Chapter 1
Karma
Jeevan ’s heart was beating so hard as if it wanted to get out of the ribcage while he was entering a dark isolated building near Wakad. It was a very tall building with a huge pillar at the entrance. The building was supposed to be a 5-star hotel but the two partners ran into differences with each other and thus the place is now in a legal tussle. The building looked like a dream that was left in the middle. So now it was home for pigeons, drunkards, and homeless people. Jeevan headed into the dark entrance of the building that was devoid of any light. He put his mobile phone flash on while carefully climbing the cement stairs. As he entered the first floor, he saw a silhouette standing just in front of a huge window. The only light source was coming through the window. It was 6:30 pm. The silhouette waved his hand and called Jeevan towards him.
“Stop. It is fine there “ said the voice which was electronically muffled
Jeevan stopped and tried in vain to figure out who it was.
“Mr. Jeevan .. I hope you received the picture? ”
“Who are you? Where did you get that picture? “ said Jeevan, his voice trembling while his eyes were squinted trying to see the silhouette clearly.
After a pause, the muffled voice continued
“The source is irrelevant right now. ”
“What is it that you want ?”
“Before that tell me one thing. How does it feel to sleep with a married woman ?”
Jeevan was quiet and there was dark silence
“Answer me ” roared the muffled voice
“How does it feel to destroy a family ?”
Jeevan was silent and was trying hard to say something but couldn’t come up with anything. He could feel the glare of the silhouette on him.
“I heard you got married recently. So isn’t it fair that I should send these photographs to your wife and destroy your life? Isn’t that fair ?”
Jeevan pictured the scenario. His wife looking at the photo, her hands trembling while her cheeks turning blood red and eyes all watered up with hate and rage, followed by slapping him, and crying with no end. Family members coming to his home, everyone despising and spitting venom on his character and his wife deciding to separate. He pleading all the time but with no relief. Fear & panic started gripping him. His dry forehead was suddenly moist like an early morning grass with dewdrops.
He somehow gathered the courage to speak
“Sir. Please don’t do it .. I beg you .. please. ”
“Why not? give me one reason why I should not do it ?” roared the voice
“Because I have already received the punishment .” Said Jeevan while flashing his camera light on his head. There was a stretch of line that started from the right side of the forehead and went way back. It was a surgical stitch mark
“ I met with an accident last year where I received head injuries. Although I look well but internally I am not. I have lost memories of the last 5 to 6 years. I don’t even know who the lady is in the picture. I have been struggling for last year to settle my life. I know its all because of what I might have done in these 5 years. I am paying for my deeds. “
“I am sorry for what I have done but marriage is the only good thing that has happened to me in this one year. I don’t want to lose that . have mercy, sir .”
The muffled voice started laughing … a content laugh
“Well, Karma always gets back. But my vengeance still stays and you have to pay for that.”
“What do you want? Do you want money? I will arrange for money “
“ Tell me .. how much do I need to pay ?”
The muffled voice laughs. Jeevan was confused.
“You think I am here for the money. You fool .. I have money to burn. “
“So tell me .. what do you want from me ?” Jeevan was irritated as he was unable to understand the intent of the person in front of him who had something that could destroy him forever
“There is something that I want you to do “
There was a pause after which the muffled voice spoke
“I want you to kill your boss “
“Kill my boss? What kind of demand is this ” Jeevan had mixed emotion of confusion, terror and surprise
“That is my demand. I want you to kill your boss”
“Why? How does that satisfy your vengeance? What has my boss got to do with anything?”
“That Mr. Jeevan is a topic for some other time. This is the price you have to pay.”
“What kind of work is this? I am not a Bhai or Gunda to go and kill someone.”
“But you are already a killer. You killed my relationship, my life, my everything. But you got out without any repercussions. So now I want you to kill for real .. I want to see the blood on your hand.”
Jeevan couldn’t understand what was happening.
First, the unknown caller, then this meeting, the shameful photos, and now this weird demand.
His head started aching, especially in the area where there were the surgery stitches. The darkness suddenly started circling him. Pressing his hands on his head, he squatted on the floor.
The excruciating pain lasted for 2 minutes after which it started receding. The eyelids that were hard-pressed against each other slowing started opening.
