Nge Michu , Chapter 14

Having finished writing her exam, Dema walks towards the school gate. As students appear one by one from the exam, she looks for Dorji, but she cannot find him. Picking up her bag from the ground, she takes it on her back, when Dorji appears suddenly near her, gasping hard.

“Where have you been?”

“I finished just now only,” says Dorji, following Dema, as they walk up towards the road. Reaching the road, Dema stops.

“Not going home?”

Dorji asks her, on noticing her stopping suddenly.

“I am going to the town.”

“What?”

“Okay,” says Dorji and walks away from her, along with other students. Stopping a taxi, she gets inside. Taking out the phone from her bag, she dials the number and waits for the response.

“Hi, Tshoki. Where is your apartment?”

Listening to the phone carefully, then she ends the call and looks at the mirror in front of the driver.

“Uncle, can you please take me to Olakha?”

Driving down through the town, as the taxi driver brakes in front of a five-storied building, Dema thanks him and gets out. Dialing the number, she asks, “Flat number?”

“Okay.”

As her feet touch the first step of the staircase, she finds a shop attached to the basement. Going there, she buys two bottles of canned beer. Putting the bottle in a plastic bag, she rushes up to the Tshoki’s flat. Surprisingly, the door is unlatched, so pushing the door slowly, she gets inside, calling her name, “Tshoki, are you inside?”

Not getting response, she walks inside taking a step by step, wondering if she is in a wrong room. Finding no one in the sitting room, she walks towards the bedroom. Pushing the curtain, she takes a glance and finds Tshoki sleeping.

“Tshoki?”

She calls her. Opening her eyes, a little, Tshoki smiles. Going next to the bed, Dema takes out the beer, “Wake up, girl.”

“Where is Khandu? Office?”

“No idea.”

Pushing away the blankets off her, Dema forces Tshoki to wake up. Pulling up the pillow, Tshoki leans her back, looking weak. Observing her carefully, Dema says, “Tshoki, as a friend, I am here to tell you something.”

Opening the beer, taking a sip, she looks at Tshoki, “It’s never too late. Just forget Khandu and let’s go back to your sister. Just forget everything. Mistakes happen.”

Tshoki says nothing but instead stays silently, as if she has become dumb. She is never silent but always active and talkative.

Handing her the beer can, Dema asks, “Tshoki, why are you so silent?”

Taking the beer, Tshoki looks outside through the window and says, “I feel lost. Help me?”

Keeping the beer on the table beside bed, taking her face closer to Tshoki, Dema says, “Please, let’s go back.”

Interrupting her, Tshoki says, “Even Dorji dumped me.”

“Dorji? He is just a child.”

Pushing away Dema from the bed, she swings her hand up in the air and throws away beer can on the floor. Crying out loudly, Tshoki shouts, “Why are you doing this to me, Dema? Why? You told the school that I ran away with an old man. I know you and Dorji are in relationship. You cheated on me. Did he tell you that I slept with him? Maybe not. You told my sister everything about me. You ruined my life.”

Dema stands at the door, without saying a word.

“Dema, I thought you were my best friend but look at you.”

Dema tries to open her mouth, “Tshoki?”

Getting off the bed, Tshoki rushes towards her pushing her away, “Just leave.”

Later in the night, having finished eating dinner, sitting in a circle, Yangchen takes child from her mother, when her father asks, “Why Khandu is not here?”

Finishing her food, keeping the plate on the floor, Yuden looks at the door, “Apa hardly comes home these days.”

Picking up the pots and plates from the floor, taking them to the kitchen, her mother comes back. Getting the broom hanging down from behind the door, she starts sweeping the door, when there comes the sudden knock on the door. Sweeping the door, she does not respond to the knock.

Yuden rushes to the door and opens it, when Khandu stands at the door showing his white teeth, filling up the room with alcohol smell. Swinging his body from side to side, he walks in. Smiling at her mother, not being able to balance his body, catching the broom, he says, “May I help to sweep the floor?”

Ignoring him, her mother keeps sweeping the floor while he jumps on the sofa and shouts, “Yangchen, bring me food.”

Having finished sweeping the floor, she goes to the kitchen and comes back with food. Keeping them on the table in front of him, her mother sits down. Picking up the food from the table, he smashes the plates against the wall, breaking into pieces.

Looking at Yangchen, taking out the new phone, he says, “Dear Love Yangchen, How are you? I hope you are doing well.”

“This is the message from your lover, look at it,” says Khandu, stretching his hand and giving the phone to Yangchen. She does not take the phone but stays silently.

“Yangchen, read the message.”

He shouts throwing the phone against the wall. Looking at her parents, he shouts, “Your daughter is cheating on me. Take her home with you, before things get worse.”

“Cheating on you? How dare you tell me that?”

Yangchen shouts back, “Tencho came here this morning and told me that he is the one who kept the phone in the wardrobe. Just ask him. He brought clothes for my parents.”

“Tencho? How could he do this?”

“I have no idea. Ask him.”

“I am taking my daughter back home,” says her mother, “if you want her back, let me know when you solve this cheating thing.”

“Take her.”

“I will.”

