The village of Raia undulates tenderly, rising to hills and sinking to level fields. It is a rich land with the River Zuari skirting its borders that are marked blood red with broad mud banks, which protect the Khazan or reclaimed lands near the river. The Khazans are fertile fields where everything that sustains a Goan can be grown 바카라 red rice, vegetables like tambdi baji (amaranth) and even small fish and succulent prawn, whose spawns are released in these fields. Every decade, the Khazans are flooded by the river water to cure the fields of pests.
Ignacio Fernandes sits on the banks of a Khazan, waiting for his friends to join him this summer afternoon. He trudged up the tiny road that leads to the settlement of prawn breeders at Zuari village, a spot of land reclaimed from the river. On his way, he passed by the huge Rachol seminary that stands like a white sentinel, watching over the green fields. The bank Ignacio sits on will be swallowed up by the rising waters of the river during high tide, but right now, Ignacio dips his feet into the ankle-high water on the side of the bank and has used an old basket fashioned from palm fronds to catch some fat prawns. He skewers them on a twig and fashions a fish line from a stick and a small piece of rope, attaches a tiny prawn on one end and aims for a pool of frisky mackerel, waiting for them to bite.
ALSO READ: Tears Of The Mermaid: The Melancholy Of Goa
The idea of meeting here at Zuari was Ignacio바카라s, as most plans always are. 바카라Let바카라s meet and have some urrack and a picnic바카라. The others soon arrived, as fast as Joveniano바카라s cycle could carry the two. Ignacio was happy to see his friends, Joveniano and Caetano, especially when they showed him the extra urrack 바카라quarter바카라 tucked under Caetano's arm. The afternoon was laid out here for the three friends--gulp down a few fingers of the cloudy drink, wait for the cool river breeze to coax the alcohol to kick in, and then take the fresh river catch back to a dry spot to cook up some tonant bazlole bangdey (hay fried mackerel).
The amigos settled down on the banks, and took large sips of the sweet yet fiery drink. 바카라Saude바카라 they cheered, and waited for fish to bite.
바카라I need to get married soon,바카라 said Ignacio. Caetano, who was already sweating profusely as the urrack began unwinding in his spindly 21-year-old body, was suddenly alert, hearing Ignacio바카라s insane declaration. Ignacio, their fair and short 바카라amigo바카라 who had just returned after a long boat ride from Bombay, India, must have already had too much to drink.
바카라Why do you want to do such a silly thing? You are only 21,바카라 said Joveniano, who overheard what Ignacio had said. As the eldest of the trio at 23, he had already managed to find himself a steady job at the Radio Mondial shop in Margao. He was their main mechanic. He loved fixing things.
Ignacio was quiet. 바카라I don바카라t want to leave Mae all alone when I am on the ship. They say I have to sail back in December. Joveniano, what is the name of the girl in Nuvem? You said she was pretty."
Joveniano who was busy dusting the red mud off his white blouse and pants, was stumped. 바카라Kaun te? Which girl? Wait, I got something on the line,바카라 he yanked and pulled out a modoshi (lady fish), its light pink body shimmering in the afternoon sun.
The boys got busy with the cleaning up of the few mackerels and a couple of lady fish that soon filled up their paante (basket). Their actions were slow thanks to the arrack. As they gutted the fish, the red insides tumbled down the mud of the banks, back as fodder, into the Khazan water.
The boys took off to a shady spot under the mango tree near Raia gate. This archway built during the reign of Adil Shah of Bijapur, before the Portuguese made Raia, the verdant spot near the Zuari, their first stop in Salcete district. Raia was the first region to be Christianised. The first church at Rachol, Raia, was built in 1565.
On this sunny day in May 1933, centuries after Christianity found fertile ground in Goa, Ignacio and his friends chose the same spot to mark out their future plans. The church bells chimed in the distant announcing noon prayers. Joveniano had carried a small hay bundle on his bicycle. He laid out the hay and topped it with the gutted fish. He rubbed salt over the fish pieces, covered it with a handful of hay and set it on fire.
With a big flare, the hay was soon a bed of embers and ash. The boys dusted the hay off the crisp fish, flipped the filets, and sprinkled more salt on the raw bits. With another layer of fresh hay laid on the upturned fish, they set it on fire, again. After a few minutes they waited for their smoky picnic meal to cool.
바카라I know the Nuvem girl you are talking about. Inaz. But she is very dark, you won바카라t like her." Ignacio was inspecting the bronzed fish, dusting the cooled ash off with a twig, pinched the tail of a cooked lady fish and placed it in his palm over the banana leaf he was holding. He then splashed some urrack from his glass on the fish. 바카라Let바카라s eat first. There is a reason I need to marry this girl.바카라
The tender white meat had them quiet for a while, munching softly, taking more swigs of the drink. Caetano had brought a raw mango which they sliced with a pen knife, the mango slivers were a sour hit with the sweet fish meat. This was a snack they ate often at the local tinto, but here just between the amigos, it was like a secret pact. 바카라I will be gone for the whole year, every year. Doriya cher begin paonay. We don바카라t travel fast on the sea,바카라 said Ignacio, looking at the plucked burnt tail fin in his hand. 바카라I don바카라t want my wife to sleep around with other men. If she is dark, she will not flirt with other men. No one will try to woo her in my absence,바카라 he concluded.
