MY RAYMOND MAN !

                                     MY RAYMOND MAN !

She willed herself to not check her phone to see if he had replied. It had been about three days now. She hated that she was constantly checking his ‘last seen at’ status and yes, he had logged in just five minutes ago. Yet she couldn’t stop herself. This sinking feeling to find absolutely no communication from him was becoming unbearable, almost torturous.

And then, just as she sat down in her chair, her phone vibrated. With her heart thudding in her ear, she unlocked her phone and started at the screen. Finally! It was his message.

But when she opened it and read it, she nearly stopped breathing. She didn’t know if he was joking or not. What was this?

She knew she needed a consult from a wise person to decipher the ulterior motive. She couldn’t dive in alone and again, worst would have been messaging him back in an impulse. She picked up her cellular and digited those well crammed numbers.

It was picked at ultimate beep and without a decent greetings came the screeching sound from other side of the line, “Poonya Bali, do you realise I am a busy doctor, trying to save lives here.”

“MJ, do you realise I am your sister and I am dangling between life and death here.”

“How serious, on the scale of one to ten?”

“Of course ten....”

“Sharp 2 pm, my lunch break.... will have only fifteen minutes for you, got it.”

“That’s enough for me MJ, thank you.”

Dr Mahi Jasmere aka MJ, her first cousin happened to be the most sanely balanced person in her vicinity. She was the one who taught Poonya all the rules and loopholes of courtship. She made her cram like the parrot that love was nothing but an increased level of serum oxytocine levels which shut down the scrutiny centres of the thinking brain and made them completely blind. MJ gave her the protocol for whom to fall and whom not to fall in love with. But even after this vigorous tactile training she faulted, fell in love with the Casanova, Purshottam Bharadwaj, who kept bouncing in and out of her life at his whimsical ease turning her life nothing more than a train wreck.

And now again when she caught him flirting with another dame and subsequently was accused of being the jealous girl friend and consequently punished for three days of pin drop silence, he was back again to reignite the spark.

“Are you kidding me? Are you listening to what you are saying?” Were the opening lines from MJ after listening to Poonya’s love tale at their two pm meeting.

“I know, I am sorry.”

“And still you don’t want me to tell you he is not the right guy for you PB.”

“I know....” Poonya responded.

“And still you are craving to have him back...”

“That’s why I am sorry but MJ people sometimes do change for good. Can’t he have that benefit of doubt?”

Calling each other by initials of the name happened to be the customary ritual of this family.

There was the marked disappointment on MJ’s face. She had lost all her nerves explaining to PB and there was nothing more left under her human power to do except to be complacent with her demands. “PB, I am asking you one last time, how serious are you for this guy, on the scale of one to ten?”

“Definitely ten!” came an instant reply.

“Think before what you wish for as the wise say because sometimes wishes do get true. But if that’s what you want then tell me what price are you ready to pay?”

“Is this possible MJ?”

“Just answer the damn question?” MJ was irritated they were running over past their allotted time.

“Anything and everything in the world.” PB said with the twinkle in her eyes.

“Fine, come tomorrow and all your troubles will be put for rest forever. And one thing you have to cross your heart and keep it a secret, no matter what happens, you can’t reveal it to anyone.” It was MJ’s final verdict.

Though PB nodded and was interested to know the intricate details but she couldn’t risk challenging MJ’s patience here, when she could clearly see she was at the end of her rope. Questioning her modus operandi here would be jinxing her wish granting Santa Clause avatar. Therefore she held her silence, desperately waiting for a new day.

“Here take this....” Next day MJ gave her some medicated powder in a big vile.

“What the hell, my life is a joke to you?” PB was thwarted.

“No, that’s why I am giving this to you. Two spoons daily in his food or drinks and he will fall head over heels in love with you in ten days, never leaving you ever, glued permanently to your existence till eternity.”

“Is it some kind of black magic or love portion?” PB had that puppy dog curiosity in her eyes.

“Layman call it that but I personally prefer calling it science at its best, delivering cent percent guaranteed results but.....”

“I knew it; there are always difficult terms and conditions....”

“Shut up PB, just listen. All I am saying is that you have to follow up with the regular dose, the day you skip doses, he will return to his old playboy self.”

“Any side effects?”

“Headaches, little nausea, slight vertigo, mild weakness.... nothing that you can’t live with. Once he is accustomed to it, then they will fade away too.”

PB was euphoric as if she stumbled over the genie in the lamp, “Thank you, my fairy god mother.”

“Oh! Sure, good luck Cinderella, go for the kill.” MJ smiled back.

It’s been four days since she has been religiously following the dose plan and yet her boyfriend was miles away to show the traits of being her ‘preux chevalier’.

Frustratingly she called MJ to inform the debacle of her magic love portion but MJ preached her the miraculous results of holding up to virtuous patience and she turned out to be right too. On the very fifth day, he suddenly, in an overnight time, mutated into loving, caring, adorable man, the aspect of his personality that laid hidden to PB.

And thereafter she was taken care of like the queen by him. For the first time in her life time, she had her man’s undivided attention. She was in an ultimate bliss. He had flooded her with gifts and wanted to spend time with her, wanted to share all his secrets with her. PB was living every girl’s fantasy.

On the seventh day PB called MJ telling her the marvellous results of the medicine. She heartedly thanked her too.

The eighth day she called MJ to tell that how possessive her boyfriend had become that the other day when she was talking to some random guy he became all jealous. She secretly liked him getting all envious, it was like making him taste his own medicine. Moreover he was using more words and expressions in his conversation with her and also gave her a patient hearing. For first time in her on and off relationship, she was indeed being heard. The feeling was quiet new for her but it felt awesome.

She couldn’t thank MJ enough for drastically changing her love life.

On the ninth day when PB called MJ, she seemed little tense.

She said, “.... look, he is changing, that’s very good, but today he cried.... Boys do look sexy with couple of droplets moistening their eyes but if it comes like flood, it’s awful. He had leaky eyes and nose moment today, where I was running short of handkerchiefs to dab his tears.... It felt as if I am dating a jealous cranky sissy girl. I hope it’s not one of the side effect of the love portion.”

