7.2 Club Rehendi

Bandiya girls brought their items and placed on the lane as they got prepared to leave for the show. Each had to carry her own items; a pitcher, pom-poms, a girdle, clappers and sticks. Muaz arrived fifteen minutes before five. He carried a small bag with a pair of trousers and a shirt. Seeing Huda in the group, he passed the bag to her which she put inside her shoulder bag. Huda, the albino girl, was a distant relative to Muaz. She was twenty-seven years old and never married.

Farida came out and called the girls to fall in two rows as they did yesterday to go to Aurah. She wore her blue dress with the golden necklace placed over the top for greater exposure. All the girls in their dance costumes since the island was fifteen minutes away; aqua blue mini dress, spaghetti straps, square neck, fitted silhouette and flip-flops, the rings on their fingers. The sun fixed in their eyes.

Twenty girls and the band members marched up Alifan Magu towards north, quite a long way, keeping to the left side of the road. A broad road with low walls and tall mango trees. Muaz zigzagged on his bicycle to lead their route.

By the waterfront, Muaz left his bike beside his office wall and sneakily climbed the boat with the girls. His office stood very close to the disembarkation jetty.

In twenty minutes, they arrived in Farukolfushi. As they passed the jetty to the reception, they observed the tourists, big in size and stark naked. They were everywhere; on the beach, at the restaurant and in the bar. The girls rested in the lobby with their welcome drinks and eyeballed at the tourists.

Farida whispered to Muaz, “That guy is not even circumcised! His cock is dangling a foot long!”

One of the tourists came running into the lobby, an old man, throwing his properties east and west.

Club Nature Manager made a generous gesture by presenting the dancers with gifts; T-shirts, underwear, face powder, lotions and soap.

They were then shown to two bungalows on the beach and the show would start after dinner. Soon, they were called for dinner at the senior staff mess.

Show began at nine at the restaurant. There were two dozen guests waiting to see the folk dance. Nine girls in a row performed this swift and cultural Bandiya Dance. At the end of the line, Huda with her eccentric looks, with golden hair and white skin, was a startling performer and she did this dance fluently integrated.

The dancing girls wore those leis and often a girl would step out of the row and dance towards the tourists and put the lei around one of their necks.

In return, this tourist had to dance back and put it on her neck with a tip on it.

Same goes to the staffers or the resort boys. But the boys returned with a bunch of francs attached to the lei and put on a dancer he liked. Some attached love notes on them. They dropped tips into the pots. By the end of the show, they drained their savings. And the tip belongs to the girl who made it.

An hour later, some of the boys were drunk and they danced sloppily between the girls in the rows. The tourists realised this was their show and not necessarily for the guests. They began to leave and soon it became an all-staff show.

One moment, one room boy lay flat on the floor holding his camera between the legs of a dancer to take snapshots.

Show ended at eleven. A couple of girls did enter the water with the boys. Farida called them because they had to return home. They had a gig on Sunday at Furana. She said that she’d allow the girls to stay longer in Furana to enjoy with the boys. Mondays they rest.

They left Farukolfushi at one in the morning and reached Malé.

One thing Muaz noticed was the untidiness that occurred within moments of their arrival at the resort. He went to the bungalow to change. It stunk of tobacco and filled of smoke. Girls smoked and chewed nuts. The tiled floor covered of cigarette filters, bidi, nuts and butts. And sweaty undies thrown all over the place. Horrible.

 

“Hassan!” he sat down beside his desk, “Bandiya girls of Club Rehendi want to perform at LH.”

“Who told you?” asked Hassan Zahir.

“Their boss, Farida Ikhtak,” he replied.

“And how old is this Farida?”

“I have no idea.”

“You know, you have a habit of getting involved with matured women!”

“If you’re not going to tell Majid, I’m going to tell Jörgen.”

“Jörgen will not arrange anything. Where is this Bandiya from?”

“They’re residing in Malé. They’re from Thora.”

“You can go and tell Majid.”

“Just tell him. I will give him the details.”

“You’re a contractor!” he picked the handset and called on the intercom, “Muaz wants to take a group of dancers to LH.”

“From where?” asked Majid.

“Thora.”

“Really! Tell him to come and talk to me.”

Muaz entered his office.

“Muaz, you should talk to me. Now, tell me, what do they want?” asked the manager.

“They want to get a contract,” replied Muaz.

“How many girls are there?”

“Twenty.”

“Can you call her and put me on line?”

“Yes sir.”

“Tell her your boss wants to talk.”

Muaz dialled Farida and spoke, “My boss, Mister Majid, wants to talk about the Bandiya contract.”

Majid grabbed the handset and murmured, “Not a contract,” he spoke into the mouthpiece, “Hello Farida! Do I know you?”

“Maybe,” responded Farida Ikhtak.

“So, what is all this about a Bandiya?”

Farida explained.

“Can you come over here and we negotiate!”

“Yes, I can do that.”

“I will send Muaz to collect you.”

When he placed the receiver, Muaz uttered, “She is married.”

“Ah!” he sighed, “You do not have to tell me that. Who is she married to?”

“Salt, the bassist of The Pink Sharks.”

“Ah! I know him. She is staying there, right! It is a big place indeed. You know, my place is tiny and can be reached through an alleyway. Do you like homosexuals?”

“Homosexuals! No sir.”

He shrugged, “You have not found the pleasures on earth. You get more satisfaction with a homo. Which then of your Lord’s blessings do you deny! You know, The Pink Sharks’ sound boy is a poof.”

Muaz shook his head, “I did not know that.”