02-01-2019, 04:13 PM
Ramesh 2/4
Towards the end of the week, Riz had come over.
“Hello”, I said glad to see his number on my mobile.
“Listen fucker. Will meet you in the evening after dealing with the motherfuckers here. Will get the bottles and snacks. Don’t do anything – just head home straight by six”, he had declared without allowing me to put in a word sidewise and just rang off.
‘Ha’, I uttered considerably warmed up. There was a rumor floating that, some official communication had been received from H K Corp regarding acceptance of our proposal that I had piloted. We were all waiting to receive the official confirmation from a boss. I was tensed up, I knew that. Acceptance would mean a great deal … it was just that the waiting part was getting to me … Singapore had been nearly three weeks back and ever since I had been on tenterhooks. Any distraction was enjoyable for me, even the thankless trips to outstation clients that Mr. Rao frequently sent me now. And today, there would be Riz in the evening. ‘Hmmmm …’ I felt light …
Then I realized that I should let Kajol know, she would be happy too. Ever since the incident at her Professor’s home; she had been distraught as well. The professor had gone on leave or asked to go on leave. The senate had decided to put in a quiet word to him to stop from appearing at the department for a while, as Kajol told me, till the dust had settled down and the news media hounds stopped hovering at his door front. With that, she had been left in a complete limbo. Apparently, the professor had sent word to her to wait out a while. Kajol had stayed put at home for a week, but then got the jitters. We had got into a messy fight over something trivial and then realized that it was the waiting that was weighing both of us down. Next day onwards, she had been to the university library, continuing with the completion of her dissertation albeit without the professor’s active guidance. Both of us used to return late, letting the physical exhaustion mask over our respective jitters.
I called her number. She immediately cut the call at her end, probably being inside the library. A few minutes later, she called back. I relayed her the information about Riz coming over in the evening.
“Oh that’s nice. Hey sorry, I won’t be home before eight. There is an afternoon seminar and a meeting afterwards. If you can be free, then head home early and be there for him”, she said.
I said ok. That is how Riz and me found ourselves having the balcony all to ourselves in the evening, glasses out and the liquor flowing freely.
Drawing deeply on a cig, Riz said, “This big life sucks big man. Earlier I was happy at doing the odd end jobs that used to trickle down.” “Now”, he took another deep drag, “Ever since these big orders came, there just isn’t time for anything.” He looked me in the eye and said, “Can you believe that I am entirely subsisting on junk food all the time and spending twelve hours straight at the office. Sometime I feel it would make more sense, if it stayed in the guest room of my office, all the time.”
I looked at his haggard face, the worry laden lines that had appeared suddenly in the last six months since he had started going after the “big” fish.
“That’s the price of success, you bugger”, I shrugged.
“Bloody hell it is. I wish I could go back to earlier carefree times. Damn it, I didn’t have to wear a suit so often then. Fucker, give me Kajol and you go have my job.”
We both laughed. The level in the bottle was going down and we had spilt out mutual agonies when Kajol arrived. She looked very much tired and weary. After Riz had hugged her enthusiastically, he asked how her day had been. Kajol gave out a tired smile and asked us to carry on and promised to join after she had freshened up.
Half an hour later, Kajol sat with us. She took the glass that Riz offered and took a deep draught. “Guys, let me tell, no cooking today, eh”, she looked at Riz, “too tired, just order something from outside.”
“Sure”, I said.
“Now an important piece of news”, she continued, “my guide professor is going away to Kolkata for some six months. He has been quietly asked to leave for a while and the VC, it seems, has arranged a visiting professorship for him there. He leaves in three days time.”
The news was devastating. It meant that all her plans of getting the PhD in time would have to be shelved. Finding another guide and at such an advanced stage of her research would be quite difficult if not next to impossible. I said as much.
Kajol nodded in agreement. Then she turned towards Riz and said.
“Rizu, can you find me some accommodation there. I don’t want to delay my doctoral and I know I can complete it there under him.”
Riz who had been absorbing all these and had stayed silent all the while, now burst out, “Fuck. Of course, you will finish your doctoral in time. Of course you will stay with me.”
“What?”, both Kajol and I blurted out.
