02-01-2019, 11:57 AM
After the hectic happenings of the previous day, the Sunday morning appeared so peaceful. Arms and legs intertwined, we continued to snooze till the bell rang announcing the maid’s arrival, upon which she left the bed. I stayed in and lapsed into another stretch of sleep till Kajol pulled off the blanket suddenly demanding that I get up as it was already ten. Putting on the slippers, I made way to the bathroom.
Post breakfast and tea, I was wide awake and the yesterday’s happenings came up in my mind. I called out to her, :Kajo, professor’s wife was so nice. Why did you give the impression that she is like some kind of a mean person?”
She was arranging the stuff on the center table. She drew back and looking directly at me lowered her voice. “You know, she was his student. They fell in love and got married. Thereafter, she has developed a mighty suspicious for any of his dealings with girl students. The other time I was talking about. She had barged into the common room and accosted a junior lady lecturer calling her all sorts of names and accusing her of trying to steal her husband. What a scandal it was. I was there myself and how furious she looked. She had to be virtually dragged away from the spot by others.”
“But, last night she was all praise for you”, I persisted.
“Phew”, she spat out, “she can appear to be all that civilized and decent outside. But she keeps a constant check on his activities where females are concerned.”
“That makes sense”, I conceded. “By the way, the old coot was checking you out all the time – I observed.”
For the first time she fumbled. Then she spoke, “Don’t you call him an old coot, he is hardly 45-46 and remember that he is my Guide. But yes, I have felt him sizing me up several times before and gossip goes that he has a roving eye. Nothing more serious though. “
She took a pause while I tried to assimilate this aspect of her professor. She then continued, “But it is too late to change one’s guide. Moreover, he is academically brilliant. With him, I can complete the doctoral in two more years.”
I could understand her predicament and so patted her hand in sympathy. Then I changed tack. “By the way, last night, why were you gushing like a geyser?”
Her face colored up to the roots of her hair and sbe struck me. “Shut up. There was no such thing.”
“It’s ok”, I teased her, ”I don’t mind, you see. I really don’t. Just tell me who you were fantasizing about?”
“Shut up, you rascal! Shut up.” She rained in a flurry of blows and laughing and choking I ran to the safety of the bedroom.
X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x
There was more of drama when Riz arrived. He brought out the whiskey bottle immediately - reminding us that he had to catch the evening flight and so the sooner the better to get done with the drinks. Without an even by-your-leave, he marched into the kitchen and came back with glasses and ice. Ten minutes later, we had downed our first large pegs.
Kajol came around with some fritters and he pulled her to sit down besides him on the sofa. Holding on to her hand, he looked at me and sobbed, “Whatever did you do to get such a nice lady you bugger?”
I had a vague idea where things were heading for and so advised, “Chill buddy, chill. You will also have a sweet wife someday. Just pour another round, ok!”
But he wasn’t in listening mood. Face down, he started to narrate his long list of failed attempts at getting a girl friend. “Not one in college. Not even afterwards. Look, I am somewhat well settled in business and even own my apartment. Yet, there is not a single girl in this universe who seems to be interested in me. If I tell my mother, she will arrange for marriage a total stranger from the small towns and what the fuck am I going to do with a rustic girl? I need a smart and savvy one and how do I find one?”
Kajol had been hearing him out intently. “Have you tried any dating or matrimonial sites?”
“Of course! For three years. My luck never went beyond a first date.”
Then Kajol dropped a bomb.
“if you want, I am willing to be your girlfriend.”
Both mine and Riz’s jaws had dropped. Riz looked hard at her and then turned his gaze towards me. There was shock on his face.
“Kajo, you too chill. This rascal always has a habit of whining in the company of girls. That is the reason why they either run away from him of end of being rakhi sisters”, I said.
She turned towards him and asked sweetly, “Do you want to be my rakhi brother?”
“NO, NO, absolutely not”, he shouted back. “Will you really accept me as your boyfriend?”
“Riz, Kajo…..stop it”, I said.
But I was too late. She placed both her palms in his and said, “I accept, I accept, I accept. I will be your girlfriend till you find another or get married.”
“No, for life…”, Riz added.
“Ok, friends for life”, she said with a smile. “Now we are officially boyfriend and girlfriend.”
Then he withdrew his hands from hers and covered his eyes. I knew what was coming. In no time, he had burst into a sob. Years of sitting beside him in cinema halls and watching him burst into tears at any sentimental scenes had given me enough idea about this asshole of a friend. He was the guy who could cook mutton curry like no one else yet never could even venture near the butcher stalls. For all the outward bravado and dirty talking he indulged in, he was essentially a slab of wax when it came to emotions.
“See Kajo, I told you so. What have you done? This stupid is just like a girl”, I said.
