A TIME TO FLY

Frau Viki told me  “Herr Chalia,  a young  man came looking for  you and waited almost for half an hour in your room.”

Frau Viki took out a paper pad from her apron, adjusted her specs on her red flat nose  and peered through the glasses ‘I have written the name…. nowadays I forget things, …..have become too old …….oh I  got it- Herr Voot.”

“Voot”

“American. Tall lean handsome. He was wearing a blue striped suit –but the suit was little too short for him.”

Meaning Dick came. Richard B Wood. In German language, English Letter W is spelt as V and if the word ends with D, is pronounced as T, Frau Viki could not be blamed.

‘O, I understood. Did he say anything?’

Frau Viki said that he told her that you had promised to arrange a room for him, therefore he came looking for you. ‘He is presently staying at one end of city near Heinburg Park, wants to change the house. Such a beautiful area; now it’s spring, the park has become very scenic.  What is eating him up; wants to leave that region and shift to the heart of the city?’

I thought Frau Viki would of course be surprised but I knew Dick’s mindset. He is a busy city boy.

‘The young man’s face looked gloomy- Initially the same thing happens to all the foreign students’ Frau Vicky’s own observation- ‘Perhaps does not know anybody here. On top of that, arriving here he learnt that the Professor under whom he wanted to work, would not be present in the coming semester. Therefore he is not able to decide what to do. Seeing his face I understood that- here comes a ‘pekh vogel’’ – meaning- the one who faces hurdles on every step.

It’s a fact. He arrived during holidays hoping that he would learn German language. He took a degree from Arizona, hopes to do doctorate under Prof Marques. Without accurate information he arrived early and found that Prof Marques would go to ‘Moon star University’ in next semester. It is doubtful whether he will stay next semester also. Prof Marques has been nicknamed as ‘Wandevogel’ by the students-today in Germany, tomorrow America, day after tomorrow Japan or North Pole.

One month is left for the semester to begin. Students from outside town have left for home, the locals have gone out of town. There is no crowd of students on the street. Half the tables in the student canteen are empty.

“I feel sorry for him”

I feared the worst. Frau Viki gave shifting glances towards me from behind the spectacles and then said that it was very heart-breaking for someone to roam in an alien city aimlessly all by himself and therefore she had told Dick to come in the evening. Gisela {Frau Hegeman) & Fraulein Vetzic will also come in the evening.

What I feared is going happen. These ladies are Frau Viki’s companions. All three are elderly ladies of same age. ‘Poor American boy, so far away from home and relatives-they will try to cure his loneliness’. They will ask Dick about his home, tell him about this town, make him drink coffee and eat cream or cheese cake and make him listen to their singing. Every inch of Frau Viki’s room is filled with old couches, tables and cupboards and many other things like ancient family photographs, decorative items, leather covered Bible and Prayer book, sewing machine- even a cat sleeps on the rug in front of the chimney, a bird’s nest, some stitching work of different sizes, small statues of Apollo, Venus, Virgin Mary and some others.  One tends to suffocate inside the room. In another corner, an ancient off tune piano is located. Dick is going to face the similar predicament I faced when I was new and lonely in the city. The aged ladies will lovingly push him to an old sinking sofa, offer coffee and cake and talk ceaselessly without break. After that Frau Hegeman and Fraulein Vetzic will start singing loudly and Frau Viki will look at the manuscript and start playing the off tune piano.

Frau Viki said that a room will be vacant shortly in Frau Hegeman’s house. An Iraqi student will leave this week.-If Herr Voot shifts he will be benefited also. All the three aged ladies are landladies & rent rooms-I thought, today Dick will have a good experience. Frau Viki shook her head in delight. I anticipated that the specs would slip from her nose. The eyeglasses belonged to Queen Victoria times; glasses are round, delicately hangs on the ears and tip of the nose. I always keep thinking that at any moment the specs will slip down; but somehow keeps hanging on the nose. Today also I got disappointed.

Dick’s sad story began as soon as he put his foot on this city. Firstly, Prof Marques had vanished. Then he came to know that all the American students have gone out- of town; two have returned-but he is not very comfortable with them. To get a room is difficult. At last, a house near Hainberg  park was arranged by the Foreign Student Office. He is now keen to run away from the natural beauty of the place. After two days, two workers from the Catholic Students Union’ landed in his place. Their aim is to make the life of foreign students pleasant, smooth and enjoyable in this university town.

They took Richard to their ‘Evening Meet’ where they held discussion on the subject ‘Where belief stands in the nuclear world’. A lady who returned from Egypt recently gave a speech on ‘Place of women from the days of Pharaoh  till today’ with the help of lantern slides and together all took tea and biscuits.

