Interesting story.....the bungalow next to the one in question belongs to an acquaintance and will try and dig up on this. Apparently the Rock/lands end has many such stories including that of the cyclist etc. The place was always spooky.
The Pandurang On Wed, Mar 24, 2021 at 2:28 PM Roland Francis <[email protected]> wrote: > A short fictional creation by Ruhi Rawail, a film writer who lives in > Bandra. > > 211 TO LAND'S END. > > In the early seventies this incident had taken place at Bandra. A friend > of mine whose aunt had worked the same shift as Sheela Lobo (name changed) > in a 5 star hotel near the Bombay airport, narrated it to me. > > Her shift ended at 11 p.m. Sheela used to work at a 5 star hotel which was > a couple of yards away from the Bombay airport. By the time she reached > Bandra station it would be around 12.30 a.m. Dead of the night for other > towns but not for a city like Bombay. Few others too were around going back > home after a long day maybe. Sheela would then take a bus from just outside > the station to get to Land's End which was where she lived. Her everyday > routine. > > She boarded the no.211 bus. It was empty except for two other persons. > Sheela went to the middle and sat at the window seat on the right of the > bus. The conductor approached her and as usual gave her a ticket for her > ride to the last stop. He smiled at her as she was a regular on his route. > > The bus stopped at Lucky Restaurant. Two people got on. First was > obviously a waiter from the restaurant after finishing his shift. The > conductor pulled the bell string to signal all on board. He pointed the > waiter to the back of the bus, but did not even look at the other passenger > who barely managed to board the bus that had started moving. The man was > expensively dressed did not look the kind who took the bus. He moved inside > and sat on the other side of the aisle to where Sheela sat. She felt a > stare and turned to look at him. Their eyes met, he shifted his gaze and > looked out of the window. > > Sheela was stunned. He was exceedingly handsome, immaculately turned out, > wealth written all over him. What was he doing taking a bus at this time of > the night? She shrugged, put her head back closing her eyes. It had been a > hard shift today. > > She opened her eyes. The bus was passing Bandra Police station she > instinctively felt the handsome guy looking her way, she looked towards > him, but he was not looking at her, he was staring at the police station > beyond her window. Odd, thought Sheela and looked away. The bus turned > right at New Talkies and then a little further left into the Bhaba Hospital > lane. As he was now looking out of the window next to his seat, Sheela > looked at him. She was shocked to see his half turned face, agony writ > large on it, go white as a sheet! while staring at the hospital. > > Sheela looked away thinking it to be none of her business, and shut her > eyes again. > > Now the bus was going past the American Bakery,(the site of Salman Khan's > hit & run some 30 yrs later) then St. Andrews Church, just before turning > right into Bandstand. She stole a glance towards him and was startled to > see he was again staring at her. She quickly looked away. The conductor > walked up the aisle ignoring the man and said to her, "your stop next" and > moved on. > > Except the rich guy all other passengers were gone. > The bus stopped near the Agnelo Ashram, Land's End. The last stop. Sheela > got up to leave. As she was stepping out the conductor who stood aside > said, "be careful it’s quite late". He again ignored the rich guy who was > just behind her also getting off the bus. She gave a half smile to the > conductor, and got off the bus. The rich guy now smiled at her as they both > stood a moment before the bus drove off. > > Looking ahead, though aware of his presence, she started walking up the > hill that led to the Mount Mary Church. He caught up with her and said, " > hi, I am Darius Dastoor I live in this bungalow" he pointed to an old > stately yet decrepit house to his left (this bungalow was next to another > heritage mansion, then owned by a rich Parsi, and today owned by Sharookh > Khan). Most stately properties were owned by wealthy Parsis in the > Bandstand area at that time. Sheela smiled and kept walking on. Darius > continued walking besides her. Sheela looked a bit wary. > > The dark night had cloaked the dimly lit hill climb. Sensing her > trepidation, Darius laughed and said, " please dont get nervous I am only > being neighbourly. It's quite late for a girl to be walking alone." > > Sheela smiled and said, " I work the afternoon shift at a 5 star hotel, > this is my daily time to get back home". > Darius smiled back and said, "Oh! I see. Never mind I shall still walk you > up to your home. Where do you live? Sorry dont know your name". > > By now Sheela was comfortable knowing her friendly neighbour and said, > "Sheela Lobo. I live at Marigold apartments, a paying guest at a Parsi > lady's flat. I am from Goa, no roots in Bombay". Darius nodded. They had > reached the gate of Marigold Apartments. He said goodnight to Sheela, as > the watchman stood up and opened the gate. > > She entered the gate, walked past the watchman, turned around a fraction, > to see Darius walk away. Sheela smiled at Darius' retreating back, thinking > "a gentleman".The watchman thought she was smiling at him and was confused. > Sleep was making him imagine things he thought. > > The romance bloomed between the two. Every night then on Darius would > board the 211 no. Bus from the Lucky Restaurant stop knowing Sheela would > be in