The Man I Live With: Part 3

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Abstract

years and gave him a big hug. The salesman, who had been standing there ogling at me till then, looked scandalized and stared blankly at the gentleman I live with. The latter, who had smiled at Javed, and continued looking for an empty auto, turned around and seeing the shocked expression on the man’s face, immediately switched into Oscar Award mode.</p><p id="8bb9">He let the corners of his mouth droop, turned his gaze up to the heavens, and let out an audible and heart rending sigh. Turning to the salesman, as one suffering man to another, he murmured, heartbrokenly, “Kya Karega?” (What can I do?) The salesman nodded understandingly at him, and turned to stare accusingly at me. He didn’t say it, but I could almost hear the words, “Jade! Jezebel!” trembling on his lips.</p><p id="dbac">I had no idea about this man’s sterling performance until we were in the auto and heading home. He related all this to me smugly. I laughed so much I almost fell out of the auto.</p><p id="bfeb">“Didn’t you tell him, that the kid was my student?” I asked him, when I could speak.</p><p id="4c69">“Yes,” he said, sounding sad, “I had to tell him. He looked so upset.”</p><p id="cdaa">“Else. wouldn’t you have?”, I demanded.</p><p id="7d08">“No!” he pontificated, looking smug again, “You must only tell people what they should know.”</p><p id="3d5a">I stared at him and he looked back with limpid innocence. The auto driver stared at us in the rear view mirror, daring us to start anything in the back seat of his vehicle.</p><p id="fcde">We live in very confusing times, don’t we?</p><p id="1ed5">

Options

But.</p><p id="4a92">The Sun rises for all of us.</p><p id="796b"><a href="https://readmedium.com/dreams-e171e6137431">©️ <i>2022 Suma Narayan. All Rights Reserved.</i></a></p><p id="3588">More about the man I live with:</p><div id="3eeb" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/hamming-it-up-in-jaipur-e6ed6cfd38da"> <div> <div> <h2>Hamming It Up, in Jaipur</h2> <div><h3>We went to Rajasthan, when the lockdown was eased, and after wandering around some, we reached a place from where we…</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*jFIdlyY8HjfaaHGb)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><p id="8f6d">Shoutout to <a href="undefined">Trista Signe Ainsworth</a> for her exquisite expression of gratitude, humility, change and their affirmation in her life:</p><div id="702c" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/your-beautiful-self-94d4f5e4e026"> <div> <div> <h2>Your Beautiful Self</h2> <div><h3>How to embrace the new you</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*A9H9ctf5gT6rpIoVNCkcbQ.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div></article></body>

Personal Essay

So yesterday, the man I live with, and I went to Vijay Sales, the store, to look at electronic equipment, and possibly buy it, if we could afford it. For the first time in living memory, the shop was almost empty, owing to the post-Corona economic fall-out. When we were leaving, one of the salesmen in the shop, accompanied us, with what we had bought, and hung around till we were able to flag down an auto.

While we were waiting there, two of my ex students got out of a car, popping up beside me. One of them says, “Hello, Miss!” and I realise that it is Javed Sanadi, one of our College’s star dancers. The first time I saw him dance, at one of Mithibai’s Annual Talent shows, I was floored; it was a piece executed with such finesse and compelling perfection. It was a virtuoso performance incorporating elements of Kathak, Bharata Natyam, Kuchipudi and even Kathakali. For one so young to have mastered some of these dance forms, spoke of intense, rigorous, single-minded dedication and training.

Dance and music move me almost as much as words do.

I was delighted to meet him after so many years and gave him a big hug. The salesman, who had been standing there ogling at me till then, looked scandalized and stared blankly at the gentleman I live with. The latter, who had smiled at Javed, and continued looking for an empty auto, turned around and seeing the shocked expression on the man’s face, immediately switched into Oscar Award mode.

He let the corners of his mouth droop, turned his gaze up to the heavens, and let out an audible and heart rending sigh. Turning to the salesman, as one suffering man to another, he murmured, heartbrokenly, “Kya Karega?” (What can I do?) The salesman nodded understandingly at him, and turned to stare accusingly at me. He didn’t say it, but I could almost hear the words, “Jade! Jezebel!” trembling on his lips.

I had no idea about this man’s sterling performance until we were in the auto and heading home. He related all this to me smugly. I laughed so much I almost fell out of the auto.

“Didn’t you tell him, that the kid was my student?” I asked him, when I could speak.

“Yes,” he said, sounding sad, “I had to tell him. He looked so upset.”

“Else. wouldn’t you have?”, I demanded.

“No!” he pontificated, looking smug again, “You must only tell people what they should know.”

I stared at him and he looked back with limpid innocence. The auto driver stared at us in the rear view mirror, daring us to start anything in the back seat of his vehicle.

We live in very confusing times, don’t we?

But.

The Sun rises for all of us.

More about the man I live with:

Shoutout to Trista Signe Ainsworth for her exquisite expression of gratitude, humility, change and their affirmation in her life: