April’ 2003,
Midtown, Manhattan Borough, NY.

It had been more than twenty four hours since Vivek admittance in the ICU at the infirmary. Several inspections were being progressed to sort the things out for the patriarch of the Hadars. Aryan and Rekha had no news from the doctors up until then. No food, no home, none of somebody has come to their rescue, it was just Vivek’s wife and his son, and Shalini’s presence needs no explicit mention, they were the only kindred’s in attendance. Three of them were in the same clothes since their arrival. Aryan with tousled hair was seated in the lounge, his skin had no moisture and it allowed the dust to settle in the creases in different portions. His red eyes appeared to be sunken with lightly dark circles lining up in the under eye area. A fatigued look manifested itself patently on his face. He wrapped the only jacket around his neck and lay there on a chair brooding over a fracas. While Shalini stayed with Aryan in the lounge, Rekha was not available in the vicinity. She had left to arrange some money for the treatment.

---

“Aryan,” Rekha arrived hurriedly, “has the doctor’s got us anything?” she asked. A sense of optimism spurted but Aryan knew it would only leave her in dismay the split second, “Nothing! Not yet”, he said, “have you got any money”, he asked digressing her from gloomy outlook. “Yes, I’ve got enough,” Aryan was relieved when she answered. We have some money now for the treatment Aryan thought but he couldn’t think too much on the source of ready money. Are we safe to carry out this treatment? He questioned himself and an unequivocal answer ‘Yes’ from his mind only condensed on the dubiety. The sentience failed his acuity to question any further but the truths… will find their way.

It was in the afternoon and the clock ticked two, Aryan caught sight of the doctor coming out of the ICU. He did see him and others swing back and forth at times but at that instant he had expected him to communicate on the condition of Vivek and the doctor did, “Rekha, can you please come along with me, you too Aryan,” said the doctor motioning his hand to his chamber. After the three of them occupied their seats the doctor continued, “We have done the diagnostics and he had been suffering with celiac disease,” the doctor informed both. Aryan was unrestrained with his trepidation, he flicked his gaze on to Rekha. He noticed no sense of consternation as she kept her composure alive and attentively lend her ears to the doctor, “I must say the disease has reached its zenith”. “What do you mean doc?” Rekha enquired, “Vivek wasn’t supposed to be in the locus, not lately,” She disagreed with the doctor swaying her head and said, “He was doing pink in his health until recently,” she paused. Rekha went back in time to incisively stack up on the instances where Vivek fell sick. She heaped up only a nought, “No doc, I am fairly confident that he haven’t fallen ill in his health for a significant period of time,”

“Rekha,” the doctor uttered, “I am afraid to divulge that Vivek hid the fact from you since a long time,” The doctor got up from his brown-leather Aeron chair, “Vivek has been suffering with type-1 diabetes since his adult age. Type 1 diabetes and celiac disease are both immune-mediated conditions. Diabetes is diagnosed first because the symptoms tend to be obvious and to diagnose celiac, it is done through periodic screening. 10% of people suffer with celiac if they are diagnosed with type-1 diabetes and I was having reservations with Vivek’s health condition then, sadly, the periodic screenings did prove it on my intentions. He was being on a gluten-free diet since eight years or so now. However, I am skeptical about his truthfulness on his diet otherwise we wouldn’t have you, Hadars, here in my office talking over the issue,”

“What is celiac?” Rekha asked. “It is an autoimmune disorder. If your intestine are very sensitive to gluten, like people affected with celiac, when they consume this protein rich foods like wheat, rye and barley, the body ascends an immune response attacking the intestine. They damage the villi, responsible for the absorption of nutrients into the body. This pulls off various malfunctioning of body cells. The damage is done at a slow pace and that’s the reason why it is very difficult to diagnose the disease in early stages,”

“But what triggers it?” Aryan stepped in. “Could be many reasons, type-1 diabetes overlaps with celiac because of same genetic profile. Generically, a genetic disorder or a viral infection or a surgery or an emotional traumatic stress could be possible reasons for the disease,”

“So doctor, what do you think we should do to save him,” Rekha asked, “right now, what we can only do is,” He walked back to his Aeron, “put him under medication for a month and strict gluten-free diet (GFD), observe his response to the medicines,” the doctor suggested, “get him for periodic check-up. Once every week and it’s a must,” he stressed.

“Alright doc, when can we take him home?” Rekha asked. “Today, you can take him today. We are done for now,” he said.

Nearly half of what they had had been paid out in charges. Aryan saw it vividly, they had to save every nickel or dime from then on for his treatment. Aryan thought that it would eventually cost them loads of money, and with what they had then, it wouldn’t be sufficient in the due course of time for them to accommodate their living and for his treatment. Our lives had fallen in trough.

---

“… You are not leaving me for anywhere,” Shalini uttered, “we can go to my house, you have always been my family. I live alone and it shouldn’t really be a worry to any of us,” Shalini suggested. At first, the Hadars were hesitant to be consonant with her but it didn’t take any longer for either of them to come out of the abyss and realise the propinquity the Hadars shared with Shalini. At the end of the day, they agreed to go with her. Shouldn’t be for a long time; just until I earn a living for the family Aryan twirled the thoughts in his mind.

“Aryan,” Shalini interrupted his ponder, “Car has arrived, we should go”, She gestured. “Dad?” he asked. “He is in the car already,” she said. Vivek was laid down in the second row of the passenger seat in the MUV while Rekha was compelled by Aryan to rest in the back seat for a wink of sleep. Aryan posited himself in the shot-gun accompanying Shalini in the ride. “Aryan,” Shalini gave a nudge on his triceps, “it’s gonna be fine dear, it’s just the time. You see it? The time,” she pushed the accelerator. The time Aryan shut eyes the time he repeated in his mind.

April’ 2003,
Midtown, Manhattan Borough, NY.

“Kalki called me an hour back”, Rekha said. “Oh that’s great, what’s up?” Aryan asked. “Nothing much, a routine call. We spoke about your visit to the city the other day,” Rekha replied. “She started phoning you very often lately”, he asked, “Isn’t she?”

“Oh yeah! She takes pleasure in talking with me” Rekha said. “Just like in talking to me” Aryan snap back. While they were engaged in talking and lounging in the living room Aryan heard a tocsin approaching the entrance of the house.

Three MUV’s, couple of SUV’s and Coupes, came to a standstill in the foyer. The security personnel were rendered speechless with the arrival of the automobiles. Never had they ever seen large congregation of vehicles slewing in a gust inside the edifice on an odd time period. Aryan was easy in his minds that everything at home was in fine fettle and up to the snuff. He wondered what would be the reason for their arrival.

“Excuse me,” said an officer dressed in utterly business casual attire except with a navy blue jacket emblazoned with the FBI seal, “This is FBI! We have a notice in a corporate fraud and an FIR filed against Mr. Vivek Hadar, the full time CFO for the SS Chemical Industry, a Germany based company established by Shekar, an USAn origin Founder and current CEO. We have to bring in your husband for an inquisition, now if you please excuse us,” he said but Rekha interposed herself into scene.

“Mr. Officer, your investigation needs an approval from the district magistrate,” she said getting herself on to feet composing tranquillity, “Now if you don’t mind,” she trod towards the senior agent, “could you please show me the warranted papers,” she said extending her palm out.