“Shut up!” Kajol told me as she pulled down his palms. Tears were streaking down his cheek. She took her dupatta to wipe his face, very thoroughly, while I turned my gaze sidewise to allow him to settle down.
“There you are”, she said now that he had recovered, “You boys enjoy your drinks. Lunch would be in half an hour.” She departed for the kitchen.
A while later Riz finally spoke, “I could never believe that she could do such a thing. My God! What did I do to deserve such luck!.”
I thought it better not to speak anything lest he relapsed into another maudlin bout. Silently I poured the whiskey and handed him the glass.
By lunch time he had sobered up almost. Kajol laid two plates, saying that she would eat later as she wanted to serve hot chapattis direct from the stove. The first item, she placed on our plates was fried bitter gourd.
Riz’s eyebrows shot up at the sight. “Karela”, he exclaimed, “I hate that stuff!”
Kajol’s voice was equally stern, “Eat it up. It is good for you.”
I laughed, “You are forgetting that she is your official girlfriend now. You have to obey her boy.”
Riz stuck his head in despair, as if he had made a monumental error of judgment.
“And don’t think of walking out Riz”, Kajol added, “this is what they call a one-way-street.”
Dutifully he devoured the bitter stuff. Thereafter, much to his and my surprise, she brought out the koftas, butter- paneer, paanch daal etc. Looking at the spread, his eyes lighted up in glee and like a child he started stuffing himself.
Later we sat down in the drawing hall while she finished eating. Riz was massaging his belly. “God, I am so full; hardly feel like getting up.” But he had to, much to everyone’s regret, as the time came and his Uber had arrived. He shouldered his bag and hugged us both together. Kajol drew his lips towards his but this time he turned his cheek and accepted it on his cheek. We waved him goodbye at the lift.
X x x x x x x x x x x x x x
Kajol had decided to take the Sunday off from her studies and that was great for me. I was nuzzling her neck while she watched a movie. I was trying to steal a grope when we were interrupted by the door bell.
It was a delivery boy. I collected the parcel addressed to Kajol, care of myself. She gave me a baffled look when I delivered it to her. With mounting curiosity we tore it open. Inside were a couple of tulips neatly crossed across a box of chocolates. The card accompanying said “To an admirable lady, with apologies for stealing her husband on the weekend afternoon – Rao.” It was my boss.
We looked at each other dumbfounded and then she burst into laughter.
“Today I have an official admirer, an official boyfriend and an official guide.”
‘What about the official husband?’ But I said that to myself only.
End of Part I
Post breakfast and tea, I was wide awake and the yesterday’s happenings came up in my mind. I called out to her, :Kajo, professor’s wife was so nice. Why did you give the impression that she is like some kind of a mean person?”
She was arranging the stuff on the center table. She drew back and looking directly at me lowered her voice. “You know, she was his student. They fell in love and got married. Thereafter, she has developed a mighty suspicious for any of his dealings with girl students. The other time I was talking about. She had barged into the common room and accosted a junior lady lecturer calling her all sorts of names and accusing her of trying to steal her husband. What a scandal it was. I was there myself and how furious she looked. She had to be virtually dragged away from the spot by others.”
“But, last night she was all praise for you”, I persisted.
“Phew”, she spat out, “she can appear to be all that civilized and decent outside. But she keeps a constant check on his activities where females are concerned.”
“That makes sense”, I conceded. “By the way, the old coot was checking you out all the time – I observed.”
For the first time she fumbled. Then she spoke, “Don’t you call him an old coot, he is hardly 45-46 and remember that he is my Guide. But yes, I have felt him sizing me up several times before and gossip goes that he has a roving eye. Nothing more serious though. “
She took a pause while I tried to assimilate this aspect of her professor. She then continued, “But it is too late to change one’s guide. Moreover, he is academically brilliant. With him, I can complete the doctoral in two more years.”
I could understand her predicament and so patted her hand in sympathy. Then I changed tack. “By the way, last night, why were you gushing like a geyser?”
Her face colored up to the roots of her hair and sbe struck me. “Shut up. There was no such thing.”
“It’s ok”, I teased her, ”I don’t mind, you see. I really don’t. Just tell me who you were fantasizing about?”
“Shut up, you rascal! Shut up.” She rained in a flurry of blows and laughing and choking I ran to the safety of the bedroom.
X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x
There was more of drama when Riz arrived. He brought out the whiskey bottle immediately - reminding us that he had to catch the evening flight and so the sooner the better to get done with the drinks. Without an even by-your-leave, he marched into the kitchen and came back with glasses and ice. Ten minutes later, we had downed our first large pegs.
