insists: “Why did you disappear?”
“From where?” she asks.
“From everywhere. You just vanished. People don’t just vanish like that.”
“Be a sport, will you? Get me something to drink.”
“I have been looking for you everywhere,” he says in anguish.
“Okay, now you found me.”
Just like that. As if it was the most natural thing for him to look for her! As if she had been waiting there to be found by him! As if they have been looking for and finding each other all their lives!
“So please get me a drink of water,” she says. “My throat is on fire.”
“I’ll do better than water. I’ll get you something else to extinguish that fire.”
He buys her a vanilla and caramel cone from an ice cream vendor. She snatches it as if it is something he has always owed her. Not even a “thank you.” She licks it with exaggerated delicacy
“Now that you have found me what do you plan to do about it?” she asks.
“I don’t know. I was off to some place on some business,” he says lamely. “I didn’t imagine I’d find you here.”
“And all along I thought you were a man of boundless imagination! What is the business
some place
that you are off to?”
He can’t tell her about Mr. Yodd. That he was going to his grotto to confess about her. The whole thing would sound foolish to her. He feels awkward and doesn’t know what to say next. She is now standing up and looking him straight in the eye. He is flustered and her amusement irritates him.
“So, what happened to you?” he finally asks.
“Nothing happened. I just got sick. Had a rash all over my body. Had to stay in bed for two weeks.”
“Sorry to hear that,” he says. “There must be some bug doing the rounds.”
Then an idea strikes him: “Do you want to look at the whales? Let’s go and see the whales.”
“What for?”
“I thought you liked whales. I see you every day when I am blowing my horn. Before you had the rash, I mean.”
“I don’t come here to watch the whales. I come here to watch you.”
She enjoys standing there watching him squirm in embarrassment. He realises that he looks foolish but does not know what to do about it. If he could he would wipe the smirk off her face.
“I like you… not the whales,” she adds. “That horn of yours!”
“I must go now… somebody is expecting me.”
But he does not go. He stands there timidly, watching her lick the ice cream and chew the cone with suggestive sensuality, all the while looking deep into his eyes. He would like to change the embarrassing direction of this conversation, but he is at a loss for words. She saves him by blurting out: “What’s your fascination with whales, anyway? They look stupid.”
Now he is offended.
“They are beautiful,” he says.
“Beautiful? They have all those ugly warts on their ugly heads!”
“They are not warts… they are callosities… and they are beautiful… and… and those southern rights are graceful… and they are big.”
“Not big enough. The blue whale, yes… if they were the blue whale, then I would respect them.”
“How would you know about the blue whale? I am sure you have never seen one. They don’t come close to shore.”
“It is the biggest mammal on earth… that I know for sure. But these whales of yours, they are like toys… they don’t tickle my fancy… they are too small for me.”
He feels insulted. He walks away from her without another word. Why on earth was he searching for such an obnoxious person?
“If you were a whale you would be the blue whale,” she calls after him, laughing.
He does not look back. He must get as far away as possible from such indecorous remarks. The sweet and mouldy smell follows him for a while but fizzles out as he gets further away from her cackling.
Without thinking much about it Saluni takes the direction of the mansion. She has not seen the Bored Twins for two weeks and she misses them: their peals of laughter, their singing, their
“From where?” she asks.
“From everywhere. You just vanished. People don’t just vanish like that.”
“Be a sport, will you? Get me something to drink.”
“I have been looking for you everywhere,” he says in anguish.
“Okay, now you found me.”
Just like that. As if it was the most natural thing for him to look for her! As if she had been waiting there to be found by him! As if they have been looking for and finding each other all their lives!
“So please get me a drink of water,” she says. “My throat is on fire.”
“I’ll do better than water. I’ll get you something else to extinguish that fire.”
He buys her a vanilla and caramel cone from an ice cream vendor. She snatches it as if it is something he has always owed her. Not even a “thank you.” She licks it with exaggerated delicacy
“Now that you have found me what do you plan to do about it?” she asks.
“I don’t know. I was off to some place on some business,” he says lamely. “I didn’t imagine I’d find you here.”
“And all along I thought you were a man of boundless imagination! What is the business
some place
that you are off to?”
He can’t tell her about Mr. Yodd. That he was going to his grotto to confess about her. The whole thing would sound foolish to her. He feels awkward and doesn’t know what to say next. She is now standing up and looking him straight in the eye. He is flustered and her amusement irritates him.
“So, what happened to you?” he finally asks.
“Nothing happened. I just got sick. Had a rash all over my body. Had to stay in bed for two weeks.”
“Sorry to hear that,” he says. “There must be some bug doing the rounds.”
Then an idea strikes him: “Do you want to look at the whales? Let’s go and see the whales.”
“What for?”
“I thought you liked whales. I see you every day when I am blowing my horn. Before you had the rash, I mean.”
“I don’t come here to watch the whales. I come here to watch you.”
She enjoys standing there watching him squirm in embarrassment. He realises that he looks foolish but does not know what to do about it. If he could he would wipe the smirk off her face.
“I like you… not the whales,” she adds. “That horn of yours!”
“I must go now… somebody is expecting me.”
But he does not go. He stands there timidly, watching her lick the ice cream and chew the cone with suggestive sensuality, all the while looking deep into his eyes. He would like to change the embarrassing direction of this conversation, but he is at a loss for words. She saves him by blurting out: “What’s your fascination with whales, anyway? They look stupid.”
Now he is offended.
“They are beautiful,” he says.
“Beautiful? They have all those ugly warts on their ugly heads!”
“They are not warts… they are callosities… and they are beautiful… and… and those southern rights are graceful… and they are big.”
“Not big enough. The blue whale, yes… if they were the blue whale, then I would respect them.”
“How would you know about the blue whale? I am sure you have never seen one. They don’t come close to shore.”
“It is the biggest mammal on earth… that I know for sure. But these whales of yours, they are like toys… they don’t tickle my fancy… they are too small for me.”
He feels insulted. He walks away from her without another word. Why on earth was he searching for such an obnoxious person?
“If you were a whale you would be the blue whale,” she calls after him, laughing.
He does not look back. He must get as far away as possible from such indecorous remarks. The sweet and mouldy smell follows him for a while but fizzles out as he gets further away from her cackling.
Without thinking much about it Saluni takes the direction of the mansion. She has not seen the Bored Twins for two weeks and she misses them: their peals of laughter, their singing, their
Similar Books
