Nicole wheeled her bag into Deepa Food House and found a corner table. Her bag wedged carefully into the space between the table and the wall, the green backpack off her frail shoulder, she sank into the low chair with a sigh. She raised her pinkie and tucked her hair behind her ear. She always did that when she was worried.
This was insane. The situation she found herself in was bizarre to say the least. Here she was, in a strange city in a strange country, far far away from the broad streets of Austin, with nowhere to go, and nobody to talk to!
Nicole looked around her. Every table was occupied with smiles and chatter. They had so much to say to each other. And so loudly too. She peered into her mobile again, willing the email to change dramatically. But of course it remained the same — a prosaic, “We are sorry to let you know that the Ashram will remain closed in February. We regret the inconvenience.”
Nicole lifted her backpack off the table and a splatter of photographs spilled out.
The tall man in a checkered shirt and large cowboy hat was her stepdad from Texas. “The interfering bozo” she said under her breath. “Your girl is freaking crazy” Robert had said to her mother before storming out of the kitchen. He wanted her to study, was even prepared to fund her college education. Something he never got he emphasized. “Give me space. You’re not my dad” she had protested sharply, when he asked her details about the Ashram.
Her lips puckered at Gary, his gorgeous muscles bursting out of his work clothes. He had rolled himself out from under the car for this picture. A car mechanic, a wiz at making her laugh, Gary was paradise. He canceled his appointments for her. “They can get their cars a day late. Besides, the tubes and rods under the bonnet are no match to your sweet face. I’d rather be with you” He would tell her, making her go weak in her knees. And then she saw him with her.
Shawn had part paid for this stay in the Ashram, and for the flight to India. He loved her. He wanted her. Made her feel special. “College is for schmucks” he jeered. She could call him for advice. But he was on a cruise with his wife.
Nicole had to quickly figure out where to stay and how to return. Who would help? Shawn was not reachable. Gary would shrug his shoulders and say eh! She was not going to cry to Robert. Never.
A lady in a dark blue cotton saree tapped on the table gently, and asked her, “May I sit here? Share the table?” Nicole nodded at her.
The lady signaled to the waiter and placed her orders. The waiter looked at Nicole. “Is she with you?’’ he asked the lady. She shook her head, and then proceeded to suggest dishes that Nicole could order. “Lemaaryce” said Nicole with her distinct Texas twang. The waiter looked at the lady. “Lemon Rice, very less spice” she translated for him, hazarding miraculous understanding.
“I see you have your bags. You have just come from somewhere? I come from outside too. From Udupi. Small town. God’s town. Krishna temple. Very nice.” She rattled on. Nicole was compelled to look up. She gazed at the delicate round face, salt-pepper hair combed back severely into a tight knot, the folds of the saree pallu pinned neatly at the shoulder of her handloom blouse.
“You know this temple? God Krishna turned around, and blessed his devotee. Even now, God idol faces the back of temple. So cool. Right?”
Nicole looked around, impatient for the food. The waiter was nowhere in sight.
“Many foreigners in Udupi. I had paying guests. They taught me good English. I can see you are also from foreign. Oh you are looking at pictures! Boyfriend? Nice, nice. They got me married at 14. No boyfriend. Only husband. You are working here?”
Nicole explained that she was registered for a month at an Ashram. She was exploring life.
The lady laughed, showing the gaps in her teeth. “Even I am exploring life. We all are. As long as we are living we must explore, learn, and move. The moment we stop we are dead, even though we are living.”
Trays of steaming food arrived and arrested the flow of thought.
“When mouth and hand are engaged in a duel, silence rules,” said the lady, immediately breaking it.
Nicole found the strange turn of words amusing. She was warming up to the lady in spite of herself.
“My man, always drinking, beating. I have no job. No money of my own. Always at his mercy. Finally I had to use the pillow. Quiet and easy. Now I am here. A stranger in a strange town.” She said, scooping up potatoes with a piece of poori.
“Study. Get a job. Then boyfriend, marriage. First stand on your feet. Don’t be like me. Helpless.” She said clucking at her own shortcomings.
Nicole hurriedly called for the bill. ‘Robert, I need your help. Can I come back?’ Nicole whispered into her mobile.
“What did you tell her?” the waiter asked the lady as he collected the dishes and the bill.
Ratna Rao has authored 5 books of which 3 are Amazon bestsellers. Her collection of short stories engage you with surprising insight into life.
