YARNS OF LAMA-7

                                                                CANINES


            People called them ' the canines'. Actually they feared those ill-mannered bunch of amateurs who, at least to themselves; ruled the street. A group of 6 invincibles . Whenever someone 'trespassed' their porch; the ghost corner what people called, they wouldn't leave him without nightmarish memories. Night sheltered their mischiefs under the veil of darkness. None would see their group in day time; the jobless loafers wandered across the locale for some rare lucks; to fill their stomach before the night arrives. People didn't know their 'homes' to complain or to eradicate them away from the street. .

            " Motherless cunts ..." they corsed the brats in utter despise . .

Against these malevolents, there existed a teenage, female group within the street. Being among the dwellers they too had bitter, noxious experiences from them, with the boy-dwellers of the street being reluctant to save their street. These girls, studying at colleges in the city, rode push-bikes and reached their homes before dark.
One late evening, when one among the chicks got a bit late after smooching her boyfriend's ass; she was frightened to hell by the canines, leaving her on bed-rest for two days. The chigi girls got really pissed off at this; petitioning a complaint at the authorities to take legal action. People in 'khakis' netted the whole street but couldn't outwit the culprits. .

            " They're too tough . Intelligent bastards . .. "

But the charlie-angels' admiring girls were never near the bay of retreat. They remained self-sustained with resorts to attack those anti-socials, at any time . . ; but at the right time .
And the canines were not in the path of remorse and purgatory; after those ' khaki people' entered the scene. Not only them; all denizens of their 'worldwide maverick community' hated these people; impregnating their freedom to reside in a 'community' they live . . . .
The grudge existed iin full throttle among both the groups in embers; the whole G.N. 2nd street morally supporting the girls, and the canines.. all alone in their sides . .

When it rained, the antagonists found it hard to get something to peck. In neighboring streets too, the food scarcity and lack of ‘daily jobs’ kept them fragile. In that rainy season, they suffered a lot; the youngest one; they called him, Chirko; felt this ordeal as a back-slap from God against their deeds. He told this to Coco; his straight elder. Though at first Coco found it sheepish; the hunger inside made him think more humane like Chirko. Both of them arrived in conformance; ‘food to those who are noble . . . . ‘.

The noble thought soon spread to other members of the laity; Rango, Dosho, Loko and Scrapo . . . . . .    . .  ………….. …………………… ……………………………….. they wished to call each other some gigantic, leviathan, fiery names; like those film stars in the posters they saw across the street. All of the canines missed a name; one among many things they couldn’t acquire as birthright; as they were orphans . . . .

But when they decided to name each other; the present Rango . . . . ; evidently their leader stood up in perfect poise and said;

            “We were reproduced directly into drainages. Our mothers didn’t feed us with the holy milk. None of our fathers cared to give us basic knowledge. No big-hearted creep ‘adopted’ any of us . . . . .  Now  . . . in this naming ceremony; request all of you to conform to my behest . . .   We’ll take crap names . . . . becuz . . . we are the progenies of the crap-store . . . , the street   . “

Those emotional words evoked a revengeful enthusiasm in their hearts and adopting these names, they never stood with the ‘RIGHTS’ but always with ‘WRONGS’ . . . . .

But the clumsy rotation of the earth had brought them into the bloody path of regret. Dark eyelids showed them vague images of those poor people of the street; who for no particular reason suffered their atrocities. They all stood along the roadside near the transformer; the same rendezvous point where, they put their names, laid new strategies, took oaths and celebrated b’days . . . .  Scrapo broke the silence of one of the most emotional moment in their life.

            “ … People are good. They earn, feed their children, sent them to school, plant trees and even shit in toilets “

            “Shitting outside isn’t a sin  ... “Rango interrupted.

            “No . . ...... Not that. , .I meant they are innocent. There’s an old man whom I used to frighten often. And every time he got freaked out to the same extent, howling like a petrified hen . . . . if there was a father for me ,,,,, he might have this old man; the  maalik of his grandpa. “

Chirko; who kept his head down the whole time, oozed tears drop by drop from his eyes . . .        

Coco patted his back.

            “There exist no reason that help our doings to be justified. Them all . . . . . , a rat-shit… and we all ….. a fucking bunch of rats .. Now at our date with destiny, here we are with air-tummies and shrunken eyes; going to die of famine ……… “

            “Yeah …… it’s time for repayment. Our life for the sins …….. “  Dosho cried.

