Date : Dec 29th Year : XXXX, Place : Chennai
I felt no shame in carrying my wife goddess's luggage on my head like a coolie on a crowded Chennai Central Station. As is the typical Indian crowd mentality, how much ever busy they were with their own travel to celebrate the new year with their family and loved ones, they never missed to see something as strange as this. A gorgeous girl in her mid 20s, walking arm in arm with a hunk of late 20s, as if this was not enough to turn heads, following was a 30 something dark bald man dressed in just a shorts carrying luggage on his head. Some wondered if it was a coolie but how can a coolie be without uniform. i could hear whispers, giggles, mobile camera clicking, videos, flash everything. Unperturbed to all this I followed my goddess and her bf. In fact I was not prepared for this. I expected to carry luggage but I thought since it has wheels I can drag it on to the station. But goddess was in a different mood, she wanted to begin the trip even before it began. As soon as we got off the taxi, and I got the luggage out of the trunk, she snapped her fingers and said "on your head" and started walking. I had to run to keep pace with her, not that I matter to her, but I wanted to be around her, to breathe the same air she did, watch as she walks on the platform wearing the heels I licked clean among other shoes in a Jeans shorts and a cotton shirt perfectly matching the destination of our trip, Goa!
As I was thinking that my humiliation in my own home town in public was over, fate intervened. As is the case with any Indian railway station, more so with Chennai, it was dirty. I can't say if my goddess did it deliberately or it happened by accident, neither did it matter, she stepped on some left over food packet on the platform and out came all the left over food, sambhar, upma and chutney. How am I so particular about it, because all my focus was on her feet and how she stepped. She shouted.... Chiiiii... and many heads turned. I stopped 3 steps behind her as was my instruction. However, she looked at me and snapped her finger and barked the order "Clean". I was not expecting this, so shell shocked I kept looking at her. To which, she came towards me and gave me a slap, can't you hear idiot. That's when I realized that she had deliberately stepped on it. I pleaded with her, Goddess... vendam..public a irukku... police iruku nga... She said again...firmly "Clean." I had no choice but to obey... we went to a corner... i kept the bag from my head on the floor, ran and bought a water bottle, and started cleaning her shoes with water... luckily it was a public place and she didn't make me lick it. As she was lifting one leg on air for me to pour water and clean, she was leaning on her hunk bf for support. I poured water with one hand and rubbed her shoe soles with the other to clean her shoes. Once she was satisfied, she changed her leg and I did the same thing with her other shoe. Then as if it was nothing, she started walking. I had to quickly run to the trash, throw the water bottle, then pick the food packet which my goddess had stepped on, threw it into trash and quickly ran to follow. In private that would have been my meal, but this was a public place and I was not lucky.
As she approached the first class coach booked for us, came the order : Go and clean the seat and coupe..and as if i did not exist, she was lost in her bf's words and arms. I always wondered how she managed to switch from a mean goddess to a beautiful girl friend in a fraction of a second, may be that's why she is a goddess and me.... Lost in thought, I missed to obey for a second, but when I saw her giving me a stern look and walk towards me, I knew what was in store, i immediately kept the bag on the floor and ran into the train coach to do my cleaning work...may be I was learning...may be.... After thoroughly cleaning the seats and coach with the wet tissue bought for this, as was instructed to wipe every nook and corner of the coupe making it fit for the goddess to travel in it... I ran outside and reported about it being clean. Get cigarette, water bottle and coke! Came the order. I had reached the stage where I didn't expect any appreciation for in my my work, but usually I used to get a hmm or a nod,but no not today. I guess I was in for a ride during this trip.
As I ran back after buying water bottle, cigarette and Coke, I saw the bag was left there on the platform and my king and queen, that is my sir and goddess.. as I was expected to call them during this entire trip were seated comfortably in the coupe with door locked. I carried the bag on my head and went and knocked the door but no response. Understanding the situation I kept the bag down and sat on the floor outside the coupe as I could no longer stand due to the physical exertion experienced. Other passengers threw me weirs look thinking I am a beggar who has entered first class compartment by mistake. Luckily nobody said it out aloud but it was all in their eyes. I had learnt the hard way to ignore all these comments and focus on what my goddess would be doing inside with her bf, the trip was yet to begin but had they already started making out inside the coupe, I had no clue and no way of finding out. I leaned by the door and started imagining how this this trip became a reality and don't know when I dozed off due to all the tiring work.
