An Enigmatic Girl and A Cup of Coffee

 

I was sitting idle - watching over the never-ending traffic on the road, though it was past midnight. Typical of Mumbai, the city that never sleeps! The cool breeze of the night was enticing enough for me to postpone my retirement to the bedroom. Unknowingly, my mind started jogging in memory lane and went back as far as twenty-eight years and then it paused to reminiscence an incident or rather an encounter.

I used to work in the offshore oil platform of the national oil company, ONGC as a new trainee engineer. These platforms are on the high seas, some 130-odd kilometres off the shore, where we had to spend fourteen days at a stretch completely cut off from mankind. A day before my departure which was an off day for me, I hired an auto-rickshaw and rode down to Juhu Beach, a place I was very fond of; because of my attraction to the sea.

It was a mild evening of a December month and I was sitting on my handkerchief, spread over the sand. The dance of the waves and the music of the wind; the frolicking of the children in the water, the occasional warning by their concerned parents not to venture far into the water and the crimson sun getting ready to go down the horizon created a perfect environment. I was silently savouring every moment of it, looking in all directions to witness the happenings around me.

About 20-30 meters away, there was an open-air cafe which wasn’t yet crowded. It was in a very nice location overlooking the sea. I happened to turn my head towards it casually and something caught my attention.

A young woman was sipping coffee in a corner of the cafe, perhaps enjoying her solitude. Two small bagger children appeared from nowhere and started badgering her for some money. She didn’t seem to get irritated and in fact, developed a conversation with them with intermittent smiles.

They were separated by a waist-high boundary only. Without realising, I continued watching them as I noticed that the young lady had developed a keen interest in the kids. They talked animatedly for a while.

‘Aye, singdana....garam garam singdana.’ The repeated shrilly cry of the peanut seller completely distracted me. I shooed him away.

In the meantime, I saw the young lady take out a ten rupee note from her purse (a substantial amount in those days) and handed it over to the kids with a big smile. The giggling kids cantered away with their prized possession. It was perhaps more than their daily usual collection.

I looked back at the setting sun. Few seagulls were flying past it, creating a fascinating scene.

I wish I had a camera to capture this moment.

A few moments passed by, and I turned my head towards the cafe again without realising it. The young lady was still there, in a pensive mood. Our eyes connected - she smiled at me. I felt a bit awkward, not knowing how to respond. I was quite new to Mumbai, coming from a small city in Assam.

Before I could take my eyes off her, she waved at me. The smile was still there on her face. I became nervous, and my heart started fluttering.

Shit! Why is she calling me? Is she upset because I kept staring at her repeatedly? What do I do now? Shall I hurriedly leave this place? 

Fear crept into my mind and my intuition urged me to leave the place quickly before any more trouble was generated.

But for some strange reason, I could not ignore her and to my horror, I found myself walking towards her as if hypnotized. My feet were sinking in the loose sand slowing me down, giving me time to ponder why I had obliged her! I didn’t have an answer and I continued walking.

‘Hi, would you come and join me for a cup of coffee?’ The young lady extended an invitation with the same lovely smile.

I took the chair opposite her and smiled back at her nervously. Ordering a cup of coffee for me, she asked me, ‘do you enjoy the sunset here?’ I simply nodded.

‘Even I do. That's why I frequent this place in the evening. Just to catch a glimpse of the setting sun. It reminds me that its duty is over, time for a much-deserved rest. But not for me, no rest for me.' Though she smiled as she talked, there was a tinge of melancholy on her face.

She was in her late twenties or early thirties, a little bit on the darker side with curly and short hair. She wore a skirt and looked pretty but tired.

‘I found you observing me and the street kids with lots of interest when we were conversing. What was your inquisitiveness if I may know?'

 Did she get offended? Again, my uneasiness returned.

I stammered with some hesitation, ‘no...no, nah...nothing as such. I hardly find anyone taking a such keen interest in them. So, your animated discussion with them made me wonder what might have created the curiosity in your mind.’

She laughed, throwing her head backwards.

‘You know, I feel very connected to them. I can feel their agony – very similar to mine, though in different aspects of life. So I listen to them, talk to them and encourage them never to give up in life.’

Her comments were a bit obscure and I struggled to make a reasonable meaning out of them. I sipped my coffee – there was a momentary silence as we both looked towards the last few golden rays as the sun had already gone down the horizon.

I was expecting her to ask me questions – about me, my name, my profession, my background etc. which normally happens when you meet someone for the first time. But she wasn’t interested it seemed. She was still looking out into the sea, the diminishing sun rays and the invading darkness in the sky.

She broke her silence abruptly pointing towards the sky, ‘look at that lone bird, hurriedly flying past and listen to her chirping. Can't you feel the worry in her voice for her hatchlings?'

She looked at me askance. Completely puzzled and unable to make out what she asked, I simply nodded my head indicating my ignorance.

She sighed, ‘no you can’t feel the pain, not your fault. But I can very well – because we are connected, I go through similar pain.’

Again there were a few moments of silence. I was getting a little restless in the strange company. There was something about her – some mystery, some sorrow and some pain in her otherwise pretty look. I felt uneasy and wanted to leave soon, but some unknown force held me back. It told me to keep listening to her though I hardly understood her thoughts.

‘You must be thinking why I invited you over here, without even knowing you? Because my strong instinct told me that you are a simple and a good guy. I knew you would listen to my incoherent babbling with lots of patience. And thank you for doing so.’ She smiled beautifully once again.

By then, I had almost become complete dumb – as if my lips were stitched up together. I was only listening to her, not a word was coming out of my mouth.

‘I have a small baby – a girl, an extremely adorable one. Want to have a look? See.’ She took out a photograph.

Stunningly cute! A beautiful smile – exactly like her mother. ‘She is so sweet.' Finally, I managed to break my own silence.

‘You know, I am a single mom. And I miss her a lot when I have to do frequent stints of many long hours outside.’  She lamented.

I wanted to ask her lots of things, about her, her child, and her life in general – because she appeared quite enigmatic and her lovely smile couldn't cover the layer of melancholy on her face. But I could not because it was our first meeting and it was inappropriate to do so.

‘Well, time to leave. I have to go on call now, long hours you see. Perhaps I shall return home in the wee hours tomorrow when my baby will be fast asleep.’

I smiled at her as we got up to leave. She did not allow me to settle the bill.

‘Let me do the honours, please. It was I who had requested your company.'

We slowly walked out onto the road. She hailed an auto-rickshaw and before getting into it whispered to me, ‘I am really thankful to you for giving me company. No one wants to talk to me in public – because my profession is a dark one. I am a Call Girl!’ 

She waved at me with her beatific smile as the three-wheeler moved ahead. I was thunderstruck and motionless for a while.

We never met again. But this incident left an indelible mark in my mind. Even after twenty-eight long years, I vividly remember it. The face of the adorable smiling baby, the comments of the young mother, her beautiful smile and the stamp of melancholy on her face – nothing has been forgotten.

Some people are not as lucky as we are. Certain compelling circumstances might have forced an educated girl like her to get into the dark profession of the flesh trade. There was a strong yearning in her eyes, to escape the clutch of the immoral world, to lead a peaceful and respectable life. To give a good life to her child.

I closed my eyes in earnest silent prayer for her and her child before retiring to my bed for the night!

(A true incident)

a strange encounter

a call girl story

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