Chapter 7 – Mahe’s Men

All the characters in this series are fictional. Any resemblance whatsoever is purely incidental/unintentional.

“Hey chill. I was just joking. He’s not married yet, you dumbo.” Suchitra said assuredly.

“Hmmmm.” Suzanne didn’t know what to say as she felt humiliated.

Suchitra sported a faint smile on her face as she continued.

“You know what Suz? You have in one way helped me come out of the trauma. I have been going through a lot of pain and though I feel the situation is slightly better, I am still unable to come out of this state. But thanks to you, I have been able to stay calm for some time. John has been extremely supportive in this regard. I don’t know what I’d be able to do in return. And trust me Suz, if you ever feel you like John, or you feel something more than that, I’d say, that is by far the best decision you will have ever made in your life.”

Revathy who was watching all this patiently suddenly intruded, “Now people, what’s going on here? I’d be glad if you could acknowledge my presence here.  Is there some rom-com going on there?”

“Hey sorry buddy. I just needed a stress-buster and it came out this way.” Suchitra giggled as she said that.

“Why don’t we just go upstairs and see what’s happening? I mean, Suchi should be there is what I feel.” Suzanne suggested.

“Yes, let’s go.” Suchitra nodded.

The three of them went towards the second floor. As they walked they saw Neelima coming towards them.

“I was just coming down to meet you.” Neelima told Suzanne.

“What’s it like in there?” Suzanne asked with a troubled expression on her face.

“Everything normal. Your bro is fine. He is itching to go home at the earliest. At least that is what John told me.”

“Did you ask John to inform my parents about the developments?”

“Yes I did. But he was against it. He asked us to keep the matter only among ourselves and not discuss it with anyone.”

“Well, maybe I should go and talk to him. How can I keep this away from them?”

They kept walking towards Sridhar’s ward and as they approached the place, John appeared.

“Did Neelima tell you what I had told her?”

“Yes she did. But why….?”

He didn’t let Suchitra complete her sentence as he interrupted.

“I know that it might sound harsh. But I felt it would be better if they do not know about any developments that are happening here.”

“All right. But why are you saying this? Do you suspect them?”

“Isn’t it too obvious?”

“But why? I find no reason why they should be doing this.”

Suchitra broke down after that. Suzanne tried her best to console her and so did Revathy and Neelima. But Suchitra was inconsolable.  Suchi, Crying isn’t going to solve any problems. Now please go inside and talk to your brother. He doesn’t know the truth. I have just told him that he had fainted due to excessive strain by playing cricket.”

“Okay, I’ll go see him now.”

“Wipe your tears before you go inside.”

She did as John had asked her to. She went inside the room to find Sridhar seated on the bed munching on an apple.

“Sridhar.” She called out trying to sound excited.

“Welcome my dear sister. So finally I get to see you.”

“So nice to see you sitting up.” As she spoke she went towards his bed and sat near him. She poured him a glass of water as finished the apple.

“Suchi.”

“Yes Sri. Tell me.”

“I need to ask you something.”

“What’s it?”

“Yes. That’s the question. What is it? What is going on around me?”

“Nothing. You fainted. So we had to bring you to the hospital. Nothing serious, don’t worry man.” She tried to sound as jovial and casual as possible trying not to show her disappointment and agony. She felt as if she was betrayed by her own parents. She couldn’t fathom the fact that her own parents had turned their back to her. Till the very moment she was of the opinion that her parents were next only to the Almighty. But now, she felt devastated by her parents’ act.

“I know that there is something fishy going on here. John doesn’t look good. He isn’t even talking to me properly. The doctor isn’t saying anything. Tell me what it is Suchi. What’s all this suspense about?”

“Hey it’s nothing.”

“You think I’m a fool? Do you think I’ll just remain quiet and listen to whatever you say?” Sridhar raised his voice and his face turned red with fury. He seemed calm all this while and suddenly he turned wild. Suchitra was puzzled and equally shocked at his reaction.

“Sridhar relax. There’s seriously nothing going on here. John is just upset that you fell ill suddenly.”

“Stop it right there.” Sridhar interrupted her. “Just get out of here. I can’t take any more lies.”

“Sridhar please.” Suchitra tried her best to maintain her composure and not give vent to her emotions. Unfortunately for her she was not successful. She succumbed to her emotions and started crying again.

“I cannot handle this anymore Sridhar. Please leave it here.”

“Just get out Suchi. I’m sick of all your crying. And now you’ve started lying to me which is worse.”

Suchitra ran outside the room crying. She went straight to her friends and sat with them.

“Hey hey what happened? Don’t cry dear.” Suzanne was the first to console her.

“What happened Suchi?” it was John out of nowhere. “I hope you haven’t told him the truth.”

“Not sure John. She just came out crying.” Suzanne answered, not letting Suchitra say anything.”

“Suchi, why don’t you stop crying for a while and tell me what happened inside?” John was a little puzzled and angry as well.

 “John, please. Why don’t you give her some time?”

John turned away and tried to regain his composure. He then turned around again and apologized to the girls.

“Okay okay. I’m sorry. Apologies for losing it. Whatever is happening around me doesn’t even look real to me. I am just hoping all this is a dream. But it’s all real.”

“It isn’t a dream John and it is not going to be one however much you try.” Suchitra finally gathered strength to talk. “I maybe crying all day but I know my responsibilities. I haven’t told my brother the truth. He thinks I am hiding something from him and that’s the reason he is angry about it. I will talk to mom and dad once we take Sridhar home and ensure everything is smooth.”

“Thank you for understanding Suchi. It’s already late now. Let’s go.”

“Girls. I’m afraid I’ll need to go home now. Thank you so much for being around when I needed you most.”

Again it was Suzanne to respond quickly, “Don’t be so formal sweetie. We are always there for you. Call me once you’re home.”

Suzanne, Revathy and Neelima  bid farewell and left for their home. John went to meet Sridhar to convince him that nothing had happened.

“John, please don’t join the club and start bluffing. I am sure there is something fishy going on here and that’s the reason why I am admitted. Please speak the truth.”

“Dude! Mr. Strike bowler! Now stop doubting your stand-in captain. Nothing’s going on here. You’re alive and kicking and we are playing another game this weekend. Tell me if you’re in for it. But before that let’s head straight home.”

“Okay okay. Chill John. Not that I mean to offend you, but I just wanted to clarify. By the way did Sushil call any of our team-mates? He left so angrily, God knows why he is so hot-headed. By the way, when did I become a strike bowler?” he started giggling after saying that.

John smiled too and replied

“Not as yet. I’ll call him myself. And enough of our talking. Let’s start now. Your sister is ready to leave.”

“I feel bad for having shouted at her. I couldn’t stand her crying because that’s how most girls react when the truth is written. Crazy isn’t it?”

