Lolita

Short Story – Lolita

A new person had appeared in their colony and for Arjun who was always looking for change, she became the subject of close scrutiny and wide speculation. The usual questions of who, from where, went around in the neighborhood, but no one would go forward to speak to her.

Every morning when I left for school, when all the neighborhood was awake with men going to work, children to school and women washing clothes or vessels outside their doors, her door would be shut. In the afternoon when I would come back, which I hated because these eight years of my life had given me enough reasons not to return. Nevertheless I always came back because I knew my mother was waiting for me, afternoons were the only times that we could sit together and talk, I would tell her all what happened in school that day and she would patiently listen to me and after lunch she would go for her work.

Today when I returned I saw the new lady having a big fight with her immediate neighbor, I went forward to see what was happening, “You bas*ard, better tell your wife not to wash your dirty clothes outside my door, you understand?” she was shouting.

The man with an angry face went inside his house and closed the door, then I could only hear the screams of his wife, which was very common in all the houses, so I came home constantly thinking of the new lady. My mother was waiting for me, I told her about the fight while eating lunch, she didn’t speak to me because she couldn’t, today her face was bruised. After the lunch she gave me a hug and went for her work. I was alone at home and could not stop thinking of the new lady, her fierceness, her arrogance, her anger, she was different, different from all the women in the neighborhood, different from my mother.

After some time I went out to play cricket with the other boys. I was famous for my batting, I would hit the ball so hard, it was six most times and four the others. I loved the game, hitting the ball with all my might, the ball reminded me of my father and I would hit it harder. While playing I saw her, she was looking at me and gave me an impressed paan smile. I turned my head away and continued playing, she sat there for a long time looking at us. My mother came back and called me home, the day was over for me. I went home and sat in a corner beside her. She was doing her work. For every small noise from outside both of us would look at the door.

When I was having my dinner he came in, holding first the door and then whatever he could find to support himself. I looked at my mother, she told me to eat fast and go to sleep. He came and sat beside me. Now my mother was constantly looking at his movements and I was trying to swallow the food fast, at last I got up.

“Are you giving me food yourself or should I make you do that?” he shouted glaring at her.

Mother hastily served him. By this time I was on my mat, my head covered with the blanket I had. After some time I slept and he was still having his meal.

Next morning I got up between his snores, mother was washing clothes outside. In an hour I was out of the house for school and as always the new lady’s door was closed. When I returned she was sitting at her door, I went home and had lunch with my mother. After she left, I went out, the new lady was still sitting at her door. I went to her and asked, “What is your name?”

“Come in I’ll tell you”, she said. I hesitantly followed her inside.

“Sit here”. She pointed towards a small chair.

“But what is your name?” I was getting nervous; I decided that as soon as she tells me her name I would run outside.

“You’ll have some sweets?” Before I could answer she brought me some. Sitting beside me she answered my question,

“My name is Lolita and what is your name?” I took one sweet ate it at my own leisure and then answered her, “Arjun”. She just laughed.

“What does bas*ard mean?” I asked her at last.

“Why do you ask this?”

“Yesterday you called your neighbor a bas*ard and then he did not fight with you”.

“Oh, bas*ard means a bad man, a very bad man. Anyways you want to watch T.V.? ”, she asked me. I nodded in the positive and she put it on. I saw ‘Sholay’, the whole movie and I loved it.

In the evening when I heard my mother calling out my name I got up, when I reached the door she asked. “Hey, will you come tomorrow?” I smiled and ran to my mother.

Next day after my mother left for her work I went to Lolita. “What movie do you want to watch today?” she asked me.

“Amitabh Bachchan’s I love all his movies.” I quickly replied.

“Why?”

“Because he beats up all the gundas and drunkards.”

Smiling she put up ‘Deewar’ and sat beside me with a plate of sweets. I smiled and we both sat together and enjoyed the movie.

When I returned home my father had already come and was beating my mother for money, “You bi*ch you are not worth anything you know!”

He was shouting and hitting her simultaneously. With all my courage I went towards him, “You are a bas*ard!!!”

I shouted and ran outside. I came back late in the night, he was snoring, I went straight to bed.

Now all my afternoons were spent with Lolita. We would watch movies, play games or talk. It was very easy to be around her, I did not have to look at the door or sit in one corner. I was free here.

One afternoon I came to her beaten.

“Hey, what happened to you?” she asked me looking at the bruises.

“Those boys beat me up.”

“But why?”

“They told that you keep all the men under your control. I said that you are atleast better than the mothers who can’t even control their husbands, at this they got angry and beat me up”.

“What did you tell your mother about this?”

“I told her I fell down in school. She will feel bad if I tell her the truth”.

“Ok, come we will play today”.

“And my sweets?” She smiled and gave me some. In the evening I did not hear mother calling me, but I knew that she must have returned home, so I left for her. She had returned but did not look at me when I entered,

“Why didn’t you call me today?” I asked her.

“Where do you go in the afternoons?” she looked angry.

“I went to Lolita”.

“And what do you do there?” she was getting angrier.

“I watch movies and play with her.”

“Arjun listen and listen carefully, you will not go to her anymore and don’t imagine I will not know if you meet her, those boys will tell me again. Ok?”

“No, I will go to her. She is very good, I like to be with her”, now I was getting angry too.

“She’s a prostitute, the bi*ch sleeps with all the men in the neighborhood you understand that and understand one more thing you are not seeing her anymore let alone meeting her and if you don’t obey me I will lock you in the house and go for work ok?”

By now I was crying bitterly and I did not stop till night, I went to sleep without food and made my decision. I will leave this house; I will get up early in the morning before mother wakes up and go to Lolita. It is not my fault if mother wants to live like this, she does not want to change and moreover wants me also to continue live like these past eight years. I will leave this house, I will leave her.

Next morning I got up, mother was sleeping and he was not in the house. I slowly got up, opened the door and went out. No one was around, all were sleeping. I knocked at her door, no reply, she must be sleeping. I sat outside the door. After some time the door opened but it was someone else who opened it, a man. I got scared and hid behind the outside of the door. “You know you are better than that bi*ch”, he was saying.

“Then why don’t you come here often?” it was Lolita’s voice.

“Oh you charge high and you don’t know how difficult it is to remove money from her.” And both started laughing. The man came out. And I saw my father going towards my house. Lolita closed the door shut, she had still not seen me.

I could not understand what was going on. In an impulse I got up banged at her door. She opened it.

“YOU ARE A BAS*ARD!!!” I yelled at her and ran to my house, came to my mother, slept beside her, hugged her tightly and cried.

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