Fahiya_Archugo

8/14/2019 Fahiya_Archugo

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Fahiya Archugo Arun De Joe

"ping" shrieked gtalk, distracting me from memorizing a Google Maps route.Maddy81 : No! Dont take any risk.me : Why not!Maddy81 : At least wait for the dawn.me : It would take two more hours for that. It is winter here.Maddy81 : In downtown, they kill people for anything more than the cost of a bullet - which is usually adollar! I heard that there were couple of shoot outs near your area. So just hold on.me : I am too hungry to be afraid of that. Since I landed here day before yesterday, I have had nothing.Mac D is about to open in a few minutes.Maddy81 : In that case carry your ID along, that will help cops identify in case of...me : Yep I took that already! Wish me luck...

Maddy81 typing

Even before that reply reached me, I had closed down my laptop. But not before stealing a quick look atthat Google map, that I had been memorizing for a couple of hours by then. Hunger had been the motiveof almost all the killings in the jungles. It was not only the motive of the lion that killed, but also the motiveof the antelope that was devoured. Hunger and thirst led them to that watering hole, rendering themvulnerable to the waiting predators. My plight that day was almost similar. It was the same hunger thatdrove me out of the safety and comfort of my hotel.

It was so early in the morning that even the earth had not turned enough for the sun to dry the dew onher. With a chill wind on my face, and my heart pounding, I was searching for my first meal in my newhabitat. No, I was not like a hungry lion, majestically hunting for the prey. I was more like the deer thatlaps up water in a shallow pond, turning to look for danger even at the whisper of a grass! In fact worsethan that. I did not know the form that danger would take. Would it be a deranged hooded assaulter?

Would it be a gang of hippies high on crack? I even feared fear when I realized that I might loose my wayout of fear!

That was when a darn realization came that there was nothing to loose, except my life. Food, was not abad cause to loose one’s life after all - though not the best cause. With that fear gone now (attributedmainly to fear, and then hunger to a certain extent), I started walking briskly to the den that wasMcDonalds! The sight of the sign board, momentarily blinded me with joy, triggered my guts andpropelled my legs with a new found vigor. With a right, left, and few frantic paces I reached the placewhere Google map’s yellow line ended! I was able to scent my meal, the only thing left was to get that.

The glass doors were the only barrier to my meal. After a few false pushes, I landed one that swung thedoor open just wide enough for me to enter. I was seeing before my eyes the text - “Congrats!!! Level 1completed. Health 100% Ammuno ......” - blinking in fluorescent green! I followed the light that had lit upthe images of the burgers and French fries and coke. That guided me to the smile of the lady at thecounter. The next challenge was to choose my meal, pay for it and then eat it. seemed so easy that itwould not even qualify for a challenge.

Exchanging smiles I was back at work, choosing my meal. I imagined a herd of antelopes lined up,waiting for me to pick one for my meal! I stared at the display boards there, realizing very quickly thathunting in alien plains was a different art altogether. I felt it would take eternity for me to choose a mealout there. Not that I had so many choices, but because I was devoid of one. I felt like picking one at



random, only to be cautioned by my brain that it was against my interest to eat beef and sausage. Beingthe only customer out there on the queue, I had the luxury of few extra minutes to choose. I knew I hadovershot the time when the she asked me what I wanted. In a hurry my eyes locked up on the word“chicken”, and I just read out “southern style chicken sandwich” word by word from those screens.

As soon as I pronounced my verdict on the meal, a flurry of questions followed. The first one was “meal or

#$(@*#)!^. I did not bother to even hear out the second choice, like what a java compiler would do whenthe first one evaluates to be true. I guess it should have been hunger that had shut my ears sensing thatthe most important thing at that point was to answer them as quickly as it was asked! It did not matter how better the other one would have been.She asked me to choose the size of the drink that I preferred. As soon as I heard medium, I repeated it,not waiting for her to finish the rest of the question. I was a man in hurry to get my million dollars – mysouthern spice sandwich. A ”KBC” tune in the background would have been a great addendum to myanswer. I was ready for the next question with a smile. Smile of success!