Jeevan immediately looked up but only the large window … no silhouette.
The muffled voice had gone.
Jeevan started contemplating what just happened.
“I have to kill my boss for something that I had done in the past which I don’t even remember. God, what is happening to me .”
As he was lost in thoughts his phone rang. There was a message with only 4 words
You have 7 days
Chapter 2
Fatal Velocity
Jeevan was lying on his bed with his eyes fixated at the moving fan on the ceiling. As the lights were off, the fan blades were visible only when the light from the window fell on it, so every blade shone in the light one after the other. It somewhat took Jeevan’s mind off the horrible incident that had happened last evening. But just like a faulty tap, the incident kept dripping on his mind now and then making him uneasy and paranoid.
“What is happening to me, God? Why me? You already made me suffer the entire year. I had to painfully meet every person and try and absorb every memory they have about me, which obviously didn’t help. It felt like a plastic rose, looked great but didn’t feel or smell like one. I even had to relearn my employment skills as you made me forget that too. For a long time, it felt like I was a grown-up sitting with kids to learn the same thing. And now after all this when my life looked like it was getting on track, you send a devil who is hatching a plan to rip off my life all again. Why God, Why me?” Jeevan thought
“What’s wrong Jeev? Why are you still up “
His wife Richa was looking at him with sleepy eyes.
“Nothing Jaan, the stitches are aching. Hence keeping me awake.” Said Jeevan who was startled by hearing his wife’s voice out of nowhere.
“Oh… Do you want an aspirin? There is one in my purse,” said Richa while rubbing her eyes.
“No honey, I don’t want to take a shortcut with this” smiled Jeevan looking at his concerned wife.
“Ok, why don’t you come to the hospital tomorrow to check it up once. My shift is from 2 to 7 pm so you can come after the office.”
“Yeah, will do it … now you go to sleep. I will sleep too.” Said Jeevan while kissing her forehead.
1 year ago
Jeevan was slicing through the traffic like a knife that goes through butter. Through his sunglasses, all he could see was fleeting images of cars, mostly the taillights. He could feel the wind gushing on his face causing ripples on his cheeks. The speedometer on his KTM 390 was showing 130 km /hr. Jeevan loved the adrenaline he got from speed and that’s the reason he bought KTM for its sheer performance.
“Sudhir, guess where am I heading?” shouted Jeevan through his headphones while still clocking triple-digit numbers on his bike
“What? Are you driving? I can’t hear you. All I can hear is the wind” said Sudhir pressing his phone harder on his ear in a hope of hearing Jeevan clearer.
“No time man, am running late. Going to achieve a milestone today”
“What do you mean? “ Shouted Sudhir to compensate for Jeevan’s feeble sounding voice
“Will talk to you in detail at night”
“Weren’t you supposed to go on a date today?”
“That’s the milestone buddy”
“What do you mean?”
“No time to explain now. I will call you tonight. Wish me luck.”
“Rock the date buddy and Call me soon. I want to know everything in detail” Laughed Sudhir.
Jeevan parked his bike and went inside J W Marriot. Huge glass doors were guarded by four Guards wearing a white kurta and red turbans and all of them had mustache handlebar like a bull horn. He entered through the security door that beeped twice. The guard while doing a Namaste requested him to put the phone in a square box and proceed. As he entered he was given the phone back and welcomed again. The huge reception and waiting lounge intimidated him. The floor was fitted with shiny golden-colored tiles that shined like they were cleaned with oil. The reception counter had two women wearing red saree and four men in suit, all of them had a warm smile. Porters were rushing with the customer’s luggage while some corporate employees were sitting in the waiting lounge buried in their smartphones.
As Jeevan was absorbing the magnanimity of the hotel, he received a call. A rather devious smile appeared on the face when he saw the caller’s name.
“I have arrived. “
“You kept me waiting. Come to room 304.” Said a passionate voice. Jeevan was aroused.
He paced towards the lift. The numerical three glowed as he pressed it. Even that glow had a grace that impressed him.
As he exited from the lift, he saw a long rectangular lobby that had rooms on both sides. The floor had a maroon carpet spread and the walls were decorated with a squared framed painting that had the company of yellow lamp.
