"Time once gone.....never comes back!"
Vikram, Sonny and Toufique were sitting inside a room. Some finished cups of tea were lying on the small table. Vikram said in a low tone, "India is a goldmine for criminals and terrorists right now. The overpopulation in India has made the number of uneducated and unemployed youth even larger. Now, every big to small man in the Underworld is eyeing on the recruitment of mislead youth for their own nefarious motives.
I won't say that I am not one of them. To be honest, I am also in dire need of some people, especially young and passionate minds. But, contrary to those scums who will use and dispatch the young boys after achieving success, I will help those boys grow further in life and become successful. Now, Toufique knows some boys here in the slum who are both uneducated and unemployed and will readily agree for a chance to make quick and big money. But, there is still a little problem. Some local hooligans think that "foreign" involvement is polluting the market and therefore they are targeting every big project coming to India from abroad. Two rascals that have been a pain in my ass for a long time are Ganesh and Shiva. Those two scums think that I am no one and my word carries no value at all. They have constantly damaged every consignment I asked for and have repeatedly denied alliance with me. If it was a small trouble, I might have ignored it and let Coppola handle it. But, those two have openly challenged me to prove my dominance. Toufique is a family man and as you have already seen, his family is growing, so he cannot indulge in this scuffle directly.
Ruksana isn't aware of Toufique's real work and she shouldn't. Sonny and I will try to buy some people here and there, but the main person would be Sonny. I cannot stay in the spotlight too much. My name alone will provoke too much attention. I will leave for the USA tomorrow night. But, before that I have to meet someone. Sonny and Toufique keep the meeting short and don't negotiate. I want those boys to know the gravitude of the matter as soon as possible." Toufique asked, "Where will we meet those boys?" Vikram smiled, "There is a small club near Charminar Road, called "Sharma's Bouquets." It is not very pretentious so you might not see it very clearly. So, I told my friend, Pradeep Sharma to stand before his club and told him to specially wear a green colour dhoti and a red vest. You will easily recognise him." Sonny asked, "Is he trustworthy?" Vikram said grimly, "His trust has been tested several times till now. We won't have any problems." Vikram rose and said, "Keep a gun with you all the time. I don't want Ruksana or Anabelle to curse me later." Sonny asked, "Will there be danger?" Vikram smiled, "Everywhere is dangerous." He opened the door and walked outside.
Vikram called Mahesh and a few minutes later, Mahesh arrived with his taxi. Vikram said, "Take me to the old house of Shabana." Mahesh pressed the accelerator and speeded towards the location. After some time, they finally reached the location and Vikram got down from the taxi. He looked at Mahesh and said, "Go for now. I will call you later." Mahesh looked at his old friend, his expression deepened with concern and he said, "I think I should go with you." Vikram said, "No need. It is important that I meet the person alone. It will be best for all of us."
Mahesh looked at Vikram, a weak smile flashed on his face, but scratches of sadness still lingered on his lips. He said, "I know that we won't meet for a long time now. Just take care." Vikram hugged him by the window and said, "Keep Sonny and Toufique safe. They are someone's lives. You have to keep them safe." Mahesh said, "Toufique is smart, but Sonny needs some time to be accustomed to the ways of the people here. You should take him with you." Vikram curled his lips and said, "Mr. Massino is old and sooner or later, Sonny has to take care of the family business. The valuable knowledge that he will receive here will be useful for him in the future. Real and trustworthy people are diminishing day by day and I want Sonny to learn how to save himself from such duplicitous people. But, again I am a little concerned for him. Poor fellow came all the way to India on one call and didn't even ask a single question. How can I let him stay alone here? Especially, when enemies are being vigilant of my every movement. But, the situation is delicate nowadays. Nafisa rebelled against me, Dempsey is plotting, Rico Martinez is advancing and Shinzo is more concerned about his social status. Anyway, let's leave everything on God and just do our bare minimum."
Mahesh smiled and pressed the accelerator and sped away. Vikram took a long breath and looked at the old house. Old memories started clouding his mind. Images of Shabana and him laughing flashed before his eyes. He looked at the door. Beaten by both weather and age, the old wooden door lost its old lustre. He knocked on the door, but no one answered. He looked around and saw a small bell hidden behind the beam of the door. He pressed the button and a buzz rang all over the house. Vikram heard a faint sound of footsteps advancing towards the door. His heartbeat increased with the increasing sound of footsteps and when the door opened, Vikram took a long breath and closed his eyes. A body slowly hugged him and kissed his cheek. Vikram slowly opened his eyes and saw Shabana standing there, embracing his shivering body. Vikram and Shabana haven't met for the last five years and in those five years, not only the distance but desperation to meet each other also increased.
Shabana said in a sweet voice, "Come inside. See nothing changed. Everything is just the same as you have left. Even me." Vikram smiled. His heart was beating so fast that the sound of his heart thumping echoed all over the room. Shabana placed her hand on his chest and said, "I have missed you so much. I knew that you would come one day but to be honest, with every passing second my hope was starting to dwindle. But, you finally returned." She hugged him and her tears started wetting Vikram's shirt. Vikram looked at her and said, "I dreamed of this day everyday. Everyday I wanted to hug you, kiss your soft lips and relive all the moments we spent together. But, today when the day has finally come, I don't know what to do." Shabana looked at his eyes and said, "How long do I have to wait again to meet you, Mr. VPS?" A flash of anger was visible in her eyes and she slapped him. Vikram said, "I know that I am your culprit. But, try to understand, Shabana. Your safety relies on the distance between you and me. I am not the same Vikram you met at the cafe years ago, but the biggest criminal in the Underworld right now. No one is safe beside me. Not even myself." Shabana pushed him away and said angrily, "Get out! You don't deserve love. The Vikram that I loved has died a long time ago. You are just a hollow, fucked-up piece of selfish shit. Go away and come here the day you can bring back the old Vikram inside you that I still love."
Vikram wanted to speak something but he hesitated. He said grimly, "Keep yourself safe, Shabana. The world is filled with people worse than me. You are right. The old Vikram died a long time ago when his whole family was killed by corrupt officials. I cannot bring him back, but I will do anything in my power to keep you safe." Shabana said angrily, "I don't need your protection. You can't protect anyone, Vikram. You are the weakest person I have ever seen. I will repent the day I fell in love with you every second of my life. Even if I die, don't come to see my dead body. Don't ever come near me." Shabana pushed him outside the house and slammed the door in his face. Vikram sighed and walked away. He looked at the sky and saw dark clouds surrounding the sun. He smiled weakly and called for a taxi and went towards the airport. Like the sky, dark clouds of despair and anarchy has completely surrounded the sunlight of his life.....