“Transformation sometimes is stressful process that takes toll over the man’s vitality and virility. Don’t worry it’s just a transient phase and will wane away. All you need to do is make him feel comfortable and loved.” MJ explained.

“Okay... But how exactly am I going to do that, any suggestions?” PB was confused with MJ’s heavy vocabulary.

“Consummate your love.....”

“Excuse me! Let me get it straight are you vouching me to go for pre marital sex?”

 “What’s wrong with that?” MJ was blunt.

“Ten days back you were against me to keep any ties with Purshottam and now you want me to seduce him.”

“Why are you acting all surprised PB? It was your decision to be with the guy who was named Purshottam by his parents even in this century. Since it was your only lasting wish, all I am doing is to guide you to the pot of the gold at the end of the rainbow.”

“You have changed MJ. You have transformed into the sister I never had. Thank you to be my mentor, thank you to be my lighthouse in the dark stormy sea.”

It was the tenth and final day of PB’s trial. At the stroke of midnight she would finally get her man forever. MJ on other hand had night duties at the hospital and she was bust giving instructions to the bunch of interns under her in her chamber. Suddenly the door flung open and in came the furious PB, hissing like the snake, “What the hell you have done?”

She gave a damn to the audience present in MJ’s chamber and the chain reaction of the babbling tongue that she ignited with her demure.

MJ on other hand was quiet calm and composed and not at all surprised as if it was on the tonight’s menu. She said to her apprentices, “My sister sometimes becomes hysterical. Guys it’s not much of a trouble if you give us moments of solitude with each other.”

Soon the room became vacant except for those two sisterly souls.

“He couldn’t perform.... the rowdy Romeo couldn’t even start... and I know it’s all because of that powder that I am feeding him with for past ten days, so don’t try to lie on my face.”

MJ just looked at her and gave her a smiling nod.

“Oh! My god! I trusted you and you thrust a dagger in my back. You were supposed to be my pillar of support and true friend but you chose to be my ambush enemy. It was your nefarious plan from the beginning and the entire time you were playing me. I wish you had been honest with me.”

“Didn’t I try to tell you the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow was an illusion but you were stubborn? I tried reasoning with you that guys like him come and just disturb the apple cart and then move on but you were obstinate. So now when I have walked you to what you wanted you are still complaining, girl you are impossible.”

“That’s not what I wished for....” PB was all broken.

“The thing with wishes is that they have those asterisk term and a condition, which one gets’s to see later.” MJ was direct in her endeavours.

“What did you give him exactly MJ?”

“The cocktail of female hormones.... oestrogen, progesterone, prolactin....”

“Oh! MY god! You practically turned my macho man into a woman.....” PB was purring again.

“That was the only way to win over the untainted loyalty of that playboy.”

“You want to say that the only way that I deserve the love of the man is when he is turned into a woman, it’s the incomplete man that I have willed under my name by God....” the stream of tears gushing down from PB eyes.

For the first time in the conversation MJ was diluted by that flow, “Oh! Sweetheart you deserve better, you deserve a complete man, your own patent Raymond man but that man is not the one. You can only tame that playboy and keep it at short leash but you can’t force him to love you. He will keep smirking around to find his soul mate for whom he would change his ways and will his loyalty to. But let me break it to you as politely I can, you are not the one. You have to let him go.”

“MJ I fear I will never be able to find the right guy for myself, it’s like searching for the proverbial needle in the haystack.” PB was wailing noisily now, hugging MJ, wetting her Doctor’s coat with her tears, sputum and saliva.

“Of course you would. Every great thing needs time, don’t be so pessimistic..... And I am sorry that I hurt you... I had no other option left to prevent you from drowning.... I had to, I risked a lot on the table, my career, my practicing number, I hope you would understand it.”

“I know it sister... I know it...” PB was still hugging MJ.

Once PB’s tears started to dry off and she was regaining back her composure, MJ asked her, “What are you going to do now?”

“You are right, I think I will give my luck little time to flourish. I am going to wait for my Raymond man. I am going to break away with Purshottam.... By the way MJ, did we make that Casanova impotent for lifetime?”

“No we did not. Once the dose is stopped, the residual effect of the prescribed doses would wane away and gradually the girl within him will die a salient death and in no time he would be back to his game. But for now he is going to window display to you the classical symptoms of sissy girl going under the break off. Don’t get sweept away with his tears. Always remember it’s the girl within him, which we created, doing the entire role playing.” MJ said.

“Never, thanks for the warning though. Look at the irony of the fate, it’s like he is facing the music, the Karmic justice of the universe. It’s like what you sow, so shall you reap, what goes around comes around....”

“Stop guilt tripping yourself PB. If you are so much conscious stricken order him the chocolate cake that will balm his wounds but for god sake stop your justifications to your act. You have done nothing wrong.” MJ reprimanded PB.

After the momentary silence PB looked up at MJ and with that naughty smirk on her lips she reverberated and modified MJ’s dialogue, “The chocolate cake to balm the playboy’s broken heart....”

The random vocabulary tickled their humour bone and both girls went into boisterous laughter spell, echoing in the vacant hall and lasted for quite a while. The sisters in arms had finally achieved the feast to win over the world by flagging the enemy’s post.

HAPPY REPUBLIC DAY TO ALL MY READERS.

PROUD TO BE AN INDIAN!

“The Incomplete Story of the Playboy”

           “The Incomplete Story of the Playboy”

“We are honoured to have you sir. You are the great source of inspiration for all of us and it’s my pleasure to present you with the ‘Best Man Of His Trade’ trophy. You have been winning it for past five years now, so it doesn’t come as surprise for any of us because you surely are the best man,” said the anchor. The entire auditorium echoed in the thundering applause.