“So if this is 308 then the last room should be 304, “Jeevan thought unconsciously pointing his finger while looking at the first room. He paced ahead and was happy to see the 304 numbered room. He rang the bell once and was immediately opened by Sarika. Sarika pulled Jeevan inside grabbing his collar and shut the door.
Sarika was wearing a shiny satin blue one-piece which accentuated her carefully worked curves. As it was a body-hugging cloth, the details were rather evident to the naked eye and Jeevan enjoyed the view. He took her to the bed and they explored each other intimately as hours passed by.
Jeevan lighted a cigarette while adjusting the pillow on his back. He was happily exhausted, while Sarika was resting her head on his chiseled and almost hairless chest. She caressed Jeevan’s chest and stomach while lost in thoughts. She could still feel the dampness on his body as her hand stuck like glue and took some effort to move.
“Jeevan, this has to be a secret, Ok?”
“Offcourse babes. It is better that way. ” Jeevan smiled but it lacked the conviction of what he just said.
“What a stupid woman. I just slept with my boss’s wife and she expects me to keep it a secret? It is going to be a hot topic of the office for the next 15 days while I bask in the glory like a warrior who just slayed the biggest lion of the corporate jungle hitting where it hurts the most. Now whenever he yells at me, I would just picture myself kissing and making love to his wife. “Jeevan thought as the smile still lingering on his face.
“What are you thinking?” Sarika said noticing him lost in thoughts
“Nothing,” Jeevan replied while kissing her.
“You know, for a girl like me who comes from a small town, it’s very difficult to live in a huge city like Pune. Especially alone, with no familiar people, friends or relatives. The loneliness of this city is even more haunting when you have a husband like Mandar who is always buried in his work, travels for weeks together, and is tired whenever he manages to be at home. I shouldn’t have married him. “
“Then why did you?” asked Jeevan showing his fake concern.
“It doesn’t work like that in small towns Jeevan. We are conditioned to marry a person of our parent’s choice right from childhood. The conditioning and brainwashing are so strong that we willingly give up our right to choose. My parents saw one thing in Mandar that they direly didn’t have … Money. And that was enough for them to decide that he was the right groom for their daughter.”
“You know before marrying, I thought money would buy everything, as we never had enough. I had always compromised my needs due to a lack of money. So when I first came to Pune, I felt like a queen who had a palace, servants, money to spend, everything. It was fun for some time but then the sheen wore off. The lifelessness of the palace started haunting me, there was no work to do apart from watching Tv, and the happiness of spending money to buy faded away. That’s when I realized that money alone can do nothing unless you have love & passion. It is just like being surrounded by sea, the water is all around but you cannot quench the thirst. And I had been in such a miserable state for two long years before I met you. You made me alive again. You gave me exactly what I missed for all these years. ” Said Sarika and inched a bit ahead to kiss Jeevan. The sheet in which both were wrapped dropped a little which showed her slender back that tapered down. Jeevan’s left hand covered her bareback in the middle while the right hand crawled inside the sheet.
——————————————————————————————————
Jeevan was grinning while speeding in his bike returning from the hotel. The excitement was so much he could not wait to reach home and meet his friends and brag about his achievement. The excitement automatically shifted to his right wrist and now he was speeding at a mind-numbing 140km. It was 10 pm and the roads were mostly empty with only the exception of heavy trucks that usually traveled at night.
“Can’t wait till I reach home, I have to tell Sudhir now. “ Jeevan said to himself and reached for his phone. This made him drive with just one hand.
Jeevan took his eyes off the road for a split second to look at his pocket and when he back up again he saw tragedy approaching him fast – A Stationary Truck
Jeevan’s eye widened and he immediately squeezed his fingers that were resting on brake lever but the speed was so intense that the brakes just made him leave the bike behind catapulting him towards the truck like an arrow that leaves the bow. The collision happened head-on before he slid down to the ground with blood gushing out and making a halo around his head. The phone that had escaped his hand screeched through the road generating sparks and went ahead. Jeevan’s hands and legs flinched involuntarily while darkness encapsulated his eyes.
Hospital
Sudhir, Amar, Nishant, and Jeevan’s parents were sitting in the hospital room while Jeevan was sleeping on the bed. His head was completely covered in a white bandage that was stained with a yellow and red color made of ointment and blood. His left leg too was plastered with only his toes popping out of it.
