THE GIRL IN RED, A TALE STRANGER THAN FICTION– PART 1

The handsome and efficient investigation cop Ashraf Khan was sitting on his chair drinking hot tea. He was  relaxed as he had cracked the latest crime puzzle couple of days ago. In fact he was waiting for another interesting crime to happen so that he could solve the same.

He looked down from his second floor office window and could see many people sitting in the open air restaurant. It was a popular joint attracting many young men and women. As he glanced at the people sitting he saw his good friend Shankar with another young man and they were busy talking and having coffee. He was happy seeing his friend. Shankar’s father Mr. Mallikarjuna Shastri had given free tuition during his college days. Khan’s father was poor and Mr. Shastri tutored him for many years and was responsible for his success in life. He had feeling of gratitude towards Shastri and always looked upon Shankar as his younger brother.

He got up and went closer to the window. He looked at Shankar who was busy talking to the other person. Khan’s attention went to a very beautiful young lady sitting next to Shankar and looking at him in admiration. She looked alluringly beautiful.

Couple of days passed and again during early afternoon hours Khan looked out at the restaurant from his office window. He saw Shankar sitting along with the same young person engaged in some serious discussions. His attention was drawn towards the beautiful girl who was sitting next to Shankar. The window glass of the office had become hazy due to the dust which had settled on it during the dust storm that had hit the area the previous day. Khan looked at the girl from his window with full concentration. It appeared as if she was disturbed and was not happy. She was sitting without moving and looking at Shankar with a gloomy face.

He called the office boy and instructed him to get the window panel cleaned in a day or two.

About a week passed and khan was busy during that week touring to other district head quarters.

Again that afternoon he looked out of his office window which was very clean and did not have any dust settled on it.

He saw Shankar sitting and discussing with the same person. He was taken aback when he looked at the girl. The beautiful girl was wearing the same red dress again. Every time he had seen her with Shankar she was wearing the same red dress. He got up from his chair and went closer to the window and looked at her. She was looking at Khan and appeared as if she was appealing to him for help. He was perplexed as she was sitting on the same chair and remained unmoved most of the time with a pale face.

He thought that something fishy was happening and decided to speak about it with Shankar.

After couple of days at the restaurant…

“Hello Ashraf, I am happy to meet you today. I am thrilled that you got transferred again to this town and your office is very close to mine” Shankar said sipping the cup of coffee.

“I have been seeing you with one young man since many days” Khan said and continued “Looks like you discuss business with him”.

“No it is not business talks but I am discussing a property deal with Daniel. I am planning to purchase a plot which Daniel is willing to sell” Shankar replied.

“Have you checked the papers? Of late people are doing double registrations and I do not want you to get cheated. It is your hard earned money” Khan added.

“I will be careful brother “Shankar replied.

“Who is that beautiful girl in red dress always sitting next to you?”Khan asked.

“Girl in red?” Shankar looked perplexed.

“This is strange. All the three times I have watched you in the restaurant from my office window, I have seen her sitting next to you”

“This is news to me. I am confused. ” Shankar replied.

Khan immediately took out his cell phone and went to profile of Shankar in Facebook and searched his photos. After searching many he saw one photo and said “The girl who is standing next to you”.

Shankar was eager to see the photo. He got up from his chair, stood behind Khan and leaning over his shoulder said “You mean this girl?”

Khan looked back and said “Yes, the same girl. She is wearing red dress in the photo. In fact I am surprised to see her in the same dress all the three times with you in the restaurant”.

Shankar looked stunned and he slowly walked to his chair and sat on it. He started sweating and took a paper napkin from the table and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

“Are you sure it is same girl?”He asked.

Khan replied “My dear brother I am an experienced investigation cop. When I say something I do so with conviction. I am 100 % sure it is the same girl”.

Shankar’s face turned pale and he exclaimed “Oh My God”

To be continued….

RETIREMENT IS A STATE OF MIND

“Take few deep breaths” Dr. Sharma told me while moving the chest-piece of the stethoscope on my chest. He went back to his seat and took the bunch of test reports which I had brought with me. I could see the seriousness in his eyes while he was reading the reports.  

