Another Heaven. Annu Subramanian

I’m not sure.”

      A small car, rather old and dented, stopped by the bend near the exit.

      “Dr. Shaker, it is good to see you again,” smiled the driver. He opened the passenger door for the psychologist while inquisitively staring at Tina.

      As Tina was shuffling her feet in embarrassment, Shaker opened the back door for her. She absentmindedly stepped inside, and he took the seat next to the driver’s.

      “To the guest house, Dr. Shaker?” asked the driver.

      “Not yet. Let’s find out where the lady wants to go.”

      The driver looked sharply at Shaker. “Oh, sorry. I thought she was going with you,” he whispered and turned to Tina, trying not to gawk at her perfectly shaped lips and beautiful brown eyes. “Where do you want me to take you, Madam?”

      Where did she want to go? She didn’t want to admit that she had nowhere to go.

      “Can you please take me to the YWCA hostel?” asked Tina, taking a quick look at the list of phone numbers and addresses. “It’s on Temple Street.” Then, she tried the number of her aunt’s home again. “I don’t know why my phone isn’t working. I charged it only this morning.”

      “Why don’t you try mine?” asked Shaker.

      She gladly took his phone and tried her aunt’s number again. “No, it’s not working. I don’t think it’s the phone. It must be the connection to my aunt’s,” sighed Tina, returning his phone to him.

      “You can understand why the driver can’t take us directly to Pennoor. It would probably take several hours at this pace,” said Shaker, impatiently observing the plodding, bumper-to-bumper traffic.

      “Yes.” Tina smiled nervously, not really wanting to understand. Frustrated and tired, she let her weary eyes rest on the beautiful countryside, and her weary eyes saw a sea of green as far as they could reach. The route got gritty and uncomfortable, especially with the crawling traffic and puffing exhaust fumes, but her eyes were busy absorbing the thickening greenery, the slinking streams, and the birds’ noisy journey to the welcoming branches. Then they saw something that took her breath away—a tall dilapidated building behind a thin, short curtain of trees. It looked like a ruined temple, a crumbling structure with graceful columns, the kind that inevitably appears in tour books and vacation brochures.

      The taxi reached the hostel in the next ten minutes at a snail’s pace, and there was nothing surrounding the building except wide green fields.

      An elderly guard opened the rusty gate and demanded, “What do you want?”

      When the driver began to speak to the guard in speedy Tamil through the window, Tina’s anxiety increased.

      “Let me ask the manager,” grumbled the elderly man, and walked towards the main building.

      “If they have a room available, would you like to spend the night here?” asked Shaker.

      Tina looked at the stately structure again as the amber sun threw meager light on the ancient building. It appeared to be a big home that had received no favors from its residents. The guard soon returned with a lanky man, who brought with him an unpleasant odor of sweat and stale coffee. He nervously looked at the visitors through heavy spectacles, combing his unkempt hair with his fingers. Tina took another look at the manager in the fading light and wondered if she should simply return to the station and wait there till help arrived.

      The manager spoke briefly to Shaker and turned to Tina and asked, “I’ve a room available, if you wish to stay here tonight?”

      “Sir, are there quite a few guests…women staying here right now?” asked Tina, moving her eyes from the manager to the expansive building.

      “Yes, Madam, we have some guests today, some women and children,” the manager took a quick breath and blurted awkwardly, “and we’re renovating.”

      Renovation. Tina glanced at the building again. She could not make much of it in the rapidly increasing darkness. A couple of windows let out a dim light, and for the most part, the brick and mortar looked weary and spent.

      “But,” continued the manager, looking directly and a little awkwardly at Shaker, “Sir, the warden of the facility won’t allow men to stay overnight. It’s regulation. Sorry.”

      “I understand,” responded Shaker, glancing up at the tall building.

      “Should we take your bag inside, Madam?” The manager’s voice brought Tina back to her precarious situation.

      “Yes, please,” she replied, stepping out of the car.

      The driver retrieved her small suitcase from the trunk and followed the manager towards the entrance. Tina was surprised and relieved to have the psychologist walk with her.

      “Dr. Shaker, thank you for all you have done. I can’t tell you how…” Tina’s voice stumbled, a little overwhelmed by his share on that strange and unfathomable evening.

      “I’m glad to be of some help. I’ll return tomorrow morning, and let’s see if we can catch a bus or get a taxi to Pennoor, that is, if you still wish for some assistance.”

      “Yes, I still do need your help, and thank you,” Tina spoke sincerely before stepping into the dingy foyer that was tightly enveloped in musty smells. An indistinct and nauseating odor was bursting from the interior, despite a strong suggestion of disinfectant.

      “I wish I could find a better place for you to stay,” said Dr. Shaker, giving the room a disapproving look, and moved a step closer to her. His spontaneous concern softened his sharp features.

      An unconscious thought knocked on her senses from somewhere in the back of her mind. The stranger owed her nothing. Still, there he was—kind, thoughtful. “Where are you staying?” she asked, feeling compelled to say something.

      “I was thinking of a guesthouse. It is shared by a publishing company and another business. I’ve stayed at the facility a couple of times. When I called earlier, they said they didn’t have a vacant room, but I can spend the night in the foyer until morning since I know the manager.” He hesitated before adding, “That’s why I can’t offer to take you with me. I mean it’s all right for me, but for you to stay all night in such an area without a room...”

      “Don’t worry,” interrupted Tina. “You’ve done enough already, but…” she lingered, holding on to one more possibility before he disappeared through the night, “if you must spend the night in a foyer, why not here, if it’s all the same to you?”

      “I’d like to, but remember, the manager was reluctant to let me stay. He said that the warden wouldn’t allow male guests here due to regulations, probably because this place is allotted for women at the moment. Again, if I knew for sure that I could get you a decent accommodation elsewhere…”

      “That’s quite all right. I should be fine here for a night. I probably should’ve waited at the station until I found another train to Pennoor or one back to Chennai.”

      “No. That wouldn’t be safe,” he whispered, taking a long look at her anxious expression. “But if you really insist on waiting at the station, I’ll wait there with you.”

      “No, that’s silly. I’ll spend the night here.”

      “Well, in that case, here is my card. This is my cell number. Please don’t hesitate to call me any time tonight. May I have your number?” he asked, quickly registering the information in his phone. “I’ll be back in the morning. Good night.” He held out his hand.

      Tina reluctantly extricated her shaky hand from his firm grip and turned towards the front desk. A stocky woman was standing now behind the manager’s desk, wearing a crisp, starched cotton sari in pale blue. Her black hair, with specks of gray, was pulled into a tight bun. “Should I pay for the room now or in the morning?” asked Tina.

      The stocky woman’s cold glance