A Hundred Flukes

Friend

Chapter 8

Four days later

"Never forget," said Khushi feeling the sharpness of the kitchen knife with the tip of her index finger, "chili in fried rice and enemy in life." She picked a tomato with her left hand and holding the knife steady in the right, aimed it and plunged it with force into the tomato, twisting it in the fruit's flesh as red juice came out in spurts and spread on the cutting-table. She pulled the knife out with the same brutality and wiped with her finger, one drop of fresh juice that trickled over the knife. "What do they mean when they say, Cold Blooded Murder." she said tasting the drop of juice on her finger.

"Do you plan to murder Raizada?" said Payal stifling a yawn, "do that after you have cleaned this mess." she added pointing at the smudged table.

"Nah, I won’t murder him but if I don't throw twenty five thousand in cash on his face along with the interest of my spit, you'd find my blood in the streams of Yamuna instead of water." she said brandishing the knife near her throat, "and him in jail."

"And how exactly do you plan to collect all that money, by robbing a bank?"

"C'mon babe, who robs a bank for twenty five thousand? My piss." she said waving the knife at Payal.

"Mind your tongue girl, if bua hears it you'd be at the receiving end of her piss."

"No way, that'll be enough to drown me. Yuck."

"On second thought Khushi, don't you think you are obsessed with that guy? I am sure he must have forgotten you by now." said Payal wiping the table.

"Let him but I will not, not after all the bad things he has done to me. Not unless I have payed for the dent."

"Don't be silly, you know our financial condition, you know we are running out money."

"There has to be a way...yes," Khushi snapped her fingers, "job, yes a job."

"Are you crazy, we haven't come to settle here in Delhi, soon Amma-babuji will call us back and with what do you suppose I'll get a job? I haven't brought my certificates and degrees here, how do you suppose anyone can find a job without the proof of qualification and that too in a city like Delhi?"

"Woah, wait, I didn't say you should find a job. That's my problem and I will pay, not you, so I do jobs and earn, not you."

"You. You! You? Now, now get real."

"Why no?"

"The reasons are many but first being you are not even a graduate, simply twelfth pass and that too not with distinction."

"72.8% is distinction." Khushi defended herself.

"Where do you think that will take you and specially when you are none the better without certificates and mark sheets?"

Khushi’s face fell for a moment as she considered for a while before she became a bout of effervescence. "I have my mark-sheets. They are in my diary, I always keep them there. Believe it or not, for now I am more educated than you." She ran to their room, pulled her suitcase from under the bed and rummaged through the items that remained in it, took out the diary and showed the marksheets to Payal, excited.

"Don't be so excited, this still isn't a guarantee that you'll get a job." said Payal.

The dining table chair screeched as Madhumati pulled it and howled, "Two lazy girls in the house, not a glass of water for the poor old grouse."