“That’s okay. She’ll understand. Let’s go.”

After the brief conversation, both of them came out of the room. Suchitra was waiting outside the ward and as she met Sridhar she turned aside. Sridhar came to her and said

“Sorry Suchi. I shouldn’t have talked to you that way. I hope you’ll accept my apologies as you usually do.” And he winked at her saying so.

“Huh. Finally you realize.” Suchitra also smiled at him.

The three of them headed towards John’s car. All of them seemed to have been relieved considering Sridhar’s health and his doubts being cleared temporarily.

They reached the car and John took the wheel. Sridhar sat with him in the front and Suchitra took the back seat. John and Sridhar were engrossed in a deep discussion about their forthcoming cricket matches while Suchitra fell asleep.

When everything seemed to be going fine, Suchitra suddenly woke up startled. She heard Sridhar utter something to John as John looked on equally shocked.

To be continued……

Comments and criticisms are welcome to my inbox J

Chapter 6 - Mahe's Men

Chapter 6 – Mahe’s Men

All the characters in this series are fictional. Any resemblance whatsoever is purely incidental/unintentional.

Suzanne slammed the phone down. She felt she was the most unfortunate thing in the universe. Why was God playing such pranks on her? She had taken a week off from work for a trip and now the trip stands cancelled.

No boyfriend to call up and flirt around! All friends would be working during the week and more importantly her best friend would also be busy attending to her brother! She had nowhere to go but sit at home and accompany her mother in watching the hopeless daily soaps. Well, maybe she would go and meet Suchi in the hospital. That seemed the best option for her now. After all she was her friend and she would need some kind of support.

“Ma.” She called out. “I’ll have my breakfast now. Hungry.”

“Come to the dining hall. I am making pooris.  You can have them hot, if you come right away.”

“Am coming.”

She went straight to the kitchen, helped herself to some crisp pooris and hot potatoes. She kept thinking about what she would do the whole day after meeting Suchitra in the hospital as she ate the pooris served by her mother.

 “Maybe I must take Neelima along with me. At least Suchi would feel better when some of her friends are around.”

As she kept thinking about it, her phone rang. Neelima’s name flashed in her mobile.

“Hello.”

“Hey Suz. How busy are you today?”

“Quite free as the trip is cancelled.”

“I have informed Revathy also about it. She’s fine too. Hey, by the way, can we go and meet Suchi today? Maybe around evening? We can take Revathy along too.”

“Ok Great. I was thinking about it too. She might feel better if she sees us.”

Both of them agreed to go to the hospital around evening. It was decided that they would all meet at Suzanne’s place and leave for the hospital from there.

She spent the rest of the day watching television soaps with her mother. She became equally interested in them and was somehow able to while away time till evening.

Neelima and Revathy arrived at Suzanne’s house at sharp 5. They left for the hospital together in two different bikes.

 “Do you know the way to the hospital?” Suzanne asked.

“Yes, I do. Just follow me.” Neelima replied as they took their vehicles and drove towards the hospital. Revathy was the pillion rider with Neelima  and was always entertaining Neelima with her PJ’s which made Neelima enjoy her ride to the hospital.  Suzanne was quite serious while driving as she usually was and followed Neelima to the hospital.

They reached in half an hour’s time and the girls alighted from their respective vehicles. All three of them marched inside the hospital. Neelima had earlier spoken to Suchitra and found out where she was. They took the stairs to the second floor without waiting for the lift.

“Hey. She’s there.” Revathy who was the first to reach the second floor announced to the other two girls. Neelima and Suzanne ran fast to catch a glimpse of Suzanne. And there she was looking tensed and troubled in a conversation with three other men. As they approached her, Suzanne found something other than Suchitra to be more interesting.

“Hey, who’s that?” she whispered to Neelima.

“How the hell would I know?” she replied.

The abrupt and plain reply from Neelima took her by surprise.

“Well, wrong question at the wrong time” she thought. But she couldn’t take her eyes off that interesting living being in front of her eyes.

“Hey Suchi. How are you di?”

“Hey girls. I am in a total mess right now. I don’t understand what’s going on around me. It’s a good time you three came here. I need someone to talk to.” And her eyes welled up with tears.

John, who was watching all what was happening, turned around to meet the girls.

 “Suchi, it’s okay. Everything’s going to be alright. Leave it to me. I’ll handle it. All you need to do now is just take care of Sridhar and your parents. More than anything please take care of yourself.”

“Thanks John. I hope everything turns out to be fine. By the way girls; this is John, Sridhar’s best friend and my brother.” Saying so she smiled at John.

“Hi John. I am Neelima.”

“Hi. I am Revathy. My friends call me Revs.”

“Hey hi. I am eh…eh…Suzanne. How are you doing John?” Suzanne blushed and the other girls gave a confused look.

“Am good Suzanne. So your friends call you Suz is it?” and he smiled.

“God. What a smile! Just the perfect kind of guy I’d want to marry.” She thought. “Sparkling eyes, muscular arms. John, you’re my man dude.”

“Hello madam. You’re in a hospital. Stop day dreaming, alright?” Neelima reminded her with a stern look on her face.

“Huh? What? Eh….Sorry John, did you say something? ” She felt embarrassed.

“John, I’ll be back in sometime. Girls, can we just go down to the lobby downstairs?” Suchitra asked the rest ignoring Suzanne’s hazy behaviour.

“Sure, let’s go.” Revathy said.

They proceeded towards the lobby and took their seats there. Suzanne felt defeated.

“Damn. I’ve never been like this before. S**t. What’s going on with me? John! Who is he? I haven’t even spoken to him much. How can I possibly have a crush on him. Arggg…” she kept mumbling to herself as she got down the stairs.

“Suchi. Tell us. What is happening? We are concerned about your health and safety.” Neelima asked her as they kept walking towards the lobby.

“Even I don’t understand what’s happening around me. I don’t even know who to trust and who not to. Except for this guy John, I don’t think anyone else is true around me.” Suchitra’s distressed look made Suzanne wonder how she was possibly managing her problems.

“Tell us Suchi. We are here to help you on this.” Suzanne assured her. She was now out of her thoughts and was now completely with Suchitra. “If you are in need of any kind of help, let me know darling. After all what are friends for?”

“One of Sridhar’s friends has poisoned him and he claims my parents asked him to do it. And when I asked them why they did it, they said because they didn’t want to see him die of pain. He was suffering from a rare form of hemorrhage. But now this doctor, one, Dr.Sudhakar says he’s got no hemorrhage. Why would my parents ever want to kill my brother? Their very own son? I don’t understand one bit of what’s happening Suz.”

“Okay okay. Relax now dear. We’ll help you out on this. Are your parents here?” Suzanne asked.

“No. They are at home.”

