The day broke out with a pleasant morning, with the sky being clear as a neat blue canvas. A calm and gentle breeze blew against my face as I peeped out of the window to greet the chirping birds. Perhaps this was the sign that my bad days were over, and there shall be happiness from now onwards.
"Arjun, have you got up or not?" my mom knocked at the door.
"Yes, mom".
"Come fast. We are waiting for you at breakfast."
BREAKFAST??!! I looked at my watch. It was 7:50 in the morning. I had overshot my waking up time by two hours. I hurriedly went to the washroom, brushed my teeth and got freshened up. Then, I changed my dress and went straight to the dining hall.
"Good morning, Papa," I wished him as he was busy with the newspaper.
"Good morning. But why are you so late today? Late night chats or what?"
"No, no, nothing like that."
"He had been tired from yesterday's case," mom said as she was serving us the puris.
"So, what's the result?" Dad inquired.
"The result is that he had been sentenced to imprisonment for 6 years and imposed a fine of rupees two lakh on the charge of attempting to kill me. However," I was cut short by mom.
"For God's sake, stop that matter now," mom told dad, "Let him eat nicely."
"But what was his motive?" dad asked me.
"AGAIN STARTED?" mom gave a terrible yell at dad.
There prevailed silence for a long time until my phone rang. It was my Boss; I wondered why he was calling me so early in the morning!
"Good morning Sir."
"Morning AK. How are you now?"
(AK is my popular name at the office. Almost all the employees, including the guards, call me by that name. It's actually an abbreviation for my name, Arjun Kashyap)
"I am fine, sir. No new cases of attacks, and I will be able to join the office by next Monday."
"That's great news. We're in terrific need of you. As you know.."
"I understand, sir."
"I heard that the culprit was caught yesterday. Is it true?"
"Absolutely true, sir."
"Tell me the exact story; I have heard different stories from many people, so I wanna know the correct one."
Then I narrated to him the entire story. The call went on for another half an hour or so until it was time for his conference. No sooner had I kept the phone on the table than it rang again. It was Priya.
"Hey, what's up?" I inquired
"Nothing. I just felt like calling, and so I rang you up."
"I see"
"By the way, who were you busy with for almost an hour?"
"It was Boss"
"Boss or Meghali?" she was suspicious.
"What?"
"Just joking, yaar."
"Can we meet today?"
"I was about to ask you the same question."
"Fine then. See you in half an hour."
"I'll drive today."
"Why?"
"It's a secret. Just wait at your house, and I'll fetch you. You must be weak, so I won't give you the stress of driving."
"That's so sweet of you."
By the time I ended the call, my breakfast was half spoilt, and my parents got busy with their respective works. Still, I took a bite of the chapati and gulped a spoonful of the Sabji.
"Maa, I'm going out."
"Ok, son, take care. But did you finish your breakfast or not?"
"I'll do it outside."
"Then you can't go. Finish your food first and then go."
"But Maa..."
"No but; it's an order. Finish your food and go."
And I had to rewind my steps back to the dining hall and finish up my breakfast. You know about Indian parents, they care primarily for two things: their child's food and their marks. If they ate at home, they are happy; otherwise, not. So even if they had got a filled tummy, their day wouldn't complete if the child didn't have his share of food at home. And about dieting, oh you should keep that thought away if you were living with your parents- for the term 'fit' in their dictionary meant someone hefty!
I went to my room as soon as I was done with my plate. I took out my best dress for I was going to meet Priya after a long time. I combed my hair nicely and put on my wristwatch to match with the dress.
'Ting tong' the doorbell rang. I knew it was Priya. So I hurriedly went downstairs.
Mom was talking with her when I reached.
"Can we go?" I interrupted their conversation.
"Ok, aunty, we shall go now".
"Have some food, Beta"
"Aunty, not today. I just had my food."
We moved out of my house, and my anxiety grew manifolds to know what the secret was! A jackpot? A free pass, or what else could it be? Different opinions raised in my mind, but I was not sure about it yet.
"Hey, what are you thinking?" she asked me.
"I was wondering what your secret might be!"
"The secret is that I have arranged a surprise present for you."
"That sounds great." I felt good until it struck me, "Wait, what date is it?"
"I knew you'd forget"
"Damn," I knew that I was going to be yelled at for I forgot some important day for us! I was trying hard to recollect what it might be.
She got on her scooty and put on her helmet. "Sit fast; the surprise is waiting for you".
On the way, my mobile beeped twice. There were two calls from Meghali, and as I didn't pick up, they were followed by a message from her.
: Where are you? Why are you not picking up my calls?
: I am in traffic.
: You are going somewhere?
: Ya, I am going out with Priya.
: You still love her?
: Always ;)
: Ok. But where are you going?
