Beautiful Girl Across the River

 My friend, Sukham , he is a weird, white, chick-like guy. And of course he is the person who did this very weird heroic thing - he crossed the river. He didn’t even know how to swim. That’s where the funny and the risky part comes in. And how it all happened was so quick.

Four of us boys came to the river to take bath and it was in a summer noon. We approached nearby a huge bridge where the current was a bit stronger and faster. We all striped away our clothes, except for our underwear , and stowed them somewhere proper. And we started taking bath nearby the bridge. The bank and the bottom of the  river were full of huge stones and if we happen to be carried away by the current, we will probably hit the stones and break some of our bones.

Anyway, we were swimming short distances in the river nearby the bank. Sometimes we were diving and catching each another’s stomach under the water. Sometimes we took breaks and came up on the bank to sundry ourselves for a while. That’s how we were playing and enjoying the noon. Then the shit was about to happen.

A white maruti car came up driving along the broad bank on the another side of the river. It stopped and a young man (probably of our age) and a girl stepped out of the car. There, just a few yards downwards the river, they began to step down into the river with their clothes on. And then they began swimming nearby the bank, on the other side of the river. My friends and I took notice of their playful activity. Later we came to know from our ‘brave’ friend (Sukham) that she was the girlfriend of one friend of the accompanying man. So, technically, she was cheating on her boyfriend.

Soon, the couple started playing throwing water on each other. My chick-like friend and an another friend, decided to move downstream and swim at the spot just opposite  to where the couple was playing in the water. So, they went and they started swimming. Two of us remained however, and continued swimming.

Then I thought I saw the girl waving her hand to my chick-like friend. I didn’t give particular attention then. What infuriated me shortly was when he started crossing the river towards the opposite bank just by walking under the water. The two of us got really furious considering his carelessness and irresponsibility. Firstly, he was careless because he could have drowned in the river. And secondly, he was irresponsible because the place was a tribal dominated region and we could have been chopped to death by them if they got insulted by this particular ‘brave’ action of my friend.

Well, he crossed the river anyhow. He was in fact holding a big stone on both his hands while crossing the river so that it will pull his body down to the bottom of the river and help his feet in holding the ground to the bottom of the river.  He did struggle in the middle of the river for a while, which was probably the deepest point across the width of the river, but he did cross the river and went up to the women. And, there they started talking and playing with each other in the water. I thought, I will give him him a punch in the face for risking the lives of all of us for a mere girl. The girl wasn’t even his girlfriend.

For a while he got so interested with the girl that he didn’t turn back towards us. When he did turn back, we gestured to him to come back, which he did after a while.

Then, all his bravery were gone suddenly. When he started to cross the river to return, he felt weak and timid. He didn’t have the guts to cross back the river again. So he went back to the bank, and started shouting to us for helping him out. Well he was standing under the bridge so he could have used the bridge to cross the river. But that would mean that he was walking over the crowded bridge while wearing only underpants. And that would be very shameful in front of all those decent passersby.

Anyway, he returned back to us safely. My another friend who was with me the whole time crossed the river and brought him back, holding him at his right hand while swimming across the river, dragging him along as he swam. Funny sight though. And I scolded him as soon as he safely reached the bank.

Luckily for us, no one troubled us later. Thanks to our fate.