Star cafe

He was sitting in the a famous among middle class cafe ‘star café’ right in the middle of sector 18 of Noida, a cafe which was celebrated among nocturnals because it was only cafe which was offering open air service and use to operate all night; it's another USP was the 'Hukka service', which use to start late night once the posh atta market start switching off it's light. There, he was having his coke, this was a very unusual choice at 12 at night in the chilling month of December. In café, There was no set pattern in which the tables were arranged as the biker gangs and college students mostly use to visit it and depending upon how much are in a group the tables were coupled & decoupled, since all the furniture was made up of some low quality plastic, it was not a tall order to move them.

It was mid night and everyone's attention was diverted when some guys,suddenly started yelling “maro sale monty ko” and then “happy birthday kutte” was in the air; those who were situated in the adjacent tables were enjoying the scenes of boys getting over the birthday boy, the one, who was unmoved was the same guy sitting in the middle, he had a plastic bottle bottle of coke that he was sipping it gently; while continuously staring at the cap of the bottle which he was holding in his right hand, a black jacket and jet black shining hair with a black jeans; his face was too leaned towards the table to be identified.

“Bhai! aap udhar baith jaaoge” we are four people here and that seat is empty, you are alone so can sit there” when he looked up; he saw a group of masculine people, his prima facie impression was all of them are hitting in gym from ages while all were staring at him when he moved his neck around, he then has to correct his assumption; there were not four but three masculine people, fourth one was short and lean, it was his voice that was carrying the shrillness which shook him out, all four of them were still gazing at him, he at once found it difficult to make a decision about with whom to make an eye contact; so after spending a couple of seconds in this indecision he stood up and moved towards the aforesaid empty table with absolute calmness. It took him hardly couple minutes to regain the same posture and focus towards the cork of the bottle.

"Can I sit here?" soft and slightly restless voice hit his ears, he looked up again; she was pretty eye catching, her long hair were not tied and were flickering gently with street light reflection; looking fresh and energetic, which is hardly a common phenomenon at 12 in night though breathing quickly, was also trying to hold her breath. With a homely saree and a sober cardigan, she had a persona of an all but a typical ‘Bhartiya naari’.

He was expressionless, without speaking a word, he stood up and started inspecting any empty table for himself, “pardon me! I meant can I sit here, I do not want you to leave because of me” her breath was almost stable by now with a courteous smile on face, “If you have any problem then I should be the one who is suppose to depart”. He focused at her again, without giving much of attention, he again spend couple of seconds to recheck that there were no empty tables, When it was reaffirmed that there were indeed none; he sat down acquiring the same gesture.

The lady was well-mannered; she gently called the famous chotu of star cafe and ordered black coffee, “the specialty” of star café. While waiting for her order to arrive, she looked around to get the glimpse of what is going on in the chilly night while rubbing her right elbow with her left palm, she seems to be interested in him, her movements suggested that she was seeking his attention. It was apparent that she was keen on initiating a discussion, but her 'Bhartiya sanskaars' were not permitting her to do that, but after the coffee was delivered to her by Chotu ever busy and most wanted in café, curiosity prevailed over 'sanskaars' she decided to start it by herself putting the courtesy protocol behind of letting man starting the discussion,

“So you are having a soft drink in December that too at this time, very strange!” after his usual two second gap of processing the information, he established eye contact with her this time, now she was able to see him, He was indeed a handsome guy with fair complexion, in his mid twenties but who was still not interested in any conversation, though without showing any frustration of the fact that he has now been disturbed thrice in less than ten minutes, he shook his head in ‘yes’ and in without wasting any movement regained the same posture, it was evident now what she wanted is not on the cards, this could be disheartening to anyone specially a lady with the same age group of her who have even put down the courtesy calls in starting the chat.

“Hey! Why don’t you try the dark coffee, this is most energetic drink I ever had” She was spirited in her attempts in making him speak, he however went through the same procedure as he did last time taking his neck out, giving her a quick look, but this time the answer was negative.

