Moonflower (Part 2 of 6)

Moonflower (Part 2 of 6)
Sandipan Goswami, 1983 Civil Engineering

Clouds were slowly covering the moon that night…
One Sunday morning, Sam went to Sarah’s house, and, upon entering the sitting hall, he found Sarah and her grandparents sitting and talking to a person of Sam’s age. They welcomed Sam and Sarah introduced him to the person. ‘Come and meet him. He is Rishi from Delhi,’ Sarah said, mentioning that Rishi was her new friend whom she met in their club the previous night and that Rishi was a relative of some of their close neighbors.
Sam said, ‘Hello’, and asked Rishi who his relatives were and where they were staying. Next, Sam asked him what he was doing now.

Rishi was a handsome, jolly, talkative, and nice guy. He told Sam, ‘I stay in Delhi with my parents and have finished my MBA just this year. I have already received a good job offer in Delhi from a multi-national company and will be joining them next month,’ Rishi added.
– Till then, will you be staying here?’ Sarah asked Rishi.
– Till then, I have nothing to do and I am free to stay anywhere,’ Rishi laughed and replied.
– Then please stay here; together we may enjoy a lot,’ Sam requested.
– Let me see,’ Rishi assured them.
– Sam is my first friend here and he is a damn good guitarist,’ Sarah told Rishi.
– Is it, then when are you calling me to listen to your guitar?’ Rishi asked Sam.
– Any time,’ Sam replied. ‘Even today I am ready and my guitar is already there in Sarah’s house.’
– No, not now,’ Sarah stopped Sam. ‘I gotta go to my teacher’s house right now, but you may make it later on.’

The next evening, at about 9 pm, Sam went to Sarah’s house, as he used to go to their house at any time to meet Sarah, and inside the house, he found all were at the dinner table with Rishi. Sarah told him, ‘Sam, where have you been for the whole day? You never contacted me. I thought you were out of town, and we could not invite you for dinner.’
‘No problem. I suppose I am not late; I can join you all even now.’ Sam took a plate and picked up some items, put them on the plate, sat on a chair, and started eating. Sarah and Rishi looked at each other and appreciated Sam for joining them. During the dinner, Sam noticed that Sarah and Rishi were looking at each other frequently, but they were not talking to each other. Sam didn’t find it unusual and so kept quiet.

After the dinner, Sam asked Sarah about her next day’s program, and if she was free, then at what time he should come. Sarah replied, ‘Tomorrow I will be busy with my studies and may not be free at all; anyway, you may give me a call in the evening, and I may check it then.’
Sam agreed and left for his house.

The next day, Sam called Sarah at about four o’clock in the afternoon, when he always used to call. Sarah’s grandma answered the phone and informed Sam that Sarah had been out of the house since morning and had gone somewhere with Rishi, and she had no idea about their return time.

Sam gave up hope for the evening and decided to go out for a bike ride. At about eight o’clock, Sam returned to Sarah’s house and found Sarah hadn’t returned home yet. Her grandparents were a bit worried about not getting Sarah on the phone and were waiting every minute for her return. Sarah returned at about 9.30 p.m. and Rishi came inside along with her.
– Where have you been so late and what happened to your phone?’ Sam asked Sarah.
– Oh, it was a fantastic and thrilling day for me,’ Sarah replied. ‘We went to a place about 100 km away from here and traveled in the forest, seeing animals, natural springs and a lot more. We also had our lunch there, which we carried from the market,’ Sarah continued.
– But you never told me that you were going on such a trip,’ Sam scolded Sarah.
– My teacher was out of his house this morning and while coming back I met Rishi on the way. He told me that he was going to the outskirts of town and asked me to join him, and I found no other option but to agree. But he was so naughty while driving, he was continuously talking to me and I could not estimate the distance we traveled before we reached that place, about which we only came to know. But, anyway, the experience was just awesome,’ Sarah finished.
– Everybody, please forgive me for keeping you all worried for such a long time. The phone was also missing a proper signal there. Sarah, thanks a lot to you for giving me such a wonderful day, at such a nice place; and now, as it is already late for me, please excuse me and I will see you all again soon. Good night,’ Rishi said, smiled, and left.

