‘Finally!’ Tricha sighed as she parked the car in the driveway. She turned off the vehicle, gathered her belongings, and opened the door. Before stepping out, she looked over her shoulder just to make sure she wasn’t forgetting anything. Tricha got out of the car, opened the passenger side, and found a round, brown-shaped hair clutcher. She picked it up, scrutinized it, and frowned. ‘This must be Mummy’s clip. I always find her clips lying in weird places.’
Tricha went up the elevator and let herself through the front door.
‘Did you make it on time?’ her mother-in-law asked, sipping her morning tea.
‘Yes,’ Tricha rolled her eyes. ‘I hate Mondays. It’s so hard to get Kanika out of bed. She’s as slow as a snail. Everything is done in slow motion. But we made it on time to school even though we missed the bus.’
‘She’s only six years old. What do you expect?’ Mummy said.
‘A little help,’ Tricha raised an eyebrow. ‘Is that too much to ask? And I forgot I found your clip in the backseat of the car.’
Mummy took the clip and inspected it, ‘This isn’t mine. I never wear clips like this.’
‘It isn’t?’
‘Well, no. Ask Swati. It might be hers.’
‘Okaaaay,’ Tricha replied. ‘I’ll just leave it here on the dining table. And she can pick it up on her way to the office. I have to get ready for work now.’
‘Hey… what about breakfast?’ Mummy asked.
‘I already ate with Kanika. I was hungry, and I couldn’t wait. And now I have to reach work for that stupid Monday morning meeting. So, I’m going to hit the shower. But please give the clip to Swati. I know how difficult it is to manage hair in this idiotic, humid weather. Plus, we have two daughters living in this joint family and forget the clips; sometimes it’s hard even to find our hairbrush.’
‘I know! I can’t find my comb. It’s been missing for two days!’
‘These kids and their secret hiding places,’ Tricha laughed.
Just then, Swati entered the room. ‘I’m off to work.’
‘Is this your clutcher?’ Mummy asked.
‘No, I’ve never seen it. And I hardly wear hair accessories like this. I’ve always been a scrunchie type of person.’
The three women exchanged a look of confusion and disorientation.
‘Is it Poonam didi’s?’
‘Hmm… I don’t think so,’ Swati replied. ‘She never leaves anything behind when it comes to visiting. You know how particular she is…’
‘Then who does this clutcher belong to?’ Mummy asked.
‘Where did you find it?’ Swati interrupted.
‘In the backseat of the car,’ Tricha explained.
‘Whose car?’ Swati asked.
‘Aditya’s- my darling husband,’ she said slowly.
Swati's eyes widened. ‘Aditya's car? But that's weird.’
Mummy nodded in agreement. ‘Yes, it's quite peculiar. Perhaps it belongs to one of his colleagues?’
Tricha furrowed her brow. ‘I suppose that's possible. I can't imagine why it would be in his car.’
The three women exchanged a puzzled look, each wondering whose hair accessory they had stumbled upon.
‘Perhaps you should ask Aditya when he gets home,’ Mummy suggested.
‘Get’s home? Where can he have gone this early in the morning?’
‘He said he had somewhere important to be,’ Mummy hesitated.
A perplexed look appeared on Tricha’s face. ‘That’s odd. He didn’t mention anything about it last night. Usually, we run through our plan for the following day before we sleep. Nothing is making any sense. I suppose you’re right, Mummy, I should just ask him when he comes home. In the meantime, I’ll just leave the clip here on the table just in case someone recognizes it,’ Tricha added. She glanced at the clock, realizing she needed to hurry if she didn’t want to be late for her meeting. With a sigh, she headed to her room.
As Tricha hurried to get ready, the mystery of the hair clip lingered in the back of her mind. She couldn't help but wonder who it belonged to and how it ended up in Aditya's car. Mummy and Swati exchanged a few more puzzled glances, each offering their own theories but ultimately deciding to wait for Aditya to return home before investigating further. The hair clip sat innocuously on the dining table, its origins still a source of confusion and curiosity for the three women.
