Thursday, December 20, 2012

YARNS OF LAMA - 2

                                                                  THE UPSHIFT

            He always loved the nighttime.The night... .If anyone asked him the gender of the night, he would say, definitely male. It sheds darkness to obscure the cheeky deeds and 'only male' mischiefs of the youth, and incubates all those 'good' girls in their dilapidated homes.The traffic policeman, after a hectic schedule, won't be there to calibrate his waist size and to peek at the strips of his undergarments. High mast light in his town; a small 'city' away from the tints and tinsels of the real city; would glow like a torchlight in a queer tunnel, abetting those dim eyes of 'spirited souls; searching aimlessly for their lungis. Tri-junction of his town at the night would be a pandemonium with fazed travelers searching private buses or cabs to hack their shelter. 'Hustles are meant for men', he believed so. To base his ideologies he believed or rather, pretended that he acquired the credentials as he worked for '4 and a half' hours late night in the most infamous mercantile of the town as a steward. After a gloomy, unsrupulous study hours in a Government institution; like most bourgeois youth, Reghu too underwent a servility to earn a chunk of sweaty notes bearing the grimaced grin of Gandhiji. It definitely supplied him with the dough requisite to pay his tuition fee; a lifeline for a fatherless child living under the shade of two female souls. He was proud to utter among his dudes about the night-mutation. More conclusive factor was the job...; he loved it muchh.. Taking the stocks, improvising himself to the different tempered customers and impressing the blonde cookies, savouring their interstices of freedom. Among the last shops to shutter, the mercantile brought an eerie coincidence of palates and thereupon secluding him with the night. A happy youngster who enjoyed living his life.

            Such a night was that, when Reghu, after an industrious day at the store enjoyed his nightly promenade to his home.Diligence to work often caught him in those cobwebs of solipsistic deeds from the store manager who would suck unduly advantage out of him. Most ugly toil would be to meander inside the warehouse of a supermarket. Stench and reek of the uncooked food would vilify the body and mind and none a bloke, other than a young lad like him, would stand for warehouse-keeping at such late hours. Its the love for company of stars and those additional notes of more-stinky-sweat that allured him to do the worse shit.
            'After all, its a Saturday, and those extra sum would fetch a ginger bear for tomorrow' ; he mused and moved on.

            He could feel his rising appetite ; a home-sick lad in the case of food. Those lethal Arabian dishes and grilled edibles , even before their scandalous outrages , didn't appeal to him. His palates stood for those spicy foods made by his mother. Financially his family was insecured ; with lot a debts waiting their payments and an assortment of drugs needed for prolonging life in an ill-bid body of his mother. Whole household budget lied in the shoulders of his sister. She worked in a private money lending enterprise as an accountant and the whole family debt stood as depository in the same firm. His father was its major custodian; a trusted employee of George kaalan, the proprietor . Reghu respectedly hated this person, for trenching hid family's stance in the tangled threads of accounts. In his walk, he saw the embellished name-board of the patron-house of his family ;         'KAALAN FINANCIERS',....... ,   he boggled in angst on watching that board; which he always did. Thoughts of sudden death of his father, the drastic twist in his life that bickled him to earn when learn, and the routine nightmare of indebtedness resurfaced in him...
            ' It really meant what it said ..' .

            When he almost passed the KAALAN premise; that included both, the house and the 'slaughterhouse'; he heard a hinging sound at the back-gates. Instincts alarmed him of a thief, but even in the faint lights of a furlong away street lamp, he could recognize the slender figure moving towards the house. At once, the nerves of his brain rejected the signals but soon it was double-checked; confirmed....
            'But what is she doing here?????? '.
It was his sister....

            His mental composure was bungled with a mixture of questions at that instant. He knew she worked in a packing unit of Kudumbashree in all Saturdays..
            'But why is she not going there??
             May be she has come to debug or submit some tax accounts...
             But why is she going through the back door??? ;
thoughts engulfed him like a storm..

            Mother was alone at home,, but he felt more concerned for his sister. He careened towards the concrete barricade fenced around the house; in the astriding position squinted if any vagabonds would call out loud. Lights glowed dim inside. Hesitantly with a tint of fear, he grappled on the vertical beam that supported the balcony and parapet. Watchman was not present which induced awe in him He was not sore about his pursuit but something from his spirit ensured he was right. Wasting no valuable tempo, standing wide-legged on the italian marbles he searched for an ajar window or a crevice on the wall to peer. Tremors and murmurs from a corner-room directed his move. He prayed vehemently to prevent the weird thoughts squeezing his mind being projected in there. A parallel plane sheet of light from a western window locked his eyes. Sticking like a lizard , he tiptoed on the sunshade and threw a timid glance......
...... Beam of light pierced into his eyeballs; at once..
...... He hallucinated a free fall,,; begging God to take his life; at once..
...... aggregate beneath his feet seemed rearranging ,; at once..

