Sensual sunrise

Calling bell rang very early in the morning. Lalitha had anticipated the ring, but of course, not this early. When the bell rang, her eyes involuntarily moved towards the timepiece and it was only four. She got up from the computer, on which she was working for the day's article, and walked to the door. With an unusually long yarn, she opened the door.

Immanuel was standing there, keeping his right hand on the wall. He was stinking of the night's guzzle mixed with the stench of cheap tobacco.

"Hey, am I too early?" he asked.

"No. You are always on time," she pouted with sarcasm.

"Hahaha… It's a good joke," he said with a designed laugh.



She stood there looking at his red eyes which had all the signs of a deprived sleep. As she was wondering at the miserable life of this wretched soul, Immanuel went inside and threw his bag to a corner. She went to the kitchen and started searching for tea powder to make some tea for him. But, the container was empty.

"Shall I give you some milk?"  She asked.

"Me, milk, in the morning?" his voice was full of surprise as he sat near the computer and opened her day's file. Going through the incomplete article, he laughed derisively.

"Hum, a good topic indeed. The growing terrorism in the country and the factors that contribute the growth of it. Bullshit."

She got a little annoyed. Immanuel was always like that. Nobody can get along with nasty bastard, she thought.

He, in fact, phoned her the previous evening and asked her if he could come at night. Lalitha did not trust him and openly told him that. "What if you rape me?" was her reply.

"Yeah. What if I rape you?" he retorted.

She was staying alone in the flat and found pleasure working on her computer and browsing Internet. In the evenings, after the day's work was done, she even spent some time watching porn films on hundreds of such sites.

Being a spinster at thirties and a known columnist, Lalitha was looked as a contented soul by colleagues and the intellects. Only her father and mother, living in a seashore city somewhere down south, always worried about her marriage and even believed that she was an oddball.



Lalitha had only one friend in the whole world and that was Immanuel. He was very smutty most of the times, but was a person so lovable and understanding. Even for him, Lalitha was a silly, senseless girl in general, but a true genius who can guide him in crisis.

And that was the reason he came to meet her this time. He, after long journeys and tiring activities, used to come and spend a day with her. She too opened her heart to him and sought his advice on crucial issues that she found hard to solve.


He got up from the stool and turned to her. "Get me a towel and I'll have a bath," he said.

She gave him a towel and she took off his trousers and kurta there itself. Wrapping the towel around his waist, he moved to the bathroom.

"Soap is not in the bath. I take bath with papaya. Do you want a papaya?" she asked.

He laughed aloud. "No, I will use some detergent. Hope I'll find some…" he slammed the bathroom door.

Lalitha felt uneasy. She went again to the computer and tried to complete the article that she started writing. But, she couldn't. She typed a paragraph and then deleted it. Again she tried, but could not concentrate.

 Her mind was brimful of thoughts. She felt remorse for not getting soap for Immanuel.

Immanuel came out and opened his bag which was lying in a corner. He took out a pair of jeans and tee shirt and put on the cloths.

"Why such a big bucket in the bathroom? Do you take bath in the bucket?" he asked.

She did not answer the question. He looked at the broken mirror and adjusted his long grown hair.

She came and sat near him on the sofa. "Enough is enough, dear, I have decided to join some ashram and do some spiritual activities. I want to do some social service for the rest of my life…"

"What happened to you, you filthy female? Have you gone mad?" he seemed horrible.

"You called me filthy, didn't you?" She yelled at him and before he could realize what was going on, she slapped on his cheek with full force.

Her long fingers hit his left eye and it was hurt.

His eye was burning and cheek was swollen. She felt guilty. "I'm sorry," she mumbled.

"It's alright. This is not the first time you hit me. I can hit you back as well, you blackguard. But if I do, that lovely face will be damaged completely. Know that?" he said while wiping the tears that started rolling down from his left eye.

Both of them remained silent for sometime. Lalitha broke the silence. "And tell me now. I'm going to be a sanyasin…"

Shafts of sunrays have already reached inside the room through the broken window. He went to the door and picked the newspapers that were pushed inside. He came back and sat on the sofa.

As he was glancing through the papers, he said, "See dear lady, what makes you sacrifice your bodily pleasures, I know. You think you don't have suitable man in the whole earth whom you can marry…"

"I'm not a virgin. Even now I can have a companion on bed if I want to," she replied.

"No baby, you can't have, I know. Because your ego will never let you share bed with any male you know."


"May be you are right. But what's wrong in taking the way of my choice?"

He didn't say anything. He was completely absorbed in the newspaper. She felt angry with the man. She wanted to say a lot many things to Immanuel this time. She felt terribly dejected.


She thought she had a headache. A bath in the cold water might give relief, she thought. Taking a towel, she went to the bathroom.

She had an unusually long bath. She spent almost half an hour, pouring water continuously on her bare body.  Her shower stopped working three months ago and the flat owner never bothered to get it repaired.

When she came out, relieved and fresh, he was busy drinking some rum which he always carried with him.

Her hair was still wet. Immanuel called her aside and said, "Dear lady, if you want to do social service, you need not be a sanyasin. Do whatever you want by being what you are…"

Lalitha didn't understand. Immanuel came near her. For the first time, he hugged her. She didn't say anything. She felt a spiritual solace and experienced an inexplicable bliss.

They fell on the sofa and coiled into one. She was beginning to know the divine bliss.