Caetano burst out laughing. 바카라Arrey foddya...in the night it doesn바카라t make a difference if the girls are fair or dark.바카라 Ignacio laughed as well. They then spoke of the other girls they saw at church. Filomena and her sisters, Artemis who had a limp but also was very voluptuous. They had nicknames for all the women. It was strange that Ignacio would choose an unattractive woman so that she would be loyal to him. Ignacio, who came from a respected family in Raia, whose forefathers had lived in Raia for centuries. The cemetery holds the bones of all his ancestors. Why would he choose a girl from Nuvem?
Ignacio, however, had made up his mind. As the light afternoon meal of baajleleo modoshi and sungta (fried mackerels and prawns) and drink had lulled them to sleep, Ignacio got Caetano to promise him that he would accompany him to Nuvem later that week.
바카라Voi re,바카라 said Caetano, "I바카라ll come". They were friends for a long time. He would accompany him to see that 바카라dark바카라 girl.
Later that Sunday, Ignacio went off to Nuvem church to pray instead of his homestead of Our Lady of Snows Raia. He took in the arches and the high ceiling of the church, but was not moved. The church of Our Lady of Snows was much grander, the architecture told a story of where the first priests came from, a land where it snowed. No Nuvem church could hold a candle against the history. Ignacio felt proud of where he came from. Right now however he had other pressing non architectural things on his mind.
ALSO READ: Goa Diary: Believe It Or Not, I Am Goan
The priest conducted the two-hour-long mass in Latin, his robed back turned towards the congregation. The church was not well ventilated and Ignacio felt suffocated in his black suit and chemise. He stepped out of the church mid service, waiting for the elderly gentleman to step out, eventually.
바카라Senor! Senor Gomes!,바카라 An elderly man -- reed thin in a sharp coat, sweating profusely, yet giving his arm to an old bent woman whose crochet head scarf covered most of her face -- stopped abruptly. Who was this boy?
바카라Senor, I바카라m Igancio Fernandes from Firgeum bhat Raia. This is about your daughter. Well, your youngest,바카라 said Ignacio, the glare from Mr. Gomes for this intrusion was searing.
바카라I have only one daughter, yes. What about my cholle?바카라 asked Gomes suspiciously. The audacity of this upstart of a boy to ask about his dear Piedade. His only daughter. A child who was born to him after several petitions at the shrine of Nossa Senhora de Bom Parto to give him a daughter he could pamper. His four sons were too boisterous for his liking. His daughter though pretty however had her flaws, she was also short tempered. At 23, she was still unmarried. Her dark complexion or rather his own bequeathed to his only precious offspring, had kept suitors away.
But today under the hot May sun, here is a complete stranger, asking after his Piedade. 바카라I have a proposal for her. My friend Caetano Da Cunha from Damon, Raia would like to marry her,바카라 said Ignacio hurriedly. He believed his lie, and it was easier to continue. 바카라He has been a student of the Lyceum and has topped his class. He has just started working for the government of Estado Portuguesa in Lisboa, he works for their shipping department,바카라 said Ignacio. 바카라I can get you a formal letter later in the day from his parents. They would be delighted to visit your home,바카라 said Ignacio.
Gomes was taken aback. The Da Cunha바카라s owned land from Collea Dongor to Santemol. 바카라Come back later this evening. I will talk to you further," said Gomes, as he walked away.
Ignacio went over to Piedade바카라s house in the evening, just as her father had asked. But he didn바카라t have the patience of having another meeting or two before he got to see Piedade. So he asked Caetano to join him for a stroll in the markets of Margao. "Dress well," he told him. Caetano, unaware of Ignacio바카라s grand plans, thought it was a night out to see the new band playing at Longuinhos. He was ready at 4 pm, Ignacio came in a carrier to pick him up. 바카라A car? For us? This is nice,바카라 said Caetano. However, he did notice that Ignacio was dressed only in his pantaloons and a white shirt. 바카라Tu neslo na?바카라 You didn바카라t bother dressing up? Then why did you ask me to dress up?바카라 Ignacio winked at him and asked the driver to hurry up to Nuvem.
Caetano was nervous. 바카라Ignacio, my father will kill me if he knows I have been roaming around the countryside looking at girls. Mr. Gomes will be furious. He will complain to the church. Ignacio don바카라t do this,바카라 pleaded Caetano after Ignacio filled him in on his plan. But Ignacio continued to bribe him with promises of perfumes from France and knives from Tokyo. Caetano stumbled up the porch of the Gomes household, a villa with a large balcao. A maid ushered the boys, and asked them to wait in the salla.
