The time is 6 in the evening, but it already started getting dark in the suburbs of United Kingdom. My friend Dinu looked out of the windows of his accommodation with slight twitch of doubt and heavy dose of foreboding in his mind.
“Should i go out alone to sports complex or wait for my friends to come to the house?”
There is a reason for his confusion. Dinu had flew in from his home at Kerala to UK couple of days back as part of his first even onsite stint carrying with him all the apprehensions and tensions of a first time exposure to a foreign land. Yes, my dear friends, he has the “X” factor, the Xenophobic factor, the fear of exploring the unknown. Even though he has the luxury of his friends’s support, he was still afraid to venture out alone for his daily work out or shopping due to his inferiority complex rooting from lack of language skills and the graphic stories about the perils in UK. “But no, I have been troubling them for a long time. This time, I should go out alone”. He made up his mind, packed the stuff and left the safety of his abode for the sports complex couple of blocks away.
With every step he made to the sports complex through the deserted roads, the tensions in his mind started to settle down. “There is no problem with any of this. I can manage without anyone’s support”. There was a chill in the air, gravel gnawing at his feet like a hungry predator and moisture in his breath sent out wafts of vapors like a steam engine as he approached a dimly lit alley way to the next street. As he started to enter the alley way, his heart dropped slightly inside his chest. A huddled figure was standing in the middle of alleyway among the dimmed lights. As he slowly approached, he started seeing the figure clearly and relaxed – It was a young lady. She was shifting sideways and eyes slightly rolled around – clear signs of being drunk. He moved forward, went past her with as less body touching as possible and proceeded along. After a couple of steps, he could feel that the someone is following him.
“Ok, act cool” – he said to himself as he stopped in his path to look backward as casually as possible. Before he could do so, a figure shuffled right past and sat in front of him – the same girl. Dinu, trying to be as calm as possible again walked past the lady and quickened his steps. “Why sports complex is taking this long to reach?” To his utter dismay, the lady again walked past and slumped in front of him. Now he darted around her and launched in to a small jog. “You there, hold it!!”
He shockingly looked around. An old English gentleman in his early sixties hobbled towards him from a distance. “I have been watching both of you for some time now. Are you trying to ditch your girlfriend in the way?”
“Excuse me ?”
“You are her boyfriend, is it not? I will call police now if you do not drop her home right now!!”
The night was biting cold, but beads of sweat started pouring down Dinu’s face. “ I do not know who she is ... I swear to God, I do not know. I want to go home”
“Okie then ... let’s settle it right now”. The old man turned to the lady, who is now comfortably sitting on road with a tipsy face. “Hey,lady, is this your boyfriend?” The lady looked at him, then at Dinu, again looked at him and said “Yes”.
Dinu practically started crying on the spot – “She is lying,she does not know what she is saying. Hey lady, are you saying I am your boyfriend?”
Lady again looked at him, slightly smiled and hissed, “Yes”
“I am giving you one more warning. If you do not take her with you, I am calling the police right now” – the old man’s voice slit the dreary silence like a knife.
“I ... I ... Please give me a moment for calling my friends”. His hands trembled as he took the phone and placed the call to his roommate.
“Hey man .. What’sup?”
“Bro .. I am hung up here with a drunk lady and an old man wants me to take her home. I do not know what’s happening... could you pick me up?”
“Dude, why is that old man wants you to pick her up?”
“It’s messed up bro, she is agreeing to whatever he is ask...” an idea suddenly took hold of him. “I will call you in a moment”. He cut the call, turned around and walked to the lady.
He looked back at the old man, “I think you should hear this”.
He asked one more time to the lady, “Am I your boyfriend?” She did not take one moment to think, “Yes, yes, yes”.
The old man lost his patience,“Ok, that’s it ... I am calling the police”.
“Wait, just one more question”. He took a breath, pointed at the old man and asked the lady, “Is this your father?”
She looked at the old man, back at Dinu and said, “Yes!!!”
“Yes,yes,yes!!! How about it now!!!”
The old man jumped back with a shock. “She is really drunk, I guess. My apologies, gentleman, I will let you be along your way”. With these words, old gentleman scuffled away quickly, and Dinu watched him go with a smile. Suddenly, his phone started to ring. “Hey man, why did you cut the call? You okay?”
“I am fine than never before”
“Do you want me to pick you up and bring you home”?
“No, it is not required. I am going to sports complex, grab some dinner and will be right back”. Dinu resumed his walk with a spring in his step and song in his heart.
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