That night

Hey stranger

May I share a drink with you tonight, she said softly

I looked up to check her out

I was sitting by myself, in one corner of the bar

Lost in my reverie

She was pretty

Amply ladened, at the right places

The saree accentuating her grace

But she looked completely out of place

Her reading glasses

With a bindi on the forehead

The jhola, those sandals

Everything speaking volumes

Of academics

She pulled the chair beside me

And sat down

I offered her to buy a  drink

But she declined

We sat in eerie silence

The bar was becoming boisterous

Can we go out

I am feeling claustrophobic in this ambience, she suggested

We left the bar

And walked in a lonely stretch

In unsettling silence

I want you to suckle my breasts, she said abruptly

I looked at her questioningly

Don't ask anything

It was an awkward situation

Beyond my comprehension

But I was willing

Rarely, one comes across such randomnesses

I came closer to her

And searched her eyes

I could sense tears brimming

Somewhere

I hesitated

But she dragged me closer to her

Opening her blouse

She offered me

They were hard

A milky crust had formed on her teats

The woman was lactating

I realized

Relieve me, she pleaded

And I mutely obeyed

Minutes passed by

I sensed it wasn't her distress anymore

It was my hunger

I was latching on to her

Embarrassed, I stopped

Buttoning her blouse

She looked through my eyes

I have just lost my child, she said

And bumped into the night.

©LR