The fragile lithe of an aging man, probably seventy five years old slowly baby stepped his way to the stage to take the honour bestowed on him. He was peaceful in his wrinkled phizog. He had neither happiness painting his cheeks nor any excitement pumping under his skin. He was just peaceful as if things like this didn’t matter anymore. Even though he was the bigwig in the transport industry with an annual turnover in billions he walked with grounded pace. The anchor utilized the time he covered from his seat to the stage in singing the poses of his praises, as he continued speaking, “This man started from a very modest and humble beginning to reach the great heights where he stands today. A lot of time we have heard his success story and our heart have swelled with great pride. You have been the light house for the younger generation. But today sir, I would like to ask you something different. Do you have any regrets in life, something you wanted to do but you couldn’t, something of that sought?”

“Yes,” came the straight forward answer.

“In that case we would like to know....”

“Then I have to tell you the story....” said the seventy five year old man.

“We would be delighted to hear it from you sir.....” and then the anchor gave him the entire dais to speak up his mind. Even with that age he had the girt in his voice that within seconds he took everybody under his spell and started to tell his life’s tale.......

“Once upon a time he used to be my best friend. We grew up together in the murky land having nothing in our pockets but only dreams in our eyes. We both were born in utter poverty and that happened to thread our eternal bonds with each other.

As a kid, all I wished was to walk the humble ground but he wanted to fly in the unknown sky. It had always been difficult for me to sync feet with him and catch his pace. I had to force myself to run to catch him. And when I did I used to give him a piece of my mind but he never listened to me, not then and not ever.

Our boyhood was fun even though we didn’t have two nickels to rub together, adolescence came up a hard but who was afraid to work hard. We shuttled studies with myriad work routines to have a modest earnings to cover up the basic needs for survival.

It was his brain and my hard work that we started a small scale business of transporters. We used to take contracts to transports edible items, vegetables and other goods to the city. We were very young, just running in our nineteenth year we stepped into the business economy. His expertise in words and mine in numbers made us the lethal combination and in no time we were the young entrepreneurs in the transportation market, the invincible kings of their trade. It was sheer luck or suddenly God remembered our presence on the planet, that we were rich when we celebrated our twenty fifth birthday together.

Our small scale business took off a good flight and the currency started to fall from the roof top. At first we used to hire the vehicles for our work disposal but later we had those tins lined up in our front yard. Everything started to fall in its place. We had all those material things from an above average house to more than quintessential luxuries for us. The enmities we just dreamed about, while sleeping on our jute cots ten years back.

We were not from the same bloodline but we were surely brothers from two mothers. We did everything together even got married on same date, same venue and same time. Through the money brought stability in our life but along with it entered the vices of power, vanity and arrogance, waiting in dark, lurking in the corner, for an unguarded moment of our defences to mutate itself into a multiple hooded snake. I could sense it but my friend was blinded with speed. I told him life is the present and we got to preserve it. One is liable only to take calculative risks.

“You make life sound like a retirement plan”. He used to always say that.

His roller coaster ride was always mayday warning for us and like fire fighters respond to a fire alarm, I had to always be ready with tactile skills to deal with it. Pulling him out of the pit, had become my routine job, whether it was to drive him back home when his senses were Tequila ridden, paying off his debts  after he lost big in gambling, covering up for him in front of his wife when he was busy with his mistresses. From wiping his vomiting to hiding away his dirty linen, I did everything. His wife left him but I stayed little longer. Enthral, enticed and enchanted by the power of currencies in his bank accounts, he thought himself to be the crowned king of the world, the personified almighty. I tried to talk him out of his created heaven but he was drowning in the illusion of self pride, he didn’t give my words any heed. He knew God had written his luck with the golden pen and he lived in the delusion that the rising sun of his amazing life would never ever face the dusk.

He was still not ready to listen and I was at the end of my rope. But when the water was hell high and beyond my human limits to drain, my patience finally gave up. We parted ways, life, business and everything material and immaterial. But in deepest corner of my chest, my heart still beat for him. I kept a close tab on him. He was indifferent, drenched in debauchery and all illicit pleasures known to mankind. He just wanted his life to be that way.

He married again. I was invited and I went too. Again I tried to put wisdom in his ironclad head but it was futile, instead I got embarrassed and insulted in front of a big gathering by his wasted self. He claimed that my existence depended entirely on him. He compared me to a parasite. At first I tried to ignore whatever he said but later my ego started to puff me up. I couldn’t withstand his raw scalding words though I knew it was just his roofie self speaking. In the morning he would call me to apologize. I wish I would have stayed calm with that understanding but I didn’t. A little haul over the coals transformed into ugly fire and burned what was left of our friendship. That was the last straw. We turned into rivals and declared a war against each other.

It gave him a reason to get back to his work and earn more money than me, an endeavour of his esteemed ego to prove me small and worthless. He was sweating again day and night, the phenomenon which was perishing out of his basic physiology. My id too didn’t let him win the race. I fought him tooth and nail. At the end of the year our profit charts were almost the same but still no one out of us wanted to quit the race and enjoy life in peace. Our clashes became public and sometimes made headlines in local magazines. We were head on.

But even in those times, he never crossed boundaries. He wanted a competition but not to harm me in any way or other. He wanted a much bigger house than mine, maybe three cars more than my present number, an extra dog probably to his present clan. When people approached him taking advantage of our enmity, spilling bad blood about me and shaking hands to hatch nefarious plans to vaporize my existence on the planet, he punched their faces right off. It was then I realised, he wasn’t indifferent. But it was too late to sew back all hanging threads of our wrecked relationship. I wanted to do it and I think he too missed me, but no one among us could take the first step. I wished I had taken it but now I only have regrets of my youth lingering in my memory lane and nothing else.

If something good came out of our rivalry, it was that his second marriage ran the track for ten years, in contrast to his previous one year of matrimony. He was too busy fighting cold war’s with me that he had time shortage for dancing in the sin city with damsels of the town. But that man could never ever live a monotonous life style, he was never ready for the mediocre settlement. Even though he had two children, pretty much grey hair on his scalp and a little pot belly, now. He often slipped in his playboy avatar even though he was busy condescending horns with me. As a result his second marriage too doomed. A large share of his finances went in divorce settlement. The man had no regrets, he was born to not worry at all with a devil may care attitude. He never cared if he lost everything; at least he lived his life according to his rules.