Jeevan’s mom had swollen red eyes, she had been crying for the last 7 hours. It was 10 am in the morning.
But her face suddenly filled with uncertain excitement when she saw Jeevan opening his eyes slowly. Sudhir immediately called the Nurse.
“Hi Jeevan, Please relax and open your eyes slowly. My name is Richa, I am your nurse.“Said Richa with a compassionate smile.
Jeevan blinked his eyes to clear his vision. As the vision slowly cleared, he looked at his mom and dad and gave a faint smile. They smiled back while mom looked at him with her eyes filled with tears.
“Hey, Jeev.” Sudhir waved at Jeevan with a smile.
“Hi, “ Jeevan said hesitating
“Do I know you?” Jeevan asked with a genuine curiosity on his face.
Chapter 3
Life or Death
Jeevan was staring at his laptop with a spreadsheet open. Hundreds of rectangles made of intersecting rows and columns, one of them were blinking every second and it had been blinking for the last 20 minutes.
“Hey Jeev let’s go for lunch, “ Sudhir said. He was carrying a cylindrical Tiffin box that was stained like a paint box with yellow and red color splashed around the zipper. The call from Sudhir didn’t reach Jeevan and he continued looking at the blinking box on his laptop.
“Jeev” this time Sudhir tapped on Jeevan’s shoulder. Jeevan jerked as his gaze left the laptop screen and went on Sudhir.
“What? ” Jeevan asked looking at Sudhir and then at his Tiffin box
“Ya lets go,” Jeevan said while looking for his Tiffin
“Dude, you haven’t forgotten me again … right?” Sudhir grinned
“Seriously dude?” Jeevan gave a blank expression.
“Ok … too soon for the joke, I guess,” said Sudhir while compensating for his lame joke and walked to the canteen just behind Jeevan.
“Sudhi … Can I ask you something,” Jeevan said while fiddling his spoon inside his Tiffin box that had dal khichdi. It was not warm but the aroma of ghee was still feebly reaching their nostrils.
“Shoot man,” Sudhir said while submerging a Medu Wada in sambhar container and holding it down like he wanted to drown and kill it. And just like a drowning person, bubbles floated on the surface of the sambhar and popped.
“Did I mention you about any date or affair I had with anyone ?”
Sudhir released his spoon thereby making the Wada float back on the surface. He looked at Jeevan with a surprised expression
“Dude I told earlier as well. You are a good looking guy and yes you had your way with the girls. You went on dates, not a date and sometimes you were juggling 2-3 all at once.” Said Sudhir with pride in his eyes for his Casanova friend.
“No… You told me that. But did I date a married woman anytime.”
“Hmm. Let me think …” Sudhir was lost in thoughts while his Wada was happily floating from one corner of the Sambhar pond to the other.
“You never mentioned any date with a married woman. Rest you have covered all other categories like college girls, working colleagues, foreigners, neighbors, etc. The list is endless … But… there was a secret date you went on but never told me anything about it.”
“When did that happen? Do you remember?”
“Off course man, it was the same day when you met with the accident. You were returning from the same date that night. You said it was a milestone. You were going to tell me all in detail once you came back. But that’s when the goddamn accident happened. And I guess you don’t remember anything about that date either.”
Jeevan shook his head. No memory whatsoever. That memory was the key to this situation. If there was only some information about the lady and the muffled voice was, there could have been a way out.
But is it even real? Is the picture real? Am I being taken for a ride because I have lost my memory? I mean in today’s digital age it’s not hard to forge a picture like that. Tomorrow some lady might come with her kid and say that I am the father. Then?
Jeevan was lost in his thoughts again
“By the way, why are you asking? Did any married lady call you or something? “
“No. Just curious… Anyways… Let’s go,” said Jeevan while closing his stainless steel Tiffin with half dal khichdi still inside
“You are not finishing the khichdi?” asked Sudhir who had wiped his Tiffin squeaky clean. He could see his face in it.
