Answerable

"Call me paddy", Padmanabhan said as he got into Jayanth's car.

"What?", Jayanth said, opening his door, stepping out and looking at 'Paddy' Padmanabhan.
"...", shrugged Paddy.
"What changed in just 6 months?", Jayanth couln't believe Padmanabhan had changed so in just six months in the USA.
"just call me Paddy, man", Paddy said, ignoring Jayanth's exasperated look.

'Paddy' Padmanabhan has just arrived in India.

X-------------X-------------X

The car made a screeching sound, as Jayanth braked in the middle of nowhere.

"what?", Paddy said looking around. He was holding his stomach.
"You wanted to pee...!"
"not here?!"
"of course here..."
"nah, nah, nah... naw here man... drive around to a restroom"
"WHAT?"

Jayanth finally found a restroom shack on the way home.
"Ow, that was dirty, and no water... hey, where can I get some water", Paddy came out of the 'Gents Toilet' waving his hands up in the air.
The rough looking boy there handed out a piece of old newspaper. The storage techniques weren't that good, which was obvious.

"hey , hey, hey, wait... why are you paying him money? you don't pay for the restrooms here, do you?", Paddy asked Jayanth."aw, forget it man", Jayanth said flipping over a two rupee coin to the boy pointing to the "Use and pay toilet" board with his left.

Paddy turned around. He had by now forgotten all about his need for water, and had his hands in his coat pocket by now.
"Well, it says 1 rupee, why are you paying two?"
"ah, you can't have forgotten everything, Padma... er Paddy", mocked Jayanth.

Paddy tried to snatch the two bucks lying on the table. The rough looking boy beat him to it.
"You haven't cleaned that place in a month...", Paddy confronted the boy.

The body stared back angrily. He looked a lot older and rougher by now.
"... and you charge double the money you should have charged if you had kept it in order...", Paddy wasn't buckling down.
"Do you know how much it costs to get this contract?", the boy was now snarling at Paddy, "And do you know that our MLA doe
sn't like being questioned?"
"Lets see that, who is your MLA?"
"... and I don't like being questioned either..", the boy slammed angrily on the desk.
"You contractors are answerable to us..."
"is it?", the boy now had his dirty cuffs rolled up and fists ready. One could see fear in Paddy's eyes. But he couldn't ba
ck off after all that had happened.

"Hey, hey", Jayanth intervened, pushing the boy who had gotten menacingly close to Paddy. He shoved Paddy a bit with his le
ft hand.
"SHUT UP!", Jayanth screamed to Paddy, as he tried to press forward.

"Hey, you boy, make sure it is cleaned the next time we are around", Jayanth said winking at the boy, flipping another buck
on the table.
"you bet, sir", the boy winked back, and snarled at Paddy.

Jayanth pulled Paddy away from the scene.

X-------------X-------------X

"Stop showing off your american mentality here man"
"Aw, you guys are so used to mediocrity... you dont even question all the injustice that doled out at you..."
"I can't believe you could have changed so much. Are you really this mess, or are you acting like one?", Jayanth had by now
lost his patience.
"look, look, that cop is talking on his mobile phone. He doesn't even care that guy jumped the amber light. Isn't he answer
able to anybody at all?"
Jayanth looked around, and before he could open his mouth, Paddy slammed on the brake stopping the car exactly at the 'STOP
' line.

"No", screamed Jayanth. But nobody could heard him.

A car and three bikes had stacked up, and an auto almost rolled over scratching his esteem - Esteem being Jayanth's car.

X-------------X-------------X

"Life is so much more predictable inside the office", smiled Paddy broadly, as he brought over his plate of lunch to the ta
ble.
"Am sooo glad..", winked Jayanth.
"No, seriously, you were right, I have learnt some things after coming back". Paddy now had a driver to drive him to work and back.
"good"
"And I don't take those mediocrities so seriously now...", Paddy rattled on. "Now whats life without a little laugh?"

Jayanth was really happy that Paddy had given up his illusionary ways.

"Hey, whats this...", Paddy said fishing out a longish hairy thread like object out of his plate.
"Thats spinach... the stem", Jayanth offered.
"No, No.. look at the color... its brown"
"It has been cooked well", Jayanth shrugged, rolling his eyes.

"No, No, am sure this is the leg of some bug... let me see.. cockroach? In the US, I can sue the caterer for this... make him pay for his mistakes...", Paddy turned around, to find Jayanth missing at the table.