I waded through water on barefoot. The soft silt reminds of a similar occasion twenty years before. Descending of back waters at that hour, flapping of wings of seagulls at the small patch of island formed by the tide always excited me. I let out a heavy sigh; it has been sixteen months since I came to this city. The city had been once a French colony, city was well planned, streets, court, church, all still holds the traces of the French, remnants of French monuments still carries memories of French rule. I love the city, I love its people, I can say the people live here is pride for their ancestral colonial rule unlike people under British colonists. I can observe a sense of uniqueness, unity among them which made me love them.
I work as a manager for a business project, I need to start as early at seven every morning, and have to get down at about eleven every night, I was confronting new obstacles which were mind-blowing, new varied learning which took me to the next level of my career but the consequences were I am loosing peace & I am increasingly tilting towards quitting.
I took breaks, but the break does not include trying out with a stiff drink getting relaxed chatting with a good old friend of mine since it’s new place for me I don’t have friends. Obliviously my employer or my colleagues were not in a position taking breaks helping me out to drive away my frustration. The real reason for my frustration is not alone my prolonged work hours but increasingly I started to feel this is not the one which I am dreaming about. Eventually I needed a break to understand what I am looking for and how to go for it or where to get it.
I woke up early morning even before the sun starts its duty, informed my employer I am going for a break, asked him to manage with my colleague whom I have taught him my work how to manage our clients and how to answer the question where I have gone & when I will return. He was surprised first then convinced there is no way other than that. I drew 50,000 bucks cash from vending machine set out for my dream to get materialize.
It was two hours journey on a motor boat to the island east of the city, I have hired a motor boat for two thousand to drop me, I am not certain when will I return, I have said the boat driver not to wait for me he can make a move if anybody else calls him up, but mostly nobody else know the island since it is sparsely populated and of less importance due to lack of sight seeing for tourists. The voyage to the island was smooth in the early morning, no rough waves it was as smooth with morning breeze, it was heaven when you feel the morning breeze on a smooth sea. The boat driver switched off the motor as we neared the small harbor where few fishing boats were resting after weeks long fishing expedition.
I stepped out of the dancing boat fearing of loosing the balance, it was as though I have entered into a fishing hamlet, smell of fresh fish drilled my nostrils, to be frank I love this exuberant fragrance where most people reject as foul smell, to me from my childhood I have been with this, smell of greenish pond, smell of fresh fish, even the smell reminds me of my past life my life style my nativity. I can see the French church built on the 17th century which stood with clocks on the four sides of the tower. I found out a place with the fisher men boats to rest for a while.
I started towards the church, priest will guide me to the pearl market which is in the other edge of the island, I have been a writer since ten years, if I need to settle down as a professional I need to quit the jobs I have been doing so far for my bread, if it is so I need real money not the money I earn now, it should be well enough to satisfy my needs for at least an year.
Priest welcomed me in, he was not seen with the white robe as most of the catholic priests, even when I came last time he was in casual attire, he told the vehicle is ready to carry us both to the market. Our vehicle is an old Austin, it should be fed with petrol from the main city once in a week the boat drivers will get him when they buy diesel for their motor boats. It took fifty minutes to reach the pearl market because of uneven rough roads, steep & deep trough if we are not careful it would lead to a mishap. I can see palm groves which are like natives of the island all over.
Pearl market was not at all like what I have thought, it is a fishing hamlet, most of them are fishermen, few people do deep sea diving to get pearls, I can see few outsiders few French people, priest lead me to a low hut, fish being dried on both sides of the entrance, the man in his early thirties welcomed us in, there was a lamp kept aside, he showed a jute carpet to sit for both of us, he opened up a box like structure which was hand made using palm leaves kept in front of him, it contained a dirty cloth like what we use as waste to clean, something been folded inside, opening up he showed me a handful of pearls, white and black pearls shining!.
Return to the main city did not take me long as I felt coming to island in the morning, I was tired and wanted to sleep as there is no tomorrow, I took a taxi on the way home, slept till the room boy buzzed the calling bell next day for breakfast. I got my head swirl with ache and dizziness I don’t want to get up similarly I don’t want to lay down as I have to do lot of works, I went straight to shower had a wonderful bath under the Jacuzzi until the yesterday’s dirt & stress fly out of my physique, I still had my head swirl with ache, I know the bar would not be opened so early, I called up the room service and ordered a full scotch with ice, that would alone relieve the ache from my head.
Three rounds of larges took away my stress, had my head float in sky, ate the breakfast called up one of my associate and friend of mine to turn up tonight for the bar and went to bed.