As Sarah’s grandparents left the room, Sam asked Sarah, ‘Won’t you tell me about the day?’
‘Surely, but I am too tired now and need to sleep. I will tell you on some other day,’ Sarah replied.
‘Okay then. See you and good night,’ Sam replied.
‘Good night,’ Sarah said, and turned towards the stairs, leaving the door to be shut by their maidservant. This was unusual to Sam, as she always used to come up to the gate of their garden to see Sam off. Sam noticed it but forced himself to think that there was nothing unusual.

Over the next three days, Sam was very busy with his work and could not visit Sarah’s house, and these three days Sarah never called him. Every day after returning home, Sam would ask their servant whether any call had come for him from Sarah and was informed that no such call came for him. Sam still thought there was nothing unusual: she may be too much tied up with her work.

After getting free from his work, Sam rushed to Sarah’s house and found her and Rishi sitting on the garden lawn and talking to each other in a very close manner. Sam walked down to them to be noticed and asked Sarah why she never called him in these three days. Without waiting for a reply, Sam proposed to go to the movie in the town cinema hall in the evening and showed her the two tickets he had already bought. Rishi did not respond to the proposal as there were two tickets only, but Sarah accepted this and asked Rishi to join them in the evening for the movie and requested Sam to buy another new set of tickets for all three of them.
Rishi replied, ‘I seldom go to cinema halls, but as you are requesting me then I may try to come and join you guys,’ and he gave a meaningful smile to Sarah.

Sam saw that, but still, he did not find anything unusual. After a while, Rishi left the place and Sarah said, ‘Sam, you give me the two tickets and go back now; come at five o’clock sharp. First, we shall go to the theatre; if Rishi comes, then we will sell off these two tickets and will buy a new set of tickets for all of us. I gotta finish some work now.’ She stood up.
Sam came to stay with Sarah for some longer time, but, finding no other way, he also stood up and assured Sarah about his coming and left Sarah’s house.
At about 4.00 pm, Sam received a call from Sarah, and she said, ‘Sam, today the cinema trip is canceled.’
‘But why?’ Sam asked impatiently.
‘I just received a call from my teacher, and I must go to his house as he will not be here for the next few days,’ Sarah told him.

At that moment, Sam overheard the voice of some man through the phone and Sarah further informed him, ‘Even Rishi has to stay back home as some guests are coming to their house; so, today he also can’t make it possible.’
‘Then what to do, darling? I was waiting to see you for so long and to be with you in the evening,’ Sam told Sarah.
‘We shall surely make it some other day, Sam; but today it is no longer possible. Please excuse me,’ Sarah requested.
‘All right, but that should happen soon, and you must promise that. I have been missing you for quite some long time,’ Sam replied.
‘Of course, darling, we shall make it soon. Okay then, bye…’ Sarah replied, and put down the phone.

Sam thought for a while as to what he should do that evening, and he decided to see the movie alone. At about 6.00 pm he reached the cinema hall, and again bought a ticket and entered the hall. He watched the movie till the interval but did not like to see it anymore and came out of the hall. It was about 7.30 pm and it was already dark outside. He was walking aimlessly along the footpath and was thinking that Sarah’s response towards him was no longer as it had been in the initial days of their love. After walking for some time, he took a U-turn and started walking towards the theatre, where he parked his bike. As he came close to the cinema hall and tried to read the forthcoming movies, he suddenly saw Sarah and Rishi buying popcorn from the front stall and both of them then disappeared inside the hall. He understood that they were watching the movie inside the cinema hall and Sarah had given him false reasons for not going to watch the movie with Sam. That meant she wanted to avoid him and preferred the company of Rishi alone inside the hall. Was that possible, Sam was wondering, or could there be some other reason?

Sam’s mind became blank. He suddenly felt the absence of ground below his feet, started feeling unwell, and slowly sat on a wooden bench outside a roadside tea shop. He slowly started remembering and joining all the recent events, until he was realizing the truth that he was losing his own Sarah. He sat there holding his face in his hands for quite some time and then left the place quietly.

