It was the first time that Mrs. and Mr. Sarkar had boarded a flight in their twenty eight years of togetherness. The small house in Burdwan had been their world for a better part of their lives. Of course there were those occasional social trips – to attend a wedding or a funeral of some distant relative every few years – but the medium of travel had never surpassed the luxuries of a sleeper class train bogey. That was all they could afford in the meager salary that the mister drew as a clerk in a small-time trading firm.
They had seen worse times, especially following the birth of their daughter Reena. Annual increments and bonuses were virtually unheard of at Mr. Sarkar’s workplace. The bonus, if ever he got one, came ahead of Pujo, and carried a distinct flavour of the sort of mood his employer had been keeping around then. In such times Reena’s arrival, and the consequential surge in the household expenses had left them scurrying to make ends meet.
Mr. Sarkar had to start taking mathematics tuitions after work to supplement his income. The missus too contributed by minimizing expenses in any manner that she could – using her old sarees to stitch the child’s bed mats and stuffing her husband’s discarded socks to make toys for her. It wasn’t enough. It never is. But they endured. And eventually the fruits of their perseverance began to show.
Reena was blossoming into a child that would make any parent proud. At a very tender age she had come to terms with her parents’ financial limitations and instead of burdening them with irrational childish demands, she would help her mother in the kitchen and other household chores – her own innocent way of sharing the burden. As a well-behaved child with doll like looks – large gleaming eyes, wavy black hair and features so sharp as though chiselled by a seasoned toymaker – she enjoyed the affection of their neighbours, her teachers at school and almost anybody who she happened to meet.
As time went by, her academic prowess began to surface as well. Mr. Sarkar’s commitment towards her studies and his guidance ensured that Reena remained at the top of her class year after year. It was no surprise then that she cleared her engineering joint entrance exam in the very first attempt. The Sarkars, although somewhat distraught at the thought of parting with their beloved daughter, ensured that they put up a brave face while dropping her to the college hostel in Durgapur. It is only a matter of four years and she would get to visit us during her vacations anyway, they kept repeating to each other whenever the gloom she’d left behind began to get unbearable.
It was only when Reena, upon completing her B. Tech. in Computer Science, got a placement offer from a renowned Silicon Valley firm that the true worth of staying away from her for so long dawned upon them. The distance had been a preparation for them, a precursor for the times to come, and they now found themselves in a much more agreeable position to put their emotions aside for the sake of their only child’s career. It had prepped them to greet the prospects of Reena chasing her dreams in a faraway land with joy and pride. And then, even before they could realize, they were standing outside the departure terminal of the Kolkata airport, waving and wiping their moist eyes as she walked away from them to embark on the journey of life.
Three years had passed since then and the Sarkars had accepted their life for what it was. Reena had visited them once within the first year of her departure, but the daily webchats and email exchanges kept them updated on the happenings at her end. She was happy and doing well for herself, and for her parents nothing else seemed to matter. Despite their protests, they would receive a money transfer from her every once in a while and that would only go on to enforce her financial wellbeing for them.
And then, about a year back, they began to hear news stories about layoffs in the American IT sector. Visas for Indians working in the Silicon Valley were being cancelled and many who were accompanied by their families in their pursuit of the American dream were being forced to return. Reena had sounded tense too those days and confided in them about the situation not being particularly conducive at the workplace. “It’s all momentary but… Don’t worry, my job is secured,” she would reassure them in the same breath.
She didn’t lose her job, but the situation remained taxing for several months to follow. It was only a couple of months back that they got a wire transfer from her, the first since they had first heard of the layoffs and an indication that the ominous clouds were finally lifting. And then she had sent air tickets for them to visit her. It was a long flight, sixteen hours of flying time with only a single halt, and Mrs. Sarkar had her fair share of apprehensions about boarding the plane – The plane is packed from all sides, how will be breathe for so long then? What will happen if we get too close to the sun? It had taken some effort for Mr. Sarkar to allay her concerns and they were finally on-board the flight now. In just under seven hours they would be meeting Reena after a long gap of two years, and they were brimming with nervous anticipation.
Reena checked her watch as she turned off the ignition switch of her Mazda CX-5. It was 8.00 pm. She reached out on the back seat to pick up the gym bag which contained the attire she would be adorning in a short while, and stepped out. In a few quick steps she entered an alley lined up with wooden doors on one side. She stopped in front of the second door and knocked. As she waited for the door to open, she glanced at the small metal plate which read – Staff Entrance for Roxy’s Gentlemen’s Club.
She needed to leave early today and she was already rehearsing the lines she would say to Bob. She was new here and hadn’t reached a stage where she could take liberties with him as she’d seen some of the other girls do. She needed to be careful, she couldn’t afford to upset him for she really needed the job. Despite all the troubles it came with, it paid well. Even better than her job at Silicon Valley.
In a few hours she would be meeting her parents and she was excited. But she was nervous too. What if the smokescreen she had carefully created was blown away somehow? What if the truth behind her employment became known to them? Just then the door opened and a burst of raucous music gushed out. She smiled and nodded at the bouncer who greeted her and stepped inside.
First published in Club Class Magazine, March – 2017
anurag anand 