Excerpt from the chapter A Small River Island
Abbas calculated that he might get a chance to catch Punnoose alone on the river island during one of those gatherings—unguarded, under cover of darkness, and if he was lucky, inebriated. A few weeks into his vacation, when his resentment was at its peak, he decided to trap Punnoose on the river island. Every day after nightfall, he sat on the riverbank and watched for hours, looking for any spark of light or echo of sound coming from the river island. One day during the daytime, he went to the river island and hid a heavy steel rod he had found at home, just in case he needed it later.
After several days of watching, he finally saw lights and heard the drunken revelry on the river island one night. He sneaked up toward the group gathered close to the water. They were partying in various ways, some huddled with the women present, others busy cooking on an open grill, eating and drinking, while the rest were playing in the water. He was carrying a large rechargeable Panasonic flashlight he had brought from Doha. He did not go close to the group that day; it was a trip to check on his target and assess how vulnerable he might be there.
Abbas did not have to wait long. During that week, he spotted the same group partying on the river island. It was a full-moon night, so he did not have the full cover of darkness. But he was determined and went much closer to where the group was gathered than last time. It was easy to hide among the bushes, weeds, and undergrowth that had spread across the river island, except for a few cleared areas near the water. By the time Abbas got close enough to have a clear view of what was going on, the campfire had burned down, though the embers still glowed red in the dark.
People had clearly been drinking, and some of them were singing, but Abbas did not pay enough attention to recognize the songs. He was focused on identifying Punnoose among the group, who he was certain would be there, so he fixed his gaze on everyone he could see from his hiding place. There were more women at the party this time, many of them barely wearing anything or fully naked, walking in the shallow water.
The party was a sexual orgy—men with women, and men with men too.
Abbas was a little distracted by what was going on in front of him, with the half-naked, wet bodies of the men and women glowing under the moonlight. It was a beautiful night, with a cool breeze coming from the river, which looked almost still, and everyone assembled there seemed to be having a good time. For a moment, he had second thoughts about his mission and wondered why he was not there among them, having some sort of fun, instead of crouching in the bushes watching them like a loser.
He finally spotted Punnoose—his height and gangly build gave him away easily in the crowd. He was wearing only underwear, and Abbas saw him holding a half-clothed woman. Punnoose took her near the bushes where Abbas was crouching. Abbas thought he would be discovered, but the couple turned away from him, and he sighed in relief. The couple settled down a short distance from Abbas. They lay on their backs, looking at the full moon. The woman took the initiative to arouse Punnoose, who had been lying there for several minutes as if he were resting. Slowly, he began responding to her. Soon, both were passionately engaged in various sexual acts led by the woman, with no urgency to stop. Watching from the shadows, Abbas knew this was the perfect time to move—when Punnoose was least aware, most exposed, and completely unguarded.