“I am sorry Mrs. Vivek, the district magistrate has no appertain over the issue. Your assertion is valid when we investigate a corruption or a real-estate fraud or an insurance fraud likewise and there are variants though, it’s intricate complexities in the law and I am not under any legal obligation to talk it out at this time,” the officer continued, “but you can have a look at the clearance from the federal govt. for the investigation on the offence, here” he said surrendering legal papers to Rekha. At the same minutes, Vivek was on his way on the staircase into the living room. The house was in absolute chaos, none of the family members in addition to valets, retainers, lackeys had seen the light about the happening. “Mr. Vivek, would you please go through the papers and confirm on’em,” the senior agent uttered as he realised the attendance of Vivek. The official handed over a ten paged legal papers taken out of a docket to him. In the intervening period Rekha stepped in, “Mr. Officer, what is the problem here?”

“Mrs. Vivek, the company for which your husband serves as the CFO has undertaken a massive fraud by capitalising the cost which should have been expensed. The company under the supervision of CFO failed to account for the total expenses in a current period and in addition they have produced a report with the expenses spread over several years helping the company to capitalise on its cost. They marked these expenses as long term investments and misclassified the actual expenses of the company. Apparently $2 billion expenses we’re undocumented making them showcase as the assets of the company,”

“What?” Rekha in all respects was disconcerted by the facts, “that cannot be the case,” she took the stance of defence, “It had only been weeks since his assignation as the full time CFO. Prior to it he was an acting CFO and I’d like to let you know that he had never taken a wrong step during his entire tenure because if truth be told, he was literally an ‘acting CFO’. He never cared to look up on the financial affairs of the company, every declaration on each penny was all done by the sub-ordinate officials under the current CEO,” she communicated distinctly.

“I am sorry Mrs. Vivek, we have evidence…”, the officer pointed to the wad of legal papers with Vivek while he was holding with his right hand scuffling to ingest the content of the paper, the officer continued, “…that reads, Mr. Vivek, himself agreed and signed the document for the mismanagement he undertook in the financial accounts of the company,”

“What the heck?” Rekha was baffled with the officer’s allegation, “My husband is innocent, and he had never signed such an agreement without my knowledge. You must be mistaken”, Rekha casted her eyes over Vivek and asked “Vivek what have you got to say?”

“Rekha, this document professes that I have accepted the fraud. It imputes the censure to the family of Hadars”, Vivek plummeted to the ground in an inordinate disbelief on what he had perused. Rekha and Aryan scampered towards him in a haste.

“We comply to our orders and we request you to vacate the house in an hour”, the agent said, Rekha was appalled at the Hadars incompetence and had the hunch of a gun shot fired at the point blank. The agent continued, “We’d be seizing the property including all your belongings in restitution”, he motioned to his comrades “The case had been registered under the civil asset forfeiture. So, we have no charges to file against the Hadars except to seize the property,”

Beads of sweat appeared on the forehead of Aryan, “The law enforcement is a heck in civilians’ lives,” he busted out in frenzy of ire, “what’s a civil forfeiture?” he questioned the agent from FBI.

“Mr. Aryan,” the agent checked on his identity. Aryan nodded and the agent continued, “Civil Forfeiture ratifies law enforcement to seize the property and any other gains appropriated illegitimately or that has been involved in certain criminal activity. The owner of the assets and securities doesn’t need to be felonious. The tool takes charge only over the property and not on the proprietor,”

“But we are innocent,” Rekha interjected his discourse. “You can be totally innocent and that doesn’t stop the govt. from conducting its legal proceedings. To bring into the light, the ‘innocent owner defense’ is not constitutionally required under the jurisdiction of Supreme Court,” he elucidated.

“How do I challenge the forfeiture?” Rekha asked in an immoderate aggravation. “Never mind!” the agent blurted out, “I suggest you to chop up your aspirations. Under over a sufficiently long career, I have been a bystander for several owners hankering to claim their property and securities back,” he walked towards the couch with a smirk and flumped, “None of them had been successful and if you wish to play the odds against my suggestion, you do have your freedom,” he leaned back on the backrest, “but please be abreast of the fact that the assets and securities will be held liable for the crime until you prove the innocence out of your allegation with a testimony. To be precise with your case, you will be under the moral imperative to manifest on your unawareness of Hadars indulgence in a misappropriation or that you had taken lawful stance judiciously to abort any acts proscribed under the law,” he finished his disquisition.

Vivek didn’t throb his cells and nerves after plummeting to the ground. Vivek stayed cold with the drool spouting from his mouth. “Vivek,” Rekha shrieked but he remained unresponsive. “Daddy,” Aryan squealed in a state of dizziness, his nostril flared. Vivek looked terrified with the conviction be holding a lot of pressure on his chest and he felt difficulty in breathing. Couple of the lackeys accompanied Aryan with Vivek and in seconds they were inside the Rolls Royce.

Rekha flitted nervously her eyes on Aryan, a twinge of panic ran through his bowels. On one side, they were asked to vacate the house in an hour leaving no choice and time to be thoughtful for acting and on the other side, Vivek had drowned in a health issue and Aryan didn’t even know how substantial it was with his father. He was wandering in the middle of nowhere. Rekha was dejected and screamed all through her heart out. Aryan knew how strong she was and yet he saw her in a traumatized state. Never had he seen, not even in his wildest dreams, with an ocean of tears pouring out from her eyes. He persisted being in passive for everything that was happening to the family of Hadars. He was utterly terrified; that only sent a shudder down his spine. He was trembled in losing consciousness, and he perceived everything around him to be dead dark. He could only see Rekha moaning and Vivek laid down in the back seat sombre. He shut his eyes and Kalki flashed in to the picture. He was reminded of her words, whenever you feel you are in danger, join your hands, feel the presence of God in your heart, with all the respect and trust, pray for him and for the first time ever, he joined his hands and spoke in an undertone, God, save us.

April’ 2003,
Midtown, Manhattan Borough, NY.

“This is the plot from the last decade showing us the number of cases in each category investigated by the FBI” an officer presented the statistics on the big screen in the meeting room, “it is evident that we see the fraud rate is going up gradually with slight ups and downs especially across corporate, securities and financial investment sectors,” He paused and ran a glance over all the faces attending the conclave inside the room, “Corporate fraud cases have been steadily on high in about twenty three hundred cases annually. In contrast, investigations related to securities fraud spiked up in the recent years, exceeding the mark of the corporate frauds follows the financial crisis. It the creation of a complex investments structure by the corporate companies that is responsible for the inhibition of creating preventive measures. As a consequence, the early detection of such frauds has become strenuous for the securities and exchange commission lately.”

“Corporate fraud cases are one of a kind in the fraud schemes practiced by the companies, they involve accounting schemes designed to deceive the investors, shareholders, auditors and others regarding the financial status of the company. The restitution orders lying under our belt will sum up to more than a billion dollars spanning victims from individual investors to private or public firms. That proclaims and demonstrates the scale of losses for the victims” The officer belched mildly and continued, “The bureaucracy prospects that we leave no stones unreturned. Our department is with the stipulation to back our knacks in the light of not only in the perusal of fault representation of companies’ financial conditions but also in the inquests of the allegations involving insider trading,” He said, “We should have absolute intelligence in scanning profusion of cabals comprising financial intermediaries’ or board directors, auditors, who are predisposed to blow the gaff on the classified data deets”.

“To evince and substantiate the truth, yet again we have got another case in the same. The details of the CFO of the company were all faxed to the senior officer from the Advisory committee in SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission). We should be taking a lead over the case by tomorrow late mornings,” the man nearing dotage communicated with the in-crowd personnel, “That’s it for the meet. You may wish to leave now, if there are no questions”.

