Dash of a hope

I was sitting in the restaurant near the hotel where I stayed. I wanted to spend a quiet evening and chose the corner of the dining room for dinner. After ordering my food, I reclined in the chair watching around the people who were eating. I always like to study the people as it revealed innumerable stories for me to write about. As I was thus engrossed, a young lady in her early thirties came in hurriedly and looked hither and thither for a place to sit. She looked attractive, petite but dressed in some dull clothes. She looked at me watching her and made a beeline towards my table. “Would you mind my sitting with you in your table?” she said in her sweet voice with an enchanting drawl. “By all means. That would be a pleasure to spend a quiet evening with a young lady.”
She said “Thank you. It is so sweet of you.” I interrupted her and said “I have ordered my food. Can I order the same for you? Let the menu be a surprise but I assure you it would be interesting.” To my utter surprise, she leaned across the table and touching my hand she said “Nothing should be better. I look forward to the time I will be spending with you more than the eating part.” Seeing her at such close quarters, I found her to be exceedingly beautiful and her well aligned teeth shone as she smiled. I considered myself lucky at this silent and pleasant intrusion into what I was hoping to be a dull dinner. I noticed she had not lifted her hand even as she was staring at my face with a smile.
“I am Sunil from Kolkata and am here on an official tour. May I know your good name?” I asked her. She said “Nandita is my name. I belong to this city. I was feeling bored at my house. My husband has gone on tour. I was too lazy to cook. I decided to have my dinner here. How lucky I am to be here with a young handsome man like you. I am in no hurry. We can have a leisurely dinner. Why don’t you order some drinks? A Scotch should be ok by me.” I mumbled “I am sorry, terribly sorry. I should have done it even before you had asked me.”
As we were sipping the drinks waiting for the dinner, she drew her chair closer and asked whether I was married. When I said in affirmative, she said that she felt comfortable as married men are more mature than the callow bachelors. I was thrilled to hear that and with high anticipation of an exciting evening with her, I took her hand in mine and gently caressed. She did not withdraw her hand as I feared initially but seemed to enjoy. With her chin resting on one hand, she looked at me as she was in love. I started talking on variety of subjects and she nodded and agreed with what all I said. A thought of my wife crossed my mind reminding how she differed with me in all that I said and found me impractical in my views. It was a welcome change to have this beautiful woman in agreement with me totally. The dinner came and as we ate with relish, she ordered for more drinks. I was happy at what I considered as an easy lay. As the dinner was drawing to a close, I gently asked her “Are you in a hurry. My room is in the hotel across. We can spend some time together with drinks. I will drop you at your place.” She readily jumped at the offer and said “What will I do at home all alone? I don’t mind spending an hour or two with you. You look a very attractive male that I haven’t met for long time now.” It was all honey to my ears and I did not want to waste a moment longer in the hotel. I settled the bill and took her hand as we started leaving. She snuggled close to me and almost rested her head on my shoulders. I thought she had had a tad more of the drinks obviously now at work.
As we neared the gate I saw two well dressed men in white uniform approaching us. One of them said” Sorry sir, we have come to take this lady with us.” Even as he was talking, Nandita almost screamed “NO, no, I will not go with them. They hurt me. I do not want to go to that wretched place.” Bewildered at the turn of events, I asked the person “I don’t understand. What is all this? Would you care to explain before you hold her hand?”
“Sorry sir, this lady is not in full command of her senses. She has escaped from our hospital .She has been undergoing treatment. She comes from a decent and rich family. Her husband is furious that we lost her and is waiting at the hospital. We will take her with us” he said even as he showed his identity card and some papers of the hospital with her photo.
As they gently dragged her toward the hospital ambulance, she turned at me with tears in her eyes and pleaded “Rescue me from these wretches, won’t you? I was looking for an exciting evening with you.” I went over to her and caressing her cheek said “You will be all right soon. Please go with them and have some rest. We can always meet later.”
I slowly trudged back to my hotel even as I heard her distant sobs pleading me to rescue her.