THE FIRST TIME

The First time

    It is ok! It is going to be alright.

    Excitement and nervousness coursed through his veins as he rode his two-wheeler bike into the bylanes of Charni Road. Viraj was accompanied with his neighbour Jeetesh and the pair were headed to the big yellow house at the end of the gully.

    Pulling near the entrance, he parked the vehicle and took one long look at the building.

He stared at the big, yellow building

    The building was two-storied with no terrace at the top. The colour had faded – its exterior now covered in grime, dust and affected by smog, over time. A couple of banyan offshoots blossomed from near the drainage pipes that ran down the exterior walls; one of them broken and spilling waste water onto the streets.

    Some men loitered near the entrance. Viraj overheard a couple of them arguing over the price. A man, probably the one in charge, was eyeing the newcomers with interest.

    Jeetesh went and approached the same man, whispering words that Viraj could not hear. He turned towards him and beckoned over. Unsure, Viraj walked slowly. He was scared at his own boldness. He vividly remembered the conversation with Jeetesh a couple of days back.

    “Arre bro, let’s go,” said Jeetesh, with a hint of urgency in his voice, “It is completely safe and I have known this place for some time now. I used to go there, bunking college. The owner, Dilip, is a friend of mine now.”

    “I don’t know,” said Viraj, “I have never done it with a woman before. What if I fail or I am unable to do it?”

    “That is why, places like this exist,” answered Jeetesh, winking as he said, “You know, for guys to get some experience.”

     Experience, yes! But, was it the right thing to do, Viraj deliberated as he stood at the threshold of the entrance, staring at the narrow, dark lobby. All his friends at college only talked about was losing their virginity and how it was a matter of ‘pride’ for them. Some even boasted of having lost it early in their teens. Viraj was a constant subject of inside jokes, group roasts with aspersions cast on his sexuality and quite often, his masculinity.

     Had he said yes to Jeetesh in order to have his masculinity validated, he questioned or did he felt too desperate to lose his virginity, just like his peers? What was he proving by coming to a brothel, after all?

     “Come in, Mister,” said the man, smiling at Viraj, for he saw nervousness on the face of this new customer.

     Viraj followed the other two guys inside. A door at the right led to a small room. It was cramped, had no windows and barely had space to move. There were multiple doors, which led to other rooms further inside. There were two chairs kept near the wall, which were immediately occupied by the pair, upon the insistence of the man.

     “Do sit down, while I call them,” he said.

     “A little quickly please, Dilip bhai,” said Jeetesh, glancing at his watch, “We have to go off from here in an hour’s time.”

     Dilip pressed a small button near the wall. It worked as a call button, thought Viraj. In a couple of minutes, from one of the doors out came a woman.

     She looked like a woman well in her thirties. She had waist length hair, which Viraj noted was oiled till the tip. She wore a crop top and short pants that refused to hide her fat thighs and belly. Her eyes looked puffy, indicating she had barely slept and if Viraj could make out from her face, he clearly realised the lady was not Indian. She looked like she was from Nepal.

     “How is this one?” asked Dilip, looking at the pair, “She is totally safe. Tested and all, nothing to worry about.”

     Jeetesh looked at Viraj expectantly.

     Suddenly, he realised all pairs of eyes were on him.

She was too old for him

     Viraj’s mouth went dry. He was at a loss. What was he supposed to say? Sure, she was voluptuous and had the air of someone who was in this business for a long time. Yet, he felt she was too old for him; after all Viraj was still 21 years old. He felt terribly shy and could not bring himself up to say it to her face. He cast aside and looked for something to stall the topic.

     “How long will I get with her?” he asked, in a dry voice and he realised how horrible he sounded.

     “One hour for five hundred rupees,” replied Dilip. “We have everything inside the room – condoms, oil, lubricants. Plus, you can wash yourself once you are done.”

     “Ok,” said Viraj, “And what about limitations?”

     “I will not kiss you in the mouth, nor will I suck your dick without a condom on. Neither will I allow you to fuck me without one,” she spoke up unexpectedly, using crude words and drawing glares from Dilip. Her voice confirmed Viraj’s suspicion about her nationality.

     “Ok, that’s good,” said Viraj. “Umm, can I see the room, if you don’t mind?”

     “Sure,” said Dilip, coming over and opening one of the other doors. They walked inside. This room too, was extremely small. Viraj had to stoop low to stand inside. There was only one exit, no windows – just a bed and a small space for washing oneself at the end with a bucket of water.

     Panicking at the thought of being trapped in a room with no way to escape, if the police were to raid this place, Viraj felt uneasy. He started to breathe heavily and turned out to walk outside.

     “What happened?” asked Dilip.

     “No, sorry,” said Viraj, “I cannot do this!”

     “Arre, what happened bhai? Tell me,” said Dilip, his tone rising slightly. The thought of losing two customers at the start of the day was a bad omen for him. He too walked out and stood in the doorway of the main room, bodily blocking them from going outside.

