A group of young men who decided in the early 1980’s to try and make an impact. And that too for one night only.
You can follow the lives of: The Sultans of Soul here, exclusively on AIM.

by Ravi Mangat
Writer

[Earlier chapters: part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8, part 9, part 10, part 11, part 12, part 13]

Ramesh nuzzled up to Jas on the sofa in her flat. They had just finished off a pizza take-away and were enjoying a film on the TV. A knock on the door disturbed Ramesh’s moment. Jas picked herself up and opened the door.

“Where is he?” came an instant cry. “Where the hell is he?”

Ramesh craned his neck at the commotion.

“Who are you?” enquired Jas.

“You don’t know me…but I know you Jas”. The loud lady barged into the flat.

“Hey…wait a minute”, protested Jas.

Ramesh reached Jas just as she was about to push the lady back into the hallway.

“There you are”, said the lady.

Ramesh looked puzzled.

“Oh, don’t you give me the blank look. You said you were going to rehearse tonight”.

“Ramesh…who is this?” asked Jas.

“Yeah, Ramesh…who am I? Why don’t you tell Jas who I am?”

“Well”, stammered Ramesh, “I would…but I don’t know you…do I?”

The lady made a bee-line for Ramesh and attempted to kick out at him. He avoided it by the merest millimetre. She looked at Jas. “I’m his girlfriend. But it doesn’t surprise me that you don’t know…since it’s how I met him as well”.

“What is?” Jas was confused.

“He delivered a dump-o-gram to me and I fell for him. Something about a man in a chicken-suit I suppose”.

Jas looked at Ramesh with huge, pleading eyes.

“I don’t know who she is…I swear”, argued Ramesh.

“You’re pathetic”, said the lady, “you can keep him”.

She walked away, leaving Jas with a tear in her eye.

“Jas…you don’t believe her do you? I’ve never seen her before in my life”.

“Oh really. So why would she know where to find you, or what you do? I can’t believe it. First Sanjay and now you. Get out!”

“But Jas-”.

“Just leave!”

“Hear me out”.

“No, just get out!”

Ramesh hung his shoulders. He picked up his jacket and walked slowly out of the door. Jas slammed it behind him.

Inspector Harris had fallen asleep at the wheel of his car. He was parked a few yards down the road from Ashok’s house. Ashok had already walked past him on the way to the corner shop, and now a few minutes later he walked by again. He stopped at the car and knocked loudly at the window. Inspector Harris woke up immediately and nearly hit his head on the roof of the car.

Ashok motioned for him to roll down the window, which Harris did, sheepishly. “Evening”, said Ashok.

“Yes”, came the embarrassed reply.

“Better watch yourself Inspector, you could get done for vagrancy”. Ashok pulled out a bag of sweets from his bag. “Thought you might like these. Helps to keep you awake”. He handed over the sweets, which Harris threw on the passenger seat.

Ashok smiled and walked home. Harris shook his head, and then looked down at the sweets. He surveyed the street to see if anyone was watching him, then picked up one of them, and discreetly placed it in his mouth. He nodded in satisfaction.

When Ramesh had stumbled over the steps to the dance routine for the thirty-third time, the other guys just fell to the floor.

“Come on Ramesh, get your mind back to here”, complained Ashok. “That woman has made you into a jerk again”.

Ramesh looked glumly to the floor.

“I have to side with Ashok on this”, Bernie agreed, “get your mind in gear and forget about the girl”.

“But I didn’t do anything wrong. I have no idea who that girl was”.

“Save it for the judge”, said Ashok.

“It’s the truth”.

“Maybe…just maybe, you were set up”, said Raj. The others looked at him enquiringly and he continued. “This Sanjay geyser…he knows where you would be, he knows what you do and he wants your girl back”.

“I see”, said Ramesh, “I think”.

“He pays someone to make sure that the dump-o-gram gets dumped. He sent the girl there. That is if you’re not lying to us as well”.

Ramesh was clearly thinking that Raj had come up with the solution. “You might be right…you just might be right”. He paused, a little more downbeat, “But how do I convince Jas?”

“Like any good soul man”, said Bernie with a smile.

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This serial is fictional and any similarity with existing groups or individuals is unintentional.
Ravi Mangat is contactable on: rav38man@yahoo.co.uk