            “Oh God I ain’t prepared to die…… I wanna live ………..       Hey guys, what about my love …. ? That sexy pooch who always drink her fingers when I pass across her gates . ; she loves me a lot ; waiting for me to express that …. To cum with us- ………… aahhhh   with me ……… …………………….. To die is a betrayal on her. I can’t fellas ……… “       Loko went despicably emotional Dosho felt Loko was peeing on his face.

            “You infested, selfish sucker!!!!  Aren’t you ashamed to think of that girl, when we all are being punished by god????. Your heart is a fucking stone and a fucking chunk of meat is your brain …………            Filthy asshole ………. “

Dosho and Loko started to thud each other in utter haste.

            “Enough ...…!! “   in a loud, barking alto, Rango came to his historical poise and whatever he stood at that nasty poise, all other fellas  respected him, leaving all their big-mouths.

            “Fellas ……… never break the promise, ‘we’ll never draw fights within us. ‘ “ . 

Dosho and Loko nodded their heads in compliance .

            “And to the present situation; I say we’re not letting ourselves die like that cat, above our shed. We-“

            “But the cat died becuz of fever in the cunt. Not becuz of famin- “.

           “Let me finishhhhhh ……. “, the act of Chirko really got Rango’s goat . . . .

           “We’ll never let us die. We want food. Before that we need amnesty …….The old Granny in the next street used to say, ‘Mercy brings meat’. Let’s pray hard to God, let’s seek his mercy ….. that’s the last resort of our existence. Pray deep from the heart, fellas ……… God is great …… He won’t neglect our prayers ………… “

The canines sat along the road with praying hands, invoking the presence of Almighty right atop their head; seeking his priceless mercy, to get meat for free ……. Chirko and Coco prayed with crying tones and so were the others except Rango …….. ; who kept the composure and responsibility of a leader; praying at a low voice with eyes closed ………….

Hovering breeze was confused at the silence. Night’s mist started falling on their heads quelling the heftiness of their minds ……. Weeps slowly came down. They ; for  the first time felt in life; the existence of God.  . . . . . . . . . .

Chirko hugged Rango and said,

            “I’m not at all hungry now, bro …. God is there... And he’s great …… “

            “Me too feel the same, Rango  ...”, hopping across the fellas, came Loko ….. But Rango’s eyes followed his nose; moving across the garbage bins, across the light posts, into a shed where the elite people dumped their leftovers. Rango sighted Dosho and Loko; they running on at their biggest feet and reached the door steps ………….

            "its meat ............ Rango , , , , , meat .........  fucking meat ....... "

            " There's bread too mate !!!!!!!!!!! " ; 

The two teens howled in deafening tenors revealing the power of their faith . . . Dosho en-swathed Loko;  soothing the scratches on their body due to thuds.

            " yuppieeee ......... "; howling like a small child who saw a YIPPIE noodles packet, Chirko ran towards them. He ran directly along the middle of road; blurring all other views astride him, but focussing on the two piles of chunks dangling at the mouth of his brothers.

           A stream of yellow light blinded him at once; at the same 'once' , when he heard Rango and others barking , 

            " Look out you scumbag .. ";

But his eyes, affixed solid at the food and of course weak in Newton's science couldn't come out of the inertia of joy; getting hit by a bike, falling into a ditch by the road after a series of somersaults .......

 ' RANGO SE COCO THAK ' all howled in utter daze, desolation and rage . . . . 

The biker; one of those buxom chicks of the 'anti-canine' wing, didn't give a shit about the accident and shooing away other amateurs with a metal staff, she got out from there . . . . 

         . . . . . . . 

All the five helped Chirko to get out the trench. Bloodstains spread all across his body, his head injured with a maul-like cross on it ......... When they tried to make him stand, they found..; his palm's cartilages jammed into a muddle . . . 

Seeing others' expression;...... or petrified on watching his own blood......; whatever . . . . . .,,,, ; Chirko fainted .......

Fellas got dumbstruck at this coy of fate. They instantly got heart-attacks that their youngest pal, 'Chirko was dead' . . . . .   the thought spread in each of them .......