Though he was not born with the diamond studded golden spoon but he was definitely born with golden luck. He was the Midas of his trade and everything he touched became gold. In no time he was up again with more power, fame and finances than before. He was invincible.

A relationship knocked on his door again for the third time. But this time it was something different for him. The feeling was absolutely unexpected and a new. He wanted to change for a change. He wanted to redeem himself. Probably he experienced his ‘love at blink’ moment, I can’t say of sure. I think he wanted to share his happiness with me and break the news of finally adorning the hat of a real life Romeo, to me.

As I clearly remember, that day in the golf club where we crossed paths. Since, we had the membership of the same club, I personally made sure that we never had common days and for past couple of years we were being able to avoid each other too but not that day. I don’t know how it happened. It wasn’t his day to be there but he was there, moreover he played in my vicinity. He was talking loud to his acquaintance sharing every intricate detail of his love life. Though I was not interested in his chitchat but from the bits and pieces that soaked in my ears I could make out his love story. It all started when he was called in to for a charity event which he just thought to attend for a change. He was never a great fan of such benevolent organisation. But what came into his head that he attended this one, only ending up fancying one of the women there. She was the window who was contributing her life in this missionary work. He couldn’t get his eyes off her and even tried to entice her by his impeccable playboy charms. To his big surprise, even after trying every trick in his sleeve, every card in his deck and targeting every arrow in his quiver, she gave him blind eye and a deaf ear. That was new for him. I general case scenario he would have moved on, after all she was just a modest looking woman, easily missed in the crowd.

But this time his heart wanted him to stay and chase his girl. He said it was his lost heart asking him to stay; I just smiled at his phrasing. He has always been eloquent with words but the actual grit of his character was not a hidden secret from me. I knew he was born with the spirit of that randy little spaniel who would never ever change. Again, according to him, this time he tried the different approach for the girl in question. He met her and voiced his true feelings of his heart, and for first time she heard. However the smart girl put her conditions on the table. She wanted him to be the better man. And thereafter his life turned summersault. He was getting sober, exercising, and sleeping on time. The woman he was dating for past one year was turning him to be a man that I wanted him to be.

I could hardly believe his words. He seemed nothing more than a babbling band of the baboon with stocked up buffoonery to seek attention of onlookers. I knew once he is successful in bedding that woman he would be done with her too and get back to his lust ridden life style. I knew all that jumping jack and talking fool tricks were for me but I completely ignored him. He wanted a decent conversation with me but I gave him a cold shoulder. I wished I had shared a latte with him that day; many things would have been cleared.

He was happy, truly happy and he wanted me to be the part of his happiness. For first time in my entire life time I could see him more humble and painted in colours of modesty. It was good but I had my doubts. I wish I would have gone and personally congratulated him on his success and hugged him, but I didn’t.

He proposed her.

She said yes.

A playboy who was on the verge for complete redemption was dead after two days of proposing to his girl, in whom he found his eternal love. In his entire life he challenged fate, destiny and God but finally providence had a last laugh.

Heart attack, died in the ambulance!!

I wasn't surprise when he died at age of forty five but I was sad, very sad. Even when we didn't see eye to eye, his departure took away a large piece of me and it has never recovered.

I was there at his funeral, bidding bye to his soul-less body. No amount of my tears would bring back those lost moments of my lost friendship. I met his fiancé there. Though we have never met earlier but it seemed she knew me well enough, in fact she knew everything about me.

My experience in my life taught me one fact; we tend to fall for those people who are our dream destination person. How hard we try we can never be like them though we desperately want to be that person. There is this wanting that we term love, if we are not like them but at least we can showcase them in our life. I could see why my friend fell for that woman with the modest looks. The goodness of her heart sparkled in her eyes; those eyes that made my friend missed his breaths and beats. Was he bored of his life, did he really want to turn a new leaf? I don’t know, I just don’t know.

My surprise day was not yet over to see his fiancé, there was more to come, his will. He created a will six months before his death. It was not that he knew he was going to die, it was just an impulsive idea that he formulated in reality, according to his fiancé. He had donated half his fortune to the good work of his going to be wife and the rest to me.

He was trying real hard to change, he desperately wanted my forgiveness, his girl told me that. But how could he do such a brutal thing with me, I was never behind his money, I wanted him, I wanted our friendship, I wanted those lost days of our childhood when we ate from same platter and laughed our heart loud to each other, I wanted to live like a big happy family forever. But even in his death he tried to purchase my friendship with those big checks that he had signed in my name. He was cruel indeed. I regret not giving him the peace of my mind.

I can’t let him go easy and die in all the peace by giving him what he wanted. I bend to his lifeless body and in his ears I told him, to hang on where ever he is, just stay put because when my time is up, I will join him and we have much to talk about, much to clear out and he would have to answer all my questions. He could be the best thespian in front of the entire world, fool anybody he wants to but not me. I didn’t believe him. I would be desperate to meet his soul and hold his collars for doing what he did to me.

At that point of my life, there was nothing left to say or hear. When I stood beside the burning pyre of my long lost friend, I could clearly see the dark side of the light. I had lost him forever. I had no one to love, fight, keep a close tap on. He created a big void in my life which is destined to remain till the end of my life.

He left me guilty of only wistfully wishes, that if I had stayed little longer with him, if I would have tried little more harder to change him, if I would have geared more patience to understand him, we would have lived like a big happy family, but now, as the sands of time skips out of my fingers, I am left with ‘if only’!!

I miss the man, who once used to be my friend and once used to be my sworn enemy. The man I respected, hated and envied, but the only man that I ever loved. And I regret not being with him when he needed me the most, in his happiness and his distress. I miss being his friend again.”