“Chief, How about the apprising from the central govt.?” the captain asked.

“We are yet to receive it,” He replied, “we should be getting it by tomorrow morning and then we are authorised to carry on with the proceedings,”

“Alright! I will talk to the Sheriff,” The commander said and took leave.

Deputy Chief stepped in, “Also, look into the letter rogatory, it should be sent through the competent court under the provisions of 166-A of criminal procedure code. It may be necessary to conduct investigation abroad through Interpol and diplomatic channels; we need this letter of request.”

March’ 2003,
San Jose, Santa Carla County, California.

‘Kalki’ was the only name on his mind. He repeated the appellation several hundreds of times, in fact zillion times in his mind on his way to San Jose. It was five odd hours’ of flight to her place for him. He was deprived of sleep last night, the night before his first meet with the anxiety. I am gonna meet her He spoke to his heart thinking out loud in conjuring up on the tryst I am gonna meet my friend He ceased ruminating for a second I am gonna meet her as my lover He began to muse over. It had been six odd years since their last meet. He painted her picture in his mind, recollecting the features she left on him in her last meet with him back then.

“When I look at those untainted eyes, the pleasure I feel is indelible,

The innocence I see is innate, an exemplary for one’s delectations, the seventh heaven,

When I look at her cuddly smile on her teensy-weensy lips,

I cruise in the swoon of merriment, perhaps next to ecstasy,

The hirsute which stuck over is palpable and to get filled in with joie de vivre”

Well that was her Aryan composed a short strophe and began to question himself yet again, how would she look? What would she wear? How should we see each other in our presence? How should I look when I first see her, how to break the ice? Will it be a conventional talking? Like the one we did it on the phone or would there be a surprise for a change? How is it gonna be on our first meet?

Aryan kept asking several questions and he struggled to find answers to each one of them. He conceived answers to a few of them so as to make himself attain contentment.

***

“Where are you?” he received a message on phone. “I am waiting at the gas station, eight hundred meters away from your home,” he sent a reply. “Okay, honey. Walk towards the Louisiana bistro, its two hundred meter way in the other direction from your location,” She sent the second message, and then again a third message arrived in no less than a sec, “I will start in a min, the driver’s gonna drop me off. Remember, we are strangers.” She sent we are strangers in capitals. She was apprehensive and didn’t take a chance in letting any of the outsiders know that they were related.

---

Kalki calling…

“Hello, I have arrived at the spot, where are you?” she said in her honey dipped tone. “Madam, you drove and I am walking, I am on my way,” Aryan said. Her voice was like chalk and cheese, it sounded to him as if he was talking to her in person.

He remained silent on the phone as he walked and she too, didn’t speak anything much, just waited for him to arrive near her.

His heart started thumping, anxiety rose to the extremes and the beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, his tingling palms oozed out the dampness and fear; not that of a literal fear, kind of fear with a positive vibe completed his yen. He walked towards her, few meters more He said to himself and I am gonna see her He recalled his lateral dream. He slowed down the pace of his walk. He felt her presence, he felt her breathe, and he heard a sound on the phone nibbling what? He questioned his intelligence nails? He rendered in his mind and it evinced her lips. He fiddled as he conceived himself with his brink of lower lip being crushed by her denticle. The ambience was full of smoke, he had seen a woman twirling her hair and with her back facing him. She stood still gazing at the other side of the road, he couldn’t distinguish her from the mob as she was covered in the smoke. Seconds later he neared her, he was close and he could hardly think.

There she is, Aryan had seen his love of life, a woman in a striped grey-black coloured blend maxi dress, and embedded on it were Lilly. Her curly hair neatly combed and hung with a barrette in the ponytail hair style. she’s got alligator hair clips each one on either of the centre parted hair, her eyebrows fairly done, her ears loaded with dangle earrings long enough nearly touching the jaw bone, the suspended miniscule diamond pendants danced as she jiggled her noggin. Her eye lashes brushed with kohl and her lips lightly drowned in the lip gloss did their bits to effulge them under the sun light. He approached her from the back and nudged her shoulder. Abruptly she turned back, she didn’t raise her chin up. She knew it was him, she stood right in front at a whisker, her forehead was exactly even to his shoulder. If he hugged her, she would listen to the stories that his heart would tell her, that’s where they matched in height. He kept looking at her, he moved closer, so close that he missed the hazard of having a keek at her countenance. In a blink of an eye, she turned sideways, “taxi”, she called. No sooner had they got inside back seat of the car than they left the place. He was seated left to her. Silence prevailed longer than usual yet again, the pair kept quiet, absolutely quite for ten minutes. As Aryan had the dream last night of the game, he knew he had the ball in his court and had to sling his racket to break the silence and he just did.

“Why don’t you talk? Don’t I look good for you?” he messaged her on phone, “please, you are freaking me out with your silence”.

She just smiled to herself after she read the text, “Why don’t you talk? Try a reply”, he sent an immediate second message. “Can’t talk, people around”, replied Kalki.

He wondered who the people were. While it was just she and him sitting inside the car. He asked her, “people around? What do you mean honey?” She replied with an ultimate answer, “the mob”. She meant, as they were riding in the city centre, she felt that people would peep through the window if they happened to converse. Aryan had the highest mode of scepticism turned on about how she had happened to love him, if she was so obsessed with the mob and the fear of someone stalking the damsel. He didn’t dare to speak out thereafter till they halted their ride but he couldn’t just help himself with his steadfast notion.

“You know I have rented a car, a good car in all terms,” he said looking outside the window. He didn’t had the guts to look into her eyes, “why are we riding in a taxi?” asked Aryan. He presided over to accrue courage and exploited it all of a sudden by turning his face right to look at her. It shore him up to acknowledge something unexpected, he didn’t even suppose she would play her card, not until they reached the tryst. I knew it He talked under his breath slapping his dorsal hand over the front headrest. He learned that she had her eyes locked on him while he looked away from her, but she winced apace no sooner she realized his trace back at her.

“I know you rented the beautiful car,” said Kalki, “I know it is so beautiful that everybody in the city would be drawn to a close in having a glance at her, your beautiful car and eventually they won’t abstain from eyeing on your beautiful Me.”, she paused and Aryan sent a smile through his eyes. He felt her love tangible when she opened her heart out in those lastly uttered three words, “and I don’t want to grab mobs attention”, she completed her intent and Aryan got to the bottom of her jitteriness.

Unaware about the itinerary, “Alright, where should we go?” he did a check. “What do I know? I am just coming with you”, she retorted.

“What do you mean? You were hollering last evening, those places we are to visit and your plans?” he asked chiacking her, “this is your city baby doll, show me the places” he said. “I don’t know my lousy beau”, she said in an undertone.

Kalki was a different woman. She had her own strategy to play it on Aryan. While she did answer with ‘I don’t know’ a few times and a monosyllabic word at other times for all of his questions, she mentioned to the driver to take them to a place. She also insisted him to take the longest route dictating him on the directions. At first Aryan couldn’t get his head around her decision on why she wanted to squander time traveling long but it only occurred to him after nearly fifteen minutes of continuous talking with her that she wanted to spend some more time talking to him in private. It was only then his so wise mind triggered his cells of attentiveness.

