Memory Lane: The Black Code
**************************
Intrigued by the shiny leather briefcase, we began to nag maami.
“Maami! Tyo kalo bag ma k cha?” She smiled at me rubbing my cheeks. “tyo bag bhari khelauna haroo cha. Timi haroo ko lagi!!!” She gave her usual response. This was not the first time we had queried about the briefcase.

“aaan Hola?” my sister responded. We looked at each other filled with joy.

We carefully pierced through the eyes of the man who was carrying the case. They were deep seated but full of life. He was adorned with a stylish coat, belly buttoned black pants and a pair of shiny leather shoes. The sideburns extended to mid cheek. The hair had slightly thinned out exposing his broad forehead that matched well with his broad posture. He had big crisp lips that remained shut and stoic.

“ma pani thulo bhaye pachi, tyastai dari palchu!” I conveyed my feeling to my sister.
“Chyaaa” She responded. “Daari paleko manche lai ni kasaile man paraucha?”
“Daari hoina k, makuri! Yo ..” I pointed to the sideburns.
“Chyaaaa!” Girls are unforgiving creatures.

We turned the pages of the album. The man with the black case transformed with time and the seasons. Sometimes he’d pose in front of a car, sometimes in front of a sky scraper, sometimes in front of a waterfall, and then in front of a palace:
“maami! Yo kasto darbar ho?”
“Eh! She stared at the picture I was pointing to. “ America ko raja tyahi bascha.” She responded nonchalantly.
“Chyaaa.” My sister frowned. “kasto setoo”! “Tyo bhanda ta hamrai raja ko ramro cha hai, Oys?”

I nodded without answering flipping the pages that were studded with adventures. The breath taking snow clad mountains, lakes, hills, rivers and the wildlife kept me enchanted. I had never imagined US would be so beautiful. I wonder how he conversed, laughed, and adopted seeing pictures of him eating, canoeing, hiking and drinking. Sometimes, I’d see him pose in front of a brown car with his legs crossed. Mom emphasized that it was his car and if we did well in our school, it wasn’t hard to get such cars.

Above all, he looked jubilant either looking at the crops or driving around the mammoth tractor. Man! That’d be some monster to have in our Bari. My thought quipped at me Then again, there were some hideous pictures. At one instant, I recognized his face painted in black and nose covered in white cotton. To worsen the matter, he had put on daura surwal with a leather belt around. It was distasteful, but his colleagues weren’t any different. Some looked like the ghosts of Dr. Who while others looked like those Lakhes of handigaon. The curiosity yet got the better of me

“maami! “yo chai k gareko”?
“khoi herum ta?” my mom began to chuckle looking at the pictures.
“America ko jatra haroo yestai huncha” She responded after careful observation.
“sabai jana bhoot bannu parcha?” my sister wondered. It made me wonder too.

We were almost done with the album when the next to last picture caught our attention. This ruffled black and white picture had a gun in his hand aiming straight to the right. It scared the wits out of me. Who was the person at the receiving end? Suddenly, the man that had fascinated me so much till then began to grow darker. We were convinced that the black case didn’t have any toys. The man owned a gun and he put it in his black case so that nobody would find out. I could hear the beating of my weak heart as I covered myself in winter blanket and shut my eyelids.

contd...

I met my sister for lunch. We couldn’t eat our tiffin. She finally broke the uncomforting silence. “OYS! Tyasma khelauna haroo cha hola hai?”
“Khoi! Banduk raicha bhane k garne?” I set the stage for horror.
“Tyo! Rajen dai lai bolaune ni! Police bhako k kaam?” I finally felt safer. I munched on the Jam and Bread our mom had packed for us so lovingly with the diagonal cut, just the way we liked it.

The afternoon whizzed by. And before we knew it, we were back home for afternoon meal. We sat down in the “pirkas” while our older sister served us Quaati and rice with fried egg on the side. We had barely begun to eat when we heard a loud thud at the main door. The hustle bustle of uncanny happiness besieged our house. My older sister ran outside in ecstasy. We stayed there unable to eat, converse, and very frightened on what was about to unfold. The man with the black case was here and we were about to meet him.

We ran to our sister’s room and hid behind the door and peeked outside. He looked exactly like the photograph except he wasn’t that tall. He beared a moustache, but his broad features were prominent. The excitement slowly subsided as the family huddled around the stranger from the picture.

We had assumed that he’d leave the black briefcase and be on his merry way. Our worst fears had been answered. Maami shouted on top of her lungs “Oys Oys! Makuri! Chado yeta aaoo. La hera! Ko aako cha?” We had no escape. With hearts in our mouth, we approached the stranger “ohoo! Katro thul thula bhayechan yini haroo ta!” He responded as if he’d seen us before. We stood there nervous, embarrassed and slightly scared. He went over his suitcase and gave each of the most delicious of candies we’d ever had.

Madise le bacha haroo lai chocolate diyera lattayera lancha. Maami had warned us.