it going home. He would then go sit next to her turning on his charm. > Sheela would smile and often even giggle at Darius' witty jokes which would > get her a strange disapproving look from the conductor. At the last stop, > Agnelo Ashram, they would both get off the bus with the conductor ignoring > Darius. He too would ignore the conductor, and taking Sheela by the crook > of her arm, walk up the hill with her. > > Two weeks had passed since they first met. One night while riding home > Darius said, " Sheela let's go sit on the rocks at the Bandstand seafront. > The sea looks beautiful from there." > > Sheila's heart lurched. She knew Darius was trying to take their > relationship to the next level. She by now had fallen in love with him. > Sheela said, "not in the night. Let's do it in the evening. Tomorrow I have > an off, but from Monday I am on morning shift. I will return home by 5 p.m. > and if you meet me at that time we could go sit on the rocks" she smiled > coyly. Darius smiled and said " done! I will meet you at Bandra station at > 5.p.m. we will ride the bus together" they looked longingly at each other. > > The next day was Sunday her day off. Sheela got up and shared a morning > cup of tea with her landlady Shireen Marfatia. > Shireen was very fond of Sheela. She looked forward to spending time with > her house guest. > > " Sheela darling you are glowing! Have you met someone?" asked Shireen. > Sheela blushed and replied, " Nothing like that aunty, must be the good > night's sleep, knowing I could wake up late today". > > They both laughed. Shireen sipped her tea. Sheela asked, "Aunty, whom does > the blue painted bungalow down our lane, belong to?" > "Ah! That one!" said Shireen sighing. " it belongs to Pillu and Adesher > Dastoor, but now since a year they have moved to their ancestral property > in the Mahableshwar Hills" > > Shireen looked sad. "what a wonderful couple they were! And their only son > Darius such a lovely boy." > Sheela smiled coyly. Not noticing her blushing Shireen sadly continued. > "Darius was killed in a car accident just outside Lucky Restaurant more > than two year ago. He was fond of sports cars and regularly sped in them in > the wee hours of the morning while coming back from a night in town. On > this night, with his girlfriend besides him, he was driving at breakneck > speed when his car collided with Bus no 211 outside Lucky Restaurant. His > girlfriend a Christian girl died on the spot. Darius gravely injured was > barely alive when the police from Bandra police station rushed to the spot > and took him to Bhaba hospital. They informed the parents but by the time > Pillu and Adesher reached the hospital Darius had already died. Pillu > collaped on seeing Darius' dead body. After a year they left Bombay...." > > Sheela started trembling, blood drained from her face, but oblivious of > her, Shireen rambled on, " Darius only dated Christian girls, that upset > Pillu but he wouldn't listen and then one day he told his mother he was > engaged to Molly, who lived in the Mount Mary orphanage, you know the > orphanage na? Just next to our building?" Shireen stopped to take a breath > then added, " strangelyl after Pillu and Adesher left Bombay every other > month a girl's body is found on the rocks down at Bandstand. Dont know why > these young people commit suicide these days. Even the police is confused. > One day the girl is a happy working girl and the next day she drowns > herself in the sea off the rocks!" > > Shireen scowled lost in thought.....Sheela asked in a whisper " were they > all Christian girls?" > Shireen jumped up! "yes Dikra! thats what the police said! How did you > guess it?" > Sheela said "just a wild hunch" > Shireen nodded but did not make the connection. > > She could not sleep the whole night, just waited for dawn to happen. At 5 > a.m. Sheela Lobo packed all her belongings and left to go to work. She kept > her rent money on the dresser. Shireen was still asleep. Once inside the > hotel Sheela cleared her locker. Then she sat nervously in the staff > cafeteria waiting for the bank in the hotel to open. She closed her > account, left the hotel via the staff exit and ran with her bags to the > airport. Once there she bought a ticket on the next flight to Goa and sat > waiting in the lounge for the boarding call. She trembled with fear, her > eyes tearing up. > > Safe on her flight to Goa, Sheela closed her eyes and relived the points > of events from the time she first met Darius on the bus. > 1) He was too expensively dressed to be taking a bus. > 2) The conductor did not acknowledge him as he did the waiter of Lucky > Restaurant. > 3) Darius stared at her fixedly, a Goan Christian being evident. > 4) He stared past her at Bandra Police station.....from where the Cops > came to the accident site. > 5) Going white as a sheet when the bus passed Bhaba hospital where he was > brought! > 6) The conductor seeing her off ignoring Darius. > 7) The conductor looking disapprovingly at her as she laughed and giggled. > 8) Building Watchman confused seeing her smile in his direction. > 9) The invitation to sit on the rocks. > 10) Police finding the dead bodies of only Christian girls and so > presuming suicide. > > Obviously the conductor ignored Darius and disapproved of her giggles and > the Watchman was confused at the direction of her smile because ......THEY > COULD NOT SEE DARIUS! > > Sheela Lobo never returned to Bombay ever again. Till she lived, she told > her grandchildren this story of how she had fallen in love with a ghost in > Bombay. > > {Ruhi Rawail} > > Roland. > > > -- "Explanation Destroys Art."
