Bandyopadhyay
Purba Bardhaman, West Bengal
After seeing such a big jackfruit, Badon couldn’t help but exclaim, “How wonderful!” At that, Mesomoshai, meaning Biltu’s father, grabbed the chance, “Then take this one, I’ll tie it up properly and give it to you. Biltu will drop it off in the bus.”
Badon hadn’t visited this house in years—at least ten or twelve. On the large tree in the garden, countless jackfruits were hanging, and Mesomoshai was not going to let it go, “For a couple of days, keep it under a sack, and only then will it ripen properly.”
Badon hesitated, “Such a long journey, the bus and train troubles...!”
“Stop it. You can manage,” Mesomoshai scolded him, “After so many years, you won’t take a single jackfruit? What’s the harm in it?”
Reluctantly! But the journey wasn’t simple. First, he would have to take the bus for forty minutes, then spend two hours on the train to reach their station. From there, he would walk for about half an hour to forty-five minutes through the fields to reach Badon’s house. Nowadays, Badon felt uncomfortable traveling by train or bus, and he didn’t want to go out at all. On top of that, carrying this jackfruit load—would he be able to manage?
But such an unexpected debt! He felt reluctant to let it go. Mesomoshai was very skilled. He first packed the jackfruit in a sack, then tied it up with a towel in such a way that it could be easily carried on the shoulder. Badon laughed heartily, “People will think I’m going out to chant the holy name with a khol (drum) in hand.”
Biltu dropped him off at the bus station. The buses in this area were always overcrowded! Badon managed to get inside and tried to stand, with the precious jackfruit between his legs. People were pushing and shoving, and occasionally, someone would shout, “Could you move your stuff a little?”
“Where should I move it? Can’t you see how I’m standing?”
“Then put it on your head! Why did you get on the crowded bus with such a load?”
Badon’s body was filled with rage. He almost said something, but held back. The heat of the summer month was making him sweat, and the road was full of potholes. At times, he felt frustrated with himself, thinking, “If only I hadn’t brought this along! But Mesomoshai insisted so much.” And, after all, jackfruit was something Badon loved dearly—could he really deny that?
Just then, the bus gave a sharp jolt and came to a sudden stop. Everyone’s faces showed concern, and there was a rush from behind to get off. Badon managed to jump off with the sack of jackfruit. Then, they announced that the bus wouldn’t be going anymore; the engine had broken down.
Badon was stunned! That meant he would have to walk with this load now! Such a punishment!
“How far is the station?” he asked. Someone replied, “Not far! If you walk properly, it’ll take at most half an hour.”
Half an hour! Badon was stunned. Though it wasn’t a big deal for him, the weight of the jackfruit made it challenging. His arms were already aching, and if he missed the train, there would be even more trouble. He could already feel the evening fading away.
Since the bus had broken down, a few rickshaws had appeared, hoping to make some money. Badon asked, “How much to go to the station?”
“Fifty.”
“What?!” Badon was shocked, “For such a short distance, fifty—money is so cheap, isn’t it?”
“Well, then walk, sir. Who has given you permission to travel comfortably on your head?” the rickshaw puller grumbled and left. Badon thought about it for a moment—if only his hands were free, he wouldn’t have had to listen to all that. But since he was in a hurry to catch the train, he had to agree to the fifty. The man wouldn’t even give a single penny off. Badon’s anger was simmering.
But he had to admit, if he hadn’t taken the rickshaw, the trouble would’ve been even worse. The train was running late, and darkness was closing in. He would still have to walk through the narrow paths from the station with this load. Ugh, what a trouble it had been! Badon’s mood was sour. The bus had broken down at the worst possible time! The rickshaw puller had taken advantage of the situation and charged him fifty for a short ride! All this because of the jackfruit. What a mess!
But what good would regretting do now? No matter how hard it was, he would have to manage. Once at the station, Badon managed to get the sack onto his shoulder. Ugh, it was heavy! He moved a little and then lifted it onto his head. In the darkness, it was difficult to walk properly. He was angry with himself. What a bad decision it had been to agree to Mesomoshai’s suggestion! All this temptation of jackfruit—ugh!
A moment of distraction caused him to stumble. And that was it! He was about to fall flat with the load! Somehow, he regained his balance and sat down on the ground.
"Aha, I see, big brother! What a trouble, huh?"
A stranger leaned in close, and seeing this, Badon immediately became angry and said, "Yeah, I've fallen for it, but I’m still alive."