Kajol came around with some fritters and he pulled her to sit down besides him on the sofa. Holding on to her hand, he looked at me and sobbed, “Whatever did you do to get such a nice lady you bugger?”
I had a vague idea where things were heading for and so advised, “Chill buddy, chill. You will also have a sweet wife someday. Just pour another round, ok!”
But he wasn’t in listening mood. Face down, he started to narrate his long list of failed attempts at getting a girl friend. “Not one in college. Not even afterwards. Look, I am somewhat well settled in business and even own my apartment. Yet, there is not a single girl in this universe who seems to be interested in me. If I tell my mother, she will arrange for marriage a total stranger from the small towns and what the fuck am I going to do with a rustic girl? I need a smart and savvy one and how do I find one?”
Kajol had been hearing him out intently. “Have you tried any dating or matrimonial sites?”
“Of course! For three years. My luck never went beyond a first date.”
Then Kajol dropped a bomb.
“if you want, I am willing to be your girlfriend.”
Both mine and Riz’s jaws had dropped. Riz looked hard at her and then turned his gaze towards me. There was shock on his face.
“Kajo, you too chill. This rascal always has a habit of whining in the company of girls. That is the reason why they either run away from him of end of being rakhi sisters”, I said.
She turned towards him and asked sweetly, “Do you want to be my rakhi brother?”
“NO, NO, absolutely not”, he shouted back. “Will you really accept me as your boyfriend?”
“Riz, Kajo…..stop it”, I said.
But I was too late. She placed both her palms in his and said, “I accept, I accept, I accept. I will be your girlfriend till you find another or get married.”
“No, for life…”, Riz added.
“Ok, friends for life”, she said with a smile. “Now we are officially boyfriend and girlfriend.”
Then he withdrew his hands from hers and covered his eyes. I knew what was coming. In no time, he had burst into a sob. Years of sitting beside him in cinema halls and watching him burst into tears at any sentimental scenes had given me enough idea about this asshole of a friend. He was the guy who could cook mutton curry like no one else yet never could even venture near the butcher stalls. For all the outward bravado and dirty talking he indulged in, he was essentially a slab of wax when it came to emotions.
“See Kajo, I told you so. What have you done? This stupid is just like a girl”, I said.
“Shut up!” Kajol told me as she pulled down his palms. Tears were streaking down his cheek. She took her dupatta to wipe his face, very thoroughly, while I turned my gaze sidewise to allow him to settle down.
“There you are”, she said now that he had recovered, “You boys enjoy your drinks. Lunch would be in half an hour.” She departed for the kitchen.
A while later Riz finally spoke, “I could never believe that she could do such a thing. My God! What did I do to deserve such luck!.”
I thought it better not to speak anything lest he relapsed into another maudlin bout. Silently I poured the whiskey and handed him the glass.
By lunch time he had sobered up almost. Kajol laid two plates, saying that she would eat later as she wanted to serve hot chapattis direct from the stove. The first item, she placed on our plates was fried bitter gourd.
Riz’s eyebrows shot up at the sight. “Karela”, he exclaimed, “I hate that stuff!”
Kajol’s voice was equally stern, “Eat it up. It is good for you.”
I laughed, “You are forgetting that she is your official girlfriend now. You have to obey her boy.”
Riz stuck his head in despair, as if he had made a monumental error of judgment.
“And don’t think of walking out Riz”, Kajol added, “this is what they call a one-way-street.”
Dutifully he devoured the bitter stuff. Thereafter, much to his and my surprise, she brought out the koftas, butter- paneer, paanch daal etc. Looking at the spread, his eyes lighted up in glee and like a child he started stuffing himself.
Later we sat down in the drawing hall while she finished eating. Riz was massaging his belly. “God, I am so full; hardly feel like getting up.” But he had to, much to everyone’s regret, as the time came and his Uber had arrived. He shouldered his bag and hugged us both together. Kajol drew his lips towards his but this time he turned his cheek and accepted it on his cheek. We waved him goodbye at the lift.
X x x x x x x x x x x x x x
Kajol had decided to take the Sunday off from her studies and that was great for me. I was nuzzling her neck while she watched a movie. I was trying to steal a grope when we were interrupted by the door bell.
It was a delivery boy. I collected the parcel addressed to Kajol, care of myself. She gave me a baffled look when I delivered it to her. With mounting curiosity we tore it open. Inside were a couple of tulips neatly crossed across a box of chocolates. The card accompanying said “To an admirable lady, with apologies for stealing her husband on the weekend afternoon – Rao.” It was my boss.
We looked at each other dumbfounded and then she burst into laughter.
“Today I have an official admirer, an official boyfriend and an official guide.”
‘What about the official husband?’ But I said that to myself only.
End of Part I
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