“What what?”, he countered. “Where do you think will she stay? She will stay right in my house, and don’t worry there are two spare rooms. I won’t take no for an answer.” There was steam in his voice now. “Don’t I mean anything to you two? Even for a small thing like this.” His voice was dangerously close to breakdown.
Both Kajol and I knew what was coming. In seconds, we knew, he would be in tears. Kajol acted with alacrity. She patted his hand.
“Rizu, what I meant was that would it not inconvenience you to have me living in your house? After all you have a very busy life”, she added softly.
I added a more practical note, “Bugger, and what do you think your neighbors would think moving in a woman with you?”
He was silent for a second. Then he puffed his chest up.
“No you won’t be in the way”, he said looking at Kajol, “Didn’t you hear me saying that there are a couple of rooms extra in my apartment! Wouldn’t I be glad to see your face daily after work – even if it is for a couple of months. I could even restart cooking – you know. Further, this fucker here, I am sure, would arrive in the weekends and boy would I like to miss that?”, he said looking at me.
“And as for the neighbors, fuck them, who cares”, he continued, “In case anyone inquires, I will tell them that she is my girlfriend”, he chuckled. “In any case that is true, isn’t it?”, he added in a tongue-in-cheek manner.
Kajol and I looked at each other and I nodded slightly. It was the practical solution of course. With her staying with him; of course, it would be less of worry for me; especially as she didn’t know the city. On a very practical note, there was also the cost of maintaining another separate establishment altogether.
Riz had hit the high spirits. “And to celebrate the moving over of my girlfriend to my residence ”, he said facetiously, “I propose we all go to a nice joint and get ourselves rip roaring drunk. And we will also discuss all the details there.”
* * *
Two days after Professor Bharadwaj had gone, Kajol also left for Kolkata. I was at the office when Riz confirmed picking her up at the airport. It was in the evening that Kajol called to speak, “Can you believe what this idiot friend of yours has done? He has taken the whole day off and been cooking his head off for me ever since.” She laughed.
I heard Riz singing in the background, like a puppy happy with its owner. “Am I lucky, am I the lucky boy … he he he … …
Towards the end of the week, Riz had come over.
“Hello”, I said glad to see his number on my mobile.
“Listen fucker. Will meet you in the evening after dealing with the motherfuckers here. Will get the bottles and snacks. Don’t do anything – just head home straight by six”, he had declared without allowing me to put in a word sidewise and just rang off.
‘Ha’, I uttered considerably warmed up. There was a rumor floating that, some official communication had been received from H K Corp regarding acceptance of our proposal that I had piloted. We were all waiting to receive the official confirmation from a boss. I was tensed up, I knew that. Acceptance would mean a great deal … it was just that the waiting part was getting to me … Singapore had been nearly three weeks back and ever since I had been on tenterhooks. Any distraction was enjoyable for me, even the thankless trips to outstation clients that Mr. Rao frequently sent me now. And today, there would be Riz in the evening. ‘Hmmmm …’ I felt light …
Then I realized that I should let Kajol know, she would be happy too. Ever since the incident at her Professor’s home; she had been distraught as well. The professor had gone on leave or asked to go on leave. The senate had decided to put in a quiet word to him to stop from appearing at the department for a while, as Kajol told me, till the dust had settled down and the news media hounds stopped hovering at his door front. With that, she had been left in a complete limbo. Apparently, the professor had sent word to her to wait out a while. Kajol had stayed put at home for a week, but then got the jitters. We had got into a messy fight over something trivial and then realized that it was the waiting that was weighing both of us down. Next day onwards, she had been to the university library, continuing with the completion of her dissertation albeit without the professor’s active guidance. Both of us used to return late, letting the physical exhaustion mask over our respective jitters.
I called her number. She immediately cut the call at her end, probably being inside the library. A few minutes later, she called back. I relayed her the information about Riz coming over in the evening.
“Oh that’s nice. Hey sorry, I won’t be home before eight. There is an afternoon seminar and a meeting afterwards. If you can be free, then head home early and be there for him”, she said.
I said ok. That is how Riz and me found ourselves having the balcony all to ourselves in the evening, glasses out and the liquor flowing freely.
