Nge Michu Chapter 9

Closing the book, he closes his eyes and thinks about Tshoki’s words. He met her last year and she is his first love. It was the night of concert, when she accepted him, three months after the proposal. She is a sweet girl. He considers her as his soulmate. He wants to marry her. But recently, Tshoki is not at school and the rumor about her running away with a man hurt him and no matter how much he tries to connect with her, he was not able to do so. A call from her today surprises him. He is writing trial exams. He has exam tomorrow. What to do now?

He opens his eyes as his phone rings again. It’s Tshoki. Looking at the number, he checks the clock. Picking up the phone from the table, he answers, “Where are you?”

“Olakha,” comes the reply from Tshoki, with her voice sounding like a damsel in distress.

He stays silent.

“Please, come.”

She pleads, when he finally replies, “I will just meet you and come back.”

Hanging up the phone, he goes to his cupboard and takes out the jeans. Meanwhile, her mother shouts from the sitting room, “Dorji, dinner is ready.”

“I am coming, mom.”

He shouts changing his dress. Looking at the mirror, he makes his hair.

“I cannot ignore her, when she needs me the most.”

He says to himself and bending over, he picks up the phone and takes out some money from the drawer. On noticing the textbook, touching it with his hand, he says, ““I am coming back.”

He has exam tomorrow. He has to return home by any means.

As he walks into the sitting room, his mother appears from the kitchen. Observing him carefully, looking stunned by his dress up, she asks, “Dorji?”

“Mom, I forgot my book at friend’s place. I will be back very soon.”

Saying this, he rushes out as his mother keeps standing with rice filled plate in hand. He has to rush out before his father comes home. Walking outside, he rushes up towards the road filled up with plying vehicles with blinkering brake lights at the back, making the road colorful.

At Olakha, checking time in the phone, Tshoki calls Khandu again but he is not responding the call. Then a notification beeps. It’s a message from Dorji.

“I am coming.”

Excited by this message, she plays a music loudly and walks towards the kitchen. Opening the fridge, she looks inside. Only vegetables. Dorji likes beef. She has no idea where the meat shop is but she knows how to cook eggs. Taking out a few eggs, she keeps it in the wash basin. Checking the rice cooker, she warms the rice.

Going to the sitting room, she logs into Facebook. Sitting down on the sofa, she keeps browsing the news feeds when a meme about drinking alcohol strikes her mind with something. Rushing to the bedroom, she checks her purse and taking out some money she runs out of her house.

On reaching the taxi parking in the town from Taba, going to a bakery, buying her favourite chocolate cake, Dorji walks towards a taxi driver who is shouting, “Olakha, last seat.”

Getting inside, he sits next to an aunty. She smiles at him. Travelling for a few minutes, finally he calls Tshoki, asking about the building’s location. Taking note of that, he stops the taxi and holding the cake in hand, he keeps walking looking for the building.

Having done with the egg frying, Tshoki takes a piece and tastes it when she realizes that she has forgotten to add salt. Grabbing the salt container, she is about to open it when the doorbell rings. Keeping it down, she rushes to the door.

As Dorji stands at the door, she hugs him tightly.

“Thanks for coming.”

Walking inside, he hands her the cake when she comments, “How sweet of you!”

Observing the room carefully with hesitant eyes, he sits down on the sofa gently. In the meantime, she goes to the kitchen and comes back with her phone. Keeping it in silent mode, she goes back to the door and latches it.

“Whose house is this?”

“Umm, my aunt’s. They went to Paro. So, I am all alone,” says Tshoki, unwrapping the cake box.

As she picks up a slice of the cake, he asks her calmly, “Why are you not in school these days?”

“I am sick.”

“What?”

“Yeah, that’s why I am not writing trial,” says Tshoki, munching the cake, looking like a happy kid after father’s arrival with a chocolate for her, while Dorji looks at her, making a sympathetic face.

“I am so sorry to know about that. Dema didn’t tell me about that,” says Dorji, when Tshoki goes near to him and looks into his eyes, her hands touching his. Taking her face forward, she lifts her chin up and takes her lips closer to his, closing her eyes. He stays struck closing his eyes, as her lips feel the warmth of his. Pulling her on to his chest, he runs his hand down her back breathing heavily.

The next morning, at Motithang, as the dawn breaks, opening his eyes, Khandu looks at his baby son, sleeping peacefully sandwiched between them. Yangchen is still sleeping. Last night, Tencho left only after the dinner. He was drunk and he feared that he might speak out about his relationship with Tshoki, luckily, he didn’t. He is still confused why Tencho came home with those vegetables. Last night, before sleeping, he could not say a word to Yangchen.

Pushing the blanket away from him, he gets off the bed. As his feet touch the floor, Yangchen turns her face towards him, opening her eyes a little. She keeps looking at him, as he gets into the bathroom.