After an hour, Sam came back to the same spot once again to understand whether there was some other reason for their coming to this cinema hall. He was still not accepting the obvious reason for their avoiding him. As the movie was over, the crowd started coming out of the hall, and after some time Sam could see Sarah and Rishi in the crowd coming. They got into a car parked outside and were driven away by Rishi, Sarah sitting beside him. Sam came to the cinema hall and took his bike. He first went to his house, parked the bike, then started walking towards Sarah’s house. On reaching Sarah’s house, he could see that Sarah and Rishi were in the garden and talking. He came closer to the fencing and tried to hear them.
‘Why are you so scared…? We always have the right to decide on our own matters, doesn’t it…? Then what are you worried about?’ It was Rishi’s voice.
‘If he comes to know about our going to the movie, he may be hurt,’ Sarah said.
‘Oh, come on, Sarah, someday he has to know about everything,’ Rishi replied.
‘I still don’t know how to tell him; I am unable to find any way to make him understand everything,’ Sarah told Rishi.
`We have to give him an indication from now on,’ Rishi replied. ‘Anyway, I have to push off, darling; see you, good night,’ Rishi told her. They both got up and Rishi came closer to Sarah and held her tight, then he kissed her for a long time. After that, Sam saw Sarah’s head was on the shoulder of Rishi and she was holding him for the next few moments. The time was not actually estimated by Sam, and he was so blank that he failed to understand the sequence of events happening over there.

As the car driven by Rishi went off and Sarah returned from the gate and finally entered their house, Sam did not move for fear of being seen by anyone. But when Sarah closed the doors of the house, then he started walking like a zombie towards the town center. He had feelings of absolute bloodlessness in his body.

Sam entered a bar and ordered a large peg of whisky, and he finished a couple more pegs very quickly. It was not noticed by anyone present that tears were flowing continuously over his face and frequently he was trying to wipe them off.

When the bar was about to close at about 1.00 am, he left and walked to a park and stayed seated under a tree. He was under the influence of alcohol and fell asleep after some time. He woke up at about 5.00 am with some initial surprise. He slowly recalled what had happened last night and that it was not a nightmare. He stood up slowly as the sweeper of the park was watching him and he started walking towards his house. The tune of his favorite song, “July morning…”, was being heard as it was being played somewhere and the tune was floating in the cold morning breeze.

After entering his room, he was not in a position to bear the stress anymore, and he crashed onto the bed and fell asleep quickly. He got up at about 3.00 pm and took a bath. He had a coffee and decided to see Sarah for the last time to find out what wrong he had done to her. He rode on his bike and parked it outside he entered the house. He did not find anyone in the sitting room and went up the stairs to see Sarah in her room, where he was a regular visitor even a few days back. Reaching the closed door of Sarah’s room, he pushed the door gently and through the narrow opening he discovered Sarah in her bed with Rishi, and they were in a very intimate physical state. Their physical desire for each other was so intense that they had lost all control over their minds to think of anything else in their surroundings. They didn’t even bother to think that they were still not socially settled and secure.

Sam walked back downstairs slowly with a feeling of losing all physical and mental control. He found the maidservant standing near the staircase and was looking at Sam. Sam also noticed that the poor lady suddenly crashed and started crying in silence at knowing everything that had happened. She felt for Sam, for she had felt some affection for Sam for some time, like many others.

Sam felt it was the end of his world and came out of Sarah’s house silently, realizing that there was no need to see Sarah anymore. Starting his bike, he went towards the outskirts of the small town. He was riding his bike at a normal speed, but as the various incidents started appearing in his mind, one after another, he accelerated the bike at a very high speed, and when he was near Father John’s home, he suddenly lost control and caused the accident as he was overtaking a truck and his bike collided with another car coming from the opposite direction. His body was thrown onto the road and his bike was crushed in the worst possible way. The next moment, Sam lost consciousness.

In that place, most of the people knew Sam already and rushed him to the nearest hospital. They also informed Father John and Dipendra, who also raced to the hospital. Sam had sustained injuries to his head and on his spine near the neck. The next day, Sam got back his senses, but was in trauma with temporary loss of memory, while his eyesight was blurred, and his speech was garbled.

After a couple of weeks, he was released from the hospital and was taken to Dipendra’s house. Because of the injuries to his head and neck, his hair was shaved, and he was in a physically and mentally broken state. He was hardly speaking or recognizing anyone. Some people came to see him, but Sarah never came. It was noticed by Dipendra also, as he had already sent the news of the accident to Sarah’s house.

The doctor informed Dipendra that, apart from physical injuries, Sam was in a state of serious mental breakdown. It was advised by the doctor that Sam needed special psychiatric treatment and he must be taken to some mental recovery hospital for a couple of months, and it would be better to treat him as soon as possible.