     “No, No….. it is….just…. I am….not thought… I can’t,” trembled Viraj, his voice quavering at the thought of Dilip not allowing them to walk outside.

     “TELL ME, SIR, WHAT HAPPENED?” yelled Dilip. He literally grabbed Viraj’s shoulders and shook him. “IF YOU DON’T LIKE HER, I CAN GET SOMEONE ELSE! DON’T WALK OUTSIDE! I AM THERE. I WILL ARRANGE SOMETHING FOR YOU!”

    Viraj was taken aback by this sudden outburst. He took a second to gather his wits and stood up to Dilip.

    “No, we are leaving,” he stated firmly, “You will not stop us!”

    Fortunately, at that moment, a young man descended from the stairs outside, no doubt drawn by the ruckus below.

    “Dilip bhai, why are you troubling them?” the man enquired, “Let them go!”

    “Are you here to fuck or joke around?” asked Dilip scornfully, looking at Viraj with utmost disgust and contempt.

    Viraj stared back defiantly, until Dilip walked away and let them go.

    “Anna, any problem?” asked the young man. This man looked young to Viraj, probably around his age and had a genial expression of concern on his face.

    “Nothing Sunil,” said Jeetesh, “Dilip bhai lost it back there for a moment.”

    “Of course!” said Sunil, “What does he expect? He only has these old ladies to offer. Come up! We have some nice, young women.”

    “Would he not create a problem?” asked Viraj, trying to see where Dilip had disappeared and not paying attention to what he heard.

    “No, he won’t,” he replied, “Let’s go up the stairs.”

    They ascended to the first floor, but unlike the rooms below, these were well-lit by natural sunlight falling through the windows and the lights reflecting from outside. They walked in and sat in the small room. Sunil went inside and they could hear him trying to wake someone up.

    “Come on, get up! We have new customers.”

    “So early?”

    Something about her voice drew Viraj’s attention. He couldn’t place her accent.

    And out walked a girl. She was young and had large eyes. Her hair was completely tousled and she looked bleary-eyed at the pair.

     “Which one is it?”

     Jeetesh pointed at Viraj.

     “Come, lets’go!”

     Sighed, she took his hand and led him to her room inside.

    Viraj followed her inside. Her room was no bigger than the one below. However, this one was airy as the ceiling was quite up. A small window near the washbasin allowed sunlight to enter, lighting up the room. A mirror was affixed to the wall, adjacent to the bed. Viraj sat awkwardly on the bed.

     “Water?” she asked him.

     “Yes,” he replied, grateful that she initiated the conversation.

     “What’s your name?” she asked him.

     “Viraj,” he answered, “And yours?”

     “Maisha,” she said with a thick accent. For a split second, Viraj wanted to ask her if she was from Bengal. She had very striking features, he noticed. Large eyes, huge cheeks, lush-thick hair. She was voluptuous, with very large breasts and spoke with the slight hint of a husk.

     Just then, Viraj got a call. It was Jeetesh.

     “Hi bro, can I ask you a favour?” he asked and without waiting for a reply continued, “Now that we both are here, please lend me 500 bucks. I will pay it back to you, I promise.”     How could Viraj refuse now? He gave the money to him, when he appeared at the door, moments later and told him to call after one hour now.

     “Let’s get started?” she asked, pointing to the bed.

     “Oh!” he exclaimed, suddenly realising why he was in that room. For the first time in his life, he found himself in the company of a woman, alone behind a closed door and about to have sex. It stirred something deep within me, like a primal instinct. Sure, he knew that she was a prostitute, but yet, she was a woman after all. The first woman of his life!

      He began to take his clothes off. The T-shirt came off in no time. For a moment, he struggled with his jeans, but got them off soon. Maisha took off her clothes as well. Once she took her top off, Viraj resisted the temptation to look at her breasts, so as not to come off as a creep. He stood there in his underwear, while she took off her short pants. He noticed she was not wearing any underwear.

     “Take those off, too,” she said pointing to his underwear.

     He took them off and was kind of surprised to see his penis in a semi-erect position. He sat next to her on the bed, refusing to make any move.

     “So, what do you want to do?” she asked him.

     Viraj looked at her. This was the first time in his life he was naked with a woman, someone as beautiful as Maisha. He looked down at her breasts; they were huge for a girl of her age, her thighs broad and her groin with sparse pubic hair covering her clitoris. The moment felt strangely free. He thought it would be a little romantic or perhaps, a bit of awkward considering it was his first time. But sitting there, right next to a naked woman, he felt wonderfully free.

     He placed a hand on her thigh and started moving them over. She pulled him on the bed and on top of her. Their bodies closed on each other and he felt the warmth of her skin, it felt so soft.

     He leaned in for a kiss, but she turned her face away, indicating he was not to kiss her on the lips. Instead, he started kissing her on the neck and moved slowly down to her breasts. He suckled at her nipples for some time and gradually kissed all over her torso wondering whether he should kiss her down there.