“Do they know that Sridhar is fine now?”

“No. They don’t.”

“Hmmmm. Shall I talk to your parents?”

“No. Don’t do that. John and I will take care of that part. Can you do me one favour?”

“Sure, please tell me.”

“Can you ask John to call my parents and inform them of the developments? I feel I am troubling him too much. So can you do that?”

Suzanne felt ecstatic. Though she didn’t make it seem too evident, she did sport a smile on her face.

“Don’t you worry about it Suchi. I’ll tell him. I’ll go right away.” And before anyone could say anything she ran upstairs to meet John. She went to the second floor and as she was approaching John she thought about what her choice of words would be.

“Hey John. We need your favor dude.” Or maybe “Hey pal. Can I ask you for a favour?” or no maybe. “Hi John…...”

“Hey Suzanne. I thought you were there downstairs.” John came in the way of her thoughts.

“Eh…What? Oh yeah. I was there. Can you call her parents? Oh no. She didn’t ask me to tell you. Oh no. nothing.” She blabbered like a mad woman.

“Hey chill. Have some water.” As he extended a glass of water to her.

“Thank you John.”

“I know Suchi much better than you girls do. She is like a sister to me. I understand that she might have thought not to trouble me much. She isn’t. So tell me now. What should I do?”

Suzanne felt like kicking herself at her foolishness. “What a dumbo I am.” She thought.

“Yes. She wants you to inform her parents about the developments.”

“I have already done that. Do not worry about it.”

“Thank you John. And sorry for the way I behaved.”

“Absolutely fine. But there is something else I’d like to tell you. Can I?”

“Sure. Please do.” Her heart skipped  a beat when he said that. She wondered what it would be. “Maybe he’d ask me why I look so foolish and also act that way? Or maybe why I look so ugly.”

“It’s a bit personal, so can I still say?”

“Oh yeah. Sure you can.”

“Eh…I Love you Suzanne.”

“What?”

“Hey hey hey. Suzanne! What’s wrong? Did you get what I was saying?” Suchi screamed.

“Huh? What? What were you saying? Yeah I got it. But wait. What should I tell him?” Suzanne was lost in her own world while Suchitra was explaining what she must be telling John.

“S**t. A dream again.Damn!” she mumbled to herself. “What an a** I am. Where did this John come from. Sheesh!”

“Nothing. Neels can you do it for me please? I have a feeling Suzanne might screw up.”

“I’ll do it. Aren’t to worry.” She sped towards the second floor after saying this.

 “Ah my day-dreaming. I don’t know where this is going to take me.” Suzanne cursed herself.

Suchitra sat down by the couch near the reception along with Revathy. Suzanne approached her and held Suchi’s hand.

“Suchi. You have been a wonderful friend to me. Everything’s going to be alright.” Suzanne spoke assuredly.

Suchitra suddenly smiled at Suzanne as she said, “These were the same words which John used. But don’t you dare think of anything crazy about him huh?”

Suzanne blushed and replied on the negative. “Hey come on. You think I’ll do like that.”

“But even if you want to you can’t.”

“Why?” Suzanne realized that she had exposed her desperation. But she became curious and asked her for more information.

“Why can’t I?

“Ha ha ha. Look at her. Someone’s growing desperate. You cannot hit on him, I mean John, simply because he’s married.”

Suzanne was stunned.

To be continued……

Comments and criticisms are welcome to my inbox J

Mahe's Men - Chapter 5

Chapter 5 – Mahe’s Men

All the characters in this series are fictional. Any resemblance whatsoever is purely incidental/unintentional.

“He might live John. Sridhar might live a life like any of us. But we must act fast. I have drained all the poison from his body and he is safe from it now. But the hemorrhage has to be attended quickly. I have informed my colleague to take care of his admission in my hospital. I have also arranged his surgery for tomorrow evening. I apologize for doing all this without Sridhar’s parents consent but taking into consideration John’s presence I took the liberty of arranging for the surgery. I hope that’s not a problem for you Suchi?” the doctor asked with earnest interest.

“Definitely not a problem doctor. I will explain the situation to my mother. She would only be happy for Sridhar. Dad has gone out for some personal work. I will inform him too. So when should we start for the hospital doctor?” Suchi asked the doctor.

“Right away; if possible. Because the more it gets delayed the more dangerous it is going to be for Sridhar.”

“Please give me some 15 minutes. I will inform my parents and we can start off quickly.”

“Sure take your time. And Sridhar still does not know what is happening around him as I have given him sleeping pills. Try not to disturb him. John and I will carry him inside the ambulance when it arrives. The moment you are ready we can call the ambulance.”

“Sure doctor. I’ll be right back.”

A ray of hope seemed to have struck Suchitra and there seemed to be a drastic change in her behavior after hearing the doctor’s word. She was a brave girl right from her childhood and such incidents were not new to her for she always helped her friends during times of crisis. But this was just too much to bear for her, battling against emotions of her own and trying desperately to save her brother. She was the only pillar of support for her parents now.

She headed straight to her parents’ room and knocked on the door. Her mom opened the door. She looked extremely pale and forlorn.

“Ma. The doctor says there are chances that Sridhar may survive the illness. He says he has arranged for a surgery tomorrow in his hospital.”

“Oh alright. Go ahead. I can’t come to the hospital. Can you take care of everything? Is John helping you out on this? I am too weak to even walk.”

“Sure ma. I’ll take care of everything. I’ll call dad and inform him also.”

“Okay. Please take care.”

Her mother didn’t sound interested at all. “What is going on in her mind?” thought Suchitra. “Well, she must be too tired to come till the hospital. Maybe she’s given up trying to save her son.”

“But I can’t give up. He will live. My brother! Yes, he will live.” She kept saying to herself hoping not to lose hope even when the most severe consequences arose.

She called her father to inform him of the sequence of events and rushed towards the doctor. Her father reacted the same way as her mother did.

“Crazy people. Aren’t they concerned about their son’s illness?” she thought.

She quickly changed and got ready to go to the hospital with John and the doctor. She thought about the difficult day that lay ahead of her. She has to take care of everything relating to her brother all by herself; with the help of John of course.

“Doctor we can leave anytime you want. I’ve informed mom and dad. I am also ready.” Suchitra announced to the doctor.

“Okay. That’s good. I have already called for the ambulance and we can leave once it is here.”

Dr.Sudhakar was always committed to his work. Not that John was pretty close to him and hence the dedication, he was extremely passionate about his profession and always held the opinion that the patient is equivalent to God and should never be let down.

“Doctor! I think the ambulance has arrived.” Exclaimed John with a note of caution to ensure Sridhar doesn’t wake up.

“John both of us will need to carry Sridhar inside the ambulance. Let’s do it.”

“Alright doctor. Let’s do it.”

