Chapter 22
It was almost 5AM in the morning. The sun was not up yet, but the everything was quite visible on either sides of the road.
The red car was nearing Mumbai and the people inside the car were very happy, chatty and noisy.
There were seven college kids in the car meant for five. Three in the front, four in the back. They were returning from Goa after celebrating their graduation. They had more fun than they had ever expected. Thanks to Madhavi- their new friend.
“Stop, stop, stop” loudly exclaimed Madhavi, who was sitting in the front seat along with Ravi and Preethy, who was driving the car.
Preethy stopped the car, turned to Madhavi and asked “Is everything okay?”
Madhavi rolled the glass down.
“Hello Mister!” Madhavi called out to the guy on the side of the road. Only at that time did Preethy notice the guy on the roadside. He was fiddling with the zip of his pants, which was a clear indication that he had either started or finished relieving himself by the side of the road.
The guy was so absorbed in his actions that Madhavi’s voice startled him. He turned towards the car and at the same time was trying to pull up the zip with his hands.
“Number one? or Number two? Need some water?” Madhavi asked the man very seriously.
There was a few seconds of silence and man continued looking at the car, bewildered. And suddenly there was loud laughter from everyone in the car. Immediately, the man’s face clearly changing to an angry look. Preethy quickly started the car and drove away.
Except Preethy, who was driving the car, all the others were drunk. And Madhavi, who was sitting in the front seat was more drunk than the others. She was constantly playing pranks and also distracting Preethy.
They hardly passed a few kilometers when Madhavi started again.
“You know I once participated in a blind rally” Madhavi announced.
“I never saw a blind rally before. How does it work?” Seema, one of the girls in the back seat asked.
“I drove, and the blind person gave directions based on the braille notes that were given to them” Madhavi replied.
“Hey Preethy, close your eyes and I will handle the steering” Madhavi reached out and closed Preethy’s eyes abruptly.
“STOP IT!” Preethy yelled at Madhavi while applying a sudden brake. Preethy pulled the car to the side of the road and turned of the engine.
“Go to the back. I almost hit that rock” Preethy continued yelling at Madhavi.
Everyone was laughing and ignored Preethy’s demand.
“Come on Preethy, don’t be a spoilsport” Ravi said.
“Cool down babe” Seema added.
“Remember the rules. You cannot get angry at us. You are on duty now” one boy from the back added.
Preethy sighed. And tried to calm down. Every time they have a party, one of them gets the duty of being the sober driver. And the sober person had to take everyone back home without getting angry or blaming others.
“Madhavi is more drunk than the rest, and I would be more comfortable if she is at the back” Preethy pleaded with the others.
“No I won’t go. I won’t go” Madhavi acted like a little child throwing tantrums. It only brought out peels of laughter from the others.
Preethy tried to plead again, but Ravi interjected “Just a few kilometers and we will be home soon. Come on Preethy, let us go”.
“Yeah, remember the trouble you caused Ravi when he was on duty” another person from back seat added.
Everyone started laughing again. Memory of that episode brought a smile on Preethy’s face and she started driving.
During the last party, Ravi was on duty. Preethy drank more than that she could normally handle. When they were coming into the reception of the bar, they came across a guy in an expensive suit and suddenly Preethy threw up on the guy.
The man started yelling “It is my expensive suit. What is wrong with you? I am going to call the police. You better pay for the suit. Police, call Police”.
“Sorry sir, very sorry sir, please sir, we are college students, we don’t have the money to pay for your suit. But I will pay for the dry cleaning” Ravi was pleading. By then, the hotel manager and some employees gathered around them.
“No, you irresponsible kids. You have money to drink but no money to pay for my suit. I will call the police. Let them deal with you. One day in jail will teach you a lesson” the man continued yelling.
“Sorry sir, very sorry. Please don’t call the police. This is the first time we are drinking, to celebrate a birthday. If you want you can hit me sir. Please hit me until your anger goes away” Ravi offered his body.
“No, No, No call police” the man said.
“Hit me sir, hit me, please” Ravi said catching hold of the man’s hand and striking himself with it.
The man was confused. He snatched his hand away from Ravi’s hold and took a few steps back.
“You can hit me sir. Hit me as much as you want. Please don’t call the police. There are some girls in the group, it won’t look nice” Ravi moved towards the man and tried to grab the man’s hand again.
The man snatched his hand away from Ravi and became speechless.
“If you want you can hit me with your shoe sir” Ravi continued and bent down to remove the shoe lace of the man.
The man quickly moved back and didn’t know what to say. Ravi’s face looked so pathetic. Until a few minutes back the hotel manager and the other employees were on the man’s side. Now they too started pitying Ravi and didn’t know what to do.
By now Ravi was on his knees and hands and trying to grab the man’s shoe. The man moved away.
“ You are behaving like a mad person. Ok, this time I will let you got. If I see you guys again in this bar I will call the police” the man said and walked away.
The old memory brought more laughter in the car.
Preethy and her other five friends were mostly from the Bombay middle class. “Super Six” they called themselves since high school. They were typical college kids with lots of mischief up their sleeves, but not really bad kids. One of their friends brought Madhavi into the circle. Madhavi was a very beautiful, sweet, and intelligent girl. Not only that, she was extremely rich. At times, Preethy wondered why Madhavi was hanging out with them when she should be with her rich friends.