            The unfathomable curse that left a brother , stand dumb like a grotesque to see his sister molested by an old hairy mongrel ravaged his head like a bullet.. His sister; one who accompanied him to the school at younger ages; at whose bosom he slept for innumerable nights ,,, stood like an execrated statue in front of that paunchy hustler. He wished he could grab her away and dress her up.., he longed to press a dagger into that financier's potbelly.., he prayed that omnipresence to make him small..; that he could lament pitifully for his sister..
  but all he could do was to stand still............

Blood clotted his body and stiffened his tongue like a plank of wood.
' Breathe.... breathe.... ', his mind provoked.......
With utmost care penetrable to his woozy stance, he descended down the house and then the compound walls in a jiffy , and walked in mute,multiple steps towards home. Shock and agitation had restrained his lungs and his head weighed tonnes.. The panting breaths sought more oxygen and when he inhaled deeply, normalcy smothered him , and he started to cry.......
Tears fell in desolation across his cheeks in oodles, cumulating itself to a soaring pitch.. He cried loud.. .... louder and louder................
..... The sombre vignette of his sister getting undressed flashed like a lightening , concussing his imagination....

          " MY SISTER.........",   his mourn was pathetic...........


            Wiping his tears, he tried to regain calmness. His brain searched for reasons, clarifications, and loathed grievously for such a cruel fate to massacre his family. Revenge was the best option, one could formulate within, under a nullified circumstance like this ; but he was too fragile and worn out to concentrate his mind. Like his body, his thoughts were also dumbstruck.
            'Why would she go for it?,   ..   why would mother....... ' , the thought came like an explosion to him..
mother....
            'Did she know about all these...?..'
A body full of ailments..; a heart with a hole in it.., an arthritic soul that ate medicines more than rice..;      he knew his mother would never withstand for a day.
           'She knew nothing..' , it registered him...

            Reaching in his room, Reghu chaffed his head with a pain balm and rinsed the face hard to clear the stains of tear.

          "Reghu.... ? , come and have your food.. ".
          " I've no appetit, mother.. I'm going to sleep".

          He was sure he would puke whatever he ateat that moment.Quilted, he tried hard to get some sleep ASAP; praying God to keep his mouth shut during the nightmares..............         he was sure a plenty awaited him.............


            Next day, he was welcomed by the noon sun.. 11'o' clock, his watch read. A long sleep...

           "You still don't understand you're a grown up child , do you?.. See you're room. Is it a bedroom of a school-going child?..And your toilet!! ?? A mess-room....  When will you grow up reghu???/....."

           Stacking the books and clothes inside the shelf, his sister scolded. He stood up and went to his mother. She was lying on the bed; asleep after her morning hustles. Moving a safer distance from her, he called his sister.

           "What is it ??? ".
           " Pls come, chechi.., ..quietly.. Don't wake mother."

His behest was stern and directive. She stopped her works and came close.

          " Chechi...;..I ... I saw you at KAALAN'S  yesterday ,,, .... night..",....
..................................

The moping stick fell from her hand.
          " What is that sound Renju??? "
          "Nothing.., mother.. " , she controlled her arousing anxiety ; veiling it for months... ; controlling all her feelings and afflictions in her mind...

          " I saw you, and i saw everything. " , his husky voice trembled while saying that. She stood as a culprit and nodded her head in confession. Her sunken eyes were damp now; a sob of a helpless lass who was pushed into a Gehenna of cruel reality by 'the illicit fate'' ....

          " I'll never accuse you, chechii... I still love you the same way, i did ".

He hugged her tight and, embossomed. She cried intermittently ; not awaking her mother.

          "Chechii... whatever happened is over. And i'll never let it happen again.. But... i want to know WHY..?? ..
Why did you sort, submitting yourself to that evil money-lender?. He's the one who chained us in such a big trench. He cheated our father , and also brought his death. I hate him. I know you too... But why the hell, this..... " , he abstained himself from speaking about the incident again.

 She pondered for a moment and felt his question as genuine. She also ached a guilt for not sharing the answers before he ever questioned.

