Moonflower (Part 4 of 6)

The two different destinies…

Although Sam took a day off from his work, there was a call from an important client who was also an eminent personality in the movie fraternity, and he informed Sam that he didn’t have much time in finalizing the shooting locations before going abroad, and he immediately wanted to listen to the recordings done by Sam. Sam was helpless and agreed to sit with the team from 11.00 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. in the studio. As soon as this was finished, Sam instructed Joy to go to the hotel and look after the arrangements for the party and also the set-up of the stage and musical equipment of the band. He then rushed to his residence to freshen up, and on his way, he called Zina and asked her to be ready, saying he would reach her home by 6.30p.m.to pick her up.

Sam was looking elegant in a double-breasted black suit, golden silk shirt, and red tie. When he reached Zina’s house, he saw she was ready and waiting for him. She looked extremely beautiful and elegant. It was a very weird coincidence that she was wearing a gown made of white chiffon and stilettos shoes. On Sarah’s birthday, Sarah was also wearing a similar white gown and stiletto shoes. Sarah was very beautiful, but Zina was gorgeous, glamorous, and beautiful. Sam was speechless for some time and forgot to smile, as he was only watching Zina.

She was enjoying his stare and then asked, ‘Am I looking alright…?’

‘You are truly wonderful tonight…’, Sam said to the tune of the famous song. ‘I have seen so many movie heroines, models on catwalks, ladies from the elite class, but you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in my life,’ Sam said from the core of his heart.

Zina’s cheeks became red in shyness and she gave a heavenly smile to Sam and asked, ‘So can we start now?’

‘Yes; anyhow, we have to get there by 7.00 p.m.,’ Sam replied.

Zina and Sam got into the car and Sam started it. Whenever the car was stopped by traffic signals, Sam could watch Zina with an admiring look. Zina asked Sam, ‘Do you know how handsome you are looking tonight? Any girl in the world would fall head over heels for you.’

Sam smiled but did not reply, because he was thinking about the possible reaction of Ajoy on seeing Zina after such a long time. It was such a weird situation when the love of one man was being presented by another man whose loved one is also the same; was it a sacrifice…? Or sacrifice was less important compared to the correction of a big mistake in some lives.

As Sam and Zina were heading towards the hotel for the party, Joy was heading from the hotel to the studio, after firmly organizing everything for the evening. All the arrangements were perfect, but he suddenly found that everyone had forgotten to bring Sam’s favorite guitar, something Joy himself had never done. If Sam was to play in the band, then the guitar would be essential, so he immediately decided to rush to the studio and find the guitar.

Sam and Zina arrived at the hotel a little before 7.00 p.m. and they found that the invitees had already started arriving. Sam asked for Joy and found out that he had gone to the studio to get the guitar for him. Sam went to the stage with Zina, made a short address to the guests, and announced the inclusion of Zina in the Galaxy. He also informed them that the celebration of Zina’s inclusion was chosen on her birthday to make all the future business of Galaxy have Lady Luck. Sam also announced that Zina would cut the birthday cake at 7.30 p.m. as some of the guests were still awaited. Sam requested the invitees to enjoy their drinks and he indicated to the members of Galaxy to start by playing instrumental music from the recent commercial hits.

At the time, Joy was coming out of the studio with the guitar, and he was stopped by a lady who asked about Sam; she also showed him Sam’s visiting card. Joy asked her name, and she said, ‘My name is Sarah and I want to see Sam.’

Joy had heard the name before, but this time he was in a hurry and told her that Sam was attending a birthday party at the hotel. Joy also gave her the address of the hotel and hurriedly left. After a few moments, he thought he could have offered her a lift to the hotel and he had made a mistake. Joy thought she might be one of those people who come to Sam with some reference and with a request to get work in the industry. The time was running out and Joy drove fast to reach the hotel and forgot to tell Sam about Sarah.

Zina cut the cake in the presence of the full house, composed of eminent film personalities, composers, artists, writers, models, business tycoons, etc. Everyone wished her a happy birthday. At the same time, Joy announced the dance numbers to be played by Galaxy and invited everyone to come to the dance floor. The beat of the music was changing frequently and was tempting for everyone dancing.

Sam asked Zina to dance and she reminded him about her dance to the “Moonflower”, only to be played by Sam, and he agreed. After half an hour, when the band took a break, Sam went to the stage and announced his playing of the “Moonflower”, which he would play especially for a dance performance by Zina, after which everyone else had to join her on the floor. Within a little while, Sam picked up his guitar, removed all the hang-ups of his past from his mind, and struck the strings of his guitar. As the nostalgic and magical tune of “Moonflower” started spreading over the hall, Joy started the drum beats in an accurate rhythm of Latino Jazz, and Zina started her dance at the spot she was standing and slowly came to the center of the floor. Sam looked at her, and closed his eyes… Sarah’s dance appeared; but when he opened his eyes… Zina’s dance was in view.