The doctor instructed the guys inside the ambulance to bring the stretcher inside. They did as instructed and came to Sridhar’s room.

“John, take hold of his legs, I’ll hold his shoulders.” The doctor said slowly.

Though Sridhar was not very big made, both men had a tough time carrying him and shifting him on to the stretcher. They shifted him successfully and the two other men carried Sridhar back to the ambulance.

“John, please follow the ambulance to the hospital. Suchitra please come with John. I have my car and will go to the hospital first to make necessary arrangements.”

“Okay doctor. We’ll meet you at the hospital.” John was quite tensed about how he would be able to manage this issue. He had never been in such a situation before and it was imperative for him to ensure his friend’s safety. Suchitra was equally dependent on John as she trusted him as much as she trusted her parents and her brother.

“Suchi, let’s leave.”

“Okay John.”

“Are you fine Suchi?”

“I don’t know. I guess I won’t be until Sridhar is fine.”

“Don’t worry. Everything’s going to be ok. Just trust in the Almighty.”

“For now Dr.Sudhakar is my Almighty.”

“Let’s go. We are running late already.”

Both of them set off in John’s car towards the hospital. It wasn’t too far and John’s driving was quite swift even amidst heavy traffic that they reached the hospital in half an hour’s time. But it seemed to take an eternity for Suchi. She tried to find some sleep during the journey but couldn’t. Her mental stress was taking a toll on her body. John played some soft 90’s melodies in his stereo which he thought might have a soothing effect on Suchi. But nothing worked. Both of them remained tensed and kept quiet throughout the journey.

At the hospital:

“Doctor when is the surgery scheduled?” John asked.

“That is not decided yet. I have asked my colleague to ensure if a surgery is ‘really’ required. Once he confirms, I will finalize the time.

“Okay doctor.”

“Where is Suchitra?”

“She has just gone out for some fresh air. Poor soul, she has been running around for a long time today. She was supposed to go on a trip somewhere next week but now she’s cancelled it.”

“That’s obvious John. She has to. After all it’s her brother.”

John realized that the doctor was right. It was just that he had been watching Suchi too often today that he had a soft corner for her.

“Maybe you’re right doctor. It’s just that I can’t see her struggle so much. Even her parents don’t seem too concerned. That is troubling me more than anything else.”

“I’ve seen many cases like this John. Don’t worry too much about it. We’ll give our best shot and leave the rest to God.”

“Hmmm.” That was all John could say.

As they were discussing, Suchitra came in. She looked much better now, with her hair neatly pinned and her face looking brighter.

“How are you feeling Suchitra?” before Suchitra could reply the doctor continued, “Sridhar is being attended to by my colleague. Once it is confirmed that a surgery is required I will intimate you and the arrangements can be made.”

“Okay doctor. Will we tell him about his illness and the surgery? I mean my brother.”

“I am not sure of that. I leave that to you both to decide. John what do you think?”

“I think we must tell him about it.” John said.

“I think he is right doctor. I don’t think we can keep this away from Sridhar for long.” Suchitra also echoed John’s thoughts.

Just as Dr.Sudhakar thought about saying something he stopped and started walking towards his left. There came another man, who looked like a doctor too and was approaching Sudhakar.

“Yes Panicker. Updates, if any? Sudhakar asked the other doctor.

“Yes. Quite a few. But before I could tell you about it, tell me who diagnosed this chap with hemorrhage?” the other doctor asked Sudhakar. He seemed expressionless when he asked that question and neither of Suchitra or John could guess the reason behind the question. Both John and Suchitra realized that they didn’t have an answer to the question. Suchi’s parents did not tell her about it and neither did she bother to inquire them about it.

Sudhakar glanced at Suchitra as she gave an ‘I don’t know’ kind of a look.

Dr.Panicker was watching all this and smirked at Suchitra.

“Well, I have news and it is a good one indeed. Sridhar is not suffering from any hemorrhage. He is hale and healthy;  fit and fine. Whoever said he’s got a hemorrhage is not a doctor. And whoever wanted him poisoned must be a bloody killer.” Dr. Panicker spoke those words with confidence and authority.

Suchitra and John looked at each other in complete shock and disbelief. 

To be continued……

Comments and criticisms are welcome to my inbox J

Mahe's Men - Chapter 4

Chapter 4 – Mahe’s Men

All the characters in this series are fictional. Any resemblance whatsoever is purely incidental/unintentional.

“What are you saying Suz? Are you out of your mind? We’ve booked the tickets, everything is planned and you back out at the last moment. What’s wrong?” Neelima screamed on hearing Suzanne saying that she was backing out of the trip.

“Neels listen. Do you think I would just run away from the trip when I was the one who did all the planning? There is a reason and it’s quite a valid and sane reason. And it is something that I cannot avoid. So please try and understand.”

Neelima realized that she had been a little too harsh in her choice of words. “Okay. Tell me now. What is the reason.” She asked Suzanne.

“Hmmm. It’s this. I’ve been asked to travel to Sweden in another week and a half. Everything has been arranged and it is a short trip for about a month and I would be insane to refuse this offer. Am sure you would concur with me on this. Don’t you?”

“Oh. Wow. That’s great news dear. I’m sorry for losing my temper earlier. But this is amazing. Well shouldn’t you be treating us for this?” Neelima exclaimed as she sounded ecstatic.

“Oh yes. But let me get settled with all the formalities and we can go out after that. What do you say?”

“Sure darls. We can do that. Don’t worry about the trip. I’m pretty sure the other girls would be able to understand as well.”

“And regarding the expenses don’t worry about them. I’ll pay them all.”

Neelima heaved a sigh of relief as she was pondering as to how she should ask her about the expenses.

“Ah. You don’t have to worry about it Suz. We can talk about all that later.”

“Thanks Neels. Fine could you please inform Revathy and Suchi about the plan change? I’ll need to go to office now. My manager can’t live without me I think. He called me and asked me to come right away.”

“Sure. Take care.” And they both hung up. Suzanne was on cloud nine but tried not to sound too excited over the phone. She knew her friends would be upset but this was definitely more important for her. An onsite offer after 4 years wasn’t something she could let go of so easily. She always thought she deserved something more than what was offered to her but never really complained. And now here she was to travel onsite in less than 10 days. She had told Neelima that it was for a month but she was sure that it would get extended. There was no way her work there was going to get over so early.

She had to leave to office quickly. So she changed and even after repeated requests by her mother she refused to have breakfast and left the house.

“I am going to Sweden. Sweden, here I come.” She kept singing as she drove her vehicle to office. She reached office after terrible journey amidst the maddening traffic and thought that it was going to be one amazing day ahead. But little did she realize what exactly was in store for her.

“Hi Samir. Good morning.” She wished her manager with a wide grin.

