A Chameleon
A Chameleon
"There is no reason to argue. You guys hardly know each other to display so much animosity. Let us not give the new teacher a bad first impression about us," Vandit cajoled both of them.
"It's too late for that now, unfortunately," Shaurya had entered the room without anyone noticing.
All of them gaped at him. The transformation from a thug to a gentleman had taken him less than ten minutes. Dressed in a pristine white cotton kurta* with a pair of white straight pants, he looked nothing like the hooligan whom had accompanied them from Gurukul to the store. It wasn't just his clothes but also the way he held himself. He had walked the entire way with a stoop but now stood erect.
Mriga was enthralled. She soaked in his facial expressions, his mannerism. He was a completely different person.
"Disguises are my hobby. I like to experiment with new looks in my free time," he offered this as a means of explanation to the open-mouthed juniors.
Chiranjeev was the first to recover from the shock and said, "this is so cool. Will you please teach me how to do it?"
Shaurya looked at him with a straight face, "sure, but after you finish your chores for the day."
Groans emitted from all five of them.
"There is a sheaf of pamphlets kept outside the shop. Each of you has to distribute twenty of these and be back within ten minutes. The person coming back last will be subjected to a punishment," he ordered.
All of them ran out of there upon hearing the instructions.
The four of them had come back within the stipulated time and were waiting for Mrignayani to reach.
"I think she is going to be chucked out of the internship even before the month is over. She is clearly not meant to do this," Abhirath thought unkindly.
Huffing, she reported back almost twenty minutes post the stipulated time. Vandit gave her a sympathetic look while the others smirked.
"You are late. Was the task given so difficult for you to perform so abysmally?" Shaurya enquired softly.
She lowered her head in misery. Tears had welled up in her eyes.
"Your punishment is to clean this room thoroughly. You are not to take a break until that is done. Letters with addresses have been kept outside for the rest of you. Make sure they reach the right recipients," he said.
With everyone else gone, the room was quiet except for the sound of Shaurya's shuffling feet. Mriga couldn't meet his eyes.
"Go through the back door and get the cleaning supplies. I am stepping out. Manning the store is your responsibility as well," with that, he was gone as well.
She had never been this humiliated in her life. The growls in her stomach added to her misery.
"How can I feel hungry in the midst of so much disgrace?" she muttered angrily to herself.
Stepping into the room located behind the store, she was amazed at the stark difference between the two places. The floor was pristine, so was the single bed in the corner. The small kitchen shined under the slanting sunlight coming through the window. Not a single thing looked out of place.
"Does he suffer from multiple personality disorder? How can the two attached rooms be so stark in their upkeep? Never mind, I don't have time to ponder over all of this. It is my overthinking which has landed me into this predicament in the first place," she chided herself.
Shaurya managed to track the four boys at different places and observed them discreetly. By the time he headed back, it was noon already.
The shop was sparkling clean when he entered. Head bent, Mriga was busy cataloguing the items kept in the cabinets. Hearing footsteps, she looked up.
"Uh, you are back. I had finished cleaning so just thought of updating the record of items which are stored here. I couldn't find any such register, so I started making one…" her voice trailed, looking at his expression.
"Let's go," he said shortly.
"Go where?" she asked warily.
Her clothes were dusty and sweaty. Also, she was pretty sure that some of the cobwebs had shifted their residence from the walls to her hair. So, she was reluctant to step out in the current condition.
"Well, I plan to grab some lunch. If you are not interested, then you are welcome to stay back," he said indifferently.
Mriga sprang up from the floor, scattering the notebook which was in her lap.
"Let's go," she beamed up at him.
Shaurya was taken aback by the brilliance of that smile. A streak of dust had formed a brown moustache above her lips. Remnants of cobwebs hung from the side of her head. But in that moment, she looked... sparkling!
Mriga trailed after him, trying to keep up with his long strides. Staying in the Gurukul hadn't provided her many options to explore the marketplace in the past few years. She absorbed the sounds and smells of the small eatery where they went.
"This place is famous for its meat delicacies. Do you eat non-vegetarian food?" Shaurya asked as an afterthought.
Giving him an impish smile, she said, "I can eat anything that walks on the land. Don't have much fondness for the sea creatures."
He was slightly disconcerted by her smile again and looked around for someone to take their food order.
"So, what should I call you? You are too young to be addressed as Guruji. I checked earlier and you don't have a single strand of grey hair. Calling you by your name would be rude. Should I call you big brother?" she asked while her eyes switched from one table to another, taking in the delicacies which had been ordered by them.
*Kurta – Long shirt, usually full sleeved reaching up till the knee