The lonely lady – Part 2

Narrated till now…

Pramod and Sujan meet a beautiful lady Sukanya Ponappa in a coffee estate and are perplexed by the special interest she shows in Pramod. The boys are invited for lunch the next day by the Ponappas…

Narration continues…

“We are in Coffee business since generations” Rajneet told Sujan and passed on the plate with biscuits to him. “I was born here and so was my father”.

Sujan replied “I am amazed by your life style. I had read about it but today am seeing it. The way you people furnish the bungalows reminds me of the colonial era”.

Pramod added “We met planters in Chikmagalur and Hassan Districts. They are different from you people from Coorg”.

“What is the difference you could make out?”Sukanya said entering the drawing room and taking her seat.

“You people have lot of English habits in your life style”

“You are right” Ranjeet continued “Maybe the British liked us more during their stay in India” and he laughed.

Pramod looked at Sukanya. She was looking very pretty and surprisingly was dressed in western attire which was contrast to the Coorg style sari she wore the previous day. She was now in a dark colored jean and a white full sleeve pullover.

Ranjeet got up and moved towards the mini bar and looking at Sujan said “Scotch?” Sujan nodded. Sukanya interrupted “You have your pegs and I shall take Pramod around the estate. Yesterday it was raining so heavily that they could not see much”.

Ranjeet nodded and replied “Two pegs on the rocks” and handed over one glass of scotch to Sujan. Sujan asked “How seriously does the frost in Brazil affect your prices here?”

Ranjeet replied “This year there has been frost resulting in drop of Coffee output from Brazil. The international prices have shot up and so have our profits”

“This is the pulping machine” Sukanya stopped in front of a machine near the boundary wall. Pramod looked at it eagerly and said “this looks like a labor intensive job”.

“Of course” she replied and continued “During the pulping season we hire many people to do the job for us”. She continued showing the estate to Pramod who was still thinking why she liked him so much.

They started moving back to the bungalow and he saw Sujan and Ranjeet discussing some issue seriously with whiskey glasses in their hands.

“Lunch time” Sukanya said walking towards the kitchen. One lady guest had arrived and was sitting on the chair. Sukanya invited all the people to the dining table and announced “She is Sunanda Deshpande my friend who works in a bank in the town. She has come with some special dishes for us”.

When all the lids of the food items were opened Pramod was surprised to find only vegetarian food being served. He looked at Sukanya and she was smiling at him and she said “I requested Sunanda to prepare good vegetarian food and get to my house as Pramod is a vegetarian”.

Ranjeet laughed out loudly and said “This Sunday afternoon I think ours is the only Coorg house where vegetarian food is being served”. After lunch they spoke for some more time and Ranjeet asked the driver to drop the two to their hotel in the jeep. Sukanya gave a small gift to Sujan and a bag to Pramod in which two gift wrapped boxes were there.

“Pack your things fast. The bus to Kalpetta is in an hour’s time” Sujan said and looked at Pramod. He was looking at the gift bag and smiling. Pramod said “Am still unable to figure out why she was attracted to me?”

 Sujan got up from his chair and angrily pushing it said “I know why she was doing so. She is a nice lady. You are a nut having such perverted thoughts”.

Pramod was taken aback. He got up from the chair and saw anger in the eyes of Sujan and asked “What happened?”

“You want to know why she liked you so much. Listen to me now. Sukanya had a younger brother who looked like you. He was a good hockey player and had got selected to the Indian army and few months ago he was coming from Bangalore to her house when he met with an accident and died. She was waiting for him and  he did not turn up. She slipped into depression. Ranjeet was telling me that he had not seen her smiling and laughing since many months.  The dress she wore today was gifted to her by her late brother. She was seeing her younger brother in you and tried to give all the love and affection”.

Pramod was dumbstruck. He became pale. His mind became blank for few minutes. He recovered and started sobbing. Sujan continued “She showed unconditional sisterly love towards you and your dirty mind was thinking of something else”.

The bus started from the stand and rain started again. Sujan looked at Pramod sitting next to him. He could see a sense of guilt and disappointment on his face. Pramod opened the bag given to him by Sukanya. There were two boxes. On one of the boxes it was written ‘To my brother Pramod with lots of love’ and on the other it was written ‘To Susan my would be sister-in-law with lots of love’. Pramod broke down again and started weeping. He opened the boxes and found two wrist watches in them.

Sujan shook him and said “Hey look out .We are crossing Shakti estates”. Pramod peeped out of the window but could not see the bungalow due to thick blanket of rain and fog. He looked at Sujan and then turned towards the bungalow and said “Thank you Akka (elder sister)”.

