Stories

Live Life Kingsize

Sujata and Komal sitting in a room ... littered with newspapers and files, photographs ... Sujata is dressed in a red Dulhan dress ... Komal the edlder one is a wearing a T-Shirt and Jeans ... Radio is playing softly in the background...

Sujata:  Di u look amazing in this outfit…

Komal: u like it?

Sujata: If I had my way Di, I would wear it tomorrow…Can I do that Di please…

Komal: Of course not...But can wear it right now if u wish….

Sujata:  Sorry Di, wouldn’t trade the bride’s dress for anything in this world… Even if right now my would –be- husband came from heavens… I would refuse it ….

Komal: Likewise …my dear likewise….

Sujata: But tell me Di, don’t u ever think of Vasu…?

Komal: I do …dear. All the time…Why else do you think I’m here?

Sujata: It must be hard for u without him…

Komal: Later dear later…..

Sujata is silent. She starts admiring herself and her jewelry in the mirror... 

Sujata: Di, Ur necklace is really nice… How much is it worth?

Komal: I don’t know..Vaasu had bought it for me from his savings whatever little he had….Anyways…It is dazzling on u… If I were a Man I would’ve probably married u tonight…

Sujata: No…My man would have to have a moustache….I love men with Moustache….They look so manly then….

Komal: Moustache is fine to look at but it tickles a lot….

Sujata: (innocently) When?

Komal: Shut up!

Both women laugh heartily ...

Sujata: But Di seriously, U’ve done it obviously?  What was it like? I mean the first time?

Komal: It was bad….Vaasu was terrible…..In fact I was doing most of what was supposed to be done …

Sujata: Tell me more na ..Di…Plssssssssssssssssss…..

Komal : All the time I used to chide Vasu about it…He didn’t even know how to kiss…One day I told him If he doesn’t improve it…I will walk out on him like Waheeda Rahman from Guide,  a film which he loved by the way. I was just kidding with him…But he got really desperate ... he was begging ..he literally broke down…Imagine a Senior Inspector crying in front of his wife….I had to console him …There where times when I felt I was the husband…and he was wife….

Sujata: (Surprised) Seriously Di ?

Komal: Yes…I tell u all these strong manly looking men actually are good for nothing when it comes to bed and relationships.. They behave like children…But I loved my child coz he really improved upon it….In fact my child got it  right and he gave me one….eventually.

Komal massages her belly which is slightly protruding. 

Sujata: That could be the best parting gift a husband ever gave to his wife…

Komal: I wish it was true….

Knock at the door, Chotu comes but is not shown ... Sujata gives him 250 Rupees plus 10 Rupees Tip.

Sujata: Yes, 1 full plate Butter Chicken…10 chapattis…

Komal: 10?

Sujata: Oh common Di…I’ve never eaten Non Veg before.. What if I really like it?

Komal: Did he bring what I had asked for?

Sujata: haan haan don’t worry.. here’s your Old Monk…Funny why they have the word ‘MONK’ on the brand?

Komal: Its not funny, its supposed to be irony…

Sujata: Di, Are we actually going to drink it?

Komal: Why else do you think I spent 50 rupees on this? Just for u to sit and think about its irony and humor? I want u to drink at least one peg…

Sujata: No Di…I don’t want to do that…

Komal takes out a packet of cigarette Wills Navy Cut... while they've started eating the chicken... she also prepares two pegs...with lots of ice cubes. Komal is smoking (and coughing) away to glory ... 

Komal: u know what this cigarette catch line is ? Live Life Kingsize... I want to do that.

Sujata: Di it also says Cigarette Smoking is Injurious To Health…

Komal: As if that is really necessary right now….Anyways…How’s the chicken? Here drink this slowly …

Komal handing her the peg... Sujata protests initially but later agrees. 

Sujata: Di , this is really kadwa…what du call it in English ? hmmmmm …sour no not sour…bitter

Komal: So is life….

Sujata: Cummon Di …plzzzzz ….

Komal: Ok Ok fine….

Both enjoy their dinner...and their drink...Getting a little high....

Sujata: Hey Shahrukh song…I want to hear it …

Komal: Oh common..  ever since we bought this radio three days ago…it has been continuously playing even when we were not in the room……The battery would die out soon….Hey no….

Sujata goes and increase the volume of the song... ’KAL HO NA HO’  is playing ... begins to dance to the tune. Komal Enjoys while taking another difficult puff at her cigarette. Sujata urges then Komal joins her too. 