There was pin drop silence in the hall. The man was through with his story but no one clapped. He was through getting down those stairs but still no one moved. He walked out of the gates but still the environment remained frozen inside those walls. Because no one knew how to react and frankly the man didn’t care too. He just said what he wanted to say and walked out. It was ten seconds later when the anchor took the stage and broke the ice to commence with the further events of the evening but for sure people couldn’t forget the self contempt of the man that just walked out of between them. Their eyes were moist and the sound of the broken heart echoed in their ears. 

THE STORY OF JOSHUA PART-2

                                          THE STORY OF JOSHUA 

                                                       PART-2

“You have deliberately pushed me in the cockpit of infection whirlpool. You want me to die of tuberculosis but you know what I have full scores in my vaccination chart.” Rafter was irritated following him to places with health hazard whereas Joshua didn’t cringe.

Just shutting like a shuttle with Joshua between his monotonous busy life style, took away every spice from Rafter’s life. He hadn’t met his girlfriend, hadn’t gossiped with Yadav and most importantly pumped in the gym. It’s been just two days and Rafter felt like spending an entire lifetime in Jail. Finally on third day, he asked Joshua to assign him some meager duty to pass his day, he couldn’t spend his entire time just staring at him, it felt so gay-ish. And since then, for the next multiple days to come Rafter multitasked under Joshua, sometimes being his compounder dispensing medicine for him, sometimes his receptionist filling in appointment calls and sometimes his assistant jotting down notes for him. But what surprised Joshua was that the hands that only knew, how to press trigger of gun were so efficient in drawing blood samples from the patient by using syringes. He was proficient and a quick learner too. Joshua could foresee a decent future for Rafter from the skills that he just witnessed in him. He even confronted Raftar with a brand new career plan but Raftar laughed it over and was happy with his adventurous goon life.

As the time passed, things started to change between Raftar and Joshua. Raftar too could find uncalled, un-named adoration for him like his master, Bhaiji. And sometimes the idea of working as Doctor’s assistant started to cross his mind but it was still long shot away from virtual reality. The election month was quiet near and so was the date of execution of nefarious plan of Bhaiji that could create ransack in otherwise calm and peaceful environment of the village. But instead of experiencing an anticipatory anxiety, Joshua was at his tranquil best. Since he was out of action he was out of everybody’s memory.

It was the last day of Joshua’s obligation towards Bhaiji. But something unusual happened. Joshua excused himself from the church visit and graveyard attendance, the routine which he had never ever skipped for past twenty years. He reached that Haveli directly with Raftar. Raftar noticed this peculiarity too but he chose to ignore it, thinking it to be a personal choice. There at Haveli, Bhaiji too didn’t look his usual self. He was pretty much under the weather, coughing his lungs out with high grade fever.

Once Joshua was through with his assigned duty and was packing his bags, as a regular formality Bhaiji asked him to join him for the tea. In the regular days, Joshua always declined the offer but today he went affirmative to Bhaiji’s request. For Bhaiji it was a breeze of fresh air, a keyhole opportunity to revive his relationship with his trusted doctor, but for Raftar these subtle omens were getting high on his nerves. For a very short period of time that he had spent with Joshua he was sure enough to bet his entire fortune on the fact that this man would prefer dying rather than compromising his principles. He was certainly upto something. Raftar checked the bullets in his revolver.

“I think Josh, you need to add more shots to my treatment, I haven’t yet recovered from neuralgic pains in my legs. Moreover I got webbed in this season change allergies.” Bhaiji said sipping from his cup.

“Hmm!” was Joshua’s response.

“Come on Josh, let it go. Why are you mixing your work and pleasure? You know I like you and I want you to reciprocate these feelings of friendship of mine. I can’t change that’s the way I am. You need to be more accepting of me and be a little less judgmental.”

“I have been trying to follow that formula with you for a decade now, Bhaiji…”

‘Bhaiji’ was the third bouncer being bowled by Joshua in the same over. The word with has never ever been the part of his vocabulary was slipping out of his tongue smoothly and deliberately. Raftar was now on high alert and there Joshua was using more tongue power than usual, “I swear, I sincerely tried but failed. But as you said men like you can never change therefore monsters like you should be annihilated.”

“Is this a joke, Josh?” Bhaiji’s was taken aback and his muscles got tensed.

“No” came the blunt reply from Joshua. Every living soul in that room had an undivided attention on Joshua’s face, waiting for his revelation. He continued, “You are going to die Bhaiji. I would advice, you start improvising your karmas because very soon you are going to meet your creator.”

“Have you brought AK 47 with you?” Bhaiji humored him.

“Ah! I am a doctor, I don’t need AK47. All I need is a syringe, a poison and your blood vessels. I had access to all. For past couple of days I have been injecting you with viruses of HIV, Hepatitis B and hepatitis C, the most deadly weapon which would slowly and gradually rot your systems within your breathing living body.” Raftar was the only one to join the dotted points here, that’s the reason he accepted spending extra hours in the pathology laboratory, to procure him with these deadly viruses that he used as his weapons against Bhaiji.

There was ten seconds pin drop silence in the room which was broken by the boisterous laughter of Bhaiji, “Ha..Ha. You think I will believe these words in wind. You think generating fear in my heart would make me cave and I will go on my knees pleading you for an antidote. I am no fool, I know you have no balls, man.”

“What do you know about strength Bhaiji….you killed my wife and my toddler son…” for first time in long time, Joshua had emotions painting his phizog. “…twenty years back, when you were just a mere lad, a drop out of school, you headed a riot on orders of your late father. You boasted their brutal murder as your first kill. I witnessed it. You were about to slaughter me too but the distant police siren saved my life. I wish you would have killed me that day; my life has been a living hell since then. Every day I fought the feeling of vengeance against desperately praying to Jesus to give me that endurance. For past twenty five years I have been apologizing to the graves of my son and wife, finding logical reasoning in those books in your library to give you second chance, to forgive you. I thought you were just a boy gone astray from his path. I hoped against hope that one day you will turn up just fine human being but I was wrong. Men like you are like the tail of dog, which even after staying in the cast for years would never change. It’s the time you smell your own death, taste your own medicine, Bhaiji.”

