Uncle Plats

by Aqua Allsopp

  “That’s the village head,” Raman announced as the group walked towards them. He got down from the car and went forward. The two men greeted one another and after a very brief conversation, they came up to the car.

  “Please come,” Raman said as he welcomed Julie and David. As the two foreigners stepped down from the vehicle, they noticed the wide-eyed expression of the villagers who were staring at them. Julie felt a little scared at the manner in which they were staring and she moved close to David who put a comforting arm around her shoulders.

  “Champaneer welcomes its esteemed guests,” the village head spoke for the first time in crisp English. “I am told that you people have come all the way from the USA to help set up a school in our underprivileged surroundings, is that correct?”

  “That’s definitely right,” David said emphatically.

  “In that case, I give you my full support and guarantee that nothing will come in your way of setting up the school. You can start work as soon as you want. May the good Lord be with you!”

  “Thank you so much,” the two of them said before proceeding to see the site where the school would be coming up. They could not really make much sense of the whole inspection deal because they were taken to a field and told the school would be coming up “right where you are standing.” David and Julie said that it was fine as long as the school was going to help in social development of the area. With all things sorted out, it was decided that work would begin the very next morning. The village head ordered for arrangements to be made so that a holy ceremony could be conducted before the building got underway.

  “You need not worry about anything sir; I am there to take care of it all. Come back tomorrow and start work on the school!” he told David and Julie who were more than happy to see the project taking shape at such rapid pace.

  “Now that was a really nice person,” Julie remarked to David as they took a walk around the campus of the BDO office after dinner. “I’m sure everything will go on without any issue.”

  “We can only hope for the best,” David said, latching on to her arm and giving it a squeeze. Deep down, he hoped many other things would go as planned as well. Only time would tell if it was all going to work out!

  *****

  “I had no idea monsoons in India were so intense,” Julie complained as she sat under a thatched roof with David for company. The two of them stared at the drops of water falling from the roof and forming small puddles on the ground. Rivulets emerged from many of these puddles, connecting one another as the rain water drained out into the adjoining fields and roadside drains.

  They had been working on building the school for almost four months now and time had literally flown by. Work was making good progress but not quite at the pace that the two of them had been hoping to achieve. In fact, it was quite slow by their standards. But the two of them did not seem to mind that one bit. They were pretty much enjoying themselves in India and were happy to get an extended stay in the country.

  One of the biggest reasons why work had been progressing slowly was the cruel summer season in Northern India. David and Julie had felt like they would have their skins burnt off in the intense heat and sitting for long hours in the open fields was not an easy task. They felt for the laborers toiling hard under the scorching afternoon sun and allowed them as many breaks as they wanted so that none of them would fall sick. The men were touched by their humane gesture and found a renewed sense of energy to do the work.

  On a personal front, David and Julie had grown pretty close and were extremely fond of the other person’s company. They would spend a good deal of time together in planning for the next stage of action once the school had come up. Often, on weekends when there was very little work to be done, they would take a stroll around some parts of Kanpur to relax and rejuvenate their body and mind. David, older of the two foreigners, would often act like a thing of comfort for Julie who missed her home from time to time but he would give her the much needed moral and emotional support to carry on. It did not take her much time to realize that she was getting drawn towards the man but she stopped herself from thinking too much into it. After all, she was yet to find out anything about him and did not know if he shared the same kind of feeling towards her.

  As the two of them sat under the shade, waiting for the rains to stop, David and Julie decided to stir up a conversation, After all, over the last few days the two of them had been so busy in supervising their respective teams that there had been hardly any time for interaction.

  “So David, tell me something more about yourself,” Julie began.

  “What would you want to know about me?” he asked, turning to look at her.

  “Well, something about your personal life! We have discussed a great deal about our professional lives and what we do for a living but there has hardly ever been any kind of discussion about our personal space. What do you like to do in your free time?”

  He thought for a while. “I usually listen to music when I am free and on occasions, I even read a few books. I also love hanging out with my friends but that does not always work out because they are busy with their own lives and everything. I am something of a bike enthusiast and love riding bikes though affording most of them is way beyond my means. And yes, I am a massive foodie!”

  “Hmm, that’s interesting,” Julie said as she made a mental note of all that he had said. “Love for reading books and eating good food. Well, that’s two things we share a common interest in,” she thought.

  “And what about your family?” she asked.

  “What about them?” he asked back, surprised.

  “Well, I mean who do you have in your family?” she corrected her statement.

  “Nobody!”

  “Nobody? What do you mean by nobody?”

  “My mother passed away when I was only four years old and my father died a couple of years back. I live all alone with a pet dog for company. At times, a cousin of mine comes to stay with me. That’s just about all I have for family!”

  “Oh I’m sorry, I had no idea about that,” Julie said in an apologetic tone. “Now can I ask you how old you are?”

  “I’m twenty-seven years old. But why do you want to know my age all of a sudden?”

