‘ Abe Saale Sethu, Get up ! They are calling us.‘
Bang .. Bang .. Bang
Sami pounded relentlessly at the door . Droplets of sweat trickled across his brow. He wished he could leave , but knew that would only get him into more trouble. He waited for a moment , straining to hear any signs of life across the door. But there was none.
In the chill of the night , he clasped his blanket tightly , rubbing it across his hairless chest , to prevent the shiver that was spreading through his body. He did not know whether it was the cold , or the thought of turning up without Sethu , that made him shiver.
The sound of departing footsteps echoed across the lonely hall. It must be close to 2:30 , he thought to himself.
Bang .. Bang.. Bang .. Bang .. Bang
He knew he was panicking , but he could not help himself . He had a maximum of 5 minutes to get Sethu to the roof. He did not want to think of the events that would follow their arrival . Maybe today they would get off easily . Maybe they would not notice their absence , maybe his seniors were just too drunk. But as his watched beeped 2:30 , he knew it was just wishful thinking.
What would they do to him , if he turned up without Sethu . At the very moment , his seniors paired him up with Sethu , Sami knew he was in trouble. Sami was just a normal person , born to a postmaster in a small village near Udupi. His humble background , could not be even remotely understood by this rich NRI(Non resident Indian) , whose monthly pocket money probably was more than his yearly bank balance.
‘ Buddies ‘ as their seniors called them , were supposed to look out for the other. Buddies had to always tag along with each other , whether they liked each other or not . They were warned against serious repercussion if they were found on the college campus without their ‘ buddie’ . The normal day to day ragging was torture in itself , that no one had ever dared to be curious enough to find out what the so called repercussions were.
Perhaps he would be the first to find out. It was already past 2:30 and he could hear the jeers from the building beside them . The nightly attendance calling ritual had began. He was lucky his name started with an S. That would give him an extra 15 minutes to get this lazy NRI up to the terrace. Under the cover of the night he knew he could slip in without getting caught.
Bang Bang Bang
Panic filled his torso , he would break down the door if he had to.
‘Why me God , Why me ?’
He asked silently looking to the ceiling above , as though he could see heaven through it.
He thought he heard a groan , and knocked again , this time passively. He could not afford to upset the proud NRI . Sethu could probably buy himself out of any trouble , he thought to himself. Why would he care what happened to a postman’s son.
‘Sethu , Its Sami here. We have to report for attendance call. It’s already late , please get up. God knows what they will do to us’ .
There was shuffle , and then the noise of the padlock being removed. Relief filled Sami’s face as the door opened and Sethu’s silhouette appeared. Without wasting a moment , Sami grabbed Sethu’s hand and literally dragged him to the stairway.
‘We should be able to make it on time . Gosh Sethu , you should be more responsible. Maybe you can get away with all this , But I cannot. Who gives a rat’s ass about a postman’s son. Do you even know what they could do to me , if you had not opened the door.’
They hurried up the last flight of stairs , stopping only at the door to the terrace. When they were sure there were no torch lights being flashed , the snuck out and silently made their way to their place in the queue.
‘I wonder what they will make us do today . I was really scared this afternoon , when they forced that glass of beer on me. ’
Sami shuddered at the memory of the beer bottle that had been thrust in front of him , the before. As a Brahmin , consumption of alcohol , was a sin . Even consuming the wisps’ of that intoxicating drink was sinful . What would his father say ? He would probably be kicked out of his , never to see his mother and sister again.
He had pleaded and cried , but his pleas had only made his seniors more adamant. And if it had not been for Sethu , he would have had to commit that grave sin. Had he thanked Sethu for intervening ? He did not remember , but then again he was too scared. Now that he remembered the incident , he did not feel the need to thank Sethu . That NRI bastard , would had a few drinks with the seniors . No wonder Sethu did not answer his knocking earlier . He was probably drunk.
A ray of light jerked Sami back from his thoughts. A flash light from across the building shone upon them. It was their turn now. He hesitated for a moment , and that moment was enough for Sethu to move ahead. At the edge of the terrace Sethu stood , his hand still clasping the blanket. It was cold tonight , but his body was numbed with painkillers. He held his hand out to balance himself , he could feel his head spinning around . Just a few more minutes he said to himself.
And then as the flash light settled on him , Sethu let his blanket slide to the floor. He stood staring blankly into the darkness from where a single beam of flashlight , explored his body.
‘You there remain standing . Where is the next guy’
That poor bastard , Sami thought to himself , must have done something really bad to be made to stand for long in this cold. He felt sorry for , but then a strange feeling of happiness filled him. The NRI bastard unlike himself , deserved every bit of this humiliation. He deserved this for keeping waiting. The poor drunk , he thought to himself , probably does not realize he has to move. He smiled realizing that today even a simple postman’s son carried more pride than a well bred NRI.
At the edge of the terrace , Sethu remained standing . His mind raced faster than the beats of his heart. He knew he could end it all . It would take only one step , and perhaps he would have ,had he not closed his eyes. His mind was filled with images of his father waving at him , as he passed their small apartment in his stinking municipal garbage truck .
Sami stepped forward . he hands tightly clasped around the waist band of his boxer, as though he feared wind would blow it away. He stood waiting for the flashlight to register his attendance. He waited but the flashlight remained on Sethu . Out of curiosity he stole a glance towards where the flash light was directed. He let out a gasp as his gaze fell upon Sethu’s exposed groin.
‘Are you mad ? They asked us to come in our boxers!’
It was then, in the silhouette of Sethu’s face , that he found the answer to why his seniors had let him off easily in the afternoon.
It was in the tear stain , bruised and battered face of Sethu , that Sami had first felt the seeds of a strong friendship being sown.