On the way to work, Tricha tried calling Aditya. Unfortunately, his phone was unreachable. Her concern began to get the better of her. As she drove through the maddening traffic, she stumbled upon an old colleague from Aditya’s office in the elevator. This person was an acquaintance Tricha wasn’t too fond of, one whose face she dreaded seeing on that particular Monday morning.
‘What are you doing here?’ Tricha asked after a round of formal hellos.
‘Oh, I’m here for an interview,’ Vanya smiled. ‘I’ve got my fingers crossed. How’s everything with you? How are Kanika and Adi?’
‘Adi?!?’ her mind raced. ‘Is that what she calls him? Adi!’ Is she serious?!? God, I wish I could just punch her in the face right now! I have always disliked this woman.’
‘Tricha… are you okay?’ Vanya frowned. ‘You seem so…. what’s the word… lost?!?’
‘Oh… it’s nothing—just a regular Monday morning. I have too much on my mind right now. I’m sure you know how it is. Anyway, good luck with the interview. This is my floor,’ Tricha explained as the elevator door opened. She quickly stepped out.
‘What on earth is going on today!’ Tricha tried calling Aditya again, but it was useless. Instead, she left him frantic messages, awaiting his call.
Tricha somehow managed to get through the morning. There was still no news from her husband. Worried, she tried getting in touch with his colleagues and friends. Everything was a dead end. ‘Where could he have disappeared to?’ She even called home to find out if he had come by. Unable to get her emotions in check, Tricha wondered if she should take the rest of the day off and head home. Just then, she received a call from an unknown number.
‘Tricha,’ the voice said on the other line. ‘Hello!’
‘Aditya? Where the hell have you been?’ she fumed. ‘Do you know how worried I’ve been? You can’t just bloody disappear!’
‘Can you calm down?’
‘NO!’
‘Tricha…’
‘Where are you?’
‘I forgot my phone at home. There was an emergency at work, so I had to rush in the morning. And I just got free. I’ll tell you everything when I’m home. But if you need anything, call me on Tashi’s phone. She’s with me, and this is her number.’
‘Tashi…’ she thought. She suddenly then thought of that ridiculous clutcher rotting on the dining table. She went silent. ‘What time are you home?’
‘As soon I have sorted things out here. There’s been a big mix-up with some files… I’ll explain when I’m home, Sweetheart. I have to go now. I’ll see you soon.’
Tricha stared at the display picture on her phone after her husband disconnected the call. It was a sweet picture of Aditya and Kanika from their last holiday together in Kashmir. She closed her eyes and let out a long sigh. ‘Vanya… Tashi… Kiara… how many women are there in my husband’s life?!?’ And what on earth is happening today? And who does that stupid clip belong to? If I catch him doing some sneaky hanky panky this time, I swear he’s going to get it. I’m not going to take things lying down or be a pushover. I’m going to confront him the moment he comes home. Or maybe…. Just maybe I’m overthinking all of this. I know he’s the flirty type of guy, but he would never do anything to hurt me. But what if I’m wrong this time? And I’m one hundred percent sure that the clutcher will give me my answer.’
By early evening, Tricha let herself through the front door. She couldn’t keep her emotions in check, so she had decided to come home early.
‘What are you doing home? I thought you would still be at work?’ Tricha said, finding her husband and daughter in the dining room.
‘Mummy, you're home! So early? But I’ll be back in a sec, I have to pee,’ Kanika said, rushing out of the room.
‘I’m so sorry Tricha… I didn’t mean to worry you,’ Aditya got off the chair, walking toward his better half. He wrapped his arms around her and began to explain the mishap on the work front. ‘If I didn’t step in, everything would have been a huge, huge disaster.’
Tricha sighed and took a step back, slowly calming down. That useless clutcher then caught her attention that was placed in the middle of the dinner table. She picked it up and took a deep breath, trying to gather her thoughts. Ready to bring up an uncomfortable conversation or maybe even a sensitive, embarrassing confrontation.
‘Oh! Mummy… you found it!’ Kanika announced cheerfully. ‘That’s Nani’s clip. She’s been looking everywhere for it. Where was it?’
Tricha collapsed into a chair, covering her face with her hands, and laughed hysterically.
‘I’ve had crazy brain all day because of this silly clutcher.’
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