Page 12 of No Boss
Then the bells began.
One. Then another. Then all at once.
The sound rolled through the corridors, across courtyards, into the walls.
Waking the Haveli.
Gently.
From the inside out.
Meera slowed.
She had been crossing the courtyard, her teal dupatta gathered over one arm. The morning was already mapped in her head.
The bells cut through it.
Her steps faltered. Her eyes closed. She let the sound move through her, the way it always did. Settling low in her chest. Quiet. Familiar. Like a hand resting over her heart.
This was her favourite moment of the day. Every day. Without exception.
She opened her eyes.
The early light found her easily. It caught in the loose waves of her dark hair, falling down her back, and settled gently against her skin.
She was slight. Easy to miss in a crowd.
The kind of woman you noticed only when she moved. When she turned. When her stillness became… intentional.
A small, soft smile touched her lips. She adjusted her dupatta and walked on.
Beyond the entrance gates, devotees had already begun to gather. Brass plates held flowers and sweets. Voices stayed low, filled with prayer and need.
Five hundred today. Perhaps more.
The moment she stepped into the flow, it parted around her.
Heads nodded. The elderly reached out to touch her head in blessing. The younger ones smiled as they passed.
She returned everything she was given. By name, where she knew them. By touch, where she didn’t.
Near the steps, she spotted Radha Nani.
The old woman leaned on her cane, a basket heavy with fruit and marigolds dragging one shoulder down. She was trying not to show the discomfort.
Meera did not allow it. She took the basket before protest could form, shifting the weight to her own arm. “Radha Nani. You’ve brought half the market. Maa never asks for a grocery delivery.”
Radha laughed, breath catching in her chest. “For my grandson. His fever went last night.”
“I know. Rajan told me.” Meera matched her pace up the steps. “Doctor changed the medicine?”
“Yes.”
“Good. And your knee? Still bad?”
“Yes.”
“Still sitting on the floor?” Meera’s gaze flicked to her. “Hot salt cloth at night. Maa Sa has told you enough times.”
