Almost - Part 1

 

The Fair and the Stray Dog

It was not love at first sight.
It was something quieter. Something that did not announce itself with violins or fireworks.

The annual trade fair had come to the town like it always did—bright lights, plastic toys, sizzling bajjis, loudspeakers promising discounts no one believed in. She had gone there not to enjoy it, but to forget the weight of yet another rejection email.

She had been trying for a steady job for two years now—switching from one small sales position to another. Clothing stores. Mobile showrooms. Cosmetic counters. Each one promising growth, each one quietly letting her go when targets weren’t met.

That evening, she stood near a tea stall, pretending to be interested in handcrafted lamps. That’s when she saw him.

A stray dog had limped into the crowd. People shooed it away. Some kicked dust near it. But he bent down.

He removed his handkerchief and gently wrapped it around the dog’s bleeding paw. He spoke to it like it understood him.

“Careful… careful… you’ll be fine.”

He then bought a biscuit packet, opened it, and sat on the roadside feeding the dog as if nothing else existed.

She did not know his name.
She did not know his job.
But something about the way he looked at that injured animal—without irritation, without disgust—stayed with her.

a few of his friends called out from a distance.

“Arun! Dei, come fast da!”

She heard his name clearly.

Arun.

It stayed in her mind longer than it should have.

She didn’t turn immediately. She didn’t want to look obvious. But she repeated it silently once… just to make sure she remembered.

That night, she searched Facebook.

Not randomly.

Not desperately.

Just one name.

Arun.

She typed random combinations until she found him. Same face. Same calm eyes.

He worked as a clerk in a government bank. Four years of experience. Same age as her. A settled job. A stable life.

She hesitated before sending the friend request.

Then she pressed Add Friend.