Brief Break

The story will be continued tomorrow I promise but I felt the need for more immediate contact with you - silly I know but I was missing the one sided conversation.

Calcutta was and is a very small community - little goes on that is not public knowledge within a few hours. An example of this is when a friend of mine became pregnant - I went with her to a clinic off Elliot Rd. and waited in the waiting room while she saw the doctor then took her home.

I walked in to the sitting room at home to find my parents, white faced, clutching large whiskeys begging me to tell them the truth. The nurse at the clinic had worked for Dad once and phoned him as soon as she saw me. It took several hours to convince them it wasn't me having a baby but my friend. I never really stood a chance of being really bad - there were too may eyes watching - if they didn't have links to Mum or Dad they would almost certainly have links to Desla  or Dubs,

Despite this, or maybe because of  it I always felt entirely safe - the only bad experience I ever really had was one to be savoured for its tattered glamour.  I spotted a rather attractive young man in Trincas one night and was told that he was the young cousin the Tripura family. I wangled an introduction and was asked out to dinner.

You must understand  that we were in our own way very innocent. Jaideep, having just  returned from being educated in England was used to young women who has embraced the sexual revolution ans took their places as equals/ I still expected a car door to be held open for me.

After dinner he invited me back to the Tripura Palace in Ballygunge and showed me around an echoing ghost of a house with huge marble halls and neo classical nymphs draped coyly on plinths in alcoves. Unsurprisingly the tour ended in his rooms and the usual rough and tumble ensued. As it was getting close to midnight I asked  if he could arrange for a car to take me home.

The atmosphere changed - there were no cars - I hadn't slept with him yet - who did I think I was? We were locked in for the night. I took matters into my own hands hands ran out to the main hall and shouted for the Durwan to  go and find a taxi. The resultant noise woke the Maharani's bearer and he sat me down, made me tea and organised the taxi in what seemed like seconds. Jaideep was banished back to his room.

The old bearer saw me home and apologised for the shame of his mistress's nephew.

The postscript came when Jaideep turned up the next night and tried to bully his way past Abdul and the two dogs. Winnie, I am glad to say bit him!. I fell to Abdul to have the last word." Ek dum budmash baba!"