Under The Mango Trees

Chapter Ten : In Between Day And Night

"How unlucky we are that we're all born the same- fragile bodies, freakish faces and before we can barely open our puffy eyes and see the world around us, labels are slapped over us, one by one, like we're some products manufactured in a factory. Our class, our gender, our nation, what not, all predetermined by society on the tiniest differences they could find between one sleeping newborn and the other. Our entire lives, instead of celebrating our differences, we're driven away by them- a desperate effort by each group to prove they're better than the others based on such . . . such stupid constructions to which we have contributed nothing." I briefly glanced at her, wondering whether she agreed with me or not.

She was viewing the gentle ripples of the sea as she said in a low voice, "Mama was disowned by the people who raised her for years. She still can't get over it."

"All because of some differences. Imagine giving up on your child in the name of God."

She giggled now. "God would be-be screaming from above, I didn't ask you to push away your kid, you bigoted mortal!" The people who were walking behind us inquisitively halted for a second at Lila's outburst, but she carelessly continued, "If my parents ever did this to me, it'll break my heart real bad. Like baddy, baddy bad."

"You mean worse?"

"No, baddy, baddy, bad," she insisted firmly and those words amused her that she giggled again.

"We humans have evolved so much . . . And the fact that we're here after so many complications."

"So we're lucky?" she asked with an amused smile.

"We have created these complications so it's less likely if luck has anything to do with it."

"You're complicating stuff!" And she playfully punched my arm while I pulled my face in mock hurt. "I think we're lucky- look!" She pointed excitedly at a red scarf serenely floating in the air as a couple (who were a few feet away from us) strenuously stretched their thin, dark arms to grab the cloth. But their efforts were in vain and the scarf settled on one of the tetrapods. "Laal dupatta, udd gaya meri---"

"I knew you would sing that song!"

Laughing, she again alertly pointed at a lanky figure. "Look! He's going down for her!"

And indeed, the young man in a simple box shirt and trousers climbed down heroically, balancing on the rocks as he retrieved the scarf, mischievously tying it around his neck like a cape, placing one knee on a higher rock and saluting to his girlfriend. The sun was marvellously sinking behind him, throwing colours of orange, red and pink as if it was holi. Lila flushed in pleasure like his blushing girlfriend and began applauding. The couple took no notice of us, both drowning in each other's adoring eyes.

Lila suddenly leaned on me, linking our arms together and resting her soft head on my shoulder. "If I dropped something down- like my flip-flops for example, will you get them for me?"

"It wouldn't look glorious, me climbing down and holding your flip-flops- Cinderella flip-flops at that- like some trophy. It'll rather look very cheap."

She laughingly raised her pyjama clad leg and wiggled her tiny toes, her black-painted nails glistening under the mellow light. "These are official Disney merch, so don't you dare!"

"How old are you again?"

"Never too old to have some fun." She naughtily winked at me with her face so close that I could see the light brown hair above her upper lip, her faint moustache.

I unhooked my arm from hers and shifted away a little. "The only place worth seeing in Mumbai is this." She fell stubbornly silent and I wondered what had happened suddenly to her. So I resumed, "We'll go home after the sun sets." She simply swung her legs in response and shrugged. "This is beautiful, don't you think?"

Although Lila with her caprice didn't reply, it was beautiful. The large body of Mumbai was chaotic but right here, lay the heart, a softly, beating heart full of love. The couple sneakily stealing kisses, the girl jogging with her labrador, the group of friends clicking a selfie, each one of them taking out a tiny moment of their busy lives to halt and properly look at the sea. To not be shockingly swept away by the honking and squeaking of the vehicles or be unwittingly carried forward by a throng of advancing people, them deciding your destination. To be soothed by the gentle breeze and the tranquil sea. Young or old, rich or poor, this or that religion . . . To let nature and nature alone unite us.

The frisky sun after putting on a flamboyant show for all us disappeared unannounced, leaving behind an empty black stage with a few twinkling lights on.

"We should leave now. Manu Bhai would want to go home too," I said and before I had completed the entire sentence, Lila had already hopped down the embankment. We halfway crossed the road, the Queen's necklace behind us, the lights from the towers sparkling brighter than the stars above, when Lila rashly took a step forward. A speeding BMW was heading straight towards us and with giddiness, I caught her hand, forcefully pulling her back.

The BMW zoomed past us and Lila nervously broke out giggling, clinging to my arm. "That was close!"

"You will kill us." I smiled, she finally spoke again. "Lila- no!" Lila yanked me with her, clutching my hand tightly as the air around me felt cold. Cold from fear. The ruthlessly blurring cars barely missed us by an inch as Lila made me run with her across the road, laughing all the way. "You have lost it!"

I breathed heavily when we arrived on the opposite side, trying my best to frown at her exhilarated face.

"We don't have time, remember? Manu Bhai is waiting!" She grasped my hand again, trying to pull me.

"Okay wait, but not so fast, okay? And not like that---"

"Relax!" But she did rationally listen to me this time, albeit she made me sprint with her on the footpath. All I could see around me were hazy red, white, orange lights, us moving faster than the world. Her black hair wildly swayed in front of me, her Cinderella flip-flops reverberating against the concrete. Her thin arm holding my hand looked paler in the dark, her skin always looked paler in the dark. When we arrived at the tiny parking lot, Lila stopped behind an old Santro car, whirled around like a mini-tornado and her lips pressed against mine. It wasn't real, a dream, that was what it was. I could smell her father's woody cologne on her, the salty taste of her lips and her frizzy strands tickling my cheeks. I remembered frowning at her as she pulled away in what felt like a second and her crest-fallen face quietly disappeared among the dusty cars.

Manu obliviously switched on the radio of the moving car to old Bollywood songs when his questions had fallen to deaf ears and I gazed steadily out of the window, the prisoner in me ferociously rattling the bars.

The next afternoon, I woke up hating Lila.

* * *

Glossary :

Laal dupatta, udd gaya meri- red scarf flew away . . . (a famous song in hindi).