“Hi Suzanne. Very good morning. You seem all excited and chirpy today. What’s up?” Samir responded.

“Don’t you know why? Isn’t it obvious Samir?” and she winked at her manager.

“Well Suzanne. It might be a little harsh on you but didn’t you realize what day it is today?” and he sported a smile on his face.

“Today. Eh…Saturday. What’s wrong or special about it? And what was harsh on me? I don’t get it.”

“Hmmmm.”

“Eh…Wait…Now…hmmm. Did you mean?

“Yes. Exactly what I meant.”

“Damn you Samir, damn you. I don’t think even the meanest guy would do this. What the hell do you think of yourself? You think am stupid? Or look like a bloody clown? I’ve respected you right from the day I had known you and you play the fool on me? This is not right Samir. Trust me; you’ll pay for this.”

Saying so, she left the place in a fit of rage. Only 2 or 3 more people other than Samir were there in her bay and she felt extremely embarrassed at being made a joker in front of them.

It was the 1^st of April and she had been fooled.

“What a rascal he is.” She thought. “I’ll pay him back with the same coin one day.”

Samir kept calling for her from behind but she didn’t pay heed to it.

“Hey Suzanne. I’m very sorry. It was just a joke. Please don’t take it seriously.” Samir kept shouting but in vain. She was least bothered now. She kept thinking about how she would tell Neelima about what happened.

“Damn you Samir. I’ll definitely kick your a** one day. Trust me I will do it.” She kept talking to herself as she drove back home.

She reached home in no time and decided not to talk about anything of what happened to her mom. She went straight into her room and took her mobile to call Neelima.

“Hey Neels. Another change in plan da.”

“Kya hua?” (meaning what happened in Hindi)

“The original plan stays good. I’m coming too.”

“Hmm. Okay. But there is a change in plan at my end. Suchi and I aren’t coming.”

“What? Don’t tell me you cancelled the tickets just because I wasn’t coming.”

“No.it’s not because of that. It’s something else.”

“What is it?”

To be continued……

Comments and criticisms are welcome to my inbox J

Mahe's Men - Chapter 3

Chapter 3 – Mahe’s Men

All the characters in this series are fictional. Any resemblance whatsoever is purely incidental/unintentional.

“Yes. I poisoned him. I had to. I didn’t have another option.”

Before I could respond he continued. “He is suffering from a rare kind of brain hemorrhage. Doctors have lost hope and have decided not to continue with treatment. They had asked his parents to keep him happy to the maximum extent. They had also warned them that his death would be extremely painful and it could happen any moment and all of a sudden. There is nothing that can stop his death being painful. It could be today, tomorrow or even this very moment. But he can continue with his day to day activities.”

“Then why did you poison him? At least he can live these few days in happiness.”

“Because his parents asked me to do so. They said they didn’t want to see him die painfully. They didn’t want to do the poisoning themselves. They just couldn’t do it. So they asked me to do it. “And he continued to sob until he could regain his composure. But he couldn’t.

“But why did you accept? It isn’t going to make it any better.”

“It’s just a matter of 4 to 5 hours before he sleeps in eternity. I can’t see him suffering from pain. So I agreed to do it.”

“I think you have made a mistake Vish. You shouldn’t have accepted. Anyways now that it is over and you’ve done it I think it’s time we pay him a visit.”

“No da I don’t think I can see him after what I’ve done.” Tears were rolling down his cheeks and he couldn’t control them. “That is why I let him bowl and wanted him to bat up the order. I knew he loved bowling. That is why I didn’t even mind losing the game. But…..trust me. I never knew he could bowl so well.”

“It’s ok Vish. Leave it. I’ll go to Sridhar’s place and keep you informed. How was he able to play so well when you had poisoned him? He showed no signs of distress.”

“The one I gave takes time; about a day to start functioning.”

“Alright. You take care of yourself. I’ll keep you posted.” And John left the place with a broken heart. He wouldn’t be able to see Sridhar anymore.

“This guy must be mad. Why did he have to accept that? Ridiculous!” he kept talking to himself as he kept driving.

John and Sridhar were quite close to each other. They always supported each other well and were quite good at providing an honest feedback to each other whenever required.

“But does Sridhar know about his sickness? Oh S**t. I hope not.!” Thinking about it he called Vishu to inquire about it. “Damn it, pick up the Goddamn phone Vish.” He kept cursing until the voice at the other end said “The person you have called is not accepting any calls at the moment. Please try again later. Thank You.”

“Damn it.” John was turning wild at the moment. He drove rashly and was over-speeding. He sent Vishu a message asking if Sridhar was aware of his sickness and the consequences.”

After driving for about 5 minutes his phone beeped and he saw a text message from Vishu. “No.”

“Thank God.” He thought. The traffic was too much and John wasn’t able to concentrate on his driving. Somehow he managed to reach Sridhar’s house. He barged inside the house and searched for him.

“Hi John. Long time no see.”

“Hey Suchi. How are you doing?”

“I’m ok. How are you?”

Suchitra sounded dull and her voice was feeble. John knew the reason but decided not to talk about it until she spoke about it herself.

“What happened Suchi? You don’t seem too good. Not well?”

“No. Am fine. Just that work pressure is too much.”

“No. There is something else and you are hiding it from me. I know you quite well Suchi. You can’t lie. Even if you do, like you’re doing now, it’s quite easy for me to find out.

John was quite close to Sridhar’s family and knew them right from his childhood. It was almost like a second home for him. Suchitra was Sridhar’s younger sister and was extremely fond of John. She called him ‘Anna’ (meaning elder brother) and shared almost every dark secret of her life with John. But of late, with both of them getting busy with their respective jobs they hadn’t got a chance to meet each other.

“Hmmm.” That was all Suchi could respond.

Now John was beginning to get irritated by Suchi’s blunt responses.

“What do you mean by this? Tell me something.”

“Ok. I will. Sridhar will not live long. You heard that? He is dying.”

Suchitra voice choked as she spoke and couldn’t talk anything further. She stood still trying to control the tears that were welling up in her sparkling blue eyes.

“I came to know of it only today.” she continued.” Mom and dad didn’t tell me about it until now.”

“What? Only today?”

“Yes.”

“Is Sridhar around?”

“Yes he is. He doesn’t know about it.”

“It is quite unbelievable that uncle and aunty have kept this thing away from me but not from Vishu.”

“Vishu? He knows about it? I thought only my parents knew of it? So that’s how you came to know.”

“Damn. What’s happening? You’re not aware of anything is it? Let me talk to your parents first. Where are they?”

Suchitra looked more than confused and led him to his parents’ room without talking anything more. Her crying had stopped and she was of the opinion that there was something fishy going on inside the house apart from Sridhar’s illness.