: I don't know! She informed me that she has some 'surprise' arranged for me.
: Remember one thing, Arjun, no matter wherever you go, I will always stay with you!
: ok. Bye now. See ya.
: bye, take care. Love you ;)
"Who was that?" Priya enquired.
"Raj", I lied
After about twenty minutes of driving, she slowed the scooty to a halt.
"Did we reach?" I looked around.
"Ya almost, let me ask if they have everything ready or not?" she dialled up a number, but there was no answer.
"What happened?"
"They might be busy, I guess. Let's go."
She continued on the road, vibrant greenery lined up on either side of the curved roadway and the swirling wind accompanying us. Unfortunately, the scooty couldn't reach 30 kmp/h as the road was not good, with many cracks here and there.
"And there it is", she stopped the scooty in front of a park. I got down to explore it. The park had its name 'MEMORY PARK.' I guess the title is linked to some renowned person for their great deeds. There were only 3 people apart from us- a couple with their daughter, some 3 or 4 years old, strolling on the lawn. I smiled and waved her a hi as we approached each other. I was replied with a kiss on the cheek as I bent down to greet her!
"What's your name?"
"Ma...ya", she replied with her soft voice.
"Maya, you are so cute," I pressed her cheeks.
"Tell them that you're going home now." her father told her.
"Bye bhaiyya, bye didi"
"Bye," we waved back after her.
We then sat down on a nearby bench and started talking.
"So it was the surprise you were talking?"
"No, the surprise has not arrived yet."
"Is it a person?"
"No, it's a thing". She smiled.
We ordered food from the nearby stall. As we were having our meal, my phone rang up. It was Meghali.
"Excuse me, it's Boss", I lied again.
I came away from Priya and picked up the call.
"Why are you annoying me, Megha?"
"What did I do?"
"You're interfering with our date."
"Ok, darling, sorry. Just tell me, where are you now?"
"Why do you need it?"
"Why can't you tell?"
"In Memory Park. No more questions, bye". I disconnected the call.
When I returned, the family was finally gone. We two were the only people left there. "Come with me, I've something to show you" she pulled me and took me to the other end of the park.
"Remember this place?" she asked me.
I looked around. Many things came into my mind, but I wasn't sure if I had been to this place before or not.
"Don't you remember what happened here on 1st March 2014?" she asked again.
Damn that day! How can I ever forget it; it pinched me- I felt as if someone had inserted a needle right through my heart, tearing it apart. My whole body started shaking. My mind flashed up with the face of Sagar yelling for help. Tears began rolling down my cheeks, "Sagar Dutta? How do you know him?"
"You wouldn't have asked me that question if I had not faked my identity."
"What?" I was astonished.
"My real name is PRIYAKSHI SARMAH DUTTA, shortened to Priya Sarma. Sarmah was his middle name too."
I could barely speak anymore. I was in a state of shock. Then, I started regaining my memory which was lost previously. Sagar died here, yes! The very exact spot under that Banyan tree. Oh, oh oh! This was not a park then; I remember his father saying to do something in his memory! No wonder he created a park named 'Memory'!
"He was my brother", she held me by my collar. Her eyes were red with fury.
"I can explain the matter to you", even though I knew that I couldn't!
She gave me a terrible stare!
"Give me a chance to speak", I repeated.
"Oh please, Arjun bhaiyya. I knew Akshay might do something wrong, so I kept following him until the park, and I waited outside! I saw everything that happened on that day with my own eyes. First, he had to die because of you and then you vanished. Sagar would have never got justice if it wasn't for me, who toiled day and night to find them out and lodge a complaint against them."
"I guess I confirmed in the court!"
"Confirming is not the same as helping! Where were you when our family needed you the most? Where were you when I had to run to and fro court the first few days? A coward like you would have never approached in the first place. You just know to flee."
"I was helpless, Priya... I mean Priyakshi," I stammered.
"It's of no use now. I came asking for your help, but you turned a deaf ear to all my requests."
I was silent.
"Don't you remember?" she continued.
"But... didn't you say that you love me! So wait, all of it was fake !?"
"Of course. Only to win your faith and confidence- you know how much I have waited for this moment?" she paused, "And about love, I've acted it once with Akshay, and there was no big deal about doing that with you; too! I did plan the bomb and the gunshot. However, what happened back during our trip to Theopani was totally upon fate. I was moved by how you cared about me on Valentine's Day, and I almost considered giving you a chance for forgiveness. But then, the Almighty played its turn, which helped me adhere to my initial promise made to Sagar. If the unseen supreme was unwilling to forgive you, why should I?"
"But Roderick?"
"He was a mere pawn in this game!"
"Why didn't he speak of your name in the court?"