It was lightening outside, it seemed like the precursor to a dangerous thunderstorm. Inside the Haveli, the guns were out and unanimously pointing at one target. After a little sentimental leak, Joshua was back to his mental serenity and grit. He sat there valiantly, patiently waiting for his fate. He knew his time was over and soon enough he would join his wife and kid in the gardens of God. As a surprise, between all that hostility, he was shielded by none other than Raftar.

“Bhaiji don’t kill him…” he pleaded.

“Are you out of your mind, Raftar,” Yadav, one of the Bhaiji’s trusted men and Raftar’s mentor, screamed at his childish behavior.

“Bhaiji think for one second, he knows the cure of your disease. If he dies, you will die too.”

“Irrespective of the fact that whether I live or die, Mr Goswami you are destined to doom. The seventy two hours window period to reverse your pathology have long past. No men in this planet could save you now.” Joshua cleared the air.

“Raftar, are you trying to save this man, who tried to kill your master. Boy, pick a side, because it won’t matter for us to kill you two,” Yadav shrieked the last warning.

Raftar slowly paced towards Bhaiji, “Please listen to me Bhaiji, it’s the election time and we can’t afford a controversy over a dead doctor…” But as soon as he was in Bhaiji breathing Zone, he immediately took Bhaiji at his point blank range and roared, “Let the doctor go…”

“Raftar,” screamed Yadav

“Don’t even think of that Yadav, if you moved a muscle, your master will die sooner than expected.” Raftar then turned towards Joshua and said, “Now do you require a formal invitation to move from that chair.”

Couple of minutes later the duo, were talking to wind on Raftar’s bullet bike. Though they have bolted the main gate of Haveli from outside on their way out but they knew that it was not sufficient to dam those furious Bhaiji men.

“There is no use running?” Joshua commented after a while. Raftar ignored to answer.

Joshua continued, “… Because of me, your life is in danger too. Why are you doing this?” Raftar was still quiet.

“At least you could show little curtsey to answer my questions…”

“I have no answers to it. I don’t know, why?All I know is that I have to take you somewhere safe.”

“Raftar, how old are you?”

“Why? Twenty five.”

“My son would have been a year or two older than you, if he would have been alive….Anyways you still have good left inside you. I have seen you working so earnestly at my clinic and you are good with patients too.”

“Now, you want me to be a doctor.”Raftar humored him.

“I wish but you can still end up good in pharmaceutical line. I had talk to my friend about you and he was ready to help.”

“Okay! After all this gets over, I will do what you say but for now stop worrying about my future.”

“Okay, here, just keep his card in case you need it…” Joshua inserted the business card of his friend in Raftar’s shirt pocket. He continued, “By the way where are you taking me?”

“The safest place of the world, where Bhaiji can’t touch you, the jail. We are going to get a press conference and there you are going to confess everything you did to Bhaiji. Once you become the breaking news you would be out of his reach.You will live, Joshua, you will live.”

“Take me to the church, first.”

“What! Are you crazy?”

“Please, I need to pray and confess. It will just take two seconds.” Joshua pleaded.

Raftar had to cave in and in no time they were standing outside the church. Joshua went inside and Raftar stood there guarding the entrance. It had been 15minutes and Joshua was still not out. Raftar was getting restless at his post, he went in to check. But the church was empty; Joshua was nowhere to be found. At that moment Raftar knew, he had been tricked. Joshua had left from the back door of the church. He knew that wherever in the world he would go, Bhaiji will find him and kill him and if Raftar came along, he would experience the same fate, therefore to save his life he sacrificed his own, deliberately walking in the death trap.

Raftar was almost in tears, fearing the worst. He didn’t want to be orphaned again. Like a mad man he started to run in a random direction. He was just few steps ahead that he heard three gun shots. He froze to the ground. His teacher, guide, mentor, fatherly figure was no more. He has shown him the place to run and selflessly took all the bullets.

“Why are you stopping daddy, then what happened?” a curious child asked.

“It’s been seven years to that incident. No one was able to find Joshua’s remains; Bhaji had hid it from the world to cover up his acts. Raftar couldn’t let Joshua’s sacrifices go in waste, though he went underground but left evidentiary trails for the media and police to Bhaiji sin world. In no time Bhaiji was arrested but because of Joshua’s shot, he had more hospital stay than being behind the bars. Four years back he died in the hospital bed. His loyal army was too fearful to claim his dead remains. Joshua single handedly averted a disaster and saved million lives. He is a forgotten saint, son.”

“What happened to Raftar daddy?”

“No one knows about him. He was never seen thereafter.” The man took a deep breath as he reached the climax to the bed time story to his son.With loving affection he asked his son, “so tell me boy, what’s the moral of the story?”

“We should be a hero and kill bad people like Bhaiji....”

His father laughed, “Oh! Sammy boy, it teaches patience, forgiveness and righteousness. With this note now you go to sleep, before your mother comes marching here and reprimanding both of us.”

 “Did you notice one thing daddy?”

“What boy?” said the dotting father.

“Your name too is Joshua like the protagonist of our story.”

The father just smiled and tugged his boy in the bed, kissed him good night. He was about to switch off the light that his eyes crossed his reflection in the mirror. Though he had taken up his name, his principles, his values and his chosen career for himself and his ideal family life which he never had an opportunity to live but still the face in the mirror reveals the past life of Raftar.

He had no pictures of the man that changed his life forever and better but not a day passes by when he forgets to remember his hero.

THE STORY OF JOSHUA {PART 1}

                                                   THE STORY OF JOSHUA  

                                                               {PART 1}

“Father, give me the strength to forgive and fight back the feeling of vengeance. Father, pray for me to achieve the peace of mind, for my patience is a very thin rope on which I walk,” said the man who sat in the confession box. For past twenty five years or so, he had followed the same routine of coming to the church and then spending a while in the confession box, repeating those same lines over and over again, before starting his day. As he walked out of the church after his daily prayer, he heard someone calling his name.