“Ma. John is here. He wants to ask you something.” She shouted from outside the room.

Sridhar’s parents were quite friendly with most of Sridhar’s friends. John especially, had always maintained good relations with them and was almost a second son to them.

“Hello John.” Sridhar’s mother said in a low tone as she opened the door. “What happened? You are here all of a sudden after such a long time.”

“Aunty, what’s going on here? I heard something from Vish. And now even Suchitra isn’t aware of that. Please tell me all that I am hearing is not true.”

John could see her bloodshot eyes welling up with tears. She desperately tried to control them trying not to breakdown in front of John.

“No son. Everything is true. If you are talking about the poisoning, yes you are absolutely right.”

“Now will you both please stop puzzling me with your riddles? Ma. Tell me what’s happening. I want to know what is going on right now.” Suchitra seemed lost and was completely enraged at being kept in the dark about what was happening. She threw her arms up in a fit of rage and demanded explanation from her mother. “What is going on mom? Tell me. I need to know everything right now.”

“I will tell you dear.” Her mother slowly said. But this time she could not control her tears. “Like I told you before, Sridhar is suffering from a rare kind of brain hemorrhage and chances of him surviving are extremely remote. But…..” and she stopped while talking. She wept bitterly as the flow of tears seemed to go on for an eternity.

She then regained her composure again and continued. “But when he dies, as the doctor says, it would be an extremely painful death. And he says it would not be another two days before he might sleep in peace; for good. I don’t want to see him suffer in pain. And that is why I asked Vishwanath to do it. I am sorry Suchitra. I am sorry John.”

She was inconsolable after she said it. She sat down on the floor crying like a small child craving for a piece of candy.

Suchitra also didn’t want to interrogate her further. She knew her mother wasn’t in a position to talk anymore. She guided her inside the room and gestured to John asking him to stay there. She helped her mother in a chair and came to John after locking the room.

“Please tell me John. What is it? What did mom ask Vish to do?” she asked John as they moved towards the living room.

“She asked Vish to poison your brother.”

“What?!” This is utter nonsense.” Saying so she charged towards her parents’ room again. John quickly ran behind her. He knew she was going to blast her parents for such an act.

“Hey Suchi stop.” He caught hold of her hand and signaled her to stop. “I will try and rescue Sridhar. He is my friend and I will not let him die just like that. He is a fighter and he won’t die without a fight. I will help him fight this.

“But you can’t do it John. Didn’t you hear what mom said? There is no way one can save him. Besides all that he has been poisoned. Even the slightest chances of him surviving are gone now.”

“Don’t worry Suchi. I will take care of it.”

John had no idea how he was going to help his friend live again, but somewhere in a remote corner of his brain it said he could.

“Where is Sridhar?” he asked her.

“Sleeping in his room.” She replied back.

“I’ll call my family doctor now. First things first. We’ll first try and take the poison off his body.”

Suchi nodded and started crying again. John signaled to her asking her not to cry but to no avail.

John took his mobile and started dialing Vish’s number. “Hey Vish. Tell me one thing. What exactly did you give Sridhar?”

“It’s just an overdose of sleeping pills.” And he mentioned the name of the drug.

“Thanks. We are going to try and get the poison out of his body once the doctor arrives here. We are giving one last try to save Sridhar.”

John could hear Vishu crying. “I am sorry John. I just obeyed orders. But I guess I shouldn’t have.”

“Will talk to you later Vish. The doctor has come. Bye.” John didn’t even wait for Vish’s reply before slamming the phone down. He was enraged at what he had done to one of his best friends but still had the patience to stay quiet and talk to him like nothing serious had happened.

“Hi John. “ the doctor had arrived and waved at John from his car.

“Hello doctor. This is Suchitra, Sridhar’s sister. Thank you very much for coming all the way doctor.”

“Hey come on man. My pleasure. So where is Sridhar?”

Dr.Sudhakar was Sridhar’s family doctor. He was also a good friend of John personally. They had gone out with their mutual friends for dinner and drinks on several occasions. Though John doesn’t drink, he always gave the doctor company whenever the doctor went for a booz.

“I’ll show you doctor.”Suchitra replied. She showed the way to Sridhar’s room and opened the door as John followed them. Sridhar was fast asleep and John was relieved to find him still breathing.

“Guys. I’ll take over from here. I’ll do my best in getting the poison out of his body. Till then please close the door and do not disturb.”

They both obeyed and returned to the living room. John had explained everything to Sudhakar over the phone while he requested him to come home. The doctor had immediately obliged.

The wait seemed an eternity. John kept thinking about the philosophies of life and the various moments he had spent with Sridhar. He spoke to Suchitra about her job and what she usually did during weekends to keep her distracted. She told him about her trip to Andaman and how she may have to cancel that for ‘obvious’ reasons.

They spoke for about an hour when they heard the sound of a door screeching. It was the doctor. Both of them ran towards the doctor who was just coming out of Sridhar’s room.

“How is he doctor?” Suchitra asked as both John and Suchi waited with bated breath for an answer from the doctor.

“I will tell you.” The doctor replied.

To be continued……

Comments and criticisms are welcome to my inbox J

Mahe's Men - Chapter 2

Mahe’s Men

Chapter 2:

All the characters in this series are fictional. Any resemblance whatsoever is purely unintentional /incidental. J

Suzanne woke up to a terrible headache. She had a nasty week throughout and was relieved that it was finally Friday. “Ah, this headache.” She thought.

“Suzanne worked for an IT firm and like most other IT employees she was also not entirely happy with her work. The past week had been miserable for her. She had to stay back and work till 1am almost everyday and it would be no different today. But thankfully for her today might well be the last day that she might have to slog like mad. The application she worked on was going live today and after this it would be handed over to another team.She was a star performer in her team and her 4 years of experience with the organization was well respected. She always gave her 100% at work. But of late she had been dumped with work beyond her potential which forced her to commit errors like never before. So she had planned a vacation to the Andamans where she thought it would be apt to spend some time alone and away from the maddening metropolitan crowd. Two days from now she would be in the Andaman Islands taking a dip in the amazingly beautiful Havelock beach. With this thought motivating her she quickly got out of bed to get ready for work. A long day was ahead of her.

She reached office and to her surprise the parking space was flooded with cars like never before. “Some goddamn client must have come in.” She mumbled to herself. She rushed to her cubicle and wanted to get over with the day at the earliest. She knew it was a tough ask but her thoughts were wondering around her mailbox and what new problems her on-site had in store for her. “Hey Suz, good morning.” She heard someone calling her name from a distance. “Good morning dearie.” Suzanne replied as she saw Pushpa walking towards her with a warm smile. Suzanne always liked it when someone greeted her early in the morning, especially at work. Her mother never did that and neither did anyone at work. Her father usually wished her as soon as she was up from bed but he was now in the US. “I find all zombies around me.” She usually thought.

