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

Nge Michu Chapter 7

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