They drove to a smorgasbord of different food courts at the flea market after an hour long journey. The place will be remembered by Aryan for the rest of his life for two primary reasons, one was it being his first visit with his leman and the second; he made a renouncement of non-vegetarian diet. When he placed an ordered for the fried chicken she ratified but it all started when Aryan went to feed on it. He was disconcerted by the mein of Kalki, it made a huge impact on his choice of being a non-vegetarian. Aryan looked slightly abashed on giving her hard times as she devoured on her comestibles impelling him to make a choice.

They spent less time at the place than they had planned for. It was already 14:00 hrs by then and they had to go like the clappers to be on time for the movie. Kalki had reserved tickets for both of them, she hid the fact from him to tread the boards. Aryan knew she made plans on his arrival and Kalki knew that Aryan knows the fact that she had something in store for him. In the interim both of them were setting standards for themselves exploiting superlative thespianism.

---

Theywere seated next to each other at the table.It left no way out even for a momentary look. He haven’t yet seen her face then and he hoped to get glimpse of her face at the cinemas, Mama wish me luck He said to himself. They were seated in their cosy seats inside the hall to the top left corner in the highest level of mezzanine. “A paradise,”Aryan spoke in a hushed tone, “What,”Kalki enquired. “Never mind!” he said. He couldn’t wait a minute long and made an abrupt turn to right to look at her but it was dead dark inside the hall. Aryan wasn’t disappointed, in contrast he deemed fluky to have his girlfriend with a golden white complexion. There are perks of having your girlfriend being snow he said dabbing his heart. He was in the seventh heaven when caught a sight of her in the gleam of silver screen.

Forty five minutes of time had already flown by, Forty five minutes more Aryan thought after a furtive look over his cell phone. “I want to kiss you,” he spilled his guts. She remained silent, unreciprocated and Aryan continued, “You look stunning, especially with this dress on you. My goodness! You bowl me over darling and I don’t want to miss to kiss you on our first meet,” he uncloaked his wish making it as plain as pikestaff.

“You fizzled out my thoughts. So, dear beau, it’s up to you,” she sent a nuance and went untalkative.

What does her statement mean? Aryan began to weigh up, is she inviting me or is that an indication to shut the fuck up? What if I take her for granted and proceed?

“You know what? I need you to voice out your answer”, he said nonchalantly, “You better tell me. I reckon it is good to ask a girl what she likes rather than proceeding with the instincts that actually saves from being a prosaic”, he said.

“Uh-huh,” Her outer edge of the eyebrows rose; inner edge of them met at the point above the bridge of the nose in the procerus region, giving an impression of a unibrow, how cute you are Aryan made a voluptuary comment in an undertone. Kalki glanced at her wrist watch masticating a gum leisurely and continued, “We just have forty minutes more before we get outta here,” she said.

He suspended himself from being in two minds and made progress moving his hand across her back. He grabbed her waist and budged her close to his chest. He adjusted to his comfort while lowering himself down. That was the first time he was contended to experience a perceptible touch of a girl but that was not the first time he touched a girl, that’s to say, he had no feelings or his heart was indifferent and it made no complaints when he abutted Saryu, Pooja or Mruna for that matter. It was unlike any of the erstwhile bounds, he was in veracious contentment and when he touched her, it jettisoned a load of forlorn he carried since the demise of Dayanand. The touch flushed the dismal spirits out of his heart. His lower chin brushed her left cheek, he displaced his lips on to the left eye, and he breathed the redolence of her ringletted hair. He pecked on the eyelid and rapped his tongued over the eyelash. He then moved down to her lips, she breathed heavily and he too, they both felt the wisps of breathes. He paused and wedged his lips into the teeth, she remained cold with her eyes closed, he whisked to her lips and flinched slightly but then he began to trail his tongue over the curves of her mouth; after a lap of his trail, he aligned the corner of his lips with hers and kissed. He pressed hard with time, she remained tacit. A few seconds passed and she grabbed hold of his neck; wrapped her arms around running her fingers through his frizzled hair and they were snogging for minutes. It occurred to Kalki that the gum had already wafted into Aryan’s bazoo.

March’ 2003,
Downtown, Manhattan Borough, NY.

“Meet Mr. Stanley Bloomberg, the chief of the Bloomberg’s Automobile spare parts manufacturing industry from Germany,” Shekar introduced Stanley to Vivek.

“Hello, Mr. Stanley nice to meet you”, Vivek said extending his hands for a handshake.

“Pleasure meeting you,” Stanley replied and Shekar continued “and we have our CEO for the JAPMI, Mr. Satya”. Vivek smiled with his eyes looking at the CEO.

“So, Vivek before signing the contract, let me give you a brief outlook of the project,” Shekar voiced as they took their seats in the hall at Dayanand’s guest house. Shekar displayed a docket to Vivek and Satya, “Stanley is interested in a partnership with the JAPMI industries, the investment from his company will be used for the development of R&D across other countries. Here are the complete details that includes the plan for the expansion of the industry in addition with the total revenue in return the company is assumed to raise”, Shekar said handing over the docket containing contract documents to Vivek.

“Uncle Shekar, I will look into it later in the night, let us finish the formalities,” Vivek said turning a blind over the contract on the horizon, “Mr. Satya, I assume you have already gone through the contract details. As I said before, I am the proxy in dad’s absence. I will sign the file and you lead the proceedings,” he said gesticulating with the twitching fingers, “get me the file”.

“Life in the fast lane”, Shekar spoke a sotto voce, “There you go,” he informed to one of the associate who had arrived alongside with him to assist with the paperwork, “Yep!” the associate replied.

“Sir, please”, a servant served the prosecco in the sparkling wine glass to Shekar and others. “To the JAPMI and Dayanand”, everyone toasted with the prosecco flute. “The glasses preserve the quality of wine,” Vivek talked, “the upright and narrow carafe retains the carbonation and capture the flavour pretty much veritably,” he elucidated on the fermented glera grapes, “perfect Italian brand,” Satya added complementing the wine by taking sides with Vivek.

“Yep, I love it. A glass of wine in the morning will push me forward at work,” Shekar replied.

“In addition to this deal,” Shekar dabbed his mouth with the paper towel, “we have couple of more jobs to bat around,” he flitted eyes on Satya and back on Vivek and talked further, “the vice chairman position has been vacant since the demise of Dayanand, we are in the know of the fact; the board has been sensible about the matter and made a request asking me to fill in the shoes of Dayanand. I have been thoughtful on the selection and I would like you to know that I am being open to the opportunity as the vice chairman of the company,” Satya intervened Shekar, “Sooner we will be having a summit on colloquies for which we will need your presence. The schedule will be brought to your knowledge very shortly,”

“Good,” Vivek uttered, “Nice to see the things are on the track. Happy for the JAPMI,” Vivek said, “what’s more?” he checked on Shekar.

“Second, as you are currently serving as the acting CFO for the SS Chemical Industries, we would like to appoint you as a Full-time CFO that is to say, as the outside member in the board of directors,” Shekar said, “We needed to strengthen the business between the Hadars and SS, that’s the notion which drove us to back you up with the position at SS”

“Me?” Vivek asked nudging his brows upside, “as a full time CFO? After all I haven’t done much to SS being an acting CFO? I am deeply sceptical if I deserve it anymore,”

“Oops! You don’t wanna say it. I know your strengths buddy,” Shekar grinned squizzing on Satya.