Komal: My dear you dance pretty well?

Sujata:  I learnt kathak for 12 long years Di….I really could have given Hema malini a run for her money…was I born then….

Komal: Vaasu didn’t know how to dance at all. All he knew was whenever there was a ball song…he would just catch hold of me and stand moving slowly…without any rhythm or without any meaning…or any purpose…he would just look at me all the time….Once we were dancing...he got lost in my eyes...at least that’s what he said…so much that we continued to dance even when the song had stopped…

Sujata: Ohhh…So Romantic…

Komal: It was so embarrassing…I was telling him to stop but he just wouldn’t listen…There were other couples looking at us...as if we were having sex in the middle of the party…I felt so weird. All thanks to my manly and intelligent man. He could be really stupid at times….No wonder…..

Sujata:  Diiiiiiiiiiiii…. I want a husband right here right now….I don’t care how… at least a boyfriend…

Komal: Honey, u can wait for 6 more months and u will have a contender…

Sujata: How can u be so sure it would be a boy?

Komal: I would prefer a boy…Vasu wanted a girl..in fact he had even named her…he used to call ‘her’ priyadarshini

Sujata: That’s toooo long a name…

Komal: I know…I fought with him over this…Eventually we decided that if it would be a girl then we would name her priyadarshini but if it would be a boy…God willing, then we would name him Dhananjay

Sujata: Even that’s long…and it’s a not a south Indian name…

Komal: We would call him jai…and besides the deal was he gives the girl a name as per his background and vice versa…

Sujata: Jai sounds manly…

Komal: Sujata you’re drunk now….stop this manly manly …

Sujata: Sorry….Di.. First time u see…

Komal: As if I’m an expert…This is probably the fourth or fifth …

Sujata: So much …since when ?

Komal: Since those Cocktail parties I used to attend with Vasu…He loved a drink...specially if it was free….He always used to ask me to join him….I would do that lovingly…Since there was always a driver…I didn’t  need to stay sober to drive...But Vasu would just go off limits…He would go drunk and discuss all about his office with me…Telling me not to talk to Inspector Sharma’s wife…How Sharma is harassed by her…how Inspector Chaudhary loves his wife but she is unfaithful….blah blah…U know what even men bitch about each other….

Sujata: I thought only  women bitch about…Suvarna Didi  would attend those kitty parties where everyone would criticize their husbands…But Didi wouldn’t say a word….She couldn’t say anything…out of fear. The more silent she was…the more she would be silenced….

Komal: Oh Sujata lets not get all sentimental about everything…I say Live Life Kingsize…come lets dance…

Komal urges her to dance to ‘KAL HO NA HO’ …Both dance. Soon Sujata feels exhausted. 

Sujata: Di I want to sleep ….I’m tired….

Komal: Even I’m …I’ll just switch off the radio and …

Sujata: No Di please don’t switch it off ...

Komal: Ok ok …I won’t …

Sujata: Di

Komal: Haan…

Sujata: Di can I sleep on your lap plsssssss….?

Komal: u fool why did u even have to ask? Come…

Sujata rests her head in Komal’s lap...She sleeps off in a flash. Komal is gently stroking her hair... looking at her jewelry...looking at her made up face...at her peacefully expressions... 

Komal: I’m sorry dear, really sorry…..

Next day around 11.00 am ... the Radio (which was playing all night) speaks:

RADIO: In a sporadic incident of violence…Commissioner Of Police Amit Shukla was assassinated by what is suspected to be a human bomb. Mr Shukla was recently in news in connection with charges of having fabricated the murder of Senior Inspector Vaasudevan Mahadevan, but he was acquitted…

In another incident Minister of Human Resources Rajendra Patil and his son Mukesh Patil, were killed in their  residence when a woman, later identified as Sujata S. Chauhan, sniper shot them thrice and later shot herself…

Dismayed Family members said that Sujata was the younger sister of the Patil daughter-in-law Suvarna Patil…who   had succumbed to 90 degree burns, earlier this year, in an alleged case of marital violence….

Police are still puzzled how the women managed to break in armed,  through the Z grade security provide to both Mr Shukla and Mr Patil.. Investigations are going on but it seems highly unlikely that ...

The radio would speak no more... The battery was dead ...

25-Dec-2005

More by :  Kartik Krishnan

Top | Stories

Views: 3427      Comments: 0





Name *

Email ID

Comment *
 
 Characters
Verification Code*

Can't read? Reload

Please fill the above code for verification.