Preethy brought it up in the beginning. “I think she is rebelling against her old man” Vivek used to reply. “She is nice. We all like her. Let us keep her. Instead of Super Six, we can be Secret Seven”.
As they entered Bombay, Ravi said “Let us drop Madhavi first her house comes first”. Preethy agreed and suddenly Madhavi grabbed the wheel and turned it towards the right saying “not to my house. Your house first”.
Madhavi turned the wheel so fast and unexpectedly that Preethy was caught by surprise. The car went and rammed the median, Madhavi who was sitting in the front went through the glass windscreen and had a major head injury. Madhavi died later that night. The others suffered injuries but all survived.
A week later, when everyone was able to walk, all of them went to meet Madhavi’s parents. Madhavi was the daughter of Gayatriamma and Mr. Sivam. They had been to Madhavi’s house in the past but had never met them. Madhavi took them only when her parents were not in the house.
Preethy and her friends went inside Madhavi’s house. The house looked so different now. There were many people, men and women in expensive clothes standing in groups. Nobody talked to them or acknowledged their presence. Almost an hour later, Mr. Sivam walked towards them.
“Are you Madhavi’s friends?” Mr. Sivam asked.
“Yes Uncle. We are very sorry. We wanted to come earlier…..” Seema was saying something but Mr.Sivam waved his hand in a dismissing manner, so Seema stopped mid-sentence.
Mr. Sivam looked at all of them for few minutes and walked away. Preethy and her friends didn’t take offense to his behavior. They felt Mr. Sivam must be still in shock.
As time passed everyone moved on with their lives. And Preethy went into the Saree designing business and then to a Call Center. She was talented, ambitious, intelligent, and added to that, she worked hard and moved up in her career.
“Do you know when was the last time I saw you?” Seema asked Preethy over the phone.
“Couple of months back” Preethy lied.
“No, over six months back” Seema said “Why do you have to work so much?”
“Just 2 more years, my contract will end and then I am free” Preethy replied.
“Besides I am the manager for so many branches at such a young age”.
“Well, if you continue working at this pace without taking a break, you will die at an young age too” Seema said angrily
“Quit the job Preethy. I am worried about you”.
“Things are getting better. There is a nice family in my complex, they take good care of me. Enough about me, How is Rashmi?” Preethy replied.
Seema’s tone lightened up. She loved to talk about her one year old.
While Preethy was waiting in her boss’s room, Seema’s conversation was ringing in Preethy’s ears. What Seema said was true- Preethy hardly had any private life for over a year. And she was feeling mentally and emotionally drained. She joined the new company over a year and half back. She had progressed steadily and got promoted. And Preethy really enjoy the career-oriented life and the other perks that came with it. But, for the past eight or so months, her promotions were quicker and her work load had increased. Preethy didn’t have any family, so initially it didn’t matter. But now she was feeling drained. And what her boss told her that evening was making her restless.
That afternoon, Mr. Ghosh had announced that Preethy would be taking over other Asian markets. That meant she had to travel more and spend at least a few months every year in Vietnam.
Preethy had many weeks of anxiety and frustration over this. After talking to her friends and analyzing everything, she decided to quit the job. But her resignation was rejected, and was told that she needs to talk to the higher ups, who were never available. During this time, for the first time Preethy realized that Madhavi’s father, Mr.Sivam, was her boss’s boss- the owner of the company.
Preethy felt that Mr.Sivam was punishing her for Madhavi’s death. She was so angry that she went to his club in the night and told him that she was quitting. And he can do what ever he want to do. And she was willing to go to jail if she has to, but will not work for him anymore.
In the morning of the Mr. Sivam’s accident, Vivek had called Preethy and told her that his small-scale Call Center was closed by the police claiming fraudulent practices. Preethy immediately saw Mr. Sivam’s hand in the whole thing. Mr.Sivam filed a court case claiming that Preethy stole business secrets from his company and passed them to Vivek, which Vivek used to run his business. There was no truth in it, but Mr. Sivam was too powerful and capable of doing anything.
Preethy couldn’t take it, and went directly to Mr. Sivam’s apartment and started yelling at him. She didn’t care if his wife was listening. She didn’t care if the whole world was listening. She was in rage and pain. They argued for a long time.
Preethy accused him of ruining her life because Mr.Sivam thinks that she was the cause of Madhavi’s death. She told him that Madhavi had started doing drugs and alcohol because she was smothered by him. Madhavi wanted to please her father very much but at the same time she hated working in companies. Her passion was painting and she had no interest or aptitude for business.
Mr. Sivam told Preethy that she was being more foolish than Madhavi. He said that he had had given Preethy wonderful opportunities to become big and successful in the world. And she was chickening out when things got a little hot, and shamelessly using Madhavi’s death as an excuse. Their arguments escalated. Mr. Sivam started taunting Preethy, which infuriated her and in fist of anger she grabbed the crystal statue close to her hand and flung it at Mr.Sivam. The statue hit his head, and he fell over, hitting his head against the wall with a loud bang.