“Come on, for one last time”, Satya toasted, “to the Ex CFO,” he paused for a brief period and continued, “of SS, to Mr. Vivek”, he said and the small party began. Vivek had finished all the formalities and was moderately excited while he signed the offer for the full time position but he never realised where those formalities may have lead him and the Hadars.

February, 2003,
Midtown, Manhattan Borough, NY.

It was 18:00 Hrs. by then Aryan and Rekha had reached home after their outing. “Call Kalki,” Aryan’s phone sounded reminding him of the message that was delivered to him in the early afternoon. He treaded to his room in hasty and dialed her number.

Ringing…

The call was unanswered. Aryan trembled and redialed, it kept ringing but the call went unanswered for one more time. She has a habit of sleeping at this time after college, it should have been a tiring day for her Aryan thought. He slipped the phone on the table and drew the laptop from the sleeve bag. He clicked on the folder by name Personal and lay his eyes fixed on the pictures that she sent him the previous night. It’s been years I had seen you dear Aryan said to himself flipping an image. I have been missing you so much lately after your arrival into my life he talked to his heart flipping yet another image. He continued to gaze at the pictures and talk to himself by giving voice to soliloquy. In the due course of time, Kalki had already sent him thumping great bundle of her photos by mail. It was an inveterate line of business to skim all of them or gaze at a few till she reverted on his call. In more than half of the pictures he noticed the ring on her left hand middle finger and smiled at himself.

Beforehand Aryan told her to displace the ring onto the middle finger while it was on her ring finger. There was no clearly distinctive reason why he asked her to do it but he just asked her and she did it. Since then it was always there where he wanted it to be.

Kalki calling…

“Hey Kalki, been a while. How is everything with you?” Aryan asked.

She started weeping on the phone. “Honey, what’s wrong?” he enquired, “You don’t have to shed tears for no reason, for whatever it is. Break it down to me, I will work it out for you” he gave it a burl comforting her by letting his compassion out in moving heaven and earth. She didn’t respond but only stayed silent. He hated to see her in blue and asked her repeatedly on the rationales for her disconsolation. What happened next has changed his perception to life and people. He had given credence for it was not prepensed and he be convinced by it had just occurred. He accrued braveness and finally asked her – “honey, did you miss me?”

He did expect her to respond and so it didn’t take him by surprise when she voiced out words but the connotations caught him on the hop, “I don’t know, I may not live without you. I cannot handle myself in life without speaking to you. I did bring it to your knowledge before that you have turned out to be a part of my life. I missed you so much for so long; I am missing you one heck of a life now, where have been these days? No calls? No messages?” She began to pule.

“Baby, I am so sorry,” Aryan was entangled in tenebrous feelings, “I was stuck with problems at home. Hope you understand. Don’t you?” Aryan said hesitating to open on the demise of Dayanand.

“Alright. I am not going to put you at unease. I have you now speaking to me, I am happy and this is what I love about it,” She cleared her bunged nostrils, “will you like it to stay the same as we are now even after you are married?”

“Wait what?” Aryan was loud in his tone, “What do you mean?” He checked on her last statement. Before Kalki was on the brink of a reply, “You know what? Never mind. What’s up,” Aryan intervened her and digressed from the course.

After being thoughtful, he realized that woman had a clear understanding about a friend and a boyfriend. They had entrenched set of rules for each person in their life and are valid only to that person.

And yet again, his heart brought to his knowledge – “she needs you either way,” Aryan went with his gut and asked, “I wanted to ask you something, May I,” Aryan was in quandary.

“Never be on the horns of a hesitation. You just ask, idiot!” she said.

Aryan felt that he gained the freedom, “Would you love it if we devise a common tangent at the point of contact of our lips?” he exploited his freedom.

“What?” she said although she had already discerned on Aryan’s intentions. She did it only to propel him back on his notion.

“Would you love it if I place my lips on yours for a …” this time Aryan was stern in his voice but he didn’t appear to be cautious of what he was posing to her. He asked her not once but thrice to kiss him. He shut his eyes and recalled, Kalki never said No to my statements. In no time, he heard the peck on the phone. She did it He slapped his clasped fist on his right thigh and smiled.

Aryan believed that a women kisses her intimate either if she loved him to the deepest since long time or she would have a huge crush on him since a while.

He knew Kalki was not from the later and that left him with the former. He was only able to see her love to him and rest of his life with her.

“Honey, where is the ring on your hand?” he asked.

“It’s in the same place where you opted it to be. It will never change,” She confirmed.

“No darling, it should change,” He cleared his throat, “and it will change because I’m here to make consent the ring on to your finger,” He said.

She kissed him again and asked him, “Aryan, is this true?”

“If you had not felt my love, my love. You wouldn’t have kissed me again, I love you,” he finally gave a voice to his feelings.

“So am I,” she said and Aryan was knocked sideways when she catapulted those three magical words into his eardrum.

Kalki, the beauty with brain. She and Aryan were together since their nonage. Viswanathan, father of Kalki was an attorney, who hated the family of Hadars since the marriage of Vivek with Rekha. He did had obeisance for Dayanand and was the only reason why he looked after the charters at JAPMI. It was Kalki’s tertiary education that ordained the family to drive away from the city.

Kalki was an omniscient woman. Very vulnerable and highly umbrageous – yell out her name, you should see her weeping. She stood at five odd feet and had a white complexion, very amicable in her behavior. Her bonny teeny-weeny smile on her wee lips would bring back the spring for a while. While there’s a myth about ‘quick on the uptake’ women’s pulchritude, she was however disparate, men would not stop to gawk at her. She was bewitching and a dazzling star lending the delight to men.

It was more than couple of years after Aryan’s puberty that she popped out with a ‘hi’. Since then a lot has changed with Aryan along with the mentally coming-of-age, for the most part, the car racings and merry making had upraised in parlous. Although her details were in the feed of his digital diary but he never tapped on them for a natter or Witter. When Aryan received the text message from her father’s number, he was flabbergasted to know it was her after reading the text out loud in his mind. He was absorbed into his past, he didn’t hesitate to respond but was agog into the bargain. It was a snug as a bug in the rug, a very singular feeling for Arya.

They had a chat for more than a few hours, this went on for days followed by for a few months. As the time lead them, he was sad that he missed her being with him in person but at the same time he was more than happy that he got in touch with her and they were talking. The irony in his life, whenever he felt that something was just going right, it happened that the same thing took turns in the next days, periodically snooping into his grit.

One evening she texted him – ‘papa warned me regarding of times texting, he insisted me to stay away’. He flinched at the crux in the text, he couldn’t withstand after discerning the subtle message she delivered. He felt he would be alone, he revoked his heart and asked her for any other means to stay in touch. She replied with her personal number, he was overwhelmed to find her number out there in the messages list.

His heart spoke to his mind the next moment, the only words that reverberated in his mind were, ‘you will be no more single, and she has come’.

It is inane to see me fall for her in a short time. I never had feeling of this kind when she was with me in the good old days. Maybe we weren’t fully fledged enough to have a sensation by then. Now I am a guy of in full bloom and thus why I have the hunch that I am being sensible about it. What if this is a puppy love? Different perceptions!

Despite the unknown outcome of Kalki accepting his love. He kept thinking on the matter whether to get her in to his life. Crazy it seemed to be; he was fairly confident on what he was thinking, and at the rock bottom he contemplated as how a stereotypical nineteen-year old would do. That’s exactly the phase of life he was in, have extreme confidence in anything. It was like having the feeling in his bones of selling this world and get to be a rich bastard overnight. Aryan asked himself a few questions before he took a leap step in the matter. What If I ask her to be mine and if she shows no objections? Would I be able to write my vow diary to her and make her my soul mate for the rest of my future? He was stymied by.

