Some places are enchanting. They look like time passed by but didn’t give them a full 60 seconds.

This town was once at the forefront of the Industrial birth of the country due to its rich natural resources. Metallic ores, river water, lush greenery. At one time it boasted of 2 major industrial facilities , the first steel mill in the country and a paper mill.

Yet here it was, looking as though it was stuck in a time warp. Perhaps the only hint of modernity would be the availability of alcohol in tetrapak containers.

This was a vacation and my host invited me to drinks, on various occasions to savor the local ambience. This included a dingy spot where snacks would be served on recycled paperware which on the day of its publication held the highest value it possibly could, only to be discarded once the events were perused.

The evening was reserved for friends. We proceeded to a bar. A better looking facility that boasted ceramic tiles , shiny plastic chairs, metal tables, and dim lights befitting an evil cinema villain’s den.

Resam is customarily served for consumption in a shot glass before you start drinking as it cleanses the palate and possibly avoids alcohol breath and spousal reprimand.

Our guests arrived and my host went on to discuss people, events of the past, the evening droned on with me observing and listening, as we waited for one more late invitee.

The person in question arrived and my host jumps up and greets him; ‘oh! my great leader of fortitude.’

Now, I have seen undergraduates who cant spell apple, mouth Shakespeare after a couple of drinks, but my host held a post graduate degree in English and was on the Editorial staff of a leading newspaper.

That he would mouth something which to my mind, made no coherent sense, was unfathomable and left me stupefied as I continued to try to listen to the conversations between them but my mind simultaneously trying to decode that greeting. It simply made no sense and they were perfectly sober.

What did I miss? What manner of greeting is this that I had never come across earlier. They were serious. Was it a code? They both understood each other perfectly. The sender and the receiver both understood and accepted the message. It was normal.

The drinks over and after the friends had parted, I gave up all hope of unravelling this mystery, gave up any pretense that I could untangle this knot, gave up all my pride and asked; ‘what did you mean by oh my great leader of fortitude.’

The guest was my hosts senior in school and was the leader of the house to which they belonged , called fortitude. He had simply greeted a friend and leader who had done him many a favor when he reported late for house activities and other tardy behavior, he explained in between roaring laughter.

What a salute, what a greeting! what a confusing evening!