Toweling his face, he stands in front of the mirror, when he hears his parents-in-law reciting morning prayers from the other room. Yuden is sleeping with them. As he combs his hair, Tshoki flashes in his mind, rushing to him. She always used to hold him from the behind, whenever he combs looking into the mirror. Keeping the comb down, he goes back to the bed and takes out his phone from beside the pillow. He forgot to check his phone last night. Looking at the number of missed calls, he keeps the phone down. Taking the car’s key, he rushes out of the room when Yangchen says, “Eat breakfast and go.”

Story by: Phurpa Dorji (PJIKKS)

Chapter 10 Tomorrow @9PM

Nge Michu Chapter 8

On seeing a man standing at the door, Yangchen stands surprised, looking at him, thinking that he is at the wrong door, when her mother calls her, “Yangchen, who is it?”

Ignoring her surprised face, walking past her, the man gets inside taking a basketful of vegetables in hand. Greeting her parents wholeheartedly, he goes directly to the kitchen while Yangchen stands at the door, awestruck. Getting back from the kitchen, wearing a broad smile, he sits down on the sofa facing her parents, as if he is a family member.

“I am Tencho, a friend of Khandu. He went back to office to get his phone as he has left it there, so I came here to reach the vegetables directly from the town,” says the man, looking very happy to see her parents. Closing the door, Yangchen takes a few steps towards the kitchen and at the same instant, her mother asks the man, “So Khandu is back from the tour?”

“Yes! He came today. How was your pilgrimage?”

“Feeling lucky to be receiving blessings from Chabje,” says her mother, as if she knows him.

“You are lucky, to have a good daughter like Yangchen, who looks after parent’s welfare,” says the man, when Yangchen walks into the kitchen confused by this man. Lowering her body down, she checks the basket. Did Khandu send this, knowing that her parents are home? But Khandu never does kitchen shopping. Picking up a wet plastic bag, she opens it when she finds chicken and fish. Taking out the milk powder, she keeps it nearby the utensil rack and place a pot on the gas stove, in the meantime the conversations continues in the sitting room with lots of laughter.

Boiling the tea, she walks outside, when the man looks at her and says, “So how are you, Yangchen?”

She stands not knowing what to say, bewildered by his manner.

“She looks thinner than before,” comments her mother, looking at the man.

Then Yangchen goes back to the kitchen and looks at the boiling tea, not understanding why this man appears suddenly in this house. Boiling the tea for a while, she takes a cup, filling it up and takes it to the sitting room. As she hands him the cup, the doorbell rings. Keeping the tray on the table, she walks to the door. As she opens the door, Khandu stands at the door. Listening to the noise from the inside, his face changes. Calling her outside, pulling the door gently, he asks, “People inside?”

She replies softly, “My parents and your friend.”

On hearing this, he steps away from her looking very terrified. Making a compassionate face, he asks, “Did you tell your parents about me?”

“Nope. Why would I?”

“Thank you. Let’s pretend as if everything is going well between us. Please!”

Yangchen nods and walks inside when Khandu follows her faking smile on seeing her parents. On noticing his friend sitting inside the room, his face changes from smiling to infuriated, as the man stands up and says boldly, “Here he comes. We were waiting for you, Khandu.”

Looking irritated, yet hiding his anger, he walks directly to the bedroom calling Yangchen.

“Why is he here? Did he say something about our relationship?”

“I don’t know. He came here bringing lots of vegetables. He said that you sent those,” says Yangchen, looking back at the sitting room. Sitting down on the bed, Khandu looks down on the floor, “Please, just pretend!”

“Okay.”

Changing his dress, he gets into the washroom meanwhile Yangchen walks back to the kitchen when Yuden rushes towards her, “Ama, what did Apa bring for me?”

“Umm, Apa forgot today. He will get you something tomorrow,” lies Yangchen, as Yuden waits for the response.

Yuden walks back to the sitting room, when she gets inside the kitchen and stands leaning her back against the wall, her head spinning, not understanding the sudden entry of the man and Khandu’s pretend thing.

At Olakha, as the night draws in, drawing the window curtains, Tshoki looks outside expecting Khandu. Getting frightened, she calls Khandu, but he does not respond the call. Calling him repeatedly, she waits. Getting no response from him, she calls Dema.

“Can you give me Dorji’s number?”

“Why?”

Receiving the number from Dema, she calls Dorji. Listening to the ring, she waits anxiously when Dorji answers finally.

“I am Tshoki. Can you come over to my place?”

She asks when Dorji replies, “It’s exam time.”

Then she starts to persuade him by saying, “You love me, right?”

“Yes, I do.”

She shouts, “Then show me your love.”

Story by: Phurpa Dorji (PJIKKS)

Chapter 9 Tomorrow @9PM