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Feeling the afternoon heat of the overhead Sun, Rani decides it's best to sit still right now. 'It's so hot, so very hot and I haven't had even one customer till now. It's already nearly 10 a.m. and my fish need to stay fresh.' That's all she can think about as Rani scoops out the ice from her ice pack and adds a good heap onto the fish displayed on her little, portable table. She usually finds herself shouting "Come and get your fish, fresh, fresh fish, I've pomfret, shark, kingfish, all fresh from an hour ago. Come and get for good prices, come come". However she realises that her throat is coarse and dry and she doesn't have the energy anymore.
She had found herself already yelling while getting the fish from the boat that her husband operates at the dock. He came in an hour later than all the other men. Rani saw all the other fisherwomen move towards the market area with their wares. She would get the worst spot right in the Sun due to this. So she yelled at her husband and she yelled while walking and carrying the baskets, one large one perched on her head and one on her side. She yelled "Fish, fresh fish incoming from the sea" to the several people around, hoping to attract a buyer even before reaching the market. Her husband would follow her shortly once he'd moored the boat and get her the table and a small stool and the huge ice pack that she needed to set up shop.
She found herself sweating profusely both from the scorching sun rays as well as from the realization that all the fish on her table would probably not be sold today. She would have to cook all the unsold items or find a place in her already-packed refrigerator. Luckily, they had bought a bigger model all those years back even though it had dented their pockets for quite some time. She hoped like hell to avoid wasting food. But then she could always give away the unsold fish to her neighbours, as she did when she didn't have any place left in her fridge. She didn't really want to but it was far better than letting the fish rot and the advantage was that it made people think of her as generous, which made her very popular.
But, here and now her voice has given up on her while she is waiting on her little plastic stool at the edge of the line of stalls, "Fish, fresh fish", the words are feeble and cracking and her effort is not rewarded as the volume is drowned between the strong voices of all the other fisherwomen. 'I'll just drink some water and wait here patiently.' Rani consoles herself. 'Just a few more hours and the fish will be sold'.
The long morning drags on and just before the Sun reaches its hilt she notices a middle-age man and a slightly older woman walk up to her stall. They look at her wares and ask her, "How much for all the fish?" Rani perks up and answers hoarsely "4000 rupees, take it... absolutely no bargaining, I don't have the strength" The two look at each other, they know it's worth more but are still visibly crestfallen and start discussing how their plans for the surprise party seem stupid. Rani listens keenly, now holding on to her throat which has started hurting her. She hears them trying to figure out if they can manage with less. She pieces together from their conversation that they are from a nearby, ramshackle old-age home and it's an old aunty's birthday and that she loves fish. The question is whether to buy fish only for the birthday girl or for all the residents, who will definitely feel deprived of the treat. Rani sighs, "How much money do you have?" she croaks. They pull out a small bundle of cash that looks like it has been collected with difficulty and start counting it.
Just then Rani notices a very fancy car stopping not very far from the line of stalls. She hasn't had time to look at the other fisherwomen but the gasps and the excited chatter around her fall on her ears, at the same time as she registers that the man who has stepped out of the car is the celebrity chef from TV. Rani's jaw drops. She cannot remember his name and finds her mind searching for it. The closer the man gets to the stalls, the more evasive his name becomes. All thought of the couple and of selling the fish has left her mind. She is lost in the experience of seeing her idol in flesh and blood and nothing but joy fills her being. Before she can start thinking lucidly again, she realises that her hero is standing right in front of her. "I'll take all the fish. How much?" is what Rani hears. She blinks and opens her mouth. "I can see it's very fresh", says the man. Rani nods and tries to say something. Nothing comes out. She picks up her little calculator to type in and show him the amount when she spots the couple in front of her. They are looking at her with pain writ large on their faces. They have stopped counting because they realize that there's no way that they will be able to bid for the fish now. Rani takes a deep breath and looks back at the star chef, "Sorry," she manages in a hoarse whisper and points to the couple, "the fish has all just been sold." The chef shrugs and walks away while Rani gets busy packing the fish and hands it over to the couple who cannot stop thanking her.
When they finally leave, Rani collapses on her stool and drinks a large amount of water. Her heart feels like it's been battered and her throat hurts like hell now. 'I will have to make it up to my husband. Serves me right for having yelled at him.' is all she thinks as she packs up super early for the day.
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Super nice !
ReplyDeleteThank you so much 💕
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