Destiny Now (Mumbai, India)

Destiny Now (Mumbai, India) We wanted to celebrate the prohibition of drinking Red Bull in Hong Kong by partaking in Vodka and Red Bull. Our purpose had a bit of urgency. Because if it had been banned in Taipei, Hong Kong, some parts of North America – we didn’t know how much longer it would be freely available.

It broke Manish and I’s heart. I was torn about what drink I would become my new drink of choice when I returned in Hong Kong. I guess I would have to go my second choice that I learned to drink in Melbourne, Australia – Vodka and Cherry Coke.

Ajay had never had it before and now because it might be on the verge of being illegal – he wanted to try it. So all three of us walked out of the office which was chilled by the wall air conditioners out into to the stifling afternoon heat of Mumbai – on the cusp of the rainy season – I had to take my glasses off because they steamed up.

Dodging taxis, playing human “Frogger” through a round-a-bout, we moved toward the beach front and opposite of the ocean, we entered Hotel Marine Plaza. Just past the lobby was Geoffrey’s the Pub. We didn’t wait for the bartender to hand out menus, “Three Vodka and Red Bulls please,” I said.

The bartender seemed a bit shocked but gathered the drink menus back to his chest and wrote down our orders.

“So how you like being married?” I said looking at Manish.

He smiled wide. “It’s great.”

“So how did you find her?”

“An ad.” Manish looked smug.

“But it wasn’t online. He put an advertisement in a marriage magazine. That makes for a smaller demographic – a more local demographic.” Ajay added.

“Yeah, Ajay, he put an ad online for his wife.”

“Yeah, I wanted a broader search.” Ajaya admitted.

I laughed. “You wanted more selection.”

“I wanted many makes and models,” he said just as the bartender returned with slender glasses filled at the bottom with transparent vodka and the small, beautiful cans of silver and blue Red Bull.

We were like kids seeing them mix our liquid cocaines – giddy. And soon as they were ready, we clinked our glasses quickly and took down big gulps.

I turned to Ajay to see his face. He was looking through his beverage as if he could spot the ingredients while swallowing down what he had in his mouth. “What do you think?”

“Not bad,” and he took another gulp.

“You are now an addict, my friend.” I said and all three of us toasted again.

“Here’s to hoping so.” Ajay answered.

“So what do you put on your ad? Do you have to come up with a cool catchy tag line – like something to market yourself?” I asked Manish.

He shook his head. “No its not a dating service. This is a service where people mean business. You just put your age, your career, the city you live, and your name.”

“So you can choose anybody?”

“Oh no, your family chooses.”

“Wow, you didn’t choose her?” I said taking a deep drink.

Ajay spoke up. “Actually I was different. I didn’t trust my parents. So my marriage was arranged – by me.”

“Very entrepreneurial of you. A self-proprietor of your marriage.”

“Exactly. But of course they have to confirm the choice I made.” And he took another drink.

“You know guys, I think you have the right thing going here. Look at me – I got to choose my wife naturally – and it fell apart. And look at you guys – arranged and very happy.”

Manish beamed. “Yes, very happy.”

“Do you still feel she’s your destiny?” I asked honestly.

He paused to lift his drink to his mouth. “Absolutely. She was my match perfectly. The only difference is we chose when our destinies would be revealed to us.”

“Destiny now.” Ajay summarized.

I smiled and I lifted my drink again and we toasted again – and all at the same time we emptied our glasses. Manish rose his hand to order another round before he put down the empty one.

“So how does the magazine work?”

“Well the same ages, careers, salary incomes are arranged together.”

I swallowed a piece of ice and choked a little. “Whoa. So you cannot choose someone above or below your level?”

“Not supposed to.”

“But what if all the girls you are eligible for are ugly?”

Ajay laughed. “That’s the reason I went with online. More stock to pull from.”

“So how Manish did you meet her for the first time? I mean – this is not a dating situation this is a marriage thing. I mean the pressure is on when you just casually meet for coffee or dinner.”

“I know.” Manish agreed.

“Were you tempted to try to impress her or boast?”

Manish shook his head. “No – just the opposite. You are very frank upfront. You don’t want to waste each other’s time. So you just meet, you are honest and open about what kind of marriage you want.”

“You spill your beans about everything?”

“Yes.” And he bobbled his head left and right.

“From the first meeting to the marriage, how long did it take?”

“Well we first met near the end of January. And I just got back from my honeymoon on Sunday.”

I sat there shocked. “That’s quick.”

“Actually not really. We wanted to do it faster but we had to consider our families.”

“And no doubts?” I prodded.

“Nope.”

I looked to Ajay. “How about you? How long have you been married?”

“Three years.”

“No doubts?”

“No doubts. She is my best friend.”

I returned to Manish. “So what kind of job does your wife have?”

“She is a successful accountant.”

“That’s awesome.”

Just then his phone rang. “Excuse me,” he said looking at both of us. And he stood up to answer it and walked out of the bar.

“So why don’t you have any kids?” I asked Ajay.

“We are trying.”

“Have you noticed that when you get married – you can’t get pregnant?”

“Yeah.”

“You know what you need to do? Get a divorce – move back in with your parents and fool around secretly. She will get pregnant immediately. And then re-marry.”

Ajay laughed. “You are right. And that sounds kinky.”

Manish returned.

“Was that your wife?” Ajay asked.

Manish’s head bobbled left and right. “Yes it was.”

Suddenly seeing Manish bobbling I suddenly realized something. “Hey, I hope this doesn’t sound rude. But I suddenly figured out why Indians bobble their heads. It’s the same as nodding. Instead of moving your chin up and down – you move your ears – to say yes. Am I right?”

