Time for dinner!!!

I looked up to her with surprise; she winked at me with a naughty smile. And in the next micro second, her lips touched my right cheek. “Love you my hero.” she whispered and pulled my cheek hard, really hard. I was relishing the moment when again Sir Lemo without turning back said “Hurry up children, I am hungry!”

We looked at each other with despair and she said, “I told you, he has a record.” And we both started laughing.

“Ok listen Gurpreet, Foodera is just few steps away, around that corner. I need to talk to you so after dinner don’t go back to your room. Meet me just outside the gate. I will come once my friends have left.”

“Sure, I will wait for you.” I said with a smile as we entered another small gate, similar to the one used for entering and leaving this place through slides.

What I saw in front of my eyes made my jaws drop, eyes pop and heart stop. I had read this in stories and seen it in movies but for the first time experienced it. The place was similar to the one where we had our rooms but the preparation for dinner was like that of a King’s palace. A large rectangle table full of only two things as far as I could see - fruits and meat. No bread or rice. I could not recognize the fruits by their shape, though the fruit I had by climbing the tree was also there…mix of guava and strawberry. The meat seemed roasted, no sauce or gravy. I could not make out if it was lamb, chicken or pork or maybe of some other animal found only on Nasa! No plates or glasses could be seen but each seat had a water pipe next to it, popping out of the ground.

The table had wooden stools all around it, did not count it but must be 110. Angel was on my right and Sir Lemo on my left. I turned my head toward Sir Lemo and said, “That is impressive but I hope they have arranged an extra stool for me to sit. We are now a group of 111 people you see.” I smiled at him and he smiled back, looking quite pleased.

“We have not only arranged an extra stool, but managed a special one for you.” He said happily. He was happy because of two reasons; firstly his team had done well in their preparation for dinner, at least in the presentation, don’t know about the taste. And secondly he had seen and felt that I was becoming a part of their group, whether be it me dressing up like them, counting myself in their group or connecting well with Angel. I only assumed these as the reason for his happiness, he did not tell me personally about them.

I followed Sir Lemo towards our left. On the way he told me that the people here fill their stomach first and then the actual get-together starts.

“I dint get you Sir.” I said

“I mean, first we have dinner during which we don’t talk and then we spend a good time interacting and meeting with each other.” Sir Lemo said explaining me the norm here.

He continued, “It is also recommended that the interaction after dinner should be done while strolling and not sitting at one place, it helps in digestion.’

“I’ll keep that in mind.” I said as I followed him.

He reached his seat, at the center of the breadth of the rectangle table. The stool had carving done on it. He asked me to sit on his right. My seat was same as his but since it was new, it looked better.  I looked around and all the other stools were simple, just plane without any carving. I asked Sir Lemo if any other stool had carving on it?

“No, my boy. Earlier it was only mine and now it’s yours too. Only for the head of group.” He said proudly.

“Thank you for that special treatment but when did I become the head here? Are you retiring?” I asked inquisitively with raised eyebrows.

He turned his head in a flash towards me with his eyes staring hard at me. I thought he did not like the retirement question. Then he whispered to me,

“Don’t you think you ask too many questions? Its time for the prayer so keep quiet.”

Everyone stood up and Sir Lemo started the prayer with everyone repeating after him,

“Dear God, We thank you for this dinner. Please keep us in good health.”

“Now you all may proceed with the dinner.”

As soon as the announcement was done, everyone started just gobbling up. Chicken, lamb, pork whatever they could get their hand on. It was like they only get the food once in a day. No one was talking, just busy in their food. They were moving around though, to taste different things. No one was touching the fruit as of now. Maybe after the meal, fruit was eaten to help in digestion. Sir Lemo too had gone and sat somewhere else. His mouth was full still he was pushing more and more inside. I was missing Angel, could not see her. Anyways, I picked up a piece of meat from the table. It was looking crispy, well roasted over charcoal. I dug my teeth deep into and bit of a piece. It was hard and dry, it was awful. I immediately spit it onto the floor. I wiped my mouth and looked up to about 30-40 faces sitting near me staring at me in awe.

“I am sorry but just could not eat it.” I tried to apologize.

At that very moment, Angel came running in. She asked me to drink some water from the pipe. She then addressed the staring faces, “Please forgive him, he is new here. Doesn’t know about it. It wont be repeated. I apologize on his behalf.” She was almost begging.

