12.3 Maldive Courage

It was a special banquet they had at the officers’ mess on Level 2 or the Casino Deck. Farida, Salt, Mannan and Huda sat with the visitors and the officers, including Captain Hiroshi. There were two restrooms on this floor as well for ladies and gents. Additional bar adjoining the saloon facing the veranda served the officers’ mess. The musicians had dinner at the steward mess.

The dancers dressed in knee-length féli and libas tops, short and pink, for the first session. They wore the golden necklaces, bracelets and rings and gathered at the smoke room for facial touches and arranging hair. This room filled with smoke and bidi.

That night, the show commenced at 9:30 pm at the Casino. Dancers in traditional costume did their hair in buns and danced to folk songs. Slow persistent steps and turns, holding posies or sticks, on barefoot. Natives could understand those melodies. Though there were 22 dancers in the group, only eighteen stepped on the floor. Four stayed back to help the dancers and interchanged in between skits.

Meanwhile, the ship’s officers enjoyed the show, drinking and dancing into the night, there were plentiful Filipinos who did not show up. Few Indians and the rest of the Maldivian crew sat there smoking and unsure how to begin – at the most twenty-five of them. Normally, the Maldivian get a kick when the show is over.

To end the first session, the dancers did a tease like a burlesque. The féli is a wrap and it is knotted in the back. And the dancers wrapped the wrap. It is also a thick garment, a white square piece batik dyed in black to leave with two narrow white stripes and a black stripe with a broad white hem. Sometimes it is different but generally you find stripes in black and white. In this case, their féli cut below knees.

In the motion, dancers tuck the libas under their arms, lift from the rear as habitually done by womenfolk, then they pose back on back, undo the wraps and pass the corners with partners. Then in a turn both release the féli to get wrapped by the other.

Crowd jumped up on the floor and they were no longer quiet. Every time they pulled this trick, the native crew meticulously watched for a flaw. But the dancers did it every time without a breach.

Mannan sat jaw-dropped.

The next session started at 11:00 pm. This time the dancers wore low rise, full length, black flare skirt of sheer fabric with front slit, stretch panties and cropped top of dark green sheer fabric. All the gold prodigiously exhibited and the silver girdles around the hips temptingly worn over the clothing. Hair let loose and attached with one-inch-wide headbands. Some wore very short hair since Gulish joined the group with short hair and introduced a new style.

This time there were twelve dancers on the floor and preferably the youngest few. Ten released to flirt in the crowd.

One of the visitors had gone with a girl and the captain picked another. Muja wondered if he should take a girl and get busted to his wife since this wasn’t Santiago for him. Mannan grabbed that opportunity and left with Huda.

It was windy out there and cloudy in the sky. On the Passenger Deck, he was holding a glass and smoking as they remarked on the Full Moon hidden in the clouds. If not for the wind, it was peaceful on the ship.

Farida sat by the bar counter with Salt. She wore a straight dress with puffed sleeves, a mid-thigh body fit of crepe fabric in mustard colour. She was not quite able to keep her focus.

The harmonium licked on the keys wondering to start another gig or not. The dancers remained in line on the floor holding the pitchers, their legs clearly visible in the sheer fabric. The floor was vacated or half empty and the hall filled with smoke.

Meanwhile, some visitors and dancers were not on the floor. Some ran up and down the companionways and stairs, through the corridors on other decks.

Sawsan, the singer, sat on the poker table flirting with two local crews, one leg raised on to the table resting on a heel and a beer in her hand. A fair girl and that leg exposed in the slit. Those tingling tits and sharp nipples revealed under the delicate material.

Farida Ikhtak stepped up to the microphone and gestured to the guys to play. Negotiated a little and began to sing one of her own songs.

It blasted in the hall of the Casino right in front of the dancing girls. Gas and smoke got released instantly filling the hall. Another and another blew up on the floor. Orange smoke released from the canisters. The dancing girls shrieked.

Farida stood shocked. She saw a guy on the left, behind the poker table, pointing a gun and shooting into the girls. A flare hit the bar on the opposite side of the hall. It broke some bottles and fire rained down the rack. The barman grabbed an extinguisher and turned to chill it. Salt ran towards the girls as Muja already was ushering them into the corridors from the main entrance. And the visitors jammed the doorway. A Pinoy grabbed Sawsan and another confronted the local crews with a knife. Muja saw that and drew the glass panel sliding doors close and locked. The musicians stayed or they were slow to move. Mona and Suzi in the Casino could not make it.

Twelve girls ran in two different directions just to confront with mob who threw firecrackers at their feet into the corridors. Those firecrackers attached in strings blasted in succession creating loud noise. Some ran into the restrooms while some entered the officers’ mess and some ended in the smoke room. Their screams filled the corridors.

A Pinoy armed with an axe thwacked the sliding door wood, not the glass. Another with a knife went after Suzi and Sawsan grabbed the girl. This Pinoy kicked her brashly, grabbed Sawsan’s blouse and ripped it from the front, his knife tore her stomach and she started bleeding at once. Allo, the harmonium, grabbed a chair and hit him on his crown. Another Pinoy stabbed his shoulder. None of the local crews in the Casino was able to stand up. Two other musicians remained hushed. The barman who was an Indian rushed in waving his arms to calm them down. Then the Pinoy grabbed Suzi’s hand and dragged her out of the Casino. She screamed aloud. Mona grabbed Rabe, a percussionist, and hid behind him.

Meanwhile, the first Pinoy managed to open the sliding doors.

Sawsan was lying on the floor. The barman, two crews and Fathey attended to the injured.

Salt and Muja locked the two doors of the smoke room; one to the corridor and the other to the veranda. Zara, Nazra, Mani, Thana and two visitors with them. On the starboard side restroom, Farida locked in with Kish and Nashee.

On the port side, Fahima, Lu, another visitor and four crews took refuge in the officers’ mess. Gulish, Rosy, Fila and Wasi locked in the restroom.

Eight dancers were not on the floor. The Casino was filled with red smoke. Somehow the barman put out the fire. Another crew got cut by a Pinoy knife. Blood spilt on the floor and loud screams coming from the hall.