Growing up, Meena hated Math. ‘Pfft, any fool knows words are much harder,’ she thought. ‘What do I say to the little girl who lost her dog. Life is a series of words everywhere; words telling me what to do and words telling me what not to do.’ It started out as a pleasant enough weekend. Meena’s old Samsung rings. “Hello,” says Meena. “Hello? It’s me, Padma! I have landed in Bahrain and have 10 hours to kill till my flight to Chennai,” she says. Padma, her college friend calls out of the blue. Her accent has become American and very different from the Tamil girl she used to be. “Wow, I am on my way,” Meena said faking a lot of enthusiasm, and words. Again.
Meena drove to the airport rehearsing what to say about her life. ‘Words, words, words!’
Meena saw her almost immediately in the midst of her trail of thoughts. Padma’s clothes didn’t hide her opulence through the substantial comfortable stomach flesh that pushed out between her shirt and the expensive lululemon yoga pants. Dragging two big Louis Vuitton suitcases, Padma carelessly swung her Chanel handbag on her shoulder, hitting it against the wall and scratching its hardware. Meena winced and parked the car.
“Hey, you, gurrrl,” Padma’s overpowering perfume almost gave Meena seasonal allergies while Padma hugged her with the Chanel squished between them. The hardware painfully pressed into Meena’s stomach making a small imprint on her flesh. “Let me check out your new cool pad you’ve been posting on FB,” said Padma. ‘Why can’t she just say apartment? Why?’ thought Meena while saying, “Yes, Padu, I am taking you there first.”
The drive was pleasant enough with fond reminiscences from college days. “…and that’s how I met Puneet.” “You mean the oily haired, buck-teethed Puneet from accountancy? You can’t be serious?” said Meena. Padma threw her head back and laughed a loud, hyena’s laugh until her mascara ran down and tears made streaks through her thick foundation. She fumbled through her bag and found her mobile phone with him on her screen saver. She shoved it in front of Meena’s face. “Well, well, well! I see someone has met both the dentist and hair stylist!” Meena said. Padma nodded and said he totally changed during their ‘post-grad days'. “He’s got a thriving finance consultancy and is such a jetsetter. You know, after every trip, I get the most amazing gifts? Just the last trip was this Cartier necklace and the trip before that…” Meena was intent on seeing the road and briefly lost track of what Padma was saying. ‘Sometimes words can be too much! Why won’t she just be quiet.’
“Meena, could we get some bananas?” Padma suddenly asked. ‘Maybe a fad diet,’ thought Meena. They finally reached home. Padma proceeded to the kitchen and began mashing the bananas. She then excused herself to Meena’s bedroom with her handbag. She seemed to be talking to someone, but it was all jumbled through the bedroom door. “Come back inside,” was all Meena heard before Padma came back to the living room with a big smile and plopped down on the couch. She promptly went to snoring-level sleep.
Her phone vibrated and Meena saw that, ‘Auntyji’ was calling. She picked up the phone to let her know of Padma’s safe arrival to Bahrain. “Hello, Auntyji, this is Meena, Padma’s friend.” “Oh, glad I got you. Can I speak to Puneet?” “Padma has come alone,” Meena said. “I haven’t spoken to Puneet or Piyush for the last three months, Meena. Padma has been strange. She keeps talking about higher meaning and the purpose of life. Puneet’s phone is also switched off. I am a bit worried.” “I am sure it’s nothing,” said Meena. “Puneet is often traveling and Piyush is just a baby. Will ask Padma to call you once she’s up.” “No, you don’t understand, Meena,” whispered Auntyji, “Padma said Puneet and Piyush are traveling with her. She said that they both have become naughty and keep flying around.” “I am sure it’s all in good humor, Auntyji. She probably didn’t want you worried. Maybe they’re joining Padma later. There must be a perfectly logical explanation to all of this.” “I hope so,” sighed Auntyji and hung up. Meena let out a huge sigh and wondered why she always had the worst job of using words yet again to a woman she never met, about a woman she hardly knew. She continued to be annoyed until she opened the LV bags and saw both bags to be filled with sliced frozen bananas in insulated bags. Curiosity getting the better of her, Meena peered into Padma’s handbag. All she saw were two glass cases, one labelled ‘Puneet’ and the other, ‘Piyush’. Each contained a butterfly.