One day, Prabhu came to see Dipendra and informed him about the love affair between Sarah and Rishi and apologized for his inability to make Dipendra happy. Dipendra could guess the reason for everything that had happened and tried to accept the latest shock that came into his life. He never complained to God about the various shocks he got and thought that getting Sam in his life was compensation for all his earlier losses. But this time, after getting shocked by Sam, he started losing control over his mind and body and fell into depression for most of the time.

Sam was sent to a good residential mental clinic in Mumbai to recover. Deen Dayal, the estate manager used to come every month to see Sam and to make payments. After a couple of months, Sam recovered from the trauma and various physical injuries. Dipendra’s psychiatrist sent him back to his house. Upon entering the house, Deen Dayal came forward to Sam and suddenly started crying, as he informed Sam that Dipendra had passed away.

Another day, Prabhu came to see Sam and informed him about the finalizing of the marriage of Sarah and Rishi. Sam, this time, felt much less pain and was a little relieved at such news, as he had always wanted to see Sarah happy. But Sam, in his lonely state, found it impossible to stay there and manage the business of the estate. He was wondering how his grandfather, being alone, had been able to look after the business of the estate for so many years.

Everything related to the business of the estate was being looked after by the manager, Deen Dayal. He used to do that earlier also when Dipendra was not well, and Sam was growing up in Father John’s home. Deen Dayal was a very loyal, reliable, and dedicated person.

One day, Sam told Deen Dayal that he was unable to stay at the place anymore and wanted to move to Mumbai to get into some work there. Deen Dayal was not very educated but understood Sam’s mental state, which might have deteriorated further in leading such a life here. He agreed with Sam, but also told him about his old age and his inability to continue with the responsibility he already had. He proposed Sam appoint his son, Krishna, for the position of manager of the estate. Sam immediately accepted the proposal and asked Deen Dayal to bring Krishna to him.

Krishna came the next day. Sam found him a very softly spoken, intelligent, and sincere person with a smiling face. Sam asked Deen Dayal to train Krishna thoroughly on the various jobs, and Krishna started working with due care and sincerity. Sam was relieved at getting such a shoulder to share his load to manage and run the estate, on which many families relied to survive there.

The Sun comes when the Moon disappears…and life goes on…
During his stay in the hospital in Mumbai, one day Sam was singing one of his favorite numbers, “Just one time…” by Mark Knopfler, by playing his guitar, when a guy entered his room and was listening to the song quietly, unnoticed by Sam. As the song finished, he clapped admiringly and extended his hand to Sam. He said his name was Joy, and that he played drums in a local band in Mumbai. He had come to the hospital to see one of his relatives who had been admitted. They both founds their wavelengths were perfectly matching and became friendly in a few minutes.

The next day, with permission from the doctor, Joy took Sam to his place and introduced him to the other members of their band. Sam found that they all had a very good sense and quality in playing various musical instruments. But these musicians were still unknown to the major sector of the industry as well as the public, not having sufficient financial strength and leadership to promote them.

After a month, Sam went to his native place. He came from his estate to Mumbai once again with lots of money in his own account and with a motive to start a musical band of his own. Sam became the founder of the band ‘Galaxy’ and bought a large building to accommodate the recording studio, auditorium to conduct practice sessions, conference room, and office space. Full-time members were appointed on a salary basis and part-timers on an hourly rate basis. The funding was initially arranged from the interest in Sam’s personal fixed-deposit account.

In the next few months, their high-quality production of music for movies, TV serials, ad films, and stage shows brought Galaxy to the topmost position in the industry. They soon started earning good revenue, and Sam’s initial investment was also restored. The amount earned, which was quite large, was used to support the monthly overheads of Galaxy, and the balance was shared by all full- and part-time members every six months, which was a dream amount of money for everyone working with Galaxy. The members of Galaxy started enjoying their prosperity and started buying their own residences, and vehicles, and secured their future with a good amount, of fixed deposits in their bank accounts. Sam’s own money remained untouched, and his personal wealth was increasing with the prosperity of ‘Galaxy’. The status of his estate was also prospering very well by the efficient and intelligent management of the business of the estate by Krishna.

Sam took a pause after finishing his story to Zina. The eastern part of the sky became lighter, and the moon was as bright as before while trying to hide in the corner of the sky. The moonflowers on the earth, being the representatives of the sky and the moon, were trying to secure the love between the two hearts and assured the universe that there was no more mistrust this time and the love was secured in all respects. The sky and the moon knew that nothing was exaggerated by Sam, and they had been the witnesses for all that had happened to Sam so far, but they could not stop those things from happening. They, therefore, were feeling guilty and wanted to hide from Sam and Zina.

