At a wedding, I noticed a familiar face sitting alone in a corner of the hall. I sat down with him as well. The person, who works in automotive parts and engine oil, etc., was greeted with great affection. After asking about the situation, the usual responses followed, including cries of depression and inflation.
He claimed that there would be no work done today, but the day before, a man had changed the oil in the car, billed for twenty-five hundred dollars, left, and it was later discovered that the note had been forged… uh… came from my mouth, then–?
What then? He came for the first time, and he is grateful that I “put “fake” oil in his car” instead of killing myself. I didn’t know who it was, but I abused him a lot.
The slogan “Khana Khul Gaya” was sung, and the entire room went into a frenzy at this point. I thought he had brought food for me as well when he triumphantly returned with a plate of chicken curry. He said, “Paji, bring it too,” and later the wedding hall staff began serving poor food.
* He got up and returned with biryani – asked him, how did you manage this phony thousand note? The wedding has been requested by the boys. He presented it as a greeting to the groom’s father. He also took two sips from one of the four bottles hidden under the table. Join your hands together after a six-second long breath. He prayed fervently as he closed his eyes and said…