Though I am not fond of attending weddings, I was excited about attending Amit’s. It was more than just a wedding reception.It would have been sort of a college reunion; a rendezvous with my past. But call of duty especially if it involves investigating the death of an elephant, will always steal the top priority for a forest officer. I had to overcome the ‘grief’ of missing out on the wedding and ofcourse what could be better than pampering myself with a delicious dinner. So, with a poly bag full of fresh Ilish fish, I was standing at the doorsteps of my forest quarter. “Shoos!” I tried to shoo away the cat sitting at the entrance. I shooed again but this time with a leg movement, as if about to kick. The cat jumped over the wall and disappeared into the darkness. The house was empty; perhaps the maid had gone out. I left the bag of fish in the kitchen sink and decided to freshen up.
“Sir, you returned early?”Harmohan my maid asked while entering the quarter. Perhaps he was expecting that I would return late after the wedding.
“I didn’t attend the wedding” I replied.
“Oh! Okay”
“Tea?” Harmohan asked.
“Not now. I will go sleep” I replied. Scrolling through my Instagram filled with wedding pictures; I fell asleep on my couch. Harmohan probably went out to stroll around the campus.
“Sir wake up! Dinner is ready” Dinner was ready and that night I was unusually excited about my fish curry. Harmohan laid down the meal on the table; one at a time. First the Dal, next sabji and I kept waiting for my fish curry. Finally, he served the rice on my plate. “Eat Sir!”Harmohan said as he noticed me, still anticipating for more. “Where is the fish?” I questioned. “Sir Fish?”Harmohan seemed confused. “The Ilish that I had brought today” It was not too long till we realized what had just happened. While Harmohan was strolling around the campus, the cat had relished a bellyful Ilish meal. Sometimes the worst days turn out to be our best anecdotes.
T h i n k. 