So we met Ruby, his wife and his two sweet little girls ages 7 and 12,on our 12 hour overnight train from Kolkotta to Varanasi . Ruby is Sheik, Ruby is chubby, Rudy is talkative, Ruby is DRUNK!!!! He kept his drink in a coke can and offered Charles some over and over again. Ruby said to us that he would protect us. “If anyone comes to bother you” he said “I will protect you”. “I will take care of them, just come to me. I will keep you safe”. If you are Sheik, how can you drink?”,we ask. Ruby says he is done with the old ways. He does not wear the turban and does not grow a beard and he drinks and he likes to have fun. Ruby calls his brother on his cell phone. He says “Monique, talk to my brother”. I take the phone and say “hello”. His brother says “hello” and starts laughing uncontrolably. Rubys takes the phone from me. He does not speak English ” Ruby says. He and his brother have a good laugh in their language. Then Ruby calls his sister. “Monique, talk to my sister”!!!!. “Hello to Ruby’s sister” I say. She says “Hello”, then silence. I say “hello, how are you. Is this Ruby’s sister?” Dead silence. I think she got cut off. Ruby takes back the phone. “She cannot speak English” he says. He and his sister begin to talk. They have a good laugh.
Ruby says “Charles and Monique, do not eat the food they sell on this train. It is very, very, very bad. You must eat what my wife has made. It is good food” “No, no we say, we cannot do that” Ruby insist. His wife nods that there is enough. We are scared of Dehli Belly but we cannot be rude. We accept. “In the morning you will have breakfast with us. Not this bad tasting train food. It is not good”.