Drawing deeply on a cig, Riz said, “This big life sucks big man. Earlier I was happy at doing the odd end jobs that used to trickle down.” “Now”, he took another deep drag, “Ever since these big orders came, there just isn’t time for anything.” He looked me in the eye and said, “Can you believe that I am entirely subsisting on junk food all the time and spending twelve hours straight at the office. Sometime I feel it would make more sense, if it stayed in the guest room of my office, all the time.”
I looked at his haggard face, the worry laden lines that had appeared suddenly in the last six months since he had started going after the “big” fish.
“That’s the price of success, you bugger”, I shrugged.
“Bloody hell it is. I wish I could go back to earlier carefree times. Damn it, I didn’t have to wear a suit so often then. Fucker, give me Kajol and you go have my job.”
We both laughed. The level in the bottle was going down and we had spilt out mutual agonies when Kajol arrived. She looked very much tired and weary. After Riz had hugged her enthusiastically, he asked how her day had been. Kajol gave out a tired smile and asked us to carry on and promised to join after she had freshened up.
Half an hour later, Kajol sat with us. She took the glass that Riz offered and took a deep draught. “Guys, let me tell, no cooking today, eh”, she looked at Riz, “too tired, just order something from outside.”
“Sure”, I said.
“Now an important piece of news”, she continued, “my guide professor is going away to Kolkata for some six months. He has been quietly asked to leave for a while and the VC, it seems, has arranged a visiting professorship for him there. He leaves in three days time.”
The news was devastating. It meant that all her plans of getting the PhD in time would have to be shelved. Finding another guide and at such an advanced stage of her research would be quite difficult if not next to impossible. I said as much.
Kajol nodded in agreement. Then she turned towards Riz and said.
“Rizu, can you find me some accommodation there. I don’t want to delay my doctoral and I know I can complete it there under him.”
Riz who had been absorbing all these and had stayed silent all the while, now burst out, “Fuck. Of course, you will finish your doctoral in time. Of course you will stay with me.”
“What?”, both Kajol and I blurted out.
“What what?”, he countered. “Where do you think will she stay? She will stay right in my house, and don’t worry there are two spare rooms. I won’t take no for an answer.” There was steam in his voice now. “Don’t I mean anything to you two? Even for a small thing like this.” His voice was dangerously close to breakdown.
Both Kajol and I knew what was coming. In seconds, we knew, he would be in tears. Kajol acted with alacrity. She patted his hand.
“Rizu, what I meant was that would it not inconvenience you to have me living in your house? After all you have a very busy life”, she added softly.
I added a more practical note, “Bugger, and what do you think your neighbors would think moving in a woman with you?”
He was silent for a second. Then he puffed his chest up.
“No you won’t be in the way”, he said looking at Kajol, “Didn’t you hear me saying that there are a couple of rooms extra in my apartment! Wouldn’t I be glad to see your face daily after work – even if it is for a couple of months. I could even restart cooking – you know. Further, this fucker here, I am sure, would arrive in the weekends and boy would I like to miss that?”, he said looking at me.
“And as for the neighbors, fuck them, who cares”, he continued, “In case anyone inquires, I will tell them that she is my girlfriend”, he chuckled. “In any case that is true, isn’t it?”, he added in a tongue-in-cheek manner.
Kajol and I looked at each other and I nodded slightly. It was the practical solution of course. With her staying with him; of course, it would be less of worry for me; especially as she didn’t know the city. On a very practical note, there was also the cost of maintaining another separate establishment altogether.
Riz had hit the high spirits. “And to celebrate the moving over of my girlfriend to my residence ”, he said facetiously, “I propose we all go to a nice joint and get ourselves rip roaring drunk. And we will also discuss all the details there.”
* * *
Two days after Professor Bharadwaj had gone, Kajol also left for Kolkata. I was at the office when Riz confirmed picking her up at the airport. It was in the evening that Kajol called to speak, “Can you believe what this idiot friend of yours has done? He has taken the whole day off and been cooking his head off for me ever since.” She laughed.
I heard Riz singing in the background, like a puppy happy with its owner. “Am I lucky, am I the lucky boy … he he he … …
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