“So what’s new Suz? Anything special for today?” Puspa asked her.

“No ya nothing at all. Just work.” Suzanne replied.

“Oh come on. Why do you always talk about work?”

Suzanne remembered how she used to get irritated when her friends spoke of their work even during breaks. And now she was doing the same thing.

“Well you’re right Push. Just that I’ve been going through a terrible time at work I tend to think of it all the time.”

“All the more reason why you shouldn’t be thinking of it all the time.”

Pushpa had scored once again she thought. She decided to change the topic.

“So you tell me, what’s happening at your end now? Any news?”

“Yes. I just got a new laptop. Dell Inspiron ’14. My hubby got it yesterday.”

“Oh that’s wonderful Push. Time for a treat then.” And she winked after saying so.

While saying so she realized that she was getting late. “Hey Push if you could excuse me, can I go to my cubicle now. I need to finish a lot of pending work.”

“Why do you even ask me. Please go ahead.” And they left for their respective cubicles after saying their goodbyes.

“I feel so good after talking to this woman. She is such a nice soul who doesn’t talk about work all the time.” Suzanne thought to herself.

Suzanne reached her cubicle and to her astonishment almost her entire team was there. They were all smiles as she entered the bay.

“Hey Suz. The go-live is postponed. It is to happen only after a couple of months. So nothing to worry about now.” One of her teammates shouted from the other side of the bay.

“Oh no.” she thought to herself. That was the last thing she would have expected as she thought she could get over with the headache today.

“What is the issue?” she asked bluntly not showing any interest in the postponement.

“I’ve no idea. That is for you to figure out and tell us in a way we can understand.”

“Don’t do any work. Dump everything to me.” She cursed her team for being such lazy idiots.

“Alright. I’ll do that.”

She had nothing much to do till lunch. With the go-live being postponed she had a relaxed day and had a chance to have some chit chat with her teammates.

Rakesh was her favorite reportee. He was the only soul who actually workedin her team and was quite a bubbly character.

“So tell me Rakesh what plans for the weekend? Which chick are you going to hang out with this time?” Suzanne asked very eagerly.

“Well, I’d love to take you along but your boyfriend wouldn’t let me.” He replied sarcastically.

“He is not my boyfriend for chrissake. How many times should I say that? And neither am I coming along with you.” She replied with fake anger.

“I knew this was coming. Your boyfriend or can I call him your ex?is blushing there.”

“Stop it Rakesh. I am looking for a Roman Catholic Syrian Christian guy. Did you get that? RCSC.”

Suzanne was very famous for this statement in her team. She was a Malayali and a Syrian Christian. She was teased with Subal one of her batchmates in the firm and she always retorted saying that she was only on the lookout for a Roman Catholic Syrian Christian.

“Ah. You and your Roman Christian. You’ll never find one. Subal is such a sweet guy. Look at him.” Saying so he winked at Subal and he smiled back.

“I will find someone. Roman Catholic Syrian Christian.”

There were smiles all around and for once the team was having a good time. With the mood upbeat in the team, they all decided to go out for lunch together.

“So far so good.” She thought to herself again. It was a pleasant day with very less work and no pressure as such. The lunch was good, though she had to bear the brunt of spending for the entire team. She also had the choice of leaving early but decided against it as she wouldn’t have such pleasant times in office very often. She was proud of having such a nice time with her. She realized that she was being too much of a workaholic and blamed herself for disliking her job all these days.

She left office with a happy frame of mind without thinking about her project, her work or her responsibilities as a team lead. Now her entire attention was focused on her trip to Andaman. She planned to leave her office SIM card back home and take only her personal number for the trip. Life was going to be fun and only fun for her. She had shopping plans for Saturday and packing on Sunday. And Monday she would be flying. The very thought excited her.

She busied herself on the phone with her friends who were to accompany her in the trip. Neelima, Suchitra and Revathy were her best buddies and buddies from school. They were always together and helped each other during times of crisis. Revathy, the most innocent of the lot was once forced to discontinue her studies in college owing to economical constraints. But Neelima, Suchi and Suz convinced her parents saying she was a bright student and that Suchi would be able to use her dad’s influence for a loan sanction without any surety. Revathylater continued her studies and came out with flying colors. She then joined a leading English magazine as a reporter and she still felt grateful for her friends for helping her out during difficult times.

This trip was planned ages ago but never got executed. Suzanne finally took the initiative of implementing it as she was the one most in need of a break from work. She planned out everything in a jiffy that the rest were not even ready for it. But somehow she managed to convince all of them into it. Now it was time to get set and go.

Saturday it was and Suzanne was all excited to start her day. It was 10.30 in the morning and just when Suzanne was just getting ready to leave, her phone rang. It was a landline unknown number.

“Hello.”

“What? You sure?”

“Oh my God!I didn’t expect this.”

“Oh eh alright I will.”

“Bye. Thank you .”

Saying this she slammed the phone down and fell down on the bed perplexed. She lifted her phone again and called Neelima.

“Hey Neels. We got a problem.”

“What is it? Tell me.”

“I am not coming for the trip. You girls please proceed.”

PS: Please feel free to post your comments and criticisms :)

Mahe's Men

Mahe’s Men

Chapter 1

All the characters and incidents that follow in this series are fictional. Any resemblance whatsoever is purely co-incidental. :)

“This should have been won by us. We let go of the opportunity without a fight.” Claimed Vishu with a sigh. “Speak up guys. Any suggestions or inputs. You can’t stay like this forever.”

“Bowling could have been better. No Yorkers bowled at the death overs. Too many wides. I must admit that am one of those to be blamed. “Sushil remarked.

Shankar pitched in with his comments too. “Fielding was pathetic. Good batting performance. No point in consoling ourselves by saying that we are new to playing with the cricket ball. Our fielding standards need to improve drastically.”

“It’s none of those. It is about the frame of mind with which we entered the game. We were not serious about it in the first place. When the game was in our hands, surprisingly, for the kind of preparation we had, we just let it off the hook. We never gave our 100%. No, not even 80%.Leave this one alone, how can we win any game?” Sridhar cried out.

“Sridhar is right. It is our attitude which cost us the game. I don’t think there can be a better explanation or an excuse for our loss than what Sridhar has mentioned.” Vishu said.

Silence prevailed for a while and Vishu spoke up once again. “Okay then let us try to forget today’s game and go ahead with the rest of the games. We have 2 more left and let us try and win them both. Any of you in for a practice session next Sunday just drop me an email. “

And they all departed to their respective vehicles and drove back home.

