MAGGOT

MAGGOT



The slum was having low roof hovels huddled on either side of the narrow dilapidated lane, just outskirt the town, a narrow gutter was moving along the lane carrying slimy substances, a big garbage bin was left open and spilling garbage littered the lane, where most of the daily wage workers, rag pickers, junk sellers, and domestic maid made their homes.         

It was dry summer and the night along with the lonesome sky seemed panting for a drop of water. Even the stray dogs forgot to howl. Most of the doors, made of tin or plywood, were loosely shut and only the  table- fans were aloud.  Whirr….whirr… Few kept their doors quite open and male members, with bare body, lost in the deep sleep on the sagged charpoys, blocking the entrance. Sound of snoring and fart was abuzz.  Somewhere a she-voice was groaning behind a tin door. Langru, the slum dog, trying to get solace sitting ungainly on the wayside gutter, wallowed with mud.

Dasrath was coming back to home with his unsteady feet and unwilling soul. Today, he earned a bit more than his regular income and didn’t hesitate to spend some amount on toddy. But despite being inebriated his feet didn’t stumble as if his feet too aware of the track. Langru rushed to him and started sniffing. But after getting the smell from the known body it left him soon.

Dasrath reached home and tried to knock the door with a force expecting Muniya’s mother might have been slept latching the door inside. But the door was left ajar, perhaps for him, and it was flung.  There was no light inside, only the ray of street light was coming through the open door. He became surprised to see that the room was appearing a bit spacious. No one seemed at home, where they had gone? He wanted to put on the light but could not locate the position of switch board. Suddenly he saw Muniya,his sixteen years old daughter, was lying on the bed, prostrate, disorderly. Her contour was visible. His sight got stuck to small part of  her budding breast, protruding. He latched the door, dragged himself towards the bed and with a cautious note started groping her. She could not resist as she was asleep. When she awoke she was lost.



                  **********************************************

Scampering and squeaking of rats along the wooden pillar of ceiling awoke him. He looked around. The bed was crumpled. Washing-up of last few days heaped at the corner. The blue light of the TV was on. Perhaps,  Muniya just kept the remote off and forgot to keep off the main switch of the T.V before sleeping.

A strong stench was coming from somewhere. He tried to smell the source. At a corner in aluminum bowl rice and pulses was kept. The cover was pushed aside perhaps by the rats. Cockroaches were enjoying the treat.

He became furious not seeing  Muniya around. Even the hearth was not ready. The door was wide open. The tattered curtain was aside.

Nitu, the neghbouring widow, was peeping through.

Since last few months she had been trying to seduce him. But he didn’t respond. Even today, seeing her standing with the support of the threshold, with candid cleavage, no sensuous feeling arose.

                                    Your wife….

                                    What!

                                    …….

                                    Tell me what?

                                    Eloped

                                  What!!

                                  Yesterday.

                                  Rubbish!!

                                  Believe it or  not…. But..

                                    With whom?

                                    Ravi, the driver.

                                    Dipu, Rinki , Muniya…. They too?

                                    Not Muniya.

                                    Then where she has been?

                                    Perhaps, she is somewhere around. But yesterday night perhaps you did            something wrong with her.

                                    Fuck! what wrong I did?   

                                      You tried to ……….

She couldn’t complete the sentence and stood motionless, eyes downcast. He didn’t believe her and looked askance at his bed. The bed revealed everything. Now his anger turned into a deep fear. Throat got dry. He pleaded Nitu to trace Muniya as soon as possible. But Muniya was not found anywhere. He forgot that his wife was eloped but now his immediate thought was to save himself from the police. He became panic stricken with thought of his impending predicament.



                    **********************************

But nothing wrong happened. After three days Muniya herself came back, dumb and emaciated, and kept on staring at the empty space with her cryptic eyes intermittently. Her teen was robbed off and now she was looking overage. Since then no one heard her voice. 