  “Oh no reason, just a passing interest! And I take it that you are not married as well?”

  “Julie! What exactly are you playing at?” David sounded a little angry. “Can you please be a little clearer about what you want?”

  “Well…I…don’t know how to really say it!” she sounded a little hesitant in her manner.

  “What is that you want to say to me that is getting you all worked up?” David tried figuring out a reason. But their conversation came to a sudden and abrupt end. The rains had held up a little and the dark clouds had started to recede when all of a sudden out of the fields a group of men came rushing in. They entered the school premises and started tossing everything around with disdain. Before David and Julie could do or say anything, the mob had damaged a part of the under-construction school building.

  “Hey you, what do you people think you are doing?” David left his place under the shade and walked up towards the men. He approached one of them and tapped him on the shoulder. “Come on, answer my question!” he demanded.

  And David did get an answer, though it was not really the kind of answer that he was looking for. The man threw out an elbow at him that caught him on the chin as David staggered back. “David, be careful!” Julie called out to him. The sound of a woman’s voice seemed to work like magic on the men who stopped doing whatever they were doing and turned towards her.

  For a moment, David thought it was a saving grace to have Julie around. He knew that Indians were much attached to their mothers and held women in high regards so he thought that the men had stopped working simply out of respect for the cries of Julie. But the very next moment he realized that it was not what it looked like. There was an intense look of lust in their eyes as the men steadily took a s
tep closer towards her. David knew he had to act and act fast if he were to save Julie from any further danger. He found a piece of bamboo lying nearby and picked it up. Then he ran to where she was sitting. “Take one step closer and I’ll hit you with this,” he warned the men.

  The group stopped moving and he thought the trick had worked. But to his utter dismay, they started laughing loudly. Suddenly one of the men stepped forward and plucked the bamboo out of his hands, breaking it into two pieces. Then he pushed David aside and proceeded towards Julie who was now screaming in fear.

  David was not going to give up so easily and he hit out at the man. This infuriated him as he turned around and gave him a hard punch on the chest. The blow almost knocked the winds out of the American as he staggered back. After all, the man was twice his size and many times stronger than him!

  It took him some time to gather himself and then David was back on top of the man, trying to keep his hands off Julie. It was surprising that none of the other men were joining in the fight as they simply stood around the place and watched the two of them having a go at one another. David realized that he would need help from somewhere and soon. He was fighting a real giant of a person and it was not an easy thing to do. His strength was starting to wilt and he knew it would not be long before his resistance gave way.

  All of a sudden, they could hear a commotion somewhere nearby as another group of men rushed towards the school. Seeing them coming, the group that was already present started to beat a retreat. And the man who was fighting with David suddenly picked up a rock lying nearby and smashed it into David’s head. A deep gash opened up and blood started to stream out from it. Julie let out a cry of despair upon seeing this but there was very little that she could have done. David clutched his head and tumbled to the ground as the village head and his men arrived, chasing away the miscreants. He noticed that Julie was safe before he lost consciousness.

  *****

  When he came around, David found himself lying on an iron bed inside a room that looked like it was some kind of a medical camp. There was a severe throbbing inside his head. He touched his head and was a little surprised to find a bandage there. Then the events of the day came flooding back to his mind. He looked around for Julie but could not find her. The room was empty. Just as he felt panicky, a lady walked inside. From her clothes he could say that she was a nurse.

  “Oh you are awake! I’ll call the doctor,” she said and rushed out before he had even had a chance to say anything. However, the very next moment Julie and Raman rushed in with a doctor close behind them.

  “How are you feeling now?” Raman asked.

  “Slightly better! What happened?”

  “Interference, you remember I had mentioned it when we first met?”

  “Yes but I don’t understand anything,” David sounded bemused.

  Raman sighed. “You see some of the noblemen in the village are against the idea of having a school in the area and that too on their land. There is a big caste system still in place in this part of the country and I don’t wish to get into details of it all. They attacked the school with the intention of throwing a spanner into our works. Then they noticed Julie and the lustful demon inside them reared their ugly heads. And now here we are!”

  “But Julie is safe, right?”

  “Yes, and all thanks to your bravery!”

  “Now please don’t make the patient talk too much! He needs to recover,” the doctor called out. “Please leave the room, I need to run a few tests on him!”

  “Doctor, can I get some time alone with him before you do your tests?” Julie pleaded with the doctor with tears welling up in her eyes. “Please!”

  “Okay, take your time,” the medical man said as everyone except her left the room.

  “You were in the middle of saying something when this happened,” David reminded her. She did not say anything but broke down. Julie reached out for David and held his bandaged head in her arms.

  “I love you David! I don’t know what would have happened had you not been there,” she said through her tears.

  A tear rolled down his eyes as well. “I love you too Julie Summers, but I was planning to spring the surprise on you while on our way back home. Anyways, you have said it and now is as good a time as any!”

