The Promise

I felt very annoyed when the mobile phone rang up so early in the morning. How can somebody be so inconsiderate to call up at this early hour? The number did not show up any name. Looks like it is not in my list of known contacts. I picked up the phone and even before I could express my displeasure, a remarkably familiar voice started from the other side “Hi Tapan, how are you? You the Forgetful Bastard, remember me or not?" I could immediately identify the familiar voice and the matey obscenities used by the caller, but still could not comprehend fully. The number is an Indian number it appeared to me, which confused me. I said “Biswajit, is it you? Are you not living in US now a days? Where are you calling from? “

 He said, “From India, Kolkata. I am here on a short visit from US. Reached here a few days back. Was enquiring about you from our common friends. I heard you are living in Krishnanagar now a days and not in Kolkata anymore. I feel bad because I must leave in two weeks’ time. That means we cannot meet this time. That is why I thought about calling you up and talk to you instead. “

I retorted back in anger “If you cannot make time to meet me, then why did you call me at all? Was it just to save the cost of the long-distance call from US?”

Biswajit replied “Looks like you are getting upset. Cheer up my friend. No problem, I would catch the next available local train and reach at your place by this evening. We would spend the whole weekend together and I would return on Monday morning. I hope then you would not have any more complaints. Let me remind you about one thing, without alcohol such meetings sucks. So do not forget to keep some alcohol for me, you know my choice. Unless you get it today you may not get it later, as you know shops would be closed tomorrow, on Sunday.”

After disconnecting the phone, I explained everything to my wife, Bidisha. I informed her that Biswajit would take dinner tonight and would be with us during the weekend. I told her “Let me rush to the market now. Biswajit is very choosy, and I have to pick the right stuff for him.”

Bidisha got surprised, “Biswajit! That academically brilliant friend of yours’s? Who looks like a film star? I heard so many stories of him from you but have never met him before. He could not even attend our marriage party I recall. He was in US at that time you said. How can he manage the time to come to our place now?”

I replied, “He is just like that, a strange character! Maybe we have not met for years but our friendship and closeness never diminished.”

Biswajit is a friend of mine from my collage days. Both of us studied at the Presidency college of Kolkata. Both of us were studying Economics Honours there. Biswajit was not only a brilliant student but he was also darling of the whole college, for his intoxicating personality. 

He was tall, fair complexioned, with a face covered with beard, like Che Guevara. In those days in nineteen seventies, Che was an icon in the leftist circle of the college. Biswajit used to be always surrounded by a flock of girls who just loved his charming personality. Other boys like me suffered a little bit of jealously for sure. Once he was free from the girls, he always made up for the lost time with us. He more than compensated for the lost time by his flawless mimicry, lewd jokes, and great sense of humour.

Anyway, after I finished my marketing, I started waiting for him, hoping he does not get lost in locating my house.

He turned up by the evening for sure and we shook hands, hugged each other tight. Looking at him I was astonished. He has changed a lot. He has gained weight. He has shaved off his beard completely. He lost most of his hair. A ponytail at the back of his head gave a hint of the past glory. I introduced him to my wife Bidisha and my tiny daughter Riya. He started chatting with them as if he knew them for many years.

Once we finished our dinner, I collected the beer bottles and started for the roof top terrace. Biswajit queried “Bidisha, wont she be joining us...?”. Bidisha quickly interrupted him, “No. I have to spend some time with Riya for her school assignments. You two just go and enjoy.”

As we started discussing our college days and continued drinking, the noisy road below slowly started to get deserted. The constant honking of the auto rickshaws gradually started to fade out and then finally stopped completely. Only occasional sound of passing cars were being heard at long intervals. After finishing a few bottles, I was feeling a little tipsy.

Suddenly the quietude of the night was broken by a beautiful melodious voice singing from somewhere. A female voice it was. She was singing:

                      I am waiting for you, my beloved, my dear,

                      I am yearning to hear your voice for ever.

                      In this darkness, my heart weeps alone,

                     Feel my pain, see what you have done!

Biswajit got startled “Who is singing that beautiful song? Is that Bidisha?”

I peeped below and saw the lunatic girl with torn up clothing, near Hari’s tea stall, below my house. She was the singer. I had seen her before, sitting near the tea shop.

I said “It is not Bidisha, it is the mad women near that tea stall. Listen carefully. Sometimes she says very funny things.” The voice suddenly stopped and then she addressed somebody nearby and said “I am sorry darling, please do not mind. I forgot rest of the song.”