Gradually, she became sick and even unable to get up from the bed. Silent tears dented deep stain over her small face. Mucus accumulated at the corner of the eyes. She wanted to say something  but she failed to pronounce any words only her lips quivered just for a seconds. The bed was spoiled. Now she became terminally ill and Dasrath had to discontinue his business to look after her. He called ‘Bangali Doctor’ (quack doctor) of his slum but that came to no help.  During these painful days Nitu became his great support.



                            *********************

After seven days, he had to resume his business of collecting old news paper and unused plastic containers from different homes. In the scorching summer noon he was waxing lyrical along the road which lay in between the apartments. There was no other voice and even his shouting seemed soaked by the dry weather .Somewhere few stray crows with their harsh voice were trying to keep the noon alive.

An old lady pressed her wizened face against the window was gazing at the deserted road. Seeing Dasrath she beckoned him to come to upstairs.

Dasrath had a deep fear of lift so he took stairs to reach to the spot. While scaling the stairs he was panting and his throat got dry. As he reached he found the lady was already standing on the aisle in front of her door. 

She heaped all the old papers before him. Seeing the volume of the old papers his thirst seemed dried down. He thought this one deal would be sufficient today, so he wanted to do the deal as quick as possible. But the lady perhaps had some different thought. Behind her speck she gazed at him for a while. Then without saying anything she went inside. Dasrathe got a bit baffle. He squatted on the floor and wiped his sweat with the sleeve of his shirt. She brought water in a small brass pitcher and a piece of molasses. Dasrath could not believe his own eyes that one could be so generous. But he became skeptical whether the lady would ask for more price for papers. Seeing his hesitation the lady assured him with a very sweet voice- first you quench your thirst then we will talk about our business.

Words seemed gushing out from her wizened mouth which lost most of its teeth. Then she quoted her price and as he apprehended it was quite more than the prevailing market price. Dasrath was not in favour of losing the business so haggle ensued and stayed for some time. Then both came to an agreed point.

Dasrath brought out the weight machine from his folded sack, an indigenous weight machine having a stick and two plates hung either side, but seeing the machine the lady screamed at top of her voice- you are a cheat. Is it your weight machine?

Matajee(mother) I won’t give you even a gram less. This is my regular business and once I deceive you, will you do business next time?

He made his freckled face in such a way as if he never lied in his life.  Although Dasrath knew that the authorized weight was manipulated, since the bottom of the iron weight was made a little hollow so that look wise it would remain same but weight wise it would be less; and for this manipulation he didn’t need much art since he had been doing this since long.

She seemed convinced with his persuasion and agreed to sell. Dasrath with his deft hand started measuring. She took the opportunity to tell her stories, as if after a long gap someone was giving her a patient hearing- You know my son and daughter –in-law both are working. They don’t  have time to dispose this.

Saying this she remained mum for a while. With her gloomy eyes tried to measure the weighing process minutely. Her wizened face added some more crease when she became suspicious.

                  You know they don’t give me money- her voice sounded like a very close one-     

                    Perhaps they think what I shall do with money. This amount I will keep with myself.

                  Chintu,my grandson, sometimes asks me to buy some toffee. Now with this amount- she did not conclude the sentence and kept on watching the process.

Pricking up his ears he was listening to the story but didn’t stop his hands.  He became sad listened the story of this lonesome old lady. He couldn’t understand how her story resembled with those abandoned women of his slum.

Dasrath wrapped up the whole process as quick as possible and handed over the amount. Old blur eyes got brightened with the touch of that money.

                  You cheat! Given me ten rupees less!

The lady, after counting the amount, harked upon him. The screeching voice shattered the serenity.

                  No.... Mataji Please count it once again. Perhaps you miscounted.

                  Count… you count yourself.

She sounded very reluctant and annoyed. So Dasrath had no option but to count them once again. Although he knew that he had given twenty rupees less but to convince her counted it once again. His fingers were swift enough to conceal the exact amount and lips thick enough to suppress the smile.

                Sorry Mataji mistakenly it happened.

He added ten rupees more to that amount. The lady became content and accepted his apology in true spirit.

After coming out from the apartment Dasrath laughed a lot. How cleanly he deceived her. Today, the day seemed quite generous to him. Carrying the sack, with full of papers, on his shoulder he reached to the shop of his ‘Mahajan’( the owner).