     He couldn’t bring himself to perform the act. Instead, he kissed her softly on her thighs. He could see her writhe due to the sensation and make moaning sounds, perhaps a little too loudly. For a second, he thought she was faking it.

     He wanted to move up again, but found it difficult to do so. Her legs were entangled around his neck and he had a job shifting and heaving himself from under them. She realised what he was doing and therefore, lifted one and let it hang in the air at an awkward angle.

     He was at a loss as to what to do next. She refused to kiss him and he had already kissed her all over. What next? Was he supposed to start fucking? The porn movies make it look so easy. This, however, did not feel easy at all!

    “What do you want to do next?” he asked her.

    “You tell me,” she replied, eyeing him with a little curiosity, her expression bordering between bemusement and concern, “Is this your first time?”

    She asked this with a genuine tone of surprise and he could see the hint of a smile on her face.

    “Yes,” he replied, looking anywhere but her face.

    “Ok,” she said, after a pause, “Let me do it.”

    “What?” he asked blankly. But she was already on the move. She made him lie down on his back, while she tore off a small packet and slid a condom down his erect penis, using her lips. Without hesitation, she started to suck on it, her head bobbing up and down in rhythm. He lifted his head a little to see her perform the act. Her hair hid her face from his view and he had to settle by lying back and enjoying the sensation.

    It felt like bliss. Even though there was no skin-on-skin contact, Maisha did the job deftly. He tried to touch her but couldn’t reach her and could feel the heat building up, his heart rate increasing by the second.

    Not even 30 seconds into the act, he ejaculated.

    That’s it? That’s how long he could last? He felt humiliated and embarrassed as he requested Maisha to stop. He stood up awkwardly and walked over to the washbasin. After cleaning himself, he went back to bed, disappointed.

"What happened?" she asked him.

    “What happened?” asked Maisha, as she cuddled up to him and lay her head on his chest.

    “It is just…” he said, “I am sorry I came so quickly.”

    “It’s ok,” she said, “There is nothing to be ashamed of. I knew this is going to happen. This was your first time, wasn’t it? At least, you did not start fucking me directly or roughly, for that matter. Many guys do not even ask me or talk to me at all. They just undress, wear a condom and immediately start to fuck, without any foreplay or lubricant. It hurts a lot.”

    She said all that in one breath.

    “What kind of customers do you normally get?” he asked her, his curiosity got the better of him.

    “Mostly, it is old men, you know, grandpa-types,” she shrugged, “But I also get a lot of young boys, especially during March-April. So, I would say it is a mixed lot.”

    “Where are you from?” asked Viraj, trying to pull her attention away from the sight of his rapidly shrinking penis.

    “I am from Bangladesh,” she answered, “I came to Mumbai, looking for a job, but got dragged into this work by a relative. He said that until I don’t find work for you, you will have to do this. Plus, he said you will get paid well because you look so good.”

     She paused for a moment and then continued, with a mechanical tone, “I have been doing this now, for six months and my relative still hasn’t found a job for me yet. I wanted to work at a beauty parlour, eventually becoming a hairdresser myself, but now, I am just saving my commission money to fly back and leave this country.”

      Viraj froze. He felt distressed hearing all this. He was at a loss of words and said nothing, continuing to stroke her hair. He wanted to make out with her again, but listening to her story, all that sexual urge died down in him.

    “Why don’t you go to the police? Or run from here?” he asked.

    “And go where?” she looked at him, “My whole family is back in a village in Bangladesh. I have no one here and these people do not let us spend time with each other. My only friend here is Sunil, for he is more like a brother to us all, taking care of our food and living expenses.”

    “Does he know you are planning to leave?” Viraj enquired again, unable to stop himself from asking questions.

    “I think he has a hint of it,” she said thoughtfully, “But I am sure, he would not stop me.” 

    She said no further on the matter.

    Viraj lay next to her, staring at the ceiling fan. He was lost in his thoughts, about how he had come there for some ‘experience’ and he did receive some, although not the kind of he was expecting. Despite more urging from Maisha to resume their session, he declined to have sex with her and instead spent the remainder of the hour talking to her about her family. He even thought of asking her to take her out for dinner, but felt it would be a little too much and not get carried away with his emotions.

     They received a knock on the door. It was Sunil, announcing that the hour was up. He got and dressed up quickly. Maisha too dressed up, tying her hair in a bun and stood smiling as she saw him getting ready.

    “This is for you,” he said, handing her another note of 500 with the payment, “This is all I have for now. I am not sure you enjoyed with me, but I appreciated all of the talk” he said, looking at her. She looked a little taken aback by his gesture.

    “Not giving it to you out of pity, but feel you need it more than me,” he added hastily.

    “I did,” she leaned forward, took the money and gave him a soft, slow kiss on the lips, “You are the sweetest man I have ever met. I enjoyed this moment with you.”

    On the way back home, he did not pay attention to the traffic or the countless ways Jeetesh kept on harping on how he ‘banged the old woman twice’ back in Dilip’s room.

    Smiling to himself, all he could think about was his first kiss.

(All sketches made by Tony)