I woke up by someone slapping my face, only to see TTR there waking me up. He seemed really upset that some beggar is sitting in the first class compartment. I knew better not to disturb goddess and sir who had locked the coupe, so i begged, pleaded and bribed the TTR to let me sit on the doorstep of the coupe. He was surprised and shocked, first with my strange request and then seeing me having money. He offered me a seat in the next coupe, but I said, I am fine here. Next he entered the coupe to check my goddess and sir's tickets, the door closed behind him and while he came out I could see he had a puzzled expression. Perplexed he walked on, the train started and so began our honeymoon, me , my goddess and her bf.
Sitting outside the coupe, I tried my best to listen or see what is happening, but with the loud noise of the train, I could hardly hear anything. Along with 1000 thoughts running in my mind, I also remembered the rules set for the trip by my goddess, one of which was that I will not talk or disturb her unless she calls for me. So here I was sitting on the dirty floor of the train outside the coupe where my goddess and her bf were enjoying inside during the trip which I paid for completely and begged, pleaded for my goddess to come. Copassengers walking in the path were treating me like a nuisance but the money I gave to TTR helped me secure this place.
Suddenly I got lucky and the door opened and I heard the snap of fingers. I was trained well enough to hear the snap of fingers in the loudest of environment. I could even sense the difference in snap sounds when my goddess was angry vs when she was happy. Today's one suggested she was not happy. I immediately went in kneeling and knelt before her, with my head on the floor as is the customary. She rested her heeled feet on my head and kept talking with sir who was sitting next to her. Luckily, sir did not feel me lucky enough to be his footrest. While her heels were digging into my head, all my lethargy flew away with my goddess's touch on me. Little later that I realized they were discussing the menu they want to eat for lunch. Once decided, goddess lifts her feet from my head and snaps fingers. I lift my head up to look upto her. Her radiant face glowed in the winter sun, how happy did she look. I was happy to see her happy. I could also see her shirt had all creases and her hairs were all messed up. Not that I care or dare to question. With time I had learnt to steal glances at her face and other parts of her body which was prohibited by her. They gave me the order and started conversations as if I was not there. I realized the food was for just 2 people, but I dare not argue.
"Oh idiot, edukku da wait pannara... "
"Illainga... naan... enakku...sappadu.... " i could gather courage to muster these words... but to be shood away. "Po da...vangittu vaa, door close pannittu po"
I heard sir say something to goddess... then came anther order " Bag ulla vei... wine edu.. drink prepare pannu... then shu..... "
Another example of a switch... from a beautiful happy girl friend to a mean and cruel goddess...
Obediently I got the bag inside, got the wine out, wine glasses and poured two glasses of wine and handed it over to each one of them.
" Did you forget the drink manners?"
"No No goddess... I thought it is public... i mean... ..sorry..."
Immediately I dropped on floor and kissed her shoes and handed over the wine glass to her. Her white sneakers had picked up lot of dirt from the dirty roads and platforms and I got a taste of the dirt.
Next I moved towards sir, who was wearing a woodland shoes, of course bought with my hard earned money and planted a kiss... and handed over the wine glass to him.
" Shu.."
Came the order as if to chase away a dog which was bothering them. I heard them doing a cheers, twisting their arms around each other and taking a sip. As I went out kneeling, the person from next coupe saw me and were all giggling. I avoided eye contact and immediately ran to the pantry car in the train to get lunch for my co-passengers, my goddess and her bf.
While I came back with the food order, I could see wine glass almost half empty. Knowing that goddess gets really naughty and mean when drunk , I decided to maintain low profile. I served the food and went out of the coupe avoiding any eye contact and waited there patiently in hope of getting some food.
After what seemed like eternity, I could hear sound of finger snap. I immediately went in and knelt...as my eyes fell on the floor.... I realize they had lot of fun in feeding each other, there was food spilled all over the floor.... some crushed, some not...I guess there was lot of walking around as well.. As my eyes fell on goddess's shoes, I could see lot of food particles sticking on to her shoes...