He kept them on the table and said “Gentleman, you are perfectly alright. All the test reports are good and you neither have high blood pressure nor any sugar related ailments. You are a fit person”.

“But Doctor why did I get dizzy the other day?” I questioned him.

“The reports speak well about your health. Maybe you had strained yourself more and had not taken sufficient food on that day” he replied.

With a smile on my face I started walking out of the hospital. After stepping out I turned back and walked towards the receptionist and asked her “How old is Dr. Sharma?”

“85 years old” she replied. I was taken by surprise. He did not look his age.

“Every day he walks almost one kilometer from his house to the hospital and does not eat anything from outside. He gets his own lunch box” she added.

“Coffee for you” my wife said looking at the clock “you become extra lazy on a Sunday. This is the third coffee since morning. It is already 12 noon and you have to meet your batch-mates for lunch. Hope you remember that”.

“How can I forget that and in fact I was about to get up” saying so I walked towards the change room.

About one hour later in the pub..

“Hey buddies it has been wonderful to catch up with you guys after almost two decades” Ranjeet said lifting his beer mug.

“Same feeling here dude” I replied lifting my mug.

Half a dozen of our engineering batch-mates were meeting in the pub as Ranjeet had come from the US on vacations.

Next one hour passed off as we had lot of matter to discuss and loads of laughter to mark our get together.

“So Ranjeet how is life in the US?” Satish asked.

“Life has been tough and I have been working very hard for the past decade or so and grown fast in the company” Ranjeet replied.

“You would have made lots and lots of money is such a case” Praveen added.

“I need not hide from buddies like you all. I have made good amount of money but it has taken its toll. I have come to a burnout sort of stage and am seriously planning retiring in a year’s time” Ranjeet said.

I was surprised and said “You are hardly 45 years old and want to retire?”

“Why not and how long will you work? I do not intent to keep working for many years. I want to enjoy life and spend time perusing my passion and holidaying with my wife” he added.

Later that evening I drove to attend a party.

“Welcome young man” Uncle Joseph said extending his arm to shake hands with me.

“Thank you uncle, it is always a pleasure meeting you” I said and looking around added “It is a wonderful party you have arranged and the ambience looks just perfect”.

“Make yourself comfortable with a glass of scotch and I shall join you in few minutes time” saying so he walked towards other guests.

“How is life young man” Joseph said sitting next to me. He finished meeting his guests and sat down to have his scotch. I knew that he liked my company very much though I was about 20 years younger to him.

“Since morning one issue is bothering me and am not getting proper understanding of it” I said.

“What is it?” he asked inquisitively.

“Retirement” I said and explained to him about Dr. Sharma who at 85 years of age is busy practicing medicine and Ranjeet who at 45 wants to retire soon.

“I know Doctor very well” Joseph said and laughed “He is a very boring person. He is always in his hospital. He never joins me for a drink. In fact he does not take tea or coffee. Jokes apart he is very disciplined person and treats work as worship. He has helped thousands of people by curing their ailments and does not charge his fees for poor persons”.

“Retirement has an age limit and he should relax at his house with kids and their kids” I added.

“You are right in one sense and not in the other” Joseph continued “I am still practicing law and handle many cases in the court. I have a different perspective of life. I am choosy now with the kind of cases I take up and do not stress myself. Half of the time I spend with friends and have my quota of drinks every night.

Your friend Ranjeet belongs to the new generation and you guys are on the fast track and want everything to get completed fast. Life is strange and things do not move the way you want. The life expectancy has improved. People now live for longer periods than the previous generations. Imagine a person retires at 45 years but lives for 80 years. One has to feed himself for the next 35 years from his reserves. Also the improvements in health care ensure longer living by medication which adds to the expenditure.

One need not wait for a milestone called retirement to pursue ones passion or enjoy but can do it all along the journey called life. Look at me, I do not ask my sons for money but earn my own and yet spend a lot on my friends and on my hobbies”.

I smiled at him and said “You are perfectly right uncle. Retirement is definitely not determined by age by it is a state of mind”.

