The Unventured Passions

A Few Buried Skeletons

It was before lunch when Batuk parked his motorcycle outside the Governor General's stone carved artistically made mansion. The guards didn't stop him, but they didn't salute either.
All because of Bondita! He thought.

The stone slabbed pavement, led him directly inside the hall, and his presence was at once welcomed by the British couple, a little too warmly, as Mrs. McKenzie threw her arms around his neck and tied him into a firm embrace.
General McKenzie was sitting on an armchair, smiling.

Taken aback by this sudden affection, Batuk stood stiff. Although he wasn't unaware of their ways, but, his Indian schooling didn't give him much exposure to the openness of the British culture.
Hugging a man in open was an accepted social conduct, but this sudden unwanted attention had left him with a slight hint of awkwardness.

"Good... Good afternoon Madam."
He murmured, his face visibly flushed at the situation.

Mrs. McKenzie looked up and smiled, and Batuk couldn't help but notice the dramatic change in her entire countenance.
She didn't look demented at all, rather her cheerful face had a happy glow in it. Her golden curls were tied up neatly and a pretty pearl necklace adorned her slender red neck.

"Batuk... I thought you'd come early!" His name from her mouth sounded a little funny, or so did Batuk thought.

"Sorry Mrs. McKenzie, I had to attend my lectures, and then had practicals."

The Governor laughed out at his words.
"Let the little boy study Marie, would you?" His words were directed to his wife, who seemed to pay absolutely no heed whatsoever.

"Batuk, I've cooked for you... Are you hungry?"

Batuk Roy Chowdhury was always hungry, before lunch, after lunch, in the middle of night, at dawn... Food was always a welcoming distraction for him, his first love... And he would proudly proclaim to his friends how his love for food had kept him sane for so long.

"Ofcourse, I'm hungry... I love to eat!" His face had a natural grin as Marietta held his hands and dragged him inside, towards the dinning room.

"Won't sir eat too?" He had turned his head once as the old governor waved his hand with a happy smile.

"I'm fed. You carry on."

The lavish arrangements at the dining table had made Batuk exhale sharply, a happy exhale. The table top looked like a battlefield to him, a decorated battlefield, with porcelain plates and delicious dishes, and he felt it to be his moral responsibility to devour them all.

"Mrs. McKenzie, what have you done... This is... This is a lot!"

Although his words had expressed the conventional table courtesy, he was already seated, and had began to defeat the food lying infront.

Marietta was smiling.
"I've prepared something special for you." She held a stem glass and kept it infront of his rice plate.
"Shrimp cocktail."

Batuk was chewing his food, he looked up and smiled at her warmly.
"Marietta Madam, I'm so sorry, but I'm allergic to shrimps, infact all sea food... But guess what, this one is my brother's favourite."

The colour from Marietta's face had gone at once, as her bandaged wrists supported her trembling body by holding the edge of the wooden dining table.

"He still... " Marietta paused, and swallowed.
"He must eat a lot of shrimp cocktail I believe." She forced a smile, as her shineless eyes stared at Batuk, vacantly.

"No... Not really... Bondita can't make these... She cooks amazing shrimps though, or so I've heard, but not this English dish... Nope!"
His eyes were on the food, as Marietta let out a sharp sigh.