Pass & Aggregate Chapter 20:Every NIght has a Dawn

Chapter 20: Every Night has a Dawn

News television telecasted that there was some shoot out in Mumbai, I thought it would be some usual gang war stuff that does happen even in the broad day lights of the city, ‘Big deal’ I said to myself and took the remote while trying to navigate between channels but then I had a message, I prayed that it should be Anushka sending me a sweet romantic good night message which she sent during the happier times and which she had stopped sending off late. Okay I am to be blamed equally, because even I stopped sending messages to her, partly because of my never ending work and partly because I was jealous as she was working with her ex boyfriend even though I gave my dissenting opinion.

Anyhow the message was from Anushka, and it was something like this “Adithya, u r the most weird and irritating person I hv met, bt I like your weirdness, I never thought I would say this to u but I want to live my entire life with you, would pray to God that I die before you because I cannot imagine living without you, luv u.”

That message was what I needed to cheer me up, all my pain and exhaustion disappeared , I read the message over and over again, I could not believe my luck, although I would confess just for a nano second the thought of commitment suffocated me.

That was a natural progression on her part I thought and in some point in life even I want to get settled and if she is with me, my life would be a lot happier and contented after all, I love her and I cannot imagine life without her, I typed ‘What entire life?’ and before I could write any further, the worst thing happened, the message was sent.

These touch screen are the worst inventions of our times and while I was criticizing the mobile phone I could do nothing about the message being sent. I started imagining all the repercussions I could face if she thought about the message in another manner. I continued typing so that whole message reaches her before she could interpret it otherwise and kill me. I wrote “What entire life, I would spend all my next lives with you, I don’t know how to react but this night is the happiest night of my life, the thought of being with you brings a sense of fulfillment and contentment, luv u.” And I sent the message thinking, that she would be happy to receive the whole message.

But The Law of Murphy says that "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong" and it went wrong, the second message could not be delivered, I resent the message but the delivery failed and I sent it again, and again and again. So now I thought of calling her and the phone was not reachable.

My anxiety knew no bounds, I tried calling her again and again but then I thought maybe she was in the conference which she had to cover and hence had switched off the cell. To divert my attention, I started with Television once again. Few minutes into news channel and I knew something bad has happened.

I looked at the wall my clock cum calendar showed Time 11:00 pm and date was 26.November.2008.

“It is a massive terrorist attack in Mumbai”, said the news reporter and all I was thinking of Anushka, she had a night shift and had to go to cover a conference at Hotel Taj where the attack took place. My heart started sinking and hands started trembling even faster, while I was trying to call her on the cell phone. The phone was still not reachable. I tried again and again and again but the phone was not reachable.

The last conversation I had with Anushka started playing on my mind,

When I asked her few hours ago about the proposal “Okay when will I get the reply”, And she said “You never know, may be before I die”.

And then I thought of her last message, where she said she will pray to God that she dies before me because she won’t be able live without me. All her sentences were narratives of something bad happening.

I was aghast and devastated, cursing myself. I will not be able to live without her. I started praying to God, “You can’t be that cruel, please keep her safe” I said while keeping my hands folded in front of the Krishna idol. I was shrieking with fear and the most negative thoughts crossed my mind.  

“I have to go and find her at any cost I cannot stay here to await the news about her” I said in agitated manner to Kripal who was sleeping.

He woke from the sleep but could not comprehend what was I talking about and before he could even think, I just left the house. I took the keys of his bike. I started towards Gateway at once, without even realizing that the bike did not have enough petrol to sustain till my destination. It was late at night and although people say about Mumbai that it is the city which never sleeps yet the roads bore a semi deserted look, my bike was running short of fuel, I had to reach the petrol pump before it comes to a halt. I saw a petrol pump at a distance, my luck ran out because after reaching there I found that their stock of petrol finished and all the men there were glued to TV, I too got off and ran to saw the news update, the news were even more disturbing, many police officials had succumbed to the bullets of the terrorists, Mumbai was under siege but I was being very selfish for I thought of only her, whom I loved dearly and more than myself. She was my constant motivating factor, my journey from being a prude guy to being a gentleman (at least I thought that ways) was because of her, and she was one important factor in the process of my evolution, I was incomplete without her. I do not know why only a difficult circumstance is needed for us to realize our love, although I professed my love for her but now I was realizing my love. The mere thought of any harm to her left me agonized.  From the petrol pump I had to take another means of transport, and as the news of the attack spread no one was willing to go in that direction, I did not know what to do, so I started walking. I walked from Mumbai Central till I was near precincts of Taj. I saw the police who were barricading the whole area. I walked till the barricade, I had nothing in mind, “what would I say if they ask me why was I out at this time”, I questioned myself. But I kept walking. The constable asked me in chaste Marathi, although I could not understand much of what he said I just managed to tell him I had someone who is trapped in the Hotel, he just sympathized with me but he could not allow me inside the barricades. I sat there unmoved, completely tired by the long walk, it was the longest walk of my life but the goal was far.  Then suddenly I saw a commotion, the constable told me that terrorists had set fire to The Taj, my anxiety increased further and now tears started flowing from my eyes, the constable could sense my trouble, he kept on assuring me but no amount of words could keep me comforted.

My world was collapsing  with every passing second, I felt all my hopes of finding her alive were ending, I stood up with a resolute to break barrier and get inside and then I heard a familiar voice that came from behind “Adithya, what are you doing here?” I could not believe it was Anushka. She looked even prettier in her dust laden face. For next few seconds the world around me froze, only I could see her coming towards me, the globe was mute but I could hear only her.  She sounded agitated and excited at the same time. As soon as she came near I just felt weak and the nearer she came the weaker I felt. I fell in her arms and could just say “I love you”. I heard her saying “I love you too”. My night was over and a new dawn rose”.