While telling his story, Sam was looking at the sky, and now he found that Zina was sitting on the lawn, keeping both her hands on Sam’s knees and resting her face on them. Teardrops were flowing over her face, and she was staring at Sam. She slowly moved towards him and gave him a kiss, which did not have any taste of sex, but was full of trust, sympathy, support, care, and, of course, unlimited love. They both maintained the silence for some time. Suddenly, Zina asked in a low voice, ‘My birthday is just two months away from now, in October.’
‘I know that’ Sam replied.
‘If I request, then will you play the tune of “Moonflower” on your guitar on my birthday?’ Zina asked.
‘In the last five years, I have never played “Moonflower”. Do you want me to play that once again?’ Sam asked.
‘Yes. I want to show you that you might have lost Sarah, but Zina is sent as the Moonflower to you to compensate for all your emptiness, and Zina is only for you and for no one else in this world,’ Zina told him.
Sam looked at her deeply and gave her a very sweet smile and confirmed, ‘Definitely I will play “Moonflower” on that day; not for me, but for you.’
‘What does it mean?’ Zina asked.
‘Nothing… just to fulfill your demand’, Sam suppressed the thought that just flashed in his mind. It was the thought of giving back all sorts of possible happiness to Zina. As the thought came, Sam stood up and said, ‘Now I gotta go back and have some sleep.’

Zina also stood up and hugged Sam and gave him a kiss once again, which was carrying the message to provide all protection to Sam from all the adversities in the world. Sam received the message, understood that it was very rare to get in anyone’s life in today’s world, and he accepted the kiss and returned with kisses on her forehead and cheeks. They did not even say goodbye to each other, and after some silent moments, Sam got in and started the car.

The essence of life…
Zina’s birthday was two months away and a lot of things happened in the meantime. One morning in the studio, Sam and Joy were composing a tune for the song of a movie, and after some time they took a break.

Sam and Joy were waiting for Prem, Mathew, Amit, Deepak, Sunil, Karim, and others. They all came before 11.00 a.m., except Prem. Sam played the tune already recorded by him and Joy in the morning and explained to everybody the composition in totality and the situation of the song in the movie. Deepak was asked to arrange and conduct the band. They continued till 2.00 p.m. and then Deepak announced the lunch break.

For lunch, they usually went outside, but today, to celebrate the wonderful composition, they all demanded that Sam should buy lunch for everyone present in the recording studio. Sam asked for the reason, and it was mentioned by all that the composition by Sam and Joy was extraordinary and was surely going to be a big hit like their last composition, also for a movie, which was such a big hit in the market that Galaxy was flooded with job offers. Everyone earned some huge bonus money as advances for different jobs. Sam had no other option but to surrender before the mass and so agreed. The food came in the next forty-five minutes from some restaurant. Everyone was enjoying the lunch; then Sam asked Joy and the others about Prem. Joy informed him that recently Prem had developed a love affair and that made him quite irregular for work. Sam agreed that if it was the first affair for Prem, he definitely needed some time to withstand it.
‘Withstand or overcome?’ Joy asked.
‘Whatever, but I need to be spared by Galaxy for two to three days next week,’ Mathew told them.
‘Why, do you also have a plan for an affair, or what?’ Joy asked.
‘Me, and an affair? If you knew about my experience of love affairs, you would never even think of making such a combination!’ Mathew replied. Mathew had a very serious type of nature and used to talk less; keeping that in mind, everybody was thinking: what could be his experience?
Joy asked Mathew, ‘Can you afford to have a story of a love affair in your life? If it had really happened, still nobody over here could believe that.’
‘Why…?’ Mathew asked.
‘Because you are such a serious chap; in the true sense, any light matters like love and affair are distant possibilities for you… Never mind, if you consider us as your own people, then would you please tell us your story in short…? We are eager to hear about your experience.’
‘Why not? I can tell you, but I need a promise from everyone that each one of you, after listening to my story, will forget it forever and will never remember it in the future.’ Mathew said.
‘Agreed…’ everybody shouted. Sam was a bit uncomfortable, as he didn’t want to listen to any love stories; but as there was no way to avoid it, he tried to be casual and listen to Mathew’s story. Till that time, it was absolutely beyond the imagination of everyone that what they were going to listen to in a short while was a story like this…

The love that was yet to mature…
Mathew was not of this nature before; he had a very frank and jovial nature. He always used to spend free time with friends, used to watch movies, and used to enjoy every moment of life. After passing out from some institute in Mangalore with a Hotel Management degree, he joined a hotel in Kalimpong, which is a small, wonderful hill town north of the State of West Bengal, and he started working there. One day, he went to a bank to open a Savings Account, and there he met Nita.

