Page 72 - FATE & DESTINY

FATE & DESTINY

After the girls were done, they gave their papers to the director. The director held up their statements
and juxtaposed, crinkling up his nose. “What’s this?” He stared at them. “Girls, your statements don’t
mesh.” He hurled the papers on their faces. “Boys, you may leave.”
As we walked out of the office, I said, “Next time you tease girls, I will bash you.”
Amidst tears glimmering in his eyes, Bajim grinned. “I won’t.”

***

The summer vacation was for a month. We had enough time to go home and see our families. So, I
talked to Lambu about the journey.
“Which route should we take?” I said. “Bumthang or Pling?”
“Pling route,” he said. “It’s shorter.”
“The Bumthang route is much shorter and safer.”
“It’s summer,” he said. “Torrential rain blocks the roads. So, we get stranded.”
I gave deep thought to it. “When should we go?”
“Right after the exam.”
Lambu was my closest friend in the institute. Tall and dark, he was pugnacious and fastidious about
dressings but generous. And unlike mine, his leather shoes gleamed all the time.
I relied on him to handle the accounts of our journey as he was frugal. At Samdrup Jongkhar, we
scrimped on meals to save money for our remaining journey. The sweltering heat drenched me in sweat
even on cloudy days. And heat rashes appeared on my limbs.
Lambu tapped his fingers on the windowsill. “Why is the damn truck not moving even today?”
“It was supposed to move yesterday, wasn’t it?” I said.
“Darn it,” said Lambu. “We have been in the hotel room like three nights, and we are almost broke.”
I leaned against the wall and sighed. “I can understand your frustration, but I am starving.” I winced,
pressing my rumbling belly. “Let’s have something, please.”
“What?” he blurted. “What’re we gonna eat tomorrow? And we haven’t yet cleared the hotel bill. You
gotta understand that, man.”
“What’s the matter with you?”
“What’s the matter with me? You know everything, man.”
Jaw dropped, I blinked at him.
I craved not for gluttonous meals, but for light nourishment to get rid of the stomach cramps. But
Lambu wouldn’t spend a penny even on light meals which cost twenty-five ngultrums. The last time we
had a satisfying meal was two days back at Phuentsholing and we skimped on tea and snacks. That whole
day, I trailed him, expecting he’d offer me something. But something unusual happened. It was like a
walking race in the sweltering evening. He walked ahead of me and I dilly-dallied after him. And when he
waited, I strutted away past him. A few distances away, I waited for him, but he swaggered past me. At the
far corner of the street, he waited for me, but I swaggered past him again. We continued the race-like walk
to our hotel.
“Stop it,” I said. “It’s absurd for us to behave like kids.”
“Then don’t act like a kid,” he said, hobbling straight to the hotel room.
The day ended like a child’s day for me, like any child would get distraught with the parents for refusing
a request.
The next day, our truck moved at 3:00 pm. The truck rumbled up the mountain road at a snail’s pace as
it was loaded. At nightfall, we arrived at Wamrong town.
Pulling over the truck beside a hotel, the driver yawned. “I am feeling sleepy. We should halt here.”
“Yeah, we better halt here,” said Lambu.
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