But the haplessness was with Aryan for a brief time. She stopped texting him for a while after a passable amount of pressure from her father. He didn’t really know what other things a venerable man said had they been in his shoes. He endorsed a few of them of what he had seen from the past. As luck would have it he was rewarded and that when he heard her voice on phone.

He was amazed to find her speaking to him on phone for the first time after an eensy break. They never spoke on phone before. The spoke as the hours kept trailing for longer and longer. They got to know each other very well in a very short period. He could claim that he knows her completely, her interests, her likes and dislikes, cause for her happiness and sadness and so did she. He only realized that she had changed too in the due course of time. They were in a state where there would be at the least one short call in the morning and for an hour call in the night.

She once had happened to tell him that he had become a part of her world. He always felt her in her soul, which he hid being noticed by her and consoled his heart by saying that she’s his closest friend and he, is the only one, on whom she lay her trust more than anybody in her own world.

On a week day Kalki called Aryan as usually in the night. She informed him that she had a message and then went on saying that she had a proposal at her college. Aryan was going down as soon as she revealed an unexpected content. He was lost in constructing words in response. He asked her coyly what she felt for the same. “You know what my answer would be”, the reply from Kalki was nimble.

Aryan knew her answer to those proffers would be a whacking ‘No’. As he wanted to hear it from her he said, “I don’t know what will be your reply to those questions, Kalki”.

Kalki tended to be in a frenzy but she puffed heavily out and regained consciousness, “If I had to figure out an answer to them, I would have asked you to make the choice for me,” She replied. Aryan in a double quick time fell head over heels yet again.

Later, he asked her momentarily to send him pictures of hers. Kalki never said ‘No’ to his statements and she was on her thinking hat looking for means to send him her photographs despite of brooding over to send them. While it took a long time before Aryan had seen her, the wait had been a significant one for him.

Every other time he asked for a picture of her, she complied and sent him in minutes. Above all, her decision making moments were all left to his choice from then. Till then his love to her was only for her character and to the words she had spoken to him on phone. Kalki even drove him out of his mind by the way she looked in the pictures. The lovely petite girl with whom I had spent my childhood for a while, has been driving me crazy lately with her looks. Aryan thought. Girls see a change in their superficial features after schooling as a result of the culmination of the transition to woman from girl. Although there would be a girl in every woman and a woman in every girl but they only come out when they sense their need for a presence. She is the magic that will never again happen to me in this life with any other. Aryan thought.

February’ 2003,
Midtown, Manhattan Borough, NY.

It had been a long time for Aryan since he went out with Rekha. He felt ecstatic touring with her, and he thought for all that was had been substantial if Vivek would had joined them but he reminded himself that there was no space for to be remorseful about.

It was on a mid-day Friday. Aryan was driving the car with Rekha seated in the back seat. While he was pondering over his abstractions, he arrived at one of his most-liked restaurant to which he had planned a while back to take Rekha.

“Mom, this is an Italian restaurant and I like it here. Will walk in, what say?” he asked to look-see if she is gonna give something the nod.

“You think? Let’s get going,” She said passively.

“Great, I will park the car and come, you may want to wait over there in the lounge,” he guided her with a gesture.

---

Aryan drove into the loft. While he was ticketing for the parking his phone beeped. Aryan read it in his mind, “Are you alive? I’ve not heard from you since coon’s age. I’ve called you several times, you are unreachable on phone. Call me back when you see this”. Aryan thought he should respond to the text positively later in the evening and he put the message as a remainder. He was really bad at remembering things and the remainder helped him a lot with his daily routine. He slid the phone into the overcoat pocket and walked with Rekha inside the restaurant.

---

“Looks like something’s equivocal. Why are you smiling?” he asked her when the shill opened the restaurant door and solicited them in. “Good afternoon sir and madam, could you please let me know If you had any reservation made for the afternoon,” the lady receptionist asked in polite tone. “Not really,” Aryan answered her. “Yes please,” there came a voice from behind which caught the attention of the lady receptionist but it took Aryan by utter bolt out of the blue, “we have seats reserved for two and here are the details of the booking,” Rekha handed over the invoice to the lady.

“Are you kidding me?” Aryan murmured, “When have you made the reservations? How did you figure out that I would drive you to this particular restaurant?” He asked in a flabbergast. Before Rekha proceeded to answer, “Madam, our head waiter will walk with you to your table,” the lady confirmed on the booking.

“You wanna tell me now Mom,” Aryan repeated his question, “how?” he stressed. “Madam and Sir, this way,” the head waiter said and they both followed the man. “I will let you know after we are seated,” Rekha said on their way, “don’t be anxious,” she said and spanked on his back.

“Mom…” Aryan gazed into her eyes displacing his left hand onto his bahookie. “What?” Rekha asked in turn raising her brows, “Just because you left puberty doesn’t mean I shouldn’t spank you” She said. Aryan had an only choice to put a wide smile on his lips and remain silent. He eagerly waited to be seated before he could make any more queries.

---

“Okay we are seated and I am not gonna wait anymore,” He said filling the highball glasses with the bottle of cocktail, “When have you called the restaurant? And how did you know that I would drive you here?” He asked her yet again handing a glass over to her. She sipped a little amount and squinnied as it sent a shudder down her spine, “It’s been days since I had cocktail,” She pulled herself up and said, “and to answer the question you are longing for. That’s a little magic trick from your mom. You know the necromancy and stuff, how is the show honey?”

“Oh! That is really a cool trick and I am impressed but guess what, check this,” he gave her the bill of the advance payment for the assortment of viands at the same restaurant. “Oops! Clever son. How did you know that I wanted to have tachos this afternoon,” She asked him in an amusing tone. “Ah! Mom, that’s a little magic trick from your son, how is the show darling?” He repeated her last statement laughing out loud but little did he know that Rekha has an ammunition of a riposte, “but I already had stolen the show son” she said.

The waiter arrived in medial conversation, “Sir, would you like to place more orders before I bring you the Tachos”.

“No, we are good. Thanks,” Aryan answered, “We would like to have enough calories to carry tachos” he said with a smile. “No worries,” the waiter uttered and left the spot.

Rekha vocalized her preconceptions, “How is she? Did you talk to her lately?” She enquired breaking the silence. Aryan felt the jerk running through his dorsum and spouted the cocktail from his mouth. While it caused him to be at a stand, “Who is that she being referred to?” he asked her as if he knew nothing about the ‘she’ on whom Rekha showed her concern.

“Are you giving a word to the wise that you are having more than one girlfriend?”

“What do you mean mama,” he asked preparing himself with a thinking hat about the subject.

Aryan was excited and tensed at the same time after learning the fact that Rekha found out what he had been burying deep in his heart for some time then. Something always knocked him outta his tracks, lugging him back from talking it out with his mom. That moment what so ever thwarts into the screenplay, he decided to weigh up on the matter as she herself ushered him into the talk.

“I am talking…” She grabbed the snail fork and cheese knife, “You couldn’t help yourself to bring it to my knowledge so I had to learn on it by myself. You seem to spend much of your time with her lately, giving her your available brief time, loving her with all your heart and etcetera,” She asked casting her eyes away from Aryan.