‘Mahajan’ greeted him with lot of expletives for not being there so many days without any information. Although,  inside, Dasrath was hurt and thought to give him some befitting expletives but restrained himself considering he couldn’t show the luxury of losing the amount.

On the way home he saw a leafy tree on the road and thought to have some rest sitting under it. Squatting under the shade  Dasrath kept on scratching his head for a while, then unwrapped the ‘gamchi’(indigenous towel)from his neck and wiped his freckled face ,neck, nape and arms with it, loosened his shirt to get some fresh air. Across the road a mangy stray dog was desperately seeking water around the abandoned hand pump. He took out the small container of tobacco from his pocket, pour some raw tobacco on left palm and after mixing lime kept on rubbing with right thumb, staring at the desperation of the mangy dog for a while, chaffed the dust away with gentle stroke and then holding the substance in between thumb and index finger put it into the mouth.  Then tucked his head in between the knees and pricked- up his ears as if tried to listen the silence of swoon noon or panting of a thirsty dog. Kept on spitting, without raising head, just adjacent space where he seated and slowly lost in a nap. 



                *************************************



There was a thin crowd thronged at the door.  Pushing aside the throng he entered and found Muniya was lying on the bed. He dragged his feet towards the bed and  bent himself to see Muniya more closely. Her head was tilted and long hair got dry and disheveled. Mucus accumulated at the corner of the eyes. The stain of tears was still distinct on her cheek. Her faintly opened mouth seemed she wanted to tell something.                                 

              Where have you been? Last time she was asking for you- Nitu said with a chocked voice.

Dasrath didn’t reply and squatted on the floor leaning against the wall. Took out the tobacco container from the pocket, put some tobacco on the palm and with right thumb kept on rubbing it and then chaffed the dust away with gentle stroke of fingers. Wiped his nose with back of his hand and then  asked indifferently-

                              When will we take her? We need to make everything ready.

Again he remained silent for a while and  looked up at the ceiling. A lizard was waiting patiently for its prey.

                                How much will be required? -  he asked stoically.

Now Nitu couldn’t bear and busted into a loud cry and started abusing Dasrath. The few women gathered there joined her.

                              Shut up you whore!

Dasrath suddenly shouted at the top, swallowed tobacco mistakenly, kept on coughing and when all his effort failed to suppress the cough he stomped outside, with welled eyes and red face.     

Nitu stopped instantaneously, as if she was anticipating such outburst. The word ‘whore’ hurt her yet a faint smile appeared in her face. Inside she realized that she liked his anger. 



                      *************************************



It took a lot of time at the crematorium. The night became quite matured when Dasrath backed home.  As he opened the door the street light covered half of the floor. The dwarf shadow of himself invited him inside the room. He kept the bottle on the bed and took some water from the earthen pot. The night was too hot.

After having the bath he was a bit fresh. He entered the room and left the door ajar.  He didn’t put on the light. Again the stench was coming. But he didn’t have the go to find out the source. A sense of ennui pervaded his mind. Squatting on the floor he swallowed half of the bottle at one go.

As the night got thicker his mind went haywire. He started throwing expletives at ‘Mahajan’. Whatever stock of expletives he was having he poured them all.

Thought of Nitu stealthily appeared. Her candid cleavage, seductive gesture made him  restless. He whispered the word ‘whore’ once again. But this time the anger seemed missing and subtle sigh gradually lost in that forsaken room.

Then he went on threatening Ravi driver and Muniya’s mother repeatedly. The night was gradually becoming eerie.

Suddenly, the door was opened gingerly, someone entered tiptoed and latched the door from inside. The perfume was so enticing! With his bewildered eyes he looked but the figure was not obvious in the dark. She seated beside him and caressed his cheeks. He didn’t resist. Then slowly she pulled his face over her breast. The presence of stench was becoming stronger and seemed trying to throttle him. He was gasping and wanted to breathe fresh air but could do nothing rather helplessly watching himself gradually sinking in the deep pool of stench.

                                             

                                                              ------------The End ------------------