her mom said, there she got a job in Postal Service Department. You just celebrated twenty eighth birthday last week, you’re old enough to stay alone there, don’t make excuses, her mom would say. Although, Pristine, Elle’s mom is concerned about her daughter’s health, a weak heart, as the doctor said.

Pristine removing an extra large trolley bag outside the front gate, where Elle stood, making a face.

‘You like solitude, isn’t it?’ Pristine says, giving Ella a hug.

‘But, I want you only.’ Ella replied. ‘Had it been dad, he would have accepted my proposal.’ It was the senior high convocation day, the last time dad went with Elle to the somewhere. She is missing her.

Ella is adjusting the handle of the trolley bag, when an empty cab pulled up in front of the main gate.

Pristine couldn’t say anything, she waved at Elle, tears in her eyes. She is going to miss her queen, that’s what she called her. It is late evening, Pristine called Elle, had a few words with her as the long cab journey drained her.

Elle sits in the first floor balcony in a two storied building, having a large cup of coffee, refreshing breeze kissing her cheek as the summer making its way for the fall.

A police cab, red and blue lights flickering stops, in front of her house as Elle is watching. What might be the reason? Did I do anything wrong? I don’t even know anybody here? Is it the neighbor? Elle thought, holding the half filled cup, not sipping at all, which has gone cold. A chubby, medium height guy, perhaps in his early twenties comes out of the car.

Meeting

The following morning, Ned wakes up early as usual, stretching, just the upper portion of the body. He doesn’t like going for a walk, as it would drain him and block him from going university, market to buy foods. He doesn’t want to lose energy doing too many things. Most of all he doesn’t want to feel fatigued, graduate school exams are due in few months. As he stretches to his right, to the empty house, he saw few books in the balcony.

His face curious, is anybody there? He thought. When he came last night in the police cab, the lights were off. He just turns to go inside, to try the other angles to check who is inside, a tall, brunette haired woman comes in to the balcony, taller than him, as he considers, shorts and t-shirt on with a book in her hand.

‘Hey! Hi!’ Ned shouted, though it wasn’t necessary, the distance between two balconies are hardly eight-nine feet, divide by a steep alley.

Elle turns to see, scurries inside, immediately with a fright in her eyes. Ned’s lips remained agape. Why is he calling me, bloody criminal? She is speculating, feeling anxious.

Ned is upset, clearly visible from his eyes. He doesn’t have a single friend in the university. All the time he feels deserted in this house, which his father rented for his education. Although he doesn’t want to live with his family back in Bismarck, however he likes to make friends, and he doesn’t have a single one. At the first place he was delighted to have a neighbor, they could have talked and spend time.

He left for the university when his alarm clock bleeped 10 a.m.

Conversing

September, 2019

It’s been one week short of a month since Ned and Elle had conversation for the first time; the conversation took place in the backyard. He was hanging his clothes outside in the sun in the afternoon. Elle was cleaning the backyard as it was a holiday, first Monday of the month.

‘I have never seen criminals do house chores.’ Elle would say, after collecting some courage. ‘You must be an exception.’ She smirked.

Ned was startled, he wasn’t aware Elle was there. He turned his head behind, right then left and then back in to its previous position. ‘Where is the criminal?’ He asked.

‘Nimble? Huh...’ She smirked again, kept aside the leaf rake and stood up. ‘I saw you that night, you got off the police cab and sauntered to your house. You thought nobody has seen you.’

Ned visualized the moment, his mouth agape and his eyes towards the sky. ‘Oh! It was not like that what you saw, like delusion.’ He laughed. ‘I just asked for lift, they were generous enough to do so.’

‘Do I look like a bonehead?’ She paced towards the gate to go inside.

‘Hey! Lady, what’s your name? Listen, miss...’ Elle stopped to turn back, ‘there is nothing like that, believe me, there is no other option to prove you wrong.’ Ned tried to convince. ‘And another thing is nothing is in the face, either it’s inside the head or inside the rib cage. What’s your name though, lady?’

‘Stop calling me lady, it’s Elle.’ She shouted as she picked up the shovel and gestured to throw at him.

‘Don’t mind my asking, how old are you?’ He asked as he was guessing.

‘Are you hitting on me?’ Elle replied.

‘Do I look like a bonehead?’ Ned smirked.

Introducing

October, 2019

No sooner Elle came back from office than she called Pristine. Both of them miss each other a lot. Elle even suggests her mom to come all the way and stay with her. Pristine suggests she would, however not at this moment. Whenever Elle calls her mom, Pristine reminds her every time to take medicines on time, don’t neglect it and all that. Elle is also cautious about her health. She checks her medicines on a routine basis, which one is finishing, especially the inhaler and visiting doctor every single fortnight. She was tensed with her mom, if anything happens to her who would take care of her mom.

