Short Fiction : The Woman at the Book Fair

Short Fiction

WOMAN AT THE BOOK FAIR

Story by Vikram Karve

_______

MUMBAI

Circa – January 2003

_______

I reached my home opposite the Oval – after work – as
usual – at 5 PM in the evening.

I was opening the door to my house – when my neighbour
opened his door – and – he said he wanted to speak to me.

“Sure…” I said – and – I invited him to come in.

I closed the door – I asked him to sit on the sofa – and –
I sat opposite him.

“Anything urgent…?” I asked him.

“Who was that woman with you last evening…?” my neighbour
asked me.

“Woman…?” I said – confused.

“I saw both of you entering the building at 7 PM and I
saw her leaving alone at around 9 PM…” he said.

“Oh – her…? I met her at the book fair…?” I said to him.

“Book Fair…?” he asked me – with a clueless look.

“Don’t you know…? The “Strand Book Fair” – it’s held
every year in January near Churchgate…” I said to him.

“I was asking you about the woman who with you in your
house last evening…” he said – with a questioning look.

“I told you – I met her at the Book Fair…” I said to him.

“And – you brought her home – you spent two hours with
her all alone – just the two of you…” he said – in a suspicious tone of voice.

“What are you trying to imply…?” I asked him – a bit
miffed.

“You wife is away – and you are having a “good time” with
other women…” he said – his voice full of sarcasm.

“Well – if browsing books together is your interpretation
of a “good time” – we certainly were having a “good time” together…” I said to
him.

“Browsing Books…? Who are you trying to fool…? You and
that “dubious” female – you spend two hours shacked up together in your house –
and you are making up all sorts of stories to cover up your hanky-panky…? Do
you think I am a dimwit…?” he said – in a jeering tone of voice.

“What nonsense are you talking…? Dubious Female…? She is
a respectable person – a decent lady…” I said to him.

My neighbour smiled – a derisive smile – and spoke in a
sarcastic tone.

“Respectable…? Decent…? Are you sure…?” he asked me.

“Of course – she is a book lover – she has been coming to
the book fair for the last 3 days – we were browsing similar books – literature,
fiction, short stories – so – we got talking – I told her about my book
collection – she wanted to see it – so – I invited her home to see my books…” I
said – truthfully.

“Are you telling me that she was looking at your books
for over 2 hours last evening…?” he asked me.

“Yes – we browsed books together – she showed interest in
short fiction – so – I told her about my favourite short stories – we discussed
literature – that’s all…” I said – trying to convince him.

“You pick up a woman at the book fair – you bring her
home – you spend two hours with her in private – do you even know who the woman
is…?” my neighbour asked me.

“She is a counsellor…” I said to him.

“Counsellor…!!!” my neighbour exclaimed – with a laugh.

“Yes – she told me she is a personal counsellor and
therapist – in fact – she told me she had an appointment at 9 PM nearby…” I
said to him.

“Appointment…? At 9 PM at night…?” he said – looking
incredulous.

“Yes – she told me she does private therapy at home for
some special patients…” I said – telling him what the woman had told me.

“Private Therapy…? At Home…? Special Patients…?” he said
breaking into a laugh, “instead of making up tall stories – why don’t you admit
the truth – that you picked up this woman – brought her home – and you fucked
her…”

________

Till now – I had been tolerating his nonsense because he
was my neighbour – and – my wife and his wife were close friends – but now – he
was getting on my nerves – so – I decided to end the conversation.

“I think you should go now…” I said to him, “I have to go
for my evening walk on Marine Drive…”

“And – I am sure you are going to visit the Book Fair –
on your way back…” he said sarcastically.

“Yes – I may browse books…” I said to him.

“And you will pick up that female and bring her over here
for a special therapy session in your bedroom…” he said with a sneer – and then
– he said to me with a wicked smile, “but – hats off to you – I never imagined
you could pick up females at a Book Fair…!!!”

“Please go…” I said angrily.

“I will go – but – before I go – let me tell you – this book-lover
woman friend of yours – she not a counsellor or therapist – and she is
certainly not a “respectable” lady – she is a “dirty” woman…” he said – with disdain.

“Dirty Woman…?” I said – with a questioning look.

 “She is a woman of
“ill repute” – do you understand…?” he said – in a firm voice.

“She is a woman of “ill repute” …? What do you mean by
that…?” I asked him

“Don’t act dumb – she is a woman of “easy virtue” – but –
since you will feign ignorance – I will put it more bluntly – that woman is a
“call girl” – an “escort” – a bloody “whore” – do you understand…?” he said – contemptuously.

“That’s not possible…” I said, “I found her to be a
decent woman – quite well-read, erudite and refined…”

“That I will concede…” he said, “she is a refined and
polished “hooker” – a high class “prostitute” – I wonder how you could afford
her…”

_________

I couldn’t believe what my neighbour was saying – also –
I was feeling uncomfortable with the conversation – so – I decided to get rid
of my neighbour.

“Please go now – I don’t want to discuss all this…” I
said to my neighbour.

“I hope you are not bringing her home for a “therapy”
session this evening…” he said – sarcastically.

