The hostel mess was brimming with students lined up and eating their breakfast with the usual chit chats. The aroma of the food striked Amit and Sasi who had come to this new hostel. They went deeper into the mess and finally entered the main kitchen. The aroma grew stronger and stronger while the both of them followed it wafting through rows of the children.
The main kitchen was a bit messy with bits of onion peels and garlic all around the floor. The chefs were busy cooking with their movements hasty. As both of them wandered for a bit, they suddenly saw the reason they came to this hostel - Hussain, who was in the corner having some coffee and chitchatting with a junior fellow of the kitchen.
"Good morning, sir....",Amit greeted him.
Hussain looked away from the junior guy and looked at both of them and signaled them to sit down. He whispers into the ears of the junior cooking guy and the guy nods and leaves the three of them alone, in a surrounding of fast movement and pull n push.
"Good morning. Will you have some fruits?"
"No, sir we have had our breakfast already."
"Nice", said Hussain and looked at the apple. Droplets of water were present on the smooth surface of the red apple and Hussain smiled a little bit looking at it.
"You know, I never understood why they washed fruits before eating it. I mean, there could be germs that love water and moisture or maybe some germs that are thirsty", he says and takes a bite.
Both of them nod half heartedly to his amateur scientific claim.
"Isn't it a weird place to have our first meeting?"
Hussain laughs and pats on the back of both of them.
"No, not at all. Infact it's the best place to understand our business."
"Here?"
"Yup. Turn around and see that guy in the orange shirt."
Both turn around and try to look for him. Both catch the glimpse of a moderately obese student with red spectacles and acne all over the cheeks.
"That guy?"
"He is our costumer".
They both nod and keep looking at the guy.
"So what are we doing here?"
"Our costumer is now going to point out towards a girl who will come to have her special Sunday chocolate milkshake like everyone else. But her chocolate milkshake will be extra special - it will have sedatives".
"What?", Sasi exclaims and Hussain keeps a finger on his lips and signals him to shut down.
"This is not your uncle's anniversary. Talk slowly. This is to slow her brain a little bit so that the Raining Jacket can influence her easily."
The guy in the orange shirt calls them by his hand. Hussain nods. The guy points to girl coming to the counter to take her milkshake.
"The guy is pointing towards the girl. Look at her carefully and don't forget her face."
They looked behind. They saw a thin, fair girl with her hair tied came to the counter.
Amit and Sasi now look towards Hussain.
"She is out of her league. Totally", Amit says and suddenly remembers the girl who pranked him and takes a sigh.
"That's what's remarkable about the Raining Jacket. It completely shatters the human attraction theory of our brain and manipulates it."
The young boy, who was talking to Hussain earlier, brings her a glass of milkshake.
"What if the milkshake is not for her but for someone else?", asks Sasi.
"It had happened once though. But the chances are slim. I don't think any human being is so generous to stand in a long queue and take the required for someone else. Anyways see. She is having it."
The girl gulps down a bit and scrolls down her phone. Hussain does a thumbs up to his costomer. Then Hussain signals the costumer to meet outside.
"Come on. Here our work is over. Let's get the fuck out of here."
They get out of the hostel and stand near the parking lot. Their customer jogs towards them. Hussain pats him on the back and nods his head smilingly.
"Have you talked to that girl? "
"Quite a few times this week. Is this really gonna work?"
"Of course. Otherwise as promised, your money will be returned in seven working days. Anyways give her phone number".
"I haven't called her though. I picked up the number from the register."
The costomer whatsapps the number to Hussain. Hussain then whatsapps the number to the two of them.
"Meet this two pigs. Sasi and Amit. They will be working for me now."
"Oh That's nice. First year?"
"Yeah".
"Okay. But Hussain, if I only had to go to the girl and talk to her, then what's your device doing?"
"It's important for her to know that you exist. Otherwise her mind would make her mad. Now when she knows that you exist, her brain will have some logic as to what's happening".
"How long will it take? Before you know, things start to happen."
"As I said, around a week. But everyday, you have to talk to her. Something, no matter how trivial the talk is. Maybe ask her extra pen or assignments or something."
The guy puts his hands inside his pockets nodding slyly while looking at the tiny shrubs that had grown out of the creeks and crevices of the wall.
"That's great. Keep me updated. I am going for my classes".
"Of course", Hussain pats him on the back while he takes out his bicycle and goes away.
"Follow me", Hussain says to both of them. Hussain takes them to another hostel. This hostel seemed a bit old with the red walls blackened a bit and cracks all around. The banyan trees were a bit overgrown. A small bench, made of coloured marble had a crack in the middle and had taken solace in performing the duties of a temporary dustbin with small paper plates and capless bottles scattered around it. They go into the hostel and enter the a big hall with the receptionist's desk at the corner.
The receptionist read a newspaper, with an oversized spectacle at the tip of his nose. He got the sense of the three and gentlemen and looked above from the newspaper while adjusting his glasses to an appropriate place on the nose.
The two follow Hussain while Hussain goes forward and handshakes the old man with fake enthusiasm.
"You piece of shithole", the old man says, while shaking his hands," now the hostel doesn't allow outsiders to enter the hostel. So please, in appropriate and legal terms, fuck off."
"Uncle, just listen to me!", Hussain says, maintaining his fake enthusiasm," You have known me for what? Four years?"
"So? "
"As an old companion, won't you let me get in?"
"Son, time based relations don't really work for me at this age. I have known my enemies more longer".
"How much?", Hussain now slides into a less enthusiastic, low voice.
"You think you student bugger can bribe me?"
"Today's cigarettes from me. What say?"
"You think that's a bribe?"
"Think of it as a gift".
"Today's not my birthday".
"No worries. Then gift me a return gift. Allow us to go in."
"No way, my boy. Just fuc…you know what. And don't try to sneak in thinking that I am busy reading the newspaper. I am extra alert when I am reading".
The receptionist goes back into reading the newspaper, sliding the glasses to the tip of his nose. The three give a grave look to the old man and are about to go away when a student calls out Hussain.
"Hussain brother! Wait! They are not allowing visitors to get in nowadays. Due to the cases in the campus."
Hussain laughs and hugs him.
"Boys, meet one of my earliest costumers. This is Naveen, third year computer science student."