Chapter 4 – Symbiotic Relationships
Peeya's terseness did not bother Chavi as she had things of a higher order to ponder about. While her train of thoughts was derailed by Peeya's sudden blast, Chavi thought she would do some catching up with her O Toole novel.
"I do not give a damn if she has to miss her appointment with her physicist! you better get her to the sets by evening or else she better kiss her career good bye! I will finish her off unless she gets her act right!" barked Guss Schneider at silver screen starlet Annabelle Christopher's agent & manager Ian Pebblestone.
Guss Schneider had made quite a fortune as a movie producer in Beverly Hills. The early 50's era were dominated by musicals since people were still in awe of the Chicago broadways and the New york Opera houses. His luck had favored him quite well and Guss was soon a force to reckon with in the industry.
Originally from Warsaw, Poland his family had migrated long back to escape prosecution by the Tsar's regime. The Jewish family was a closely knit one and through it's enterprising means had established quite a decent business of a 'kosher' restaurant in Los Angeles in a block mostly inhabited by immigrant Jewish families.
Guss Schneider's father inherited the small restaurant from his father who had first set foot on American soil. Nicholai Schneider was a hard working individual who was totally committed to his family that included his wife Tara & his three sons Guss - the eldest, David and Benjamin. The three sons studied the Torah and the Talmud alike due to the strong influence of the community synagogue. Nicholai had wanted Guss to continue his studies of the Torah and Talmud and perhaps one day become a Rabbi. After all he had three sons and he had wished to contribute his first born to God's service. David and Benjamin attended the local public school along with Guss, who got a formal education till he turned 14.
Nicholai's failing health had forced Guss to abandon studies and take care of the family Kosher restaurant while David and Benjamin who were 3 & 5 years younger than him, continued to attend the school.
Tara was a good mother and she had raised all her 3 children with equal love and care and at least she thought she had raised them well. She was partially right.
Guss was never a happy kid. Even while he studied the Torah and the Talmud he would constantly question the existence of God and if he did he questioned why the world had been so unfair to the Jews and why his people always suffered.
Tensions were brewing in the middle east in a region called Palestine and the Israeli settlers had notched up more area than they were originally intended to, at least that is what the Arabs accused them of. The Jewish community in America were supportive of their brothers & sisters in Israel - the promised holy land and had started voicing their strong dissent. The zionist movement in America was slowly beginning to gain steam and Guss would not be the one who would be left out.
Guss association with zionist clubs & societies helped him network with many people from his community and a few from outside as well. A poison of hatred had begun to spout in his heart which was turning it black from inside out.
By the time he was 18, Guss had lost his father, who finally succumbed to a type of pneumonia. The Schneider family was so poor that it could not save their patriarch and Zionist Guss promptly blamed it on external factors. He was now possessed to make money, lots and lots of it. He was tired of just surviving the ghetto life. He was aiming large.
Guss abandoned his mother and two brothers who were now quite old enough to take care of both themselves and their mother and moved to the part of the city of Angels where dreams were weaved on film. Hollywood.
Guss was a fierce individual and had a certain spark about him which was quite easy to spot by the way he carried himself, walked and spoke.
He would usually dress up impeccably well so that the guards on gate duty at the studios would not stop him from entering.
Guss had befriended some guys who worked as chauffeurs to Hollywood studio's producers, actors, directors, musicians etc and would use their services for a small fee just to gain entry into the studios. This was an age old trick and it usually worked perfectly every time one tried it, though a confident con would usually succeed over a nervous one.
"May we know the intention of your visit today Sir" the bespectacled young lady at the studio's extensive reception had asked a suited up Guss. He had borrowed a pin striped biege suit, a fine cotton cream shirt, a black cross striped tie, leather boots from the second hand market and a nice looking grey bowler hat. He was only 19, but by his attitude and gait looked like a 30 year old, easily.
"The Gentleman is here on a special visit of Hollywood studios all the way from New York" his chauffeur friend would do him the honors, just as instructed by Guss. Half his job would be done if the receptionist was convinced that he was an important man.
"I am here to have a rendezvous with Ms. Augustine Schessman" spoke Guss in a manner reserved for the new elite of American society. Slow and clear.
"Very well Sir, you may proceed towards Studio no 14 where Ms. Schessman is filming her next". Back in those days, people were not as suspicious and therefore the nice young lady did not think twice before letting the gentleman from New York to meet the illustrious Ms. Schessman who was a well renowned movie director since she was the first lady in Hollywood to don the director's cap!