He had different ideas of spending the evening, never went back again. One way it was regrettable as several members showed interest in teaching German and French free of cost.

Then fate landed him in another group called ‘Nature Freund Kreis’. Their main objective was to bring out diversity of nature and open the minds of materialistic society to the beauty of nature. In the club, one thin bespectacled music teacher gave a lecture on ‘True experience of German forests’ and played a particular portion of Weber’s  opera ‘Freischutz’ in gramophone, where impressions of German Forests are described. An ‘ouch rug’ or tour to the famous Luneburg Fields were also discussed. Expectedly lantern slides were not left alone-someone displayed some colour photographs on the screen and all the people present shouted in excitement – ‘ V schon.’ According to Dick the photographs looked like that of ‘Arizona Desert’ but he also said ‘V schon’… Everyone took red tea and biscuits. Dick realized that he was not a nature lover therefore he had no necessity of attending the meetings again.

In the morning some silly looking birds ruin his sleep.

‘Isn’t it wonderful?’ The landlady asks “Through your window the scenery of Hein berg is wonderful isn’t it?”

Dick replies “Exceptional bewunderswert “

“Lot many silly looking trees and jungle –you know. Whole night wind blows through the pine, fur and oak trees –like mad gets on my nerves –you know” Ah die natur, die natur.

‘When you wake up at dawn, you hear the songs of early morning birds outside, and mind gets new vigour, isn’t  it Herr Voot?’

If he had a pistol under the pillow, he would have……usually they throw all kinds of objects at him particularly when he wears a new shirt. But there is shortage of rented accommodation in the town, therefore he says ‘Really’ and start self reproach.

It takes 20 minutes to reach the bus stop by walk. He goes to the town and walks aimlessly on the cobalt road alone. One day he saw a small shop on a narrow lane selling English news papers and books  He saw ‘Life’ ,’Time’ magazines and ‘Readers Digest’ in the window of the shop and entered. Herr Walter, my companion & myself were there at that time. Both of us teach in a school- I teach ‘English and Herr Walter Geography. We were glancing at the books at that time. Fate landed him in our hands.

We took him to Herr Novak’s restaurant where we regularly have lunch and sometimes dinner. Our relationship now is not confined to shop owner and customer. He frequently joins us and narrates humorous incidents heard from the students and breaks into laughter…………Sometime he tells us stories he heard from us earlier…we don’t remind him. A widower with a wooden leg, his head is shaped like a duck egg.

Standing outside, Dick read the name on the board ‘Zum Alten Fink’ ‘Not exactly like a ‘Myna’ but on the whole can be called “Old Myna Restaurant’. Dick lets out a deep sigh. Filled beer glasses glow in front of us; Dick takes tea only; he can’t even stand cigarette smoke. Herr Novak sits next to us, shaking he egg shaped head says “Ach yea, Herr Voot, Really you remain very sad. However not long to wait, will soon start. For you some reply will be coming soon.’

Herr Novak looks here & there in distress. Holiday month, the restaurant is almost empty. A few boys and girls scattered here and there are eating quietly. During semester time it is difficult to find a place here.

“Please tell me ‘Is it true that in America the factory workers have ford cars?

Dick replies one or two disconnected words and satisfies his curiousity.

Every time someone asks a question, he gets nervous and starts replying with hesitation. Sometimes he stops halfway through the answer. To quote Frau Viki, ‘A pekhvoleg’- (a distressed bird.)  I tried to take him to dance once or twice. He said that he did not know how to dance…But by this time we have come to realize that he is not an American whom we usually see on the theatre or stage. He does not chew chewing gum, wear horned spectacles, and say neither ‘gosh’ nor ‘gee’.

Herr Walter being very much keen on photography, brings out some photographs of human heads and natural landscapes. Herr Novak opens his eyes wide and says ‘Schon ,schon, bewunderswert.”

“I always ensure that in my photographs natural world remains untouched” Herr Walter says. Dick suppresses a yawn and nods.

Sometimes Fraulein Vilige comes for lunch .She teaches German & Physical Education at our school. She is plump, wears hazy dresses, heelless shoes, a big wig and a pair of green goggles. She does not smile as a matter of habit.

She comes and sits in our table whenever she sees us. Herr Novak abruptly stops telling his jokes, slowly goes back to the counter and start pouring beer-We suspect that may be Fraulein Vilige was his tutor in the past. Herr Walter collects his photographs. Dick sits squeezing himself in the seat. Fraulein Vilige carefully eats peas soup and bratwurst with fried potatoes and asks Dick about his progress in German learning.

“Mostly I am able to understand. Thank you” Dick gives a lame excuse.

Fraulein Vilige appears unconvinced.

