Dark clouds could be seen crowding in the horizon, and for Surya it looked ominous from the Uber taxi. It was a Friday afternoon when Bangalore would at most times of the year be pleasant and cosy, if not "sexy" as Gen Z were wont to call it. He knew his weekend plans to go to Nandi Hills with friends on rented motorbikes would now be jeopardised. He asked the driver to turn right at the next signal when he crossed Belandur. He saw Madhuloka pass by as the driver stepped on the gas. Within about 7-8 minutes Surya's Uber app showed the approaching destination signal. He shut his phone and paid the driver, he didn't bother to collect the small change. The driver exulted and greeted him with a loud "thank you, sir."
The day had been hard for Surya whose monthly performance for the first time had gone down substantially because two of his subordinates had quit and joined a competing startup for double the salary. Surya was also toying with the idea of switching companies, and almost everyone in the office, including the office boy, was surprised that Surya had not yet done so. He was the best in the industry, not just in his company. There was such a surge in demand for talent in financial analysis and investment portfolio management that companies were taking young, wet-behind-the-ears boys to Singapore and Australia on deputation. One company had even told Surya on the phone that his sex life would perk up substantially when he could visit Bangkok and Makati every three months! That only made Surya realise how desperate companies were getting.
Arun, the building watchman, opened the wicket gate even as Surya sauntered into the bylane after alighting the taxi. Arun gave Surya a wide smile and spoke with his heavily Oriya-accented Hindi. Arun was just about his age, around 23-24. They were good friends, rather best friends, simply because of their philosophy of life. Both didn't care much for whatever went on in the outside world, and that hands-off attitude helped in keeping friends and friendships in good spirits. Surya even helped Arun on a number of occasions to tide over serious financial troubles. Aso, staying alone in Bangalore brings with it the added benefit of lower anxiety and better financial management. After all, Surya was a past master in that. Arun spoke as he closed the gate behind Surya.
"Good afternoon, saab. You are early today."
Surya only nodded in acknowledgement. His mood was still not as sprightly as usual after a stressful day at work. Just as the elevator door opened and he was about to enter it he turned around to speak to Arun.
"Come home later if you want to watch TV."
"No, sir. I have to go out now, I will be back tomorrow afternoon. The building secretary wants me to organise something at Electronic City. I am a bonded labour today." Surya would have called it BDSM. He suppressed a guffaw.
When Surya entered his apartment on the second floor he felt relieved to see that the sun was brightly lighting up his two bedroom apartment. The clouds were all gone. But his heart sank when he saw the pile of laundry on the kitchen floor. He grabbed the whole pile with both his hands and dropped it on the bathroom floor. The bath was dry and, again, well lit with natural light. He kept the clothes soaked in three buckets including his towels. He was yet to get a washing machine for rent. He did all the cleaning by himself. Good financial management also meant cutting costs mercilessly.
He spent the next one hour playing PubG on his laptop, and by the time his mates in Thailand and Sri Lanka were vanquished the clock struck three. He walked to the bath in quick pace wearing nothing as he had even put his towels to soak.
It was nearly 4:30 by the time he finished washing his clothes. He then took a dirty short towel from the bathroom wardrobe, wound it around his waist, grabbed the three buckets full of clothes clumsily and walked across his house leaving wet puddles on the floor. He did not wear his slip-ons on the way out. He carried the buckets with consummate ease as he had been working out for the last one year. But it was certainly clumsy to hold three large buckets with two hands. He didn't mind going out wearing only the towel as was the practice in Bangalore. Young men wore only underwear in their PG as they want to have as much less laundry to wash on weekends.
Surya had doubled his stamina and staying power along with strength after coming to Bangalore. The gym and the trainer across the road at Kadubeeshnahalli signal was quite good. Surya was earlier lean, with a small paunch, and also underweight when he was in Mumbai; but the freedom and opportunity to court girls to have sex in Bangalore motivated him to be in better shape. Nothing works like sexual motivation.
The terrace floor was simmering in the afternoon sun. Surya had to keep hopping as he walked across the expansive terrace towards the clothesline. As he hung a couple of clothes to dry he knew he would have to rush back to the shade as the hot floor was scalding his feet. Then something weird happened. As he turned around to rush to the shade he felt cold water being splattered on his feet. Arun's wife Sneha was squatting on the floor with a tumbler of water behind him. Surya felt so thankful for the gesture because that's exactly what he wanted to save his under feet from getting burnt.
"You shouldn't come to the terrace this time of the day, sir. It's unbearably hot," Sneha said with a twitch of a smile. Sneha was wearing a nightie like a typical Indian aunt. Surya smiled back as a gesture of gratitude but soon he realised that she was looking at his thighs intently. He was wearing a south Indian towel which was short, dirty, old and worn out. But what saved the day was the heat which dried up the towel -- a wet towel would have exposed him completely. He didn't expect to meet any female in his building full of bachelors. He covered his crotch instinctively with both his palms. Sneha didn't move and spoke to him with her eyes fixated on his legs.
"Sir, leave the clothes here. I will put them to dry. I am used to walking barefoot on such hot days."
"Oh, thank you so much. This heat is overbearing," Surya said, trying to collect his wits. He was not used to being taken by surprise. But before he could scoot back to the shade of the top landing the 20-something girl spoke again, "sir, I am Sneha, Arun's wife. Why don't you come to our room, I will make coffee for you."
Surya was aware of Arun's room and he presumed Arun must be having his afternoon nap. Sneha seemed to have read his mind. "Arun is not here. He has gone to the landlord's office. He will be back only tomorrow." Surya could sense a bit of desperation and impishness in her voice. Looking at her squatting on the hot floor close to him he could sense part of his body melt away. She was a sex bomb, but being his best friend's wife he kept those feelings to himself.
Sneha then pulled Surya by his hand towards her room at the far end of the terrace. He didn't resist. The floor was so hot that both of them trotted at a quick pace. When they entered the single room Surya was surprised to see a neatly maintained interior, though it had all the minimalist features of a rented house. The room was at least five degrees cooler than the exterior.
Arun's salary was about Rs25,000, and his bachelor pad used to be characteristically unkempt and dirty. That's how bachelors usually live. But Sneha had really worked on keeping her house clean and welcoming. It has been just three months since Arun got married to Senha. The single large window in the room had a straw curtain that was made wet with drops of water trickling down a pot above the pelmet. That was really unique, probably an Oriyan idea, Surya thought.
Sneha shut the door after Surya entered the room. Surya was becoming intensely aware of a strange ploy for something unusual that was going to happen. The only thing he could muster his strength for was to ask, "do you really think Arun would come tomorrow? What if he turns up now."
"Don't worry, sir. I have closed the terrace door too. No one would come now unless you want them to. But why do you ask?" she asked mockingly. The room had no bed or chairs. Surya was standing next to a six-inch thick mattress on the floor which was barely enough for two people. But that's where the magic happens. Surya knew Arun was a horny bastard always obsessed with sexual thoughts. Surya thought Arun and Sneha might end up having sex every night they slept on it because there was very little space to lie separately.