"Oh, he dare not have done that, for I had his family under captive. His wife was a friend of mine, and I knew some of their secrets enough to ruin them up. So an accord was set, and the only term it had was straightforward. His family would be released only when he manages to kill you or gets himself killed in the process. An exception was there if he got arrested, and he only had to accept his guilt without making any plea. It was made clear that if he were to deviate, just even by a femtometer, he would never see his family again."
"That means Meghali was right" I was shocked what I just heard, "you are indeed a devil in angel's face."
"And what about you?" she gave a loud yell, "A COWARD IN MAN'S BODY."
It pinched me again.
"Did you not wonder how Roderick escaped?"
"I didn't actually give it a thought. I was relieved that he died."
"Well, when you were inside discussing with the lawyer, I got my chance to meet him. When the Hawaldars were loading him into the van, I faked an attempt to hit him. And I managed to hand him a hairpin, which he used to unlock his cuffs, for his task wasn't over yet! Once inside the van, he did his part, and I was back to where I should have been."
I was silent, struck in awe as I failed to grasp how cunning someone can actually be!
She began again, "I thought Meghali would spoil the whole plan, but thankfully, you didn't trust her and took my bait into suspecting her."
"Give me a chance to prove myself," I looked at her with my moist eyes.
"Never," she disconnected the eye contact, "Man like you spoil the society. The wise man's silence is more dangerous than the evil one's cruelty- you are the one who told me that. Remember?"
I had no words to counter that.
"You don't know how much I have tried to get close to you. You just moved out of our lives after that incident. I was your best friend's sister. At least you could have stood by our side and helped us. But no, you didn't. That shows how much of a coward you are! I had to seek each piece of information about you, your likes, dislikes, hobbies, hangouts, and everything else. After enquiring for about a year, I got to know that you like popular girls. And so I made myself popular in whatever way I could so that you get attracted towards me." She gave a cunning laugh, "Now you're begging for forgiveness. I'm sorry, but I don't have it!"
"Please forgive me." I pleaded again.
"My brother died here, and I've promised him over his grave that you'll die here too."
She took her hand behind her body and took out a gun. I knew that my end was near and decided not to beg for it. I deserved my punishment for being guilty. I closed my eyes and tried to picture Sagar, the look he had when we used to play together, hang around and spend the time.
All my senses got hyperactive- I could hear the rustling of leaves amidst the honking of cars plying on the road at the other corner. I could clearly see the thirst for revenge in her eyes. She pressed the trigger, and I felt piercing through my left chest. The bullet had a high impact on me, and I was losing consciousness. My eyes were flickering, and I fell down with a thump to the ground.
I never thought I would wake up again. However, I did! The scene was different then, with blue sky was replaced by a dull white ceiling, and the chirping sound of birds had vanished. There was no honking of cars either. The moment I got my senses back, I could tell that I was in a hospital. I was there, lying on the bed, and near me was Meghali, sitting on a stool and holding my right hand on her lap. My left hand was loaded with syringes to supply adequate blood to my body.
I tried to get up, but she prevented me from doing so.
"It's ok, Arjun." she kissed me on my forehead.
"Where is Priyakshi?" I looked around.
"Who?!" she was amazed.
"Priyakshi," I paused, "I mean Priya, her real name is Priyakshi. Where is she?"
She hesitated.
"Is she dead?" I enquired to clear the uncertain reasoning in my mind.
"Unfortunately, yes"
"What?" I was confused, "how?"
"By the time we reached, she was already lying there dead. She shot herself, as confirmed from the forensic reports."
"No, no, no! Not another one", my eyes turned moist, "where's her corpse, by the way?"
"I've arranged for her body to be burnt at the public cemetery."
"No, no. Please don't do that."
"Why so?"
"She must be cremated near her brother's grave."
She was more puzzled.
"I know why you are confused. Though they were Hindu, they adopted Christianity after going to the missionary."
"Oh, I see. I shall get it done as you wished for." She got up and went out to inform the policemen and local authorities.
I felt totally depressed as two innocent lives were lost from the world solely because of me. A beautiful sibling pair- A dashing, handsome and kind-hearted Sagar and his cute little sister, Priyakshi, a fairy girl, talented and far-seeking. The former was because I could not help him and the latter as a consequence of it. Tears started rolling down my cheeks.
"Why doesn't God kill me?" I told myself as Meghali entered the cabin again.
"Don't feel bad, Arjun. It was your destiny, and you can't change it. You never know what surprises you're gonna get from the Almighty."
I was confused about what to tell next, but then it struck me, "One last thing, how come you know that Priya would harm me?"
"Because I love you, Arjun." she tried to kiss me.
I turned my face away to avoid her, "Tell me some valid reason and stop flirting."
