1.
As soon as the train stopped, I picked up my suitcase and exited the station. A rickshaw puller quickly turned his rickshaw and came right in front of me. He asked, "Where to?"
I said, "Manasrovar."
"Place your luggage... place it," he said.
"What will you charge?" I asked.
"Whatever you wish to give," he replied. As soon as he said that, I placed my suitcase in the rickshaw. Still, I insisted, "Tell me the fare, please!"
But what’s this? Without saying another word, he started pedaling the rickshaw and sped off before I could even sit down.
I was dumbfounded. The rickshaw puller was wearing sunglasses, dressed in a kurta and dhoti, with a thick, waving braid on his head... and like a thief, he was gone in the blink of an eye! The cycle rickshaw sped through the crowd as if it were a participant in some village rickshaw race.
"Catch him, stop him..." My voice was lost in the hustle and bustle of the street.
I stopped an auto-rickshaw.
In a hurry, I said, "Follow that cycle rickshaw, he’s run off with my luggage, look, there he is, wearing a kurta and dhoti!"
Before I could even sit in the auto, a young man quickly turned his scooter between me and the auto driver and said, "Hop on, hop on, sir, we have to chase that rickshaw, right?"
"Oh, so you know that he ran off with my luggage... alright, let's go," I said as I sat behind him. The scooter sped off.
I knew the boy couldn’t hear me because of the crowd and speed, but I still said, "Look at his audacity, he's running off with my luggage in broad daylight on a cycle rickshaw, and he isn't even afraid of getting caught!"
The scooter, speeding away, soon got close to the rickshaw. The rickshaw puller was still racing away recklessly.
The boy on the scooter seemed decent, and he was helping me without me even asking. I thought I’d give him a nice reward if I got my luggage back.
But what’s this? The scooter didn’t stop near the rickshaw; instead, it sped past it.
"Oh no! What have I gotten myself into? It seems this guy is in cahoots with that thief. Now what? The rickshaw must have gotten lost in the alleys, and who knows where this guy will drop me off."
"Stop... stop the scooter..." I was about to grab him by the shoulder and shake him, but just then, he suddenly turned the scooter into an alley.
I thought maybe he had spotted the rickshaw and was taking a shortcut to intercept it because by then, the rickshaw had indeed appeared, racing towards us from the front.
After a brief cat-and-mouse chase, the rickshaw stopped in front of a house, and the boy immediately applied the scooter's brakes upon reaching there.
Before I could understand the whole situation, the two of them looked at each other and burst out laughing.
I couldn’t understand what was happening at all. Were these two in cahoots, and had they done all this just to rob me of my belongings? Or had the boy on the scooter really helped me by saving my belongings from this thieving rickshaw driver?
I was standing there, confused, when my brother stepped out through the gate of the house in front. I stared at him in surprise. So, we had already reached home. Since it was my first time here, I hadn’t recognized the house.
The rickshaw driver and the boy on the scooter both greeted me simultaneously, and that’s when I realized that they both actually worked at my brother’s shop. They had only come to pick me up from the station. It was all just a joke.
When my brother found out the whole story, he laughed at first but then lightly scolded his employees for pulling such a prank. Both of them began to apologize to me.
I said to the boy on the scooter, "What if I had hurriedly gotten into the auto rickshaw and left after losing my belongings?"
The boy replied innocently, "Uncle, I wouldn’t have let you sit in it. We had planned this joke in advance just to have some fun with you."
Now, even I started to enjoy the humor in their prank.
My brother then took me inside the house.
I said, "I've been traveling all night. Let me freshen up first, and then we can sit and talk." But my brother said, "The tea is on its way. Have a hot cup of tea first, then you can go to the washroom."
We sat down.
My brother started telling me all about the house, the shop, and the city.
Actually, this was my first time here. My brother had bought this house and shop after returning from abroad some time ago. We were meeting after almost four years. My brother had moved to Hong Kong with his family four years ago and had recently returned here. I had come to visit him, my sister-in-law, and the children for a few days.