Everyone understood that Zina had been a good dancer in the past. While dancing, Zina was watching Sam’s reactions and was creative with her best possible performance. The unusual performance by Sam and Zina was enjoyed by the crowd to the fullest extent. The magic of “Moonflower” completely influenced everybody’s mind and soul, and after some time the whole crowd joined Zina in the dance. Even the members of Galaxy hadn’t had such an experience before, although they had been hearing Sam playing guitar with them on a regular basis and for a long time. Tonight, Sam’s music was extremely sensitive, touching, and heavenly.

The grand ongoing event was also being watched by two odd persons at the party: one was Zina’s ex-husband Ajoy and the other one was Sarah. They were watching Sam and Zina while staying at a safe distance away from the crowd. The strobe lights were strong over the performers on the floor, but the crowd watching the event was in a darker zone. It was a huge crowd, including the media people covering the event, and that helped Ajoy and Sarah to hide in the crowd. The feelings which were common in both of them were: they both were not very conscious of the crowd and were absorbed in the unusual event, robbing everyone’s attention. In the last few years, Sam had become so famous in the industry that any live program with his presence would draw the crowd in huge numbers and was enviable for any of his competitors of that time.

Sarah was trying to remember her birthday night when Sam had played the same “Moonflower”. She thought of two significant differences: firstly, the present Sam being a celebrity was the main attraction of the party, and watching him so closely was beyond anyone’s imagination; secondly, the dance performed by Zina was incomparable with anyone’s dance known to the crowd witnessing the event.

Ajoy was unable to control his tears and understood the meaning of life in just a few moments, which was not understood by him before. He understood that any high desire or ambition by ignoring someone’s own people leads to never-ending unhappiness in life. Any desire was okay, but the high desire was not. A life free of high desire brings all kinds of happiness to a person on this earth. Having everything achieved, if someone doesn’t have anyone to share it with, he is the most unfortunate person on earth.

The dance with “Moonflower” came to an end, and Sam and Joy came into the crowd. The music by the members of Galaxy and dance by the invitees were still continued. Ajoy left the party and left for his residence. He never imagined that Zina could look so glamorous, beautiful, and elegant. Such a change in her was unbelievable for Ajoy. He was feeling some oceanic peace in his mind after such a long time.

Sarah came out of the hotel almost at the same time and suddenly felt some loneliness in her life. She knew that no one would come out of the party at that time as the music was still going on and Sarah started feeling upset physically, with tears flowing down her face. She felt like sitting at some place for a while to get alright, but suddenly she felt some dizziness and lost consciousness just outside the hotel gate. This gate was the exit gate, and Sarah wanted to quit the place silently. But she couldn’t leave the place silently, as she was unable to stand or walk anymore and ultimately fainted on the floor near the gate. The incident was noticed by two security guards and they rushed to her for help. Joy was passing the place right at that moment leaving the band for some urgent purpose and also rushing to help, and he identified Sarah as he had met her earlier that evening at the studio.

Sarah was unconscious as they all took her inside the hotel and didn’t make any noise which could spoil the spirit of the party, which was at its peak at that time.

Joy requested the hotel manager take the lady to the hospital. The manager was very cooperative, and called an ambulance from the hospital and sent Sarah to the hospital for treatment with two of his lady staff. Joy came back to the party and did not inform anyone about the incident.

The unforgettable music and dance event came to an end and Zina was approached by some of the guests, who were honestly praising her for the performance.

At about one o’clock in the morning, Sam announced the end of the party. He left the hotel with Zina to drop her at her house. Sam asked Joy to come to Zina’s house and take him to his residence, as Sam was feeling very tired and didn’t want to drive anymore.

On their way, Zina suddenly asked, ‘How did you like my dance?’

‘Something heavenly, during my playing I was watching you and was wondering whether some fairy must be dancing before my eyes, with my tunes,’ Sam replied.

‘Did you ever remember Sarah while playing “Moonflower”?’ Zina asked.

‘Today I don’t want to recall that memory. I only remember you dancing for me, on a wonderful evening. It is common human nature: we don’t want to remember any painful memories, we always try to recall good and happy moments in our lives,’ Sam continued. ‘When a married couple gets separated because of their failure in adjusting to each other, then after a few years they don’t remember the bad moments they spent; rather, both of them remember the good times they spent together,’ Sam said.

‘Then why don’t they re-unite?’ Zina asked.

‘It is the ego and confusion about their future which keep them separated from each other. Ultimately, each of them loses the most valuable time of their lives, but they are destined to stay separated; that is their fate. In most situations, they try to find some new life partners to start everything afresh, but that doesn’t give any assurance to their desires. Only mature thoughts can help them to compromise with their ego, put them together once again, return to them all their good moments once again and forever,’ Sam replied.

Zina was trying to draw Sarah’s topic once again and wanted to hear the comparison from Sam, because she thought Sarah was still the factor that influenced him. But Sam was trying to draw Zina’s attention to her past life with her ex-husband Ajoy, and wanted to force Zina to think of Ajoy once again. Because Sam knew that, from now onwards, Zina should start thinking of Ajoy and take a positive view of him.