Elle is talking to her mom, sitting in the balcony on a starry evening. Ned with a book in his hand, paced between the room and balcony, in and out, in and out and mumbling under his breath.

This went for few minutes as it was catching Elle’s attention time and again.

‘Would you stop doing this?’ Elle shouted. ‘It’s irritating.’ She added.

Ned stops immediately, asked, ‘are you talking to me?’ He is not sure as always, turning his head here and there.

‘Why do you do this? Whenever I ask you something, you look around. It is much more irritating.’ Elle is angry.

‘Actually, I make sure whether you are talking to me or someone else.’ Ned teasing.

‘How come?’ She asked, holding the cell phone in her hand, Pristine is still on line.

‘Beautiful ladies have nothing to do with me, they don’t even look at me and you’re talking with me, that’s quite a big thing.’ He teased again, though it is true, Elle doesn’t know about it.

‘Oh, gross. How could you talk to me like this? My mom is on line.’ She replies, gesturing towards the cell phone.

 ‘Oh, lord.’ Ned scurries inside, immediately.

Tangling

November, 2019

Ned doesn’t like walking at all. He always tries to get a free drive home. He is also one of those lucky people, who gets it easily. Perhaps he is fat, that’s why people are kind on him. He doesn’t care at all what people think about him, a care free soul. However he needs a friend to spent time with, talk with, gossip with. He found that friend in Elle. Last month she even introduced him to her mom, he liked the conversation. Ned smiled thinking of the situation. She behaves rudely with him most of the time though; sometimes she smiles at him, laugh at him too. He liked those small things.

Ned is walking back home from university, just few yards away from his two storey house, Elle is in front of him, going back home too. He considers running towards her, however cancels the plan right away.

He is in front his house now, something unusual is happening to Elle, Ned guesses. She cannot stand properly, holding the lamp post on the pavement with a hand and trying to open her bag with another.

Ned jogs to Elle.

‘Are you okay? Elle.’ He holds one of her hand; she is trying to say something, but couldn’t, gesturing towards her hand bag. She lifts the hand bag up, struggling to stand and panting.

Ned let her sit on the pavement and snatched the bag from her. The zip is struck, it is not opening. He tears the zip apart and pull out everything from inside. He quickly picks up the inhaler, opened it and holds it between her lips as he is holding her firmly.

After two sprays she came back to normal in few minutes. Ned still held her firmly by her waist and he could feel the warmth of her body as well as the scent of her skin.

Both of them remained silent, Ned opened the door of her house and let Elle in and he left, with a smile.

Celebrating

December, 2019

On a Sunday morning, it’s still ten days left to Christmas, Ned has already started celebrating. All the money he saved from transport, he used those money buying small Christmas trees, colourful balls and stars. He is installing them every corner of the house with loud speaker playing in his bedroom so loud that he couldn’t hear Elle is shouting from the balcony to stop the music.

He comes to the balcony, dancing with the rhythm of ‘dance monkey’.

‘Ned, Ned...’ Elle continues shouting at him, he hardly noticed her. She throws a book from her balcony, which hits her on his back and he turns frightfully.

‘Oh! Lord. You scared me, Elle.’ Ned exclaims, panting.

‘Stop the music immediately.’ Elle blurted.

‘Dude, I’m celebrating. Can’t you see?’ He replies.

‘Do you want me to call 911?’

‘Okay. Calm down.’ Ned gestured as he ran inside to stop music.

 In the afternoon, Ned decides to ask Elle something. He is looking for her; however she is nowhere to be seen. He continues shouting ‘Elle’ from different positions in his house until she comes out to the backyard. She was having a nap.

‘Stop barking.’ Elle says, rubbing her eyes.

‘I have fixed a dinner on 25^th, with you.’ Ned smiles.

‘What? How old are you?’

‘I’m 23. So what?’ His smile vanished.

‘And I’m 28. Did you ask me about that whether I was ready or not? ’

‘I thought... we’re friends...’ Ned looks upset. He wasn’t expecting this at all. He should have asked her. ‘Fine then, you don’t have to come. I’m sorry for not asking you beforehand.’ He utters in despair after standing there for few minutes and went inside. 

Elle is standing there contemplating whether she was rude to him.

