Sunday Story Time Part 17

The story starts here

King of Dreams

by

Harry N Down

New Delhi

We finish our drink. Kev seems more composed. “Ok mate let’s get to this hotel and kick back.”

We head off, inundated with taxi drivers.
“Bugga off” Kev shouts as we move through the crowd.

“Kapil, Kapil, Good to see you again.” I look at Kev as if I had thought he had been here before. He actually had. I never thought he would have connections here but apparently, he has.
“Steve, follow Kapil, He will look after us.”

We board Kapil’s cab. An Auto kind of rickshaw. Green and a kind of yellow in colour.
He takes us straight to the hotel some 25 mins away from the airport.
Kev pays the fare and spends time with Kapil.
I watch as Kapil and Kev talk.
Being tired and in need of a bed I head to the reception and book in.
The Taj Mahal Hotel on Mansingh Road is apparently five stars. I am not particularly bothered I just want to get some sleep in a proper bed.
Kev follows as we are escorted up to our rooms.
“See you in a couple of hours.” I tell Kev as I enter my room.

The room is luxury to the extreme. A king size bed that is bigger than big!
I check the fridge. I had requested all the crap was taken out and they fill it with beer and soft drink with a few bottles of juice.
I am not going to pay for stuff out of the fridge. If I do, I want what I drink in there. Still, this place so far has delivered on its promises of satisfying the customer. I check the fridge again. Yes, they have milk in there.
I turn on the air conditioner, kick off my shoes and lay upon the bed. I fall asleep.

The ringing of the phone wakes me up. It is Kev.
“We are eating out tonight. A lovely place I have been to last time I was here. Be ready in 2 hrs.”
“Yeah no worries.” I hang up the phone and stretch. Unpack my clothes and put them neatly away. Set up the laptop and head off to the shower.
Now cleaned and dressed I check my emails. A knock at the door. I let Kev in. He heads straight for the fridge gets two beers out and opens them. Passing one over to me, he starts explaining his problem with Delhi, more to the point India and the way children, especially females are treated. The abuse of kids here is quite common apparently. I sit and listen. Chetna had often spoken about abused kids.
“You don’t seem surprised.” Kev looks over at me.
“In this world mate, nothing surprises me.” I swivel my chair around so I am facing him.
“Kev, this is a different world a different culture. We are strangers here and this place seems to be still living in the dark ages when it comes to these kinds of things.”

“I find it disgusting this sort of thing happens but all we can do is help where we can. They need to change their own outlook when it comes to these things. These people need to change it themselves not have outsiders come in and tell them how they should live. The government here needs to do more. If we go out lambasting the government or who ever they will just look at us as a couple of foreign nutters. Paying us no mind.”

“So we do nothing?” Kev states.

“Didn’t say that mate. Didn’t say that at all.” I swivel the chair back to the laptop and finish off my emails. I update our journal then shut it down.
Kev is very quiet as we finish our drink.
“Another one mate?”
“Yeah why not” he says somewhat casually.

“Where we off to for dinner?” I ask giving him a drink.
“Oh Yeah.” Kev’s tone changes from stern to his usual happy go lucky self.

“Sunni’s Bar and Eat House.”

To be continued ........................here