The solitary night

With the colorful dim light and the sound of rock song filling the air of the discotheque one could be so lost in the moment of enjoyment. The music was new and full of rhythm. One would not withstand to sit there listening to that music. The music feels the nerve with the unknown move and if the heart were young the music would make its way to the lips till it drags the fellow young heart to the dance floor. Such was the scenario of that night. But amidst the crazy crowd lost in the moment I was enjoying  not the music but the torture  personality of a weird woman.

I was sitting near the counter taking my drinks when a lady in mid-twenties sat beside me. She just sat there abruptly and asked the bartender to prepare the hardest drink. I thought…girl hanging out at night what a disgrace to her family.

When the bartender offered the drink she asked the bartender weather it would ease the pain she was going through. I was irritated with her. What kind of women is she..Must have fought with her husband I thought bitterly.

“Madam you can try but I am not sure whether it would ease the pain or not” The bartender replied.

“oh ok does not matter…thank you “she said.

She took a sip and showed a funny bitter expression. I looked around for her friends. But there was none. She took another sip with much harder and bitter expression. Is she drinking for the first time I thougt… then she took another one and to my utter surprise she kept on drinking.  She took deep breath and whenever she asked for another glass she rested her head on her palm as if she was unable to bear the things that was going on in her life. She drank a lot that  after sometime she could hardly raise the glass. I was angry with the bartender. Just because one pays for drinks does not mean that they keep on serving even if the customer loses her balance I thought and I blurted out.

“can’t you see that she is out of control. Stop giving her the drinks. “I scolded the bartender.

She looked at me and tried hard to smile. She gave a half smile and said ”hey man mind your own business and let me drink. I can only drink today because this pain inside me is trying to burst and I can’t find another way to get rid of it. Its hurts ….it hurts pretty badly.” She said with rueful face.

“but lady you drank enough and it would be insecure for you if you drink more.” I said. Why am I caring about this drunk woman I thought.

“insecure…“she laughed” thank you for the concern…but let me drink, today is my wedding…..i should be celebrating” at that moment the glass fell on the floor and broke. It did not drag any one’s attention since it was overcome by the loud music.

She laughed again but there was intense sadness in her eyes. The eyes which was trying to communicate so much and I wondered what had happened to the stranger sitting next to me.

“See even the glass does not want to stay with me….”she said with a sarcastic smile.

I was about to pick up the broken pieces of glass when she stopped me and said” don’t touch those glasses it will hurt you….”after saying that she pushed me away. And then she stared at the broken glass and laughed again “I am sorry glass it hurts right but I am there for you I will pick you up ok ….” And she started to pick it up. I quickly pushed her away but it was late. It has cut her hand and it was bleeding enormously.  I don’t know what had gone into my mind but the next moment I picked up this stranger and took her outside.  I searched her hand bag and found her hanky. But she didn’t allow me to wrap her wound.

“Let it bleed, the pain will go away with it …”she pleaded.

“You are drunk and you are out of your mind lady and it would be better if you listen to me right now. Stop fussing over the things that happened. What happened is happened you cannot change it.” I blurted out. I didn’t know that I was so angry. I forcefully wrapped the hanky and I wanted to get away from this sick women very badly. I searched for the taxi because I didn’t want to drop this drunk lady in my car but the luck must have run out of me that day. There wasn’t any. I was searching for a vehicle when someone familiar appeared in front of me. it was my friend sangay. She looked at me and smiled but as soon as she saw that strange women her face got clouded. She ran towards her and looked at me said” what happen to her? Did she cut herself? Is she badly wounded? We need to take her to the hospital. Tashi  help me to carry her…” I stood there perplexed and thought what is her relationship with this drunk woman?

“tashi  be quick...”she pleaded. The women hugged sangay and said” you will never leave me right sangay. Tell me that you will be always there for me please tell me…lets go and celebrate my wedding sangay…like we have planned”

I had to drive my car and put her in the back seat with sangay and drove to hospital. The strange women slept peacefully on sangay’s lap. This sick women spoiled my day I thought. But I was happy that I met my college friend sangay after such a long period of time. That strange woman slept peacefully after inserting sleeping injection.

“Who is she? “I asked sangay.

“she is my best friend wangmo. ”

“oh the writer?”

“yeah…”

“but she looked different and they way she drank the liquor…its was scary..”

“I feel sad. I wonder when her pain will go away. She loves a boy and she won’t even look for other boy. It was like she was going to love him forever. So we friends told that boy about her feeling. He felt sorry for her and he liked her.   And so they use to go out and I don’t know but I guess he liked her and then they were planning to marry. But then his former girlfriend appeared from nowhere and then everything was gone. That rascal told wangmo that he still loves his ex-girlfriend. And so ….she loved him a lot  but  he won’t give a damn shit to her feeling. I feel bad thinking about it. If we have not told him this won’t have happened. I saw wangmo devastated for the very first time. She won’t even show her pain. Today was supposed to be their marriage day.”

I felt sad for the women but not everyone marries the person they love I thought.

For few days I could not stop thinking about that drunk woman and somehow I wanted to meet her. May be I feel too sorry for her. So I made a trip round her office.. She was in her office. As soon as she saw me she stood up and greeted me.

“hello tashi. Thank you very much for last time. I don’t know what had happened to me.”

“won’t you allow me to sit also ?”I teased her.

“oh I forgot  sorry for that …” she assured me to sit.  Just like sangay said she was good at hiding her pain.

“you were very sad that night. Sorry for what had happened.”

She was silent for a while and after sometime she said” we can’t hold back what was never ours right.”

At that time someone knocked on her office door and a man appeared. Her face beamed as soon as she saw him. He hugged her and thanked her.

“wangmo thank you so much. And if you weren’t there she would never know how much I love her.” after saying that he handed her a card. She smiled but didn’t say anything and that man left saying he had some urgent work to do. She stared at the card and looked at me and said ”they are getting married?”

“is he the boy that you liked?”

She nodded. I was so confused “but what is he talking about?”

She looked away and said” he liked me but only out of sympathy. He loves that girl a lot may be more than I love him. He was trying really hard to make me happy. But for how long am I going to hold him. So I told that girl about him.  And they met again and I was right they still love each other. I was happy for him but I was also sad. So that’s why I drank that day because wedding stuff won’t get out of my mind” She said without facing me.

I stared at that stranger standing before me amazed and I knew that I will hold on to her as long as the sun rises with me.