"Ugh, ugh... What are you saying! Why would you want to die? There's still so much work left to do in the world."
"That's it! Now, am I really going to fall for some crazy person's tricks?" Badon thought to himself, cursing the day that had started like this. Struggling with a jackfruit, and now some new trouble has appeared. He still hadn’t left the station area. The man seemed to have come over to help him. He had a medium build, with a light beard, and his untidy, open-collared shirt looked either dirty or gray in the dim light. But after a little while, Badon became somewhat sure that the man wasn’t mad.
"So, where are you going, big brother?"
"Karimpur."
"Oh, that’s not very close!" The man, in a slightly mocking tone, continued, "Hmm! Swamps, bamboo groves... so many things there. Will you be able to reach that far in this late hour?"
"Are you joking?" Badon asked.
"Why not? Try and see. If you can, great."
"Why are you suddenly showing concern for me? Do you have some hidden agenda? Let’s hear your plan."
The man was quite polite and seemed a little embarrassed after hearing Badon’s blunt words, "Ugh, ugh... What are you saying, big brother? Why would I joke? It’s just my nature. I can’t help but try to help people."
Badon now gave him a sideways glance, "Oh, do you feel bad if you can’t help others? Then, go ahead and help me with this little task. We’ll walk a bit and chat along the way."
The man seemed to be waiting for this offer, "Don’t embarrass me, big brother. It’s important to help people in need. Just loosen your grip a little, and it will be easy."
"I understand, you’re a seasoned player! But don’t beat around the bush, just tell me—how much do you want?"
The man bent down over the sack, "What valuable treasure is hidden inside this sack?" After rummaging around, he suddenly jumped back, "Oh my God! A huge jackfruit! So, what will you use this for, big brother? For worship or for eating?"
"Listen to me," Badon snapped in an irritated tone, "What do you think? That I’m in some trouble tonight, and now you come to joke around? I don’t know you, I haven’t seen you before..."
"Ah, why are you angry, big brother? If you give me something, it will ease your pain."
Badon lowered his voice and said, "That's why I'm asking, tell me clearly, how much will you take?"
The man didn't say anything more and directly replied, "Fifty will do."
"Eh... fifty again...! I gave it once, now you’ll have to take it again. That means the cost adds up to a hundred in two installments. ...No, no, it’s too much. ...What do you guys think!"
Hearing this, the man spoke in the same tone as before, "It can’t be less. Without me, no one will come here in the middle of the night to carry this load. Now, you figure it out."
Badon felt like slapping himself on the cheek. Everyone is just waiting for an opportunity to attack! With a hundred rupees, couldn’t he buy a jackfruit in the market? Who’s the fool doing this nonsense?
"If you're okay with it, let me know, I'll put it on your head."
"Then you won’t reduce it at all?"
The man shook his head firmly, "Not a single penny."
In a faint voice, Badon said, "What can I do? I’ll have to agree to your terms... Looks like I’m destined to lose today!"
The man must be good at speaking. He was walking away with the bag on his head. After leaving the station square and going a little further, there wasn't much light on the road. Badon asked, "Can you go in the dark?"
"What are you saying? Look at that big moon in the sky, the moonlight is shining. I’ve practiced for all this, you’ll see how well I handle it, I’ll be just fine."
Without saying much, Badon said, "Come on, come on...! Walk ahead, I’ll follow you."
The man started walking faster. Even in such dim light, he was walking through the alley easily. After a while, the path would turn into a rugged trail. Badon followed him for a while but then did something strange: at the mouth of a left alley, he suddenly stopped by a ruined temple. He thought to himself, "I’m no fool either. Now, you can do whatever you want with the jackfruit, I won’t face you anymore. At least I’ll save fifty rupees."
This thought came to him suddenly a little earlier. He’d wait quietly for a while and then, when the opportunity arose, he would leave. That’s it!
But after a short time, he heard, "Oh, big brother, where did you go? Big brother..." Calling out, the man started looking for him. Without making a sound, Badon hid and remained still. After a while of searching here and there, the man disappeared into the darkness again.
Badon was getting restless with mosquito bites. After some time, he came out from behind the temple. He looked around, trying to see if the man was nearby. ...No, he wasn’t. "Thank God, I’m saved. I do feel a little regret about the jackfruit, but at least I didn’t waste that much money. And that man! Why should he suffer, he got such a good deal!"