In the next few minutes, Joy came to Zina’s house and parked his car. Sam came out immediately and Zina followed him up to the gate. ‘Your performance was simply fabulous and the crowd has experienced it for the first time in their lives,’ Joy told Zina.

‘Thank you very much, my sweet friend, and please drop by here another day. I will treat you for your wonderful compliments,’ Zina replied.

‘Sure…your highness, and see you today. Bye-bye,’ Joy said. Joy and Sam entered into Sam’s car and Joy started it so that in the next few moments they were out of Zina’s sight.

‘Feeling sleepy, I will go for a long sleep, Sam said.

‘Sure, and I will make sure that no one will disturb you,’ Joy replied.

‘But how was the party?’ Sam asked Joy.

‘Apart from both of your performances, the rest of it was normal and simple; but you two took the party to such a height that people even forgot to sip their drinks, Joy replied and laughed.

‘Yes, “Moonflower” has always created mysterious moments,’ Sam said and smiled.

‘Another incident I forgot to tell you: one very pretty lady came to our studio while I was leaving with your guitar. She asked me about you giving her your business card and I told her that you were in the hotel. She came to the hotel later on and she must be one of your greatest fans. But when you and Zina were performing, she left, and I found her lying unconscious on the ground outside the hotel. I, along with two security guards, took her inside the hotel, handed her over to the manager and he sent her to some hospital… Joy explained.

A cold wave passed through Sam’s spine and he asked, ‘Did she tell you her name?’

‘Yes, but I don’t remember… Joy replied.

‘Was it Sarah?’ Sam asked.

‘Maybe, yes,’ Joy said, trying to remember.

‘To which hospital was she sent?’ Sam asked impatiently.

‘I don’t know, you can ask the hotel manager,’ Joy replied.

Sam immediately called the manager and asked about the incident. The manager told him about the hospital. Sam told Joy to drive to the hospital and within fifteen minutes they arrived. They asked about the patient at the reception and the receptionist checked the register and called the doctor involved.

After speaking to the doctor, the lady said, ‘The patient was alright and left the hospital as she had to catch the flight for Delhi to go back to her home at Dehradun.’

‘Who is she?’ Joy asked Sam.

‘Must be Sarah… about whom I told you before,’ Sam replied. ‘Joy, can you leave the car with me and go back by cab? I want to go to the airport to take the last chance to see her,’ Sam said.

‘That’s okay, but if you want me to be with you, then please allow me to come. I have no problem staying with you,” Joy said.

‘Not now; let me go alone. If I require it, I will call,’ Sam replied. He started the car and went away. Joy took a cab and directed it to his residence.

Sam first went to the airport and checked the schedules of various flights for Delhi and found some of the morning flights had left already and the next flight would be sometime later. Sam carefully checked the domestic lounge but could not find Sarah. He then went to the Rehabilitation Clinic where Sarah had been treated before. The doctor told him that Sarah had come in for a check-up the morning before and had left after staying there for about two hours.

Sam understood that Sarah had watched him playing the “Moonflower” once again and also the dance performed by Zina. She must have got some idea about Sam’s relationship with Zina and before being seen by Sam she wanted to quietly leave the place. She could not withstand the mental upset and ultimately lost her senses.

In the next few days after the party, Sam finalized one live show invitation at an institute in Dehradun. For a long time, Sam had not accepted their invitation, saying that the contract money was not enough. But actually, his intention was to avoid any possible visit to Dehradun. But this time, after failing to meet Sarah, he became a bit upset and he called his childhood friend Sanjeev at the school and finalized the show. Sanjeev was with Sam in Father John’s home and at present, he was a teacher in that school. He had recently come to know about Sam’s work location and since then had maintained his contact with Sam and had been asking Sam to give a live performance at his school for quite some time.

The team of Galaxy reached Delhi by air and then started on a hired bus for Dehradun. They reached the town before the afternoon and went directly to the hotel where their reservations had been made.

Jack went to the venue with the equipment and within an hour he had set the stage with various sound equipment, Musical instruments, lighting, mixing board, and stage presentation, with live video display and recording as well. He was assisted by two Senior Crew members and two junior boys and electricians.

The show time was 7.00 p.m. to 9.00 p.m., and the band members were told to be there at 6.30 p.m. from the hotel. Still, Sam started at 5.00 p.m., along with his friend Sanjeev, to see the venue in advance, and Sam expressed his satisfaction to Sanjeev after seeing the arrangements.

Next, Sam went to Sanjeev’s residence and saw a couple of guitars in his room. Pointing to them, Sanjeev reminded Sam that during their days at Father John’s home Sam used to teach Sanjeev about various guitar chords, scales, etc, and Sanjeev had also learned guitar very quickly. Sanjeev didn’t give up playing guitar and he was still playing regularly.

Sam remembered the days and asked Sanjeev to play something for him, and Sanjeev immediately got ready to respond to Sam’s request. Sanjeev started singing and playing the Beatles number “All My Loving” and Sam joined him by singing the line “Close your eyes…”. Next, Sanjeev asked Sam to sing another song Sam started “Let It Be”, and Sanjeev accompanied him with the guitar chords. Sanjeev was not playing less than any professional guitarist and Sam noticed his proficiency.

