A short fictional creation by Ruhi Rawail, a film writer who lives in Bandra.
211 TO LAND'S END.
In the early seventies this incident had taken place at Bandra. A friend of
mine whose aunt had worked the same shift as Sheela Lobo (name changed) in a 5
star hotel near the Bombay airport, narrated it to me.
Her shift ended at 11 p.m. Sheela used to work at a 5 star hotel which was a
couple of yards away from the Bombay airport. By the time she reached Bandra
station it would be around 12.30 a.m. Dead of the night for other towns but not
for a city like Bombay. Few others too were around going back home after a long
day maybe. Sheela would then take a bus from just outside the station to get to
Land's End which was where she lived. Her everyday routine.
She boarded the no.211 bus. It was empty except for two other persons. Sheela
went to the middle and sat at the window seat on the right of the bus. The
conductor approached her and as usual gave her a ticket for her ride to the
last stop. He smiled at her as she was a regular on his route.
The bus stopped at Lucky Restaurant. Two people got on. First was obviously a
waiter from the restaurant after finishing his shift. The conductor pulled the
bell string to signal all on board. He pointed the waiter to the back of the
bus, but did not even look at the other passenger who barely managed to board
the bus that had started moving. The man was expensively dressed did not look
the kind who took the bus. He moved inside and sat on the other side of the
aisle to where Sheela sat. She felt a stare and turned to look at him. Their
eyes met, he shifted his gaze and looked out of the window.
Sheela was stunned. He was exceedingly handsome, immaculately turned out,
wealth written all over him. What was he doing taking a bus at this time of the
night? She shrugged, put her head back closing her eyes. It had been a hard
shift today.
She opened her eyes. The bus was passing Bandra Police station she
instinctively felt the handsome guy looking her way, she looked towards him,
but he was not looking at her, he was staring at the police station beyond her
window. Odd, thought Sheela and looked away. The bus turned right at New
Talkies and then a little further left into the Bhaba Hospital lane. As he was
now looking out of the window next to his seat, Sheela looked at him. She was
shocked to see his half turned face, agony writ large on it, go white as a
sheet! while staring at the hospital.
Sheela looked away thinking it to be none of her business, and shut her eyes
again.
Now the bus was going past the American Bakery,(the site of Salman Khan's hit &
run some 30 yrs later) then St. Andrews Church, just before turning right into
Bandstand. She stole a glance towards him and was startled to see he was again
staring at her. She quickly looked away. The conductor walked up the aisle
ignoring the man and said to her, "your stop next" and moved on.
Except the rich guy all other passengers were gone.
The bus stopped near the Agnelo Ashram, Land's End. The last stop. Sheela got
up to leave. As she was stepping out the conductor who stood aside said, "be
careful it’s quite late". He again ignored the rich guy who was just behind her
also getting off the bus. She gave a half smile to the conductor, and got off
the bus. The rich guy now smiled at her as they both stood a moment before the
bus drove off.
Looking ahead, though aware of his presence, she started walking up the hill
that led to the Mount Mary Church. He caught up with her and said, " hi, I am
Darius Dastoor I live in this bungalow" he pointed to an old stately yet
decrepit house to his left (this bungalow was next to another heritage mansion,
then owned by a rich Parsi, and today owned by Sharookh Khan). Most stately
properties were owned by wealthy Parsis in the Bandstand area at that time.
Sheela smiled and kept walking on. Darius continued walking besides her. Sheela
looked a bit wary.
The dark night had cloaked the dimly lit hill climb. Sensing her trepidation,
Darius laughed and said, " please dont get nervous I am only being neighbourly.
It's quite late for a girl to be walking alone."
Sheela smiled and said, " I work the afternoon shift at a 5 star hotel, this is
my daily time to get back home".
Darius smiled back and said, "Oh! I see. Never mind I shall still walk you up
to your home. Where do you live? Sorry dont know your name".
By now Sheela was comfortable knowing her friendly neighbour and said, "Sheela
Lobo. I live at Marigold apartments, a paying guest at a Parsi lady's flat. I
am from Goa, no roots in Bombay". Darius nodded. They had reached the gate of
Marigold Apartments. He said goodnight to Sheela, as the watchman stood up and
opened the gate.
She entered the gate, walked past the watchman, turned around a fraction, to
see Darius walk away. Sheela smiled at Darius' retreating back, thinking "a
gentleman".The watchman thought she was smiling at him and was confused. Sleep
was making him imagine things he thought.
The romance bloomed between the two. Every night then on Darius would board the
211 no. Bus from the Lucky Restaurant stop knowing Sheela would be in it going
home. He would then go sit next to her turning on his charm. Sheela would smile
and often even giggle at Darius' witty jokes which would get her a strange
disapproving look from the conductor. At the last stop, Agnelo Ashram, they
would both get off the bus with the conductor ignoring Darius. He too would
ignore the conductor, and taking Sheela by the crook of her arm, walk up the
hill with her.