But he was not such. I could tell or else Mom and my older sisters wouldn’t be so happy. He further gave us a sketch book of mickey mouse and a box full of crayons. Our color of dreams had just come true.
“la aroo pachi..la ek chin rest garnus hajur!” My mom asked us to finish our food. By late evening, I was on cloud nine with so many toys the man had got for us. I began to like the man again, and I stole a look at his sideburns. I vowed that I’d have such sideburns when I grew up.

As the evening wore into the night, I suddenly remembered about the black leather briefcase. Among the mayhem, I frantically searched for it and spotted it at the corner of the room. I went up to my mami and pulled her hand and dragged her to it.
“K bhayo Oys? Yo man paryo?” She wondered.
“hoina hoina! Yo bhitra k raicha herne!” She reluctantly agreed “aba sabai khelauna pai sakis ta! Aba k chaiyo?” A shivering chill went down my spine as she opened the case and I shut my eyelids again. I could hear my heart about to explode.
“Oys! Oys!” My mom asked “la topi raicha” I opened my eyes. I searched every corner of the bag. Except for loose paper, diary and some regular stationary, there was nothing suspicious. I felt uneasy feeling guilty staring at the cap that had letters MSU imprinted.

I heard my sister ask the man “ Daddy, Daddy! Hami pani America jane. Hami pani Montana jane!”
The man known as Daddy laughed aloud happily. “aaba, afai thulo hune, ani jane!”
“boru sanibar ramailo mela jaaula.” He took one of the albums and flipped through the pages and stopped “yesari banduk hanna paincha! Oys! Jane ho ramailo mela?"

I'm speechless - really good story!

:)

I still can give a speech, but sure something worth reading... :)

good luck....

lol @ Lady. Will read it sometime, I'm sure its another of Oys masterpiece...just have to get back to work for now :(

oys....good story bro....reminds me of me and my little brother in grammar school.

now i know why you got that sideburn!
ehhe.
good story!

Very funny, ladyinred, tickle tickle

A very nice piece Oys

hahaha oys.....am glad i read it....ended it with a li'l laugh..........another good one.... honestly...can't say its one of ur best ones but a real good read....made me think of te times we couldn't wait for dad to open his suitcase after one of his trips.....but one thing...througtout the thing u talked abt the man like u didn't recognise him.....was it really like that or litererary licence at work???anyways..i loved it....its never a waste of time reading ur stuff man...keep going...can't wait for he godavari stuff to start

Great narration, as always :)

So did you go to ramailo mela and shoot the gun?

Oys bro,
Balla ramailo bho aaja. Well narrated. As always. Very Lively.

I love it!

'सम्झनाका छायाँहरु छातीभरि धुवाँ जस्तै
तिर्खाएको पानीलाई नमेटिने कुवा जस्तै
बास खोज्दै डुलि हिँड्ने सिमलको भुवा जस्तै'

यो अर्को भाग पनि गजब छ! माथि मैले लेखेको नारायाण गोपाल को गित को टुक्रा जस्तै अनुभव गराउँछ!
ओएस जी, लेख्दै जाउँ
:)

Oys - Very well told. As always, enjoyed your work.

Thanx ya'll!
Capt Haddock, thanx for your blistering barnacles! You made lady in red give a speech :)
DC_girl, I too was going over your masterpiece.
J_galt, grammar school? Did u have many shame shame puppy shame experiences like mine?
T_M_S, where have you been? no more poetic verses?
Chiple bro, I made him buy a gun the next day. A water gun of course!
Deep, bro! i am glad that you don't feel abandoned anymore :)
wateva, I am sure! I hope its not like the hindi movie script anymore :)
Birkhe Maila, NG is a legend. A legend is still a legend. Thank you for your kind words!
SajhaGrazer, are u still looking for a roomate from NOWHERE?

Oh Almost forgot my Illusive friend, ILLUSIONS!

I never had a literary license. If I had one, I too would be able to depict and digest the relationship between a frustrated middle class man and the woman who sells peanuts in tundhikhel to maker her daily living.:)

As for Godavari, it can wait. As the memory thins out my friend, I have to finish the unfinished business there in panipokhari, the school we both cherished and forgot so easily over the course of life. Don't you agree?

Oys,
Your narration rocks.

ma pani thulo bhaye pachi, tyastai dari palchu!” I conveyed my feeling to my sister.
“Chyaaa” She responded. “Daari paleko manche lai ni kasaile man paraucha?”
“Daari hoina k, makuri! Yo ..” I pointed to the sideburns.
“Chyaaaa!” Girls are unforgiving creatures.

I am still doubtful about girls being unforgiving creature, however i can not deny the fact that they are selective and protective about the things that are close to their heart.

Keep coming with your flawless piece.

"We had assumed that he’d leave the black briefcase and be on his merry way. Our worst fears had been answered."

:O)

Vantage point,
I am sorry that I gave you an impression that all women are unforgiving creatures. It was a matter of context. I truly believe that women are more forgiving than men. Jus that when their wrath explodes, they are something else :)

HRB, did u consider that BYE yet? I am quivering in ecstacy :)