Broken Hug

Bayoke Tower

She looked and in all the hundred yards or so ahead, she only saw the swans slowly gliding in the midst of silence.

   It was a spectacular sight to her. Toyota cars in strips of green and white, and some in blue and white surrounded them, for when she looked from her window she saw them. And when she looked from his side of the window, she saw them too.

   All the while he noticed her. She was like a child having suddenly discovered something new. As she turned her head from one side to the other, her smooth black hair swung from side to side, covering some part of her face. Excitement leapt into her eyes, and she removed her hand from his and lightly clutched it. She shook his hand.

   “Look, look, Raw-han, some motorbikes have swum between them. They are the babies of the swans.”

   He only looked at her. She seemed not noticing his existence next to her but talking to an absent Raw-han. He smiled instead.

   While she stared at the scene ahead, he thought about their conversation in the art gallery and at Starbucks. He realized he hadn’t read out his poetry to anyone, not even to Raj and Max. There was some loneliness settled in his system. For some reason he couldn’t picture himself reading out his poetry to anyone. But he could to Fai. And if that was so, why didn’t he? Why did his mind hold him back?

   He somehow knew he would for he had said it would be the next time. Whenever he had read his poems, it was to himself. He remembered a day etched out in his memory. It was the winter season. And it was a day with clear sky and fresh and clean sunlight pouring down on the little yard. He had brought out the old chair. He was wrapped in a green shawl, and in his hand he had the small notebook. He pictured another chair in front of him with the flowerpots behind it. He was reading out a poem to his own self sitting opposite him. 

   But now he would read it to someone else. To Fai. He looked at her. Her back was leaning against the back rest, her head was on the edge of the seat. Very soon she ran her hands through her hair, closing her eyes as she did so. She must be savouring the scene of the lake and the swans. But he instantly knew he was wrong.

   “Are you tired?” he asked.

   “Umm, yea, a little.” And with her head still against the seat’s edge, she turned her face and smiled at him. He noticed it was a weak smile.

   She leaned forward and told the driver something. The taxi slowed down at the mouth of a lane. She pointed to him the second house to the right side inside the lane.

   Then she looked at him. “Thanks for everything Raw-han.”

   He looked into her eyes. “No, Fai.” And he placed his hand on hers. “We have to thank each other.” He leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her. She hugged him too. They remained in that position for sometime till he could hear his own breathing and she felt his breath fall warm on her shoulder. They disentangled. He looked into her face.

   “Will I see you tomorrow?” It was an innocent question, and it needed an innocent answer.

   She smiled. “School’s off tomorrow.”

   “When should it be okay?”

   “Around three. Still I’ll w******p you.”

   She got down from the road side and came to the pavement. She waved out to him smiling. And she turned.

   But as soon as the taxi started moving, she turned and came rushing back. 

Rohan quickly told the driver to stop, and he pressed the brakes.

   The driver rolled down the window and she craned her neck and rattled off something in Thai to him. He nodded.

   She looked at Rohan. “I told him to drop you at your guest house.” She waved out again.

   He sank back into his seat. He realized he wouldn’t have to keep his mind open for sometime; Fai had already taken care of his return. He closed his eyes no sooner his head leaned on the back rest. Peace seemed to rub his mind, massage it with soft hands. His body relaxed. His mind sunk into some wooly oblivion.

   He opened his eyes to some strange words. The driver was saying something and at the same time pointing his hand outside. He was already outside the guest house. He smiled, paying the fare.

   Max and Raj were at the open bar. They smiled at him.

   “The face says it all,” Max commented as Rohan pulled a cane chair, “that Romeo could find Juliet.”

   Rohan sat at the stool and aimed a friendly punch at him. Raj ordered for a beer for him. He gave them the news and they took it with smiles.

   “We’ll meet around three tomorrow.”

   “Tomorrow,” Raj said, “we can move around somewhere close by in the first half.”

   The friends had their food at the bar itself.

   As Rohan lay in bed that night, his cell buzzed. w******p text from Fai.

            Fai; Hi. Already asleep? 