But Sanjeev always used to play for his own satisfaction and never before anyone. Sanjeev was still not married and a boy used to stay in his residence for cooking, washing, cleaning, etc. for Sanjeev. He prepared and brought some snacks and tea for both of them.

Although Sam was not feeling hungry, seeing the items he remembered the old days when he, along with Sanjeev, used to buy exactly the same items in the evening from the roadside shop, and he reminded Sanjeev about that. Sam and Sanjeev spent some happy moments there and at 6.30 p.m. Sanjeev brought Sam to the guest house of their school, where every one of the band had already gathered. This was the first outside show of Galaxy since the death of Prem. Looking at everyone’s presence, Sam suddenly remembered Prem upon seeing the new person playing the keyboard. It was John, who had joined the band in Prem’s position as a new member, and Sam found him very talented and promising. John was from Goa and was working in the music line in Mumbai for the past year.

Galaxy started the show with the famous Santana number “Can’t You See Them All Around”, and the temptations of the crowd were much more than that expected by the organizers.

During this kind of live show, Sam used to interact with Prem playing the keyboard, and with his usual habit he turned to the keyboard, but this time found John playing the instrument with full dedication. Sam suddenly remembered the very special face of Prem smiling at him, with disorganized hair falling over his face, and Sam was unmindful for a moment and missed his note. Amit was the second guitarist playing the chords and Karim was on bass guitar. Joy was in his usual position with the drums. All of them noticed what happened to Sam, understood everything, and they successfully managed to cover it up by continuing with their playing. Sam turned towards Joy and, wiping his face quickly with his hand, resumed the notes of the number. No one in the audience noticed anything wrong with Sam.

The show was open to all and, in addition, to the local masses, many people came from distant places. After an interim break, when the show started once again Sam called Sanjeev onto the stage from the audience and introduced him as the teacher of that institution and as his old childhood friend as well. They played some unusual numbers, including Mark Knopfler’s “Cannibals”. When their dual performance finished, the audience was a bit upset and, at their request, they played another Mark Knopfler number, “Je Suis Désolé”. After Sanjeev’s exit, Sam once again started with heavy metal and acid rock numbers and continued to maintain the tempo till the end of the show. The show was successful, the people in the audience were overwhelmed, and they felt that they would remember the night for a long time.

The next morning, the entire team of Galaxy left Dehradun, but Sam stayed back, saying that he had some work at Dehradun and may return after two or three days. At about 11.00 a.m., he reached the house of Prabhu. Prabhu, Laxmi, and Vicky were all there, but Sarah was not. Prabhu said she had found a job in an office of some private company and she left at 9.30 a.m. and returned at about 5.30 p.m. Sam asked Vicky at what standard he was studying now, and Vicky replied that he was still studying only at home.

Prabhu told his wife Laxmi to bring a cup of coffee for Sam and to take Vicky along with her. Laxmi understood the matter and left the place with Vicky. As they left, Prabhu said, ‘Sarah tried to put Vicky in some school, but the child’s father’s name was essential in the school, and, as I informed you before, Sarah doesn’t want to use your name without asking you, and she has obvious reasons and hesitation to ask you about that. So she failed to put Vicky even in any small school in the locality. She is so helpless these days, we can’t even look at her,’ Prabhu continued. ‘Recently, Sarah went to Mumbai for a check-up, but she said, after finishing the clinical check-ups, that she fell sick over there and couldn’t make it possible to see you. Since then, she has been physically and mentally so down that she doesn’t even sit with us in the house. She always stays in her room and keeps Vicky outside the room. We are quite afraid of her state and are just praying to God to help her improve her state,’ Prabhu said.

Sam understood that after seeing him and Zina that night, she might be under the impression that they were both close to each other, because the tune was of “Moonflower”, and with that tune the extraordinary dance by Zina. The situation might have been aggravated thereafter. It was definitely not good for Sarah, and if it continued, she may again have to be admitted to the rehab center. Sarah must get at least some improvement in the situation, Sam decided very fast, and asked Prabhu, ‘Can I take Vicky outside for a while?’

‘Surely, but please come back before lunch; we shall be very happy to have lunch with you,’ Prabhu said.

Laxmi came with the coffee and Vicky also came with her. Sam finished the coffee fast and went out, taking Vicky along with him.

Sam and Vicky went to Sanjeev’s school; they went directly to the teachers’ room and searched for Sanjeev. The teachers present over there welcomed Sam and praised him a lot for the blasting performance of Galaxy the previous night. Sanjeev came immediately and was surprised to see Sam. Sam, Sanjeev, and Vicky went outside and Sam proposed they go to the residence of Sanjeev, as he wanted to discuss some private matter. They all went to Sanjeev’s residence. Sam called Vijay, the boy working there, and he was cooking in the kitchen. Sam requested Vijay take Vicky to show him the place and Vijay happily took Vicky along with him.

Sanjeev then asked Sam, ‘Who is the child, and what is the matter?’