“Of course, I am going to bring her home…” I said to my
neighbour, “we are going to meet at the book fair at 6 PM – and then – I will
bring her home – I have already decided the short fiction anthology I want to
tell her about – and she has to return the book she borrowed yesterday and take
this one…” I said to him.

“She won’t be coming…” my neighbour said.

“What do you mean “she won’t be coming” …?” I
asked him.

“I meant “she won’t be coming to meet you today” …”
my neighbour said – unequivocally.

“Well – let me tell you that I am sure she is going to
come to meet me – she promised me that she would return my book today – when I
told her that I normally don’t lend my books because people forget to return
them – she said she would 100% meet me at the book fair at 6PM – and then she
would come home to browse my books – return my book – and maybe – borrow a new
one …” I said to my neighbour.

“You seem to be so sure of her…? Do you even know her
name…?” he asked me.

“Nisha…” I said, “she told me her name is Nisha…”

My neighbour gave me a sardonic smile.

“Nisha…? This is the first time I am hearing this. As far
as I know – her name is Rita – but even that may be a fake name – I wonder how
many names she has – one for each client – perhaps…” he said to me.

I looked at him – a bit befuddled – wondering what to say.

But – before I could speak – he started talking.

“I warned her not to come here again – or to meet you
again…” he said.

“What…? You told her not to meet me…? Why…?” I asked him
– feeling miffed.

“For your sake…” he said.

“For my sake – what do you mean…?” I asked him – curious.

“You are a married man – with a nice wife and grown-up
children. Is it proper of you to indulge in hanky-panky with such wanton
women…? Why do you want to ruin everything due to your peccadillos with such
sleazy women…?” he said.

“Hanky-Panky…? Peccadillos…?” I said – peeved.

“Don’t worry – I won’t tell anyone about your fucking her
in your house yesterday evening – after all – you are my neighbour – our wives
are close friends – I am your well-wisher – so – I will overlook your one
indiscretion yesterday – but – I don’t want you getting entangled with that filthy
whore…” he said, “that’s why I called her last night and told her not to meet
you…”

I looked at him – wondering how my neighbour had that
woman’s number – so – I questioned him about it.

“You called her…? You have her number…? How do you know
her…? You called her a filthy whore – you say she is a woman of ill-repute – a
sleazy woman – how do you so much about her…?” I asked him.

“Don’t delve too much…” he said.

“Ah – so you are jealous – and possessive – tell me – are
you having an affair with her…?” I asked him.

“Don’t talk nonsense…” he said angrily, “I have nothing
to do with her – our company hires her once in a while – to service some of our
top clients and business associates – and officials who we have to please…”

“And – how are you involved in all this…?” I asked him.

“Well – in our business – we have to do all sorts of
things…” he said – nonchalantly.

“So – that’s the job you do – pimping…!!! It is
disgusting…!!!” I said to him, “under your high-sounding title – all you are is
a bloody pimp…”

“Be careful what you say…” he said – in a threatening
tone.

“I thought you were a respectable man – but you are worse
than a prostitute – you are a slimy pimp – that’s what you are…” I said to him
in a most disparaging tone of voice.

“How dare you compare me with than dirty woman…?” he said
– giving me an accusing look.

I looked at him – and – I gave him a piece of my mind.

I said in a stern voice to my neighbour:

“You keep calling her a “dirty” woman…?

Well – even if – as you say – she is a “dirty woman” –
her thoughts are certainly much “cleaner” than yours.

You put on an act of being a “clean man” – but you have a
“dirty mind” – you masquerade as a moral puritan – but your mind is full of
lecherous thoughts.

We were browsing books together – but you were
fantasizing that we were fucking each other – weren’t you…?

You are a disgusting man with a perverted mind – don’t
you talk to me ever again…”

__________

After admonishing him – I gripped his hand – I literally forced
him out of my house – and – I closed the door.

__________

That evening – I waited for Nisha at the Book Fair.

But – she didn’t come.

I couldn’t call her as I didn’t have her number.

__________

Of course – after my tiff with my nasty neighbour in the
evening – there was no question of asking him for her number.

__________

I wish I had asked Nisha for her number the previous
evening – but – she had left in a hurry – and – she hadn’t given me her number
– nor – had she asked for mine.

________

I waited for Nisha till the closing time of the Book Fair
– hoping against hope that Nisha would come.

But – she didn’t come

So – at night – I came home – disappointed.

___________

It was the end of a short and sweet friendship – all
because of my nasty neighbour.

___________

Next evening – a courier arrived – a packet.

I opened the packet.

It was the book she had borrowed – and inserted inside –
there was a note written in cursive feminine handwriting.

I read the note:

“You must have come to know about me from your neighbour.

It is true – but – with you – I wanted a nice clean
relationship – a friendship based on books – but – sadly – that was not to be.

And yes – I told you my name is “Nisha”.

Yes – Nisha is my real name – you are one of the few
persons who knows my real name.

Thank you for lending me your book.

I felt good when you lent me the book – though you said
that you normally don’t lend your books.

I really wish we could become “bookish friends” – but it
is not destined.

It was so nice talking to you.

Wish you All the Best in your life.

Good Bye Forever.