The classmate – part 2

Narrated till now …

Jyothika tells Pramod that she got in touch with their classmate after two decades. Pramod is eager to meet Apoorva. He and Jyothika plan to go to Apoorva’s house on Sunday morning.

Narration continues…

“I have arrived” Pramod shouted sitting in his car. Jyothika came out of her house and sat in the car.

“Are you happy that we will be meeting Apoorva in few minutes time?” Jyothika asked.

“I am getting excited. Imagine meeting her after close to two decades. Hope she is more outgoing type now. What about her family? How is her husband and how many kids they have?”

Jyothika smiled and said “Have patience dear. You will come to know very soon”.

Pramod drove for about 15 minutes and as they were passing a supermarket Jyothika said “Please stop the car in the parking area opposite the supermarket. I have to meet a relative of mine. I will take about 15 minutes. Let us both go to their house. It is next to the supermarket”.

Pramod nodded and parked the car in the parking area.

He started walking with Jyothika. As they were entering the house a young lady came out and said “Hello Jyothika please come in”.

Jyothika told her “He is my friend Pramod”.

The lady shook hands with Pramod and escorted both of them to the front hall of the house. Pramod sat down on the chair.

Jyothika said “Give me ten minutes Pramod. I will talk to my relative and then we both shall proceed”. Saying so she walked into a room adjoining the main hall.

The young lady gave water to Pramod. He thanked her and started drinking water. He looked around and it was a simple lower middle class house with less expensive furniture and items in it.

He looked into the room in which Jyothika was sitting. She was talking to a lady and in between looking at Pramod and smiling. 

After about ten minutes she came out of the room and told Pramod “Shall we leave?”

He nodded and walked out of the house towards the car. 

He drove for another ten minutes and Jyothika said “Shall we stop at the coffee shop. I feel like having hot coffee”.

“That’s fine in its place but we are supposed to meet Apoorva. We shall meet her and have coffee” he said. Jyothika requested him and told him that she was having a mild headache and a cup of hot coffee would help her.

He agreed and parked the car in front of the coffee shop.Both of them went inside and ordered coffee.

The coffee was served and they started drinking it.

Pramod observed that Jyothika was silent since the time they entered the coffee shop and was looking down at her knees.

He found it strange and said “Hope we will have no more stops in between and head straight to meet Apoorva”.

At this juncture Jyothika spoke and said “We have already met her”.

He was shocked to hear that and said “Are you kidding?”

Jyothika looked up at Pramod. Her eyes were red and filled with tears. She looked in deep pain. Pramod could not understand and said “What happened dear and why are you crying?”

Jyothika continued “Pramod the house we visited was not my relative’s house and the young lady is not my relative but my colleague. She is relative of Apoorva. The woman with whom I was speaking inside the room was Apoorva”.

He could not comprehend what Jyothika was saying. He sat with a surprised  expression for couple of minutes and said “Please tell me in the way I can understand”.

Jyothika continued “The lady whom I met in the room was Apoorva.I was asking her to come out to meet you. She was looking at me with a blank face at the mention of your name”.

“Why so?” A shocked and confused Pramod asked.

She added “Apoorva has lost her mental stability since couple of years. She is in no position to recollect her past properly.

I thought you would make a difference as she was fond of you. But today I realized that no one can bring back the innocent smile on her face again” saying so she started sobbing profusely. 

Pramod consoled her and asked “How did she get into this position?”

Jyothika replied “Soon after she completed her post graduation she got a placement in a finance company. Before she could join the company her father died and that event plunged the family into series of problems. Within months her mother died and she stayed back in her house along with her two brothers. After a year her elder brother got married and unfortunately his marriage ended in a divorce. Apoorva did not get married and her younger brother tried his best to find a match for her but in vain. She did not pursue her career and went into depression and gradually lost her mental balance and now she is no position to identify us or relate to us”.

Pramod looked at Jyothika and said “I still do not understand why you did not tell me there”.

She continued “Despite me mentioning that you were waiting outside to meet her, she did not show any eagerness to meet you. I did not want you to see her in this state and so I came out of the house with you”.

