The intercom ring interrupted the tense and gloomy atmosphere in the Traveller with Raima sobbing away on Khush’s shoulders. Khush answered the phone. The driver said, ‘Daman aa gaya Saab.’
Jampore beach in Daman is, one of India’s yet-to be discovered beauty spots. It is in the part of Daman that still has its Portuguese culture intact to a very large extent. The early 17th century church was still functional and maintained beautifully. This was where Khush always got the driver to take him. The other side of Daman just across the creek is a big town and a tourist spot but not half as beautiful. They looked out of the window – it was a beautiful beach.
‘This is even better than Nargol Beach where all the Parsis landed more than a thousand years ago,’ Khush said. ‘I have my ancestral property very close by at Sanjan – it’s a 150-acre mango orchard with a farmhouse on the brook. Well, we are here now, let’s get out and breathe in the fresh air.’
The driver had parked the Traveller very close to the beach. As they got off, they heard Boozzo bark. The German Shepherd was all excited – he jumped up on Khush and Raima. Khush caught hold of his paws. Boozzo was vigorously wagging his tail.
‘Don’t worry, he won’t bite. He is a friendly dog.’
And so he was, as he was licking Khush all over.
‘I love dogs,’ she said and started patting Boozzo. The dog responded by licking her too. This was a perfect beach getaway – a very long and wide stretch of very fine white sand, very clean. You were sandwiched between the sea on one side and a thick stretch of palm trees on the other.
‘Sahebji,’ said a vendor and brought two tender coconuts to Khush. ‘Gharoon mithu che.’
Khush smiled at the familiar face. My God, he had been just a boy when I last saw him, but he looked so old now, he thought.
‘Kem cho?’ he asked and patted his back, as he could not recollect his name.
‘Badhu saroo che,’ he said. ‘Tame kem?’
‘Chalia kare che,’ said Khush.
Khush handed over a coconut to Raima saying,
‘Patlu malai itley mithu parin.’
Raima made a face.
‘He is an old coconut vendor and still remembers that I don’t like straws as they could be contaminated.
Let's have it in the purest form straight from the nut? Can you do that?’ he asked, holding the coconut up and tilting his head as he drained the entire water down his throat in one go. Raima nodded and followed suit quite well.
‘Very refreshing,’ she said.
‘In my youth, when I came here, it was difficult to spot a soul for miles on this virgin beach – so clean and unpolluted.’
‘It’s so beautiful even now and hardly anyone around,’ said Raima. They were having a wonderful walk on the beach. Boozzo, tied to a collar and chain, was giving the attendant a run. Khush and Raima were strolling behind enjoying the sunset – a huge orange disc, about to touch the horizon and gradually vanish below it. At touchdown, it was a full circle, then going to three-quarters, then half, then one-quarter and finally it disappeared below the horizon. What a colourful sky, Raima loved what she saw and she was longing for Shom to be with her. She then dwelt on Khush’s concerns. How right he was about him and what she could do to protect his interests. She really felt for him. Nonetheless, she wished he were here with her. As it got darker the sky looked more and more beautiful. She started missing Shom more and more.
Khush was watching her as they walked side by side, sometimes exchanging a word or two, sometimes a glance and sometimes a smile. Khush was watching her all the time. In any case, she was between him and his view of the sea. He let her walk a few inches ahead. She was a pretty sight against the backdrop of the sea and the colourful sky. She looked better and much more dignified after being with Shom, he felt. This may be the sign of true love. Khush was not the kind of guy who would notice this. In this case, however, it was so apparent that even he could not miss it.
They decided to go to the restaurant across the street that served very good lobster and red snapper. Khush got top quality service there. Their liquor was not up to the mark so Khush got a chilled bottle of Chardonnay from the Traveller. They enjoyed the dinner and were the only ones there. The fish was very fresh, thanks to Khush and the music – Jazz and Blues – came from the Traveller. After their prolonged dinner, Khush took her around and they crossed over to the other Daman (Nani Daman) in a boat.This small (nani) Daman is now much bigger than the big (moti) Daman, from where they crossed over. This side was very busy, with people pouring in from the bordering state of Gujarat, the dry state, to have their fill of alcohol. The economy of this part of Daman was primarily owing to the liquor- starved tourist. Raima did not like it there so they rushed back to the quieter side. Khush took Raima for a stroll to the historic fort, with a lovely looking church and nice cosy houses.
‘I used to come here as a kid and I remember some good-looking woman serving house wine,’ said Khush.
‘Why would they serve wine in their house?’ asked
Raima quite surprised.
‘That was the tradition. Each house had their technique of making wine, the homemade wine. The house that served tastiest one was the most frequented and that was their source of income.’
‘So which of those houses was the most frequented one?’ asked Raima.
‘I think the green one with the brick-red roof, although it used to be another colour. The times now have changed. There are excise laws in place that don’t allow the sale of home-made wine any more. I used to go there with older men for a glass full of wine and an eyeful of exposed soft fleshy breasts as she bent forward to serve. I don’t know which of the two made it more popular,’ said Khush.
‘You are a funny guy Khush,’ said Raima with a laugh.
‘That’s good Raima, glad to see you laughing.’ Raima then spotted the ‘Traveller’. She was eager to get back to her Shom and her freedom. They started on their journey back to Mumbai. They were both exhausted and soon went to sleep within the luxury of the ‘Traveller’.
On the way, the discreet security jeeps caught up with the driver and signaled to him to pull over.
‘He gey,’ said one of the security men, handing over all their mobiles. The driver’s and the bodyguard’s mobiles had also been taken for their protection.
‘Saab aur memsaab so rahey hain,’ said the driver.
‘Rao dey. Nantar dya!’ said the security man before getting into his vehicle and driving off.
That’s when Shom got through to the driver.