Chapter 2 - Part 3

“It is all a sham!” CEO said taking a sip from his glass of Chivas Regal on the rocks “This theory of Physics and all...”

Subodh sat there clueless with his Rum and Rohan sat bewildered with his beer.

After the meeting, CEO asked Subodh and Rohan to stay back. Once everybody else vacated the conference room, he came up to them, appreciated their effort and casually invited them for a drink in the evening. Before they could say anything, he left the conference room. And before they could escape, he was waiting for them outside the office in his car.

“So... where would you like to go?” He asked as they settled in his car.

Subodh and Rohan looked at each other in confusion.

“Come on... tell me guys... do you know any good place around here?” He attempted to ease out their confusion.

“Sir... there is one I know... It’s a cool place... and if we reach there before eight, we get a drink free on the drink we order... ”, Rohan blurted out of enthusiasm.

CEO smiled at his suggestion and turned to Subodh.

“And you Subodh?... Do you know any good place?” He asked Subodh.

“I know one... but I don’t know if you’d like it...” Subodh replied with a coy smile.

“Aah... that makes me all the more eager to go there...” CEO slipped down a few inches in his seat, sinking himself in it. “Sandeep... Follow his instructions...” he said to his driver, looking at him through the rear view mirror.

An hour later, they were sitting on a Machaan at a Dhaba on the outskirts of the city, facing the creek. Light breeze from the creek touched their faces, soothing the stress contained within their wrinkles and pores. Alcohol ran through their veins, unwinding every muscle in their bodies leisurely alleviating every ache stuffed in them.

Subodh lit a cigarette with CEO’s permission. CEO stretched out his hand for a puff. Subodh passed it over. CEO took a long drag staring at the endlessness of the creek. With a bout of smoke, a question drifted out of his mouth.

“Didn’t you guys wonder... Why I wanted to drink with just two of you?”

“Because you hate us...” Subodh said with an alcohol induced ease.

CEO laughed heartily and turned over to them. “Yeah... I hate you as much as I hate myself” he laughed on.

“I connect you guys very strongly. You come from same background that I do.... You show the same passion... You are equally eager... And your enthusiasm reminds me of my youth...” He kept laughing softly as he unwrapped his nostalgia slowly before them.

Subodh and Rohan looked at each other in incomprehension. CEO returned the cigarette to Subodh. Subodh took a quick drag and passed it on to Rohan.

“There is something I want to tell you boys...” He continued, looking at his glass, meaninglessly dissolving the pieces of ice in the left over scotch. Subodh and Rohan fixed their eyes in anticipation.

“What is the last thing that you want to attain?” He asked.

Subodh and Rohan looked perplexed.

“Something beyond all this career and bullshit... something very higher... or deeper... something that you think would complete your life in true sense... something... which makes you feel that... if you’ve achieved it... you don’t want to achieve anything else in life...”

CEO’s last sentence lingered in Subodh’s head like a daze. He stared into the infinite end of the creek. Far far away. His eyes were moist. He didn’t know if it was the wind blowing into his face or the storm inside that was dampening his eyes. The tears gathered in slowly. They blurred the dark sky and water before his eyes. He closed his eyes to contain it within their enclosure. A soaked darkness clogged his vision. He opened his eyes and saw a woman standing. A quaint familiar figure. She stood with her back at him. Her curly hair pointed at him as wind touched them gently before reaching face. It carried their fragrance with them. The mesmerising scent which never failed to pull Subodh towards her. It infested his soul with an unknown yearning to be close to her. To dissolve himself in her. The wind grew stronger. Subodh closed his eyes to fill that fragrance into every inch of his carcass to live again. He felt alive. He opened his eyes to life. She was nowhere. She had disappeared with the wind. Or dissolved in that fragrance and settled in every bit of him had had just come to life. He kept staring at the blankness, waiting for her to reappear. But she didn’t.

“What happened Subodh?” He heard the CEO call out to him.

“I know what it is...” Subodh replied draped in haze.

“Then this is the time to attain it...” He heard a voice from heaven.

***