Tears started trickling from Pramod’s eyes and he said “You are such an empathetic lady. You tried your best to bring happiness in her life. You also ensured that I did not get disappointed seeing her in this state.

Life is very strange Jyothika. We do not know what is in store for each one of us and the best we can do is to perform our duties to the best of our capacities and lead a life which can be of use to others”.

Jyothika nodded in agreement and wiped her tears.

The classmate – part 1

“Hello Susan” Jyothika said entering the house and hugged her.

“It is always a pleasure to see you” Susan replied and both of them sat on the sofa and started speaking to one another.

Pramod came in after few minutes and sat on the chair opposite to the sofa set and said “Though we live in the same city it has been more than 10 months since we met Jyothika”.

“Very true” Susan nodded and walking towards the kitchen said “you keep talking and I shall get some coffee”.

Little Bharathi came running out of her room and sat on the lap of Jyothika. She said “Aunty you do not come to our house often”. Jyothika smiled.

Bharathi continued “In which standard were you classmate of my father?”Jyothika replied “We were classmates in our post graduation course”. Bharathi looked confused.

Jyothika laughed and continued “To make it clear for you, we were classmates in 17^th and 18^th standards”.

“Mangalorean coffee is as good as always” Jyothika said sipping the coffee served by Susan.

She continued “Pramod do you remember Apoorva?”

“Of course yes. How can I forget her? She was one of the brightest students in the class but was very shy though. It is close to two decades since we completed our course and I have vivid memories of her” he replied.

“I have good news for you. I could trace her. She lives in our city. I got her address yesterday and met her. I thought I should inform you about this” Jyothika said.

Pramod looked delighted and he looked at his wife Susan and said “Apoorva was the only engineering background student who had fancy for finance subjects in our management class. In fact she stood first in Financial Management”.

“Her father was a Chartered Accountant and she got it from him” Jyothika added.

Susan commented “Pramod keeps telling me about many of his MBA classmates, seniors and juniors but has never spoken about her”.

Jyothika was silent for a while. She said “She was like that. An enigma sort, very beautiful and would dress up in simple Indian dresses without any makeup. We were roommates for two semesters. I used to talk to her about subjects and she would teach me many topics. Whenever I spoke of films, boys or other topics she would become silent and did not encourage me to talk further.

She was reluctant to participate in group discussions as she felt the other participants were arguing more and discussing less. She would shy away from Mock plays also”.

Susan asked “Group discussions and mock plays are very important for any Management course. How could she manage then?”

Pramod replied “I think it was in second semester. Jyothika spoke to me about her and told me that Apoorva was comfortable talking to me and wanted me to help her overcome inhibition during such discussions.

She started sitting next to me in group discussions and I would consciously provide a cover to her whenever the other participants started arguing with her. Within no time she could overcome her reluctance to participate actively and started performing very well.

I remember the evenings when we both used to walk on the beach. The crimson rays of the setting sun and the cool breeze were catalytic for a romantic time to be spent but she was not of that sort. All through the walks she would discuss about the subjects and nothing else.

Couple of times she held my hand while walking but her mind was on the subjects and not on the person walking with her”.

Jyothika interrupted “Tomorrow is Sunday. Shall we go to her house?”

Pramod was ecstatic “Of course yes. In fact am ready to go there right now”.

Susan said “You both go to her house tomorrow morning as we have some shopping to finish today”.

Jyothika got up from the sofa and walking towards the door said “Pramod please come to my house by 10 AM in the morning tomorrow and we shall proceed to her house from there”.

Pramod, Susan and Bharathi waved to her and walked into the living room.

“You liked Apoorva during your management study days?” Susan asked.

Pramod gave a naughty smile and said “Jealously thy name is Susan. I liked only one woman and it was during my engineering study days. I fell in love with her and ultimately married her. Her name is Susan”.

She laughed and said “I did not mean it that way. The way you were telling me about Apoorva and the long walks on the beach you both used to take, made me doubt a bit”.

Pramod replied “There was nothing of that sort between us. She is the only one who is not in our batch Whats App group. A good new addition will be there soon. Let me meet her tomorrow and I will update you in the afternoon”.

To be continued in part 2…