“No. Not hungry,” said Jeevan
Sudhir noticed some behavior changes in Jeevan since yesterday. But he had been seeing changes since the accident. The Jeevan… The one who was his friend, he knew he had lost a significant part of him in that accident. The person in front was nothing like him. His friend was fearless, who enjoyed life every day. He was full of energy, careless even. He was spontaneous and full of energy, In short, he was fun. But the person in front of him now was way too responsible, fearful of almost everything, always lost in thoughts. Hence he didn’t bother asking him again about anything. ‘Time will heal him’ he said to himself.
A buzz from the phone made Jeevan take his eyes off the spreadsheet he was preparing for an hour. There was a number calling. The number was familiar, the number was terrifying. ‘Should I pick it? Or should I ignore it? maybe if I ignore he will stop calling ‘Jeevan pressed the mute switch. But in a second the phone rang again, the same terrifying number. The Silhouette against the window flashed in front of Jeevan’s eyes, his heartbeat increasing rapidly ‘No I will not pick the phone ‘ Jeevan pressed the silent switch again. He pretended to look at the spreadsheet and continue the work but his mind kept telling him to glance at the phone. ‘What if he comes to the office? He might have gotten angry for not picking his call. He might share the picture on social media tagging me. Or he might send it to my boss. I might get fired, my wife might leave me ‘ Jeevan’s head was bombarded with thoughts and the more he tried to control, the more absurd questions popped on his mind’
The phone rang again. His favorite ringtone had now become a horrible scream. He looked at the screen. It was a familiar number, but it was not terrifying. It was Richa, his wife. He picked up the phone.
“Hi Honey “
“Jeev… I got a message from an unknown number.”
“Unknown number? “
“Yes”
“What’s the message ?”
“Something weird. Wait let me read it for you.
I have to share something important about your husband. “
“What? What’s the number?”
Richa spelled out the number. It was the same familiar, terrifying, heart-pounding number
“Did you try calling it? “ Jeevan asked hoping she didn’t do it
“I did but the number is not reachable.”
“Ok, let me try.”
“Must be someone playing a prank or something .”
“Maybe. Let’s see. Chalo, call you back “
Jeevan was in a rage. How dare he message my wife. He could feel his entire body boiling and could feel the steam emitting from it. He pulled up his call list and dialed the missed call number.
‘How dare you message my wife? What do you think of yourself? And from where did you get her number? ’
‘I thought you took me lightly. So a glimpse of what I am capable of. I know your wife, her name is Richa, and she works as a nurse at Columbia Multispecialty Hospital. I also know your close friend Sudhir. I know a lot more about you than even your closed ones or for that matter yourself ’
Jeevan understood the gravity of the situation. This is real, everything is real. Yesterday’s photo was real, the demand is real.
‘6 days left to complete your job. And yes, next time pick up the phone or I don’t know whom I might call next. ’
The phone was disconnected. Jeevan buried his head on the table. He felt the pain on the stitches resurface. Its pain was rhythmic and felt just like a pulse hitting those stitches.
‘I can’t give in to his demand. I cannot kill my boss or for that matter anyone to save myself. I can’t dig a bigger pit to cover the earlier one. I would rather kill myself than killing anyone else.’
YES! I SHOULD KILL MYSELF!
The last thought stuck with Jeevan. ‘Yes, I should kill myself. Suicide is the right option. Then the muffled voice will not have anything to blackmail me. That will save my boss’s life and will save Richa and my family from any embarrassment because of me. They might even understand why I committed suicide. They will think I did it because I got frustrated with the memory thing. Richa will be in despair for some time (God I love her so much). But this is the only way out. She too will move on.’
Jeevan opened Google and typed HOW TO COMMIT SUICIDE
He got a lot of options. It was like regular shopping. He clicked at a link that said 5 PAINLESS WAYS TO COMMIT SUICIDE
- Cyanide
- Water
- Carbon Monoxide
- Gun
- Heroin
Jeevan clicked on Carbon Monoxide as it sounded less intimidating and accessible (He knew what comes out of the car exhaust is Co3).
Procedure:
Put your car in the garage. Shut the garage door. Start your car. After 15 min the Co3 will fill the garage area and slowly and steadily you will pass out.
This looks doable. I have a car, garage, and Richa will not be home till 10 pm. This is definitely doable. Jeevan felt happy, he was planning his suicide yet he felt good. Because he was getting rid of the muffled voice and his motives relieving himself of the bigger pain.