At about six Stevenson turned up, the guy whom I am waiting for who accompanies me in tough times. We went downstairs, underground bar, It was a dark dim lit space, sporadic tables, smoke all around, kind of damp, smell of moisture in air; we took a corner space we used to do almost usually and our usual brand whisky, It would taste biscuit; we both love the typical taste of biscuit when drunk with ice cubes. Waiter came with a bottle of whisky; we ordered a pack of cigarettes which we usually would get from outside today by mistake we forgot to do that, no way of getting out to buy since it is raining heavily. We started to pour two larges; dark brown liquid flooded provoking us to sip it soon. Steve took his glass and made a soft bang on my glass with cheers.
Steve is a closest friend of mine, he was a quite simple, lean, tall, wheatish, without mustache like a guy from north India, he was as simple like a school boy, passive, friendly, lovable, I admired him, at that time I didn’t know he was going to be a passionate friend of mine, and he was going to be ever a green memory all my life. We finished that bottle completely in two hours, two hours we spoke we spoke, joked, laughed, and we shared innumerous ideas, jotted down till we felt it’s over for that evening. My body ached like hell since I started practicing Martial arts after a week long break, the red fluid worked well making my pain dilute, relieving the physical stress in seconds, a good sleep would get me back to normal.
Steve called up some of his contacts in the market he knows whom to go how to sell the white & black precious, for the best price, since it’s going to help me out for the next year completely without doing my usual job of being a manager in my present project and let me concentrate dedicatedly in my most inspired profession writing.
The next day morning I was ready finishing breakfast as early as ever, Steve called me to my mobile, I went downstairs, Steve was waiting, he was waiting with a latest model ford, we went to a vendor, he grabbed a handful poured down to the dirty cloth, then he picked up a small lens from his side took the pearls near to his eyes visioning with the lens not satisfied he took another lens which is relatively small than the before, he summoned someone from inside he too took his turn scrutinizing, he too not satisfied asked me how much I gave for them, in a business I can not say the exact prize since the people before me are my buyers, obviously I expect a double of the money I invested. I delayed not replying, he said the pearls which I have brought are all duplicates!!!
I felt always my esteem is high, not tolerated a simple spec to go against me, it found me a person of high priorities, when ever it is little low I felt guilt flow down & sink me unable to breathe to survive. I felt this is not the one I yearn for, I should be of tough skinny, bearable off, but I wasn’t aware I am going to be having hard times ever.
Steve gave me support, he said, let us again go for the pearl island find out the person, resolve the issue, but I was certain, it would not be like that, priest came with me, he was a person of high authority in the island, never would they fool him. I said him let we go and get opinion from some one who’s friendly towards us. Steve thought for a while, he started calling somewhere, and was busy for the next half an hour.
For the first time I felt I am alone, all around me, the priest, Steve every one have left me, I stood up, went to the corner of the room, window was open, strong cool breeze flowing inside, I can see the wide ocean at the distance with tiny white waves coming to shore. Never the priest will do me bad, and Steve the dearest friend of mine would never go against me, I know I am frustrated, I am worried, I want money to pursue my profession with no hindrance, money should not be a constraint when I concentrate on my work. I let out a sigh; the sigh gave me relief like I have laid down half of my weight.
Steve finished up, we started to walk leaving the car, Steve took me to the end of the road, road ends there, no way ahead, he turned right in a small narrow passage, we went through, it extended for hundred yards both side buildings, there was a small narrow stair which went steep above, we climbed up, it was risky holding the rails, at the top he tapped a old wooden door painted green, we heard footsteps, it was a woman, she showed the way to go inside, we both went inside, it was like a terrace, a room in the corner like a pent house, we went to the room, a bald Indian, fair of complexion greeted us, asked us to sit in the sofa, we sat, what’s going to be next fearing.
The bald Indian opened up the untidy cloth carefully, he spread up the cloth in the table before him, took the lens prodded over the pearls for five minutes, he then raised his head, he was not uncertain like the vendor whom we met before and had asked his partner to have a look, he clearly stated in a firm voice, they were duplicates.
This time I was deeply worried, I got frustrated like even before, I was in a fury, I took bundling up the untidy cloth threw to floor dejected, amounting to anger, the cloth with the duplicate pearls splashed to the floor thudding spreading all over the floor, few broken, opening up, glittering like crystal hard substance inside, I knelt down, picked up a broken duplicate which was glittering, I just raised to near my eyes, showing it to the light which came from the window aside not knowing what is it, the bald Indian took it from me started analyzing like a researcher again with his lens, his fair complexion in that day light started turning red, his temples glowing red brightening up, he smiled asked to pick up all the pearls splashed in the floor, I knelt down to pick, already Steven has started pick, he examined all the pearls some broken, some not broken, he exclaimed all of them were diamonds, that too first quality diamonds.
No comments:
Post a Comment