Turned out he was gay and for me to meet someone for the first time in life, I was in a complete shock.
From Agartala, I moved up to Meghalaya and reached Shillong, riding in the mist-covered roads with a light drizzle of rain. The LED light from Aizawl was doing its best. I first reached the Bara bazaar market, the right place to find good weed in Shillong and tried looking for it in the night but with the people's reactions, I felt it was better to drop the idea. The nearby lodge had a room at 500, which wasn't even cleaned after the previous guests checked out. Blankets and used plates were lying around just as they had left. I had no other choice because it was a crowded city and nothing was available on a smaller budget.
As I packed up and started to the living root bridge, I saw a man rolling in the market area of the street. Assuming it was weed, I stopped and asked him. He said it was tobacco, and I asked if I could find weed somewhere and he hooked me up with a porter. He asks me " how much?" I said 200. He took me around the corner and asked me to wait. I had kept my pockets empty to just fill up and move but was in for a surprise. He takes a huge roll the size of my hand. With a mixed feeling, I simply took it and shoved it under the jacket and rode on without stopping for another 20 kilometres. I stopped to check the quality and to my luck, it was the most beautiful score of my life. Pure and green, the perfect Shillong mango with a light flavour. I stopped by a stream to roll one, smoked and it was indeed one of the best. Just mellowed me down to peace. Such a beautiful feeling, just as how weed has to feel.
I trekked down to the root bridge amidst uncountable tourists. Most of them were above their 40s, out of shape, struggling to push themselves up through each step. Some just backed off at the beginning itself. I met a few folks from Bangalore. Greeted them and moved on.
Manas was supposed to catch up in Shillong and we had planned to explore the place for the next 2 days. At the last moment, he was able to manage just a day. He had arranged for a stay in the airforce campus where his friend worked. While I had already reached Shillong and it was getting dark, he got late and was yet to leave Guwahati. He asked me to call his friend and reach the place early and said he would get there eventually.
I called his friend and he asked me to wait until Manas reached, otherwise he would have to come down twice to provide the pass as it was a defence area. I called Manas, told him I would just go grab a beer someplace and wait until he arrived. While I was riding in the town trying to find some beer, a man on a Himalayan came by, just like Shohab Sheikh and asked me about my whereabouts. A boy on a KTM tailed him and we stopped further ahead to have a chat. When he asked me about my plans I said beer and a joint. And when I asked him what he did for a living he shocked me with the answer. He said I’m a police officer! I was like f**k, the right thing to tell the wrong man. Luckily he knew better about Shillong and was cool about it. Moon Sarkar, basically a Bengali, his ancestors had moved to Shillong and now he belonged there. They said they were riding to a cafe for some coffee and I rode along. Bikes, coffee, and conversations. It was a Good time. Manas reached where we were hanging out and then we dispersed.
Reaching the airforce campus, his friend came down and helped us with the documentation and took us to his room. It was a two-bedroom house with a small kitchen and toilet. Kept in a disastrous state, just like the boy's rooms in my college days. We drank and ate some good food before sleeping.
The next day Manas and I planned on riding to Waysaudung, a 3 step waterfall. The biker on the Ktm, Vikram said he would join us and I was always happy with more people. Manas insisted on hurrying but this guy wouldn't reach on time. I suggested waiting but upon Manas' forcing me I decided to ride on. Even after riding another 10 kilometres, there was no sign of the boys. He had company. I called him but no response. I called Moon to check up on him and he called back to say that they had met with an accident. Fortunately, they were just about 500 metres from where we were waiting and so we rushed there. Nothing major had happened, just a tyre cap broke off the car and the gear shifter off the bike. When I reached, I first asked him if he was okay and saw the car guy trying to pull out 3000 and both started bargaining. I asked him if he had his licence and papers. When he said yes, I said let's go file a complaint and in 500 rupees things were solved. The moment I said that the car guy got pissed off. He said pay if you want to pay, or don't, I’m leaving and took off. I came down, apologized and tried to sort it both ways. They agreed on finding a new spare part and he drove off.
The boys tried getting the part from Shillong but were getting delayed. Manas had to ride back to Guwahati and was keen on the waterfall. He just had one day to spare and hardly made time for himself. So we left them and continued to the waterfall. After a hike down through bridges and walkways made with bamboo and tied up with tough creepers and steps that were made of wood which became more like a ladder in various places, we reached the beautiful waterfall. We had bought some rum which was a necessity as it was a challenge getting into the freezing water. The place had some tourists around but only a couple dared to try getting into the water. We gulped some liquor and I took the first dip, came back gulped more and joined him for the next dip. A long time inside can freeze you to death, water as cold as ice. Shivering in the cold we dressed up and rode back. Tired and exhausted I decided I would stay back. But he had to go. After reaching Shillong, Manas rode back to Guwahati and I said I'll join him soon. I was in love with the place, I wanted to stay another day or two. After he left I caught up with Moon and the gang in the evening. They found a stay for me in one of his friend’s room. It was a huge room partitioned with one side having a double bed and a lot of decorative and artistic things on the other. We had a good conversation and went to sleep.
Suddenly in the middle of the night, he asked me, "Can I do it for you?" Turned out he was gay and for me to meet someone for the first time like that in life, I was in a complete shock. He tried to make a move but when I said I was straight, he understood. For me, that night was an unforgettable night. This guy Imran was a disaster. He was a good man but was just too lost, maybe irreparable. We spoke a lot but he was in his own sphere. His room damn, there was no washroom either and he wanted me to stay back for another day. For me, I was done with one sleepless night and he was sure I would whack him if he tried to do anything. I moved out as soon as the sun started shining.I reached Laitlong for another amazing view. The place is so wide that the innumerable tourists didn't matter. Meghalaya is one state with some unique landscapes like nowhere I've ever seen so far. It has places that are beyond beautiful. Artistic, I can say and it's all-natural and well preserved. The people and life too, simple and fun, they worked, they went out, had bonding and everything had the right cost, even food and vegetables.
I found a stay through Couchsurfing. Gopi a doctor from Kerala teaching in a hospital nearby agreed to host me. He was a doctor who realized he couldn't deal with blood and tension so had moved on to teaching. He and his friend were living in a 2bhk house and his friend was out of town. His room was neat while the other was a little messy. I took out the sleeping bag and tried to get some sleep. He bought me breakfast the next morning and I moved towards Guwahati. Home away from home.
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