Chapter 9
The Evening Market
It was around seven in the evening.
A faint coolness had begun to mix with the dusty air of the neighborhood. The sun had already dipped below the rooftops, leaving behind a dull orange glow that slowly faded into gray.
Rajni stood inside her small room, thinking.
Chachi said she would come around eight…
She glanced toward the wall clock.
There was still time.
"Alright," she murmured softly to herself. "I'll talk to her when she comes."
Just then her stomach growled.
The sound surprised her.
For a moment she simply stood there, realizing how hungry she actually was.
Her attention shifted toward the kitchen.
She walked inside and began searching for ingredients to cook dinner.
Her eyes moved from shelf to shelf.
Empty steel containers.
An old jar of salt.
A half-used packet of turmeric.
But vegetables?
Nothing.
Rajni frowned slightly.
"Oh… there aren't any vegetables."
She sighed under her breath.
"How did I forget that?"
She opened the last container.
Only a few potatoes remained, and even those looked shriveled and old.
"That won't be enough," she muttered.
She wiped her hands on the edge of her dupatta and stepped back into the room.
"Fine… I'll quickly buy some vegetables from the shop nearby."
She took a few notes from her purse and slipped them into her pocket.
Then she grabbed a cloth bag hanging behind the door.
After locking the house, Rajni stepped outside.
---
The narrow lane outside her house was slowly coming alive with evening activity.
Children played cricket with a broken plastic bat.
Women stood outside their houses talking about daily gossip.
The smell of fried snacks drifted through the air from a roadside stall.
About a hundred and fifty steps from her house, the main lane opened into a small roadside vegetable market.
Several vendors had spread their goods on wooden carts and plastic sheets.
Small yellow bulbs hung above their stalls.
Piles of vegetables filled the area with color.
Green chilies.
Red tomatoes.
Purple onions.
Fresh coriander leaves tied in bundles.
Rajni walked slowly toward the first vendor.
He was sitting on a small wooden stool, sorting potatoes into a basket.
"How much for the potatoes?" Rajni asked politely.
Without even looking up, the man replied lazily,
"Twenty-five rupees per kilo. Take a basket and pick them yourself."
Rajni frowned slightly.
"Twenty-five?"
She shook her head.
"That's too expensive, brother."
The vendor shrugged.
"Then buy somewhere else."
Rajni sighed and turned away.
Maybe the next vendor would sell cheaper.
She had barely taken two steps toward the next stall when—
A sharp ringing sound cut through the air.
Tring!
A bicycle bell.
Rajni instinctively turned her head.
A young man was riding toward her at high speed on a bicycle.
He slowed down abruptly when he reached her.
The sudden stop startled her.
Before she could even step aside, the boy leaned toward her with a strange grin.
Then, without warning—
He removed his hands from the handlebar and reached toward her.
His fingers brushed against her body.
Then again.
And again.
Inappropriately.
Rajni froze.
Her mind went completely blank.
She had never faced something like this before.
Her legs refused to move.
Her throat tightened.
She didn't shout.
She didn't push him away.
She simply stood there.
Like a statue.
The boy continued touching her carelessly, laughing under his breath.
But what shocked Rajni the most was not the act itself.
It was her own reaction.
Instead of pure fear…
An unfamiliar sensation spread through her body.
A strange warmth.
A confusing tingling feeling.
Her breathing became uneven.
Her thoughts blurred.
It felt almost like a dream.
As if the world around her had suddenly slowed down.
Two minutes passed.
Maybe three.
Time itself seemed to stop.
Then suddenly—
"YOU FILTHY BRAT!"
A loud furious voice thundered across the street.
Rajni and the boy both jerked in shock.
An elderly man from Rajni's neighborhood stood a few meters away.
He had been out for an evening walk.
In his hand he held a sturdy wooden walking stick.
His face burned with anger.
"You dog's son!" the old man shouted.
"How dare you touch a girl like that!"
He raised the stick threateningly.
"Get lost before I break your bones!"
The boy panicked instantly.
He jumped back onto his bicycle.
Within seconds he pedaled away at full speed, disappearing down the road.
Dust rose behind him.
Rajni blinked.
Her mind slowly returned to reality.
Her heart started pounding violently.
The elderly man approached her with concern in his eyes.
"Daughter," he said firmly, "that scoundrel was misbehaving with you."
Rajni looked down.
Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
"But you didn't stop him," the old man continued.
"You didn't shout or slap him."
"You just stood there."
He sighed deeply.
"Don't be so innocent, child."
"This world is not kind to girls like you."
He softened his tone slightly.
"Did you come here to buy vegetables?"
Rajni nodded slowly.
"Yes… uncle."
"I just asked the price of potatoes when… that happened."
The old man shook his head.
"Good thing I came here for a walk."
He adjusted his grip on the stick.
"Come. I'll stand with you while you buy your vegetables."
Rajni hesitated.
"No uncle… you don't need to trouble yourself."
The old man frowned.
"If you argue again, I'll scold you instead!"
He pointed toward the vegetable stalls.
"I'm already out for a walk. Let me finish it properly."
Rajni smiled weakly.
"Alright…"
With the old man standing nearby, Rajni quickly bought what she needed.
Potatoes.
Onions.
Some coriander.
Two lemons.
No one bothered her again.
After she finished shopping, the old man walked with her all the way to her house.
She stopped at the door.
"Thank you, uncle," she said gratefully.
He nodded kindly.
"Be careful from now on."
Then he walked away.
---
Inside the house, Rajni went straight to the kitchen.
She washed the rice and placed it inside the pressure cooker.
Then she began peeling the potatoes and onions.
The rhythmic sound of the knife cutting vegetables filled the room.
The smell of onions slowly spread through the kitchen.
"Good," she thought.
"The vegetables are ready… and the rice will cook after one whistle."
But then…
Her mind drifted back to the evening incident.
She paused.
The knife stopped moving.
"That feeling…"
She whispered to herself.
"What was that?"
The memory replayed in her mind.
The boy's touch.
The strange warmth.
The confusing pleasure.
Why had her body reacted that way?
Why hadn't she pushed him away?
Why had it felt…
Good?
Her face burned with embarrassment.
"Why do I feel like…"
She swallowed.
"…like I want to feel it again?"
Her heart started racing.
The thought itself scared her.
Just then—
WHISTLE!
The loud pressure cooker sound broke her thoughts instantly.
Rajni jumped slightly.
"Oh!"
She hurried to the stove and turned off the flame.
"What am I even thinking…" she muttered nervously.
She lifted the cooker and placed it in the sink.
Steam rose into the air.
The kitchen slowly returned to its normal calm rhythm.
Yet somewhere deep inside her mind…
That strange tingling sensation still lingered.
Like a secret whisper she couldn't fully understand.
---