Chapter 16

It was a Friday evening. Arjun and Chandy returned home from office. They had a large packet with them and they walked into Fernando Uncle’s sitting room instead of going to their room.

“Fernando Uncle. Where is Rosy aunty? We have brought some fresh prawns.” Arjun said aloud.  

Fernando Uncle was comfortably perched on a large beanbag at the far end of the sitting room.  He was watching news in the TV. This was his favourite corner to watch TV without disturbing those who were in the main sitting area. There was a large Persian rug spread in this corner. A few large cushions were thrown around on the rug to lean on.  The TV was quite a large one; part of the home theatre. Boss speakers were strategically placed for maximum effect.  There was a small table near the TV. Rosy aunty kept a fresh flower arrangement every day in this table.

The main sitting area was quite spacious and elaborately furnished. The couches were made of leather. There was a glass show case against the wall which was filled with Swarovski crystals

“Come on guys, sit here.” Uncle waved to the rug

“Uncle you are watching Mash” Arjun exclaimed excitedly “This is my favourite series and Hawk Eye is my favourite character.

“He is a rascal like you. That is why you like him” Uncle replied laughingly. I also like this. You can come and watch it any time. I have the full collection in video tapes”

“I heard prawns.” Rosy Aunty said aloud as she came to the room “Who brought it and from where?”

Smell of expensive Christian Dior perfume preceded aunty. Though she was at home she was elegantly attired in a simple sary.

“Aunty as usual you look gracious” Chandy commented

“The perfume is great too and you look glamorous” Arjun added with a naughty smile.

“Thanks boys” Aunty replied with a smile acknowledging the compliments which was natural for her.

 “My colleague Philomina’s cousin has a fishing boat. She knows we love seafood. Sometimes she brings nice prawn dishes to office and feed us. Last week I asked her to get some fresh prawn. I knew that Rosy aunty could put together some exquisite dish and Fernando uncle loved sea food”

“How presumptive of you” Aunty replied laughingly

“Can I get you guys a drink” Uncle asked

“Of course. We never say no to a drink” Arjun replied

“Are you guys OK with black label? Uncle asked politely

“What are you saying? Black label is heaven for us. Normally it is XXX rum or even hooch” Arjun replied.

“ Do you guys have hooch” Aunty asked surprisingly

“When we ran out of cash in college, hooch was our option” Arjun replied

“I still remember the incident when Arjun won the election as the secretary of student union. After the election it is customary to have a booze party at the hostel. Arjun and gang first decided to buy decent stuff. So they brought McDowell whisky. They bought one dozen bottles. Arjun was running the bar. Everyone was drinking.  Even after 10 bottles were over, many guys were still not drunk enough and were clamouring for more.” Chandy was narrating the story

“Then Arjun took his bike out and went with Joshi to the local arrack shop. They brought three bottles of arrack in plain bottles. They converted these three bottles to four bottles by mixing with some water. Later when guys came asking for more whisky complaining that they are not drunk enough they were served with whisky to which instead of water we added the mixture of arrack and water. As arrack looks like water, the whisky now appeared diluted. Some guys naturally complained that it was still strong. Joshi took their glass in his hand, lifted it up in the air, gave it a derisive look and said aloud;  If you can’t even have such a diluted drink, leave it and go. These guys were already drunk and when they were challenged like this, gulped the whole drink. Soon all these smart ones were on the ground”

“My God; what kind of stuff you fellows try in college” Aunty Rosy raised her hand and had a horrified look on her face.

“Give me the prawns. Let me get it cooked” Aunty got up from the stool on which she was sitting when Chandy was narrating the story.

“I will make some chappattis also. You guys can have dinner with us” Aunty said as she collected the bag of fresh prawns

“Thanks aunty” Chandy replied

“We knew aunty will give us some nice food” Arjun added with a smile

“You guys are shameless” Aunty laughed.

 “Ok you guys fix a drink for yourself and while you are at it make a small for me too” Uncle suggested

Arjun and Chandy got up and walked towards the bar that was in the dining area. It was a magnificent Mahogany bar built in a contemporary style. It matched with the rest of the décor of the dining room. The dining table had Mahogany legs and glass top. The chairs with high back were again made of Mahogany. The leather cushions matched with the leather sofa in the sitting area.

Arjun opened the bar took out a black label bottle out. He poured three drinks. Lots of ice for Arjun and lots of soda and ice for Chandy and Uncle.

Arjun and Chandy settled back on the rug. Uncle switched off the TV and put on some music.

They settled down with their drinks.

“Tell me do most of the students in you engineering college drink?”

“Not all but most; especially those from the ‘Royal Mech’. It is some sort of tradition to feel and behave like studs when we are in the college. As you know there are no girls in the Mechanical Branch and this makes the Royal Mech to act even more macho. They are the so called ‘terror’ and the self-proclaimed royalty which the students of other branches seldom accept.” Arjun explained

“Most of the students get initiated to drinking which is sort of a norm” Chandy added.

“I still remember the incident of Janardan Iyer from our class trying out his first drink. It happened at the party we had when I won the election. As a matter of celebration the god fearing Brahmin tried out his first omelette.  Then he fixed himself a large drink of rum and coke. As it was quite sweet he gulped the whole drink down in in shot.  He knew that those who could down a few pegs without getting hit had a halo around their head. As he finished his first large he felt nothing. Naturally it takes some time for the drink to hit which he was not aware. In the next few minutes, he downed about three or four stiff ones.” Arjun was in a mood to narrate stories.

Uncle was listening and he was enjoying the stories of these youngsters.

“I am sure that in half an hour the drink would have hit him” Uncle commented.

“Natuarally. He got up and went for a walk with some other fellows. We were busy in the hostel running the bar and cleaning the mess some these drunkards left behind..”

“Later in the night some of us who were sober went around the campus to see how many were lying on the roadside.  When we reached the front of the college, we saw Iyer flat on the kerbs. He was completely nude. He was moaning. We went near. He was holding to his dick and lamenting that he feels like peeing. So I told him. If you want to Pee, do it. He moaned again ‘ but no pee is coming’. His cross belt was off his shoulder and around his dick. It was hilarious. Finally two or three follows with us carried him to the hostel. Then they unloaded him in the reading room. They left him on the long table on which we used to spread the newspaper to read.”

Uncle could not control his laughter.

“Next day morning when he woke up he must have felt humiliated” Uncle commented.

“Naturally. But the tough ones don’t admit that. For quite some time we used to make fun of him by asking how he tied his cross belt these days”