Guss waited while Augustine completed the shot. He had done his research quite well. Ms. Augustine Schessman was a first generation refugee who had escaped Warsaw, Poland before the Nazi regime plundered and bled her fatherland. She had studied film making and cinematography in the University of Warsaw and had long aspired to travel to Bavaria where the German film makers were churning out exemplary works of art, before the great war destroyed everything for her.
America was the promised refuge for the fleeing Jews and Augustine was the few lucky ones who escaped the horrors of holocaust and her family found a new home in Los Angeles. Her degree in Cinematography was instrumental in her getting inside the famous Hollywood studios and she had worked her way up the ladder, working as assistant to many great directors and finally had come out on her own. She was just 20 when she had arrived in America and now she was a lady all of 35 years.
Her work had never let her get romantically link with anyone and this void in her life had inflicted a great wound which she had silently nursed all this while. Until Guss appeared on the scene.
"Good day isn't it Ms. Schessman" Guss had nearly startled Augustine with his sudden approach.
"Oh Gosh! you scared me Sir! Do we know each other? I am sorry, I do not quite recall having met you earlier" Augustine responded.
"Charmed to meet you Madam, My name is Guss Schneider and I had embarked on a momentous journey from New York just to gain an audience with you" Guss was being overtly mature and chivalrous. He had wanted Augustine to be completely swept off her feet. She was her ticket to fame, success and wealth.
"You are Polish too? oh I am sorry, I am being rude, pardon me Sir" Augustine was being vulnerable and quite frankly she did not know why. May be it was Guss's charm and chiseled looks that had Augustine mesmerized with him on first sight. You know how things work, when it is somebody's fate, the whole universe conspires to give him his due, borrowing Paulo Coelho's words.
“No apologies poprosil o Pani” replied Guss in Polish and that had made an instant connect with the lady desperate for love.
"I am a great admirer of your art and I would be honored if I would be offered a chance to elaborate on some of my schemes that I had intended to share with you. In fact, my expedition from New York is for the same purpose" Guss said in a fashion of confession.
His impeccable manners and laborious way of speech had partially convinced Augustine that perhaps Guss belonged to the Polish royalty or the business elite and had escaped to America just like her family and she. Augustine was willing to let down her guard and indulge. For once in her life.
"Well I don't know, Sir"
"Please Madam, call me Guss"
"Only if you call me Augustine"
They both had a good laugh and a date was made. Guss would pick Augustine up from her Beverly Hills residence from where they would proceed to a famous Italian restaurant "Leonard" in downtown LA and then catch up on the latest broadway show starring Franklin Steppers and Miralda Houston about a rich American businessman falling in love with a poor immigrant girl.
Guss had hooked up with his close associate in the Zionist club who worked as a saxophone player in the studio's orchestra. The cash for the disguises and the chauffeur driven cars were all sponsored by Guss's friend who had earlier casually discussed with Guss about Augustine and Guss had been extremely quick in cooking up his dangerous plot.
Augustine was smitten with Guss and never suspected anything wrong. This boy from the ghetto was dangerously ambitious and had a clear view of his goal and Augustine would take him there.
Soon, Guss and Augustine started being together and Guss's expenses were the least of his worries since Augustine would take care of everything. She had never been in love before and frankly she did not care if Guss was from Warsaw, New York or El Dorado. She was happy and that is all that she had wanted.
Guss got himself involved with Augustine's work and being a quick learner rapidly learnt the art of handling the camera, visualising the scenes, editing etc and was working as an assistant director in many of Augustine's films.
After a good 9 years of blissful courtship, Guss proposed and Augustine accepted. At 28 and 44 Guss Schneider and Augustine Schessman were married. Hollywood's elite attended the grand wedding ceremony and the couple was the cynosure of all eyes. Hollywood's most loved director had finally found her soul mate.
"Oh God!its already 8.45 now! gotta get ready for dinner!' Chavi quickly got ready for dinner.
9.20 P.M dinner was over and Chavi dashed towards the one single pay phone to call up mumma and papa.
9.35 P.M Chavi was back in her room and Peeya was already asleep.
10.35 P.M and Chavi could not sleep. She was restless and the sandman just did not visit her bed tonight. Chavi pulled her study chair near the window and sat looking at the D'Cousta bungalow. The girls' hostel and the bungalow were separated by a huge boundary fence put up by the D'Coustas and the hostel was just about 100 meters from Ararat.