They feared to budge, to check his pulse . to see the slight movement at tummy . The loudmouth, Scrapo, wiping his tears entered the repertoire ...

            " it was not God , dudes ...... It is the devil . Never a God gonna do that. All are devils around us, brothers . See.., the little fells, trying to peck something outta hunger, oozing out the fucking blood and flesh ... What wrong did he do now ???? huh ????        ...............     Repentance ????? Prayers ?? We are meant to be bastards, brothers ,,,,,, We are to be roughneck robbers ..... ; meant to frighten those good-acting people and get the dough from them ...... Not fucking pray till death ... " ; 

Perplexed at the double-stand of Scrapo, Dosho pointed out;

            " But Scrapo, Do devil need to give rest of us food to kill Chirko ?"

            " Is food important than ife you dork ??? ";

  

            " But he could have saved it right ??? ";

            " You dumb-ass, I'm gonna rip- ";

            " Stop you morons ...... Chirko is breathing !!!!! " ;   Rango cut the two, moving closer to Chirko. They somehow took him into a nearer shelter. They waited a ten, but he kept breathing, closing eyes . . . .  no ward, not a sign either .........
Long silence and heavy contemplations brought Rango ....... ; once again into his commanding poise . All others stood with utter respect and willingness to heed their leader.

            " Brothers . , It's an ethical dilemma we are facing here. Once ..... means in a near once, we forgave those bloodsucking people of the street. . . and became God fearing and chanted unknown prayers from unknown prayer books ...... But both of them rebuked our change in sheer derision . . . . " ;

            " Ya .... I vote bro ........ "; said Loko . 

            " I ain't done yet ,Loko ... Just a oause  to catch breath ..... ", Rango clenched his teeth.

            " oops .. . . kay .";

            " I need you guys to decide our response to this . . . . , our brother  . . .  our kid . . . . He's lying there, not a bit conscious to take the smell of meat .
Should our option be retaliation . or to get big minds and forgive the fate ; sticking to our vow ?? ";

            " Uhhhh .... Rango ??? ; the vow,,,,   which vow ???  .The one we took at the beach or the one near the mosque .... ?? ";
Loko was a dude of doubts ... ; in words of a Muslim girl; a dubious dude .....
Rango looked into the transparent eyes of the moron and said ; 

            " The vow to not to be bad, and to be good and to be praying and not to be fighting ..... Now those.., Raise you're right 'hands' if you vote retaliation , and others ..... to avoid confusion don't raise hands... ";

Rango found all others raising  their 'hands'..; first or second, they didn't care .... , and he found himself raising hand ..... precisely LEFT 'hand' ...    

Anyway the decision was clear and unanimous ...... FIGHT BACK .........

They ate few food from their gathered stock , a very few amount, ptimal to execute their action pplan .....
After eating, bidding an ephemeral adieu to their blur-headed bro; with all enthusiasm of agents of vendetta, they started out  . . . . . .    the avengers ... the canines ....

Fellas waited for Dosho's cue, he moving in front, searching all those houses to spot the scooty all those posh houses to spot the scooty. His reminiscence never failed at their plans and never when it is revenge . . . . . .  In front of the 7th house at the @nd lane, Dosho stood firm to call out his fellas ........ The silvery frontage of the scooty smiled in disdain at t he avengers. In a trice Rango stepped forward and they started shouting gibberish in loud voices. Lights glew in upstairs and a body with tout feminine curves appeared. Loko said in between the shouts;

            " She's the bitch , ain't she ??? " ; 

Rango eyed Scrapo, who instantly jumped across the gate and within the vicinity of that witch near window, snatched one of those gem-stoned,sneaker footwearand returned to the cavalry ...

            " Aey you cuntface , , ,,  get back that shoe to me now . . .  don't drool over it , you pigshit .. .. . .. . " ; 

Screaming above the shouts , she descended down and came at the doors .....
They waited there, still shouting , of course gibberish .. , poking her patience; ready to befall her across the edge of precipice. Her parents looked through a ground-floor window, to know if their sandals were safe. She handed the same metal staff and came closer to the gates. Scrapo and two others started running with her lucrative footwear, dangling in his mouth , while Rango & Dosho waited for her to follow. As a follow-up of their plan, she went mad,screaming like an old Wicca; putting over a coat, she started her bike. Seeing this, Rango howled, 

            " Hurray ,,, ";

and then ran in heavy steps towards Scrapo ......
The five waited for her ; 3 on the left and 2 on the right side of road at a curve ; waiting for aural pleasure of an engine sound. Whole place was lonely and the girl wouldn't get time to call the other buxoms; or those khakhi people ....

