ExpertDabbler

The approach to that place was a small road of about 15 ft width which took off from Mettupalayam Road at an awkward angle. We had to travel a kilometer inside. It was around 7 PM when we located the house. The area and the house had a kind of eerie ring to it. It was further away from the relatively well known NGGO colony whilst coming from the city. A developing area probably. This was the first house from Mettupalayam road.

Some fellows have saturn in their tongues. I, on that day had both Saturn and Kuligan in mine.

Me(half jokingly): “Dei Logs, idam oru maadhiriya irukku. Adichu potta kooda theriyaadhu. Parthu pesu.”

Logs:“Adhellam onnum illa. Naama enna sandai podava vandhirukoom?”

I took his seat in his CD 100 SS as Logs got down from the vehicle. He had been riding and i was at the back.

Frankly, I did not expect the guy to part with the money. At the most, Logs might ask him, the fellow would say next week or maybe someone in their family would say “Velila porukaar”. It was hardly a month in this job and I could sense what these “Takaalti” guys would come up with. Unimaginative lot.

Logs opened the gate, went inside the house compound and pressed the calling bell.

One tall chap opened the door.

Tall chap: “Yaar venum?”

Logs: “J…….?”

Tall chap: “Avar inge illai”

Logs: “Illai, idhu J… sister veedu dhaane. J eppo varuvaar?”

T C: “Theriyaadhu”

The tone and the way that guy spoke was one of haughtiness. Probably that angered Logs.

Logs: “J.. vara solirukaar. Oru computer vangina vishayama 6000 rupees pending 6 masama. Vara sollitu illena sonna enna artham. Inge vachu dhaan system kuduthaen. Avanga sister ai kupidunga…”

T C: “ J.. illainu sollranilla? Yaaruayum koopida mudiyaadhu.”

Logs: “System vangumbodhu mattum nottitu vangareengalla?”

That was it. That started it all. The tall chap went berserk. He shouted unprintable words,removed his chappals and slapped Logs. I watched stunned for a second. The guy kept on slapping him with his chappals. Logs did not expect this either. He tried to sway away. I ran towards Logs and I got a few slaps. I was angered beyond words. Being a person of robost girth, I threw myself at the tall chap. He could not withstand my weight. He fell down. I was on top of him.
We rolled on the ground. I shouted some of the worst words in Tamil Language.
He slapped me hard. I retaliated. That infuriated him. He came near the motor bike, pulled the fuel tube, pushed the vehicle down, slapped me and Logs a few more times. I again gave back. This made him wild. He ripped the vehicles’ fuel tank pouch and slapped me hard on my right chin with his left hand. The zipper tore into my eyebrow, missing my right eye by a whisker. I was bleeding. I was blind in rage. I just hit back at that tall chap with all my might.

All along, the chap’s wife who came out was abusing us with all those glorious words in tamil language. She tore our bike’s front tyre with some sharp object.

But on realizing me getting involved, Logs suddenly turned soft. He started pleading “Sir, vidunga avasarapadadheenga…Please”

Logs did not want me to be involved. This transaction had happened long ago. And he knew that I had just been out of a personal tragedy.

The Tall chap’s anger now turned towards Logs, Logs was brutally hit with all that was in sight. Our vehicle was not in running condition anymore. My chappals and Logs chappals were gone. It was pitch dark, barring that house lights. No streetlights in that road.

Logs started shouting, “Karthik, nee poyuru nee poyuru”

Where would I Go? No vehicle. Totally alien environment. Nobody to help. Just nobody crossed that bloody road. Pitch dark conditions. Fortunately I was about to stamp on Log’s mobile phone and picked it up from ground.

The tall chap was shouting towards me, “Dei, odadhe nillu…”

Logs was not in a positon to come. If only he had attacked that tall chap with me, I felt we both could have escaped with relatively lesser damage. There was always “professionals” to handle these thugs. Shit. That was not to be. He wanted me to be completely out of it, so chose to buy peace and in the end got brutally assaulted. Logs was taken inside the house.

I started to run towards the Mettupalayam road. It was about a kilometer.
I needed help. Badly. There was no point in sticking with Logs and getting hit and thereby ruining both our chances. But at the same time I cannot leave Logs. I tried to dial Log’s friend’s number in his mobile. Shit! Logs had locked his keypad and I did not know how to open it in that tense situation. I just fiddled clumpsily, to no avail.

Luckily, Logs friend Sathy called as I reached Mettupalayam road. The call receiver worked even when key pad was locked.

Sathy:“Dei, enge irukke?”

Me:“Anna, naan karthik pesaran. Oru prachnai. Logu oru edathile maatirukaan. Paisa vanga vandhom. Plan panni adikaraanga na…”

Sathya:” Karthik enge irukke?”