Two weeks had passed since they first met. One night while riding home Darius
said, " Sheela let's go sit on the rocks at the Bandstand seafront. The sea
looks beautiful from there."
Sheila's heart lurched. She knew Darius was trying to take their relationship
to the next level. She by now had fallen in love with him. Sheela said, "not in
the night. Let's do it in the evening. Tomorrow I have an off, but from Monday
I am on morning shift. I will return home by 5 p.m. and if you meet me at that
time we could go sit on the rocks" she smiled coyly. Darius smiled and said "
done! I will meet you at Bandra station at 5.p.m. we will ride the bus
together" they looked longingly at each other.
The next day was Sunday her day off. Sheela got up and shared a morning cup of
tea with her landlady Shireen Marfatia.
Shireen was very fond of Sheela. She looked forward to spending time with her
house guest.
" Sheela darling you are glowing! Have you met someone?" asked Shireen.
Sheela blushed and replied, " Nothing like that aunty, must be the good night's
sleep, knowing I could wake up late today".
They both laughed. Shireen sipped her tea. Sheela asked, "Aunty, whom does the
blue painted bungalow down our lane, belong to?"
"Ah! That one!" said Shireen sighing. " it belongs to Pillu and Adesher
Dastoor, but now since a year they have moved to their ancestral property in
the Mahableshwar Hills"
Shireen looked sad. "what a wonderful couple they were! And their only son
Darius such a lovely boy."
Sheela smiled coyly. Not noticing her blushing Shireen sadly continued. "Darius
was killed in a car accident just outside Lucky Restaurant more than two year
ago. He was fond of sports cars and regularly sped in them in the wee hours of
the morning while coming back from a night in town. On this night, with his
girlfriend besides him, he was driving at breakneck speed when his car collided
with Bus no 211 outside Lucky Restaurant. His girlfriend a Christian girl died
on the spot. Darius gravely injured was barely alive when the police from
Bandra police station rushed to the spot and took him to Bhaba hospital. They
informed the parents but by the time Pillu and Adesher reached the hospital
Darius had already died. Pillu collaped on seeing Darius' dead body. After a
year they left Bombay...."
Sheela started trembling, blood drained from her face, but oblivious of her,
Shireen rambled on, " Darius only dated Christian girls, that upset Pillu but
he wouldn't listen and then one day he told his mother he was engaged to Molly,
who lived in the Mount Mary orphanage, you know the orphanage na? Just next to
our building?" Shireen stopped to take a breath then added, " strangelyl after
Pillu and Adesher left Bombay every other month a girl's body is found on the
rocks down at Bandstand. Dont know why these young people commit suicide these
days. Even the police is confused. One day the girl is a happy working girl and
the next day she drowns herself in the sea off the rocks!"
Shireen scowled lost in thought.....Sheela asked in a whisper " were they all
Christian girls?"
Shireen jumped up! "yes Dikra! thats what the police said! How did you guess
it?"
Sheela said "just a wild hunch"
Shireen nodded but did not make the connection.
She could not sleep the whole night, just waited for dawn to happen. At 5 a.m.
Sheela Lobo packed all her belongings and left to go to work. She kept her rent
money on the dresser. Shireen was still asleep. Once inside the hotel Sheela
cleared her locker. Then she sat nervously in the staff cafeteria waiting for
the bank in the hotel to open. She closed her account, left the hotel via the
staff exit and ran with her bags to the airport. Once there she bought a ticket
on the next flight to Goa and sat waiting in the lounge for the boarding call.
She trembled with fear, her eyes tearing up.
Safe on her flight to Goa, Sheela closed her eyes and relived the points of
events from the time she first met Darius on the bus.
1) He was too expensively dressed to be taking a bus.
2) The conductor did not acknowledge him as he did the waiter of Lucky
Restaurant.
3) Darius stared at her fixedly, a Goan Christian being evident.
4) He stared past her at Bandra Police station.....from where the Cops came to
the accident site.
5) Going white as a sheet when the bus passed Bhaba hospital where he was
brought!
6) The conductor seeing her off ignoring Darius.
7) The conductor looking disapprovingly at her as she laughed and giggled.
8) Building Watchman confused seeing her smile in his direction.
9) The invitation to sit on the rocks.
10) Police finding the dead bodies of only Christian girls and so presuming
suicide.
Obviously the conductor ignored Darius and disapproved of her giggles and the
Watchman was confused at the direction of her smile because ......THEY COULD
NOT SEE DARIUS!
Sheela Lobo never returned to Bombay ever again. Till she lived, she told her
grandchildren this story of how she had fallen in love with a ghost in Bombay.
{Ruhi Rawail}
Roland.