            " Dosho ..... ready ??? " ; 

            " Yup Rango ... ";

            " Scrapo and Loko ..... ;, rinse your mouth well .... ";

            " Yo man ....... we ain't gonna smooch her ..... wait and see . "; clenching the teeth , they replied Rango.

            " Coco ...... you'll be the first  to go .... " ; 

            " I know bro .... Count on me "..

They were all set for the Samba..... with full energy and belligerence ... A distant cry of a 100cc engine became audible to the caninies . Rango barked at a throat-breaking caterwaul.

            " ATTACK . OWW ... ";

The girl saw her 100$ shoe moving along the curve; increasing the speed she moved forward with staff in her hand ..... As she turned to the curve, in a trice, a being jumped across her, from left to right, and the panic toppled her balance; falling and skidding over the bare road. She screeched in squealing sounds out of pain 

            "Aaaaah .......... ";

Rango called out loud again;

            " Dosho ...oww ";

It took Dosho only a jiffy to seize the staff lying beside the lady .............    Now she was unarmed; with torn clothes.., and bleeding head..

            " You unhealthy churls.... ; motherless caitiffs ..... ; shit-mouthed varlets .... ; I'm gonna- ";

            " Scrapo ... oww ; Loko ... oww ";

The third barking call from rango gave the lady; the worst of her nightmares .... The two jumped and plucked her waist and voraciously bit her two big, bunny buttocks .............

She screamed like hell that, the street lamp broke  into shatters .... 
Nuzzling their teeth hard into her flesh, they got down.... ; reeled two steps backward and leaped front to bash her to the floor ... 
Her screams ended as she fell down ; her mouth muted by cushion of the scooty's seat . . . 
The fantastic five stood in aline, front of her..

            " Oh God . . . . . my back ... Oh . . .. . Its churning . . . .. AAAAAhhhhhhhhhhh ...... I can't feel my fucking nates .... ";
she sobbed in low voice ...

            " Now it's my turn buddies ... "; said Rango..... moving closer to her face . Scrapo, Dosho, Loko and Coco thudded on ground, eagerly anticipating the climax of their action plan . 

            " No . . . . . please don't harm my face, you turd.... ; leave me ..... You've got my butt leaking ..... not anything more ... please bastard .... leave me . . . . ";

Rango .. . . .. again stood at his immovable heroic poise and said in heavily patriotic tone ....

            " For Chirko ... and for all our brothers ..... ; who are tortured by these evil, ill-nurtured human souls ... ";
                                      .............   and he widened his 'FOURTH' leg, giving enough clearance to pee ....................................................... ;   the  ugly animal pee ....;   directly on the face of the girl ..
She tried to cry loud; opening her mouth ; but on tasting the pee; instantaneously got reflexed and shut her lips  .... , crying in mute mutters...

            " Yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh .............. ";  all other canines bellowed in extreme delight .... Their fucking mission was accomplished. The five musketeers ... ; the five monsters .. ; the five fabios ..; the five laities ....................... the five leviathan hounds ....... ,,,,,   howled in unison ; 

            " Aooooooooooooouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu .............!!!!!!!!!!!! " ;           marking the victory of the street rulers..... THE StREEt_DOGS ........ ............ ... 
 .......                         .......................                    .....................                 ..................          ........... 
................................... 
.

Running back to the shelter where Chirko was bedded, they got astounded at once . . . . . 
There was no Chirko . . . .                But only bones and remnants of the meat and bread they brought with him . . . . . 

                                                       A hard stinky fart called their attention ,,, both , of eye's and nose's ... ; and there in a heap of sand, lied Chirko ... 
He meant,

            "Hey guys, where were you ?? I had a goooood meal and a deeeeep sleep ... ";

       But what he said was;

            " Bowwwww .... errrr Bowwwww bowwwwww " ...





                                                                                                        Lama signing out  .......
 