I assumed by now both of his children would have grown up. When I saw them, the girl was eleven years old, and the boy was twelve. I was meeting my niece and nephew after four whole years.
I was about to ask my brother about the children when the tea arrived.
A woman entered the room after pulling back the curtain and started placing the tea and snacks neatly on the table.
I looked at my brother hesitantly because I didn’t recognize the woman. By her attire and demeanor, she didn’t seem to be a maid.
Sensing my confusion, my brother quietly said, "Sister-in-law."
As soon as he said this, the woman joined her hands in greeting with humility.
I was utterly shocked and mumbled, "Who sister-in-law?"
The woman seemed a bit dejected.
I kept staring at my brother. I didn’t even touch the cup of tea.
As soon as the woman left, I almost lashed out at my brother. He quietly listened to my angry words, keeping his head down.
I said, "You went there and got married a second time, and no one here even got a hint of it. Where are sister-in-law and the kids? Where did you leave them? What kind of punishment are those sweet children suffering from? And where are they?"
With his head still bowed, my brother replied, "Have some tea and freshen up... I'll tell you everything calmly after that. That's why I called you here."
I was furious. Almost shouting, I said, "I don't want any tea. I'm leaving right now!"
He looked at me helplessly and then said softly, "At least listen to everything I have to say. If you still think it's my fault, you can leave..."
I calmed down a bit and, with trembling hands, picked up the cup of tea.
Feeling dejected, I took a bath and got ready. When I returned to the drawing room, my brother was sitting as if nothing had happened. As soon as he saw me, he said, "Come, I'll show you the house."
I followed him with my head bowed.
Seeing that woman in the inner room again, I felt ashamed that I hadn't even responded to her greeting when she brought the tea. I greeted her back now, even though I still didn't know under what circumstances my elder brother had abandoned his happy family and remarried.
After my anger subsided, I walked with my brother to see his new, magnificent house and the large showroom attached to it.
What had happened was done. Now, I just had to listen to my brother's side of the story.
So, I put aside my impatience and followed him.
As we moved from one room to another, I kept thinking, "When the children are no longer here, what are this husband and wife going to do with such a big house?" I kept thinking about the children. They were so lovely, and now I wondered where they were and how they were doing!
Just then, my brother's voice came, "Come, I'll show you my building materials showroom too; it's right behind, on the main road."
We walked through the back corridor.
The house and the showroom were truly grand. When we pushed open the glass door of the showroom and entered, I was amazed by the splendor inside. It seemed my brother had indeed brought back some treasure after four years abroad, which allowed him to buy such a lavish house.
Seeing the sparkle in my eyes, my brother felt proud as well.
But deep inside, my heart kept nagging me: What's the use of such wealth when your own precious children aren't with you?
Now, I was feeling restless and wanted us to quickly return to the room so my brother could tell me the whole story.
We returned home after leaving the showroom.
By then, the dining table was already set. The woman who had brought the tea, my new sister-in-law, was bringing out gleaming crockery from the kitchen and setting the table.
Seeing the table, I quietly asked my brother, "Did you invite some guests for dinner? Who are all these plates for?"
I hadn't even finished my sentence when I heard the sound of a car stopping in the porch.
Suddenly, my nephew and niece came running inside and hugged me. Both said in unison, "Hello, Uncle!"
I was stunned. Behind them, my sister-in-law was coming in, twirling the car keys.
As soon as she entered, she said, "Welcome to the new house, brother-in-law!"
My brother was still smiling with his head down.
I was really furious now. I patted the children on their heads, greeted my sister-in-law, and then, casting an angry glance at my brother, I walked into the bathroom and locked the door from the inside.
I was fuming inside, thinking that ever since I arrived, everyone has been making fun of me at every turn. At the station, my brother's men joked around, and now at home, my brother himself did the same.
I resolved in my mind that I would teach all of them a lesson. I would sit in the bathroom and no matter what, I wouldn’t open the door. Let them wait; even if they have to break down the door, so be it.