“Dr Mathews…Dr Joshua Mathews, Bhaiji has called in for you.”

Joshua turned and from his black rim glasses he could see two men running towards him. Joshua stopped for the men to catch up with him. Once they were near the audible distance, he said, “Tell Mr Goswami, I would be there in the afternoon.”

“What? Are you going to make Bhaiji wait…Hey Doctor, are you out of your mind, don’t  you know he is a big leader of our Hindu political party? How could you dare…” one of the men was furious at Joshua’s reply but before he could vent out all his rage, the other man, who was busy catching his breath, sharply transcended him, “My apologies Doctor sahab, please forgive him. He is new in the clan. If you want we can send the jeep to pick you in the afternoon.”

“No thanks you, I will come,” and without another word or a frown, Joshua walked away. The new boy in Bhaiji’s force was confused. He couldn’t do the math here. He was trained to portray in the likes to twin the angry Hulk to generate fear in the heart of his opponent and now, that he was perfectly role playing, he was abruptly cut short. He looked at his accomplice in utter bewilderment and said, “Now we have to fear this mouse too. Don’t you find the difference between our giant lithe and his five feet six inches frame, our abs and his lanky physique and wrinkled phizog?”

“Shut up, just shut up. If Bhaiji comes to know about it, he is going to bury you alive. Bhaiji is very fond of this doctor and Joshua has been his doctor since the very day Bhaiji needed a doctor. There alliances run over a decade or so,” reprimanded the other man.

“But can’t you see this oldie taking undue advantage of Bhaiji veneration for him. Look at his attitude.”

“That’s what Bhaiji likes about him, his strength of character. In this fake world around Bhaiji where everybody tries to impress him with flattery; it is this Doctor who face him fearlessly with blunt honesty but still being polite. And moreover he is a busy doctor. Can’t you see in the six kilometer radius, he is the only doctor practicing in this village? He has patients lined up to see at his clinic.”

“But he could have made an exception to come and see Bhaiji first and then went along with his day…”

“Until and unless it’s an unavoidable emergency, he will never break his routine. That’s what Joshua is. He will come to the church first, walk to the grave yard and finally to his nursing home.”

“Graveyard?”

“Yes, his family is buried there, his wife and his son. I don’t know much about it but people say that they died very young, whether it was an accident or natural calamity, no one knows. Doctor is a very introvert man and speaks only when necessary. No one really knows his real story. But he seems to be a nice man, always helping people, sometimes going absolutely out of his way too. He is very much respected here.”

“Ah! Why doesn’t Bhaiji call another experienced doctor that too, a Hindu one from the city, when this one is busy being Messiah? And as matter of fact, why does Bhaiji need a doctor, he seems perfectly fit to me? He wrestles the whole day in mud. Even at the age of 40, he is more energetic than all of us combined.”

“Though Bhaiji is a superman but beneath all that iron and steel, his nerves are rusting away. Every six months he gets himself vitamin B12 shots for twenty to thirty days. According to Bhaiji, this doctor has magical hands and he feels no pain when being injected by him. What so ever be the reason, Bhaji really adores his doctor. If given an opportunity, he could put this doctor in a locket and hang him in his neck like his lucky charm.”

“What rubbish Yadav, my gut feeling says, we can’t trust this Christian. One day he would lead to our doom.”

“Stop running the wild horses of your mind, Raftar, I don’t have an entire day to debate you over the relationship of Bhaiji and the doctor. We have to rush back to be beside Bhaiji, we are his bodyguards. Elections are on head, there are various strategies which we have to give our contribution to. Come let’s go.”

In afternoon when Joshua went to the Haveli of Pitamber Goswami, the big boss of big Hindu party, he laid there on the cot with his hired servility massaging him. As soon as he saw his doctor, entering his door, he immediately stood up giving him open arm welcome. Joshua never voted in for such kind of physical contacts but he knew it is impossible for his slinky body structure to slip out of the strong grip of Bhaiji’s athletic body type.

“Hey Josh, it’s again that time of the year that we meet. What shall I say; I really look forward to meeting you. I am the only person on this planet who feels happy to meet his doctor.”

“Let’s get back to business. If you please, lie down Mr Goswami.”

“Oh! Ramji! Why are you so dry, Josh? Don’t you ever smile; just try fake smiling at least.”

“It’s Joshua; my name is Joshua not Josh, Mr Goswami….”

“It’s Bhaiji for all too not Mr Goswami. Since you don’t change your ways, why do you expect me to change mine and start calling you what you want me to call you?” said Bhaiji and started laughing. Joshua never participated in such kind of frivolity but instead waited for him to calm down and to lie prone on the cot so that he could complete his unfinished work and get back to his pending work. Once he was through he got up to move to his favorite place in Pitamber’s Haveli, the library. The reason why he agreed for the home visits for Bhaiji in first place. He got the free pass to this grand collection of wisdom and had liberty to get himself as many books as he wanted to from the shelf and there was never any time limit put on him on the return of those books. “Josh, I heard you are reading Bhagvad Gita and Chanakya’s arthashastra, all the ancient Hindu literature. Is that true?”

“Yes” came the prompt answer. Joshua being man of few words was never inclined for big chit-chat therefore he preferred being monosyllabic in his endeavors. Since there year’s long acquaintanceship had made Bhaiji well aware of this fact, therefore without any further delay he let him go to love of his life, the books. Now this was going to be the routine that Joshua would be following for next twenty or thirty days like always. But this time, destiny had some hidden un-played card that would be changing the course of the life of Joshua. He was ten days old in this house visit that, that particular day he stayed long in the library, probably enchanted by the words of the book he was reading that he lost the tap of the time. But once that realization struck him, he rushed out. His exit path ran through the central hall and as always he took it only to find a big official meeting going on in that premises, presided by the bigwigs of that Hindu party. It was some kind of pre-election strategy forming, assembly at Bhaiji Haveli. Joshua thought to take a detour, avoid disturbing the seriousness of the environment in the central hall but then suddenly he heard something that made him freeze to his very grounds.