 

YARNS OF LAMA-6

                                      

                                           PAL

          “  Bye dad….. “                                                                 

 She kept waving off until her father went out of view. A common  end to her weekend .Each time she got rucksacked back to college, a tint of sadness persist amongst joys of the age. Two days of weekend was feasted with delicious foods, a debonair picnic and movie-going with the whole family..; all that would compensate another bust 24*5 in her professional college. She took her mobile and texted her boyfriend ;

          “ [ I’m returning . . ] “ before getting  staccated.

She preferred buses rather than trains to shuttle in the weekends. For the three and a half hour journey, approximately equal in both mediums of transport modes, the entourage presumed is much better  in the former. Though her journeys confronted the nights, there would be families , well dressed old people and a vigilant conductor; something that went amiss in trains. Being the elder in her clan she was bold, independent; all the crucial situations in life till the date, waited her for the last word. Her Dad hated others infringing those cliché notions of ‘Girls and rules’. He brought her up as his child, not as his daughter.. ; &  he never regretted that.

          “  Dad’s own tomboy  “  her mother knocked them both …

She immersed her feet into the sand, slowly uprooting them with the fingers. He couldn’t stop admiring her serene smile that bloomed like a daffodil bud in the evening Sun. He wanted to talk many things and she, get heard . . . .  but silence smothered their heart with eterne love.

            She saw a mollusk, half hidden in the wet sand just in front of them. Locking their eyes in conformance, he undusted his butts and leaped front; but the fiddling sea flutters took it a little aback. She smirked at his failed attempt, prodding with feminine jive. A brumous figure virtually poked at the corner of her eye, menacing the beautiful milieu. A foreboding alarm screeched in her mazard. The figure seemed credulously familiar; approaching close at faster pace. Raising heart-beat moted her breath. Grabbing the mollusk, with a happy visage he returned and kissed her, but her eyes still staggered on that ogre.

A kind of nausea seeped into her senses. Everything happened in a trice. She felt numbed; the sea waves elevating their demesne , sands dancing in a vortex, by-passes distancing themselves secluding her with him. The apparition was too close now; still unbeknownst, unrecognized. She held him tight. At once, it came and held her on the shoulders. . .

          “ Dad  ??????? …… “ ………………….                      ……………..                ……….

  ……………. ……………………….           . . . . .. . . . . . . .

                     ……………………………………………..                                  …………

With a scrambling noise, the bus vibrated to and fro, finally pulling to a stop. The inertial tug took her out of the dream; holding herself onto the pedestal across the seat. Her sweaty eyes perceived an obsolete boonducks through the window. The bus was motionless  and the passengers, few in number were frantically talking with the escort.

. . . . . . . .  Engine break-down…..  that  too in the middle of nowhere. . .

Declining the inherent trance hazed with salt water and white sands, she took her baggage and got down the bus . . . . . . . . . . .

     …….       ……….   ……………………………….. . . . . . ..

The escort refunded her. It was 1:30 am and in no way she could recollect such a place, en route, in three years of shuttle. And slant turnover in the bedlam made her feel numbed . . . . ..  ;  the next ‘ horseless carriage’ of Kerala Government would reach only at 4:30 am . . . .

‘Three hours..    ??? ‘

The bus bay had only few buildings accorded to it, and only one of them was open. The shopkeeper stood at the doors, surveying if he might get some end business. In total there were 13 passengers, cast away. The only other female in her entourage; an elderly woman abetting her husband and ‘nubile’ son, stared her with an evident distaste. Her son was shouting on the phone, probably asking one of his friends to come for rescue. Latha      ; ( Yup , as you guessed !!!!, the protagonist ) ; moved to the trio and asked the woman if she could come with them to a better, reliable place. The woman squinted her son, who gave multiple shots at the girl near his Mom between his call.

          “ Actually we are going to our kin’s. There won’t be room for you in the car. And we are a hell of tired; gotta get into a shelter ASAP. It’s only three hours to the next- “

          “ It’s okay. . . sorry for bothering you . . . . “

‘Some ladies care men more.., ‘  she thought.

She took her cell to call her dad..

          “Damn these Godforsaken gushers..”,

She was totally pi**ed at the farce. No bars were dark atop her phone-screen.

The storekeeper started closing the shop; his last hopes of mercantile from those ‘trespassers’ had dwindled to a dot. Apart from the CFL light outside the store, a scintillating street lamp embedded light across the locale , She, looking at its flickers….

