Rajesh entered the bar, and started looking around. He was searching for a place to settle down. The bar was a little crowded. It was June 1st, first day of the month, salary day, most of the men were enjoying the day they felt like a King. All the tables were occupied with people who knew each other. At last he found a table at the corner of the bar with only one person sitting. He quickly went and occupied the opposite chair.
He carried a black plastic cover. He emptied the cover and kept everything on the table, A Quarter RC Whiskey, Half liter Sprite, Half pack cigarette and some snacks. He also took out 1Re pickle packet (Oorga packet) from his shirt pocket. Then he found that he forgot the plastic tumbler. He turned around and shouted..
Boss.. Boss..
The bearer came by..
Rajesh- Boss one plastic glass.
Bearer- Ok sir.
Then he turned towards the person sitting opposite to Rajesh and said, “Sir, we don’t have KF strong, only Premium, can I get you K-O strong”.
No, no. Bring me KF premium itself.
The bearer came back with a plastic glass and a KF premium. Then placed them in front of the respective people and went away.
The person opposite Rajesh kept his head bent down and wasn’t looking at anything that was happening. As soon as the bearer disappeared he looked up and started shouting.
“Hey.. Hey my side dish”.
The bearer never heard it.
Rajesh after looking at this, “Hello boss, you can take mine”.
“No. Its ok”, came the reply.
“Paravala boss, you can return when you get yours, anyhow he’s not coming back to our table anytime soon, its too crowded today, so lots of customers to look after. Also the beer tastes bitter if its not cold”.
After thinking for a while he accepts it. He then pours the beer into the mug, producing too much froth in the process.
Rajesh- “First time”..?
“Yes, how do you know?”
Rajesh- “That’s not the way to pour the beer into the mug”.
“I never thought I would be drinking. Never in my life”
Rajesh- “So what makes you drink now”.
He kept quite, looking down.
Its ok. You need not tell if it’s personal.
“Nothing personal boss, ellam Love failure dhan”
Rajesh- “Nowadays I don’t know if boys fail in academics or not, but they certainly fail in love”
“You don’t know boss, it was 3yrs’ love”.
Rajesh- “So what happened...? Did she dump you, or did her parents come to know, or did her brother warn you or did you fight and got separated by yourself..?”
He looked at Rajesh’s face for a while and kept quite again.
Rajesh- “Enna aachi boss. Why silent again..?”
He looked back at Rajesh again and said, “Tomorrow is her marriage”.
Rajesh- “Oh, American mapillai aa..? Inda ponnungale ippadi dhan boss. Nambave koodadu” (All girls are the same. Should never trust them.)
“No boss. She wasn’t like that. Family pressure. So she couldn’t do anything”.
Rajesh- “All the girls are sincere only, until their family comes to know”
“No boss. You can’t understand my feeling”.
Rajesh- “Do you know its been 2yrs since I drank. You know why..? B’coz I promised my girlfriend I won’t drink”.
“So why are you drinking now..?”
Rajesh- “ En girlfriend ennna vittutta, na avalukku panna promise'a vittutaen”.(My girlfriend left me and I left the promise I made her)
“Did she leave you..? Why..?”
Rajesh- “Same as your case. Her parents saw her an American mapillai, and she doesn’t intend to hurt her parents. So she decided to marry the American mapillai and dump this Made-in-India. Yours is just 3yrs, but my girlfriend accepted my love after 3yrs of roaming behind her, then 4yrs of roaming with her. Total 7yrs investment of time, money and energy waste. I didn’t even hug her in these seven years, not even once. Have you ever hugged your girlfriend..?”
“She kissed me once when I gifted her an iPhone”
Rajesh- “Lucky guy, you at least got that. For all the love she had on me, she came to me one day and gave me her wedding card, and dropped two drops of tears. That’s it. Two drops of tears for my 7yrs of time, money and energy. She didn’t hug me even when she left me. And told me that I will still be her Best Friend. Nalla vele, she didn’t tell me that I will be her Brother. And the interesting thing is my girlfriend’s marriage is also tomorrow”.
“I’m sorry”.
Rajesh- “Vidunga boss. Why should you feel sorry”?
“It was nice talking to you, I would like to keep in touch with you, can I get your number”..?
Rajesh- “Sure. My name is Rajesh and my number is *******142”.
“My number is also the same, except the last digit, mine’s *******144”.
Rajesh- “My girlfriend bought me this number”
“Mine too”.
Both looked shocked.
Rajesh- “Is your girlfriend from Vidya Nagar?”
“Did your girl friend study at St.John’s College?”
Rajesh- “Is your girl friend’s father’s name Shanmugam?”
“Is your girl friend’s birthday tomorrow?”
And in a single voice they said, “Is your girlfriend’s name Geetha and her number *******143?”
Both fell dead silent.
The bearer comes back and asks, “Anything more sir?”
Rajesh’s mind voice, “Adicha beer'a erangidichi, inga vandhu moru soru'ntu.”(No translation please.!!)
“No, thanks” said the person opposite Rajesh.
Rajesh- “Ellarum friends aayittu bar ku varuvaanga, but naambo bar ku vanduttu friends aayirukkom”(Others become friends and come to bar, but we have become friends after coming to bar)
The other person then stands and starts to leave.
Rajesh- “Boss, aren’t you drinking?”
“No boss, I don’t feel like drinking”
Rajesh- “Boss, you didn’t tell me your name”
“RAJESH”
Rajesh’s mind voice- “Girlfriend dhan same nu nenacha, paer’rum same’aa?”