I sat quietly inside. I decided that no matter how long it takes, I wouldn't respond to anyone's calls from outside. Let them be troubled. Only when they break down the magnificent door of this new house will they realize the consequences of making fun of others. What have they learned from abroad, anyway? My anger wasn’t subsiding at all.
I could hear voices from outside. My sister-in-law was telling my brother about their visit to the school for the children’s admission, what happened there, and when they were asked to come back, among other things. My brother was also telling my sister-in-law and the children about how late my train was and how I managed to get home.
After a while, it got quiet outside. I thought, now that their conversation is over, they’ll start focusing on me, and then they’ll call out for me. Everyone will wonder why it’s taking me so long.
I was feeling happy inside, waiting for my brother to get restless and call out to me, and then I would remain silent, surprising everyone. There would be some commotion outside, and I would sit quietly inside, enjoying the situation.
I remembered that I had a rather interesting experience related to spending a long time in the bathroom. I used to visit a naturopathy center occasionally. One of the doctors there used to say that more than half of our bodily issues stem from our stomachs. The food we eat throughout the day and the quantity we consume are what control our body. According to him, at least once a week, we should sit comfortably in the bathroom for a long time. If we feel uneasy sitting without any purpose, we can take something to read in there.
The younger generation, he said, can spend hours anywhere with a mobile phone in hand. I think it’s not just the youth but the elderly as well who can easily pass the time with the help of a mobile.
Whatever the case may be, today I’m determined to get back at them. Who do they think they are? Do they think they’re the only ones who can joke around? Just wait and see how everyone gets troubled!
According to the advice of the doctor at the natural therapy center, I spent quite a bit of time sitting comfortably on the seat. I continued to sit inside like this for a while. But after some time, I began to feel restless. I also started thinking that the doctor had advised to spend time there calmly, controlling all emotions in the mind, but here I was, sitting with a lot of anxiety. In fact, I was sitting with a feeling of revenge, intending to deceive all these people. How can one find peace while sitting with feelings of resentment?
That's exactly what happened.
I've been sitting inside for so long, but no one cares about me. Neither has anyone checked on me, nor has anyone called out to me.
Look at this, I thought I would deceive them, but now they are the ones deceiving me.
What's going on? Have they forgotten about me? What are they all busy with? And just a little while ago, they were setting the table for dinner.
Have they already eaten without me?
I started getting angry. What strange people they are. I began to wonder why I even came here. These people were not like this before. I don’t understand what has changed in them over these past few years that I can’t figure out their behavior anymore.
And look, there’s no sound at all, maybe they’ve left this room and gone into some other room inside. Fine, maybe the forgetful one forgot that I was here in the house, but what about my sister-in-law and the kids? They should have thought of me. I haven’t even had a proper conversation with them yet. They came to me with so much excitement, calling me "Uncle, Uncle," but now I don’t know where they’ve gone. Was their excitement just limited to saying hello?
What should I do? Should I call out to them?
But why should I call out? The door is locked from the inside. I can just open it and walk out.
But this is too much; it’s been over thirty-five minutes. Who spends this long in the bathroom? They should at least be a bit concerned. Just a moment ago, they were setting the table for dinner, and now, in the blink of an eye, they’ve forgotten about me. No one seems to care if I’m alive or dead.
Fine, I’ll have to deal with these strange people in some other way. For now, I’ll just step out myself and see where they’ve all gone.
Oh no, I hope they haven’t gotten into some kind of trouble. They’ve just returned from abroad. I shouldn’t be thinking only about myself like this. Surely, they might be facing some issue of their own.
But what could it be? Everyone seemed fine at home, so what could have happened to them?
No, no, I shouldn’t be so selfish. Let me step out and see.
I’ve been sitting on the toilet seat for more than forty minutes.
I quickly got up, washed my hands and face, and reached out to open the door.
But what is this? As soon as I touched the latch on the door, I heard a loud, blaring siren sound. I was startled.
