Sati

The weird staired library

Manav after showering putting on his clothes walks out of his room trying to wear his watch. He walks towards the hall to see Aashima peeping out of the window next to the piano. He takes few steps close to get a look at what she was trying to see; he sees a middle aged man dressed in khaki, standing on the road carrying some bundle of papers in his one hand and in other hand trying to signal something at Aashima. He looks at Aashima, where she is trying to mouth some words to him. 
Manav "What are you doing? 
Aashima turns around suddenly when she hears Manav's voice; her eyes filled with guilt.
Manav "Do you have to be somewhere? who is that?"
Aashima hesitantly moving away from the window, "Sir he's the post man. I was asking if there were any letters to this address".
Manav "oh, I haven't given this address to anyone yet. I have to write some letter. Where is the post office here?"
Aashima "there no post office here. there's just one post box at the middle of the highway road, but its too far. If you give it to the postman he'll post it and also bring you your letters. You can give me Sir, I'll do it."
Manav "walking towards his shoe rack picks up his boots and says "You just said its far". 
Aashima "yes sir, but its on my way home. So while going I can post it."
Manav "so your house is also far?"
Aashima "not so far. Few steps after that there is a bus stop. I take the last bus and go."
Manav "okay", he stands up to leave but searches for his cap and goes to his room and comes out wearing his cap and says "right now I haven't written any letters, I'll give it to you when I have to post" and smiles at her. Aashima thinks again this man goes with this unnecessary smiling and this time she avoids the awkward eye contact and walks towards the kitchen and says "ok sir".
Manav looks at her walking into the kitchen nods and leaves for work.

Pleasant evening; Birds making their way towards their nests, Manav decides to go to Calcutta and check the publisher Aashima had told him. He drives from work to Calcutta directly himself. He goes near the public library and parks his car. He enters the public library and finds a man sitting at the corner of the recepetion table piling up books. He goes to him and asks "sir where is Mr. Amar Mehtha's library?".
The man lifts up the pile of books and looks at him and says "This is the public library sir", saying it out firmly as if he was making some statement. Manav grins and says "yes I know that. But someone told me to ask around public library to find Mr.Amar's library". 
The man walking into the library hall where quiet lot of people were sitting on benches indulged in reading silently and some at the book racks trying to find books, the man bangs down the pile of books on a table making loud noise for people to look up at him. The man looks at Manav ignorantly and says "This is the only library I know. If you want Mr.Amar Mehtha then he is at the english literature corner" walks away to his desk.
Manav raises his eye brows and says "oh he's here only? where?"
The man who was walking towards his desk turn around and gives Manav a irritated look and says "I just said mister. He is at the english literature corner. Do you even listen" and turn away and sits at his chair and sighs in irritation.
Manav shrugging his shoulders, realising he had asked the wrong question, "I meant where is the english literature section?"
The man not even bothering to look up says "right end of the room".

Manav walks into the room and goes to corner and finds an old man trying to reach a book at the top end of the rack. Manav walks and takes it and gives it for him and smiles at the old man and the old man smiling back at him says "dhanyabada". Manav squeezes his eyes to wonder what the old man said to him but not able to understand it just smiles at him again and says "Mr. Amar". Old man giving him a confused look shakes his head indicating he wasn't the person he wad looking for. He looks at the other corners to find a young man carrying a pile of books outside the room just oppsite to the corner Manav was standing. Manav realising he was at the wrong corner rushes towards the door and sees the young man giving the pile of books to the man at the desk. 
Manav walks at the young man and says in a doubtful voice "Mr.Amar".
The young man turns towards him and says "yes?".
Manav to confirm "uh.. Mr.Amar Mehetha?".
The young man again says yes more affirmatively and says "do I know you officer?".
The man at the desk looking at Amar says "you should return on time. else again you will be fined", Amar nodding his head and smiling at him takes the pile of books and walks near Manav.
Amar "How do you know me officer? Do you want something..?"
Before he could complete his sentence Manav speaks "yes, uh... Aashima told me about you".
Amar "Aashima yes, I know her. Do you want any books from my library?"
The man at the desk chuckles in sarcasm, gives angry look at Amar and walks into the library hall.
Manav "yes, I need a book. Can we talk? Do you have time?".
Amar "yes I can talk, can you walk?" laughs, Manav trying to be nice to the stranger he had just met, fake smiles at him.
Amar  "I have to walk to my library. you can have a look at my library and we can talk on the way".
Manav nods and says "you need help there?" 
Amar "no I can carry them. Thank you" and leads the way out the library.

Amar and Manav walking, Manav keeps smiling looking at Amar thinking again how to approach the topic. Amar slows down and says "officer you said you wanted to talk."
Manav "yes. yes. well I'm looking for a book. Its was published very long time ago. Not much famous. Not much famous author. But I need it. I need it very much."
Amar resumes to walk and says "all books are books officer. Depends on the reader".
Manav smiles saying "Thats what Aashima said too".
Amar "Oh Aashima, how do you know her?"
Manav "she works for me" and shrugs and asks "so the book? you think you might have it?".
Amar "Maybe. Maybe not. I have only selected books from the library. what the name of the book?"
Manav stops, Amar walking little ahead of Manav turn back. Manav giving him a pale look says "I don't know the name of the book."
Amar raises his eyebrows in disbelief and "you don't know the book name and you are looking for it? "
Manav walks near him and says "But I do know the authors name and that it was published here in Bengal"

They arrive at the library as they talk. It was a big 3 storied building, with no name or sign as library around it. Both walk in to a fancy room which had paintings on almost every wall. Amar shows the way inside the main hall where to the right was a gigantic stairs. Gigantic enough for anyone to wonder whether the stairs was in the room or the other way around. Amar climbing up the stairs, turns to look down at Manav still standing down and looking around. Manav admiring the bold architecture, looking at every part of the room looks at Amar standing at the middle of stairs waiting for him to come along. Manav climbs the stairs and they enter an aisle where again Amar starts to climb stairs left to the aisle very small compared to the one he had just climbed. Manav following Amar, cringes at the weirdly build interior. 
They enter into a room very dark, Amar switches on the lights to welcome Manav to his library. Manav walking in the room gawking at the curly steps right opposite to the entrance of the library.

Manav looking around the fancy racks and modern lights in the room, looks at the curly stairs and thinks again, of how strange and bold interior was; specially the stairs. Amar looks at Manav staring at the stairs and walks near him keeping the pile of books at the corner table and says "so..."
Manav steps out of the thought and looks at Amar and smiles.
Amar "do you know anything else about the book? anything else at all"
Manav "its a collection of poems. Its in Bengali. That is all I know".
Amar "with such less details its difficult to find it. Let me try", showing his hands towards the other corner where a small table and couple of chairs were put says "please sit down officer". Manav sits down on a chair close to the door of the room. A guy walks in the room, holding his hands back says "sir, and bends down to greet Amar".
Amar "dui chai le ana". The guy walks out of the room. Manav deeply concerned about what Amar had said to him few minutes back that "with such less details its difficult to find it", Manav drowns in his thoughts looking at the sun outside the window going down.