The Butcher’s Shop

The Butcher’s Shop

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It had been several weeks since the same aberrant scene drew my attention. Long queue waiting outside the meat shop was something like vehicles lined up in front of the gas station. As winter evening grew more chilly power cut off starts and you left without an option. Everybody spend their evening roaming around the streets. And I'm not the exception. So I found myself in between the useless crowds; on road side cafes, newspaper stands and video shops. And this has been the winter lifestyle of our urban population in last few years. But that crowd aligning in front of The Butcher's Shop had been an exception. Last evening on my way to the roadside café I asked them "Is there the scarcity of meat in town?" one of them answered "No, it's not that. We came here because it's the best meat store in town"." Owa! The best Butcher's Shop in Town" I murmured giving sarcastic smile in reply.

The smoke filled café in the dim light of candle remind me of Kainlo Kaka's Café in my village. The radio lying on the corner of the shop was broadcasting drama about girls trafficking. The lady was yelling at the gentleman "You man are like the Butcher, you play with our emotion, give us sweet dreams and then you just sell us like sheep and goats". The cold chill went past through the body and that dialogue was so intense that I being a man couldn't hold my head high. As I was wondering whether the analogy of Butcher suits man, it was already 7 pm and Radio Nepal started broadcasting news. The headline starts like this "The leader of opposition reveals that government is planning to make our country the Butcher's Shop". I was not being able to figure out one analogy and here comes the other one. This politics kind of thing, it's complicated so I didn't try to make sense of that headline. I had a cup of tea and by the time Radio Nepal start broadcasting English news I was on my way back home.

The street were empty so does the best butcher shop in town. It was really cold outside. I thought a warm mutton soup will make my evening. So I was there inside the meat store asking for mutton. The digital screen displaying the price list was hanged on the wall. Marbled floor and tiled wall, separate cabin for Mutton, Chicken, Pork and Buff, employees well suited in white apron and cap, glass partitions and good storage facility; I then realized "yes, it's the best meat store in town". When I was handed my purchase, I asked the employee; a boy with animated smile at his late teenage "What is your dream?" the answer again brought the same kind of chill "I want to open the meat store of my own, like the best Butcher's Shop in town". "Uff! The Butcher's Shop" it just sliped out of my mouth as I left the meat store.