  Both of them laughed at this silly joke of his. And then, for the first time since they had met at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi some six months ago, Julie and David kissed one another.

  *****

  It was the auspicious occasion of Diwali when the new school in Champaneer village was thrown open to the public. There was a grand celebration in the village as it received its first ever primary school. Julie and David were the toast of the village for helping setup the establishment. Ten long months of hard work had borne the fruits as they looked to return home feeling content and satisfied with what they had done.

  Anand and Rajiv came to the airport to see off Julie and David. It was an emotional moment for all involved. The Americans certainly did not manage a complete tour of the country but they were more than happy with the adventure they had had.

  And speaking of adventure, returning back to New York with someone who had just turned out to be her dream man was the best outcome that Julie could have hoped for at the start of her journey. She had not only made her father proud but also fulfilled a dream of sorts of her own.

  Her mission had truly been successful!

  THE END

  Another bonus story is on the next page.

  Bonus Story 15 of 15

  Always Faithful

  Description

  Always Faithful is a clean, Amish, romance set in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. A modern love story where 300-years of religious and old world European tradition clash with the 21st Century when an Iraq and Afghanistan, battle hardened, young, handsome marine comes to town looking to find a new normal for his life.

  Always Faithful tackles some of the same difficult decisions as many people in the new global economy face where people of different cultures and religions come into closer contact, fall in love and try to blend two worlds. It also touches on the challenges of living in a closed society where genetically similar people marry and have children.

  As the pool of genetic combinations becomes smaller and smaller, the prevalence of recessive genetic disease becomes greater. Find out if love will overcome or if genetics or religion will stop it before it has a chance to bloom.

  Love between Amish and non-Amish people is rarely permitted and can cause a young Amish person to have to give up everything to follow their heart. Always Faithful will make your heart beat quicker with the turn of every page as we watch the lives of people with so much on the line pursue this forbidden love.

  *****

  “Sweet home Alabama. Woo-hoo. Where the skies are so blue. Woo-hoo. Sweet home Alabama. Woo-hoo. Lord, I'm coming home to you…” Lynyrd Skynyrd belts out his song that’s favored by Southern and military bar patrons, through the sound system, and over the drone of celebrating Marines who have gathered together to gulp alcohol and celebrate their buddy’s end of military service, amid an average Friday night’s revelry among the civilian residents of this military town.

  “Gunny, Gunny! Over here!” Master Sergeant Oberlin yells across the crowded bar as he waves Gunnery Sergeant William “Bill” Jost over to the small table that he and his fellow Marine buddies have commandeered for their base of operation at the bar tonight. From this position, they have a strategic view of the front door, bathrooms, behind the bar, and the hallway that leads to an alternate exit, which lets out into a side alley.

  Although they live and work in the relative safety of the City of Twentynine Palms, in the Southern Mojave Desert, of San Bernardino County California, at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center; these battle hardened warriors can’t help being both tactical and strategic, even in their off hours.

  Positioning themselves close enough to the “head” for urgent bathroom
breaks, and in proximity to observe the building’s ingress and egress points just in case something pops off in the bar tonight. A fight, bombing, robbery, or who knows what dangerous imaginings these women and men who have survived the hell of multiple tours into combat, are capable of conjuring in their minds as plausible occurrences on a Friday night in a local bar.

  “Yeah, sorry I’m late, I had to drop Zack off at my in-laws before I came here. My mother-in-law was chatting me up about how Zack and I are doing, and well you know, you can’t just walk away on a conversation like that.”

  “You’re right man,” Oberlin says with a hardy slap on Jost’s back that would have knocked a lesser man over. “How are you guys doing after Rebecca’s passing?” By-the-way, I know that I didn’t come around a lot when, well towards the end,” Oberlin said with his head hung in shame.

  “You know I love you like a brother, and my godson Zack, but I’ve seen enough death to last two lifetimes. I just couldn’t bear to see the light go out of Becca’s eyes man. She was like a sister to me, and to see cancer…” His voice trailed off as he shook his head from side to side as if shaking an awful memory out of his mind’s eye. This time, Jost placed a strong, firm hand on his massive friend’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze.

  “It’s alright man, I get it, believe me. Now, are we here to mourn the dead or to party?” Jost asks. Oberlin knows these are not the words of an uncaring husband whose wife’s death is still fresh and raw in the hearts and minds of those whom she has left behind.

  Instead, they are the words of a man compartmentalizing his feelings so that he can cope with his grief in the way that warriors do—in fits and starts that creep in from time-to-time.

  Oberlin hoisted his glass again, smiled broadly, and yelled, “Gunny, I’m glad you didn’t skip out on your ETS party man. You don’t end a term of service everyday Gunny—we need to celebrate my friend.” The rest of the group responded to Oberlin’s proclamation to begin the night’s merrymaking with a bawdy round of cheers and jeers for their comrade—Gunny Jost.