“Yes, mom,” Aryan hesitated gulping down the last of his cocktail drink, “I share and care as well, I feel different for her. It’s inexplicably bizarre but enticing and beautiful at the same time. Mom, she’s become a special person in my life all together. I wanted to make her mine,” he let it out in prominence, “truly and completely. I feel she is the one for me and she might have actually come in to this world just for me,” He was on a free flow in his tenderness, “Just for me,” he repeated pressing his fingers on his heart, “I wanna grow old with her” he finished telling Rekha looking right through into her eyes with no trace of being in two minds.

Rekha envisaged the tenderness of Aryan but she had compact knowledge about Aryan’s chivalry, “You are engrossed by her thoughts, aren’t you?” She smiled in a pause period and continued, “Why don’t you let the cat out of the bag? You should talk to her, see what she is up to in your case. Do not impel on the matter, take it nice and easy,” She reposed him into his comfort zone by dabbing on his aplomb.

“Do you think so,” He tried to dig deep on perspicuity.

“Personally, I don’t see any defaults by which she is gonna say ‘No’ to you. You are together for several years. I meant, you guys grew together since your childhood. You might have known each other well enough by now, which is essentially a concern in a relationship,” the waiter arrived with the viands intervening them in their confabulation.

“You are persuading my mind to be in line with yours. I have the same hunch but you know, I see I have responsibilities to take up and besides I don’t want myself to take lead in this because I can’t lose or face her if things don’t favor us,” She isn’t Mruna He thought for a while and continued, “I am actually waiting for the time where I can show up to her and tell her my feelings looking right through her eyes. To love and express is not be planned, it is to be happened, mom. Come on! Have the corn,”

“By the way, I was asking, did you talk to her lately?” She said, “Umm! This corn is amazing. Your daddy loves it as well. He’s really missing something delicious this afternoon,”

“Yeah! The dish is amazing, I never expected it will turn out to be this delicious but I am waiting for the tachos” Aryan said and gestured for the waiter. “Coming to Kalki, I didn’t talk to her for a long while. She doesn’t even know about the demise of Nemo. I didn’t tell her, she only knows that he is ill and under medication. I received a message from her an hour ago while I was parking the car. I should be calling her this evening,”

“You don’t wanna miss her out today,” Rekha encouraged him.

“I won’t,” Aryan assured her.

They spent a lot of time at the restaurant before they returned to the house. Rekha sorted things out for Aryan from his multiple interests. While Aryan braced himself for what he ought to do next and he never knew what was coming on his way.

February’ 2003,
Midtown, Manhattan Borough, NY.

It had been one and half months since then the demise of Dayanand. Aryan and the family missed him as the days went by. Not much had changed with the ménage. Aryan was resting on settee; Shekar and Vivek were sitting on the studio couch while Rekha stood near the sofa couch, all of them gazing towards the bifurcated staircase inside the foyer. The staircase was built by a wide flight of stairs at the start which bisects into narrow flights at the mid-landing. The two narrow flights starts from either side of the mid-landing leading their way into the top floor. A colossal sized portrait of him was installed on the wall ahead of narrow flights at the mid-landing.

“Good god,” Shekar puffed air out, “His elegance will live forever,” he said as they continued to look over Dayanand in the portrait.

“Rightly said,” Vivek joined with Shekar’s remarks, “and he will be with us forever”

“Vivek, I understand this is not the right time to talk but as a board member,” he made a quick look at Rekha and continued, “I am under legal obligation to bring it your notice. We should continue the works of your father to keep up with his good name and only then his soul will rest in peace” he said displaying a docket containing several printed loose sheets, “We have got a new contract, sort of a business venture worth $50 million. There is demand in the market and there is also lack of supply for the product. The need of the customers is known, we have the idea. We will develop, market it and sell. I believe we should take up this venture. It’s gonna help us in the horizontal business expansion but before to sign the contract, we need an authorizer, Vivek.”

It was a bolt from the blue to Rekha and Aryan. While he got up and sat with his back erected on the settee, Rekha descended on to the sofa couch going sick in the head but Shekar continued, “Yes! Vivek. I am considering you. With the demise of Dayanand the chairman rank has been void till today. The board has decided to hand over the charge to the patriarch. Accept the status as a patrimonial bestowal from your father. I hope he will be happy after you choose to lead JAPMI”

“Uncle Shekar, I am happy that you choose me to take over but truth is, I consider myself to be unfit for this. I never did any business infact I never went to college as you knew it. I was taught to be a spendthrift”

“True Vivek. You were a spendthrift and an investor does the same job but in a wise manner. You know how to spend, let me teach you how to be wise. You will gradually become an epitome in the investment management, your strategies will be the references for the grads at Harvard. I know your capabilities, and you are not alone in the journey. I will always be there for you, you are like my son dear. That is the bond me and your father shared. I will guide you and teach you to do some real business” Shekar grabbed the veen 5 bottle of water.

“Papa, you want the industry to face bankruptcy? It seem you do,” Rekha had an objection with the board’s decision, “My husband is not going to be entrusted with the JAPMI and I am least bothered if somebody is offended” she exclaimed her disapproval.

“meine liebe Tochter, don’t you trust your daddy?” Shekar looked at Rekha, “We need somebody from the family to carry out the business. Dayanand holds sixty percent ownership of the industry and Vivek can have the right ownership in his father’s absence. Dayanand had bequeathed the shares under the name of Vivek and he is the only son who can inherit the ownership” Shekar presented the facts to Rekha

Shekar intervened and took the lead, “let there not be contention. The heated disagreement is gonna rupture the bond,” he got up from the studio couch and walked towards Rekha. He wrapped his arms partially around her shoulder, “Look up,” he said, “If that displeases you then I will find no interest in the consignment”

“I beg your pardon,” Rekha mumbled. “you don’t have to,” he whispered in her ears and turned to face Shekar.

“Uncle, I have no concern in the operations of the industry,” he said, “Look for a new chairman among the board until then I would be willing to take charges, maybe just to take part in the meeting to cast my vote on behalf of father”. He made it plain to Shekar terminating any remote discussion from the central point in the subject. Shekar sauntered towards the bifurcated staircase rasping until he was abandoned by an abstraction, “and for now, I would sign the deal for you. You are the outside director of the board, I reckon you will have an unequivocal picture in a blanket of the industry operations than what the insider board has,” he cast his eyes on Rekha for a second and said, “I would rather respect that outlook than being embarrassed by shrugging it off”

Shekar was delighted to hear on Vivek’s tidings, “Great Vivek. Thank you for your understanding over the issue. We would like to finish the procedures by next week preferably on Wednesday at the JAPMI’s guest house during brunch,” he dictated, “would that be good for you?” he enquired.

“Absolutely fine by me,” Shekar raised his chin with his fingers slithered on his throat. Rekha perceived that something’s wrong with Vivek.

“Alright! I will pick you up. See you sweet pea. Take good care of your husband, he is going to be a Businessman, real soon” he said. Rekha could only feel embarrassed of the family’s situation in the absence of Dayanand, It has changed in a few months and change? It is temporary she thought to herself, but not for the Hadars’

Rekha never liked Shekar venturing for a business. She didn’t like her husband to be one among those who does business. Primarily she believed that he was unfit for the job and secondarily she believed that it changes person’s subjective feelings killing any trace of compassion and only leaving them to act rationally.

