Zubeen sat down with a smirk and resumed talking. Their food soon arrived. Before they could take even a spoonful one of the four men shouted angrily at Zubeen.
"Hey you! How dare you insult us like that? Do you know who am I?"
The six women did not even look at the man and asked the waiter to continue serving them. Zubeen merely raised his eyes, then started eating. They had ordered koi fish with lemon, duck meat with black lentils, very small fish wrapped up in banana leaf cooked over charcoal with lemon juice and green chili, sweet and sour mango pickle, chicken with potatoes, cucumber slices and rice.
When they saw that both the beautiful ladies and the handsome man accompanying them had busied themselves with the food and did not pay attention to them, the four men grew more agitated. Especially the one who shouted at Zubeen felt that as the nephew of a local politician he had to do something to salvage his ego, which now lay like a deflated balloon.
He took out a pistol from under his shirt and pointed at Zubeen. He also hoped that the ladies would be impressed by a show of his power. Zubeen who saw the pistol from the corner of his eyes, did not even raise his head and continued eating. His nonchalant attitude further infuriated the man flaunting gun.
"Even if I shoot you here police won't even dare to arrest me. I'm that rich and powerful." He made another attempt to threaten Zubeen. At least the women ought to be awed by his show of power. He gave out a condescending laugh.
A fire danced in Nia's eyes. She emptied the food on her brass dinner plate into an empty bowl. Her companions observed her action with puzzled curiosity. Only Zubeen was calm, the man even had smile on his face. His smile sent a chill down the spine of a man who entered the restaurant just in time to see that sinister smile
This new man was so familiar with that one with the ladies that only he knew how devilish the other man could turn out to be. Before he could take another step towards his foolish cousin flaunting a gun, the new man heard a familiar female voice. He froze on the spot. So the witch was here too. The new man thought with dismay.
"Why don't you fire the gun? Gun is for shooting, not to flaunt like a decorative piece." Nia stood up, pushing her chair farther back.
The new man heard her taunting his hotheaded cousin. Before he could utter even a single word his cousin aimed and fired at Nia. All gaped in horror except that man eating at her table. Despite the fear and uneasiness the new man felt glad. 'The witch will die.' But she threw backward her upper body, bent at her waist, her hand holding the brass dinner plate extended forward, her all postures relaxed and poised like that of a graceful dancer.
Blocking the bullet with the plate and deflecting its path with a swat, she next kicked on the hand holding the gun. The gun dropped on the floor with a dull sound. Then everyone heard the woman laughing merrily.
"Wow man! Didn't have such fun in long time."
Fun? Is she crazy? Everyone thought that except the new man and Zubeen Gohain, who sat cool the entire time. The moment Nia kicked at the gun the new man rushed to his cousin.
"Have you gone crazy, shooting in public? Don't drink if you can't handle it."
"She asked for it." He tried to defend his early action.
"Hello Sameeer! You've come too." Nia greeted the new man. "You remember him." She asked, pointing at Zubeen.
The two bodyguards with Sameer dragged his cousin out. Sameer and the other three men followed them out of the restaurant. How could he forget Zubeen Gohain? He was beaten almost to death by him and his companions some five years ago.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The next day Nia, Bornali and a few other women got busy after breakfast in decorating the big dinning hall of the Shelter. They cut colour papers into paper chain, wall hanging, flowers. Mornikornika and the other two girls came early to help them. Zubeen hung the paper chains and the wall hanging. In between work he played with the children running around the hall.
They blew up the balloons and Zubeen hung them in bunch from the ceiling and the walls. They decided to rest after lunch, then bathe and get ready for the party. All of a sudden Nia heard a commotion from the veranda, then someone in the room exclaimed,
"Oh my gosh! Can't believe my eyes."
Nia turned her head and her eyes grew bigger. She smiled brightly at the woman standing on the doorway. Next moment she hurried to the door, with a half blown balloon in her hand.
"Rhi! You didn't give me a phone call." The two friends hugged.
"My Princess, it would not have remained a surprise then." Mark Adam said with a laugh.
Zubeen spat out the tea as he killed the laughter in the throat. 'Is this how the guy thinks of pursuing her? What a fool!' He knew Nia hated cheesy pet names.
"What are you doing here?" Nia frowned.
"My Princess, is this how you welcome me? I'm hurt. Rhianna asked me to be her chauffeur for the day." Mark placed a hand over his chest with a hurt expression.
A short laugh was heard, a man's laugh. Mark Adam looked at the direction from where the sound came. His eyes landed on tall and handsome Zubeen. The two men stared at each other silently. Their icy glares hastened Rhianna to take the initiative to introduce them to each other.
The two men shook hands without smiling. The war of icy glares did not stop. Nia rubbed her forehead with a hand and thought, 'Children are better than grown up men behaving as children.'