Chapter 5 : Budding Love...
Tamao stood there, surrounded by clothes, eyes as wide as an owl's. He was gaping open mouthed at the blood gushing out of the 5 cm long cut on her smooth fair legs.
Michiko was sitting on the bed, leaning forward, with thighs close to her chest, and knees exposed.
Tears were rolling down ceaselessly from her blue eyes, like a brook. The water made her cheeks wet and sticky. The tears trickled down her chin and finally drenched her shirt. Her chin was quivering and so were her lips.
Without making any delay, Tamao made a way through the clothes and sprang up on the bed, right beside her. There was no time in searching for first aid, so he removed a handkerchief from the pocket of his long coat and immediately tied it over the cut. He pressed the handkerchief tightly in an attempt to stop the bleeding.
Michiko's tear showed no signs to stop. Tamao removed his soft muffler and wiped her cheeks and eyes dry.
With one hand rubbing over Michiko's back, Tamao said,
"It's okay, Michiko... It's fine... Don't get scared of Rattoo... Now I will never let him come back... You trust me?" Tamao took the blade from her hands, and she didn't even realise it.
Michiko nodded to say yes, breathing heavily, sobbing. She put the collar of her shirt in her mouth and tugged at it between her teeth.
With his brown coloured, index finger and thumb, he removed the cloth that she was chewing, very carefully and slowly. It took ten minutes for her heartbeats and breath to return to normal.
"Okay. Michiko? Where do you keep the first aid box?"
"F--first aid?"
"Yes, first aid box?"
"In the--in the drawer" she pointed towards the cream colored plywood desk in front of the window. Tamao took the first aid box out of the drawer and went near her.
While he was unwrapping the blood soaked handkerchief slowly, Tamao spotted a pink radio that was lying right beside her bed. It was shaped like a cat. He pointed towards it and asked her,
"Is this sweet little radio working?"
"Yes." She looked at the radio kept on the table beside her. She turned to Tamao, while still looking at the radio and said, "Why?"
"So let me," he leaned closer to the radio, "Turn it on."
He pressed the button of the radio and luckily a happy song full of energizing beats started on the radio.
Because of the happy song, the effect of gravity of sadness that was pulling her into sadness lessened.
"What a deep cut!" Tamao thought, as he carefully removed the handkerchief and dropped it on the floor. With a cotton, he softly dabbed away the wet drop of blood and cleaned the dried blood too. He applied generous amount of ointment on it and covered it with a bandage.
Michiko was looking at him while he was treating the cut with love and affection.
Tamao looked at her and smiled. Michiko blinked and smiled back at him. She wasn't looking happy, so he kissed her on her forehead to make her feel good. Michiko's head went blank at the kiss as nobody had ever kissed her before.
Tamao glanced at the watch. It was 7:58 pm. He went to the kitchen and reheated the stew noodles that she had prepared in the evening for dinner. He took two bowls for both of them and went back towards her.
Michiko was not willing to eat it. Tamao was stubborn since childhood and any how he wanted to make her eat the noodles that smelled delicious.
"If you don't eat it, I won't either." He pushed the steamy bowl aside. Michiko started to form bonds with Tamao, unknowingly.
Tamao's stomach growled in hunger and Michiko burst into light laughter. Tamao smiled and took the bowl and fed her the first bite of noodles and she took the bowl from his hands and started eating.
Tamao started eating too. He told her a few jokes and diverted her mind from the incident. She talked and laughed with him. The walls of her home enlightened with the happiness, that had been always gloomy since her dad passed away.
It was getting cold. He made her go to sleep and pulled a blanket over her attractive body.
Tamao then folded all the clothes and kept them in the cupboard. He washed the handkerchief. It was a struggle for him to remove the blood stains. He hung the handkerchief to let it air dry.
Then he turned the lights off and turned on the table lamp. The dim light of the table lamp was falling softly on Michiko's face. The shadow of her eyelashes and the golden glow on her face made her look so beautiful that it melted Tamao's heart instantly.
"Such a beautiful girl... Suffering from such an emotional turmoil" Tamao sighed.
He kept gazing at her closed eyes for ten minutes, twenty seconds. He looked at her cheek bones, her silky eye brows, the black soft hair that covered her forehead and then at her velvety lips. He went closer to her and kissed her forehead once again. He then dozed off to sleep.
The next morning, Michiko woke up feeling relaxed. She looked beside her to find Tamao missing. She stepped out of the bed and went to search Tamao. She heard Tamao sing in the kitchen. She peeped in and saw he was making coffee for both of them. She freshened up and both of them drank the coffee talking merrily. It was Sunday so there was no rush for getting ready and going to school. Tamao took the dried handkerchief and kept it in his pocket. He suddenly felt Michiko's soft body hugging him from behind.
"You are going back?" Michiko asked in a sad tone.
"Yes, dear. I have too."
"Please don't go"
"No babe, I need to go. My parents would be worrying." Tamao looked at her.
For once their eyes met and for five minutes three seconds they maintained the link of eye contact. His brown eyes, matching his skin colour were lost in her blue lake like eyes.
She nodded.
"I'll come back in the afternoon perhaps. My house is not far from here. Take care, Michie. Don't be scared. If you feel afraid don't hesitate to call me, take my phone number."
She noted his phone number and he left.
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