"Ok, listen then. Being a girl, I could read another girl's mind. She was always one of the prime suspects on my list, but I knew that you won't believe me, so I kept her name to myself. The moment you told me that she has planned some surprise for you, I got alert. I knew that something was wrong and so I went to the police station. Taking a friend's help, we tracked down your location by GPS and followed you to the main road. Thereby, we lost the GPS connection, so I had to call you to track your exact location. I went there along with my friend, and when we reached, your body was drenched in blood. I felt for your pulse and was relieved when I found one! Seeing so much blood around, I thought that I had lost you, but thank God that you're alive. But to our shock, we found Priya dead, lying there beside you with a revolver in her hand. I immediately arranged for an ambulance and brought you to the hospital while disposing of her corpse at the mortuary."
"I ought to thank you for saving my life." I took out a sigh of pain, "but I would have been much happier if you were not there!"
"What?" she looked shocked.
"Yes, I mean it. And I mean it for sure."
"I told you that I'll always stay with you."
Just then, Satyajit dropped in, "Lucky I'll say, you're lucky to be born like that!"
"Hey Satya," I introduced him, "she's Meghali, my ex-girlfriend. We used to go to the same school. And Meghali, he's Dr Satyajit Sahu, my friend. We were both in the same class for medical coaching. So he cleared the entrance and became a doctor while I joined the pharmaceuticals."
"Does she know?" he asked.
"Know what?" Meghali was curious.
"Nobody knows that apart from my family," I denied, "It's been maintained a secret so that I am not outcasted!"
"Tell me both of you, what's going on here?" she was curious.
"He has a condition." Satyajit explained, "It is called Situs Inversus, in which the major organs of the body are swapped in position, and that's what saved him. His heart was situated on the right side, and so the bullet missed it altogether. Though there's some damage to the liver, it's expected to undergo self-healing over a week or two."
"Wow," she was amazed.
As I tried to move, he began again, "Though I said that, it doesn't mean you should get up. You need rest for a good number of days. You are in good hands. I'll take your leave now; I got few other patients to attend."
"Thanks, buddy." I raised my thumb.
There was pin-drop silence for quite a long time. I could not find a suitable topic to start with, neither could she. Finally, I spoke in, "So tell me again, why did you come back?"
"Because I didn't know the meaning of love then." she giggled.
"Now you know?!"
"Yes, absolutely, Arjun. It was true that I broke up with you for the second time. But not long after I did it, I apprehended that I committed the greatest mistake of my life. And so I tried to get you back. But then, I came to know that you were engaged with Priya. So I was heartbroken but still had a slight hope of getting you back."
"But how can I trust you yaar?" I hesitated, "You have broken my trust twice, and I doubt that you won't hesitate to break it Again!"
"I love you, Arjun. Do you need any proof?"
"What proof can you give ?"
"What kind of proof do you need? Just bother to say it."
"I don't need any more proof. I've had enough of it."
"Means?"
"I'm sorry, but I can't trust you again."
"Forgive me, Arjun," she came near and hugged me.
I could sense her feeling for me- but I wasn't sure if it was genuine or pretended. She left her body over mine and laid down her head on my chest. But this time, my heart did not melt. Perhaps, it had solidified enough not to melt anymore.
A month passed by quickly. My wound was almost healed, but I was not totally fit- both mentally and physically. Still, I decided to give a look at their graves. Meghali accompanied me to the graveyard.
As it was a weekday, there were hardly any people there, except for the workers and the two of us. The background was very silent, as if someone has pressed the 'Mute' button. There were trees, but their leaves were not rustling; there were birds, but none of them was chirping. Maybe, they were also paying their homage to the Two Innocent Souls.
I laid down the flowers that I've brought- Sunflowers for Sagar, his favourite and Daffodils for Priyakshi, her 1st choice, upon their graves- first on Sagar's and then on Priyakshi's. I knelt down, closed my eyes, and prayed to the Almighty:
'God, forgive me if you can. I never meant to harm anyone, nor will I ever harm anyone in the future. I wholeheartedly apologise for the two innocent lives that had been wiped out from us only because of me. Yes, I'm a coward, God. Do give me punishment, but please don't let the same circumstances arise again. I beg you, GOD, though I'm an atheist. Some will say that it was destined to happen, but I still believe that I'm the one solely responsible for all of these happenings. If you furnish me a chance, I can start a new life. Please, god, please, I urge you not to test me again. I've had enough of them. Please.' tears began rolling down my cheeks.
Time passed by quickly, and we didn't realise that it was evening already, with the Sun setting fast. The sky was gradually turning black. It was perhaps an indication that the day had ended and a new one is yet to arrive, which may bring with it tons of new hopes, aspirations and promises.
"There is a long way to go, Arjun," Meghali spoke as we were watching the setting Sun.
I tried to smile, hiding the tiny droplets dripping down endlessly from my eyes...