Things That Bang

She huffily threw her keys down on the table and sat down.

"I've had it with these people! I was about to park and this dumb-ass pulled in and took the spot. I had to drive the entire block to find parking. Can you believe it?!"

Sonali smiled at her friend and handed her a chilled glass of Kingfisher " Hello to you too. Have a sip."

Arundhati took a small sip and made a face. She wasn't much of a beer drinker.

"There are times I really hate Indians! They are so inconsiderate." She said loudly and people sitting around them looked at her but she didn't care and she continued her harangue.

"They pee, shit in public, throw trash any where and every where, they are so corrupt, they are so- "

"Yeah, I know- inconsiderate. Why don't you look at the menu and see what you want to eat? I am famished!" Sonali handed the menu to her friend.

Arundhati looked at the Menu and continued to speak " Crass, uncouth Indians!! I think I will have a Garden omelet. And some Fresh Lime soda without sugar."

Sonali tried to catch the waiter's eye.

"Where is that man? Killing a chicken?"

Arundhati laughed at her friend's half hearted attempt at a joke. She was already in a good mood and had forgotten the entire parking episode.

At the nearby table Suresh had a hard time controlling his temper. The two uppity women had pissed him off with their bitching.

"Crass? Uncouth Indians? Whats wrong with those women?" He hissed to his companion who was busy wolfing down his biryani.

"Huh?" the biryani guy looked up at his friend who flicked his head towards the girls who were sitting on the adjacent table.

"Didn't you hear that woman bitch about India?" he hissed and gave the girls a dirty look which went unnoticed.

"Why? What did they say?" the biryani guy broke the chicken bone and sucked the marrow and eyed the cutlet his friend had yet not eaten. Was Suresh going to eat that cutlet? He was still hungry despite finishing his plate of biryani.

“Some guy grabbed her parking space and she blamed all of us for the shit she faced. I mean, we Indians do our bit. We are considerate and polite. We are the happiest people in the world and very hard working. Why do rich people like her always sell our country short? Inconsiderate she said!! I say – she is inconsiderate!!”

With that he took a bite of his cutlet and got angrier. The biryani guy sat back to watch the fireworks.

Suresh looked around for the waiter and snapped his fingers to get attention

“Waiter!! Waiter!!” he shouted and the girls on the nearby table gave him a sweeping look and went back to their conversation.

The waiter hurried over to Suresh’s table

“Sir?” he mumbled. He was bone tired. He needed the money and was on his second shift.

“Why is my cutlet cold? Whats wrong with you people? What kind of service is this?” Suresh picked up his plate and shoved it against the waiter’s belly.

The waiter automatically grabbed the plate; he opened his mouth to speak but closed it. He needed the job.

The biryani guy knew the cutlet had gone cold because Suresh had been too busy eyeballing the women but decided to keep his peace.

“Get me a new cutlet and make it quick. And don’t you add it to the bill. You hear me? Or else I will talk to the owner about you. I know him very well. Go get me my food.”

Suresh lit a cigarette and took a long drag and leaned against his chair.

Arundhati coughed. Suresh had blown right on her face.

“Jeez! Dude! Be a little more considerate! You blew right on my face.” Arundhati spoke in between her coughing.

“It’s a smoking zone. “ Suresh replied haughtily

Arundhati glared “Don’t you know that you aren’t supposed to blow into peoples’ faces? That is the first rule of smoking!”

Suresh gave her a dirty look and took another drag of his cigarette and blew the smoke in the air.

“Rude fellow!” Arundhati said loudly and turned her back to him before he could reply.

The waiter came back with the omelet and Fresh lime soda and placed it before Arudhati.

She noticed how tired he looked.

“Been a long day?” She asked

The waiter nodded and was about to move off when Suresh snapped at him

“Well? Where is my food? I swear!! I will never return to this place again!”

As he went on brow beating the waiter Arundhati rolled her eyes and muttered to Sonali “Bloody Inconsiderate Indian!!”