7.3 Club Rehendi

Tuesday evening, he stepped into the sand-filled lawn in the foreground of Salty Breeze and headed to the kitchen side. The maid waved, “She is expecting you. You can eat with the girls.”

“No, I had dinner,” he told her, “I will wait there.” He stepped towards the banyan tree and sat down on the stone ring.

Then the maid came with a bottle of Portello.

“I can’t drink that stuff,” he uttered.

“Why not?”

He grabbed the bottle and paused. Muaz took a sip when she was gone. He puked to the ground, carefully avoiding his white bell-bottoms and white clog shoes.

Fifteen minutes later, the maid returned to say, “Madam tells me you have to come into the side lawn. She does not want other girls to see. Follow me!”

Kish stood on the red tiled steps wearing a black frock and high heels, dressed neatly for a date, touched with powder on her face. A single gold chain on her neck and less gold on the wrists. The maid ushered them out of the side gate.

Farida was satisfied that she got a contract from LH. She would let any girl have a private talk.

“What is the movie tonight?” asked Kish.

“Kabhi Kabhi,” replied Muaz.

“That is a good film,” cried Kish. They all heard the songs and knew the lyrics by heart.

The worst part that evening was that he had to drag his bike and walk the girl. Those days it was hip to ride on bicycles with a girl…only if she had a bike.

“Hello Madiri!” a former classmate popped from a corner, “Where are you going?” His name was Niyaz.

“Bioscope,” replied Muaz.

He contemplated the girl who wore a nylon black frock; under the makeup she looked gorgeous. He could see the golden girdle on her hip and white panties underneath. He could tell she was an island chic. “Good to see you! Enjoy it well!” Niyaz pushed away without a word.

Sailors and Bandiya girls hold bad reputation as they are labelled as a disgrace to the society.

“You’re wearing a beautiful dress,” he remarked, “Where did you get that frock?”

“First Lady,” responded the girl, “They showed a bunch of readymade clothes and asked us to pick. Shoes and makeup kits.”

“Did you meet her, shake hands?”

“Yes, we did. She talked to me.”

“Ouch!” he cried coming to a halt, “I’ve dropped a heel!”

They were very close to the Olympus Theatre. He walked all the way without a heel on his platform.

“Where did you drop it?” asked the girl.

“I could have dropped it at your place. We can’t turn back. Let’s go to my place and change my shoes!”

He walked the girl dragging his bike and a shoe. He changed his shoes, left his bike at home and took the girl to the theatre.

A good crowd gathered at the entrance. He and his girl showed their tickets and climbed the red carpeted steps to the vomitory. Checked their numbers, dropped the seats and settled.

Before the lights went out, a guy seated next to Kish told her, “The President is in the house.”

“Where?” Muaz leaned over Kish and asked.

“Right behind.”

He glanced.

“You can’t see him. He’s in the Box.”

“How do you know?”

“I saw him park his Volkswagen on Night Bloom Road,” said the guy, “He drives fast.”

“He drives by himself?”

“All the time. Only on an official call he’d let his chauffeur drive. And he’s got a left-hand drive.”

After the show, they walked to Lonuziyaraii-kol and sat down on the prom in the breezes from the sea. He said, “I thought Ashwar married that girl.”

Kish replied, “He is married to Gul. On the brink now. Don’t be surprised, she is under the influence.”

“Under the influence!”

“Certainly. They do fanditha and throws the girl to island middle. That’s just a phrase. It means she sleeps with other guys.”

“Who does fanditha like that?” he asked.

“Your grandmother. In our ward our mentor is Mantha.”

“Noxious!”

“They make her sleep with a man and reveal to her husband about her infidelity. He has no choice to live with it or divorce her.”

“Why?” asked Muaz.

“Because they need the girls to dance. When you divorce your wife, nobody wants to marry her. Guys, you know, young and old, they look for virgins and little girls. That is their soft spot because these guys are stubborn. Everyone knows that. So, adultery is a step that will split a couple. In our island, boys prefer not to marry our girls because they know and fear about this split up.

“In the second marriage, it is different. Nobody really cares if your wife sleeps with another guy or what she does. She is second-hand. They can dance, they can go wherever they want, they have sex. It doesn’t matter. That is what the societal heads want. Most of us are single and tied to dance. You find single mothers in Bandiya.”