           "I didn't sort to this myself. It just occured to me. A foul play of fate. I don't know whom should i blame.. our father, mother, or that George ... I don't know. I'm not even sure if someone is to be blamed.. "

He watched her sobbing in despair ; but he felt it was an outbreak to be cried off. A bunch of harsh feelings that she had endured in her solitary statures only....
  ' Let she cry.. ' , he comforted himself.

           "When mother fell ill gravely, when her heart almost stopped and demanded a major operation, the only option in front of father was George... Father  had already borrowed  2 lacs for making up this house.. When he approached for another two.. , George hesitated as all money-lenders do. Father begged contemptibly ; touching his feet like a pet dog and getting dragged.. in front of me ".

          " You too went with dad????? " ; Reghu couldn't get the reminiscence.

          " Yes... .. Fate... it never spare anyone. Before death, last thing Father said me was about that.. ; taking me with him that day was his biggest mistake.........................
......................................

        When Father's weeping drenched his feet , George agreed to lend the monw=ey..... lend the money if i stood with him for that night... " .

When he heard those words, the veins on fists and cheeks juxtaposed pressurised blood from all over the body; he grumbled in anger and winced with rage.....

          "No... no Reghu... that man is not so cruel... He is,,..,, but.. it was not like he utilised the situation as an advantage to have  sex with me... actually he has not yet....
He is an impotent person.....
He's actually not divorced , but still a bachelor. He wanted me to accompany him in the bed, rub the bodies and to get him a visual aid. Father didn't concede to his deal , but i did.... for our mother. I agreed to enact a doll for him to play.
                          our father's face was pale when i last saw him. He said he hated him despicably , but loved ma and you much... He fell to my feet and apologised................
Though I was apoplectic , I was happy that on reaching back home . I could see mother with a normal heart-beat. But the night gave me another loss...
But the night gave me another loss... Our father... His heart was weaker than mother's ............ .............................................

                  George gave me a job in his enterprise, and didn't bother me with any acts for a long time. But the meagre sum of money he deducted from my salary to repay the debt, couldn't even fetch the requisite to nullify the interest. He was a man of reckons ; my job... , and our income was in jeopardy ........ It was like a repetition ; a clockwork. Fate brought me and him again in a truce; he charting remuneration for each night I entertained him. The debt fell down gradually... and it's been a long 15 months I've brought the debt down......
But for one thing ... for one great thing , I'm still grateful to God......     I'm a still a virgin..........". 

She broke out into a series of tears, this time louder. He assuaged her calmly and wiped his own tears. Mother was still asleep.....
Contemplating for a few seconds, he took her aback from his shoulders and moved out of the house.

           " Reghu.... wait.... ", his sister called out , but a determined mind could never be impregnated. He knew his destination. He knocked the door hard and waited for George Kaalan to reach him.

          "Hello Reghu... ; it's been a long time.H..." 
          "I want to talk something ", he snapped.

Reddish damp eyes , like two scorching stars in Reghu's face gave a foreboding prick to George's heart.

          "Of course... " , he motioned in.
          "My sister is poor and complaisant... She had abstained herself from all happiness and leisure , that her friends and contemporaries enjoyed , to save the family. And i know what she has sacrificed herself for the same " . 

Vengeance, anger and loathe resembled in Reghu's eyes that intimidated George, who was shivering in the fear of an assault.

          "She is a great person.... an angel.... my sister...........               I think she intended to be your surrogate to a time till i earned a good education; adept to pay you off ... but...   after knowing all this, i won't let her to continue. She has done enough... more than enough....
.               .             .        . 
          Sir , I don't know the exact time I'll need to reimburse you.., but upon God i promise... I'll repay you... ; whatever huge be the amount.I'll pay even staking my eyes or organs but please leave her... spare my sister...... "


George looked into the damp eyes of Reghu, thru his spectacles... He saw a determined heart .. ; a loving brother ready to die for his sister . A deep remorse clouded in him and he felt all Gods standing against him. He bowed his head down..
Moving close to Reghu , with utmost reverence, he said.

                            " Take you're own time..... " . 



Hot sun above him radiated heavy heat; but Reghu didn't wipe the sweat from his forehead. He had already started liking the day and the daylight; his bosom buddies from the moment. He was in his UPSHIFT. ...

                    His dudes called out from the playground,

         "Aey Reghu... ; come on... let's have a game... "
without stopping , he answered ,

                " Got some works to do ... " .





                                                                                                                       LAMA SIGNING OUT ......
 

 



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