Junkiri married Ambar Dai, who is 13 years older than her. Like all of her friends, I too know the reason, why she stuck up with old man like him. But on this article, its is not the idea to cover that side of the story here. No, she did not tell me the details behind the intimate involvement with him during the time, when they were in Bangladesh, for a six months training of ceramic arts.
She was my classmate for couple of years, we caught her in fifth grade where she had stayed for three years. Interestingly, she never regard me, as her friend and to add my uneasiness, she is really very vocal about it also. I can only guess, maybe it’s because of the age gap we have. If not all the, most of her close friends with whom she is comfortable to share her feelings are older than me. It so happened that, she was telling the details of how she got involved with him, during that short stay in Bangladesh. What all I remember is, there were bed full of girls huddled in a bed down side, who were so eager to listen to her. All eyes was glued to her with so much curiosity of sex, man and all the feelings and reaction associated with this. I don't even remember whose bed was that. Her voice was audible enough for me to hear all of it, from my upper bed [bunker]. That was bit distracting me to focus on my novel, which I was reading.
There used to be almost twenty girls in a room, and this was a big girl's room. Fourteen to sixteen years of old girls were regarded big girls; therefore it was not easy to keep a secret from each others. But, of course, when there are big number of people, small groups are inevitable to form and there are always chances one can find like minded people in small circle rather than in big circles. So there was almost no secrets but you know girls; they are at times very good at keeping secrets too. However, as I told you earlier it was not my intention to tell that part of the story with details.
Long before, she married to Ambar dai, it was Junkiri, who used to act as a letter delivery girl for him and to his girlfriend then [Shova Didi]. Junkiri was the one, they choose to deliver the letter to each other. Needless to tell you, when she was growing up, Amber Dai was definitely not in her mind as potential life partner, not even remotely. She was a chirpy girl, very friendly to everyone. Today she knows, exactly why she called all of them her boy friends and why that number was so high. But before that, the time was different, she was just a carefree teenager who did not know whys of so many questions in her life ? I would not say she was dating but... I myself don’t know what to say of this kind of relationship. there was at times two boys she was in relationship, yes simultaneously. Yes, she used to write them letter at the same time, although they were living under the same roof, playground was the same and was eating food cooked in same pan. Yeah, they used to live in different room. Just up and down at times.
Here I must mention this one fact of her life, Junkiri was a teenager suffering from learning disability; which I came to know years later, while reading some article on this subject matter and her name just sprang in my head. For that very reason she used to fluctuate many times in one class. It probably must have taken her about 15 years to reach mere 8th grade. Other than that she is very jolly by nature, a natural storyteller which makes her very likeable person and she is unbelievably compassionate also.
She was not very good in writing or putting her thoughts in paper. She could not read and get the meaning of it; which caused her to climb the grade ladder during her school days. But she is very observative and her visual memory is astoundingly good. As I told you she was very friendly person so, she did found a person to put it on papers for her and then another boy for deliver those letters to the prospective receivers. So Narayani became her confidant as well as letter writing partner.
Recently, when I met Gopal, he told me that he was that boy who used to deliver the letter to those two boyfriends of hers. Interestingly, Junkiri never mentioned his name whenever she shared her love lost stories, in her talk with me. Or maybe, who used to deliver did not matter to her.
So once the letter was delivered and read by those two boys, there was another different story, purely triggered by teen boys curiosity. Tirtha [Tamang], Goninda, Hansha [Bhandari], Suresh [Shrestha] used to search that letter once it was read by Rakesh or Ishwor Dai. Then in that plain mischievous act of teen boys, one of them noticed the similarities on the handwriting. To the boys who were studying in ninth or tenth grade this was something amusing for two major reasons. First it was a love letter to rush their adrenaline and second, it teased them even more is that one handwriting and two different recipient of the letter.
One day the news got leaked to both of the boys. Four boys who were reading it secretly for quite some time, took it in their hands then told what she was doing to the boys.
But this part amused me even more, than the other boys may have thought. Ishwor dai and Rakesh, recipient of the letters broke in to fight, of course for the same reason, she is mine, you back off. Both were saying the same to each other. Ishwor dai was tall and skinny and Rakesh was average in height and somewhat plum.
My God, my bad memory power; but the two boys must have been inside the Bal Mandir; when Junkiri married Ambar Dai. Although, her marriage party was one of the few that took place in Bal Mandir, I do not have clear recollection of attending the party today. Therefore the boys must have been in the party as well. I was only in eighth grade, when she was married. The very next year, there was a boy in her house.
Oh, yes, she keep talking about them. I think this kind of talk gives them the kind of needed boost in life which perhaps everyone need.
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