——————————————————————————————————
‘The reports look fine Jeevan. The skull has healed completely and the skin too has grown. I can even see hair follicles coming up with new hair. The slight pain that you said you are experiencing will go away. Just a matter of time. I am writing an ointment. Do apply it for 2 weeks. Richa, please do the formalities ‘
Jeevan was looking at Richa and a sad smile emerged on his face. He looked at her eyes that were charcoal black with thick yet elegant eyebrows. Her short but cute nose which he liked to kiss often. Her thin upper lip was complimented by a pink plum lower lip. Her face had an unusual shine and a natural blush on the cheek area. He wanted to consume as much detail as possible. This was it… the last chance to see his love.
‘What are you looking at?‘ Richa blushed while she noticed Jeevan eyes locked on her
‘Nothing. You look so beautiful today. You are glowing pink.’
‘Well … What can I say? There is a very special reason for this glow’ Richa blushed even more and wasn’t able to look into Jeevan’s eyes
‘What is it Jaan? ’
Richa was silent but her smile was getting wider and wider
‘What’s with the suspense’ Jeevan was confused
‘You are going to be a father Jeev ’
Jeevan was stunned and couldn’t believe his ears.
‘Did she just say I am going to be a father? But how can I be one? I was supposed to go home, fire my car’s engine inside the garage, and slowly inhale death. God really likes to play games with me. Yesterday he shocked me with this muffled voice and today Richa surprised me with this.
I AM GOING TO BE A FATHER
Every time Jeevan repeated this sentence in his head, his eyes welled up more and more while he tried controlling it by pursing his lips. But the happiness was uncontrollable.
He kissed and hugged Richa while tears rolled down his cheeks.
‘I cannot die. I can’t give Richa this unbearable pain when she is with my child. I cannot commit suicide. I have to be with her, I have to be with my child.
I think I have no other option but to kill my boss
Chapter 4
Surprise Surprise
Jeevan looked at his shoes. It was night time and his shoes reflected the white light coming out of the tube light above him. The lace of his right shoe had come off and it was dangling in the air. Below his shoes, he could see cars parked that looked like tiny colorful rectangles, the cars that were under the street light could show off their colors while other unfortunate ones hid in the darkness. The shoes suddenly received drops of water making the place darker than the other places. These droplets had a free fall from Jeevan’s forehead to the shoes.
His palms too had these droplets of sweat but they were dwarfs, hence didn’t have the privilege of leaving their place of origin. Jeevan squatted at the same place, on the edge of his office terrace. His hands covered his mouth while Jeevan was blankly staring at one of the cars. This car was very unique, different from everyone else. It was a Wagon R, white, but what made it unique was the roof. The roof was crushed like a tin can.
Mr. Kulkarni … Jeevan’s Boss was lying motionless on the roof. Blood had splattered all around . While all life had seeped out of the body, his eyes still looked alive and it was still staring at Jeevan.
Jeevan heard a siren blaring from the road ahead. But his brain didn’t feel the need to register. His head was aching like someone was hitting his head with a sledgehammer.
‘What just happened ‘was the question mark on Jeevan’s pale face.
2 hours ago
Jeevan opened the latch with great difficulty and as soon as he opened it, the wind started gushing inside pushing him back. It was like the wind too didn’t want Jeevan to come. He resisted and went in. Jeevan stepped on the dry leaves that made a crackling sound. He was on the terrace of his office building. The place was isolated and reserved only for smokers. There was a weird smell on the terrace. The smell came from the pigeon shit that got mixed with the smoke of cigarettes. It was that very smell that retracted anyone from coming to the terrace. The only gladiators who managed to survive this foul smell were the smokers. Shunned by the general public these were the only places where the smokers could burn their buds and release the grey smokes without being judged or shoed away.
Jeevan checked his pocket. A rectangle bulge was visible, he got it out his Pack that had ‘Classic Mild ’ written in blue while the packet had a gory image of cancer infected throat. For a nonsmoker, the image itself might make him puke but the smokers didn’t even notice it. They continued with their smoke business. Jeevan never smoked. He started doing it two days back. Everyone was surprised especially Sudhir.
‘Dude, what made you take up smoking man? Leave it, it’s bad and you know it .’ But Sudhir didn’t know Jeevan took up smoking for a very different reason.
