Whoever said that life is not a bed of roses had never had an occasion to land in a bed of roses. Ask Zamu who had experienced the thorny side of the roses spiking into his posterior end when he had to jump from the window. He thought, if this is a bed of roses then thank God! My life is not a bed of roses. As it is the tumultuous events of life had brought in too much action for Zamu.
Here, the readers must be anxiously waiting for unraveling of the events that made Zamu jump from a window. Without trying the patience of readers, we would now narrate the events responsible for Zamu`s fall.
Zamu was tenant of Vyankoba. Zamu, an engineering student shared a three room flat with three other classmates. Vyankoba their landlord, who stayed on the first floor, basement being rented out to a garagewallah, had given on rent the terrace flat to these four boys. Vyankoba was a chronic miser. He would snatch even a particle of sugar from the ants mouth.
Zamu was naturally shocked when he received an invitation for lunch from Vyankoba. He was returning home from college at 2.00 pm when he met Vyankoba at the entrance.
“ Hello Zamu. College over ?”
“ Yes, Uncle !”
“ Your aunty had a mannat and promised to offer lunch to a brahmin, so please accept her invitation and come for lunch right now. Till you eat your food, your aunt and myself are not allowed to partake our lunch. You know your aunt is a diabetic. So hurry. Wash your hand and feet and sit down for lunch”.
Zamu could not resist the invitation. As it is, he was late for his lunch at the mess and by the time he reached there the mess was closed. So hungry as he was he eagerly entered Vyankoba`s house in anticipation of savoury food. Zamu was thrilled by one more prospect, that of meeting Vyankoba`s beautiful daughter Apsara. His joy was doubled when he found that Apsara was serving food and her mother was frying fresh puris for the lunch.? Vyankoba was shunting between the kitchen and the dinning room, his B.P. Becoming higher and higher with each puri consumed by Zamu.
“ Why is uncle so worried ?”
Zamu asked Apsara.
“Because you are eating more than his anticipation. Usually you come home after having your lunch. So he thought you would not eat much after you are full. So he chose you for lunch rather than your three friends who come home first and then go out for lunch”. Apsara replied candidly.
“ But I didn’t have any lunch today. The mess was closed when I went there. I was late in college because of extra lecture”.
“Don`t tell Baba. He would die of thinking the amount of food you would consume. Anyway, you eat properly. Ma would not like you to go hungry”.
Just then Vyankoba entered the dinning room. His slippers were as creaking he walked. Zamu looked at Vyankoba`s slippers with curiosity. Suddenly, his eyes widened with shock and recognition. Apsara noticed his expression and asked Zamu about it when Vyankoba was out of ear shot.
“Why were you looking at my fathers slippers with such funny expression?”
“ Project TF”
“What project TF?”
“Tracking Father”
“I don`t understand a word”.
“Well, you know how possessive your father is about you. He doesn’t like anyone of us even looking at you, leave apart talking to you. So we wait for a chance when your father is away so that we can have a tete-a-tete with you. Sonu, Monu and Tinu decided to form a full proof plan of ensuring your fathers absence. So they have planted a tracking device in your house. That way your father’s movements are known to them. And when he goes out of house they enter it”.
“Oh! That is how it is. I have always wondered, how come these three arrive on one pretext or the other when father is away. By the way where is this tracking device”?
“ I also didn’t know till today. But when I say your father`s chappal today I knew. Did you notice the black tape wound around the chappal?”
“ Yes, Monu had taken father`s slippers to mend. Father didn’t want to throw it away. When Monu offered to get it mended for him he was happy to have saved two rupees. But, why are you laughing like this ? Oh! You mean the tracking device is taped there ?”
Zamu nodded affirmatively. “ But, Zamu tell me one thing. How come you don`t come when father is away?. Don`t you like me ?”
“ No, No it is not like that. I like you very much. I even constantly dream about you, but you know, I don`t like cheating. What Monu and others are doing is invading your privacy. I don`t like that”
“Zamu, you are really a Zamu like you name. But tell me do you people get to listen to all the noises made by father?”
“Yes! All the noises. We can guess the location where he is by the noises he makes. We know when he is having his food by the chomp chomp sound. We know when he is having his siesta by his snoring”.
“What happens when I go to the loo ?” A voice came from behind.
“ Ha! Ha! The dhar…rr fuss….ssh noises are self explanatory”. Zamu stopped laughing midway when he realised that the question was asked by Vyankoba who was livid with rage. He turned and took his rifle and said to Zamu,” wait, I will shoot you, you rascal.”
“But father, listen, he hasn’t done anything.”
“Don`t you talk you wretch!. I will deal with you later. Laughing and talking to boys. I will show what happens to girls like you. But first I will deal with this thug,” saying this Vyankoba advanced towards Zamu with raised gun.
“ Run, Zamu. Jump from the window”. Apsara shouted.
Taking her advice, Zamu jumped from the window and landed in the bed of roses. That is where our readers had found him.
Vyankoba was still trying to shoot Zamu from the window. A shout came from Apsara, “ Run, Zamu. Run for your life. I can not lose a nice and decent guy like you. Will meet you soon at the first opportunity. But take to your heels now”.
Zamu didn`t need further bidding. But suddenly he found that the bed of roses was really beautiful. What if it was a bit thorny?. If you are going to get a rose like Apsara, bits of thorns in the shape of her pater won`t hurt much. Suddenly, Zamu found that life was really a bed of roses, though a bit thorny.

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