          “ What’ is this place ?? “ , she darted to the shopkeeper dangling her cell. He switched on the light again. For a moment he scrutinized her face; as if quenching an acknowledgement he asked

          “ What do you mean, Lady   ?? “

          “ The name of this damn place . . . . .Does it have a name after all ??? .. “.

He grunted  in dismay and shut the lights .

‘What a beautiful  day  ! ?  ! ‘    , she got it all wrong  . . .. from  the virtual reality to the apparentness.

A native rubberneck; a co-passenger from the diseased bus came to her.

           “ Are you alone ? .. “.

She gave a lancing stare. He wasn’t shabby, nor having a balmy stature like those rookies of pranks. The round eyes shot concern; a social brother’s compassionate interlope for the well being  of a social sister. Her helplessness perturbed the decision to vote or veto. She nodded reluctantly.

          “ Even my phone  doesn’t have bars. I’ve arranged an auto-rickshaw ; a 5-km from here is a good town with lodging facility.., the driver said so . . I ain’t well  versed with this place. If you don’t mind, we’ll share the rickshaw to the town. “

She felt a deep relief. A helping hand at such an imbroglio. But a slight feminine incredulity scratched her bean.

          “ Where is the rickshaw ? “.

          “Over there ,“ . . .  he pointed to a corner; the driver smoked near the vehicle.

The bus denizens had already spread to different corners. She gave an amicably sympathetic glance for the last time at her female entourage; when they glued their butts in their kin’s car.. , but she remained castaway. Bus driver and the escort had also left to unknown locales . .

The lone dweller and assignee of this village; the storekeeper shuttered his shop, ending the final crescents of a viable shelter for her. . . Only solution ; the Hobson’s choice left to her was this bald-faced matured man, waiting a ‘Yes’ to load her rucksack into the rickshaw.

She moved towards the rickshaw taking her bag. The lukewarm drivr was suddenly filliped ; stabbing the stub, he got into the driver’s seat. Her ‘rescuer’ cued two other entourages, who were standing near the bus, a bit covertly, and they joined them towards their rickshaw. This  anchored her to a hault.

         “ Are they coming with us ?? “

         “ Yes . . . . Like you, they are also alone. .  I guess they won’t  get any means to move other than waiting 3 hours “.

‘ Oh God . . . ! Please help me . . ‘

Cobwebs of skepticism scudded her body in tangled fashion. Her bold voice, quick decisive enthusiasm, steadfast cogitation . . .all had failed to process in time and effect. She prayed hard to get bars on the phone, to bring the scooty from the garage, to acquire teleporting . . . ; anything feasible from the impossible..

The driver raced the accelerator hard. As an initiative, one of the three got into it , followed by the other.

          “ Where will  you sit  ??  With the driver or with them ?? “.

His question got her really pissed. She turned back and strode like a Marathoner ignoring the four bumpkins  calling her out.

          “Aey . . . sister ?? … . . Are you going to stand here alone… ? This isn’t a safe locale- “.

          “ How the hell you know it’s not safe huh ?? You said you don’t know of this shit-hole place . . . Bloody liar… “. Her riposte sealed his mouth.

She directly went to the storekeeper who; though didn’t show any response but silently clear-sighted the whole scene; and was tying a box to his bike’s back.

          “ I need to make a call. Before that I need to get rid of this place. I may require a shelter for 3-hours. I may need some water . . . . .  actually, I really need it as I  forgot to fetch it from home . . .     Will you help me ? ? ? “.

Her affirmative sought, at first, startled him; a young man, almost her age. The 4-the-people still waited for her return. He knew taking her home wouldn’t appeal smooth. . . .                     ‘But it’s rattier out here..       ‘

          “You’ll have to hold this box, sitting back.”

She sighed hard . . .  and said   “ Thank- you, thank you very much.. “.

Leaving the paramours surged with solitary testosterone, he took her on his bike. . .

Along a lane of akin  apartments; each having rusted gates and dilapidated fences, only one had faint yellow light unveiling the dingy interiors. She kept the box at the gate and waited for the young storekeeper to pursue his dailies.