(I thought, just our girlfriends were same, but even our names.??)
He carried a black plastic cover. He emptied the cover and kept everything on the table, A Quarter RC Whiskey, Half liter Sprite, Half pack cigarette and some snacks. He also took out 1Re pickle packet (Oorga packet) from his shirt pocket. Then he found that he forgot the plastic tumbler. He turned around and shouted..
Boss.. Boss..
The bearer came by..
Rajesh- Boss one plastic glass.
Bearer- Ok sir.
Then he turned towards the person sitting opposite to Rajesh and said, “Sir, we don’t have KF strong, only Premium, can I get you K-O strong”.
No, no. Bring me KF premium itself.
The bearer came back with a plastic glass and a KF premium. Then placed them in front of the respective people and went away.
The person opposite Rajesh kept his head bent down and wasn’t looking at anything that was happening. As soon as the bearer disappeared he looked up and started shouting.
“Hey.. Hey my side dish”.
The bearer never heard it.
Rajesh after looking at this, “Hello boss, you can take mine”.
“No. Its ok”, came the reply.
“Paravala boss, you can return when you get yours, anyhow he’s not coming back to our table anytime soon, its too crowded today, so lots of customers to look after. Also the beer tastes bitter if its not cold”.
After thinking for a while he accepts it. He then pours the beer into the mug, producing too much froth in the process.
Rajesh- “First time”..?
“Yes, how do you know?”
Rajesh- “That’s not the way to pour the beer into the mug”.
“I never thought I would be drinking. Never in my life”
Rajesh- “So what makes you drink now”.
He kept quite, looking down.
Its ok. You need not tell if it’s personal.
“Nothing personal boss, ellam Love failure dhan”
Rajesh- “Nowadays I don’t know if boys fail in academics or not, but they certainly fail in love”
“You don’t know boss, it was 3yrs’ love”.
Rajesh- “So what happened...? Did she dump you, or did her parents come to know, or did her brother warn you or did you fight and got separated by yourself..?”
He looked at Rajesh’s face for a while and kept quite again.
Rajesh- “Enna aachi boss. Why silent again..?”
He looked back at Rajesh again and said, “Tomorrow is her marriage”.
Rajesh- “Oh, American mapillai aa..? Inda ponnungale ippadi dhan boss. Nambave koodadu” (All girls are the same. Should never trust them.)
“No boss. She wasn’t like that. Family pressure. So she couldn’t do anything”.
Rajesh- “All the girls are sincere only, until their family comes to know”
“No boss. You can’t understand my feeling”.
Rajesh- “Do you know its been 2yrs since I drank. You know why..? B’coz I promised my girlfriend I won’t drink”.
“So why are you drinking now..?”
Rajesh- “ En girlfriend ennna vittutta, na avalukku panna promise'a vittutaen”.(My girlfriend left me and I left the promise I made her)
“Did she leave you..? Why..?”
Rajesh- “Same as your case. Her parents saw her an American mapillai, and she doesn’t intend to hurt her parents. So she decided to marry the American mapillai and dump this Made-in-India. Yours is just 3yrs, but my girlfriend accepted my love after 3yrs of roaming behind her, then 4yrs of roaming with her. Total 7yrs investment of time, money and energy waste. I didn’t even hug her in these seven years, not even once. Have you ever hugged your girlfriend..?”
“She kissed me once when I gifted her an iPhone”
Rajesh- “Lucky guy, you at least got that. For all the love she had on me, she came to me one day and gave me her wedding card, and dropped two drops of tears. That’s it. Two drops of tears for my 7yrs of time, money and energy. She didn’t hug me even when she left me. And told me that I will still be her Best Friend. Nalla vele, she didn’t tell me that I will be her Brother. And the interesting thing is my girlfriend’s marriage is also tomorrow”.
“I’m sorry”.
Rajesh- “Vidunga boss. Why should you feel sorry”?
“It was nice talking to you, I would like to keep in touch with you, can I get your number”..?
Rajesh- “Sure. My name is Rajesh and my number is *******142”.
“My number is also the same, except the last digit, mine’s *******144”.
Rajesh- “My girlfriend bought me this number”
“Mine too”.
Both looked shocked.
Rajesh- “Is your girlfriend from Vidya Nagar?”
“Did your girl friend study at St.John’s College?”
Rajesh- “Is your girl friend’s father’s name Shanmugam?”
“Is your girl friend’s birthday tomorrow?”
And in a single voice they said, “Is your girlfriend’s name Geetha and her number *******143?”
Both fell dead silent.
The bearer comes back and asks, “Anything more sir?”
Rajesh’s mind voice, “Adicha beer'a erangidichi, inga vandhu moru soru'ntu.”(No translation please.!!)
“No, thanks” said the person opposite Rajesh.
Rajesh- “Ellarum friends aayittu bar ku varuvaanga, but naambo bar ku vanduttu friends aayirukkom”(Others become friends and come to bar, but we have become friends after coming to bar)
The other person then stands and starts to leave.
Rajesh- “Boss, aren’t you drinking?”
“No boss, I don’t feel like drinking”
Rajesh- “Boss, you didn’t tell me your name”
“RAJESH”
Rajesh’s mind voice- “Girlfriend dhan same nu nenacha, paer’rum same’aa?”
(I thought, just our girlfriends were same, but even our names.??)
