he had no coins and Special would have said that so many people go past the unfortunate in the street and find a reason for not putting their hand in their pocket. Like Eliot, they just give a slight wave of their hand.
He declined a chai and a roti and turned left through the gate and walked down the shaded path of the garden and in the shade men played dominoes and others stared into the distance and others slept on the wooden benches. At the far gate of the gardens he turned back toward the Emperor Residency and he hoped that he would come across what he needed.
People who shared the uneven footpath stared at him as he walked and on the road a cycle rickshaw was coming towards him. Squeezed up on the seat, protected by a canopy from the heat of the ever growing sun were three portly men and the old barefoot rickshaw wallah who had dismounted a long time ago was now pushing the bike slightly up hill on foot, back bent and head down and as he approached, the wallah glanced up and under his grey mop of hair his forehead was shiny with sweat and his eyes said something about India, something that made you wonder on this hot Kolkata morning and Special would say how can the unlucky be happy? How can they believe in God?
Then he spied what he was looking for. A barber’s shop. ANOKHA BARBER. He crossed the road. There were two chairs and an old man was lying back in one chair having the hairs of his nostrils removed. A number of men stared at the old man at the mercy of the barber as if this was a spectator sport. The other chair was empty.
Amil! Amil! Yes sir you must be sitting in this chair. Amil is coming.
Thank you.
It took a little bit of explaining past a little bit of misunderstanding and maybe disbelief but when Amil was sure, off it came. Eliot’s hair was now quite short all over, his ears and nostrils were trimmed and his head and shoulders were massaged and when Amil held up a mirror to the back of Eliot’s head it was certainly gone and everyone smiled. When he paid and got up from his chair there it was lying on the floor. He was almost sure that he liked what he saw in the mirror. The new beginning was confirmed. As he left the shop he felt that he was stepping out differently and that he was ready for the next part of his journey. Still, he wondered what Marion would have thought. She had liked his ponytail when he was young. Make the next part of your life special she had written.
Ravi had come out of the front gate of the Emperor Residency and spoke to Pintu who was squatting on the side of the road in the shade of a tree
No he is not there inside but the boss says that his luggage is still in the room. I am thinking that he must be walking around in the hot sun or maybe he has gone to find an ATM so that he has plenty of cash for us. You are very expensive Pintu aren’t you?
Pintu smiled on his cigarette. Ravi kicked off his sandals, opened the back door of the taxi and lay down on the back seat.
We will wait.
Eliot turned the corner and saw the Emperor Residency. He was glad to see that Pintu and Ravi had returned. Their yellow taxi was parked in front of the Hotel and it seemed even more battered in the light of day. Kolkata Taxi Service No. 36 in faded black letters on the bleached yellow duco. Pintu saw Eliot immediately and jumped up waving his cigarette at him and a wide smile spread across his face. In the light of the new day, they were wearing blue shirts and Ravi was asleep on the back seat his bare feet protruding from the open window. In the light of the new day it was hard to understand now, how he could have had doubts about these two men, thoughts that maybe they might have been up to no good in the mighty maze of this city, how they might have seen him in his shorts, pockets bulging with rupees, rupees that he would hardly miss when they relieved him of them.
Good morning gentlemen, you have arrived bright and early.
Maybe early Mr. Eliot but I am thinking not bright. It was very late when we delivered you to your unknown hotel, so late that we cannot have time to drive to our homes and comfort our wives and they are not happy because they need a little comfort and we stay outside the house of Mr. Baag who I must tell you is a crook who is always taking for himself the money we have earned from you. Hey you are losing your hair Mr Eliot.
Pintu and Ravi exchanged glances and flashed their teeth.
Yes I have…. I am sorry to hear about your night Pintu.
No you must not be worrying Mr. Eliot, we are tired but we are waking very happy on this morning Mr Eliot because we will be taking our Australian friend to the airport or any other place he choose to do before.
I don’t think that there will be enough time for a guided tour fellas. I don’t want to miss my plane to Varanasi do I?
Oh you will not be missing your plane, this is not a worry
Ok, I will go and get my luggage and be back down in a minute
Pintu helped put the luggage on one side of the back seat of the taxi and the three of them climbed in and the engine reluctantly turned over and started. As they pulled away from the curb, Pintu turned to the back seat.
You are smoking Mr.Eliot? No? Maybe you like to drink something strong?
Just a little early for me at the moment.
Oh no Mr. Eliot, it is never too early or too late for a strong drink. Sometimes life is very hard, sometime you worry about money, sometime your boss is taking it, sometime your wife is nagging you. This can happen at any time Mr. Eliot. Do you have a wife Mr. Eliot?
No, she passed away last year.
Oh, we are sorry to be hearing this …….. Last night after the police attacked us, Ravi and I had some Director’s Special. Very nice it was too and we are sleeping like babies
I hear what you are saying Pintu .
Today was Ravi’s day to drive, so Pintu was doing the lounging all over the bench seat but he always kept one eye on their passenger, maybe checking to see if he was happy so that they could be happy too. Always a cigarette in one hand and the mobile phone in the other. What was their serious discussion in Hindi about? He wondered whether it concerned him or perhaps whether it should concern him. As the Hindi words floated around inside the cab, he imagined that the scenario was that some planning was being done so that today some serious money could be made. Maybe last night was about softening him up, today they would make the killing. Then Pintu spoke again and Eliot smiled to himself.
Is it true that some people call your country the lucky country?
Yep they do.
So why are they speaking about your country like this?
Eliot thought for a moment and it was a question with many kinds of answers. He mouth widened and he grinned.
Well, there are lots of reasons. We are lucky because we have lots of coal and iron ore and uranium that we can sell to India for lots of money and then it becomes mostly your problem and sometimes we are lucky because we have a prime minister that doesn’t have a personality disorder and you are lucky if you are a big company in Australia because you don’t have to pay tax.
Hey Mr. Eliot you are having fun with Pintu and Ravi.
Yes, just pulling your leg as we say in Australia. We are lucky because we are free and democratic and rich and we have the best beaches in the world. But you are lucky in India too. You have the most beautiful women in the world in India.
You think so. You are telling us the truth?
Of course, you Indian men don’t know how lucky you are.
Oh! I am knowing how lucky I am. My wife is working hard every day looking after our family and if I am lucky we roll around in bed some nights and she has given me three children whose mouths have to be fed and their education paid for. .……. if it is a woman you are needing, young ,old, round or thin we can find this woman for you Mr. Eliot now that you are a single man if you are not worried about me saying this
No problem Pintu.
Yes he thought, he was a single man, no matter how you looked at it. Indian women are the most beautiful in the world! Life moved on didn’t it.
For