A line-up of Jesus, Mary, St. Francis Xavier looked down on the two sinners standing in the sala from the elaborate altar of the Gomes family. Ignacio saw the silhouette of Mr Gomes approaching. He was dressed in loose pantaloons and a shirt. 바카라Ignacio! Yes...good of you to come. Who is this?바카라
"This is Caetano."
바카라What? Saiba...is this the boy? Why did you not tell us he was coming along?,바카라 blurted Senor Gomes.
Gomes excused himself after asking the boys to have a seat, and appeared again after 15 minutes, dressed in his best suit. He apologised to Caetano for making them wait. As a farmer, Mr Gomes had a lot of people in his employ, mundkars who took care of his fields, and their wives helped run his household.
"Ignacio, this is short notice, I asked you to come alone,바카라 he mumbled.
바카라Senor Caetano, we shall speak at leisure. Let me get you some snacks and perhaps an horchata?바카라 He directed the maid who was eyeing the boys from behind the lace curtain at the end of the salla. Ignacio got up promptly, 바카라Allow me to accompany her. I shall get a better look at your house. You can speak to your future son in law privately.바카라 And he swiftly followed the maid.
The kitchen was already abuzz with the news of two young men who were here to see Piedade. The kitchen staff was stumped to see Ignacio walking in. He quickly put them at ease with a lie. "I am not the groom, just a friend."
Piedade was in the kitchen too. Ignacio was glad she was here. She was quick and comfortable in the kitchen. She laid out the cream puffs, and insisted on making the tea herself. She offered him a taste of the bebinca, "made of 20 egg yolks and 15 layers". Ignacio tried to get her to speak more, he asked her where the grinding stone was, but Piedade cut him off, she said she had to go dress up; her father may call her to meet the groom. Ignacio waved her request away. 바카라Senor Gomes won바카라t let Caetano meet you right away. Not today.바카라
Piedade then took Ignacio to the back kitchen, a simpler set up with open fires, a huge mud platform for the grinding stone and for vats to store the day바카라s kanji. She pointed to the grinding stone, 바카라I spend a lot of time here. It is peaceful,바카라 she said. She then bent over and took out a bankin, a low bench, so he could sit comfortably. She felt shy, as he watched her intently. He was good looking, fair and smart. But he was short. Shorter than the men she had seen at the Christmas ball, the smart boys who knew all the dances and could sing mandos.
Ignacio told her about his trips on the ship, the big buildings in Macau, the best knives and scissors made from Japanese steel. He asked her if she stitched, cleaned, washed, and could cook a whole Leitao (pig suckling). Piedade was flushed, but answered steadily without meeting his gaze.
After the snacks-- a tempting tray with slices of bebinca, dodol, doce de grao-- were sent out for Caetano, after half an hour of not hearing any call for her. Piedade decided she had spent too much time with this stranger in her kitchen. Her mother who was at the neighbours house had just arrived at the back kitchen. 바카라Avoi!바카라 called out Piedade, 바카라Did you hear?바카라 Her mother, Isabelle, caught Ignacio standing too close to her daughter. She yanked her away and asked her who this boy was. Piedade explained that it was Caetano바카라s friend. Caetano was the man who had come to ask for her hand in marriage. Isabella cursed herself for having gone to her friend, Terezinha바카라s house, on this very day that Piedade got a proposal!
But now that Isabella was here in time, to warn her daughter. She whisked Piedade to her bedroom. 바카라These boys are like dogs in heat,바카라 she whispered to her daughter. 바카라Don바카라t talk. Don바카라t be seen with them when their parents are not around,바카라 she said.
With Piedade gone, and the maids watching him with hawk eyes, Ignacio decided it was time to rescue Caetano. Ignacio ventured out to the salla to find Caetano drenched in sweat. Mr Gomes was standing next to him, livid. 바카라This boy is hopeless Ignacio. Why did you even think of getting such a match? Who are you boys? Malciriado. Get out of my house,바카라 he boomed.
Ignacio and Caetano bowed and ran out. They ran till the end of the lane, and stood out of breath, laughing and visibly relieved to be out of the Gomes household. Caetano was furious. 바카라What were you doing? Foddya...you got me killed.바카라 Ignacio hugged his friend and said thank you amigo, 바카라I know who I am going to marry. Piedade, dark and lovely like Tonant Bazlole Bangde.바카라 He winked.
Next week, Ignacio went to Gomes' household with his mother Lourdina. He apologised and asked the father for his daughter바카라s hand in marriage, this time for himself. Gomes, who was furious at first, laughed at his son-in-law -to-be바카라s cunning. Ignacio바카라s parents visited Gomes' household later that week with aunts and uncles in tow. Piedade stood waiting in the corridor to the salla, behind the lace curtain, hoping to speak to Ignacio. She had to tell him she didn바카라t like being fooled. She didn바카라t want a short husband. But she did not dare oppose her father. Everyone congratulated the dark Piedade of having snared a 바카라fair바카라 husband.
(This appeared in the print edition as "All is 바카라FAIR바카라 in LOVE")
Sharon Fernandes is a goa-based journalist and author