The lonely lady – Part 1

On a rainy day in July 1994…

“Look we are at the right place. This is Shakti Estate and we have an appointment with Mr. Ranjeet Ponappa” Sujan said looking at Pramod who was very tired after a busy day meeting Coffee planters in Coorg.

Pramod replied “we have to walk for at least half a kilometer now to reach his bungalow. We are lucky that rain has stopped now”.

Pramod Kulkarni and Sujan Chandy were doing a project titled “Effect of international markets on Coffee prices in India” and it was a part of their post graduation Management course.

“This is paradise on earth. Walking on a wet muddy track with nothing else but green plants, shrubs and trees around is like going to some other world altogether” Sujan commented.

They walked for few more minutes and could see a huge bungalow hidden in thin blanket of mist.  Pramod stopped and whispered to Sujan “Look at the lady near the door. She is very beautiful”.

Sujan added “she is not only beautiful but looks lonely amidst this huge green carpet covered by fog”.

“Hello gentlemen” she said as they both approached the door “What brings you here?”

Sujan explained about their project and the appointment they had taken over phone with Ranjeet Ponappa. “I am Sukanya and my husband has gone to Mysore on some urgent work. Tomorrow being a Sunday he will definitely be at home. You can discuss with him if you come again tomorrow”.

They spoke for about five minutes and during that period she was looking and smiling at Pramod. Sujan observed this and Pramod became a bit conscious and smiled back at her.

It started raining heavily again and she asked them to get into the drawing room. She said “Please feel comfortable. I shall speak to Ranjeet over telephone and tell him that you have come”. She walked into the big hall leading to the kitchen. Pramod looked at Sujan and both of them were awestruck by the grandeur of the bungalow. Very well arranged sofa set, center table, wall hangings, souvenirs behind the glass windows, mini bar in the corner and other things reflected the British colonial style which they had inherited from generations.

“Coffee for you” she said walking into the drawing room with a silver tray. She served coffee to both of them and sat down.

“I spoke to Ranjeet. He is in our relative’s house in Mysore. He has confirmed that he will be returning tomorrow morning. He has asked you both to join us for lunch”.

 She walked to the window and commented “It is raining heavily and you cannot walk to the main road in this condition. Our jeep is in the town and will be reaching the estate in about an hour’s time”.

Sujan got up and walked to the window and said “Sorry we are uninvited guests for you”.

She was quick to reply “Do not think so. Please have dinner here and go to your hotel. You can taste our Coorgi food”. Pramod and Sujan nodded and soon started talking to her.

“That is my mother” she pointed to the photo of a beautiful lady. Pramod was standing in front of the photo frame hung to the wall. She continued “Come with me and I shall show you interesting things in our bungalow and estate”. Sukanya escorted Pramod to a guided tour of her bungalow. Sujan was standing in the portico observing the Arabica coffee plants in the vicinity. After about half an hour Pramod and Sukanya walked into the drawing room laughing heartily.

The dining table was very decorative and made of teak wood. The maid kept many food items on the table. Pramod, Sujan and Sukanya sat across the table. She opened the lid of one of the pan and looking at Pramod said “Special Coorgi pork dish for you”. Pramod gave a surprised look and said “I do not eat any non vegetarian dish. I am a pure vegetarian. My friend Sujan Chandy eats Pork”.

Sujan looked at her. There was a huge disappointment on her face. She said “Am very sorry. What is your full name Pramod?”

“Pramod Kulkarni” he replied.

“I should have found it out before hand. I prepared special pork dish for you without finding out if you eat it or not. Please eat the vegetarian curry and curd with rice and have some fruits”.

“Do you think she likes me?” Pramod asked Sujan. They were lying on their cots in the hotel room.

“Am not sure of it but she way paying more attention to you and couple of times I felt my presence was not needed”.

Pramod blushed and said “Let us see tomorrow. We are anyway going there again. I will find out what the intent is”.

Sujan laughed and said “My dear friend do not forget that there is one beautiful lady named Susan Dsouza waiting for you in Bangalore. With great difficulty you both have convinced your families and soon are getting married”.

Pramod was quick to respond “Susan is my lady always. I was only telling you that this lady at the coffee estate was showing more interest in me for reasons I could not figure out”.

“She should be in her early thirties and a good six to eight years elder to you. Stop dreaming and let us concentrate on our survey and our onward journey to kalpetta in Kerala” Sujan replied.

To be continued …