25^th afternoon, Ned is making fruit cakes. He is not going anywhere with anyone for dinner, he just locked himself in and stopped talking to Elle too. He doesn’t want her to feel awkward for him. Although Elle called his name numerous times, however he didn’t reply.

After making cake, he went to the basement to bring a long iron stick. He puts the cake in a box, ties it with a nylon rope and hangs it at the end of the stick with a hook to deliver it to Elle’s balcony. He scurries inside immediately after delivering the cake. 

Dining

February, 2020

Elle felt sorry for Ned, when she rejected his dinner proposal. She wanted to talk it out; however Ned didn’t show up to talk. She shouted ‘Ned’ from every corner of her house to get a glimpse of him and to talk. She didn’t see Ned delivering the cake otherwise she would have stopped him immediately. She received the cake in the evening

After delivering the cake, Ned checked every few minutes whether she got it or not. He didn’t know when she got it; he went to sleep after few checking. He stopped checking after one hour. He thought perhaps she was angry with him. He regretted the idea of wishing her.

In the late evening Elle caught Ned, he was about to leave the balcony when he saw her. She said sorry numerous times till he was satisfied.

14^th morning, Ned is sleeping in his bedroom, beside the window with his mouth agape. He jumps off the bed, there is knock on the window, unusual knock. He looks terrified. He opens the window as he heard Elle’s voice. She was knocking his window with a broomstick from her window.

‘Why do you scare me again and again?’ Ned asks, narrowing his eyes.

‘Why do you get scared on simple things?’ Elle replies. ‘Whatever. Are you free tonight? I have a plan.’ She adds, lying on her bed.

‘Nothing serious. Why?’

‘We can go out, have dinner and enjoy. You can show me around, I don’t know much about this place.’ Elle suggests.

‘That’s a good plan.’ Ned paused, he is thinking something. He tells her about the virus, which came out recently. He is afraid of that. Ned even tells her that his classmates have started avoiding coming to university. He read somewhere about the virus, there is no medicines for it. Some scientists said it is dangerous as it doesn’t have any cure. ‘We should avoid getting outside. It is good for us, you know. And you should take leave from office too.’ He says like her guardian.

‘Then what about the dinner.’ She asks, curiously.

‘Let me think.’ He looks at the sky, mouth agape, the usual way of thinking. ‘We can still have dinner. Make a special dish, whatever you want and I’ll do the same. Then we will exchange it, through the balcony and we will have it there in the balcony too.’

‘That’s amazing. Okay, get up fast, lots of things to do.’

‘It’s 10 a.m. only.’ Ned cries.

Proposing

March, 2020

Ned is sitting in his bedroom recalling the golden memories rather than memories he had with Elle. Their first meeting in the backyard where she thought he was a criminal, though she admitted later criminals don’t look like him. Then they started talking, gradually their friendship grew in a positive way. He laughs recalling, when Elle cancelled the dinner plan on the 25^th night. He was upset at that time. Sending her cake, without letting her know. And then her apology on the balcony, she made him stop from going back to his room, and justified the situation which melted his heart. She was the first woman other than his mom, apologized to him. Perhaps that was the day he fell in love with her. He never told her, failed to gather courage. Ned smiles looking at the photo they took on their dinner night in the balcony on 14^th. And started writing something on behind it.

Elle is not feeling well today. She is having short of breath since morning. Used the inhaler few times, it seems it is not helping her much. She tried to call Ned from her bedroom window few times, she couldn’t. Now its afternoon, still she is not feeling well, she is panting heavily. She is trying to find the new inhaler, she couldn’t find. She is crawling everywhere to get the inhaler which is her lifeline. When she failed, she started crawling towards the balcony. She hopes Ned could help like that day on the street. All these days she started believing Ned, he is her savior. She stopped just behind the balcony door.

“Dear Elle,

I don’t know how to say it, that’s why I’m writing this, only for you. I fell in love with you. Believe it or not, it is you, though you are few years older than me and it doesn’t matter to me. I found the friend I was looking for everywhere. Now read carefully, I’m infected with Corona virus. I don’t know how did it happen, but it is true. I’m leaving today; paramedics will come and take me to somewhere else for isolation and treatment. That’s why I avoided meeting you. It is contagious. Like your love. Take care of yourself. I will be back soon.

                                                                             Ned, the criminal”

No sooner Ned threw the crumbled photo in to Elle’s balcony than an ambulance stopped in front of his house, to take Ned elsewhere. He is about to call Elle, but didn’t.

At the time of getting on the ambulance, he glances at Elle’s balcony, it is still empty. He was expecting Elle; little did he know that she gave up her life just behind the balcony door, lying on the floor.

***************