            Rohan: No, just lying down. Did u have a good day today? :)

            Fai: Ya, I did. & did u? :)

            Rohan: U bet. U made it perfect.

            Fai: Hehe! So, is 3 pm okhay with u 2moro?

            Rohan: Yea, that’s fine.

            Fai: Hope it won’t disturb ur friends’ plans.    

            Rohan: No, it won’t. We’ve planned on something for the 1st half.

            U must b tired with the entire day’s activity.

            Fai: Ya, will close my eyes soon.

            Rohan: Right then. Enjoy ur sleep. Gud nite :)         

            Fai: Okhay, gud nite. U too enjoy ur sleep :)

   Keeping the text window open, Rohan closed his eyes. That made him feel she was at the window, of his room. Smiling, he soon drifted off.

   Next day just before three, Rohan was sitting on the landing outside MBK building. Behind him was the Starbucks cafe he and Fai had visited the previous evening. Shoppers came in and out of the shopping building. A few motorbike taxis stood in front, their drivers with big fluorescent coloured numbers displayed on their jackets. 

   Raj, Max and he had gone to the Crocodile Farm in the morning. The young man at the reception of their guest house had advised them to visit it early morning. “The Ancient City is not far off from the farm,” the friendly young man at the counter said. “It’s worth a visit, sirs,” and he had smiled.

   They returned by 1 pm, and Max and Raj went to Terminal 21, a big shopping mall in Asok locality, leaving Rohan for his date.

   Rohan watched the traffic – Fai’s swans – gliding in the water. A few motorbikes sailed past like baby swans. Peace settled in him. He knew he wouldn’t have to speculate whether he would see her all of a sudden in the middle of the road or not as it was the previous day. He only allowed the calmness that she was coming to meet him, to massage his mind. 

   An air-con bus, navy blue with a yellow stripe, stopped at the four crossing to his left. Fai stepped down from the footboard. Getting up onto the pavement, she saw him sitting and smiled as he walked towards her. She looked more relaxed than yesterday, more confident. It’s the energy she got from last night’s sleep, he told himself. My attraction for her has grown.

   Fai met him halfway, carrying a military green bag hanging from her shoulder.

   “Hi,” she said, soft glow in her eyes. “Looking nice.”

   He smiled. “You look good too.”

   She smiled.

   They stood at the spot. For a while they didn’t know what to do. Then he started walking and she followed him.

   “Where are you going?” she asked in the softest voice possible.

   “Nowhere.” And he shrugged. “And you?”

   She shrugged, copying him, and both laughed.

   “You have any place in mind?” She looked at him.

   He only smiled. “No.” he shook his head. “But I wanted to do some purchases.”

   “Where are Max and Raj?”

   “They have gone to Terminal 21.”

   “C’mon, then.” She chuckled. “First to Terminal 21, and then I’ll take you to a place seeing which you’ll forget falling in love with anyone or anything other than the place.”

   They hailed a taxi and headed to meet their friends. Very soon, after the vehicle had sped and crawled for quite sometimes, they reached the mall. Raj and Max were on the 2nd floor. The four of them moved about here and there, laughed and joked, purchased a few items and then went to a café inside the mall and had some snacks.

   Raj fell back and pulled Rohan’s sleeves while the four were coming out of the café. “She’s come all the way to take you out, so why are you a spoiler?” and he looked at him helplessly.”

   “But you guys will be alone.”

   “So what, damn it. We aren’t breast-feeding babies who can’t look after ourselves.” And he pushed him.

   Raj and Max stayed back in the mall. Fai and Rohan came down and out.

   “Where do you want to go now, Raw-han?”

   “Um, to the place I’ll fall in love with.” And he nodded, looking at the sky with a helpless shrug of his shoulders.  

   She only smiled.

   They reached the crossing and boarded an air-con bus. Only five passengers sat, scattered at various seats. Fai and Rohan chose an empty seat at the left end.

   After about half hour of ride, they got down at a shopping area. Standing out a bit ahead was a circular building as if tearing the sky.

   “Welcome to Baiyoke Tower, 84 floors high.”