‘I am the father of the child, but I could never marry his mother as it was not approved by my grandfather,’ Sam said. ‘His name is Vicky, and now Vicky has to be admitted to some school, and for that, he needs his father’s name,’ Sam continued.

‘But now your grandfather is no more and you are free to take them to stay with you,’ Sanjeev said.

‘That is also not possible, because the child’s mother is highly offended, as I did not maintain any relationship with them for the last five years. So it will take some time to settle with her. But the child should not suffer for the mistake done by me,’ Sam said.

‘It is quite natural, my friend, you should have felt for them much earlier and as soon as your grandfather died you should have taken them with you,’ Sanjeev said.

‘In fact, I didn’t know that she was pregnant. I was not even informed of the news about the birth of the child. I thought Sarah must be married by that time and well settled with her family. But the matter was different: she went into mental depression and was admitted to a rehabilitation center in Mumbai. I discovered them recently and came to know about everything. Now I need your help to get the child admitted to your school, taking my name as the father. I am here to do all the formalities,’ Sam concluded.

‘That shouldn’t be a problem. The Principal depends on me for many matters, so he may not refuse my request. Moreover, the child is the son of a celebrity, so the school should expect a handsome donation from you,’ Sanjeev said.

‘I am ready to do everything, but please do the needful as fast as possible. After admitting the boy, I have to go back to Mumbai by tomorrow or the day after,’ Sam replied.

‘Then when will you manage to convince the child’s mother to forgive you?’ Sanjeev asked.

‘That will be on my next trip here,’ Sam said.

‘Then okay, let us go and meet the Principal now,’ Sanjeev said.

They both approached the Principal with the request and the Principal agreed to admit Vicky into the school and asked Sanjeev to take the responsibility to convince others on the school committee. Sanjeev agreed and took Sam to the office to fill in the forms, deposit the money, and sign as the father of Vicky.

After doing the essential formalities and depositing the fees, etc. Sam went to the secretary of the school committee and Sanjeev informed the secretary about the admission of  Vicky into the school and requested his help to get the same approved by the school committee. The secretary was also on very good terms with Sanjeev and assured him about the approval. Sam donated a large sum of money by signing a cheque, which was beyond the imagination of the secretary, and he started feeling uneasy holding the cheque. Next, they came out of the school.

‘Will I study in this school?’ Vicky asked Sam with a lot of disbelief in his eyes.

‘Yes, you will,’ Sam said.

‘But I was not taken by any school here and when I asked Mum to take me to this school, she said I was not that lucky to study here,’ Vicky said.

‘Your Mum doesn’t know how lucky you are. You are my closest friend, so you are very lucky and very powerful. In case of any problem, you will contact me and tell me your problem, then I will tell you what to do,’ Sam said. ‘You have to study here, you have to grow up here; you have to be a big man and look after your Mum.’

‘Do you know, Mum always cries in her room and tells me to stay away from her, ’Vicky said.

Sam looked at Sanjeev and Sanjeev put his hand on Vicky’s head. ‘After you start your studies here, your Mum will stop crying and will start smiling forever; so come tomorrow, I will take you to your class, and you will have lots of friends here,’ Sanjeev said.

‘I will not be here tomorrow, I have to go back. So, after coming to school first, you will see Uncle Sanjeev here and will address him by calling him “Sir”. Okay?’ Sam told Vicky.

Vicky nodded to accept. Sam hugged Sanjeev and expressed his thanks. ‘Who has favored whom? Have I favored you or have you favored me?’ Sanjeev asked.

‘How have I favored you?’ Sam was surprised.

‘Oh! You don’t know? The amount you have donated to the secretary is beyond anyone’s imagination, and as you are my friend, so I will be enjoying the return from the school committee, and I will be enjoying enormous power in the school… and these all are done by you,’ Sanjeev said, and they both burst into laughter. Next, Sam asked Sanjeev for his permission to leave.

Sam and Vicky came late to their house with a school uniform, school bag, and lots of books and exercise books. Prabhu and Laxmi were surprised to see all this. They asked Sam about how all this had happened and Sam confessed and told them everything. Sam left their house and promised to come back in the evening.

Sam went to his house on the estate of his grandfather to see the condition of the house. Everything was in order, as he had always approved all sorts of maintenance for the estate and the house since the death of his grandfather Dipendra. Krishna was waiting for him in the house with other management employees, and after a little while, they all met in the hall in the office of the estate. Krishna informed Sam about the financial success in the last year’s business of the estate from the selling of woods, various agro products, cold storage, renting of land to farmers, and transportation of commercial commodities produced on the estate and outside, etc. The net profit was substantial. Sam announced incentives for all the management staff and workers on the estate on the occasion of his return and for the business return, which had been the result of everyone’s effort. He also announced Krishna as a twenty percent shareholder of the business from now on. Earlier, he used to operate on a Power of Attorney; now he would be the authorized signatory. Sam instructed their attorney to do the necessary paperwork and formalities. Everyone appreciated the announcement by clapping. Krishna couldn’t even imagine this ever happening; he became so happy when Sam hugged him.

