THE RETURN

After reading the prompt, I recalled a story I had read somewhere: An American citizen, say Joe, has been several times to work within the Arctic Circle. He had befriended many Eskimos there and had stayed at their homes.  The exotic hospitality of the Eskimo was to share the wife with the guest for the duration of the stay. Later Joe gets married and boasts to his wife Daphne  about his experiences in the icy wilderness. One day as Joe and Daphne were conversing there was a knock on the door and Joe opens  to see a man, an Eskimo one of Joe’s hosts in Eskimoland. Daphne immediately jumps forward and says “You’re welcome. Make yourself at home.” The story as I remember ends there. Here is my story:

Shah was professor of anthropology in that university and he was given a grant to study the small tribal community of plongs. He went and camped with them and was accepted as he adopted their ways and customs. He was a tall man with a beard and had returned after receiving his doctorate from an American university. With the funds he was allocated he used audio and video besides photographs to study the plongs. He learnt their language and pidgin and almost became one of that tribe. He returned from plong country and set about writing a book on plongs. In this task he was assisted by female researcher Devi, who had a master’s degree in anthropology.

The plong tribe was still almost aboriginal. Men and women were bare bodied. Men wore cloth around the middle, while women wore grass skirts. That day, due to covid, the professor was working from home. Devi who lived not far off, had joined him. She was quite a good looker and was dressed in a sari. He said “Devi, yesterday we had finished the geography of the plong location. Now we come to the people. He drew out two photos from an envelope said “See this photo of a group of the tribe. The next shows a plong man and woman.”

Devi saw that the men were wearing loin cloths around the middle while the women were bare bosomed with  thick hair on the head done into ropes and fitted with a variety of flowers. Devi laughed and said “The man is covered alright, but the woman in grass skirt isn’t. It’s indecent.”

Shah said “Let us not impose our standards on that primitive society.”

“She is almost nude.”

“That’s their culture. They have some good points: They accepted me to be one amongst them. See photo 225.”

She opened the foto case and saw the prof standing bare bodied with a couple of young men and 2 young women. He said “It’s very difficult to be accepted by them. See pic 226.”

She saw the pic and he said “The youth with the bow is Rho. He was an excellent marksman with arrows. A very friendly type. With me on the other side is Huma.”  Devi saw the teen-aged girl  perhaps just starting to blossom, standing in a grass skirt. Shah continued “You won’t believe it till I show you the photos.” He glanced at the photo list with him and said “Take out 430 and 434.”

She drew out those and he said “Rho married Huma and I was best man. 434 to 500 are the pics of the marriage. That happened before I left the plongs to come back here.”  Shah paused and said “I’m deviating. The next chapter will be about the dress and make up of plong men and women, their jewellery and decorations.”

Devi said “Prof, before we continue on your book, it would be nice if I had back ground information about you in plongland. Where did you camp in plong country?”

“That is a good question. The chief put me up with Fili.” He again glanced at the sheets he was holding and said “Look at pics 51 and 52. 51 is the chief and Fili is 52.”

Devi studied the two pics. She said “I can make out the chief but who is Fili?”

“She was somebody close to the chief. He set me up to stay with Fili. I learnt their lingo etc from her as she even knew English. She was young and instructed me on everything I needed to know about plongs. She made me an authority on plongs.”

“I mean did you live with her?”

“That is a needless question. I’ll only say she was close to me. She was an authority on plong ceremonies and practices. She told me how plong youth were taught about love making.  In some cases she would join me to enact what she meant.”

“That means you were bedding her.”

“Don’t be coarse. As anthropologists we learn from tribals and she taught me a lot. One night I saw the snake coiled round the frame of her bed and saved her. If we had then got on the bed at least one of us would’ve been killed.”

“Where is Fili now?”

“I learnt that she has moved in with the chief. She managed it very cleverly since the chief had a wife  with whom he wasn’t happy.”

Devi said “Let me make some tea for us. We have cookies in stock.”

Devi was soon back from the kitchen.

As he sipped the tea Shah said “You make very good tea. You should teach me some time. What I make here isn’t half as good.”

Devi laughed and said “Here are the cookies.”

As he bit into a cookie she asked “How did you manage food in plong country?”

“Fili had a young girl as cook but somehow she kept me completely screened from her.”

Devi said “Prof we started chapter two but you are straying.”

“That’s only because of you. You reminded me of Fili and I find you’re like her in almost everything. You know I’m a bachelor and I miss her a lot though she was only a tribal at heart.”

“Prof, we’ve moved closely since I joined the department, but you have never tried wooing me. It was your fault.”

He said “I’m glad you have spoken openly with me. I wonder what Fili would’ve advised.

Fili was always blunt. No devious talk. No beating around the bush. She would have asked ‘Will you accept me?’ And I’m putting that question to you.”

“Fili’s loss is my gain.”

He got up, clasped her and kissed her. Just then the doorbell rang. Devi smoothed her sari and went to the door. A man and a woman were standing outside. The woman was in a housecoat and the man was in a shirt over pyjamas.

Devi thought she recognized the callers though they were not in native attire: Weren’t they Rho and Huma?

The man asked “I want to see prof.”

Devi said “Come in. He is there,”

They went in and the professor who was seated at a table smiled. Without any formalities Rho said “Prof I’ve come to return Huma.”

Shah was shocked and said “Rho, that can only be done in your society. You can’t return Huma to me.”

“Of course I can. The chief said I can. I can return her only to the best man. That was you! I’m going back to plongland.”

 Rho walked away fast leaving both Huma and Devi standing transfixed as the professor looked on!

END