Raju's tale

Something or other. Something or other. It was always something or other.

Once every month, like a clockwork.

And they got increasingly more ridiculous. He'd have to call the guy out, there was no way out. He was a patient, patient person, but there had to be a red line. This was it.

He forced a tight smile on his face.

Oh Raju you're in, good good. What happened today that made you be late this time? Hope everything is good. I know things haven't been working out well for you. Anything I can help you with, I'm like your family, Raju you can trust me with anything.

Sir, thank you for coming to talk to me, I was going to talk to you about this myself, because bad things keep happening me. I feel bad about being late for work, but the universe has done me bad sir, bad bad bad. I'm so tired, something ridiculous happening to me every week, all the time, it feels like the gods are playing games with me. I have done them no harm, haven't gone around pissing on any gods or disrespecting their creatures or anything. I'm a hardworker, and it's nothing that's your concern, but I am so sorry sir, I apologize but bad things have been happening to me.

Oh don't worry, of course happens to all of us if it's written in the books. What has happened to you this particular occasion.

You will laugh at me if I say so sir, but I was walking here, since my bike was stolen by a blue-looking creature many weeks ago. 

No no Raju tell me I want to hear the ridiculous thing that happened to you as you were coming to work.

Sir I was walking to walk, on the side of the road near Tinkuney, and I saw a beggar asking for money. Being as the kind man that I am, I reached out into my pocket and gave him five rupees. Maybe my bad stroke of luck recently is because I haven't been kind to the poor and the gods are not happy with me for that. He looked really happy, that beggar man, he was beaming and jumping with joy. He motioned me to follow him, I figured he would show me his newborn child or his family or something that would make me feel better, so I followed him. I wasn't expecting anything bad really.

Raju stopped abruptly.

It is going be a long and confusing story sir, I don't want to confuse you with the details since so much happened it's quite unbelievable sir, you're going to think I'm lying about this.

No Raju go ahead, please go ahead, I do want to hear your long confusing unbelievable story. I'm eager to hear it Raju, go on, I won't disturb you from now on until the end of your story.

Sir I have done my duty of warning you, for this story is so ridiculous it is hard to believe it. So I tagged along with the beggar, who looked quite happy, as he stumbled across the potholes and jumped the puddles. We reached this small shanty I vaguely remembered seeing from the Tinkune bridge, I had never been there. We went into the alleys and tight streets. The streets got tighter, I had to almost squeeze myself through these shoddily-build houses. I was quite surprised at how big the place was, we must have walked for a good twenty-five minutes, maybe fourty, before the beggar man stopped to catch up with his breathing. I was panting, and I knew I had mate a terrible mistake. I was going to be late for work again and sir you were already quite angry with me so I thought, I am going to be fired today no matter what because I don't know where I am and it's going to take me a very long time to find my way back. I might as well go along with this man. And so I did. As we walked, the air began smelling of burnt wood and fire-cooked rice. As you can imagine it was quite a surprise for me because you can't find that smell anymore in Kathmandu specially inside the ring road. There was something so pleasant about the air, I couldn't quite figure out what it was, but it was cooler than it had been. By now we had walked in for an hour, when the man motioned me to enter a small hut with strange proportions. It was build a little like a buddhist stupa, but it had small glass windows like eyes, a solid wooden door, and it had grass growing out from its walls and roof-area. He opened the door a little and motioned me to come in. I was a little scared but I thought I have made it so far he is definitely not doing this to kill me or rob me or steal my kidneys, so I put my head in first and looked into the house.