( Recap – In the last part, I mentioned about the deportment of Ranjit and his sorry plight, the circumstances he caught in and forced to leave the market.)
As far as my own case was concern, I too took myself as a paramour of Bablee and lived under a misconception, no other chap was there to compete me, and if some one was trying, he could not withstand me. I was a daily visitor to their shop. For this, just I had to cross the road before my office and I was there. My old acquaintances with their old father and younger brother was known to every one and helped me to remove the untoward doubts in the mind of other people regard my visits. This prompted me to pass some specific time of the day at there premise only.
Secondly, I was living with a misconception that I had a continuity with Bablee, rather it felt to me or what I foolishly observed from the response of Bablee. No doubt, it all was my sheer foolishness, since I was unable to judge the depth of the psychology of Bablee. I never could think that the softness in her demeanor in dealing with me was not all alone for me only. The same demeanor she applied with every shopkeeper in the market. But I was in somewhat under madness and her all melodrama sounded me as a “conceding gesture.”
As far as the personal background of her elder sister Jito was concerned, she had some weird history. Since, I had been informal to them in personal dealing in this long period of time and we were on friendly terms. I too used to have frank discussion with Jito as well. At every evening a strong built, dark complexioned man with mustache, used to visit her as a body guard and often she retreated with him at the evening. This man for his visit used to take the public transport means and by the same means they retreated. It seemed, he was not a self sufficient man. Bablee always used to leave the shop late and alone after Jito.
The dark complexioned man, who happened to come to take Joto back home, was in fact her husband. This fact, she too had revealed by herself. The critical bend in the story was; in past, she had been in ‘love’ with him. But the man concealed the fact that he was already married and father of two kids. And in the disguise of a paramour with single status he trick fully managed to enter in nuptial tie with her. He was so cunning, he already had a separate arrangement for Jito. As Jito told, she came to know of this cheating later on, but it was too late. Perhaps, it might be the reason, this incidence helped put both sisters on guards for future, in dealing with all men.
But, as I told, this man was not well sufficed with money and Jito considered it better to stay back in father’s home then in temporary arrangement of the husband as a second wife to him. She was in hazardous situation and god knows only, how her conjugal happiness were being satisfied by her man. As I just mentioned, Bablee always used to leave the shop late and alone after Jito. It revealed later on, she was in habit to fix some one of the shop keepers to drop her near her house on bike or scooter. The truth is, I too had rendered this “dropping service” to her on my scooter so many times.
On one evening it chanced, I had to see someone in the locality where Ranjit’s new repair shop had the location. Hence I shut down the office in early evening and ventured on to my task. There on my return, I came across Ranjit. Obviously, he was my old acquaintance and neighbor as such. This made me to halt at his place. He too forced me to sit there, he was almost free. He was running the shop in a part of his residence and it seemed the work load at that area was very poor. Despite of my reluctance, he recovered a bottle of country liquor and prepared drinks for both of us. This is the psychology of liquor drinking session, once it’s initiated, it lasts for a considerable good time.
During the session, when he became ‘high’ under the impression of liquor, he wore his heart on his sleeve and expressed his all suppressed feelings and anger before me.Somewhere, now he felt cheated badly. Firstly, there came a volcanic eruption of abusive epithets for both sisters and old father. He candidly admitted, how by displaying the romantic angle, both sisters numbed his senses and succeeded in capturing the shop back. Then he by gazing directly into my eyes said, ” you too are trying your hand over them. I am giving you an alert suggestion, both they are venomous girl, keep your skin intact.” This advice was enough to baffle me.
I meekly resisted his allegation of my any involvement with them. It now too occurred to me that I was in fool’s paradise when considering my “mission Love” as a secret drive. Not only this, the next revelation he made was so horrific. He revealed the fact, After three shop from Bablee, the barber shop ran by a Muslim boy too was one of the “preys’ of the spider Bablee. Again, across the road, in front of Muslim barber shop, the “Furniture Mart owner” too was in the list of her “active paramours.” I too knew the “Furniture Mart owner,” he was a hot headed man who had earned a notoriety as a hooligan. He too was a married manlike me and having children behind in the home. He was some what dangerous man. This made me worried about the prospectus of both Bablee and Jito.
Till now, I too was under the tipsiness of the liquor and I expressed my worries regard this. Even I said both sisters were playing with fire. Upon that, the reply delivered by Ranjit, on the one hand opened my eyes and on the second made me feel a destitute. He said, ” Brother! The kind of hooligan the furniture man is nothing to them. Both they sisters can sale him in the market, ” a dime a dozen.” You still don’t know them, how cunning and shrewd they are! Specifically Bablee. She is made of some unique mettle. The only advice now to you is. Just keep yourself in a safe zone. Though it’s hard for you to keep yourself aloof from them, I know it very well.
He paused for little and continued, ” But just.. just avoid to lend them some money. Otherwise, you too will suffer like me. I lent them five thousand rupees by arranging it hardly from the market on my personal contact, on a higher interest rate from some where. What happened with me? They created a situation for me and I was given a severe beating in the market before them. I got forced to leave the market with great humiliation and my money got sunk. Still I am paying that back. Secondly, my properly running business came to null. Just you keep on watching them lest the all shop keepers come up as their paramours. If I am proven wrong, you are at liberty to chastise me in whatever way you wish.”
His this revelation at once made me lose my intoxication. But inside my heart, I too paid a thank to him. Just two days back, in a chat both sisters were lamenting before me of want of money, needed to renovate their shop. This might be a stage setting to demand some money from me. Before taking leave from Ranjit, I too inquired about his old, erstwhile Nepali woman sweet heart. The same one, who had delivered him a red tainted heart shaped color love letter.
Upon that, Ranjit said very innocently ,”Brother, that Nepali woman too had been well informed of my infatuation for Bablee and Jito. These lover type women are prone to keep an vigilant eyes on their paramour and glean the information of every movement of man, they are in love. She was badly offended by my cheating conduct. Now, she doesn’t keep any connection with me. These sisters made my condition like a dog, who ran after two bones and caught neither.” I left Ranjit in his deplorable condition and departed from there. ( End of the Part-10th. Cont’d ) Penned by — Vinay Pharasi —–