Kulkarni was a heavy smoker. A packet of Marlboro is what he used to consume in a day, sometimes even more than that. It was like his spinach which he used to take before and after every meeting, after lunch, with tea, before dinner, after dinner. It was like he used to conduct all his activities in between cigarette smoking breaks. The dark circle under his tired eyes, as well as the almost nonexistent hairline on his head, were proof of his dedication towards his smoke stick. He was overweight as well and used to order food almost every day during lunchtime. His entire personality made him look like a 45-50-year-old man but in reality, he was just 35 years of age. The lifestyle he carried everyone believed he might not live to see the dawn of 45. An IIM Bangalore Alumni, he was the youngest CEO of Trikent Technologies.
Jeevan was also very good at his job and rather sharp. Most people in the office believed he had the potential to become the next CEO but that was before the accident. The accident took the edge off Jeevan’s personality and he had become just a regular guy in the office.
Jeevan had been looking at ways he can fulfill the condition of the muffled voice. Guns, poison, and all other alternatives were very extreme and he was looking out for a way that would be more amicable and less flashy.
Two days had passed and Jeevan had not yet understood how to do the job. But then on the same day in the evening at 6 pm, Jeevan saw his boss going upstairs while everyone else headed home. When he followed him, he realized Kulkarni smoked the last bud on the terrace and that too alone.
‘This is the opportunity ‘ Jeevan thought ‘If I can get closer to the boss and take him towards the edge of the building, I can trip him off ‘
Jeevan felt terrible thinking about the idea of killing someone but then Richa’s face used to emerge and his ears would ring with the same sentence she told in the hospital ‘You are going to be a father‘
That gave him the courage to plan again
Jeevan immediately started smoking (or at least act like one ) to make sure people familiarise him as a smoker so no one would doubt him going to the terrace. He also kept packets of mint, mouth wash, and toothbrush in his bag which he used after his smoke performance. Richa hated smokers and he had to avoid any chance of letting her know that. It was anyways just a matter of days. He had requested Sudhir to not divulge this to her. He actually hated smoking, the carbon taste and the way it felt coarse in the throat made him sick but he was determined to do it for one more day.
Jeevan stood at one of the corners of the terrace. It was 5:45 pm and it was the day he had decided to execute his plan. He was nervous and his left leg was quivering. His eyes kept scanning around to make sure there was no one around.
‘So when he comes, I will call him here. Do some small talk and then when I am facing him, I will push him. The push has to fast and strong, I should try and use my leg to topple him. The leg is the weakest area. Once he loses his balance, the weight and gravity will do its trick’
Jeevan was reciting the process in his head. And just then the door opened and he saw Kulkarni enter. He immediately went for his pocket and pulled out the cigarette box. He pulled a bud and put in his mouth and started pretending to search for the lighter. Kulkarni was oblivious of Jeevan’s presence and was lost in his smoke. Jeevan cleared his throat rather loudly to catch his attention. Kulkarni looked at Jeevan.
‘Hey Jeevan, looking for lighter? Here ’ Kulkarni walked towards Jeevan. Jeevan’s heart was racing as he realized his plan was taking shape. He lighted his cigarette
‘Thanks, boss’ Jeevan said without making eye contact.
‘Does it still pain? ‘Boss said while pointing his thick finger towards Jeevan’s head
‘Sometimes but much better than before ‘ Jeevan said while not liking the empathy his boss was showing.
‘Never seen you here before’ Boss said while the smoke emulated from his nostrils
‘Recently began smoking sir ‘
‘You know this might sound hypocritical, but smoking is not good for health. Please think about it, don’t waste your life. I am so much ahead in the habit that I can’t quit. But you still can. ‘
His boss’s Empathy caught Jeevan off guard. It suddenly made him realize what he was going to do. It was like he woke up to reality, It was like he received a jolt that made him come back to sanity.
‘What was I thinking. I can’t kill him, I can’t kill anybody. I can’t run away from my past like this. I have to face my demons and there is no surety that the muffled voice will stop at this. I have to leave ‘
Jeevan dropped the half-burnt cigarette down.
