Sulekha.com
660 words
Ersatz Pleasures
“Isn’t it time to go? It’s already 3.40.”
“It’s 3.30. There’s no need to hurry.”
“Won’t the tickets be sold out?”
“Don’t make me laugh. You really have never been to any of these movies before?”
“No.”
“It shows. Don’t worry, you will see one soon.”
“Have you seen many?”
“Lots. Been seeing them from 8th class.”
“Eighth class! How innocent I was then! Which ones have you seen?”
“How can I remember! They all sound and look the same. What’s this one called? I forgot.”
“Pleasures of the night.”
“Maybe I have seen it. Or was it In the Cold of the Night? Oh, it doesn’t matter. Don’t waste time over that. We didn’t come here to talk Wow! Check that out.”
“What? Where?”
“There. That chick over there in that group.”
“You mean the pretty one on the left?”
“No, I mean the ugly one on the right, dumbo.”
“Yes, she’s cool.”
“What a babe, man, what a….”
“Hey! Look there. Isn’t that the dance teacher coming?”
“Our school dance teacher? No, how can that be? No—yes, yes, it’s her!”
“What if she sees us? She will know we are bunking school.”
“So? What about her, isn’t she supposed to be in school now?”
“That’s true. Maybe she has taken leave and is roaming with her husband.”
“That’s her boyfriend, dumbo. She’s not married.”
“How do you know?”
“I know. Look, she’s coming this way.”
“Oh! Where shall we hide?”
“Are you crazy? Have you seen her in a skirt and a top before? Stand here.”
“Yes, she looks different.”
“Look at her walk. Man, look at them bounce.”
“They jiggle.”
“They wobble.”
“I tell you, she doesn’t wear anything inside.”
“What! How do you know?”
“Even a blind man could guess. But I know for sure.”
“How?”
“I had to hand over a circular to her last week. It fell down and she bent over to pick it up. That’s how I know.”
“But how?”
“My God! Like this, see, she bent like this. See?”
“Oh God! You mean, you saw? Everything happens to you. Why doesn’t anything like that happen to me? My life has been such a waste.”
“It’s all right, you will get lucky sometime too. You have to look out for opportunities. OK, I’ll tell you another thing about the dance teacher, but keep it to yourself.”
“What?”
“Don’t tell anyone else, OK?”
“OK, but what?”
“She posed as a centrespread in Debonair.”
“No! I can’t believe that.”
“Fine. Don’t believe.”
“Was it in the October issue you showed me?”
“No…yes, yes I think it was that issue.”
“The first one in that?”
“No, not the first one.”
“The second one then, the one holding the leaf in front?”
“Yes, yes, that’s the one.”
“But her name was Reena.”
“Do you think she would give her real name, dumbo?”
“Oh. Can I look at it again to be sure?”
“No, I think I have given that copy to my friend.”
“Oh, but it’s hard to believe that she would do it.”
“Aww… you don’t know a thing. Every girl likes to be seen by men. Whenever I come here, I see the same girls again and again.”
“You come here often?”
“Almost every day. They know why I come here and I know why they come here.”
“You know a lot.”
“Read less textbooks and you will learn more about the world.”
“OK, let’s go. It’s time for the movie.”
“One minute. I’ll get a fag.”
“Do they really show all that whatever there is on the poster?”
“Sometimes. Keep your eyes open after the interval.”
“Why?”
“Have patience, man. You will know.”
“What about that theatre? How about going there?”
“Yuck! That shows only Indian ones. Never watch Indian ones. Horrible. The foreign ones are the best.”
“Oh. Hurry up, it’s almost 4.00.”
“Don’t worry, you won’t miss the storyline.”
“Hey!”
“What?”
“About the dance teacher…”
“What?”
“Did she really…”