The Faceless Pimp

Hari Singh *

He was a Pimp and a good one at what he was doing,he never had any moral obligation's to anyone and everyone to him was was just a customer a good or bad one depending on how much money he was given in tips.Whatever was said behind his back he never listened and ,there was no friendship or love all he cared was just the promised cash and it worked for 15 years.He wanted to earn enough to go into a legitimate business and that's what he was working for.

After all those year's he was accustomed to all the pressure's and turning a blind eye to everything was the norm.That day as ususal he had prepared himself for his routine work-he was waiting for a reasonably well off customer when he saw a Bhai,(word for a local goon)coming with a lady and a young gir lof around sixteen years.He welcomed them and the girl in her nervousness looked at him and their eyes met,he felt a sudden fear in his heart –was it love or was it just a feeling of loneliness he had experienced from seeing the girl.

She was dressed in simple clothes with a ghagra and a choli and her youth was radiated in her face,the pimp felt a sudden pain in his weather beaten heart.He had been too hard towards all the young girls in the brothel and never felt anything for them he wondered how he felt anything for her.

Life in the brothel was full of wonderful moments/ the sound of the drums,harmoniums and dancing mujrawalis,the smell of the burning incense sticks and the numerous girl's eagerly waiting for their customers .The peculiar beat of the drums kept ringing in his ears amidst the laughter and shouts of those witnessing Mujara dance.The customers are from various walks of life some are seth's-rich guy's who are from respectable business families and small time business men some are from the lower rungs of the society petty traders just trying to let their steam escape after a day's hard work.He had witnessed all these for 15 years and to him it seemed a normal working day.

Amidst all these thoughts a sudden feeling of loneliness engulfed him and he wondered isnt it the right time to get married,he was past marriageable age 30 was late –he thought about a wife and kids it would be nice and then he remembere the face in the brothel,felt she will make him a good wife and the more he thought about her he felt a feeling of love ,cupid had shot it's arrows and it hit him in his heart.

He decided to approach the madam in charge of the brothel and would seek her permission to buy the girl at a price(readers plij note that girl's are for sale in brothels contrary to the slogan that girls are supposed to be at homel).The next morning he met the madam and after paying her his respects she enquired how everything is going on his part,he requested her that he wanted to marry the new girl if she would give her permission.

The madam looked shellshocked and told him what's going on in his mind-the girl is a good merchandise and she will command a god price in the market and so how can she agree to the proposal. The pimp told her that he is willing to pay his life's saving's(a total of around 3 lakh's he had saved during his fifteen years of service)she thought about the bargain and on humanitarian grounds agreed to it thinking in her mind that at least the girl after getting married will lead a better life than in a brothel.She told him to give her 2.50 and told him to take her away,a discount of 50 grand for his marriage.

That day after giving the money he took the frightened girl to his house and reassured her that he will take care of her and to take him as her real brother.He couldn't muster enough courage to propose to her and thought time will change everything.So days passed by and one day his childhood friend came on a visit and saw the beautiful girl-he felt love at first sight for her and enquired who she was .He replied that she was a cousin and had cme to visit her,that day they had dinner together and parted.

The friend was in a taxi rental business and had prospered .The visit of his friend became more frequent and one day he proposed the girls hand In marriage.The pimp was at a crossroad not knowing what to do , on one hand he loved her and on the other hand his friend wanted her as his bride.He thought about it the whole night and felt that she would have a better life staying with his friend.Reluctantly he agreed to the proposal but in his heart he knew that the decision he was taking was in business terms a complete failure-he had squandered all his life's savings on her only to be married away to someone else.

The marriage was held in a local temple and he made his friend promise to him that he will take good care for her and that he couldn't give any dowry for her,secretly he gave her his remaining 50 grand he had saved for his own marriage ,he couldn't understand his instinct's but he felt better for the first time in his life,returning to his hut he was welcomed by the empty room and he to forget his loneliness he took out a bottle of rum and started taking a few pegs,trying to cool down his flayed nerves his only hapiness was that she would lead a better n respectable life than staying with him.

That night he could hardly sleep and got up early next morning and met the Madam,she enquired about his marriage and upon hearing his story she nearly dropped the cup of tea and told him what the hell of a business does he think that he is doing-and at the present rate hell become a pauper very fast.

He started working as a pimp trying to start all over again,his story spread in the precincts of the brothel and it became the hot topic for days.He thought that with luck on his side hell make up all that was lost in good time and who knows maybe one day if luck favours he may get married,but for the present he just remains a' FACELESS PIMP'