Tonight too, all Chavi could see was a dimly lit bungalow and the hounds were nowhere in sight. It was an uneventful night and the silence of the night slowly embraced little Chavi into its fold and soon she slept.
A few days passed and Chavi could not get the timing right to ask new friends from the Mayura house about the Ararat legacy. Since Pawan&Praneethi were 9th graders and Disha was a twelfth grader, Chavi had no chance to meet any of them at class and Peeya hardly ever spoke with her.
Slowly, Chavi had begun to let go of her short time obsession with the D'Cousta house and had adjusted quite well to her new school, though she had not graduated beyond the 3 Mayurans.
"Anil",
"Present Ma'am"
"Brinda"
"Present Ma'am"
"Chavi"
"Present Ma'am"
.
"Peeya".."Peeya Mukherjee"! Ms. Sarojammal, the Mathematics teacher who had to engage the first hour was taking attendance and Peeya was nowhere to be seen.
"Has anybody seen Peeya. Wasn't she at the mess hall this morning?" queried Ms. Sarojammal
Nobody replied. Peeya seemed to have a rift with anyone who had tried to get close with her. She was a lovely girl but with a repugnant attitude. Her parents had left her for their heavenly abode and she was being taken care of by her maternal uncle and aunt. They were nice people too but did not have the time to dedicate their attention for their niece. Peeya had spent many a summer vacation at the hostel itself as their care taker family would have plans of their own and Peeya would never figure out in any of them.
She was actually hurt inside but put up an extra brave front and fought away all friendly approaches. She had become rebellious and opposed to the idea of socializing and making friends. The motley group of kids she hung around with were more of company for convenience rather than made out of choice.
"Anybody knows who Peeya'sroom mate is?" it was obvious for Ms. Sarojammal to raise this point.
"I am Ma'am" replied Chavi
"Well then where is she?" Ms. Sarojammal sounded like an officer during interrogation.
"I woke up late this morning and I did not see her in the room either. I had thought she was already out in the mess hall or somewhere. Moreover we do not eat together either" Chavi clarified.
Just then to everybody's surprise, Peeya Mukherjee rushed into the classroom to find 30 heads including the teacher's that had synchronously turned in her direction.
"Why are you late, Peeya? don't you know the timings?" rebuked Ms. Sarojammal
"I..I'msorry..It won't happen again" Peeya did not elaborate and she really didn't seem all that sorry.
"You better do not" warned Ms. Sarojammal. Perhaps maths teachers are normally over the top strict.
Chavi looked into Peeya's eyes as she made her way to her fourth row desk and a flop of hair just fell on Peeya's left eye cutting off her face from Chavi's prying eyes.
"We'll continue with the classification of Venn diagrams... " went on Ms. Sarojammal towards the white board marker and for most of the students everything was a haze.
"I wonder where she was? I did not see her at the mess hall either.." Chavi was genuinely concerned even though Peeya exuded vibes that made even the most friendliest of kids move away from her. Peeya guarded her privacy like a pittbull.
Things usually happen when one least expects it to happen. That Friday afternoon, there were swimming classes for the 8th and 9th graders but alas! the swimming coach was nowhere to be found and the kids got a reprieve of three whole hours.
"Why hello there!how have we been?" Praneethi greeted Chavi who seemed a little lost in the crowd of 120 "Hi fellas!glad you are here. I was bored to death"
"Good to be at your service Madam" PawanSiddaiah mockingly bent over with his right hand folded over his diaphragm and his left knee bent down. "hehheh" giggled Chavi while Disha all along carried a dignified smile on her face.
"Hey you were so eager about that D'Cousta stuff that day and now you seem to have completely forgotten! leaky brain!" teased Pawan
"Of course not! I have been trying to catch hold of you every single day since then and I have been unlucky most of the time. Well go on! I am all ears!" Chavi had become very friendly with the trio and had always enjoyed their company.
"Not here" Disha cut in.
"Of course Of course, let us all go over to the auditorium. These kids will all go to the grounds or the courts now. The auditorium is rarely visited" Praneethi suggested.
"Alright that sounds cool" Pawan hinted at Disha.
"Ok, if you guys think so..but I still think that you guys think way too much of this cock and bull...." Disha started off.
"Cool, then it's the audi then..let's go.." Pawan decided to cut Disha off.
After finding strategic seats in the spacious auditorium, Pawan and Praneethi sat together on two seats while Disha and Chavi sat on two other seats on the front row with their backs turned towards the stage facing the narrator.