“So Bhiaji you want us to kill them, the children too…”

“Yes,” came as the paradoxically simple answer.

“You are very smart Bhaiji, you are really qualified in the art to win an election. It will be our hunt down and blame would be put on these minorities clique and then when the things get pretty heated up between these two communities, we will bake our bacon over it. It’s a win-win for us.”

“Riots are always the key integrant to win an election and it happens to be my field of expertise. I have done it in the past and I could do it now too. You see, the mass is collection of foolishly emotional people who rate their egotism and hatred above their basic problems of poverty, hunger, education, housing etc. This weakness of theirs happens to be the icing of the cake for politicians like us. Therefore it leaves no scope of any mistake; let’s discuss the intricate details of the plan again. After all it’s the key to our walk on the moon, figuratively speaking.” said Bhaiji. And as per his instruction their riot plan was discussed again in convoluted details. The people in the central hall were still unaware of the fact that there was someone else beside them making mental notes of their nefarious intention.

That very evening, instead of going back to his clinical duties, Joshua went straight to the police station divulging everything what he witnessed. He requested the inspector to work fast to save this bloody massacre. The men in uniform assured him that they would take the matter with utmost seriousness and would work diligently on it. Next afternoon when Joshua went to the Haveli for his daily visit, he could feel the hostility in the environment especially in the eye of the new recruit in Bhaiji’s personal guards. Joshua could see his pulsating vein on the forehead and his nostrils puffing out like an angry buffalo. He ignored him and walked unperturbed to do his needful duty of injecting Bhaiji. He was happy that police have intervened to prevent those bloody murders of the innocents. But his happiness was short lived as he found, yesterday’s authoritative inspector of police station, massaging Bhaji’s feet. That very moment he knew that he blew his cover for nothing.

Still unflinchingly he completed his doctor’s duty and was about to pack up his stuff to go that Bhaiji jumped out of his patent royal cot and stood in front of him like a mountain and said, “That’s why I like you, you are fearless. I wish if quarter of my men were like you, I would have been ruling this world. But it is unfortunate that you play for the other team and you went behind my back to rat me out. Tell me, who has purchased your loyalty? If I would have known that it was in the market for sale, I would have definitely made a good offer?”

“I have no interest in picking sides. What’s wrong is, wrong and I did what I have to do.” Joshua came straight forward.

“Oh! Yes Ramji, how could I forget you are the Good Samaritan with twenty four caret gold standards? I am sorry to inform you, you just flunked. This is politics and you have to play dirty. It’s the first rule of the game. There is nothing much you could do about it expect close your eye to it. Its divide and rule, I am just following Chanakya’s neeti.”

“That’s the strategy to deal with the enemies not with your own people. If you have read Chanakya’s neeti properly you would know the king is just a servant to his kingdom and his only duty is to serve his people and bring prosperity to his nation. But on contrary you are playing a bloody game.” It was first time ever Bhaiji could hear Joshua using so many words to convey his thoughts.

“I think these books in my library are ruining you. For now onwards you are prohibited to go there. And if few of the men are sacrificing their lives for their king, it’s their good fortune, a God given golden opportunity to go to heaven.”

“You are murdering few and then making the rest to kill each other. It’s inhumane.”

“Josh, what’s the matter with you? Can’t you shut up? If you fear about your community, you have my words; your people would be left unharmed. Just ask all of them to wear crosses in their neck as a signal for us.”

“Every human life is sacred and you have no right….”

“For Ramji sake’s shut up Josh. I really like you and that’s why listening to all your crap here. But that’s my threshold, I can’t take it anymore. I told you, I will do whatever it takes to fulfill my dream and I won’t spare anyone coming between it, even if it’s you.”

“And I will do everything to stop you....”

“So what are you going to do Josh, bring AK47 and kill me. Because that’s the only way you can stop me. But I know you can’t do it, because you have no balls.”  And then Bhaiji turned towards his new recruit, “Hey Raftar, you will shadow Josh day and night. I don’t want him to repeat this silly mistake again because I will hate to lose him.”

Joshua knew he couldn’t talk Bhaiji out of his massacre plan but at the same time he couldn’t sit, warming his hands. He had to do something but the question was, what and how. And now being under constant surveillance his task has became even more difficult. Time was skipping away like sand between his fingers.

The stress of being the sitting duck was taking a toll on Joshua. He couldn’t concentrate in his daily chores. He desperately needed answers and he could find none. He needed peace therefore he took a break from his clinic duties and went to attend the evening mass at the church. The first day of Raftar’s follow-up trail and he had to go to the church. The very thought of stepping in church was sickening for his orthodox bigotry Hindu mind set. But how could he defy his master’s order. When he was able to synchronizing his loo breaks with that of Joshua, going to church wouldbe difficult not impossible.

After the choir, reverend took the rostrum and started preaching. “When one finds the higher purpose of his living event the humble soul can conquer invincible heights. It’s then the whole sole duty of God is to lead you there. And it could be best exemplified by Joshua, who led Israelites from the slavery of Egypt to the promise land by winning the battle of Jericho. God fought for him, for he hurled huge hailstones from the sky and killed more Canaanites than those slaughtered by Joshua’s army. And in one of such battle, when Joshua ordered sun and moon to hold still, God obeyed….‘There was no day like that before it or after it, that the Yahweh hearkened unto the voice of a man. For the Yahweh fought for Israel.’reference from Joshua 10:14…”

“I hope you are not getting any ideas thinking yourself to be that Joshua from history book. Don’t even think to evoke your traits of foolish chivalry.” Rafter whispered in Joshua’s ear. Joshua didn’t react; he kept listening to the reverend. The circumstances that surrounded him, the only solace he found was in his work, therefore Joshua burned himself with an extra load and he took the additional duty of serving as Pathologist in the Zila’s health center, in his offbeat hours.

TO BE CONTINUED.....