I say ’But his mother is asking him in every correspondence what has he done about learning French”

Frau Vilige cuts wurst precisely in equal sizes and says that she feels that only after learning one language thoroughly one should touch another language, particularly the language that is required here every day. Dick agrees.

‘Methodically one should advance, should not jump to ‘Goethe’ initially. Begin with small sentences’

We nod.

‘Has Herr Wood got any teacher for German?’ Okay, let few days pass. After that I will hand over Herr Wood to a good lady teacher.’  ‘She lives with me in the same house next room.  Lynette Crouch’’ –I wonder how did she get an English name? She wants to take tuition in her free time. Same faculty with Herr Wood. Definitely they will meet each other. During the holidays she had gone to Switzerland; her home is at Lucerne. Of course people at Lucerne speak French. But Lynette has mastered German nicely. Bright girl. Let Lynette come, then very methodically………’

Isn’t Lynette a bird’s name with a sweet voice?

At last Fraulein Vilige left and Herr Novak returned and sat next to us. Again Herr Walter took out the photographs.

“ Luckily that day was a good sunny day. This photograph of Weser river taken from the top of Gilertal Church” Herr Walter said.

Dick appeared to be civil, ‘Oh good”

“ And this is a single violet flower on the bank of the river”

“ Schon”. Herr Novak said.

“ O good”. Dick said without enthusiasm ‘Behind the photograph. What are the two quoted lines?’

“Ah” Herr Walter said with fake politeness “Suddenly it occurred to me that this poem will fit in with the photo. You may be knowing- ‘Das Veilchen’ –a tiny violet flower.

“I don’t know. If I spend some more time here, I will know to the core.’

“Goethe wrote” I said confidently.

“Oh that guy Goethe” Dick says

“Herr Wood comes from Arizona, a desert country” I explain.

At last Herr Walter departs. He has no time for drinking beer, has to develop some photos. Dick stays. We have nothing in common, but he sticks with me. Little surprising-but it is common knowledge, Shakespeare had explained it much before me.

Herr Novak lays back his egg shaped head and looks at us inquisitively. One can guess from the lost look in Dick’s face that Herr Novak is preparing to crack another poor joke.

“Ach ya Herr Walter is really an interesting person. That day he was saying that whenever he comes to my restaurant, he remembers a friend, someone named Herr Vogel. He went to the address looking for Herr Vogel. Land lady asked ‘Who are you looking for” Herr Vogel asked “Does a Herr Vogel live here?” The landlady replied” yes, his name is fink.” Ha ha ha”

“Ha ha ha” I said & looked at Dick.

“Ha ,ha “ Dick quickly said. I gathered that if it was feasible to make an omelet with the egg shaped head of Herr Novak, he would have done that.

Customers thin out in “Zum Alten Fink” The two waitresses remove their white aprons, get prepared to leave; clean the tables; time for closing the restaurant has come. I finish reading all the news papers. Dick writes letter home and yawns like a demon.

Today again Frau Viki’s words have made me think. I know his relationship with music. Isn’t it the duty of a friend to alert him? Of course there is likelihood of his getting a room for forty marks in the centre of the city- therefore in spite of all odds he will come. I scampered to ‘Old Fink’. Through the window glass I could see an unknown girl sitting in our table, bright chubby face of a schoolgirl. Her combed hair separated in middle with two golden braids. She keeps smiling from time to time; dimples appear on her cheeks when she smiles. She will be a year or two younger than Dick. Fraulein Vilige was cutting ’wurst’ silently. Herr Walter with a glass of beer was talking to the girl, Dick was looking morose, bemused look on his face has increased multiple times. Fraulein Vilige introduced –‘ Lynette Crouch from Lucerne.’

‘Hope your vacation went off well’. I sighed with relief. …..’Dick’s language crisis will be resolved now’.

‘No ,no’ Lynette hurriedly shook her head .Speaking German with a  French accent. It appeared as if some more time is needed for the voice to come out. ‘There is a misunderstanding’; German is a foreign language for me also, how can I dare to teach German?’I was talking about teaching French, Fraulein Vilige misunderstood.

‘Oh a misunderstanding has occurred ‘ Dick  looked bewilderingly  towards me and said “ I had a plan for learning French also—– told you earlier-Mother told me before leaving for  Europe that I should learn French here somehow or other-I mean hear are so much facilities.

Lynette’s bright face became red, Fraulein Vilige stopped halfway while taking a piece of wurst into mouth with a fork.  Herr Walter put the beer glass down. Dick became embarrassed.

I hurriedly said ‘For that you will get lot of time, but wherever you are, you must learn the local language. What do you say Herr Walter?

‘Surely’ Herr Walter said.

‘I also say the same’ Fraulein Vilige remarked.