         “ Auntie . . .  “, he called out in low voice. A middle-aged lady came out; half-sleeping, half walking, dizzied like a hen let out at night; staring at the girl with sleeveless top and a rucksack, she called him close. She saw a male face squinting at her through the window. His rudder eyes fumed essence of ardent spirits.

‘May be uncle.. ‘

Gibberish murmurs glided through different tones of defending, reasoning, apology, reassurance; every genre covertly embellishing  the altos in the conversation. Getting her a final stare-snap, aunty went inside the home. She feared if she too would male oriented servile woman, but her nephew took her bag and moved inside. She moved with him.

          “ Forgot to ask . . .What’s your name ?? “ .

          “ Rahul . . . . Heard such a name before ? “

          “ That is a common name. Lots of dudes have that ‘courtesan title’ . “

          “ Mm-hmm . . . . .  ?? “ . . .

          “ You didn’t ask my name-“

         

          “ Phone is out there . . .Make your call . “  he cut her off .

Her try to make up bonhomie went amiss. Dialing the numbers, one-by-one, slowly she monitored the replies plausibly groused by her Dad . . . She  gave it a second thought . . .Anyway she would have to wait till 4:30 am; her Dad can’t do any feasible maneuvers before the time.

 ‘ Sheer waste of time and emotions spoiling Dad’s sleep . . .  . . . . . .  ‘

She dunked the receiver at once . . .

          “ What happened ?? … “ , moving on a towel into the bathroom, he asked.

          “ Okay . . . Here’s water . .  “. He gave her a filled bottle of boiled water.

It was almost 3am . She sat in the central room, only her mobile’s light to abet the solitude. She sat close to the door of Rahul’s bedroom, with a POV sighting  straight at a door slightly opened, where Auntie and Uncle slept. Still there were no bars atop her phone. A suspicious night and an alien refuge was enough to quell the yawns of wooziness. Music might invoke a sleep with more fierce nightmares. . . . .

Suddenly  light diffracted  through the ajar door in front of her. She went sober instinctively and could voyeur someone spreading a mat on the floor. A muddled string of Q-marks invaded her weenie brain. Slight interference of the slitted light enticed her eyes; eyeballs perceiving the buxom of an old trout. . .

She went naught and perplexed at the sight, totally uncertain in her stance. .

‘ Hell of a night.. !! ‘

Rigorous movements and steamy sounds maddened her; she willing each moment to run away  from that mad-house. In a trice, the door went completely open; the light piercing her eyes squinty  and ridiculing her brain with the ugliest vista she had ever seen . . .

‘ Cunninglingus . . . . . .  ‘

She took a shawl and covered her face in the reflex and in utmost care, thudded on the door.

           “ …. . . . . ahh …err …  can we go for a walk ?? … “

Rahul ; after the initial bewilderment, recognized the problem under focus and with a condemned smile said to her.

          “ It’s a routine . . .when the rum descends is brain, he sorts to cum for pleasure .. Poor Auntie… Yup… Let’s walk. . .  It is going to be a long night . . . “.

          “ So where are your parents ? ? “ ; walking back the way they rode, she broke the silence.

          “ They are dead . . . . “

          “ Oh. . . I’m sorry. This night has been jam-packed with the mistakes . . . . “

          “ So you’re looking after the shop , , ,  your uncle’s shop . . . right??

          “Yeah . . . .”

His curt replies and lukewarm response failed to incite a conversation, pushing a lot of time wordless. She  could sense a young lad who last who lost a playful childhood, a caring parenthood, a good education, true friends, sophisticated technology .. .. Everything his contemporaries dwelt on ……… A rustic luddite, confined to accounts and staples throughout life ……..

‘ An off-beat night watchman   ‘.

          “ Going college ?? “.  His query was a surprise .

         “ Yup . . . . Govt  College of Engineering, TCR.    I’m doing graduation in electrical engineering.  . . “     

          “Good to hear …. “

         “ You’re  . . . . .I mean , , totally. . whole time engaged in storekeeping ?? “.

         “ Yeah . . . . After my parents died, I had to stop studies. Or my Uncle was not interested. His vehement toils hardly managed marrying his daughter to a Taylor. Changes don’t bother you, once you get used to . . . . “

She nodded compliantly. He wasn’t a complete artless chum; his intimate voice and unhappy  demeanor  made her slightly reminiscent of something . . .