Story by: Phurpa Dorji (PJIKKS)

Chapter 15 Tomorrow @9PM

Nge Michu, Chapter 13

Scribbling down the answers to a few questions, Dorji checks the wall clock stuck above the green board. One exam invigilator stands at the door and other sits down on a chair in the front. Looking around the room, on seeing other students writing answers, he holds the pen tightly and try to write but nothing comes to his mind other than Tshoki. After listening to his parents this morning about Tshoki, he rushed to the exam hall fifteen minutes late. It has been an hour writing but he has not even completed two questions. As the clock ticks fifteen minutes past 10, he raises his arm. The invigilator in the front walks towards him

“I am done, sir.”

He says in a respectful manner and waits for the invigilator to respond, who picks up his paper and keeps flipping through his answer sheet.

“You can leave.”

Picking up his geometry box, he rushes outside when the invigilator stops him on the midway to the door, “Hey!”

He stops immediately and turns his head slowly when the invigilator bends down under his table and stands up picking up his admit card. Going to him, he gets the card and rushes back. Once outside, picking up the bag from the window sill, he rushes up to the road and waits for the taxi plying to the town.

Waving his hand, stopping a taxi, he jumps inside next to an old woman and a beautiful girl sits next to her.

Looking at him carefully, the old woman asks, “No school today?”

Forcing a smile, showing his white teeth, he says, “I had exam.”

The girl next to her looks at him, as if she has seen something on his face.

“Oh, good boy. Study hard and be a great person in the future,” says the woman, when the driver from the front interrupts, “Now the world is so competitive. Even the graduates are not getting job.”

Listening to the conversations of the driver and old woman, finally he is in the town. Getting out of the taxi, taking another taxi, he heads to Olakha, thinking that Tshoki is still at home. Knocking the door, he waits. He is not sure how to face her. He was to think about facing her in the taxi but the driver and woman, kept distracting him and the girl kept looking at him.

Looking very sad, Tshoki opens the door and says, “Done with exam?”

Getting inside the room, walking slowly towards the sofa, he sits down when Tshoki closes the door and stands there only.

“Tshoki, please come here. I want to say something.”

Calling Tshoki, he waits for her to walk towards him but she stands still. Standing up, walking towards her, he stands in front of her. Looking deep into her eyes, he says, “I am here to say goodbye. I am sorry, I didn’t know you were married to Khandu. By the way, he is my uncle.”

Taking the new phone in his hand, Khandu walks out of the bedroom angrily. As he steps into the sitting room, her mother stops him, “Khandu, you are still here? No office today?”

Without saying a word, he gives her a stare and walks out of the room, when her mother looks at Yangchen, “What has happened to Khandu, unlike before he is acting weird these days?”

Going next to her, Yangchen takes the child on her lap, “Umm, he is stressed these days because of the tight schedules. Don’t worry, he is just tensed.”

“Oh!”

As she sits down breastfeeding the child, Yuden rushes towards her, “Mom, are we going for movie tonight?”

“Nope, Princess. Next time.”

“Why?”

As she opens her mouth to respond her, a sudden knock at the door silences the room for a while. Yuden stands up and rushes to the door. Pulling back the door, she stands at the door.

“Yuden, who is it?”

Holding a small box in her hand, she walks back to her when Tencho appears from the door. As he approaches them, her mother smiles and welcomes him.

“Oh, please, sit here.”

Not believing his sudden appearance, Yangchen looks at him suspiciously.

Sitting down on the sofa, he looks at her mother and says, “I heard, you two are leaving tomorrow. So, being Khandu’s friend I came here to meet you before you leave.”

Smiling broadly, her mother says, “Oh! Some important things have popped up back at village.”

Her father does not say a word but keeps watching a movie on the TV, meanwhile Yuden unwraps the box and begins to munch the cake. Taking the child from her lap, her mother says, “Make tea for Tencho sir.”

Giving the child, she stands up when Tencho says, “Hmmm, winter is coming so I bought a coat each for you two.”

Tencho takes out the coats packed in the plastics and hands them to her mother, when she accepts it happily. In the meantime, Yangchen stands up terrified by this. She walks directly to the kitchen as her mother tears the plastic and takes out the new coat.

Getting inside the kitchen, she pours hot water from the boiler into the pot, when Tencho stands at the door suddenly.

“What are you doing here?”

She shouts, controlling her anger, when he smiles and says, “I am very sorry about the way Khandu is treating you these days. I hope, things will get better soon. As a matter of fact, you don’t deserve to be treated this way.”

Listening to his words, she lights the gas stove and boils the water in the pot. Looking back at him, Yangchen says, “You know and understand my situation but why are you here? If Khandu becomes suspicious about this, you are going to make my situation worse. Please, stop coming here when Khandu is not here.”

“Oh! I cannot bear the pain, you are in,” says Tencho, walking towards her.

Standing in front of her, looking deep into her eyes, he says, “Beautiful woman like you don’t deserve such a painful treatment. You know that, right?”

She stands silently, taking deep breaths.

“Did you find the phone?”

He asks, when Yangchen walks away from him and says, “What phone?”

“Last time, when I came here I kept a new phone in your cupboard.”

“What?”

Story by: Phurpa Dorji (PJIKKS)

Chapter 14 Tomorrow @9PM