7 Crows

Chapter Seven | 06:00

Chapter Seven

06:00 pm. New Year's Eve.

"Hello? Aap mujhe sun sakate hain!" Kanwaljit called out, almost shouting into the cell phone. He received no confirmation from the other line except for a faint crackling noise and some indiscernible broken words. "Hello? Hello! Hey Ram..." He muttered, combing his free hand through his dark wayward curls as he walked out of the motel.

Kanwaljit pocketed the cell phone in the right pocket of his khaki pants, and gave a sharp intake of exasperated breath. He let his legs take him to the intended destination while his mind explored his thoughts and feelings. He was a mixture of dread, disorientation and despair.

Losing his job was a violent punch to his gut. The kind that was silent and unsuspecting that it left his ears ringing and his head in a vertigo for a couple of days. But, as a stroke of luck, his employer let him keep the visa for an extra month. He needed to hunt a new job as soon as possible or fly back to his home country.

Kanwaljit huffed out a long sigh through his nostrils and raked his fingers through his hair again, causing a few wild curls to fall in front of his eyes. In an involantary motion, he swept the strands back from his face and increased his pace to a brisk walk.

He glanced at the horizon, noticing that the sun was almost down for its slumber and the sky was rusty red fading into a dull blue. It was only a matter of minutes before the sky turned darker.

Kanwaljit slowed down his strides as he approached the telephone booth that was a walking distance away from the motel. He stopped at a magazine vendor and changed a ten pound note into coins for the machine. He then entered the booth and closed himself inside.

Grabbing the telephone receiver, Kanwaljit plugged the change into the coin slot and dialled his home number. He listened to the droning overseas ringtone, his back braced against the phone booth wall, until a soft mellifluous voice hit his ear. He immediately felt like being enveloped in a cozy blanket.

"Maa," Kanwaljit exclaimed, the corners of his mouth upturned into a mega-watt smile.

"Kanwal!" His mother called from the other line, and he could practically picture her smiling with watery eyes. "How are you, beta? " She inquired in Hindi.

"I'm fine, Maa," He replied in his mother tongue. "How are you? How's everyone? "

"Alright. Everyone's alright, beta." She paused, taking a deep breath. "We miss you a lot."

"I know, Maa..." His voice almost cracked at the end. The muscles in his throat constricted and he swallowed the choking lump of emotion, mumbling, "I miss you too."

"Everything's alright there, right?"

He closed his eyes at his mother's innocent question. The concern in her sweet voice made his chest ache, and he flexed the fingers of his free hand open and closed, before replying, "Yes, Maa. Everything's good here."

"Okay, hold on, beta. Beti is here. I'll hand the phone to her now."

"Ji." Kanwaljit switched the reciever to his left hand. He then propped his right forearm against the phone booth wall in front of him and rested his forehead on it, hunching over the telephone.

There was a shuffling noise, then the endearing rural accent greeted him, "Hello?"

"Hello, I don't know why the call didn't connect." He said, referring to the phone call trouble earlier. "I'm calling from a phone booth now."