Page 9 of Made in Mumbai

He wasn’tsofull. He could have eaten three more of these. But he had half a day and a night to spend here and M was so excited to show him everything. He would need his money tucked tight for all her surprises. So to demonstrate his lethargy he washed his hands and lay down on the sand. It was warm and tingly underneath him, but so good to sleep on. If only the sun wasn’t so harsh up there. He closed his eyes.

“Let’s bury you!” Came her unpredictable bellow.

“What?” His eyes sprang open. And there she was, her face upside-down over his, blinking like an owl. A very wicked, excited owl.

“No!”

“Come on, G! When again will you be at an empty Juhu Beach, sleepy from the best Pav Bhaji ever and with the world famous burying champion?”

“World famous burying champion?”

“These babies do more than just beat people,” she wiggled her fingers wickedly. He sighed.

She was crazy! She took that as his assent and began to throw sand over his stomach.

“Oye!”

“Shh… you go to sleep, Mermaid.”

He didn’t have any belongings to protect, other than the money in his deep pockets. So Gautam folded his hands behind his head and let her bury him from the neck-down. He even took a nap while she was at it.

But she couldn’t finish it like the ‘world champion’ she claimed she was. Because halfway running around him she tripped and fell face first into the sand. He blinked groggily.

“Are you ok?”

Muffled laughter was heard, and both her hands came up with two thumbs up. Still laughing.

She was really crazy.

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“You are mad or what?” He glanced back to check, but still climbed up and over until his feet dangled from the ledge. Andoh.

Planes. So many aeroplanes lined up, some moving towards paved pathways in the middle of the grassy fields.

“Listen to your tour guide, she’s a pro at Mumbai.” M nudged his shoulder with hers. He gave her a dirty look. This tour guide had been a ring master and nudged him up the airport ramp, hiding from security. He was sure she would get him locked up in jail, especially when she kept stumbling and giggling.

Now as they sat so high up, he kept one hand behind her, far enough to not touch but close enough to catch her if she again began to giggle and tumble.

“Look!” She gasped. He followed her finger, and a plane flew off with a roar. Gautam stared, mesmerised. He had seen planes in the sky. But this…

“Have you travelled much?” She asked.

“Yes,” he blurted, still mesmerised by the speed of those planes.

“Where?”

Gautam startled. Then, very softly — “Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, Himachal.”

“Shit! Wow. That’s too many,” she stared fixated at him, impressed. He wasn’t lying, they had taken their truck through these states. Only, he hadn’t explored them like everyone else did.

“You toh are total chhupa rustom in this seedha-sada packet, huh!”

He frowned, laughing — “What are you saying…”

“I toh talk like this only. Haven’t you figured out by now?”

“I did. I just thought…” he shrugged. “Do you talk to all boys like you talk to me?”

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