I spotted a small pillayaar temple by the roadside and asked them to come there. I guessed starting from Colony even immediately might take some time for them to reach.

He came to that spot in exactly 20 minutes in a Contessa with a few of his friends.
I got into the car and went towards that dreaded house.

The tall chap was standing out cool.

Sathy:“Sir enna prachnai, yen adhicheenga? Loganathan enge?”

TC:“Theriyaadhu.”

Sathy’s other friend in the car:“Dei, mavane, mariyadhaiya sollidu. Ille nadakaradhe vera…”

TC:“Pannaradhai Panniko.”

Sathy:“Ivan kitte enna pechu? Nama police station pogalaam”

We went to the nearby Thudiyalur Police station.

Police Station

Me to Head Constable:“Sir, en peru prabukarthik. Colony la irundhu varen. oru prachnai ayiduchu. Paisa problem. Pesa pona edathile pottu adikaraanga. En friend ai kanom. Olichu vachirukaanga.”

Head Constable:“Enge nadandhadhu?”

Me:“NGGO colony kitte..”

HC:“Oh nee dhaana adhu? Ippo dhaan avanga veetu amma phone panni complaint pannichu. Neeyum un friendum thevai illama avanga veetukku poi Kaasu kudu nu galatta pannineeglama? Veedu pugundhu ladies kitte yellam thappa nadandhrukke? Yenda, 6000 rubaa vanganumna enna vena pannuviya nee?”

It was getting too nasty. My head was spinning. For a moment nothing came out of my mouth. Logs did not go beyond the house front door. I did not enter the compound at all. All the brawl took place outside.

Me:“Naange onnume pannalai sir. Avanga dhaan vara sonnanga.”

HC:“Yaaru”

Me:“Andha J….”

HC:“Yaaru kitte computer kuduthe?”

Me:“J.. kitta..”

HC:“Idhu yaaru veedu?”

Me:“J… sister veedu..”

HC:“Oruthar kitta porulai kuduthuttu, avanga thagachi veetukku poi dhaan panam keppiya nee?”

I was speechless for a moment. I gathered myself and said…

Me:“Sir, avanga dhaan inge vara sonnaanga sir.”

HC:“Dei, ennada alakkare? Ne va vandiyile eeru. Andha edathukku thirumbi poi visarikanum… adhukku munnale hospital poganum. Yenda ipdi irukeenga? Unnayellam rendu naal lock up la vachu polakkanum.”

The jeep took me to the nearby hospital.

Meanwhile, on seeing me and Logs’s friends in a car, the TC’s people had realized that the situation had spun out of control. And so were using the strategy of damage control and attention diversion. Blaming me and Logs as though we invaded their house was part of that strategy. Loga was taken to a nearby hospital (another hospital, not where I was taken by the police) by the TCs old mother. After piercing his hands with screw drivers.

I got my right torn portion of the eyebrow section stitched. I saw the time it was almost 9 PM. Shit. Amma would be waiting for me. I grabbed a cell from one of the folks there and made a call to amma

Me:“Ma, karthi pesaren. Enna pannare?”

Amma:“Yenna innum kanom? Late aguma?”

Me:“Ma, Enakku wait pannadei, nee saptitu thoongu..”

Amma:“Yen ennachu? Nee saaptiya? Function ellam nalla padiya nadandhudha?”

Me:“Oru chinna prachnai. Onnum illai, vandi koncham repair.
Ellam nalla pochu. Naan saapten. Nee saaptitu padu. Naan vandhudaren enna?”

I disconnected the phone. I had no idea when i would go home. If at all I would.

I had no intention to be in a lockup and get hit left and right. The next call was to my friend Madhu’s dad Mr Padmanabhan…

If there was one person who can rescue me from this mess, it was Mr Padmanabhan.

Me:“Uncle, oru chinna! problem”

P:“Sollu Prabu”.

He calls me Prabu.

I told him the situation. He was shocked and horrified. He immediately agreed to come to the station.

For the first time in several hours, I had time for myself. To reflect. To cry silently. I felt as wretched as I had ever felt in my life. What wrong did I do? I had been a loser all my life. I lost out in education, in friendship and now in I’m letting my mother down by being caught by police and its hardly three months since Dad was gone. Not to mention how serious Logs was. Maybe I had acted selfish. Maybe I should have stayed.

Madhu’s dad on that night was the answer to all my mother’s prayers for all these years. He was to me the messenger, saviour or whatever that night.

I got into the police jeep and started towards the dreaded house for the third time that evening.

Author’s note:
Just in case you missed out, getting banged in head was the bang I was talking about all along:)

To be concluded in Part 4.

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