‘I will take your leave, Sir … Good night ‘
‘Are what’s the hurry?’ said Kulkarni confused
‘I just remembered an errand I have to run before going home. That’s why… See you, tomorrow sir ‘
Just when he was leaving, he received a call. He pulled the phone out of his pocket only to see the terrifying number. He hesitantly picked up.
‘Jeevan … at least finish the job that you had come here for ‘ said the muffled voice
Jeevan was numb. He turned around and saw his boss in a very different expression
His tired face was covered rage and cold anger.
‘You came here to kill me. So do it.’ Kulkarni barked while disconnecting the phone
‘What? How does he know it? How does he know I have come here to kill him? How is this possible? Am I dreaming? How .. How ‘
Jeevan was frozen like a deer in front of car lights. He experienced fear, confusion, and panic all together which made him go blank. Words dried and all he could come was a cough. The cough of surprise, shock, and confusion
Jeevan stared at his boss when suddenly the building lights went off and only the street lights below were on. The Silhouette appeared. Boss is the muffled voice, the muffled voice is the boss.
The lights resumed and Jeevan was still trying to process the new information.
‘Yes Jeevan, that’s right. I am the blackmailer. I am the one who told you to kill me. So go on now… do the bloody job. ‘
‘But … why? ‘Jeevan mumbled still in confusion
‘Why? You ask why? You are the snake who poisoned my life and you still ask why? You are the reason I am tired, irritated about my own life and you still ask why? You are the one who had an affair with my wife ‘
Jeevan’s hand started searching for a place to hold on as the entire building was rolling in front of his eyes. He slowly receded to the wall and slid down with his back rubbing the wall.
‘Yes … you. I had everything. A great job, financial stability, my own house, and a lovely wife. Life was good and almost like a dream. But just like a dream, it didn’t stay for long. You came and destroyed everything like a bull rampaging a beautiful crop that was carefully grown with hard work and sweat’
‘I don’t know what to say … ‘ Jeevan whispered again
‘Don’t say anything, just do what you said you were going to do.‘
‘But how does killing you help. What will you achieve out of it ?’
‘As I told you earlier as well I want you to experience murder. I want you to experience physically how does it feel to kill someone, destroy someone. You anyways have done it to me internally. I am already dead inside. So just finish this body ’
‘I can’t do it, Sir. I can’t… You can go ahead and publish those photos but I can’t do it. I am terribly sorry for what I had done. I am a terrible human being and I have done a lot of things wrong but I cannot do this just to hide my past. I am responsible for whatever I have done in the past. Even though I don’t remember my past but still, that is not an excuse. I can’t do it, sir … I am sorry ‘ Jeevan spoke in a single go with his head down, his body quivering.
There was an uncomfortable silence. A silence of rage from Kulkarni, a silence of guilt but non-cooperation from Jeevan. Both had reached the end of their bargain.
‘Ok. So your conscience got the better of you. Fine, I won’t push you more nor would I publish the photos. But a crime is a crime and it needs to be punished. And I want to get out of this shit once and for all. Goodbye Jeevan ‘ Kulkarni said while staring at Jeevan. He was on the edge of the building. He raised his hand and let the weight of his body push him down. His eyes fixated on Jeevan.
‘Noooo… ’ Jeevan screamed and leaped ahead but Kulkarni was already descending.
His eyes still staring at Jeevan.
A huge thump was heard followed by car alarms.
Jeevan experienced an unbearable pain in his head that made him collapse. His vision started getting blurry and suddenly there was darkness.
—————————–x——————————————-
Jeevan heard a faint voice of Richa. It slowly started getting clearer and clearer. He opened his eyes with a lot of effort. Blinking for a couple of times made his vision clear. He could see Richa and Sudhir standing in front of him in the hospital
His memory immediately flashed and the image of Kulkarni free falling.
‘Sudhir. Our boss …’
‘We know man. He committed suicide ‘
‘What? ‘
‘Ya man. He fell from the Building terrace. In fact, the police found you on the terrace. They actually thought you had something to do with this ’
‘Then?’ Jeevan was still confused
‘They found a note in his pocket. He said he is committing suicide due to personal family reasons and no one but he is responsible for it. ’
Jeevan was numb. He knew his boss had indeed given him the biggest punishment. His death and the reason for him committing it will only be known Jeevan and he would have to endure it for his entire lifetime.
The End
