Kuchoe Ama! Chapter 3

Washing the last plate, Aum Wangmo takes a glance of the phone nearby the rice cooker plugged in for charging. Toweling her wet hands, she picks up the phone and searching Dema’s number from the contact list, she dials looking at the wall clock. It’s 9.45PM. Dema went to Thimphu town for shopping today. She left at 5 in the evening. She has never come home late but today it’s too late. Holding the phone to her ears, she waits. Now, her heart goes cold. Where is she? Why is she not responding her call? Keeping down the phone, looking at the counter, she shouts, “Deki, dinner is ready.”

Filling up her plate, she lifts the rice cooker lid when her phone rings. She dashes towards the phone, thinking it’s from Dema. Grabbing the phone, she takes a glance. It’s not from Dema, but the Manager. Listening to him for a while, she hangs up the phone. Looking at Deki, who stands beside her with a plate, she asks, “Do you know where Dema is?”

Shaking her head, she fills up the plate. She has been angry since the morning about the shopping. Aum Wangmo tries to open her mouth when Deki walks away to the counter. Exhaustion suffocating her, she at Deki sitting down at one of the tables. In addition, she is so worried about Dema. Closing her eyes, covering her ears with palm, she sits down on a chair, standing idle beside the refrigerator. She rests having a sensation of confusion burning her forehead. Not even a single customer has paid credit today. Without that she cannot do Deki’s shopping but Deki does not understand the situation.

Today, right after breakfast she went to meet the quarry manager. After waiting for one hour, finally he called her into his office. Revolving his chair, he stayed silent observing her for a few minutes. Finally, he called his personal assistant and asked for coffee. Keeping the coffee in front of him, he said, “This coffee is not free. I have to buy from the market. They give me when I pay them. So, Wangmo. Life is all about give and take. Give. Take.”

Getting off his chair, catching the coffee cup in his hand, he took it near her mouth saying, “Smell it. You like the smell? Don’t you? Coffee beans need to be burnt to give this smell. To give life somewhere, you need to sacrifice something.”

Circling her, he walked front and back, then finally, he said, “What did your daughter say?”

Without saying a word, she stayed silently.

“You are her mother. So, why do you even need to ask her?”

He asked her, leaning his face towards her, with his eyes bulged out.

“I am giving you a week and if you fail to arrange the marriage by then, you know the circumstances you are going to blessed with.”

The sudden ring of the doorbell wakes her up from the morning memories. Standing up slowly, she looks at the door as Deki walks towards the door. Pulling back the door, Deki stands there talking. Thinking it’s Dema, Aum Wangmo rushes out of the kitchen towards the door. Standing behind Deki, she hangs her head outside. To her surprise, the manager’s personal assistant stands outside swaying her body side to side, as if to fall down. Smell of alcohol surrounds her.

“How can I help you, madam?”

She asks looking outside. Falling on the ground, the madam looks up at her.

“How can you give your daughter to the manager? I am his fourth wife. We have a son.”

She says crying, trying to stand on her feet.

“We have a son. Son.”

Hidden in the night devotees thronging round the memorial chorten, having circled for the third time, Dema looks at Chophel.

“Can we go now?”

He stops walking and looks at her, walking away from the path making way to others. Catching her hand, he says, “Dema, you need break. Your result is not good and you are tensed. Instead of helping you, your mother is forcing you to marry an old man. You are in a very bad situation. You are badly in need of a break.”

Holding her hand, she pulls her round the chorten back into the crowd. She can feel the phone vibrating from her bag. As Chophel walks in front of her, holding her right hand, she runs her left hand into the bag and pulls out the phone. Pressing the power button, she switches her phone off. Sliding the phone back into the bag, she follows Chophel calmly. He is right. She is badly in need of a break. She likes the grip of his hand on hers. She senses a mysterious feeling of being bonded. Bonded. A feeling of being bonded forever.

Story by: Phurpa Dorji (PJIKKS)

Chapter 4 Tomorrow @9PM

When you call my name

I still wonder how beautiful a word can be,
When its spoken right out of your mouth.
Nothing feels the same to me,
Old age falls back into youth.

When you call my name out loud,
Million cells dances away with it's sound.
Nothing feels the same to me,
Sadness melts down into happiness.

When you call my name out loud,
Between thousand sounds around.
Nothing feels the same in me,
My whole body just melts down.

The way you call out my name,
No music seems to compete it.
No mood seem to conqure it's warmth.
And no one can stop me to fall for you.

Nothing seems more beautiful than my name,
When its spoken right out of your mouth.
Nothing feels the same.
Nothing makes me happy like it.

I wish you always call my name,
Like a bee wanting for its honey,
I am here waiting for you to call me
Just once more to feel it's power.

Never Judge others

No one is born perfect, we all are born with imperfections and that doesn't give us right to judge anyone. I am just writing so that we all could think and give second thought on our action before judging anyone... some of the few reason I found are stated below la:

1. We never know how hard it's for them to accept the judgemental comments we all pass over but I see no reason why we have to judge them about that fault. I am sure they know and they are fighting mentally to fix it.

2. We judge someone of working at a drayang with unimaginable slang words but have you ever wonder how much they wanted to ignore such works but still ends up doing it as they need to feed themselves and their loved ones.

3. Some people are already suffering in this life and judging them just adds fuel to their ongoing suffering. We never know how much our one word can hurt them. So please let's not judge them.

4. Some suffer from inferior feelings disorder, which makes them feel inferior to others and judging them can be disaster.

5. When we judge others, it doesn't define them but it defines our character.

6. When ever we see a fault in others, we should put ourself into their shoe and try to feel how you would feel if someone judges you for a fault which can be corrected with mutual talking.