Herr Novak brought coffee and beer and looked at a chair inquisitively.  On the chair Fraulein Vilige’s Bag, umbrella & green goggles, Lynette’ s bag, a packet were lying. Also a bird’s case covered by a green cloth from which a screeching sound was coming, Herr Novak wanted to say something, looked towards Fraulein Vilige and stopped.

‘O that’s my canary’ Lynette said looking brightly at Herr Novak bright and smiled, looked towards me and explained ‘this time I got it on my birthday, my aunt gave me.  Sings very sweetly when it is happy. I thought of leaving it at home, but it remains sad when I am not there. Brought him with me’

She removed the green cover.

“After arriving here, some swelling developed in his neck, may be because of climate change. Aunt told me that his body is very fragile, very delicate. Just now I have returned from a vet. Nothing serious; it is because of heat. He advised me to rub some ointment.”

‘Ah a beautiful loveable bird’ Herr Novak said and took a piece of bread in his thick fingers and put it inside the cage. The canary made a screeching sound and took the piece with beak. Herr Novak ,

awestruck , looked with his big open eyes.

‘Ah shon, shon” he said in excitement. ‘ Herr Voot, you also give, you also give.

Herr Novak doesn’t know Dick’s attitude towards bird- world. But Dick smiled foolishly, took a piece in his fingers and put both fingers inside the cage. The canary started biting its feathers’ again and feathers of its neck stood erect. It made screeching sound and extended one leg suddenly. Dick startled, took out his fingers hurriedly.

‘ Ah don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid’ Lynette broke into a laugh ‘ Will not bite. He is truly a docile bird. He is doing like this seeing a new person. Don’t be afraid, give-give again’

Dick’s face became red, then violet, then again red and he put the hand with extreme anxiety.

Herr Novak leaned his egg shaped head covering the canary inside the cage

Now here this evening, Frau Hegemen and Fraulein Vetsig opened their throats Frau Viki peering at the script closely ( she only knows what she is looking at) pressing the keys of the ancient piano without hesitation.  Only she knows what keys she is pressing. Dick is sitting at the sinking sofa with hands on knees steadily –since departing from  Herr Novak’s restaurant he has been fully engrossed in thought. Before the commencement of the music session, a cheap room have been arranged for him at 40 mark. One session of plain coffee is also over. Cheesecakes are yet to come. The three ladies completed one chapter on him: ‘Coming from America how does he feel here? Why had he come here to study when there were good institutions in America? What his mother likes to eat? What does his sister wear? He faced the test like a hero, answering all questions without hesitation, which I never expected and listened to the songs without yawning. The musician trio are singing a German folk song

A bird wanted to get married.

In the green forest.

Vider-alla-la, vider-alla-la, Vider-alla-la-la-la

Remembered I was required to recite a poem in school ‘Bohagir Biya’. In that, the sky, the wind, the trees did lot of things. The song has similar meaning. Somewhere a bird is getting married. At the marriage, mynah, owl, cuckoo and many other birds took part and shared responsibilities.

Fraulein Vetsig has a thin and long neck with wrinkles like the threads in a screw; from there a sound resembling a bicycle tube leaking sound is coming out. She is smelling something with her long nose, probably she has strong sense of smell. Frau Hegeman is short and round, she is making a motion with her hands on chest like prima dona of La Scala Opera, her face full of wrinkles is beaming with pleasure. One can guess that once upon a time Frau Hegeman’s voice was not much inferior to singers of La Scala. Frau Viki is engrossed in playing with her head down; I am waiting for the moment her spectacles will fall down.

I whispered to Dick ‘Probably a pekhvoleg” Dick gave me a nasty look; Fraulein Vetsig looked at me and put a finger on her lips to keep quiet.

The blackbird was the groom,
The thrush was the bride.

The eagle owl, the eagle owl,
Closes the shutters.

Der Uhu, der Uhu
Der macht die Fensterläden zu.

I was wondering when the cream cake will come……. After eternity the marriage was over. Frau Viki, Dick and me clapped, Fraulein Vetsig gave a nod, Frau Hegeman bowed in La scala style. Then Frau Hegeman, Frau Vetsig, Dick and myself clapped for the piano player, Frau Viki closed and opened her eyes behind the spectacles in delight.

Unexpectedly Dick got up and went near Frau Viki. “Really Frau Viki you play wonderfully well”. Frau Viki smiled politely “You even play better than my mother. The song is exceedingly interesting” Dick took out a note book and pencil from his pocket. “If you don’t mind, please tell me the lines once again”

I almost opened my mouth, Frau Viki’s specs slipped from her nose.

(Translated by Wing Cdr. Sisir Kumar Barua (Retd.) from Assamese short story  ‘Uribor Xomoy’ by Saurabh  Kumar Chaliha)