Manish and Ajay laughed and then bobbled their heads again.

I laughed seeing them do it.

“Yes, it’s our nod. That’s how we nod.”

“Good lord this realization is amazing! I just thought you bobbled because you were mixing the thoughts together from your left and right brain – to come up with a great thought.”

Manish blew out a breath and laughed hard. “What? That’s crazy.”

“Yeah, Indians are super smart and I thought it had to do with your bobble.”

So one of my students was still in the class room around eight o’clock Friday evening – after all the other students had left. He was busily typing on his laptop.

“Hey Ramesh, why are you still here?”

He looked up from his laptop and smiled at me. “Yeah, I was wondering the same thing.”

I was putting my laptop in my bag and checking my passport and plane ticket information. “Yeah, I am about to go. I am going back to the hotel to tidy up and then catch my flight at three in the morning.”

“Okay, I will walk out with you.”

“Are you going towards the Taj President Hotel?”

“Actually no, I am going to Vicky Station.”

“Is that near CST?” I gave a sideways grin.

“Yeah,” he smiled remarking that I remembered the conversation earlier in the week discussing how names in India changed after autonomy was given back to India after the British pulled out.

Because I had naively asked, “Where is Bombay? Is it near Mumbai?”

“I can pay for you taxi home if you want.”

His head bobbled. “Thank you but don’t worry. It actually takes too long to take a taxi to my home. I prefer taking the train. It’s quicker and more convenient.”

“Well then, how about this – take a taxi with me to the hotel and then I will pay for it to drop you off at the train station.”

He bobbled hard. “Okay. That would be great.”

He began to pack his things.

We walked outside and it was already night time. The temperature had lowered but I still immediately started sweating. We walked to the sidewalk and looked back and forth for oncoming traffic and then we went across to a van taxi parked with its driver standing outside smoking.

Ramesh spoke to him and asked if he could take us to the Taj President. The driver bobbled. And Ramesh turned to me and said, “He will take us.” He went to the side door and slide it back. I motioned for him to enter first. “No, you first – I insist.”

I smiled. “Thanks buddy but I think I get out first right?”

His head bobbled yes. “I guess you are right.” And he entered. I jumped beside him.

As the van struggled to make a U-turn against traffic, Ramesh spoke.

“You know, you really opened my eyes.”

I laughed. “To what?”

“I would consider you one of my first foreign friends. I had a Russian friend one time.

And he had left Russia because he was an alcoholic and a drug addict. Came to India and just gave it up.” Ramesh’s eyes looked like he was watching some past movie in his mind. “He really inspired me.”

“Well I consider you a very good friend too.” And I paused for a second. “How old are you?”

“I am twenty-four,” he said.

“Man, you got your whole life ahead of you.”

“Well, my plan is to live overseas one day – maybe in the States.”

“That would be great. Let me know if you want to go over – I will make some connections happen.”

He went sad, “I thought about doing it recently – because I have nothing left here.”

“What you mean?”

“I fell in love with someone, but she does not love me back.” But then he quickly added, “But I know she loves me. I am just not the man her family wants her to have. I am too young. I am a different caste.”

“I would go for it anyway,” I said.

“Well, it’s not that easy. It must be difficult to understand to love someone and they love you – but you cannot have each other.”

I thought to myself. “No, its not hard to understand. I have experienced that before.”

Then we watched the chaos on the roads around us. Then I asked, “So what’s stopping you?”

“She is engaged to someone else. But I know she loves me. She can’t say it. But I know she does.”

“Then run away with her.”

“And go where? Our families would find us.”

I remembered reading an article in the Mumbai Times early that week where a couple had gotten married against their parents wishes. And when their parents forced them to anull – they killed themselves to be together in Heaven. ““Sex and love, my friend. It’s one or the other that always destroys us men.”

“But sometimes you can find both.”

“Its very, very rare.”

Ramesh stopped speaking and we heard the incessant honking of a billion cars, trucks, and motorcycles around us. “But sometimes it is destiny.”

To be funny, I quickly quoted the last scene in an Oscar winning movie, “And it is written.”

Ramesh turned to me. “Huh?” His head bobbled. “What do you mean?”

I laughed at myself. “I just quoted Slumdog Millionaire.”

Ramesh bobbled more. “Sorry, I never saw it.”

So after an hour delay, our flight was boarding near to four in the morning. Trying to keep my eyes open, I went out of the lounge to wake up a little. While watching the long queue to the airplane slowly whittle down, I found a Treasures of India knick-knack stall.

I wasted some time looking at the hand carvings and the gold and silver statues pieces.

One of the Indian girls manning the stall came up to me – noticing I was staring at one piece more than all the others. “Kama Deva is the Hindu god of love.” She said matterof-factly.

I took it in my hand to look at the price instantly and noticed there was another statue on the other side.

“That’s his wife Rati, the Goddess of sexual desire,” she added.

The price was outrageous but the story was intriguing. “This is very beautiful.”

“Kama Deva carries a bow and shoots arrows to cause people to fall in love. He inspires desire.” She looked me in the eyes to see if I was still interested, “but he can also help in an existing relationship that the spark may have gone out of, or to heal sexual dysfunctions.”

I pursed my lips. “Wow. Value add.” I turned the wooden carving back and forth – seeing both Kama and Rati. “And they are married?’

“Yes.” “Sex and love?”

She blushed. “Yes.” And she laughed. “You want to buy?”

I heard overhead there was a final boarding announcement for my Cathay Pacific flight.

“Yes, I guess I will take my destiny now.”

Written by GS Jackson, © 2009 LOL Entertainment Group, LLC (USA) Limited (HKG)