Located along the Thimphu-Phuntsholing
highway, a few kilometers away from Chuzom bridge, Damchu, is a place where
there is a stone quarry. Nearby the quarry nests a building and it houses a
canteen in the basement, owned by Aum Wangmo. She cleans the gas stove and
looks at Dema, who is at the basin, washing dishes. She has completed class ten
and result is out today but she has not asked her yet. Having cleaned the gas
stove, hanging the cloth, she walks out of the kitchen into counter. It’s
midnight. Her back hunched forward, eyes angled straight up at the television,
Deki, the youngest daughter, sits on one of the tables. She is going to study
in class seven and schooling will start a after week. As of now, both of them
are on vacation helping her to run canteen.
On seeing her coming, picking up the
remote, she switches off the TV and rushes to her room. Going to the counter,
she takes out the credit book and flips the pages totaling the credits. She has
heard that her only customer, the workers in the quarry, have got payment today
so she expects them to clear the credits from tomorrow. There are some
customers who don’t pay the credit, instead quarrel with her by making excuses.
Collecting the credits, she has to pay rent, do schooling shopping for both
Dema and Deki and buy things for the canteen.
Before running this canteen, she was a
housewife but after her husband’s sudden death in a car accident just three
months ago has forced her to start this canteen. She has to look after her two
children. Her husband was a taxi driver. Now, without him, it will be difficult
to stay home and look after them. She started this canteen a month ago.
One night two months after husband’s
accident, she was waiting for taxi along the roadside when a Prado stopped
suddenly in front of her. Opening the door, the man sitting inside the front
seat looked at her.
“Get inside.”
He took her to a restaurant. Having talked
for hours, finally the stranger said, “Can you help me with something?”
As she gets lost into her flashback, the
sudden knock on the door startles her. Walking towards the door, she pulls it
back. Tshenchap, the manager of the stone quarry stands frozen, wearing woolen
jacket, looking directly into her eyes. Without saying a word, he walks past
her towards the counter. Pulling a stool, he sits keeping his hands on the
table. Pushing the door, Aum Wangmo, goes back and stands behind the counter
with credit book. Taking out a glass off the rack, she pours two pegs of K5.
Filling it up to the brim with water, she slides it in front of him. He keeps
staring at her. Ignoring his sight, she keeps checking the credit books name by
name, so that she can make a list and give it directly to the finance of the
quarry.
Grabbing the glass, he empties it at once
and slides it back towards her. Looking at the glass, she lifts her hand up to
the rack to get the bottle when he gets off the stool and walks towards her
behind the counter. Standing in front of her, he holds her right hand. Looking
at her eyes, he says, “I have been waiting. Now, I cannot wait any longer.”
Pulling her forcefully towards his chest,
his fingers touching her nose he says, “I am sure, you know what I want. Don’t
you?”
She stays silent breathing heavily, as Dema
can walk out of that kitchen any minute from now. Turning her face away, she
pulls her body away from him but he pulls back grabbing her waist. Staying
clutched to his chest, she lowers her head down. Keeping his forehead on hers,
he takes out his phone jacket pocket and plays a song. Keeping the phone on the
counter table, he makes moves to rhythm of the music. Keeping her eyes at the
kitchen door, she stays static. Shaking his body, keeping his head on her
shoulder blade, he starts to bite her ears.
As Dema appears from the kitchen, she
pushes him away and pretends as if nothing has happened. Walking past them,
Dema goes directly towards her room. Pushing the door slowly, she walks inside.
Her sister, Deki is sleeping. Standing in front of the mirror, she thinks about
how to tell her mother about her result. Grabbing the hair clip, she takes out
and keeps it on the table. Changing dress, she climbs on the bed, feeling
exhausted. She has been washing dishes for the whole day. On the other hand,
Deki served and mother cooked.
Switching off the light, she gets inside
the blanket. Turning her face towards Deki, she asks, “Deki, are you asleep?”
No response. Then, she takes out her phone
from the drawer. It was a gift from her father on her 16th birthday.
This phone reminds her of him. She misses him every day. She has not touched
the phone for whole day. As soon as she checks Facebook, the notifications
beeps. There are lots of messages and
calls from her classmates. Today is result day. More than one’s result, friends
are eager to know other’s result.
Then her phone beeps again. It’s in
vibration mode. It’s Chophel. He has called her many times. He is two years
senior to her. His class twelve result is not out yet. As a matter of fact, he
has been after her since he was class ten but she has not accepted him. She is
not sure whether to respond the call or not. He calls her every night but today
he will be asking about the result. She does not want to tell her marks. Not to
anyone, not even her mother. She ignores the call but it rings again.
Taking a deep breath, she is about to press
the answer button when her mother walks in the room switching on the light.
Standing a few meters away from her bed, she asks, “How is your result?
Qualified?”
Keeping her phone down, Dema stays silent.
Her eyes bulging out of the socket, her mother shouts, “How is your result?”
“I didn’t qualify.”
“Good. The manager wants to marry you,”
says Aum Wangmo and leaves the room banging the door, waking up Deki.
Story by: Phurpa Dorji (PJIKKS)
Chapter 2 Tomorrow @9PM
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