LOVE IS A BITCH(AMMORES PERROS)

LOVE IS A BITCH(AMMORES PERROS)

The early morning sun played hide and seek through wisps of cloud akin to the fleeting smile on a beautiful women's face. Winter had set in over the Malnad hills. The air was redolent with the music of different bird calls .The village pathways had the odd estate worker scurrying to work. And on the far away blue hill I could hear the distinct call of a male Jungle Fowl. KU KU KU he went hoping to attract a hen, but his lonesome call filled with the promise of love went unheeded.

Grabbing my Double barrel gun and hastily stuffing some cartridges into my jacket I scooted across the narrow estate paths towards the distant hill where the amorous cock waited for his lady love  .On the way I plucked a couple of tender leaves from the Dadap plant. In fifteen minutes flat I was at the hill. The early morning mist had not cleared completely and the suns rays struggled to find their way to the ground through the thick trees and the overhanging mist. I positioned myself strategically at a curve on the pathway between rows of coffee bushes and waited .KU Ku Ku ,the call of the cock could be heard from quite a distance .Slowly removing a dadap leaf from my pocket I placed it between both my palms and cupping the folded palms to my mouth I slowly blew ..Theko,thek,thek,thek Theko,thek,thek,thek. The plaintive cry of a jungle hen. I waited .And sure enough came the reply approaching hurriedly Ku,KU,Ku I slipped two cartridges into the gun and waited  expectantly.

Every city has its season and Bangalore is achingly beautiful in winter. My mind wandered to a winters morning 20 yrs ago. It was a similar  morning with a pale sun trying vainly to put to flight the morning chill. Reema lived on a cul de sac off Cunningham road .I was in my late teens and attending college and she was fresh to college. We had a thing going. It was my morning routine to drive past her house and honk twice and wait for her at the next bus stop.(This was the pre mobile phone era.) Waiting for her to come down the road almost always filled me with a sense of expectation and longing .And when she came around the bend and smiled at me my heart invariably skipped a beat.

As winter turned into summer ,our love deepened ,and we spent every moment we could spare in each others company. Even after all these years   it is funny ,that more than the images it is her fragrance and tastes that lingers .I can still remember the fragrance of her skin, her hair, the sweet taste of her lips and the warmth of her breasts. Our love unfortunately, "was written on water". Although the prospect of a long term commitment was never discussed, cause she was too sweet and never wanted to force a decision and I was too much of a coward to bring it up .Things drifted and we let a good love go waste . Not a day has gone by in all these years that I have not thought of her and what could have been. I guess that is the cross of betrayal I'll have to carry for the rest of my life.

Ku Ku Ku  ..my mind was jerked back to the present .Charged with passion the Jungle fowl came around the bend huffing and puffing and swaying from side to side .The jungle fowl in the morning sun is a magnificent creature ,with its gleaming multi coloured plumage and the bright red crest on the top of its head. And seeing me it froze as it always does for an instant, as I gathered it in my gun sights. Every hunter worth his salt knows it is all about seizing that moment.  For some inexplicable reason I hesitated a fraction too long…………………