Serendipity and After/49
a novel about publishing of a novel
When Mr Newar called me in his room, I knew instinctively that it was going to happen.
He welcomed me in and as I sat in the chair, he blabbered, “How are you doing?”
“Fine.”
“How about your studies?”
“Fine.”
“When is your next exam?”
“Next month.”
I understand he was gradually warming up in his game.
“Our sex column is a hit. Thanks for that. You’re a gifted writer. You write very modern English.”
“Thank you.”
“Mrinalbabu, I’ve a request to you, and I know you would not dishearten me.”
I looked at him askance. The master manipulator was finally landing.
“We earnestly want it that you take charge of our astrology column.”
“Astrology? Me?”
“Is it any difficult for you?”
“Mr Newar, I don’t know anything about astrology. I have no idea about zodiac signs. I don’t know how to read them.”
“Does that matter? Just write some sweet sentences focusing on love, sex and property, and put under a zodiac sign like say Aries. What you write this week for Aries, you can use it for Sagittarius next week. You’ve to write just twelve nice paragraphs. It’s easier than your sex column.”
“We’ll be cheating our readers that way.”
“Cheating!” he laughed derisively, “They have no way of finding it out. Do you think Ramesbabu writes all this after checking the zodiac signs each time?”
“But he’s an astrologer, and he knows about his subject.”
“Never bother about it. What he knows, we all know.”
“Why has he stopped writing the column?”
“I’ve fired him. He writes in a clunky way.”
“Why don’t you look for another astrologer who writes well?”
“You can’t dictate me. I’m your boss.” Mr Newar’s tone abruptly changed. His face looked a bit crimson. “I say you write the column. You must do it.”
“Sorry, I can’t do it.” I stood up from the chair.
“Think it over, Mrinalbabu.”
“I’m not going to write it. Thank you.”
“Is this your final say?”
“Yes, of course.” I was about to leave the office.
“How dare you!” he now shouted at the top of his voice. He had stood up from his chair and had blood-shot eyes. “You stupid Bengali.”
Suddenly, something snapped up in my head. I had a rush all over my body. There was a vertiginous feel. I found myself turning in before him and punching him hard in the face. He fell backwards over his swivel chair. The chair had a swing under the impact of his weight. Now I clambered on to his table and threw a kick targeting his big tummy. “Fucking bastard, I’ll shove sex, astrology, everything up your ass today.”
He began to yell for help from others. He was scared. He began to shiver and look around. When he saw no one coming , he stood before me with folded hands seeking my mercy. “Please, please.”
Soon there was a crowd. All of people from the printing press. Subhas rushed to me saying, “Hey, what’re you doing, Mrinal?. Moni-da was transfixed at the door. He had just entered the office.
“Would you ever ask me to write an astrology column?” I shouted at him.
“No.”
“Say it aloud.”
“NOOOOOO.’’
A laughter rolled out from the crowd. I found Subhas looking the other way to suppress a smile. But Moni-da had no reaction. His face had an extra layer of cloud toady. He kept standing in his frozen-sea style. He looked like a statue.
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