Some Fiction, Some Truth; A series (Short Stories)

Fair and Handsome???

I boarded a train to Jamshedpur from Howrah. I and my husband were returning from Chennai. We had separate seats in the same compartment. Our co- passengers were a couple in their 30s (a Marathi couple) and another aged couple may be in their 60s (they were Bengali settled in Mumbai). The Bengali bhodrolok was a retired personnel who worked in the ordinance factory.

As the journey resumed the Bengali bhodrolok forcefully had an introduction with me. With due respect I told him I am a so-called writer, as in until you are a name in such creative fields, the best of the best sellers in the market no one really  cares about who you are and what you write. But he seemed delighted to know about my passion, my profession. He kept on saying creativity in any form should not be judged by monetary gains and such people are special and God-gifted. I just smiled back in return. He resumed his questionnaire, right from when did I get married to what I was doing in Jamshedpur and who was the guy, coming in between and checking out if everything was right with me! The Bhodrolok was actually referring to Kunal; my husband. Kunal stayed back there for a few minutes and then again went back to his seat. When I told the gentleman about Kunal being my husband, his expression was ridiculous. And the comment that he made thereafter left me stunned;

"Such a black man and such a white wife."

I was shocked, my mind went blank, was short of words. And to add to it, the so-called white Marathi couple were laughing at it. The Bengali bhodrolok then added a nonsensical joke.

"I have a friend just like her husband and his wife is very fair and we used to have fun as in they will be having zebra crossing like kids." I felt like slapping that man. I  was fearing that God forbid, Kunal does not come in now. I do not want him to listen to such idiotic stuff. I knew how much that will hurt him. As we were nearing Tatanagar, and were getting ready with our luggage, I went towards that man and softly said to him, 

"With all due respect sir, I assumed a certain degree of respect for you after knowing your professional background and your friendly nature. But I must say that, at the most you are just a literate idiot who has not been educated enough and who is still lagging a couple of centuries back where colour of the skin was seen as deterrent in society..."

Anyway, time came to de-board...