Pinished?

The houseboat is home. There's Rasool - he loves chatting. He keeps on talking about what an incredible wife he has - and she sounds great. And how difficult it is to keep two wives at the same time. There are constant problems. I suggested to perhaps get a third wife to help him deal with all the issues. He must be in his forties I think - loves smoking the waterpipe, and Hashish. Good father. Short, with a big belly and a moustache. He apologizes when we catch him without his shirt on. He slapped a priest once when he was eight because the priest slapped him. He ends most sentences with noproblehm. "You can leave tomorrow noproblehm". "You can eat anything you like noproblehm". "No, what do you mean that's a stupid question? It's a very good question noproblehm." "Fukk these fukkers - there's no blackout over here. I'll switch on this lamp and this lamp and that lamp over there noproblehm." Rasool knows how to take care of anything - and he does.

He gets very angry when Indian shopkeepers are dishonest with tourists, and last night we smoked much more Hashish and we mimicked one of the shopkeepers that came to the boat to try and sell us carpets.

He tried to sell us Pashmina-Wool-Carpets. Something that doesn't exist. The cost would be astronomical. All the signs were there that he could not be trusted. His eyes were shifty - darting around trying to find cover to get out of sight. The way he smokes his cigarette. He looks away to inhale. Very slowly and deliberately, the filter barely touching his fingers, softly - oh so softly - caressing the filter. Long ash. And when you tell him your own stories, he looks away and says yes, uh-huh, hmm, yes , ah, hmm, yes - not an active listener. And when he left to arrange a time when he would come pick us up to take us to his showroom, he said that we should do it after three as he has to pray beforehand. The praying comment was his veil of 'honesty' - not a genuine comment.

Rasool is a good businessman. To him business is about honesty. You need to talk straight and open - that's the only way you can trust somebody, and then to enter into business. When you trust somebody, money is no object. If you make a big deal, both parties assume risk and pay toward the deal. And when you start off, you make very small profits. As soon as you think greedy - you will lose your long-term business.

Rashid, he's long time friend since they were young is the jewellery guy. He knows stones and jewellery and nothing else. He smokes a lot. And is always "Shanti" (peaceful). He does business stoned. He doesn't want to get rich or make a lot of money. He just wants Shanti and to make people happy - "no no, enjoy breakfast first - we speak later". "These are good stones - but not top quality. Some people like them like this because it's a bit cheaper - you understand. This is better quality. Lots of fire inside them. People like this you understand." Sarita is going into the jewellery business.

His shikara operator is Latief. Also, smokes a lot. He lies back in his shikara on the cushions, docked next to the houseboat. Rashied and Rasool sit along the wooden plank walkway along the outside of the boat in the shade, chatting, joking or fishing. Latief is always willing to lend us money to buy beer or whatever - "take as much as you want - no problem. Please don't worry - pay back when you're ready. Take it slowly."

Once there was a Japanese woman he was staying on the boat and she wanted Rashied to clean her glasses. Rashied only knows jewellery, so he gave it to Latief. Latief dropped the glasses into the lake. He cried. That's Latief.

And Youssef the 'manager' I think. Long time friend of Rasool's. He's the only one with an education, and used to take media out to the freedom fighters during the war years in Kashmir. He lost an eye when he was fourteen. he dropped a bottle of beer, and a splinter flew back into his eye. He rubbed it and his eye bled for several days. He's also the only one he doesn't smoke - he's the more level guy in the whole operation.

Then there's still one more fellow - a gentle soul from a small village. He doesn't speak English, except for 'pinished?". He serves the food and cleans up, and carries my shoes from the outside to the inside, and rushes into the dining room (plush handcarved furniture, and Kashmiri carpets) through the curtains, then slows down, and turns his head slightly to the side and his eyes looking amost over his shoulder to survey our progress. Pinished? No. Continues surveying and starts moving slowly forward toward the exit curtain, there he gets stuck in it, slows down and looks once more carefully over his shoulder. When we're eventually pinished he smiles and starts clearing the table.