Ring a bell
24. Black and White
Rita watched in a mix of horror and admiration at the frenzied pace of work that was taking place at this restaurant near the boutique she worked at. Named after a God , this particular “restaurant” was nowhere close to cleanliness or godliness. She had been here many times and watched the gross spectacle – a combination of negligence and crude grace that came together to make what could only be described as utterly sickeningly delicious food, for cheap and for the masses, served to you by men at a counter based on your ‘cuisine’ choice with one hand as they wiped the sweat off their brow with the other or used their long finger nail (multipurpose) for disgustingly useful purposes... So yes if you ordered for Gobi Manchurian it came with that invisible side order of fingernail dirt and whatever else was on the guy’s hand when he made it… and if you asked for a fork in this joint, they will look at you like you just swore at them. Masala dosa was near deep fried, served in a triangular shape served with what looks like an extra portion of butter, just in case the dosa on its own did not do it for you. The juice section of these shops was usually just as “good”- one mixer grinder for all juices ad fruits, and who cares if you cut your finger while your peeling that pineapple…blood tastes good, right… But this place still served over 500 people a day and had never once been closed on a health or hygiene violation…Jai Hind!
Rita ordered her usual…and tried to get these awful pictures out of her mind.. she tuned out. She would eat her lunch at the shop… who was she kidding –you could take the food out of the restaurant, but not the ‘restaurant’ out of the food!
Her order was ready and she sped out and ran straight into the shop…and turned the sign over. “CLOSED” it read. The owner did not look kindly upon these decisions by Rita…closing the shop at lunch time, meant losing business…”eat on your own time“ she said. “Ahh..Nothing like employee benefits!” Rita said out loud… mocking her absent employer… a bizarre French lady who lived in an “open” family in Pondicherry… she sold clothes from obscure designers in India and from around the world…all the time renouncing “materialism”… “wonder what she does with all the money she makes in this shop then…” Rita said the first time she heard that, along with a not so subtle dig at foreigners. Rita was a drama queen at heart and in general…but right now the queen was on vacation…leaving her lowly maid to be Rita for a while – this because she was a bit glum these days. Witnessing a near fatal accident does that to someone!
Well her chance to be on stage would come again soon…she would be good! She swayed around with a dress she was folding…ballroom dancing to unheard music, with the dress as her partner. The shop now reeked of her hot mess of food…and she chomped away happily after putting the dress away. An indulgence long overdue…”Chiiing…Chiiing…” the bell at the door made a sound as it opened…”We are closed for half an hour, please…” and the words stopped in her mouth…
Because at the door was a little girl. She had wandered into the shop…clearly lost, with tears rolling down her cheeks…and the most sad little eyes, Rita had ever seen!
Rita immediately ran to comfort the child…”What is your name?” she asked the child…the child did not answer… she just looked on at Rita. Rita tried everything to get her to talk! She offered her some food, water , asked her her mother’s name…but nothing! The child would not even look at her… it was as though she was looking right through her…
Rita heard the door again and a man, a slightly aged man, came flying in, not caring about the sign and claimed the little girl. “I’m so sorry, we were walking around and suddenly she vanished. I was worried sick!!”…he looked at the child…a plump little girl…
Yes Rita had been a plump little girl when her dad had lost her in the busy streets of her home city, 25 years ago…only this version that her mind had played out for her…had not been what really happened…Rita wiped her eyes…her mind had played tricks on her yet again! When would she learn to let this go…
Rita had gotten lost as a child…and in a place like this, a kid getting lost can mean many things! Rita eventually found out that she had not been lost by accident. But God , as she liked to think, had different plans for this girl. She was finally rescued and raised by a small family with no children of their own and with every excess a child ever dreams of. But how she struggled at first… Rita had been 3 years old when she had been “set free” and although the memory of that had faded considerably…it was recently rekindled during her car accident. She wondered why it had been done, why she had been rejected…why her? It was now a complex deeply rooted in her mind.
She realized she needed closure…and she needed to find the family that had not wanted her! She would resolve to find them and make peace with her past. This she had decided at Kit’s party that night…
The bell chimed again…and this time a real customer walked in, shaking Rita out of her thoughts… the drama queen was a front, because she was still just a 3 year old wondering why she had not been loved. She would learn, it was not all so black and white...
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