It is all your fault Kirpalani's (standard:travel stories, 1194 words)
Author: Juggernaut	Added: Jul 14 2013	Views/Reads: 3203/1856	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Juggernaut'f friend Belal got into a jam for dating a woman from the department store Kirpalani's in Trinidad.

Click here to read the first 75 lines of the story


she was from. She wants me to meet her at the Palladium cinema to 

watch an Indian movie with her this Saturday,” Belal rolled his eyes 

behind thick glasses, with his well greased black hair parted at dead 

enter, he appeared more like a lonely poet from Bengal desperate to 

find a woman. 

“You should fill me with all details after the first date,” 

Juggernaut was encouraging. 

For next several weeks, all Belal talk was about his new girl 

friend Preemathi from Caroni and how she was good in the bed with 

explicit details people don't want to hear.  He was tied down at home 

so much, he couldn't find time or need to visit the department stores 

any more. 

One day, Belal barged into the lab to announce that he asked 

Preemathi to move in to take care of him. 

“You mean like a live-in girl friend,” asked Juggernaut. 

“Yes, yes, I want her to be my live-in girl friend,” Belal 

liked the expression live-in girl friend. 

Days and weeks went by, Belal was nowhere to find.  Everybody 

in the lab assumed that he was busy enjoying new life with his live-in 

girl friend.  Then suddenly, Belal dropped by the lab one morning.  He 

looked haggard, gone sparkle in his eyes instead with unshaven face he 

looked more like Bengali poets known for writing melancholy material. 

“What happened to you? You look tired as if your girl friend 

worn you down?” Juggernaut was perplexed; just few weeks ago Belal was 

on top of the world for having a live-in girl friend. Coming from an 

orthodox Muslim family in Bangladesh, from day one on arriving in 

Trinidad, he couldn't wait to get a girl friend, now with a live-in 

girl friend, everybody expected Belal to be the happiest man in the 

world. 

“Preemathi was giving me hell, do you know she has 3 children 

from her previous marriage, the children from 4 to 8 years old also 

moved in with her. My apartment was turned into an Indian bazaar. She 

was busy attending to her children. They all hate fish and all 

Preemathi wants to cook was tomato choka, curry goat and roti.  You 

know I am Bengali; all I eat is fish curry and steamed rice. In the 

evening they all sing Hindu Bhajans in harmony before dinner. All I 

wanted was an Indian girl friend from Trinidad instead I stuck with a 

house wife from Caroni with three kids  She didn't tell me that she 

was a mother of 3 children when we were going out, she trapped me,” 

Belal sat with his both hands holding his head as if it may drop off 

anytime. 

“Well, you moved too fast, you should have just dated her on 

the weekends rather than asking her to move in.” 

“True, true, I was all excited and carried away to have a girl 

friend; coming from conservative family in Bangladesh, it was all fast 

for me here in Trinidad.” 

Juggernaut noticed local news paper on the desk with headlines 

that read “Kirpalani's filed for bankruptcy.” Juggernaut was still 

holding the news paper as if he found a solution for Belal's 

problem. “You can file for bankruptcy to evict your girl friend.” 

“Can I file for bankruptcy?”  Belal scratched his head. 

“Well, if Kirpalani's can file for bankruptcy, you can,” 

Juggernaut showed the news paper to Belal. 

“All my fellowship money was going to support her and her 

kids.  I wish I never met her,” Belal was despondent. 

“It was at Kirpalani's you met Preemathi, now Kirpalani's was 

broke and you shall consider filing for bankruptcy in the court on the 

grounds that  you were broke and cannot support Preemathi,” Juggernaut 

tried to find a reason for bankruptcy. 

“It was all Kirpalani's fault, I wish Kirpalani's was shut 

down well before I came to the island, without Kirpalani's I would not 

have met Preemathi,” Belal was still pondering over his frequent 

visits to the store that landed him in trouble. 

Mr. Kirpalani died suddenly leaving his stores that went broke 

to file for bankruptcy. Belal was so desperate to find a girl friend 

moved too fast landing in money troubles. Later Belal reverted to his 

old customs and married a religious woman from his country that loved 

to cook fish every day. 

Juggernaut's thoughts on Belal's visits to Kirpalani's and 

aftermath events with his live-in girl friend Preemathi led him to 

write a calypso “It is all your fault Kirpalani's.” 

It is all your fault Kirpalani's 

I was a regular at Kirpalani's 

Drupathi, Neelavathi, Paravathi 

All the sales girls were pretty at Kirpalani's 

I met my first date Preemathi at Kirpalani's 

Walking into Preemathi's life was like 

Stepping into Caroni swamp 

One way in 

No way out 

I wish I never met Preemathi 

It is all your fault Kirpalani's 


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