She was equal to the task, feeding me with questions as soon as she received the replies. Hence for thatquestion, she was busy starring at the monitor and as an after thought, she asked “fahiya archugo”. I waswaiting for her to complete the question. I was left wondering if that was a question at all, or was it an an

information about my meal. What a strange sounding meal I thought. Confusion immediately reflected onmy face leaving me with a strange expression. The best part was that she was looking at themonitor,busy with something. I gathered my composure and in a hurry said “Pardon me. Please comeagain”. I did not want to miss it again. Hence I prepared myself for the question - sharpened my ears,arched my brows, leaned forward and waited with the stillness of a tiger in ambush. She turned for a splitsecond, repeated the question and turned back.

“Fahiya Archugo” it was. Again! My brain took that little piece of information, and applied lot of algorithms,yet it was too cryptic for my hungry brain. Another part started rewinding and replaying very much like thecricket replays hunting for that faint sound. As a result, those two words were echoing. All these lendingmy face a look of a confused cat stranded on a highway and starring at a car beam. My eyes wereautomatically rolling! I was getting worried because I had already exhausted my chance of a replay. Yetwithout giving it much of a thought I said “sorry”. Again, I did all the customary pre-question antics. Mybrain was ready with many threads at the start line, waiting for the gun shot to go. That was probably thelast time I could ask her for a replay I thought to myself.

She turned by my side - longer than a split second- and said it once more. “fahiya archugo”. She said it inthe same pitch, with the same intensity, that for a second I wondered if she was a pre-programmed robot.Hearing those words again, I gave up immediately with a muted sigh of "christ, not again". My brainstopped all those threads that did the replay and the analytical work. I was stunned. It was like walking ina busy New York street and everybody pausing their actions and looking at me at the sound of “fahiyaarchugo” with a stunned silence. I was stunned and everything came to a stand still. I prayed a silentprayer asking God for the translation of the word.

Never in my life was I punished like that for not answering a question. I wished I could pretend like a deaf.I started gawking at the ceiling, wishing if I could some how pass on to the next question. I even cursedmy mobile for not having a voice recognition technique that would convert those sound frequencies towords on the screen. I was contemplating the idea of calling it quits, running away from the place, as if Iwas running away with their stash. I even debated the idea of being candid by telling her that I understoodnothing. Awaiting an answer for her question - the one that she had already repeated thrice- she lifted her countenance to look at me. I guess there was nothing more for her to fill up in the monitor.

I had to do something, get candid, or just walk away from that meal, like a defeated lion, in the hope thatthere would be another one somewhere near by. However I was not ready to take either. I postponed the



decision, just to see if she could do something about it. I wished she be a mind reader who could read mydilemma, and stop that questioning and give me my breakfast. Fortunately there was nobody else waitingto have a go at the jackpot – the burgers.

I guess she had read my mind, or at least understood that I was not clever enough to decrypt her cipher.She beckoned me and said slowly “fahiya archugo”. All of a sudden the whole world seemed to be still for

a moment of timelessness. Within me I could feel the force of uncorked joy waiting to explode. Yes! Yes! Iunderstood. I understood "Fahiya Archugo". The next second even before I realized it I was drenched by

joy. I gave up hope till that point in time, when she pointed her finger on her table after completing theword "Fahiya". That was the moment of realization for me! It was "for here"! I was too hungry to even hear and see her next word "archugo"! I did not risk further by speaking, as I pointed the table as she did. Iwent her way of communicating, the one that worked best for us.

Amen. I opened my eyes. There before me lying wrapped up was the most prized possession of mine atthat moment. That prayer had been the most meaningful of all the thank you prayers I had said before mymeal. I slowly unwrapped it and then took it in my hand with all the honor that a shining Wimbledon trophycommands. As I held that burger in my hand, I emitted a toothy grin that Tom manages when holdingJerry in his hands. When I took my burger close to my hungry mouth for my first bite, a green fluorescent

light flashed with the words "Congrats! You won the game!"

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Fahiya_Archugo