(.....contd) Grandpa dabbled water on his cheeks and rubbed himself dry with a towel. He walked over to the bed and picked up the watch. He held it in his hands. He looked at the long and elegant second-hand move a full circle over the Roman numerals that lit with fluorescent green radium at night. "Omega," he murmured in a small and proud voice. Babu ran back and delivered the message. The old man pulled in his clean clothes and searched for his walking stick. Babu found it hanging from the door. "What are they going to do with the bull, Grandpa?" "Oh! It is for Ratu," said Grandpa climbing doen the wooden stairs that creaked. The stair landing was filled with smoke. "Why don't you open the door, let the smoke out..." Grandpa shouted towards the kitchen where Grandma was blowing on a bamboo pipe to make fire. She was too busy to respond. Grandpa let out a cough and walked out. Babu followed curiously intent on an adventure. "If you want to come, get your sandals," Grandpa said and walked on. Ratu was so called because she was brownish in color though it literally meant red. Grandma could trace Ratu's lineage to a cow that she had got in her dowry and she loved Ratu as if she were her own child. Ratu, who had big, watery eyes, fascinated Babu having never seen a cow upclose in his seven years of life. Ratu eyelids were so black Babu thought she was wearing eyeliner. The cow-shed was behind the house. When Babu reached there Badri was whistling to the bull. It was a big brown bull and it snarled and swung his head from side to side as if it were a mad dog. Its large mouth was frothy and it curled its lip upward and put its nozzle below Ratu's tail. Two strangers were holding ropes tied to its neck on two sides and Ratu's head was stuck with crisscrossed bamboos. Grandpa stood on his stick at a distance and gave instructions to whistle louder to Badri. The bull leaped up and landed its chest on Ratu's back and Badri whistled ever so loudly and the two men pulled harder. Ratu mooed a wild and painful cry. Babu ran back home. Granny was cutting onions. The fire was burning better now and it gave less smoke. But Babu's eyes watered. 'Grandma, Grandma, they have a big bull outside," he said, breathless from the run. "Oh! Are Badri and Grandpa there?" "Yes, they are. But Badri is whistling like a fool and Grandpa is just watching." "Then it's all right." "No, Grandma, it is Ratu. The bad bull is trying to jump on her back. Let's go, please, she is wailing, she will die." Grandma looked at him for a moment and said, "You should not talk about it." She let out a small laugh and pointed her finger to the sky saying, "God will punish you. They are doing it because Ratu needs a baby. It is all right. Just stay here till they are gone." "Baby? Is that how cows get babies?" But he did not wait for the answer. He ran back to the shed. One of the strangers were now talking with Grandpa. The bull still had frothy mouth but was more calm. Badri had tied Ratu to the wooden pole inside the shed where she stood sedately. "So how do you like Kachide?" the other stranger, who was washing his hands in the tap beside the shed asked as he saw Babu. "Fine." "You are here for vacation? How is your father?" he inquired as he dried his hands on the sleeves of an old jacket he was wearing. It had dark smudges where it had started to permanently fold. "He is all right. Where did you get that big bull?" Babu pointed his finger to the bull. They all laughed. "I bought it at the cattle market. Do you want a bull like it?" "No. I like Ratu better." Grandpa took out one hundred rupee bill and handed it over to one of them who thanked him. As he pulled back his hand, Grandpa managed a long glance at his wrist. "I got this watch from Rajendra. Swiss," he said casually. They said it looked really nice. "Omega, they are the best watch makers in the world," Babu quipped. The strangers then asked for leave and led the brown bull by a rope. It followed in slow, deliberate steps. (......contd) ---- mG.