By that time Sir Lemo came up with a piece of steak in his hand, munching away. “Angel please take care of him and others please continue with your dinner.” And he went off to enjoy his food.

Angel then pulled an empty stool and sat beside me. “Are you fine now? Need more water?” She asked with a concerned look.

“I am fine now. But the chicken here is quite hard to bite I must say.” I told her as I examined the piece from where I had taken the bite.

“It is not chicken if it was hard. It must be rhino meat or bear meat.” She said casually.

My eyes just popped out! I was about to puke! Rhino meat? Meat of that fat bulky ugly piece of mass? Oh God, is that what they eat here? 

Will I be able to eat or better 'gobble up' this meat as they do? Will I have to survive only on fruits here?

The Sleeping Beauty

I still could not muster up the courage to enter her room.

I looked around to see if any other woman could help me. I was still feeling awkward. After not being able to persuade another girl, I decided to call her myself. The girl too told me that it is perfectly fine to just enter anybody’s home at any time. I went and stood in front of her room and called her name out twice, “Angel…Angel are you there?” But no response.

I heard a voice from my back side, “Don’t shout here. Just get in.” I recognized the voice as that of Aunt Fenu. Another passerby told me that we don’t shout or yell here. Be polite was his advice to me.

I swallowed my saliva and moved towards her doorway. I peeked inside and softly said, “Can I come in Angel?” Again no response. I thought its better to enter the room now. It was dark inside. The natural light coming from the ceiling was dim and the box light, filled with fireflies was kept in one corner. It seemed to me someone was lying near the wall, it should be Angel. I fetched the box light and bought it near her to wake her up.

I stared at her for a minute and then I bend down and kissed her on the forehead. I dint knew whether all this was acceptable here or not, nor did I care about the punishment that would be melted to me. It was those times when you admire something so much that you wish to capture the moment by clicking a picture or drawing a picture; I decided to capture it with a kiss. The admiring moment was Angel lying down and sleeping like the 'sleeping beauty' of the classic fairytale we all have read in our childhood, but I dint think she was in any enchantment of sleep.

 My kiss did not wake her up but a knock on the outside wall did.

“Angel, Gurpreet are you in there?” said the voice.

Angel woke up hurriedly, looked at me with surprise and then replied back “Yes we are. Feel free to come in.” And then she murmured to me, “Its Sir Lemo.”

“And what are you doing here, so close to me?” she spoke in low volume but with a big question mark on her face.

“Ah, oh, I came to kiss, no I came to wake you up. I wasn’t coming but everyone said I should go to kiss you, oh I mean to wake you. I did not want to but no one was willing to help me so had to come inside. Just came to wake you up, that’s all.” I said as I scrambled for words.

“Ok ok, now let me at least stand, give me some space.”She said as she tried to sit up.

“Oh ya sure.” I said and went and stood 2 feet away from her.

By that time Sir Lemo had come in.

“Whats going on children? Angel seems tired, want some more rest?” He asked as he patted me on my back and looked at Angel.

 “No, I am fine. I just had a quick nap to charge myself up again. All raring to go.” She said with a smile to Sir Lemo.

“Great, then let us go for dinner. I came looking for you Gurpreet but you were not there in your room. Then someone told he saw you entering Angel’s room so came up here to check. It seems you two share a good comfort level now.” He said to me with one arm around my shoulder.

“I entered her room only on persuasion of others. I did not want to do it, but everyone said is perfectly normal here. Even Aunt Fenu said so, only then I came here.” I tried to explain myself again to both of them.

“It is absolutely fine Gurpreet! Why feeling guilty? Anyways, hope you have been well taken care of here. Anything more I can do for you?”Sir Lemo asked me.

“I am at ease here. Enjoying my stay. Thanks for your concern.” I said with a smile and shook his hands.

“That’s good. So I will wait for both of you near the entrance to Foodera. Come fast Angel.” He said and started to walk away. Then suddenly stopped and turned back, “For your information, Foodera is the place where we have our dinner or I would say feast.” He smiled at me and walked out.

“We are just following you Sir.” Angel said from behind me. She was just wiping her face after washing it. “Come on Gurpreet, move on.” I must say, as were spending more time together, she was becoming more and more casual with me which by the way I liked!

“After you lady.” I said and left the way for her. She walked past me and with a smile said “Impressive, I like it.”

Sir Lemo was walking at the front, around 6-7 steps behind him was Angel and just 2 steps after her was I.

