Uneventful Murder Part 1

Perinchamkutty is a warm, picturesque village in Kerala. Slow and insignificant, this village has little to offer to its local residents. Most men are daily wage workers, mostly at the rubber plantations tapping rubber, and the women run the homes and some work at local businesses. While there are tourists that come and go, Perinchamkutty is secluded and neatly tucked away from towns and cities, making it a haven with its own definition.

On the warm Thursday of August 12th, 2021, Binoy, already tired and stressed determinedly struck the locally made iron garden hoe into the ground. He wiped the sweat off his forehead. He wore a soiled round neck T-shirt and a towel tied tightly around his waist, the cotton strands ripping off the cloth and the edges stripped. The towel reached his knees exposing his muscular legs and the dark patches of healed wounds. His foot was covered with soil, his forearms strong, with nerves popping out running like a long line of wire. His body was not fit like the rest, with a bulky stomach, thinner hairy chest, and short neck. Sweat from his forehead ran into his beard as his eyes remained fixed to the ground like an honest labourer; he had no time to waste. He looked around into the darkness nothing to be seen, sound of crickets, frogs, barking dogs and the hustling wind is the only sound . Today, he did not need help. Binoy wanted to finish this work alone and leave, Though the ground was recently tilled and he had to move only a couple of feet of mud to get to the body that he buried half an hour ago, a few minutes into the digging on the dark night of Aug 12th, he once again pulled out the crouched and motionless body of Rekha.

Krishnan, Rekha’s13-year-old son earlier that day, fell across the muddy kitchen floor that was getting renovated, he fell through the small rack of aluminum vessels placed across the Kitchen door, Binoy stuck his neck with force and pushed him, Krishnan got up on his legs brushing away the dust from the bruises looked towards Rekha his vision was blurred by tears yet he could see the helpless face of Rekha, as he walked towards kitchen back door, Binoy re-affirmed that he is to go to Binoy’s sister’s house and stay there that night, Krishnan knew his mom will be thrashed by Binoy whom Rekha and Krishnan has been living. No one ever knew if Binoy ever loved or cared about Rekha and Krishan today he as considerate to send Krishnan off. Krishnan without further argument walked through the rubber plantation down the narrow path that connected road

Shortly after Binoy buried the body and walked back into the house he sat down between the tormented house, things were all around, and there were signs of struggle. Binoy looked at the mud-stained hand, there were bruises from what had happened

He walked out the back door that open through the kitchen, washed his hands and thought of the next thing, to leave the town before day break, Binoy looked towards the grave, his heart was still racing, he did not stand there and headed back inside, as he sat back he ran his thoughts ran again, it was his fit of anger that killed Rekha, he did not want to run rather cover it up, take this house for himself make up a story for Rekha’s disappearance, town would never gave much thought about Binoy or Rekha, the news would die out soon as she did, all his idea’s ended will, Binoy walked out and stood near the grave, lit a beedi, he could feel the blood streaming up to his head, inside his head, his voices were becoming louder, he thought to himself, “it is time to get rewarded for the time he spent with Rekha, let get rid of this slut” took a deep puff off his beedi, looked at the grave once again and walked towards the kitchen door.

Yesterday when Binoy finished this first bottle of Arrack, Seated on a grassy mound next to a canal running through the rubber plantations, it was 6 pm, the mist was gathering, crickets woke up to orchestrate the scene, he scooped a piece of Tapioca placed on a piece of plantain leaf and rubbed it over the spicy pickle, pulled out the beedi and took a puff placed the tapioca piece into his mouth, his throat burned, Binoy’s snapped his lips and his bloodshot eyes looked at his close aid Chaatan, Chaatan knew what was coming, waiting to be asked he moved closer to Binoy and asked, “what is that, what is troubling you now” Binoy’s tone changed to sorrow, Binoy felt life has betrayed him of his authority, these words were no more heeded by Rekha, , the house where man’s words go unheard, man becomes worthless. These days Binoy couldn’t stand the sight of Rekha arguing back at him, he slaps her, a nice tight and hard slap, place where the slap would land depends on how much Rekha could dodge it, often it is her jaws that take the heat, the neck, other day she walked out on Binoy, he pulled her hairs, dark, thick unbraided hairs, she slipped by force he pulled her hairs, she landed on her back, the sight of her struggling to get back on her legs made Binoy content.

Binoy while sitting crouched and head hanging with shame, looked at Chaatan, the crooked bushy haired Chaatan with his thin dark, and skinny face nudged Binoy again and asked what happened, Binoy’s gazed into the gushing canal water, “Rekha has been sending money to here ex-husband – Rajan again, the bastard is not dead yet, that good for nothing is rotting on his bed, that slut still likes him” Chaatan, the drunk half-wit who believes women are supposed to be mud sticking to a man’s feet could not bear the sadness Binoy was going through, he took the empty bottle hit it hard on the ground pointed it at Binoy and said let’s kill that bitch and dump her in this canal, Chaatan continued, “ do you want to live this filthy life, you have been taking care of her and her bastard son and now she is fucking around with that guy, you are nothing more than a security guard to her” Binoy’s head was tripping, anger raging, he wanted to walk home and slit Rekha’s throat and end this shame.

It was 9 AM, Binoy woke up to bright sunlight, he grabbed the beedi from his pocket, lying down on the grass he ran his hands through the thin blanket of grass for the matchbox, matchbox was damp by the morning mist, Binoy shook up Chaathan, the halfwit could not lift his head up, Binoy rolled him over and took the matchbox, lit his beedi, took out his mobile phone which is held tight by a rubber band, taking a puff he called Rekha, she picked after trying a couple of times, Binoy told he is coming for lunch, an act to make sure that she stays home. Rekha's answer flipped Binoy that very instant, she said ‘you may come home, but she is going out with Krishnan’ Binoy’s clouded mind could only draw one conclusion that she is going to see Rajan. Binoy insisted he wants to talk to her, grinding his teeth he said he wants to end everything with her and move back to Selam. He knew Rekha will stay back for this, this is the first time Binoy mentioned of leaving and Rekha wanted it to be true, so she decided to stay back

To be continued