Nita was a teacher in a kindergarten school in Kalimpong and helped Mathew in opening an account in the bank. Mathew expressed his thanks to Nita and invited her for dinner that night. Nita happily accepted and came for dinner with Mathew. On that evening, they both described themselves to each other.

After dinner, there was no transport available for them. Mathew was to go back to his bachelor accommodation in the hotel where he was working and Nita was to go back to her residence, about a kilometer away. Mathew proposed to go with her to her residence and then go back to his hotel, so they started walking down the street. The small and wonderful town was already asleep and quiet, although it was just 11.00 p.m. The streets were lonely, and a few small-size dogs were barking, finding them at such an odd time. Finally, they reached Nita’s residence; it was the end of October and was quite cold by that time. Mathew was originally from Kerala, and he had never experienced such cold before.

Seeing his condition, Nita suggested he stay back at her place, but Mathew did not accept that, as it was the first day, they had met each other. Then Nita suggested he have a cup of coffee at her place and Mathew accepted that. They had entered the room, a small double room arranged with a kitchen, toilet, and a balcony on either side, front and rear.

After having the coffee, Mathew said, ‘I like you very much and I will come here again.’ Mathew stood up and held Nita’s hands in his hands for a while and said that he would remember the evening forever. Mathew came out of Nita’s house and, waving his hand towards Nita, started walking down the road to go back to his place. Since then, their intimacy was increasing day by day, and they had fallen deeply in love with each other. As they started trusting each other, their love affair got obvious momentum: Mathew started staying several nights at Nita’s place. One evening, Mathew came to Nita’s house but found the house was locked. He was just about to go back but was seen and called on by Mr. Pradeep Aggarwal, who was also a tenant of that house and was staying on the second floor.

Pradeep was running a transport business in that place and had been staying alone there for the last three years. He was a very jovial and talkative person. He told Mathew that Nita was a very good girl and since he came there, he was always on good terms with her. Pradeep became quite friendly to Mathew, although being quite senior to Mathew in age. Pradeep offered a drink to Mathew, and they spent about an hour together, till Nita came back to the house.

One day, Mathew was very excited and happy, and when he met Nita in the evening, he told her that she was his “Lady Luck”, because the manager of Mathew’s hotel called him on that day and informed him that, from the present month, they had revised Mathew’s pay to almost double of what it was. Mathew proposed to Nita to finalize their marriage shortly. Nita did not reply to Mathew; instead, she demanded a dinner treat from Mathew that night. Mathew agreed immediately, and during the dinner, he again asked her to finalize their marriage. Nita told him that she was a religious person and wanted to get married in a temple and not in the Register’s office. Mathew agreed to that, and Nita said that she would find out the temple and the priest to conduct their marriage.

That day, Mathew went with Nita to her house and accepted staying back, as proposed by Nita. After about half an hour, they got into bed. That was the moment, while they were both almost lost in love, which was growing explosive minute by minute and was reaching the climax. Suddenly, they heard a very loud and cracking scream at the window just beside them. Although the window used to remain closed during the night, they found that it opened, and they both saw an incredibly huge face, with a huge mustache, looking and screaming at them. The face was prominent by the light on the balcony and the night lamp inside the room.

Nita pushed Mathew down from the bed and tried to put on her nightgown. Mathew somehow found his jeans and pushed his legs inside but could not pull them up properly. The huge man broke open the door by kicking it repeatedly and threw his large bag at Mathew’s head. The bag hit Mathew’s head and he fell down. The man was attempting to jump on Mathew, but at that time Nita jumped on the man. The man lost his balance and fell down on the floor. The man then called Nita by her name and asked her to move away. Taking the opportunity, Mathew picked up his shirt and ran out of the house, holding up his jeans with both hands. He didn’t even get the time to pull up his jeans to his waist and close the zip. The upper part of his body was still uncovered. He was running down the road bare-footed, holding his jeans in his hands and the shirt was on his shoulder. A few small-size street dogs were running after him to burden him with some more trouble. He had understood that the man must be related to Nita and was extremely upset at seeing them.