I checked and saw except her pet dog puppy; no other soul was nearby.

Again, she started “Let me rather entertain you with a poem.” Then without waiting for any feedback she started again:

  What a charming face my dear,

                     What a charming bride.

   Cover your face oh darling girl,

                      To save the family pride!

Just after saying this much she suddenly burst into an endless giggle. After some time, she stopped and added “Look here! I do not even have a full piece of cloth on my body, how do I cover my face, darling?”

Looking at her half naked body, her words made me laugh my heart out. But when I looked at Biswajit, I found that he had a strange expression on his face. He was not laughing at all. Rather he was engrossed in some thought, gazing at the starless sky. I said “What happened? Don’t you find her words funny?” Biswajit looked at me with a grave expression “Tapan, don’t you think her apparently funny words reflect a very tragic truth of this country? We are wasting money on building tall statues to impress the whole world, while kids on the street do not have a loin cloth to fight winter cold. Is this not the same story of ‘covering the face to save the family pride’, while the whole body lies naked?”

I said “Listen Biswajit. I am having a wonderful funny feeling and am tipsy as well. I cannot comprehend all these strange ideas of yours. I am sleepy, let me go and sleep now.”

Biswajit winked and smiled at me and said “I understand your urgency. No problem. Leave the bottles and let me enjoy. I would find out my bed downstairs later and go to sleep by myself. See you tomorrow.”

Next day at morning after taking our morning tea and snacks together, I told Biswajit that I must do some grocery shopping and he can accompany me. After coming down on the street I said “Let me show you the main attractions of this city first. Let me first show you the famous King’s Palace of Krishnanagar and other attractions of the city.” Biswajit smiled back and said “No need to show me all those things. I am familiar with every nook and corner of this city. I worked for a few years here, much before you came to this city. “

I expressed my surprise “ I never knew this.”

He said, “We lost contact for many years Tapan, where was the opportunity to share all those details with you?”

After finishing our grocery shopping Biswajit expressed his desire to have a cup of tea. I knew Bidisha would be busy with her cooking lunch. So, I suggested about going to the Hari’s tea stall just beneath my house. After having our tea, I introduced Biswajit to Hari. I also told Hari about the singing and funny talk of that lunatic girl on the previous night. She was still sitting near the tea stall playing with her puppy. Hari gave an affectionate look at her and said “We support this helpless lunatic girl. It seems to me that she is from a respectable family. At times from her talk we can make out that she got some good education as well.” I asked Hari “Did you ever tried to know her name, her hometown, or to find out her family?” Hari replied “Of course I tried. Whenever I ask her about her name, she gives a new name. When I ask her about her hometown, she says strange localities. Once one schoolteacher listened to the names of the cities she is saying and then told me those are cities of Europe, US, and Japan. Perhaps she forgot the name of her own hometown. Besides, I do not think her family members would ever be able to identify her. Just have a look at her face.”

It was true. The girl had deep cuts all over her face disfiguring it completely. Her one eye was almost closed, one lip badly torn. She had scant and dirty clothing on her body, revealing parts of it. She still was in her youth it seems. Hari attributed this to a terrible accident she had, roaming aimlessly on the street. He added that she did not get proper treatment post the accident, causing further damage. There was little chance her family members would even be able to identify her from her present conditions and looks. Hari further added “Fortunately the girl is very calm and demands nothing. My wife likes her, and she provides her food every day. She keeps herself busy playing with that puppy. However, my wife worries about her safety during the nights. “

Hari lowered his voice and added “She is still young, and there are people with bad intensions around. Like vultures they wait for opportunity. But fortunately, she never goes far from this tea stall and so we can keep an eye on her all the time. However, she has one strange impulse every full moon night. On that night nobody can stop her. Just at ten o’clock on that full moon night, she invariably would go to the nearby Khode River and spends the night there. If we try to stop her that night, she transforms completely and violently fights anybody who tries to stop her. After a few trials we learned the lesson and never try to stop her on that night. We often wonder how a lunatic can know which is the full moon night of the month or estimate the time so accurately, but that is a mystery we could not solve.”