          “ Here, get me the bag Latha . . I’ll take it  . .  “ he took her bag.

          “ But  . . . . I didn’t say my name to you right ???? How do you know it ? “

His  countenance tried hard to veil an accused censure, normalizing his visage intact .

          “ You said while at home . . . else how could I- “

          “ I’m sure I didn’t say my name. You know me right ?? I know. Else you wouldn’t take me to home at such a time; into such a condition . . . “

He put her bag down in utter bellicose; arcading a raw flaunt .

          “ Now that’s what you reward a guy, who would help you from a string of outlaws coaxing you to bed with them; one who fetched you water and- “.

          “ Not only that, Rahul ….., my mind says I know you . . . or I knew you . . And I strongly believe that you are in symbiosis . . . Aren’t you ??? “

Her affirmative face made him contemplate before responding.

‘She was bold . . . Now too . . Intact’

          “ Not exactly … “, He replied.

          “ What do you mean by that ?? “,

         “ I don’t  . . . . I don’t ‘think’ I know you. When I saw you for the first time at store; precisely when you mocked, ‘ What is this place ? ‘  [Smiling].. ; I realized who you are . . .

…………… ……………. . . . . ……………………………………………

…………………… it’s easy for me to remember one of my ex-classmate even after 8 years of  severance, instantly, as you guys were among my last good  memories . . . . . . . . .

When I see school-going children coming to store for chocolates and zip-ups ; a younger Rahul intervene my mind . . .; a delighted, playful soul.. , laughing and running in zeal . . . , among lots of friends .. “

She could faintly recollect a boy .. . Rahul .. . .  a slender figure .. . . but she couldn’t fathom that face . . . ; probably a lot different from the one beside her ..

          “ When I came to uncle’s; after a truck ran over the bike Dad rode, with mom behind  . . . . . . . . .  ; I . … I didn’t know there was no returning back . . . The only relation left of mine .. . My uncle , paid off pending house-rents and school fee; transposing me and my life to here . .

I couldn’t even say adieu to you all …….  . My friends , my class, teachers . . .the school . . My  heaven , ,                    ………….. All-at-a-go…     bludgeon…”

Tears drooled his eyes and started brimming out. She too felt her eyes damp. None would bode such a simulation even to enemies. . . . . .

They walked slowly, silently through the centre of road. Some stray dogs accompanied them to few distances; temporarily escaping them out of their catena of thoughts.  . . . Finally they reached his store. She looked her watch . . .4:05 am.

          “ So . . . . ?? “

          “ So .. What ? “

          “ Your  . . Future-plans .. ? “ ;

          “Oh Yeah .. . . Want to finish my B-tech well . . . Wanna  get a good job . . . . Then marry the guy I’m in love with . . “;

          “ Mm-hmm . . . pretty good. I hope all of them get pass without arrears. “ ;

They laughed loudly, that the ghastly echo startled them, , , like all other things did so far that night.

          “ Rahul . . . , I’ll never forget this night . . And you too .. . .  ? “; she said holding his hand.

         “ Thanks Latha.. So nice of you. And I’m sure you mean those words . . “

          “ Yup . . 100% “

The thick mist glistened like diamond, hovering their milieu with a serene silence. Sunlight made their brains pellucid. . .

Till the last moment  they could  be together, they talked about everything, relevant and irrelevant; singing the childhood rhymes together , mimicking the teacher who taught that . .  . She could find his relief out of levity , , , a release of desolation ,, long suffered …

When the two yellow dots, with a rumbling engine sound came into vision, they both looked into each other’s eyes. . .

‘ It’s time ‘ .

She stood up; and widening her arms flat, clasped him tight to her bosom. . .

          “ Take care PAL . . . Thanks for everything .. “      She kissed his cheeks.

The bus reeled forward; pulling the enigmatic hault of 3-hours she ever experienced into the past . . . into oblivion..

‘ Life is an unrehearsed play full of surprise . . . ‘ , she pondered.

When bars reappeared on her phone; her boyfriend rang; transmuting her mind from the thoughts to reality . . , 

But the ringtone made her , shuttle among them    . . .

                           “  HAR EK FRIEND, ZAROORI HOTA HEIN . . . . HER EK FRIEND ZAROORI HOTA HEIN ….. .  “

                                                                                                            LAMA SIGNING OUT..