Just after the meeting, Krishna came to Sam but was hesitating to tell him something, Sam noticed and asked him about the matter. ‘Can you afford to have something here now? We have all organized a high tea for you. People are hesitating to tell you and they all are waiting outside,’ Krishna said in a very humble way.

‘Oh, sure, then call everyone. What are you hesitating for? You people are all my family members, and I will be lucky to have the high tea with you all,’ Sam said.

While eating, the old cook Abdul was watching Sam by standing nearby. Sam asked Krishna, ‘All the items are exceptionally good. Who prepared this?’

Krishna pointed towards Abdul and Sam was surprised to see his old Uncle Abdul. He initially didn’t recognize him, but eventually, Sam got up from his chair and hugged Abdul, who was constantly looking at him and tears were flowing from his eyes. Sam asked him, ‘Do you remember, you used to make me eat so many times when I used to be busy with studies or playing guitar?’

Abdul smiled and nodded his head; he was so happy to see Sam once again that he was unable to express his feelings. Sam pulled Abdul to the table, made him sit beside him, and asked him to make him eat once again, and Abdul did that. Everyone clapped at that moment, as Sam put some food in Abdul’s mouth and once again hugged him.

After the high tea, Sam instructed Krishna to take special care of his Uncle Abdul and look after all his needs. Krishna informed Sam that some land plots were available at a very good price and it would be worth it to purchase them to increase the business of the estate, which in turn would increase the prosperity of the staff and workers of the estate. Sam understood and gave his consent immediately. He also told Krishna to take decisions from now onwards and that he shouldn’t wait for approval from Sam. Sam hugged Krishna once again and kept his hand on his head and shoulders, saying, ‘You are like my own brother. Whenever you want to see me, come to Mumbai and stay with me for a few days.’ Sam was unable to sense why he felt so much for Krishna, because Sam didn’t know about his coming years.

Sam stayed there until 8.00 p.m. and was counting all the events that had happened to everyone related to this house. He found that every incident which happened in the past was unusual. The weirdest event was his presence in owning and maintaining this estate, which was closed for him in the initial days of his life. He was wondering why everyone related to him failed to achieve a normal, common, and happy life. At that time Sam didn’t know what was still on hold. At the time of coming back, everyone came up to the gate and Sam was thinking that happy moments are God-gifted and come without notice.

Nobody knows the future, but the present is always better than the future. Getting older means finding new people and losing your own old people, and this is life. Sam felt that Krishna, Abdul, and the others were all his very own people, but he was not destined to stay with them. Sam felt that because at the time of leaving the estate he was not aware of his destiny.

Sam reached Prabhu’s house a little after 8.00 pm and saw Sarah alone in the sitting room. ‘How are you?’ Sam asked her.

‘I am fine, but why this favor? Do we deserve this from you or do you want to feel great by showing the broadness of your mind?’ Sarah asked.

‘Whatever I have done, you would have done the same, had you been in my position, so it is no favor and I am not enjoying any great feeling by doing something for your son,’ Sam replied.

‘Why did you not ask my permission before doing such a thing?’ Sarah asked.

‘In fact, I didn’t have time for that as I have to leave for Mumbai tomorrow. Additionally, I believe I deserve at least this much right to exercise on you and your son and you will not refuse me for the second time,’ Sam replied. ‘When you saw me performing in the hotel, why did you not meet me? I searched a lot for you after I got the news of your arrival. I went to the hospital, I went to the clinic, I went to the airport, but I failed to find you,’ Sam continued.

‘I found myself not physically well and decided to leave,’ Sarah said.

‘Then why did you not stay in the clinic and send a message to me?’ Sam asked.

‘Because I found you playing “The Moonflower” and did not want to upset your life once again,’ Sarah said.

‘That could be a gross misunderstanding,’ Sam said.

‘Could be,’ Sarah agreed.

‘If you can do everything you decide, then why am I not even allowed to get Vicky admitted to the school?’ Sam asked.

‘Because you are in no way related to him and should not show any sympathy to us, as we don’t deserve that,’ Sarah said.

‘At the cost of your son’s career?’ Sam asked.

‘I should not be forgiven for whatever I did to you in the past, and so for our present condition I don’t have any complaint against anyone,’ Sarah said.

‘If you admit that you did something wrong in the past, then be careful about that and don’t repeat it again in any form… try to rectify it,’ Sam said.

‘Do you still expect me in your life?’ Sarah asked.

‘No, I don’t expect anything in my life anymore. I have given up expecting anything for the last five or six years and I am used to accepting everything that comes to me. This time, if you decide not to allow me to do anything for you, then don’t send Vicky to the school tomorrow and it’s all over once again,’ Sam replied and left the place quietly. Sam was not stopped and requested by Sarah for the dinner.

The next morning, as the doorbell rang, Sam got up and opened the door of his hotel room and found Sarah and Vicky standing in front of him. Vicky was in school uniform and asked, ‘Sam, are you still sleeping? Won’t you come with us up to the school?’

