Two girls from Switzerland, French speaking, sit down for a beer at one of the tourist lodges on Om Beach, Gokarna. It's a quiet atmosphere on the beach, and tonight the usual mix of Krishna Das and Pink Floyd has been replaced by some inoffensive ambient music with a twist of Spanish guitar. The cafe faces out over the beach to the sea, and the other white plastic tables and chairs are populated by a number of couples and pairs of foreign tourists. It isn't a well-lit cafe, but the atmosphere is not dark. The ladies have ordered their beers and a man sits down at the other end of the long table, for it has a handful of free seats. After a moment when furnished with his beer, he asks the question. The ladies are from Switzerland, and the pleasantries continue in this order. His band of four friends join them at the table, and the conversation moves onto India. They warn the girls to watch out for Indian men, the other men are not safe.
Nobody noticed it coming, but mid ambiguity over whether the girls are French, their language, or Swiss, the name of Hitler is mentioned. The girls make a shy deflection of the subject by stating that they have nothing to do with Germany. But the speaker continues in a louder tone, something about the atmosphere at the time. This isn't acknowledged by the girls. He increases the force of his delivery. "But listen to me...", "But what I'm saying is that people don't understand what it feels like at the time, they don't understand the reasons". The girls respond that Hitler killed millions of people. The man still louder, one of the friends of the original conversation starter, that these actions were just a consequence of history. That people might have suffered to cause this uprising. The girls respond that the Jews were not at fault in this and Hitler was not fully supported by the people. Switzerland wasn't involved, they only sell arms to both sides. The debate escalates to an imbalanced and conversational rule breaking battle of "Listen to me". Eventually the girls win, through a refusal to acknowledge the speaker until he becomes quiet. But as soon as they have spoken the torrent begins again. The girls don't understand, it's because of the Boston Tea Party. They don't understand because they don't know the Boston Tea Party. What happened is...
One of the men suggests that the girls should have another drink, but is strongly rebuffed. 'If you say to me drink, I don't drink'. It's the wonderful Franglish grammar which is so adorable for it's accent and minor mistakes which show the speaker has nearly mastered at least two languages. 'You can leave now, because we are going to go shower'. The men talk among themselves, drinking a little from the beers. One man picks up his chair, moves around and places it between the girls. It's time for a picture and he places his hand around the waist of one girl for the shot. It then sits on her shoulder for a while as his friend prepares to take a few more. But the fun is over, the friends have to leave, and all of the party bar the conversation starter who is sat between the girls start to make reluctant motions. They are not willing, and only one of the party is standing just outside the restaurant, looking back and imploring them to come to dinner now. The friends are gone and only the one man remains, but the ladies are still defiant, they won't drink when told.
"I want some time with you". It's met with confusion, so the same words are repeated twice more by way of explanation. But without the word 'spend' it is a naked statement. "What do you mean by some time?" The man hesistates, and stops and starts a few sentences, before the conversation slowly blurs into a lack of understanding. The man comments on the soft music in the bar, and the girls sit quietly while he drinks his beer.
The man calls out loud for the waiting staff "Please come here". The words don't soften the harsh nature of the command, and the staff who daily serve Western tourists continue their business without acknowledging him. Eventually he makes his presence known, and his friend has returned to discuss the bill. If you want some money, you take the money. He repeats this twice and holds up the notes. The bill is Rs1500, two days on the beach for a foreign tourist, but the beers the party drank were relatively expensive.
The girls disappear and he speakes to the waiter, who isn't going to handle this and seeks out the manager who is wandering around placing incense as part of evening pooja, Hindu prayer rituals.
"You have rooms"
"No good rooms, no bathroom"
"Don't worry, I don't want bathroom"
"No rooms"
"But I can get room, people checkout"
"No rooms, people staying like 1 month"
"Yar, I want also. You don't have"
"You understand me, we don't have no empty. We don't have checkout, people staying like 1, 2 months no checkout"
"How can I book"
"People just arriving"
"Then I will come here, I contact you"
"I have no possible. No rooms empty"
The girls re-emerge for a walk along the sand with the hanger on, and a last dozen photo moment. It's cooler now and returning to the lodge the last man from Bangalore breaks off to return to his friends.
Nobody noticed it coming, but mid ambiguity over whether the girls are French, their language, or Swiss, the name of Hitler is mentioned. The girls make a shy deflection of the subject by stating that they have nothing to do with Germany. But the speaker continues in a louder tone, something about the atmosphere at the time. This isn't acknowledged by the girls. He increases the force of his delivery. "But listen to me...", "But what I'm saying is that people don't understand what it feels like at the time, they don't understand the reasons". The girls respond that Hitler killed millions of people. The man still louder, one of the friends of the original conversation starter, that these actions were just a consequence of history. That people might have suffered to cause this uprising. The girls respond that the Jews were not at fault in this and Hitler was not fully supported by the people. Switzerland wasn't involved, they only sell arms to both sides. The debate escalates to an imbalanced and conversational rule breaking battle of "Listen to me". Eventually the girls win, through a refusal to acknowledge the speaker until he becomes quiet. But as soon as they have spoken the torrent begins again. The girls don't understand, it's because of the Boston Tea Party. They don't understand because they don't know the Boston Tea Party. What happened is...
One of the men suggests that the girls should have another drink, but is strongly rebuffed. 'If you say to me drink, I don't drink'. It's the wonderful Franglish grammar which is so adorable for it's accent and minor mistakes which show the speaker has nearly mastered at least two languages. 'You can leave now, because we are going to go shower'. The men talk among themselves, drinking a little from the beers. One man picks up his chair, moves around and places it between the girls. It's time for a picture and he places his hand around the waist of one girl for the shot. It then sits on her shoulder for a while as his friend prepares to take a few more. But the fun is over, the friends have to leave, and all of the party bar the conversation starter who is sat between the girls start to make reluctant motions. They are not willing, and only one of the party is standing just outside the restaurant, looking back and imploring them to come to dinner now. The friends are gone and only the one man remains, but the ladies are still defiant, they won't drink when told.
"I want some time with you". It's met with confusion, so the same words are repeated twice more by way of explanation. But without the word 'spend' it is a naked statement. "What do you mean by some time?" The man hesistates, and stops and starts a few sentences, before the conversation slowly blurs into a lack of understanding. The man comments on the soft music in the bar, and the girls sit quietly while he drinks his beer.
The man calls out loud for the waiting staff "Please come here". The words don't soften the harsh nature of the command, and the staff who daily serve Western tourists continue their business without acknowledging him. Eventually he makes his presence known, and his friend has returned to discuss the bill. If you want some money, you take the money. He repeats this twice and holds up the notes. The bill is Rs1500, two days on the beach for a foreign tourist, but the beers the party drank were relatively expensive.
The girls disappear and he speakes to the waiter, who isn't going to handle this and seeks out the manager who is wandering around placing incense as part of evening pooja, Hindu prayer rituals.
"You have rooms"
"No good rooms, no bathroom"
"Don't worry, I don't want bathroom"
"No rooms"
"But I can get room, people checkout"
"No rooms, people staying like 1 month"
"Yar, I want also. You don't have"
"You understand me, we don't have no empty. We don't have checkout, people staying like 1, 2 months no checkout"
"How can I book"
"People just arriving"
"Then I will come here, I contact you"
"I have no possible. No rooms empty"
The girls re-emerge for a walk along the sand with the hanger on, and a last dozen photo moment. It's cooler now and returning to the lodge the last man from Bangalore breaks off to return to his friends.
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