Finding no other option, Mathew climbed the stairs of a local hotel and reached its second floor, where one room was still open, and the light was seen from outside. He wore his jeans and put on his shirt properly and knocked at the door. A young local boy came out, and Mathew requested him to provide him with a room. He got a room and, putting the lights out, he stood beside the window, which was just above the front road. He saw that the hotel was made close by the boy and the lights were all put off. The nearest street light was far away from the hotel. As he looked down the road, he saw that the huge man was accompanied by three more fellows, and they were all coming down the road, holding torchlights and large size knives (kukris) in their hands. They were seen properly by the street lights just in front of them, but some distance away from the hotel. Incidentally, they stopped there, and the man was explaining the matter to his mates. Mathew tried to hear them, as he started studying the local language, but he couldn’t understand much.

Mathew understood everything and also understood why Nita wanted to marry him in a temple and not in a Registrar’s office. She must be legally married to this man already. Mathew sat at the window for the next two hours and found that the gang was roaming here and there in the streets till 2.00 am, and after that, they all went back to their places. Mathew also went to bed and slept for the night.

The next morning, when he got up and came to the window, Mathew found that the gang, along with some more people and police, were roaming the streets and were looking everywhere to dig him out. Finding no other way, Mathew rang up Pradeep Aggarwal and reported the entire incident. Pradeep came to him in half an hour and informed him that the huge man was Nita’s husband Gurung, who was a dangerous man and was employed in the army. He came back to his village nearby to meet his wife Nita after a long time away. Nita was separated from him, but he never accepted that, so they were still not legally separated. Nita came to Kalimpong from their village. Nita’s ex-husband Gurung, after visiting their village and not finding Nita there, gathered information about her. After making a search with the help of some of his local friends, he could finally trace her residence, and he was also told by his friends about the love affair between Nita and Mathew.

Gurung was so offended by the incident that he left no stone unturned to find Mathew. Gurung had already informed all his local friends and was supported by political people and also by the local administration. Mathew conveyed the message to his hotel manager through Pradeep, got his luggage brought to him, and somehow managed to leave Kalimpong forever. Pradeep Aggarwal and Mathew’s hotel manager helped Mathew a lot. Pradeep Aggarwal was still in touch with Mathew and informed him that he was also not aware that Nita was married. Mathew received the last news from Pradeep that Nita and Gurung were now happily living in the same house, and by that time they had two children.

Mathew completed his story and everyone, instead of being sympathetic to Mathew, was stunned and speechless for some time. Next, they failed to control themselves and burst into laughter. Mathew reminded them about their promises to forget the story the soonest as possible time. Sam also enjoyed the fun of hearing Mathew’s story, as he expected to hear something else; but at the same time, Sam was worried for Prem and decided to meet him immediately. Prem was the regular keyboard player in Galaxy, and he was very important to the band. In his absence, Galaxy required an alternative keyboard player who should also have the capability of composing the tunes and notes for his part.

Love was not approved…
Although it was very difficult to spare Prem for a long period, still Sam was not too worried. Sam got some information from Joy, who got it from Prem himself. Prem had recently developed an affair with a girl named Susan. She was working in a private concern. Susan was very jovial and fun-loving. They met first at a marriage party and later on started meeting regularly, subsequently falling in love with each other. Prem used to wait outside her office every evening and then they both used to spend time at various places till late in the evening, and this became a regular affair.

One day, suddenly, Susan was not found by Prem after her office hours and her phone was also not reachable. The next morning, Prem visited Susan’s office and met some of her colleagues who were already known to Prem. They informed him that Susan was not well, as they had been told by her father. Next, Prem rushed to Susan’s house. Susan had already introduced Prem to her father. Upon meeting her father, he informed him that the day before Susan had been complaining about headaches in the early morning and he suggested she not go to the office.

Within an hour, the pain became intense and unbearable for her. Her father took her to the hospital. The doctors conducted various tests and found a tumor in her brain. She was to be operated on soon, but the date had not yet been fixed.

It was almost lunchtime, but Prem didn’t go to the studio of Galaxy; instead, he went to the hospital, and the doctors said she was under the influence of medicines and made to sleep, so Prem couldn’t see her.