7. We end up judging other so much that we lose our own value in the long run and we become someone whom we always hated to be. A person interfering into others business.

8. We judge someone of being poor, old fashion and old timer but have we ever wondered how tough their life maybe. Some people arnt lucky like us, they have to earn every bit of food they get on their plate.

9. Sometimes it better to be accept someoen the way they are then to judge and create disharmony in oneself.

10. Judging is a disease and it can be cured through constant reminding, reminding of how different we all are in terms of how we look, behave and look like.

11. Judging by the caste system is the worst judging I can see for we all are the product of God's wish and dreams. He created us all same and I see no reason how he is lower than you or how she is higher than you.

12. Judging someone based on gender isn't cool as what I can do, I am 100% sure she can do it. Telling someone you can't do it because it's meant for man or for woman only is a stupid reason to judge someone but it doesnt mean we need a steonh reason to judge. Judging someone for who they are is crime which can be punished by KARMA and FATE.

I hope some of this points might help us not to judge someone. Thank you...

Kuchoe Ama!, Chapter 2

Having washed her face, she stands in front of the mirror, remembering the days when she would sleep till noon on summer and winter breaks. Her father would never let them to wake early. Now, she has to wake up as early as 5AM. She looks back at the bed where Deki is still sleeping. Switching off the light, she heads towards the kitchen where her mother has started boiling water and cooking rice for a few workers who eat breakfast here.

Her work is to get the flour ready for momo. Workers take momo in the lunch. Her mother stands at the gas stove, walking past her; she takes out a bowl out from the metallic rack. Keeping it down on the floor, she mixes flour with water. Her head aches, as she could not sleep well last night shocked by her mother’s words to marry that manager. After her mother left the room, she chatted with Chophel. He asked about the result. He consoled her talking about other ways of making a living. She felt good to have his support. Chatting with him for hours, she forgot about her mother’s words. She cannot tell him about that.

Dawn breaks. Time moves fast. Soon, the company workers start to move tro-and-fro. Breakfast is ready. Waiting for the morning customers, standing behind the counter Aum Wangmo calls, “Dema, where is Deki?”

Walking past her, she goes directly to the bedroom. Pushing the door, she goes directly to the bed where Deki is still sleeping. Nudging her shoulder, she wakes her up. Opening her eyes reluctantly, Deki looks at her.

“What time is it?”

“7.”

Forcing her sleepy body off the bed, as Deki disappears into the bathroom, Dema walks back to the kitchen. Eyes reddened by onions, she bends and takes another onion from the bowl when her mother shouts from the counter, “Two rice.”

Standing up immediately, taking out two plates from the rack she fills them up. As she arranges the plates and cups on the tray, she expects Deki to walk in but there is no sign of her. Then, lifting the tray, she walks to the table, where two young men sit nearby the bukhari. Standing in front of them, she keeps the tray on the table. One of them looks at her directly and comments, “Aunty, who is she?”

Smiling at them, her mother replies, “My daughter, sir.”

Taking the tray, she walks back to the kitchen when the same man says, “So, you have two beautiful daughters?”

“Yes, sir.”

Deki is not in the kitchen. Morning customers fill up the room, some asking for tea and some fried rice. Her mother is frying rice when she looks at her, “Where is Deki?”

She walks to the bedroom and finds Deki sleeping. Waking her up, she goes back to the kitchen. On the way, the same man stops her. Looking at her, he says, “I am done.”

Walking to the counter, she stands there waiting for him to come and pay the bill. Walking towards the counter he takes out his wallet and pays the bill.

Looking at him, Dema says, “Sir, do you have credit?”

“Nope, why?”

“If you have, you need to clear your dues,” says Dema, making a serious face.

Saying no words, he walks away as if frightened by her face, something which she is not supposed to do because it’s her mother’s advice to be good to customers. Going back to the kitchen, she gets back to her momo making. Then, Deki stands at the door, looking very clumsy.

Looking at her, mother says, “You are late.”

“Today, we are supposed to be going for shopping,” says Deki, looking at her mother, who slides the fried rice down on to the plate.

“Take this to Table 3.”

Walking inside, Deki takes the tray and heads towards the table. What has happened to her mother? She looks so lost in this canteen thing. Confused by this, Dema keeps making momo when Deki walks back.

“Mom, aren’t we going for shopping today?”

Looking back at her, her mother fires, “Can we talk about that later?”

Then, a man stands at the counter. Turning her face, Deki walks to the counter. Then, keeping the man standing at the counter, she walks back to kitchen and stands at the door.

“This man has credit but he is not willing to pay.”

On hearing this, Aum Wangmo walks out to the counter. Looking at the man, she says, “You have credit. Please!”

“It’s order from our manager not to pay our dues.”

“What?”

“You can call him.”

Surprised by this man words, walking back to the kitchen she picks up her phone and calls the manager. Talking with him for a while, she hangs up the phone, face looking very sad.

Looking at her, Dema asks, “What is it mother?”

Standing at the by the gas stove, her mother asks, “What have you decided?”

“Decided?”

“About the marriage?”

Keeping her head down, Dema does not say a word.

Keeping her knees on the floor, Aum Wangmo looks at her, “Dema, you need to understand something. This manager lent me money to start this canteen. I owe him 5 lakhs. If I cannot pay back, I will be jailed and you two will suffer. If he marries you, he does not want the money. If you don’t marry him, he will do anything to fulfil his desire.”

Story by: Phurpa Dorji (PJIKKS)

Chapter 3 Tomorrow @9PM