The response was so luke warm that even she gave up, like a loosing captain who looks at the victor's trophy, she looked at him one more time at him and decided to rather focus on her coffee, sporadic noises were coming from the nearby tables mostly guys who were still celebrating the birthday, but there was a complete silence at their table.

“Why do you want to have an energetic drink at this time?” the calmness was wrecked when he decided to broke his silence. His tone was meek and he still looked more interested in the cap of the coke, though he continued, “you need to have an energetic drink when you require some knd of energy but at night, when you were to go to bed, what is the point of having it?”. “How do you know I’m going to sleep shortly?” The reply was equally convincing, “Yes! You’r right, this is no ordinary situation, this happens once in many times” his logical part denounced the one that was for to maintain calmness, this however fetched a subtle smile at her face, She has finally been able to initiate a conversation with him. “what makes you to think this is an extra ordinary situation?” This made him to finally give up his focus on the cap of the coke, he took a short sip of the soft drink and then went back to sit straight, he was no more leaning on the table now, “because you are an typical Indian women, married and settled, this café is something you are not supposed to visit, that too when it is 12 at night and above all when you are all alone, what makes it even rarer that is that you are left handed”. “You are what… magician? In fact..loosing I am not a lefty” she was amused with the point blank observation. “If you rub your right hand elbow with your left hand the chances are you are left handed but what affirmed it was you were using your left hand to mix the sugar in coffee”.

“You know there are not many who impress me at first meeting; you are one of very few”. “How many do you meet?” “A housewife like you generally doesn’t meet many in a common day, how many do you meet in a day.” His propositions were too harsh and irrefutable. “Ok! I give up; I am a common ordinary meaningless housewife with a bird’s brain without any purpose of life; is this what you makes feel happy?”. She smashed the table with her left hand, the coffee in the mug got unsettled and some even went outside the cup. A pause took over the table again; she was infuriated; his words were too harsh for anyone, leave her apart. He too decided not to make any eye contact with her, took a small nip again and started looking at his bottle’s cap again.

The gap lasted for couple of minutes while removing coffee from the table from a tissue paper she asked for forgiveness, “I’m sorry! I over reacted for no reason, it make no sense to shout on you like this, you were generous enough to offer me a seat here, perhaps I do not deserve your company.” “you don’t have to say sorry, it is not your fault, I am too straight forward many time, sometime even forgetting the etiquettes, I do not mean to be rude towards you though”. There were a silence for a while again before she opened up , “you were right in your assessment about me! I, hardly meet any new person everyday, my life was…what I’m saying! what I lived was not a life at all, my soul was trapped in somewhere, where I could just not move at all, suffocated, exhausted and fighting a lost battle ”. “What makes you feel this? He, for the first time looked at her, perhaps trying to find the answer himself, but surrendered quickly after finding her expressions murky and baffling.

“I am my husband’s wife! This is all what I am, but we are taught to obey our husband, we are tought to be slaves of ou masters, my father was a hindi lecturer and I was the elder daughter, inspite of being the brightest among all, I was a liability to my parents and when a marriage proposal come for an IT professional, this was too charming for them to be turned down, I was even not given an opportunity to see him before marriage, he too never visited me or even ringed once before marriage, why he did that become clearer after I my marriage, he was in love with one of the girl in his company but fearing backlash from the home, he decided to marry to some docile and a servant, my family abandoned me, our great shatras say, once you left your father house you are unwelcome there again. My parents & in laws blamed me for letting someone steal my husband, I was on his mercy, he use to take her at my home and I was to live with this harsh reality, I am M.A. in Hindi, I was a gold medalist throughout, always a scholar but what I was reduced to? A trash..I was told to live with this reality or to move out…”

She now used her tissue paper to wipe the sweat that was on her forehead, first time he looked at her closely, she was sweating dearly in the month of December, after taking a deep breath, well! I fail to understand what makes me to say this all to you.. But possibly it is the right time to say that this does not entitles you to look me like a prey, I am a no ones prey now, while

I was dying everyday, everyday…but today I feel free, as free as one could ever be while having this coffe! She was smiling.

