The Wrong Woman

14. Mouna

As I sat on the bed, contemplating my options of what to do and wondering if I would be stuck in Rani's body for the rest of my life, her phone rang once again. It vibrated and screamed as if projecting the feelings of the caller.

The caller ID was 'Boss'. Immediately I thought of Raj and picked up. Please don't be like Raj, I prayed. I could only handle one Raj in a lifetime...I didn't want to handle a Raj clone in another! I placed it next to my ear and waited.

"Rani? Are you there?"

"Yes, sir—I mean ma'am!"

"Why weren't you picking up my calls? You were supposed to take over tonight's prime time slot. The one that you've been asking me for months, is that correct?"

Oh, no. Did I just ruin Rani's chances of being even more famous? "I-I'm afraid I'm very sick, ma'am."

"Not an excuse. I expected better from you as a professional, Rani. We were counting on you to deliver that story and you failed to deliver. Next time, call me a few days in advance. If you don't show up tomorrow, I'm afraid I'm going to have to fire you." Before I could get a word in, the click in my ear told me she had hung up.

I laid back on the bed and pressed the heels of my palms against my eyes to stop the tears. Not only was I to adjust to whatever was happening but I had to deal with a strict boss in a field I had no expertise in. What was I to do? Who could I possibly tell? I needed to ask the man; since he lived here and in the same bedroom, perhaps he was Rani's boyfriend or husband.

Creeping down the stairs, I saw the TV was on a black-and-white documentary with tanks and explosives. I scrunched my face; those were the kinds of things this man liked? I hadn't known people still watched that.

"Excuse me—" But my words trailed off, falling on deaf ears as I came across the man strewn across the couch, fast asleep. My questions about Rani's work and boss would have to wait until morning. Luckily, since he had fallen asleep here, that would mean I would get the privacy I so craved in the bedroom above. Though, the thought of taking the whole bedroom despite not being a welcome guest did itch at my skin a little.

Sleep did not come to me easily. Waking up didn't feel much better. As I adjusted to the morning light again, it dawned on me where I was.

The smell that shot through my nostrils wasn't one of rotting fruits from the stalls down below near my apartment or the chai that I would make for my grandma. It was of something meaty—something much more foreign. I stumbled out of the bedroom, regretting leaving the bed that was so fluffy it seemed to swallow me up compared to the wooden bench back home. I rubbed my eyes to clear the blurry vision of someone standing near the stove.

Sizzles and crackling was all I heard before I saw the man. He took a few plates with food overflowed on it, placing it on the rectangular black dining table that look up majority of the space on the bottom right. There was a space with something underneath the stairs I glimpsed from the landing but I had not bothered to look there yet.

My focus was on the food. Was all that for the both of us to eat? I headed down the stairs on unsteady feet, still not used to someone else's body. A soft squeal left me and held the railing with an iron grip.

"Careful," the man said, arms outstretched as if preparing to catch me even though he was nowhere near me. He led me over to the dining table, not touching me but standing quite close. "Eat as much as you can. We need to see Dr Greg this morning."

Dr Greg? I would rather Dr Arshan. He knew me for a long time and I was very comfortable with him. Who was this Dr Greg? For a minute second, I didn't understand him. Why did I need to see him? Then he said, "I had to postpone the appointment to today."

And everything clicked. I was not just in anyone's body. I was Rani!

"Oh, there's no need to worry," I said, not used to such a high, feminine voice. "I think I may have just hit my head and forgot some things. Like—" who you are, was on the tip of my tongue but that didn't seem too wise. I didn't have any problems with my memory and when the doctor would say everything is fine what would he think about me forgetting who he was? That wasn't right. Whoever this man was, he seemed important. Creating problems in someone else's body didn't seem very smart. "—where I work and where everything in the house is. Very small details is all."

"I'll help you out until we figure out what's wrong." Then the corner of his mouth tilted up as he let out a brief, almost self-deprecating chuckle. "I hope you haven't forgotten who I am." Though it was meant as a joke, I couldn't help but feel like I had been caught.

"No, not at all. You're very important to me!" I blurted out, not knowing the problems those words could cause. He didn't look at me. He turned away, taking off his apron. There was no response from him, and once again I wondered what Rani and his relationship was. Why was the air suddenly so tense that it felt like I could not—should not—breathe?

"Eat," he said, gesturing to the plate. So, I did. And it was incredible! The sweetness paired with the meatiness of what I assumed was bacon, paired so well with the egg. It was such a traditional Western breakfast that I couldn't help but smile as I shovelled it in my mouth. He looked amused. "That good?"

"Very good," I said with my mouth full before swallowing and shooting him a grin. Mohi would have loved this! I thought, and then at the thought of my grandma, I stopped eating and frowned down at the round red plate. The thought of her crushed my mood. I should be finding ways to get back. Not eating yummy food that I have never eaten before created by this strange man.

I was getting distracted. And that was no good.