‘Zappers’, as the team was called had registered for a cricket tournament. It was called the ALPS League cricket tournament. Each of them were extremely talented cricketers but only with the tennis ball. They were new to playing with the cricket ball and were not very comfortable initially. This was the fifth match played by them and had lost all 5. They came very close to winning this one, the fifth, but in vain. Vishu’s efforts in trying to pull off a victory seemed a distant dream as he was running out of partners at the other end. Only Sridhar gave him some support in trying to score quickly but not for long. The tail wagged to an extent but they lost the game after coming agonizingly close to the required target of 183 in 20 overs. They could only muster 171 at the end of the 19^th over and were all out by then.

John and Sridhar were neighbors and were travelling together in John’s car. They didn’t speak much during the course of the journey as they knew they were at fault. About 5 minutes before reaching his house, Sridhar in a low voice said, “We must do it at least for Vishu. He has done so much for the team and has never showed off. High time we also have the same passion and commitment.”

“Very true. Unfortunately not all of us are that serious about the game. Anyways let’s do it next time.” John replied.

John was their team’s trump card as far as bowling was concerned. He bowled extremely fast and it was menacingly quick. Unfortunately he was at the receiving end in today’s game and was feeling completely low. He dropped Sridhar and went home.

Time went by and Vishu and John had caught up for tea in the food court. Vishu and John worked in the same office and were pretty close buddies.

“Do you think my captaincy is going haywire? Am I being too autocratic in my decisions? I only look at what is good for the team.” Vishu asked with suspicion.

“I don’t know why you have such a doubt. The fact remains that we all want to win and most of us want to win only for you for the kind of commitment and effort you have put in. So don’t worry about your captaincy. I don’t think there can be a better captain at the moment.” John assured him.

“We will have a practice game this Sunday. I’d love to win this one at least.” The captain remarked. “I hope Sridhar fires this time. He did well last game but I think he should also bowl well.”

John didn’t bother to reply and they left the place.

It was Sunday and the practice game was about to begin. The opponents were put into bat and John opened the bowling as usual.

Not the best of days for Vishu for he looked pale for no reason, but John did a pretty decent job with his bowling. His captain’s trust in him to open the bowling paid off with John picking up 3 quick wickets and nailing the opponents.

The score read 46/3 in the 14^th over and it seemed a great start for Zappers. Vishu tossed the ball to Sridhar to bowl the 15^th over. The rest of the team was amazed at the move and Sridhar himself didn’t expect this to happen.

“What are you doing Vishu, are you out of your mind? He leaked some 20 odd runs in the previous game in one over.” John came running from third man to the bowler’s end to say this.

“Hey we have so many bowlers who can do wonders for us. We are in such a strong situation. Then why give it to Sridhar?”Sushil was angry at the move. He was furious with Vishu for this move.

“Let him bowl. It’s ok.”Vishu snapped back.

Sridhar was given the ball and was smacked for 17 runs off his first over. The fielders were cursing the captain but that did no good. The following over was bowled by Ram which was pelted for 10 runs. The batsmen had come to form and were milking the bowlers for easy runs.

The following over was also bowled by Sridhar. At this, Sushil was furious. He ran up to Vishu and at the top of his voice he shouted, “Have you gone mad or what? This is the only practice game we have before our tournament game and you give the ball to Sridhar again? One over was fine. We saw what happened in that over. Another one? This is ridiculous Vish. This cannot happen. If you want him to bowl this over, I am leaving the ground.”

“Okay. Leave. I will manage with 10 players.” Vishudid not even think twice before retaliating that way.

Sushil and the rest of the team was shell shocked at the reply. Sridhar was ready with the ball and was stunned by the kind of faith his captain reposed on him.

“I will never play a game with you as captain again.” Sushil charged out of the field to take his car and just drove away. The team remained mute spectators to what was happening around and watched the incident with awe.

“Sridhar, go and bowl. We are one fielder short, but we are fine with it. Get us a wicket now. Sushil’s absence should not be felt and it depends on your bowling. I want you to bowl with all your might and fetch us a couple of wickets. These two batsmen at the center need to be back in the stands by the end of this over. Here is the ball. Do it for me.” Vishu seemed to speak out those words straight from his heart.

Vishu continued to cheer his team. “Come on guys, let’s do it. Sridhar is going to do it for us. Cheer up!”

And he did. He bowled two full Yorkers off his first two balls which swung a bit and uprooted the stumps. Call it luck or fear, Sridhar did it and was ecstatic after the fall of the two wickets and he was on a hat-trick now.

A new lease of life entered the team and it seemed to come up from nowhere. There were hi-fi’s everywhere, fielders looking real pumped up and were now ready for the challenge. The over was done without the hat-trick and drastically slowed the flow of runs. John was back in the next over and bowled a maiden.

Sridhar continued in the next over and picked another couple of wickets. The team just witnessed an outstanding bowling performance by their bowlers and very importantly Sridhar who was considered to be more of a batsman than a bowler created magic out of nowhere.

The game went by and opponents were bundled out for a paltry 92 runs.

During the innings break Vishu gave instructions to John to lead the team in his absence as he was going out for a smoke. He said he felt tired and asked him to ensure that Sridhar opened the innings.

“What’s between Vish and Sridhar? I have never seen him this biased. Maybe he has a plan.” Thought John.

“Hey Sridhar, open the innings with Sandeep. Vishu is not here and he asked me to inform you that you’d open the innings.” John told him.

John was the only player who could captain the side when Vishu was not around. Almost all the players had a fair amount of respect on him and also obeyed his decisions at Vishu’s absence.

Sridhar and Sandeep opened the innings and finished the game in less than 12 overs. Everything seemed to go the Zappers’ way in today’s game. But the captain was missing.

Sridhar was the man of the match and after they spent some time teasing each other they decided to leave. John called up Vishu to enquire about him and learnt that he had already reached home by then. He asked John to come to his house as he wanted to talk to him for a while.

“What a weirdo he is. Has he fixed the match or something. Well, no way.” John kept mumbling to himself and was wondering what caused Vishu to act so weird in today’s game.

The team dispersed and all of them left home. John dropped Sridhar and went to Vishu’s place. “Hey Vish. What happened da? You were behaving so differently today. Anything wrong?” John asked him.

“Yes John. There are a few problems.” Saying so he started weeping.

John didn’t expect such a reaction from Vishu. He was usually an emotionally strong person. Even during his tough times he never let his friends intervene in his problems. But today it seemed something different.

“What’s wrong?”

No answer. He wept.

“Tell me na. What is the issue?”

“Sridhar will not be with us for long” saying so he started weeping bitterly without a break.

“What? Why? What’s wrong with him? He seemed perfectly okay while playing today?”

“Yes. But he won’t live long.”

“But why?”

“Because, because, I poisoned him.” And I could hear reverberations of his weeping across the walls of the house.

“What the f***? What do you mean?”

to be continued........