It was 03 March 2026. The Middle East region was pulled into a conflict with neighbouring countries being attacked. It was chaos all over the region. I was at my office in Dammam when my phone rang with an unknown number.
– Hello, is this Sham?
– Yes, this is Sham. Who’s this?
– I’m Nirmal Uncle. Your neighbour from Malipuram. Do you remember me?
– Yes, Uncle, I remember. It’s a surprise you called.
– Hope you’re safe. I need a huge favour from you. My wife, Swetha, is stuck in Manama, home alone. Can you bring her to Dammam? You know the situation in Bahrain is not good. Do you have a car?
– I do have a car. But Uncle, how about visas to enter KSA, and where are you? Why are you not with her?
– I had to travel for an emergency. Since it’s only for the weekend, I left her there. Now the situation is worse, and there are no flights in or out. I’m worried about her safety. Your uncle suggested you may be able to help. I’ll sort out the visa and a hotel. Please, son, please, can you pick her? She’s scared and crying.
It was an upsetting call. Swetha aunty was my neighbour and was a nice woman. She had a striking resemblance to the Mollywood actress Swetha Menon, a pretty face and a plump, curvy structure.
– Okay, Uncle, I’ll pick her tonight. Can you share the location?
– Thank you, son. I’ll share your number with Swetha; she’ll send you the location.
It was around the afternoon. I had a few tasks to complete before leaving the office. Around 10 minutes after Nirmal Uncle’s call, I got a text from Swetha Aunty.
– Hi Sham, This is Swetha. Thanks for coming to get me. Here is the location. What time should I expect you?
– Hi Aunty, I’ll be there by 8 PM. Leaving office now.
– Thank you, Sham. I’ll be expecting you. Please don’t be late.
I could sense the fear in her through the texts. I left the office, had a shower, got dressed and started driving towards Bahrain. Since I had a residency visa in KSA, Bahrain was on arrival.
I had to deal with the Immigration, which took longer than I had anticipated. I got delayed by one hour when I reached. I texted Swetha Aunty, but since there was no response, I called Nirmal Uncle.
– I’m at the location, Uncle. Swetha aunty is not responding to texts.
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– Okay, let me call her.
Swetha Aunty came out with her luggage. I was literally awestruck to see Swetha Aunty. She was not the woman I remembered. Well, I don’t remember the last time I saw her. She was always this nice lady with a plump body, but the woman before me is completely different.
She was relieved to see me, smiled and greeted me while pulling her bag towards the car. I immediately got down, took her bag and put it in the boot. She thanked me for coming to her rescue. I opened the car door for her, and once she was seated, I went to the driver’s seat.
Before I started driving, I asked her questions about her belongings to ensure she had taken all that was necessary.
Swetha Aunty had a golden brown complexion. She was wearing a light pink top with blue jeans, with some jewellery, with her hair loosened, which fell to her mid-back. She looked fitter than plump and was wearing a mild perfume. With her attractive face, she was an absolute bombshell!
The first half hour of the drive was quiet. None of us spoke. The music in my car, playing a melody, was the only sound inside the car.
– Do you want to talk to Nirmal Uncle?
I decided to break the silence. She nodded her head. I passed the phone to her, they spoke for a few minutes, and she handed the phone back to me.
– Nirmal forgot to book a place for me to stay.
She said while handing over the phone to me. I could sense an irritation in her voice; she was not happy with Nirmal Uncle.
– No worries, we can find something. Are you hungry? I’m starving.
By the time we had crossed the border and were driving towards Dammam. I pulled the car into a coffee shop. We sat inside the coffee shop, facing each other.
I could see her bra strap lines from her top as it was a bit transparent with the lighting. She must be wearing a pink bra as I couldn’t see any colour contrasts.
– How long has it been, Sham? You have changed completely. Not the chubby kid who used to play in our house.
– I was forced to work out for the last two years. I was diagnosed with fatty liver and decided to live differently. But Aunty, you have changed a lot. Looks very young and fit.
She blushed at the compliment. She gave a slight tap on my hand and said not to flatter an old lady like her. I reassured her that she doesn’t look a day older than 35, and we both laughed.
Swetha Aunty had an unfortunate young age. She lost her first husband and only son in a bike accident when she was only 25. She stayed widowed for five years until she married Nirmal Uncle, who was 12 years older than her and also a widower. Since the marriage, she has lived in Manama with her husband.
We finished the coffee and the sandwich and headed back to the car.
– Nice car you got here, Sham. I’m so happy you are doing well.
– Thanks, Aunty, this was my dream car. Anyway, we need to find a place for you to stay.
Saying that, I checked a few apps to see the nearby hotels/ apartments. To my surprise, everything seemed booked. I called a few friends and colleagues with no luck.
– Looks like nothing is available, Aunty.
– I told Nirmal to sort this out. He’s sometimes careless.
– If you have no issues, you can stay in my apartment for the night. We’ll sort out something tomorrow. It’s close to midnight now anyway…
I could see Swetha Aunty’s face changing with an unclear expression. After a few seconds, she asked for my phone.
– Let me drop a voice note to Nirmal. Since you have to work tomorrow, I don’t want to bother you.
We parked the car, went upstairs, and I crashed on the couch. Swetha Aunty took the bed. We greeted each other and went to sleep.