The Ventriloquist...

Absolute concatenation of circumstances, as they say !! I was positive in this that this grumpy, young security guy had something to do with the disappearance and death of the beautiful cat. The link seemed very much obvious.  Now let me explain, why I came to this conclusion. Before that, I should explain what I am talking about, instead of leaving you all puzzled. 

It is like this. 

From the balcony of our third-floor apartment, I do get a nice view of my neighbor's home. I mean, the cemented compound, the garage with the three cars, the mango tree, the neem tree, and of course, the inmates going out and coming in. Our relationship was minimal as they were also busy people and us oldies also kept to ourselves. The only conversation we had, was with a boy of 21 there whom we have been seeing ever since we moved into our apartment some nineteen years ago. He was a little boy then. A sweet little toddler. We - my husband and I - used to cheer him up from the balcony of ours whenever he played football or cricket with his cousins. And occasionally, he would look up and if he found me standing in the balcony, his face would break into a very warm smile, he would wave and ask "How are you, Aunty?"

It was a joint family of three brothers living on three different floors in the building. With time the kids have grown up and we miss seeing the boys. No cricket. No football. Then came this CAT. We shall get back to the beginning of my narration. 

Okay, I must tell you that the cat is the focal point in my story. This was a beautiful calico cat...well...to be precise, the calico cats have a white body with splashes of black and yellowish-brown patches here and there. A beautiful cat (most of the calico cats are females, I heard) she would just wander in the compound; go and sleep in the car shed or on the doormats; climb the wall and investigate the fallen mango leaves on the roof of the car shed or sleep there for a while in winter in the soothing warm sunlight. In summer she would not be seen on the "hot tin roof." Thrice a day she was fed - the lady or her husband would bring something in a box and transfer five or six handfuls to a red bowl that belonged to this feline.

The watchmen changed once in a few months, as they were from an agency and the cat was the darling of the old watchmen. Then came this new young watchman. The cat did not seem to care for him much as he used to chase the feline away. I had even caught him twice or thrice shooing this beautiful animal- of course without the knowledge of the memsaheb and saheb who were very fond of her. 

The lockdown order kept the maids away from this house, as from every other home with only these security personnel going around the house. I have seen the maids feeding this feline with a little rice or pieces of bread from their lunch boxes too. I had seen this security guy - I think he was called Sanjay, on two occasions accepting a big mug of tea from the lady there.

One day I heard the plaintive " meow" of this beautiful animal and saw this grumpy fellow chasing her. She had gone and hid under the red car in the shed. The cars rarely went out these days. He was searching for her with a long stick, waiting for her to come out, but better sense prevailed I think and she never ventured out. But the feeding went on as usual and other times I could not see her lying cuddled up on the doorstep or the doormat or on the cemented space between the door and the wall. I realized that she was avoiding the watchman. I wonder what sadistic pleasure he drew from harassing this sweet animal. And the feline sensed that this fellow hated her. Yes, for reasons best known to himself. Then SHE went missing!

It was my habit, standing in my balcony every morning and watch her relishing her cat food (whatever that was) from the red bowl. I could see the lady and her husband frantically searching for her. Though the feline had no-entry into the house, she certainly was their darling. They were asking the watchman and from their gestures, I could see that the watchman denied any knowledge of the whereabouts of the cat.

The food was lying in the red bowl until the crows came and took the pieces away. This happened for two days and then the couple gave up looking for the cat. 

My gut feeling told me that this fellow had something to do with the disappearance of the feline. I was feeling rather depressed deep inside thinking of this beautiful cat. Then it came like a streak of lightning ...ventriloquism!

I remembered my kids and dear hubby making fun of me when I wanted to do that one-week crash course on ventriloquism some ten years back while we were in Bombay. I remembered even my mother-in-law making a snide remark "The jobless barber caught hold of a cat and gave it a hair cut." But I was really interested and went ahead and did my course. Of course, I gave no shows with puppets but had my fun innocently throwing my voice in the market, commenting on the vegetables and fruits. Making some vegetables talk and startle a lady who was bargaining too much with the vendor. That is another story. Yes...theme for yet another blog.  Well...I decided I was going to use my ventriloquism skill to perform a little detective job and find out whether the security guy killed the CAT and got rid of the body!

The next morning I positioned myself in the balcony and as the fellow was seated there sipping his tea...I threw my voice..."Meow." He was startled and leaving his mug on the ground, stood up, and looked all around. Fortunately, he did not lookup.  Finding no cat around the place, he resumed the " tea ceremony." "Meow", it went again...this time longer and more plaintive. The act was repeated in the evening and I could see that the fellow was getting restless. The "Meow" was heard more often and at times, very close to him. 

A week went by and I was enjoying my skill.  Then, one day... there was a medley of voices and I peeped down.  The security guy was on his knees and pleading with the husband and wife- the owners of that Calico Feline. The lady looked up and saw me standing leaning at the balcony railing... The eighteen years of exchange of smiles gave way to a conversation. She said to me -

"This fellow killed our cat and has thrown it away! He is owning it up! He says, the cat is haunting him and it cries in the morning and evening and that he is unable to bear it. He wants to leave."

"Whatever did he do that for?"  I asked her.

"He says, he has hated cats since his childhood when a cat scratched him and mauled him. He wishes to leave his job and we have agreed. What a dastardly thing to do !! Aw!! My sweet Lulu..." she sniffed.

Lulu was the name of the feline.

In his place, an old watchman was appointed a week later. Yes. The same old man behind whom Lulu used to run and he used to give her pieces of chappathi from his lunch box. A month rolled by. Feeling pretty smug with myself, that I can use my ventriloquism to make a fellow own up a "murder most foul" I had gone down to pluck some limes from the tree that grew near the compound wall.

"How are you, Ma'am?"

It was the old watchman next door. He was an incorrigible chatterbox.

I smiled at him.

" So...you are back?"

"Yes, Ma'am. I was on sick leave. Now I am okay." He had lost a lot of weight. 

I hesitantly asked him,

"That previous fellow...I mean...the fellow who killed the cat...is he working elsewhere?" I was feeling a bit guilty too, that he had quit.

"Aw!! That is a real story, Ma'am," he smiled and continued.

"I saw him yesterday at a bungalow on my way here. He was reporting for work. He was carrying a packet of buns. He said, that he is feeding four stray cats in the neighborhood every day and as if to confirm that, the cats came rushing towards him...some seven of them, not just four and he was breaking these buns into pieces and throwing them down. He looked very happy. Strange, Ma'am. What a changeover! God is great. That fellow has become a compassionate soul. "

I went back home, a big load off my heart. The little bit of guilt that colored my heart vanished. Thank God, the "ventriloquism" did not turn the fellow into a depressed weird soul but transformed him into a compassionate human being instead. Yes. God is certainly great.