This behavior of mine was 50% due to my good atticates and 50% because I was feeling ashamed of the position I was in when she woke up and saw me. I had just kissed her on the forehead and was moving my lips away from her when her eyes saw me. Seeing a boy in such a position would be objectionable to any girl especially if she was not aware that the boy only wanted to kiss her on forehead as a sign of care and love and not anywhere else which might be taken as a sign of lust.

I said to myself “Bad timing by Sir Lemo.”  And suddenly Angel stopped, she had heard me!  

She let me come up to her and pulled me by the arm close to her and then whispered in my ear, “I know. He has a record for bad timings.”

 Was the comment made by Angel sarcastic or she actually agreed with me? Check out soon...

My House My Room

“Where is the door Angel?” I asked her surprised.

“Door? Why do you need it?” She asked even more surprised.

“What about my privacy and my belongings?” I asked.

“Privacy? Everything is common here and here no one is interested in what is going on in some one else’s life. Don’t worry; no one will even peek in your room.” She said as she tried to push me in my room.

“But at least girls should have a door. Even you don’t have one.” I said as I entered my room.

“We never required it but I guess I need to talk to Sir Lemo about it as you are my neighbor now” She paused and winked at me. It bought a smile on my face as well.

She continued, “Your towel and clothes are kept there and that small area is your washroom area. You bathe and attend nature’s call there and only there. Not against anybody’s wall. Now get ready quickly and we will then go for dinner.”

And she left me alone. I was standing inside a 15 x 20 feet room which is my home for today or may be forever. The inner crust of the planet was used as ceiling, with small holes at random distances which allowed air and light to come in. There was no fan; probably the holes functioned as cooling agents also by letting the breeze in. Two boxes identical to the ones I had seen attached to the PTI door when I first opened it were there. But they were not emitting light. On close inspection of the box, I found that there were hundreds of fireflies inside them. So it was actually them emitting light and doing the work of tube light. Great thinking by people here. It was now certain that electricity was not here.

I needed to get fresh so decided to have a bath. Firstly felt ashamed of taking my clothes off in front of the open door but then hardly anyone was noticing me or my room. Everyone seemed busy, maybe for the dinner. The towel given to me by Angel was actually a jute fabric cloth and the clothes, which too were made of jute, were the same as everyone was wearing, a barber gown and a long skirt. I stepped inside the bathing area, which was at the extreme corner of the room and marked by large sized stones. For bathing, olive oil was there and a water pipe was hanging from the ceiling in the same way as was there in Sir Lemo’s Earthlings Information Center. I sucked it and water started flowing out. I had heard of olive oil bath before but tried it out first time and it was blissful. It just did wonders to my skin; no doubt Angel was the way she was. I got ready but remained barefoot as others. Now wanted to be a part of them.

I stepped out of my room and onto the wooden flooring in the by lane, it was clean and shining. There was no need for any shoes or slippers. Looked around, people seemed busy but still they found time to wish me, not like in our world where we are so busy that at times we don’t even wish our parents in the morning. Angel was not to be seen and I avoided peeking into her room or else she will surely get a door put up . I was waiting for a girl to come by so that I could ask her to call Angel out. At that moment, I saw Aunt Fenu coming towards her room with another lady.

“Excuse me, Hi Aunt Fenu. Hope you remember me, I met you outside Earthlings Information Center, I am from Earth.” I said as I tried to get her attention.

“O, hello dear! Yes I do remember you, everyone here knows you. So how has your experience been here? Can I help you in any way?” She said with a smile on her face.

“The experience has been overwhelming and I am loving every bit of it.” I replied back with a bigger smile.

“Yeah I can see that. You look good in juteons. I mean the dress you are wearing, we call it juteons.” She said pointing to my skirt and barber gown.

“Well thanks for that but can you please call Angel out. She said she will take me for dinner but I see no signs of her.” I said.

“Why don’t you check her out, I hope you know she lives just next to you.” She said with an element of surprise.

“Yes, I do know but felt awkward to just enter her room. She might be doing something personal.” I said shrugging my shoulders.

“Oh come on Gurpreet, don’t feel shy. All this is normal here. You need to get used to it and do your own work, or you will keep waiting for others. Go on.” She said with a small laugh and left to enter her home.

 How can I enter a girl's room just like that? She could be in any state, bathing, sleeping,changing! This is not what I have been taught but shall I become a part of them and do as they say? After all I have to LIVE with them, but that is not morally correct. Big dilemma!!!  What do you do...be true to your principles and morals or go with the tide?