Biswajit was keenly listening to this whole anecdote. He then asked, “Have you ever tried to see why she goes to the riverbank and what she does there?” Hari replied “Oh yes. I deployed a local boy to follow her and check what she does there. The boy came back and told me that she performs some type of strange rituals at the riverbank. Could be some type of prayer or vow to God or something. The boy could not reveal further. “

After tea we returned home. At the lunch table we had discussions on many things like politics, our future life plans, ambitions, and subjects like that. Bidisha became freer with Biswajeet through all these conversations and his jokes. She then asked Biswajeet “What are your plans for the next phase of your life? It is not a secret to me that you were extremely popular amongst the girls, I learned that from your friend Tapan. Did you ever like any one of them and considered a settled married life? As you grow older you know, life becomes lonely. You do need somebody who is always beside you, and really loves you. A real life partner.”

Biswajit had a hearty laugh “Did I like any of them? Oh sure! I liked many of them. Went far ahead with many of them beyond just ‘liking’ but truth is that my life is like a fast track train. It never comes back to the same station again. Besides, in this fast-moving world who would have waited for me this long. I did not know how long it would take to establish myself in that new foreign land in US. Waiting for me this long would have been sheer madness for any girl. Who would have such commitment? Do you see my point Bidisha?”

Bidisha kept quiet. I felt she is not fully convinced. I was feeling sleepy after the heavy lunch and said, “Why don’t we take a nap and start these discussions in the evening?”

Bidisha smiled at me and said “You love only eating and sleeping on Sundays. You loathe any serious talk it seems to me. “

In the evening I asked Biswajit “What would you like to do now? Should we try the Whiskey this evening?”

Biswajit thought for a while and then said, “This night is a full moon night, is it not?”

I replied, “I do not keep track of lunar calendar etc and do not have any idea about that.” Biswajit said “I checked on the internet. This indeed is a full moon night.”

I asked him “Why are we discussing that? Do you have plans to take some photographs of the moon? But I did not see a DSLR camera with you. Can you get a good photo of the moon in your mobile phone?

Biswajit said “No, I have a different plan. Why do not we do an adventure this night. Let us have our dinner early and then let us follow the mad woman to see why she goes to the riverbank and what she does there. “

Instead of enjoying the whiskey, following that lunatic girl at night appeared least attractive plan to me. But I knew the determination and stubbornness of Biswajit from college days. It would be futile to argue and try to change his mind. I said “Ok, fine. Let me go and explain this plan to Bidisha.”

I told Bidisha “Biswajit wants to go to the riverbank this night, to enjoy the full moon view. We need to take our dinner early.”

Bidisha said “That is so lovely, I would have loved to accompany you two as well, but I need to help Riya with her studies. So, you two just go ahead.”

After dinner I got ready, taking a torch in my pocket. Exactly at ten o’clock we saw the lunatic girl picked up a small jute sack on her shoulder and started walking. Biswajit and I started following her, keeping some safe distance. She took the deserted lane towards the river. There were no lights on this path, but the moonlight was good enough to keep track of her. On reaching the stone platform on the riverbank, she sat down and started carefully opening her jute sack. I saw she was taking out some items from the sack and placing them very carefully on the stone riverbank platform. She picked up an item from the sack and carefully placed it beside her. She murmured “Here is your Topar darling, don’t you like it?” Topar is a typical head ornament worn by a Bengali groom at the marriage. I strained my eyes and identified the object. It was only a conical paper wrap used by street side vendors to give street food! She then took out another object from her sack “See this beautiful Tiara that I would wear at our marriage. Is it not beautiful? Why don’t you say so?” She was addressing somebody, but no one was in sight. I looked at the object and identified it to be a paper Tiara they put on the Hindu Goddess Durga. Perhaps it came floating to the riverbank after immersion of the idol and was collected by the lunatic girl. She then took out two worn out flower garlands from her sack. She said “Here is the garlands that we would exchange during the marriage. Enjoy the beautiful fragrance.”

I could guess she perhaps collected them from the crematorium. They are typically put on the dead bodies as a mark of last respects.

It was becoming exceedingly difficult for me to control my laughter observing her lunatic acts. To control my laugh, I covered my mouth and looked at Biswajit. I saw he was looking intently at the lunatic girl with an ashen face. He had a strange expression on his face which I failed to interpret. He suddenly caught hold of my arm and pulled at me “Let us leave this place immediately. I cannot withstand this madness.”

While leaving, I could hear the heart wrenching cries of the mad girl coming from behind “Look here, Darling. I kept all the promise. I am waiting and waiting for you for ever in this darkness, in this dungeon. Please come, take me out. Do you hear me, can you hear me...”?