‘In that case, you will be late on the very first day, so go ahead with your Mum. I will come to see you in school next time I come to Dehradun.’ Sam smiled at Vicky and Sarah.

‘Till what time are you here?’ Sarah asked.

‘It is already 7.30 a.m.; the school starts at 8.30 a.m., so you take Vicky to the school immediately. I have to leave by 10.00 a.m. by road to New Delhi and then to Mumbai this evening,’ Sam replied.

‘Will you come here again?’ Sarah asked.

‘If you want, I will come always,’ Sam said.

Sarah smiled and said, ‘Please come as soon as you can.’

‘Promised,’ Sam smiled at her. Sarah left with Vicky and Sam kept on watching them by standing at the door till they disappeared. Before entering the elevator, Sarah stopped and turned around and looked at Sam for a while, smiled, and then went into the lift.

Sam was in his office on the fourteenth floor. It was 7.00 p.m. in the evening and he was just about to leave. But Zina came in without any prior intimation and surprised him. Sam proposed to go for dinner to some restaurant having outdoor arrangements for food, but this was not accepted by Zina because of her tiring schedule of the day she had been through.

Sam also told Zina to come to his office during working hours, so that it would help people believe that Zina was truly a partner in Galaxy’s management.

‘What next?’ Zina asked.

‘Next to what?’ Sam did not understand.

‘Next to making people understand that I am a part of Galaxy,’ Zina clarified.

‘Next is to continue with that…for some time,’ Sam replied.

‘But how long, Sam…how long do we have to remain like this? Do we have any reason for it?’ Zina asked, not with frustration, but with confusion.

‘If I have a plan to continue this forever, will you leave me?’ Sam asked.

‘No, I didn’t mean that; but may I request you tell me the reason?’ Zina asked.

‘If I tell you the reason, you will definitely confront it, and it will end up with arguments and the conclusion may not be acceptable to either of us,’ Sam replied.

‘Still, I want to know about it,’ Zina said.

‘About what?’ Sam asked.

‘Why can’t we settle together?’ Zina asked.

‘You can’t ask that, because you are not that mean and shameless; instead, you are very generous to allow me to play with your future.’ Sam gave her a naughty smile and shifted himself to a safe distance.

‘Yes, I am.’ Zina threw her handbag to hit Sam, but he safely caught it and was laughing at Zina for missing her target.

‘I can tell you the reason; accepting it or not is your choice, but you have to verify that personally what I will tell you,’ Sam told Zina.

Zina was more confused. Seeing her condition, Sam started making fun of her. Zina stood up and said, ‘You are in a mischievous mood and I can’t have any serious talk with you now, so I am going and will see you later.’

Sam suddenly rushed to stop her. He embraced her, kissed her on both cheeks with affection, and once again he brought her to the chair and made her sit.

‘Can you please tell me the reason at least?’ Zina was impatient.

‘Of course, it is my moral duty to tell you about everything,’ Sam replied and became serious.

‘No drama, please. I got to go back, so just speak up quickly, okay?’ Zina said.

‘In fact, I have been trying to tell you for quite a long time, but couldn’t tell you so far.’ Sam made Zina more confused and worried.

‘Are you interested in any other woman?’ Zina asked.

‘By asking that, you have made my task even easier,’ Sam replied, and Zina got more worried. ‘The fact is, it is not me, it is one of my friends, who is known to you, too,’ Sam continued.

‘What has happened to him?’ Zina was nervous and Sam was controlling his nerves from bursting into laughter.

‘He has fallen in love with you. He is very serious about it, and he is very close to me, so I can’t ignore it. Now it is up to you to see him and make him understand that you can’t love him and you are already in love with me,’ Sam replied.

Zina’s eyes first became large, then small and squeezed; next, they became round and big and she finally shouted, ‘What rubbish you are saying! Have you gone mad?’

Sam burst into laughter and continued laughing, keeping his head at the edge of the table. Zina also started laughing, seeing Sam, and he was unable to control himself and laughed so much that tears came out of his eyes. Sam was looking at Zina, leaning on the wall with a sarcastic smile.

Zina jumped in her seat with intolerance and asked, ‘If I fail to make him understand, then shall I have to marry him and stay with him for some time to make him understand in a more loving way?’

Sam noticed Zina’s expression, reflecting the natural humor as well as annoyance occurring in her mind. Sam remained silent and was looking at Zina. ‘I don’t know whether you are joking or not, but I still don’t believe it,’ Zina said.

‘Then let me make an arrangement so that all three of us can meet and resolve the issue. I think you both can interact with each other and remove misconceptions if there are any,’ Sam replied.

‘If I refuse to meet the guy…?’ Zina asked.

‘Then my friend will continue to dream about you, and if I get married to you, he will be hurt, because he has expressed his feelings about you to me already,’ Sam replied.

‘If I know him, then may I ask his name?’ Zina asked.

‘No, I have promised him that I will not disclose to you; he will express his love to you first,’

‘All rubbish…!’ Zina became more impatient and helpless. ‘You are simply blackmailing me…and I can’t get involved with all this rubbish,’ Zina helplessly shouted at Sam.

