The Indian health spa

I was staying at the Obarock Hotel in Calcutta. When I wanted to make my reservation to fly to Pondicherry, I didn’t feel like going to the airline lady in the lobby, so I asked Ranjana to go. We had decided not to make any definite reservation but to just get information.

The next day, when I went back, the lady said that since we had already made a reservation, we had to pay a cancellation fee. So I got mad and went to Air India and asked them to check my reservation. My name was not in the computer, which means the lady in the hotel had not even made the reservation. In the evening, the lady phoned me in my hotel room and said, “Mr. Ghose, you have to pay a cancellation fee of 160 rupees.”

I said, “Thank you. Now look here!” Then, all of a sudden, I started talking English. I said, “Now tell me, do you want me to tell the police to arrest you or shall I tell the manager so he will fire you? I have been to the airline. My name was not in the computer, so a cancellation fee is out of the question. I am coming downstairs to the lobby.”

The phone rang even before I opened the door. The lady said, “Mr. Ghose, khama karo, khama karo,” asking me in Bengali to forgive her.

Anyway, the story goes on. This hotel had a health spa. Their weights started at 2 pounds and went up to 15 pounds. They also had one belt machine and an older-than-the-oldest rowing machine. I felt miserable for them. They were inviting me to take exercise.

I told the man that I would give him $100 as a contribution to the health spa. He couldn’t believe it. Then I gave him $200 instead. He took me to the manager, who was in the hotel lobby. At that time, two men were talking to the airline lady about their tickets. As soon as she saw me with the manager and the cashier, she said to her customers, “I will be back soon.” Then she left the place.

The manager thanked me profusely and told the first man, “You buy whatever you want for the health spa. Then you give me the receipts.” So the manager thanked me and the cashier thanked me.

There was a chair in the lobby very near the hotel airline office. I went and sat in the chair and started reading the newspaper. I was very relaxed. After ten minutes, I felt miserable for the two men standing at the ticket desk. I knew that as long as I sat there, the airline lady would stay away. So I finally left. As I was about to go upstairs, I saw her come hurriedly to the airline desk. She was frightened to death that I would tell the manager.

— 2 March 1986