But same was with the case with him, he too got a subtle smile on his face, “you don’t have to worry from me! I am a homosexual man”, “perplexed! Why I’m not like what you thought of me, what you saw in all the Madhur Bhandarkar’s movie? He was still carrying a delicate smile; aren’t you thinking oh I told my story to a homosexual…” you got married to a guy whom you did not loved, your parents selected the one for you; but I loved him, as much as, or perhaps even more than what I have loved a girl had I been a ‘straight’ like all of you… I was ready to give up my dream, my life, my carrier of a successful researcher everything; but eventually I got to know that He was a ‘straight’ and was just aiming the handsome compensation I fetch from my work; Does this makes you feel unusual when I say I was deceived in love, I think you do, even I do when I tell you this all as you and I are taught to take the people like me as sin...” He continued his burst, “What is my fault? I am not a gay by choice; I am a gay by birth, god made me like this, I’m a criminal just because I feel the same thing for a guy what I am supposed to feel for a girl?”…

“Sir if you are done then… there are so many waiting for a table please take this as request…madam..if you may” the operating manager was polite and zealous to get this tabl vacated after seeing an empty coffee cup and a half finished coke, but this also interrupted him who otherwise was very seamless.”

Both looked at one another after his instruction in the form of request, there were confusions as well as questions, where to go? If they leave the table the conversation would have terminated in the middle, she looked at her, while he stood up, tried to adjust the wrinkles of his jackets and slowly walked towards the nearby road, he took two steps and looked back, she was still sitting and were looking at his movements, he stood there for a while, this cue perhaps she was looking for, she too left the table and walked towards him.

As the table got vacated, multiple people started stalking the claim for it, business was running as usual for them.

Both of them slowly reached the pedestrian, this road of atta market was the best in Noida, it looked washed up with the street lights, there was sporadic movement on the road, the huge eight lane road, but whenever it was crossing them, it was with lightning fast speed, she was feeling the cold out there but was dealing with it graciously, she was walking amicably while carrying the sari, both of them took a two minutes walk silently when the silence was broken, when the guy started again, “I belong to a family where ‘these things’ are not allowed, they can accept anyone but what I am actually“. “He knew what was for me on stake so he capitalized it well, but some day the demands become so unjustifiable that it was impossible to cope up with”. Pshewww….he took a deep breath “My father has told me he would begin an indefinite fast in twenty four hours until the time I accept his demand to marry the girl he selected me for”… “so..” while she was to ask something, he interrupted her between, “I’ll ask god to either send me to a better world next time or make me a heterosexual”, “well! She got a short smirk on her face, I’ll pray I travel along with you…” he was walking slightly ahead of her but hearing this he looked stumbled a little and turned back with an inquiry.

“perhaps I am a Bhratiya naari in true essence; the agony was going beyond the level anyone could have undertaken, I use to play a rani lakshmi bai as a child in my school days, that rani in me told me to stop the suffering, so I killed him today, So I decided to have my favorite coffee here before going for a long drive…”

“You know people might thought you have eloped with me after killing your husband;” “This would be pleasing for everyone…they were to blame me in any case, anyways! But imagine how much this is useful for you; sice you’d be found with me; no one can ever challenge that you were normal…” Both of them started grinning soundly.

“But hey…I don’t even know your name...” She was still carrying a broad smile; “let’s keep this a secret…may be some religion or caste problem will crop up then” both shared a big laugh again.

Do you want to share my coke; he forwarded his most precious coke towards her, she looked at her, with a cherished face she happily accepted it, very few sips were taken from it; she decided to take a big one of it.