Typing the last word of the document, he
looks at the phone, expecting a call from Tshoki as it’s already 5. Usually his
office hour gets over by 4 but today he has some urgent work that need to be
submitted tomorrow. Shutting down the computer, he picks the car’s key up from
the table and stands up when his phone rings.
“Where are you?”
Tshoki shouts into his ear, as he gets out
of the office, greeting the security guard standing at the doorstep.
“I am coming.”
He hangs up the call and walks towards the
car while Tencho suddenly appears from the corner of the building as if he has
been hiding there waiting for him.
Feeling horrified by this, his blood
running very cold, Khandu asks, “I thought today you left early.”
“Nope, man. I was talking something about
tomorrow’s night with the canteen’s aunty. She is also a party freak,” says
Tencho, walking along with him, towards the car, the cold evening breeze
cooling their ears and now Thimphu is becoming colder day by day.
Walking quietly and Khandu unlocks the
door, when Tencho hums, “Hmm, tomorrow is Saturday. Let’s go party.”
Getting inside the car, he checks the fuel
indicator and starts the car, looking at Tencho, “I cannot. I am broke these
days. New apartment and other shoppping cost me around Nu. 20,000. All savings
are gone now. If I file for divorce, I have to pay.”
Reversing the car, he pulls the car out of
the parking and heads to Olakha where Tshoki is staying in a new flat.
Yesterday, he did shopping, starting from the gas stove as if he is starting a
new family. He could not sleep last night.
“You can get loan, man. Don’t worry,” says
Tencho, pressing the music player button while Khandu, looking offended, huffs,
“I am still paying my car’s loan. My salary will be negative now.”
“I am confused man. Are you keeping Tshoki
as mistress? How are you doing with Yangchen?”
Braking slowly, he waits as the car in the
front stops suddenly.
“Not going well.”
“Don’t worry. You are a great man. You can
get through this. Just hold on,” says Tencho, making an encouraging face, as
the car in the front starts to move. Driving for a few minutes, Tencho stops
the car and gets out saying, “I have some work in the town. Think about
tomorrow’s party.”
Parking the car in front of the building,
he gets out of the car, when an old friend of him passes by and on seeing him,
he stops and asks, “Hi Khandu, how have you been?”
Forcing a smile, he says, “I am fine. Happy
to meet you after many days.”
Shaking his hand, his friend asks, “How is
your family? I heard, you a got baby boy.”
Khandu gets stuck when he hears about his
family. Face reddened by these words, he stammers, “The—y are gre—at.”
“Catch you next time.”
“Okay.”
He walks up the stairs, thinking about his
family. How he would return home from the office, buying chocolate for her
daughter, Yuden. Now, he cannot remember even talking with her since he met
Tshoki. He cannot remember, Yuden welcoming him home these days. Heart sagged
down by these memories, he stands at the door when Tshoki opens the door, “Did
you bring the TV?”
Raising his eyebrow up, Khandu shouts back,
“TV? Do you think, I am a money-making machine? Money does not grow on trees.”
“You said that you would bring today.”
“My mouth can say anything.”
Showering Tshoki with these words, he walks
back down the stairs instead of getting inside as Tshoki stands at the door,
looking at him.
At Motithang, keeping her son, Namgay with
her mother, Yangchen walks towards the kitchen when Yuden rushes to her,
showing her a packet of chocolate, ‘Kitkat’, “Ama, Agay gave me this.”
“Oh, did you thank him?”
“Nope!”
“Go and thank Agay.”
Yuden rushes back to the sitting room where
her grandparents are, who arrived from Paro. They were on pilgrimage to attend
baza guru dungdrub at Paro for last two months. They will stay here for a few
days and head back to village at Trongsa. Getting inside the kitchen, she waits
praying for Khandu to be home. She has no phone to call him. Kitchen is empty;
no vegetables, no oil. Nothing. Khandu didn’t bother to do shopping this month.
For last few days, she borrowed money from her neighbor but she is ashamed to
borrow again. Tears filling up her eyes, she bends her head down, closing her
ears with hands, controlling her screaming.
“Yangchen?”
Her mother calls her, when she wipes off
her tears and walks inside.
“La, ama?”
With her son sleeping on her lap, her
mother asks, looking very serious, “Where is Khandu? Is he on tour?”
Sitting next to grandfather, Yuden, says,
“Apa does not come home these days.”
Turning her head to Yuden, her eyes looking
suspicious, her mother asks, “What do you mean?”
Walking towards them, Yangchen sits down in
front of them saying, “He has been on tour these days, he said that he will be
back today.”
“Oh!”
She stands up and walks towards to the
door, thinking about how to borrow the money from her neighbor to buy
vegetables. As soon as she reaches the door, the doorbell rings. She opens it
excitedly, expecting it to be Khandu.
Story by: Phurpa Dorji (PJIKKS)
Chapter 8 Tomorrow @9PM
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