The
first head turned. Its eyes were focused on the entrance of the busy roadside
restaurant.
The
owner of this crucial part of the anatomy had sharp features and other delights
too. He was short, rather emaciated, of dark complexion and had a Charlie
Chaplin mustache. This latter addition gave the face that belonged to the
canine variety a comic look.
It
was evening time and the air was thick and suffocating with peak hour traffic.
The
first head as we will call our hero hereafter was waiting at the bus stop, and
the deliberate turning of his head away from the coming buses backwards to the
restaurant naturally attracted some attention. Its taut positioning and the
intent gaze emanating from it appealed to the curious instinct of a lot of
fellow commuters. More and more heads started turning in that direction.
The
ever increasing number of heads didn’t exactly know what to find or what to
expect there, but their collective curiosity was constantly fueled by the
undivided attention showered by the first head on the ephemeral sight.
The
first head made a sudden move now. He started walking at a brisk pace towards
the restaurant. The other heads followed him devotedly with their fixed expecting
stares. They waited impatiently because they wanted to make sure before they
decided to make their next moves. Although always drawn on by such curiosity chores
on a daily basis they still thought—why to waste time unnecessarily on the
prank of some stupid crank. Being the proud inhabitants of a roaring Indian
metropolis they never ever failed to realize that time was money and if a
minute was not to be translated into a few bucks more they expected to get at
least moneys’ worth for that lost time.
After
reaching the entrance of the eatery the first head stopped abruptly, and began
taking surreptitious peeps into the crowded environs inside. The counter
manager was all smiles and as always he effortlessly stuck to the eternally
welcoming posture.
“Come
on in Sir, why stop there? Lot of crowds, yes Sir...natural at this hour! But not
to worry—we have tables for you. You can climb up to the AC block for more
comfort!”
The
first head mumbled something inaudible and continued with his random peeps. The
manager persisted.
“Are
you looking for your friend, Sir? No issues—please come inside and take a
thorough look”, the manager was now a little apprehensive. He had been in this
business for over two decades and he prided himself in knowing all sorts of
customers inside out.
No
impact though on this particular one. Again, the mumbling and the peeps
continued.
Now
the other heads were sure that something fishy was indeed going on. Some fun
was definitely in the offing. Most of the heads started moving towards the
restaurant.
The
manager was taken aback failing to classify this particular specimen. Annoyance
was slowly robbing him of his placid welcome gestures.
“Please
don’t mind my saying so Sir, but you are definitely creating a hindrance right
here in this crucial point of entry! We always want to give the very best of
service to our customers and we cannot survive otherwise. Please try to
understand, Sir! I still welcome you, please come inside and have a seat!”
The
first head paid no attention to the pleading manager. By now quite a crowd
gathered outside the restaurant. There were murmurs, whispers now.
“What’s
happening, pal?”
“How
do I know? Let’s go still nearer and find out!”
“I
knew the fellow is not normal; but I fail to understand what he’s up to!”
“Maybe
he’s plain mad, maybe we’re wasting our time!”
Nobody
knew why they were all there. However, they were all egged on by their
insatiable curiosity—the expected thrill of watching something unique without
any cost or without any impending fear of any danger to them arising out of
their participation.
Now
a few waiters joined the harassed manager, but even their combined efforts
failed to make the first head articulate. The manager eyed the potential
customers greedily and wished all of them came inside ordering happily. But alas!
Nobody was interested in coming inside the eatery. His annoyance now gave way
to glowing embers of anger that stirred within him.
“Hey,
what’s the fun, huh? You people either come in or disperse! I’m not going to
tolerate this kind of infringement on my fundamental right of doing business
with freedom any longer, not a minute longer, I warn you!, the manager
thundered to the crowd growing in size with every passing second.
There
were hostile reactions to the manager’s histrionics. To his consternation there
followed a voracious exchange of invective and the crowd swelled further. The situation
now threatened to go out of control.
Meanwhile,
the first head was at total peace with itself and was dexterously carrying on
with its sneak preview of the hotel interiors.
Finally
help came in the form of a traffic policeman who shouted his way through in a
bid to find out the root cause of the problem. While continuing with his
authoritative overtures he was constantly passing on messages through his
walkie-talkie. The manager held at this last straw and furnished him with a
brief of the issue.
The
policeman walked up to the first head and demanded to know what was going on. Failing
to give a proper enough justification would mean an instant arrest for creating
a law and order situation, he warned. The first head now decided to break his
silence.
“You
see, I’m very lonely and depressed...”
“I
don’t see how you are, just explain your actions. Quick!”
“...I
have no near or dear ones. I live alone in my house, eat alone...sleep
alone...passing every minute in a pain for me; I get no appetite...I...”
“Cut
it out, bugger! I’m not interested in your backgrounder. Stick to the point”,
now the policeman was getting impatient.
“Please,
no abuses! I’m a respectable person. I must stress the point that knowing the
background is a must to understand any situation”, the first head readied
itself to launch into a scholarly discourse. “I told you of my painfully
insignificant and mundane existence. But God has a plan for every living being
and I was no exception. You see, I fell in love with a beautiful girl who gave
a new meaning to my life. Suddenly I was alive and bursting with energy...”
The
policeman was beginning to enjoy now and a grin cracked his dry lips. There were
also a few giggles from the crowd. The first head was blissfully oblivious though.
“...I
never wanted to lose her; I proposed and she accepted as per God’s will. My joy
knew no bounds. But I had a fear...am I really going to get so much
happiness...the loner that I always was. I was paranoid about losing her...”
“Hold
it now, enough of your love story, buddy! Do please come to the point, my dear
forlorn lovebird”, he paused dramatically for effect.
He
was rewarded. For a change there were no giggles.
“As
always I was waiting for a bus this evening, and suddenly I saw her...but I’m
not sure...sort of hoping against hope. I desperately want to be proved wrong. I
still stand here to confirm...she cannot do this to me! ...You see, I saw her
with a man! I saw both of them entering this very restaurant! ... If they come
out now...and confirm my worst fear...I’ll drop dead right here...!”
There
was absolute silence for a moment. First the policeman started it. He bellowed
with raucous unleashed laughter. His body shook and tears blocked his eyes. Soon
all in the watching crowd joined in the mayhem merriment.
The
manager never wanted to let go of this opportunity. He invited all for a cup of
tea and welcomed the now silent first head to have a thorough search in all
corners of the eatery.
However,
the first head began to slip away quietly taking advantage of the relieved
situation. As he jostled into a running bus he mumbled to himself, “Abominable
nincompoops! Laugh on...you hyenas! How would you know! That this was just good
enough fun in my uniquely creative way to have an appetizing supper tonight!
Eeeeekh...eeeeeeekh! I’m already feeling hungry, ravenously! Eeeeeeeekh...need
food now!”
The
restaurant was bubbling with activity. Nobody noticed our hero slipping away.
