CHAPTER 40 THE FIRST MEETING
Mohan reached outside the Men’s hostel by 8.50. Guru had to go home as his favourite grant aunt who was quite old and weak, suddenly wished to see him. At first, Guru refused to go. But Mohan knew that Guru too loved her dearly and was staying back just for his sake. So, he insisted Guru to go and take care of her and not to worry; after all it was just a meeting, not an encounter. And even if Guru stayed, he couldn’t come along, for they had asked Mohan to come alone. After so much of convincing, Guru finally agreed to leave.
Mohan cautiously entered the Men’s Hostel. It was easy to find Nirvesh’s room. He knocked and stood waiting outside.
A tall, skinny guy opened the door. An equally tall, but brawny guy pulled him inside and began checking his pockets. Mohan recognised them as the Skinny and the Bulky in Guru’s description.
Mohan tried his best to hide the tension he felt and to act casual. The duo took out his mobile and wallet from his pocket and placed them on a side table near the door. They seemed impressed by his cool attitude and led him inside without further prodding.
Beyond a dark, thick curtain which shielded them from the direct view, Nirvesh and a couple of other guys were sitting cross legged on a mattress on the floor and playing cards. As soon as Mohan entered, the playing stopped.
“Tom, make space for him to sit.” Nirvesh instructed from his seat.
Skinny aka Tom suddenly cleared the space on a mattress which was placed opposite to that of Nirvesh’s and gestured Mohan to sit down.
“Thank you.” Mohan said cordially and sat down.
“I’m Nirvesh. You must be knowing that already.” Nirvesh drawled.
“Of course. Who doesn’t?” Mohan said politely.
“Hmm...Nazim, we have got a flatterer here. Bring him some beer so that he can swallow all that flattery down his own throat.” Nirvesh ordered.
Bulky aka Nazim opened a cardboard box which was placed nearby and produced cans of bear. He threw one at Mohan. Mohan didn’t expect the throw and caught it just barely.
The rest of the boys laughed at his clumsiness.
“Easy, boys. Not everyone can be like us, it takes courage. And look, he’s not as bad as that first years we dealt with.” Nirvesh observed.
“That is a point, Nirvesh. This one seems better than students even if he’s just a gardener.” A short, older looking boy said after scrutinizing Mohan’s uniform in a demeaning manner.
“Hey, don’t forget the ground rules, Ashok. We are all here for a common thing - so, no discrimination.” Nirvesh scolded.
“Sorry.” Ashok mumbled and turned back to the cards.
“Let’s come to the point. What is it that you use?” The shrewd-looking bespectacled boy who was keeping silence till then asked Mohan.
This was the line of questioning Mohan feared the most. He and Guru had prepared an entire story, but he was a bit worried whether he could carry it off flawlessly in front of them, or whether they would spot the lies just like Megha had done before.
YOU ARE READING
THE CLOUD'S CHARM
FanfictionMegha, as her name suggests, is a dynamic girl - one who floats in life's flow just like clouds. And Mohan, despite his name, is not much of a charmer in his social circle: he was yet to find someone special and currently, he was concentrating on...
