Those 6 days at Goa

[Drubyu]

I sat on the stool.I stared in the direction of the restroom.Soon I saw my mom exiting the restroom.Her lipstick was gone.She smiled at me when she noticed I was looking at her.She walked to the table and silently sat on her stool.


“Where’s uncle?” She asked me innocently.


As if you don’t know- I thought.A rage was building up in my mind.I hated looking at her so I avoided her. I didn’t reply to her and kept looking at the table.


“Are you alright? What happened?” Mom put her hand on my shoulder and asked.


No I was not alright.Just a few minutes ago, some creep was kissing you and I hated it.I was moodless and it is all because of you- I wanted to say but I didn’t know why I could not utter a word from my mouth. I felt too much shame in admitting that I had seen some creepy guy kissing my own mother on her lips.


“Yes. I’m alright.I’m just hungry.” I replied instead.


“Ohh...So sorry, boy. My phone call went too long. Let me bring us the food.” I heard the voice of Pratap uncle. He was standing near the table.Then he moved to the counter to bring the food.


Pratap returned with a tray of food in his hands. It was a nice combo meal with big cans of coke and french fries. Normally I would have jumped on it as I liked the food from that outlet very much but it was not normal that day. 


I had witnessed an abnormal thing for the first time in my life. I had never seen my mom doing anything sexual in my life.Even though my parents were liberal by Indian standards. Mom was fond of wearing different kinds of clothes. She was crazy about footwear and jewellery. I had seen her wearing Sarees, Salwar Kameez , jeans, tops, Tshirts, Skirt and what not. She looked pretty in any of the dresses as she had maintained her body very well. I had seen my mom and dad hugging or kissing especially when dad would go on a long trip or they were meeting after a long period. But it was not sexual. Their kisses would be quick and it never felt in that way.


I was disturbed.I was thinking about all these things while eating the Burger.I could hear mom and uncle talking with each other or mom chuckling in between it but I was so much occupied in my thoughts, I could not understand what they were talking. I heard the voice of Pratap uncle.He was talking about something. It was very irritating. 


Then suddenly an image of them came in my mind. The scene of them in the restroom started to be rewinded in my mind. How he was standing closer to my mom, how he had caught her face with his palms on her chin and fingers behind her ears.How his thumbs were caressing her cheeks and how his lips were rubbing on her lips. I tried to reason whether he was forcing her but then I remembered her hands were on Pratap’s waist and her eyes were closed. She just stood there while he kissed her lips. I remembered she was not resisting. So definitely he was not forcing upon her anything. 


I felt a strange feeling.I felt relieved that she was not being forced but the same thing made me sad that she was not being forced. I was in turmoil. I looked at mom, at her lips precisely. She was looking at Pratap and speaking something. I remembered she wore red colored lipstick but it was not on her lips now.Definitely she had washed it.Then I looked at Pratap.He was staring at her and listening to what she was saying. My eyes wandered on his lips. He had thin and dark lips. I could see a small red colored dot in the corner of his lips. It was residual of mom’s lipstick. Suddenly I felt like puking. 


I just stood up and ran to the restroom. I felt sick. I puked the food I had eaten earlier. Then I cleaned my mouth and washed my face and came back to the table.


“Hey.. are you alright?” Mom put her hand on my back and asked.


“Yes.” I said and sat on my stool.


Soon they were finished. We then exited the mall. Pratap sat on the steering of the scooter and turned the engine on. He waited for us to sit on the scooter. I hated to sit behind him so I just stood there.


“Go..” Mom looked at me expectedly and said.


I didn’t move from my place. I didn’t want to sit behind him. But then a thought came in my mind-If I didn’t, my mom would have to. So I decided to go and sit on the seat of the Activa behind Pratap. But when I was about to move, mom just walked to the scooter and sat on it with both of her legs on either side of the seat. I had no option left but to sit behind her.


She put both of her hands on Pratap’s shoulders and slid further to her front to create some space for me to sit. I went there and sat behind her.Pratap drove us to the hotel where we were staying.


As usual, Pratap uncle preferred the stairs instead of the lift.Mom and Pratap climbed the stairs together while I climbed behind them. Mom had the carry bags in her hand.


Nidhi was standing in the lobby and talking over the phone. Pratap climbed two steps at a time and went ahead of mom when he saw Nidhi standing in the lobby, near the stairs. Nidhi waved her hand while talking over the phone when she noticed us.


Door of the Nidhi’s room was open.When Pratap’s grandson saw him, he ran towards Pratap shouting Dadu...Dadu … Pratap carried him in his arms and went inside the room of Sumit and Nidhi which was just next to Pratap’s room. 


Mom and I entered our room.Mom threw bags on the bed and sat on the couch.I also sat on the couch beside her.


“Wanna drink?” Mom took the water bottle in her hand and offered it to me.


“No.I’m not thirsty.” I replied and took Guliver’s travels in my hands. I was planning to read it completely in one  go.


Mom drank the water from the bottle and then slid on the couch and sat very close to me.She put her hand around my shoulder and said,


“Listen..Don’t spoil your mood. I know you want to go on a Dolphin trip. We’ll go in the evening when your dad comes.” 


Poor mom.I was moodless because of some other reason and she thought it was because of those damn Dolphins.It made me chuckle.


“Hmmm…” Mom tightened the embrace and pulled my nose with her other hand.She was giggling too.


Then she stood up and turned the TV on.She played some songs on it.I lay on the couch with my head on the armrest and that book about Liliput in my hands. Mom sat on the bed. 


I started reading the book.After a few minutes, there was the sound of her mobile beeping.I looked at her from the corner of my eyes. She took her phone out and read it.She smiled and typed on it.Then again there was a message from someone and again she typed. 


“Loser..” I just cursed him and then concentrated on the book.


I felt dizzy while reading the book and soon I descended  into sleep. I didn't  know how much time I had slept but I woke up to the sound of ringtone of my mom’s mobile.It was fucking irritating.


“MOM….Answer the call.” I shouted, hoping that cacophony would be silenced somehow but it kept ringing.


“MOM…” I shouted again and opened my eyes. 


I found the mobile on her bed but she was not there. Irritatingly I stood up and went to the phone. Screen was showing the name - Hubby.


It was dad’s call. So I answered the call and said in a lazy voice,
“Yeah...dad.” 


“Where are you guys?” He said with irritation in his voice.


“I was sleeping and mom’s in the washroom.” I told him yawningly.


“Ok. Tell her to call back when she exits.” Dad said.


“Ok..Dad.” I said and cut the call.


I threw the phone on the bed and went to the door of the washroom to tell my mom that dad had called. But to my surprise, the door of the washroom was open and on one was inside it.I wondered where she would be gone.


I exited the room and went to the door of Nidhi’s room.I turned the doorknob and tried to open it but it was locked.Then I moved to the door of Pratap’s room and pushed the door ajar. I peeped into it and found my mom there.