Sam was enjoying the situation and he maintained his calm. ‘I don’t know whether it is black or white, but I request you to help me in this matter and please meet my friend; allow him to express his love and then try to make him understand about your love for me. This will help us get clear of him in a very congenial state,’ Sam replied, with a deep look at Zina.

‘Do you know, it may not happen in a day and may take quite some time, and I can’t continue with that,’ Zina said.

‘Then do one thing: before he tells you anything, you tell him at the first instance, on the first day, that you love me and want to settle with me very soon, but I am delaying finalizing it for some unknown reason. You also tell him that if you don’t get me, you will remain unmarried for the rest of your life because you love me the most,’ Sam suggested to Zina. She seemed comfortable then and accepted with some helpless gesture.

‘Can we go for dinner now?’ Sam asked once more.

‘No, you have made me doubly tired. I need to go back at the earliest possible moment and need some rest,’ Zina replied.

‘Okay, you disappear, take rest and think twice or thrice before deciding on helping me out,’

Zina looked at him and remained silent out of lots of confusion. She was still unable to make out whether it was a joke or some serious matter. Finally, she thought Sam was too generous to everyone and sometimes it exceeded all limits.

On his way back to his residence, Sam was planning for a way to make Zina meet Ajoy and was also thinking about the possible reaction from Zina. He was unable to estimate her reaction and his mind started to deviate by playing his favorite song, “There I was on a July morning…and I was looking for love…”, by Uriah Heep, and he automatically started remembering Sarah. First, the memories started coming as scattered pictures of the past and present, and next they came as a continuous stream, as he concentrated. He was wondering how much he still loved Sarah, but didn’t find any answer in his mind. Sarah did not stay in his heart and soul, but she possibly stayed only in his mind. The result was occasional remembering of Sarah and there was no pain or happiness involved in thinking of her. Presently, sympathy was the addition to the memory, as found out by Sam. After learning about Sarah’s condition, if Sam didn’t show his concern for her, then that could have been the outcome of subconscious revenge towards her, and Sam just couldn’t let that happen. So he was concerned as to what Sarah needed and what he could afford to do, and nothing else. ‘Are you sure…’ Sam asked himself.

The next evening, Sam and his band finished a very long session and successfully completed some important compositions. They were all quite satisfied and were discussing things amongst themselves. In the meantime, Zina arrived. As the equipment was not yet packed, Zina asked Sam to sing a good song for her. Sam was quite tired and was not feeling like singing at that time. But for the last few days he had been quite depressed and most of the time was thinking of Zina, but he didn’t let anyone understand about anything. He was aware that soon he was going to lose Zina, lose everything once again, lose something forever. So he didn’t refuse Zina’s request.

Everyone took their positions with their respective instruments, and Sam started with his guitar. Listening to the tune, everyone understood the song and started accompanying it in a perfect rhythm. As it was an informal session, everyone was enjoying themselves, so it was not mechanical; rather, it was very lively and touching. After a few moments, Sam started the vocal part of it and it was, “(If I could see you) Just one time…”, the famous number by Mark Knopfler. The entire song became so touchy that everyone became emotional for some time. Tears were seen in Zina’s eyes, but Sam didn’t notice that: he was completely absorbed in the emotion of the song and the song became just heavenly. When he finished, everyone took a little time to come back to reality and clapped together. Zina didn’t clap; she was looking at Sam with a very different feeling and was still trying to understand the theme of the song and its effect on him.

Later on, Sam went to Zina’s residence to drop her off. Both of them got out of the car and came up to the door of the house. Zina agreed to meet Sam’s friend the next day at 6.30 pm, and Sam suggested that Zina come to his office and from there they would go together.

Suddenly, Zina asked, ‘Why did you sing that song today? Does it mean anything to you? You don’t have anyone of your own in this big world. Sometimes I feel I also can’t help you in this life. I don’t know why I get such a feeling; at every moment I want to be with you, but I think I am not destined to get that, and the reason is also not known to me. After tomorrow’s drama with your friend, I hope you will not bring any other matter before me. I want to finish this phase of ours as soon as possible. I never forced you before, but now I can’t bear it anymore and we have to settle with marriage in a very private set-up,’ Zina said with honest confidence.

Sam was looking at her seriously and, as she finished, he laughed at her and came forward, leaned over, and gave her several kisses on her face with lots of affection and emotion. ‘Don’t worry, whatever will happen, that will happen for good for both of us. We don’t know what is our destiny, so let’s leave it to God to be carefree about our destiny,’ Sam said.

‘If my only demand in life is to be with you for the rest of my life, then what’s wrong with it, and I want to know why you are avoiding it?’ Zina asked Sam.

‘I gave up desiring anything quite some time back and right now I am concentrating on tomorrow’s episode. If you perform nicely tomorrow, then next we will be in a position to decide on us,’ Sam said. ‘So prepare yourself for tomorrow and allow me to leave now.’ Sam smiled. They both stood up and Sam left Zina’s residence by driving his car.