The day before the operation, Prem could see Susan and found her exhausted after these couple of days being in the hospital. She was still trying to smile at Prem and asked what the doctors were saying about her, whether she would survive or not. She didn’t want to lose Prem from her life. Next, she started crying and holding Prem’s hands strongly. Prem was trying to make her understand that this operation was nothing these days and the doctors were not at all worried about it. But when Prem was leaving her room, he was unable to control himself and left the place quickly. Coming outside, he started walking aimlessly and cried silently for some time.

The next morning, Prem and her father went to the hospital, but they were not allowed to see her as the doctors were preparing for the operation. The operation started in a short while. Her father was inside the hospital and Prem was outside. The operation was successful and, over the following few days, Prem and Susan’s father regularly visited the hospital.

The doctors were to decide the date for her release from the hospital, but one day, suddenly, her condition deteriorated. As Prem came in, the doctors informed him about her condition. The whole day Prem was waiting at the hospital with the hope to see her once again. In the evening, the doctors informed Prem that Susan hadn’t survived. Susan’s father and Prem were stunned for some time and followed the formalities to take her body to her house. The next day, Prem returned from the graveyard in the afternoon, and he called Joy and explained everything. Joy immediately rushed to see Prem and tried to console him in many ways.

The next morning, Joy once again went to see Prem in his apartment and found that the main door was open, and Prem was unconscious on the bed. This was because of an overdose of sleeping pills after having excessive alcohol. Joy contacted Prem’s neighbors next door and they called the doctor, who came in a short while and examined him. He suggested taking Prem to a good nursing home. Joy got him admitted to the nursing home and, next, Joy came back to Sam. Joy informed him about Prem’s condition as ‘Out of danger’, but still quite upset and disturbed, and was crying continuously. It was 8.00 pm already and they decided to see Prem at the nursing home. When they entered Prem’s room, they found him sitting on a chair and looking blankly outside the window, watching the busy traffic in the streets below the large glass window.
‘How are you now?’ Sam asked.
Prem looked at him with tears in his eyes, but did not reply; again, he started looking outside the window. Sam put his hand on Prem’s head and shoulders, but no reaction was found. ‘Sam was worried for you, and I have brought him here,’ Joy told Prem and received a vacant look from him. The doctor had suggested not disturbing Prem for a couple more days until he recovered from the shock; he would probably be back to normal in a couple of days.

After coming out of the nursing home, Joy asked Sam, ‘What’s your observation?’
‘I couldn’t even imagine seeing Prem in such a state; the boy was always full of energy and life,’ Sam replied. ‘I am still not understanding what we should do for him now. By the way, is there any specialist doctor to get Prem checked and treated?’ Sam asked.
‘They are already in contact with the specialist doctor by following my request,’ Joy replied.
‘Can we send him abroad?’ Sam asked.
‘He is already under treatment here, and we have to wait and watch him for some time to decide on that; otherwise, any new doctor may also repeat the same course of treatment there,’ Joy replied.
‘Okay then. Good night. Tomorrow morning, you see Prem first and then come to the studio, I may come at about 10.00 am,’ Sam told Joy.
‘Okay. Goodnight,’ Joy replied, and Sam started his car. In fact, Sam was very much disturbed as he experienced the same phase that Prem was passing through now, and he knew the medical treatment was not enough and perfect for Prem.

The next morning, Sam was late and was still in his residence at 10.30 a.m. He was preparing fast to go to the studio when suddenly Joy came and crashed over the sofa, hiding his face in his hands. In a broken voice, he could only say, ‘Prem is no more! He jumped out of the window of his room on the fourth floor this morning and died on the spot.’

Joy carried out all the formalities as the body was to be taken for a post-mortem and would be released the next day. ‘We have to inform his house now,’ he said.
Sam stiffened and felt suffocated with the news; he couldn’t bear to stand on his legs, so he sat down. Once again, he felt the cold flow through his spine. Sam was thinking that he couldn’t do any such thing to himself as Prem did…and he didn’t know… why?
Joy was leaning forward and was crying, keeping his head in his arms. Prem had been very close to Joy, and they also stayed together for some time during the hard times, before joining Sam. Sam walked slowly towards him and sat beside him, putting his hands around Joy, and Joy looked at him with tears all over his face.

(to be continued….)