“Vivek,” She called him as he was climbing up the staircase, “Is something wrong?” She asked. Vivek visibly looked gloomy although he was engaged in the conservation on a firm voice few

minutes ago. “Not really. I am having the commotion, as a flare from the throat runs into the chest. Maybe I should get some rest,” he said.

“I am just wanting to know inside out. Are you sure you wanna go ahead with dad’s proposal? We both know well how capable you are. Don’t we? It’s a venture. Neither you foreknow nor do you know no details of the venture,” She asked wryly.

Aryan approached her mom who was standing still at her spot, “You have always shot them at dad. Those would only cast aspersions, why take a challenge and put him at the unease. Why do you even wanna play with him?” he flopped on the sofa couch.

“Aryan… your father doesn’t feel responsible. I wonder if he is aware of my presence as his wife in his world. He needs only the wine,”

Rekha walked away into attic room with tears in her eyes. In spite of the fact that Vivek took notice of Rekha being ripped off in her heart he only disregarded the moment. That was the very first time in the conjugal life that Rekha had sounded out acerbic words. Never had ever Aryan had seen Rekha being outrageously sober at something. While Vivek treaded upstairs into his room Aryan followed Rekha in a trice.

“So…” Aryan cleared his throat walking towards an altar located at the end of the room, “why did you marry him in the first place when you know what kind of a man he is” he questioned her gazing into a portrait in the predella.

“Aryan, that should not be your concern. Why do you care to ask on the forefront, you better let it go except that you should learn a thing. My life was not in my hands. I am the daughter of a business magnet. These ruthless businessmen do anything with their daughters’ lives, in fact any women lives to blend and win deals for money. My life had been traded to indirectly strengthen the business between the families” She spill the beans.

Aryan took a gander at Rekha and said, “So, is that it? You say you had been traded,”

Rekha kept looking vacantly over the Mannington flooring, “Yes, that’s the truth but Nemo had always been a nice person to be with. He was my next father. With the death of his wife, there were no women in this family. I’ve come here as his daughter to look after him and not just to carry the name of a Hadar. To say nothing of, I was and will be worried for your father” She paused and breathed out heavily, “Son,” She called Aryan and he looked at her, “money changes people,” She casted her eyes on Aryan, “Yes, it did change your father. He was the same man before I got into his life as he is the man till today. In due course of time, I only realized to know that his change will never ever happen, not at the least my death will cost it. I gave up on him and the little hope that I had he would transmute.”

“Well mom. What was with Nemo? He had got enough of spondulicks and there were no signs of change. Why did only dad become different?”

“Aryan, it is not always the one who enjoys what they earn. It’s always the one who enjoys the inheritance. Nemo hailed from a typical middle-class family, the fortune we are living through is his exude perspiration. He had to swedge with the fate. Well, I could go on telling you all day and

Nemo’s personal diary is such substantial,” She said drawing herself close to him, “The self-made man entrenched himself into a classy businessman. He knew the value of money as he earned it hustling through his life. Your father relishes in what his father has raked in for him. A father makes money for his precedes’ happy life and this is very plain in any family. I have no time to discuss things with you right now but when the right time comes you will find answers to your questions”

“Alright mom, No pressure” he said coyly.

“Aryan,” Rekha installed herself by a whisker distance from him. She cupped his face with her hands and patiently gazed into his eyes, “would you promise me a thing?” She asked.

“Mom, I love you ever since you brought me into this world. There should never be a choice for me to make when you ask something. I am your son, you say and I do,” He pecked on her forehead.

She took a step back, “Come here,” She beseeched, “hug me,” She said and Aryan assented. “I agree that we have money but that should never let you down as a person. I would never like it to see you being the one as your dad. You should learn how to live on your own and take good care of yourself. I wanted to see you as an established individual without embezzling your inheritance” She said and wrapped him in her arms.

“I will sure keep up with your words darling. Consider it’s done,” He said, “Ah!! I would let this fly off before we be domiciled in sober. Why don’t we go out? Only you and me. We had made plans some time ago but hadn’t been fruitful lately. Let’s make it this time, Lovely mom with her lovable son. Perfect, isn’t it?” Aryan’s all smiles.

“Do you really think we should go out? The patriarch might just need assistance, he looked somber just before” she said wryly.

“Hahahaha! Mom. You are a crazy woman, aren’t you? You play the odds against him and suddenly you care,”

“Idiot! He is my husband, remember?” She winked at her son.

“Alright, I saw that coming. I will probably do a check on him if it’s okay to take you out. He should comply with his son most likely. You knew, he never said no to me, had he? So you better be prepared, we should be leaving in half hour”

---

Aryan entered the bedroom and found Vivek lying on his bed watching a competition on the TV catching glimpses of the women in their swim suits, “Hey, dad” He intervened incising Vivek’s sight, “you seem to be busy ogling at the female of the species on the show. How is it going? Need some drinks to compliment the ambience?” he asked attempting a flout at him.

“You got be kidding me. I am not actually ogling at the women but I am literally lost in my thoughts for other reasons. By the by, what brings you here?”

“Oh! Seriously? I am sorry for being disgraceful. Are your thoughts have been wandering over the ownership and the contract?”

“Hmm,” He moved his head up and down, “kind of” he replied.

“Well you did decide on it dad. You can’t get bogged down, don’t think too much. You may not want the outcome to take a toll on your health, do you? You should get some sleep now, I see the puffiness over the lower lids.”

“You are right, I should” he said and recollected the question he asked him, “what brings you here, you don’t want to leave it unanswered”

“Mom and I would like to go out. Little prime time, maybe on a lunch. Will return soon.” He informed him.

“Have a nice time both of you. See you again,”

“That’s awesome. Have a good sleep not a bit of a shut-eye,” he said as he walked out of the bed room.

December, 2002,
Mϋnchen, Bavaria, Germany.

“Shekar…,” there was a knock on the door while he was gazing at his portable computer. “Oh… Katie,” his eyes were like saucers, “I was just looking into your message. Have you got something?”

“Yes I do. I felt the matter at hand is critical and I made up my mind to talk it in private,” Katie talked hesitatingly clenching her fingers.

“Well please… tell me what is it,” Shekar asked.

“The past week when you left for USA on the death of dayanand,” She paused. “Yep! What’s the matter?” he asked firmly.

“Stakeholders arrived at the company with no prior notice. There were third degree issues and bone of contentions on a few parameters,”

Shekar got up from his leap chair with a terrified look on his face, beads of sweat was appearing on the forehead, “but why?” he asked.

Katie spill the beans on her intentions and how the board had been answerable to the stakeholders. “But we have lured them,” he talked straight, “and we have been doing it for eight odd years,”

“Shekar, I be of the same mind but the stock price has been the same for quite a long while, our competitors, they all are excelling with steady increase in the stock price. By the projections of analysts at the Wall Street, investors are skeptical on the growth of the company”

“We have made acquisitions that should have brought the stock price to its expected price,” he said gritting his teeth.

“Aren’t we talking about reality? Those acquisitions, you know. Acquisitions cannot guarantee an increase in the stock especially when they are related-party ones,” She tugged it out into the open and continued, “economic pressure to keep up with the targets; Show steady growth; Perform better and better all the time in order to keep the investors happy for an increase in the market value; the trumped up efforts has reached finally to its brim,” she was dissuaded by him.

“Alright! We have got work to do. Call Stephen, ask him to see me in my office in an hour,” he said

“Shekar, I would like to mention another aspect as well,” she said

“What is it Katie?” he enquired. “The bank loan is piling up and it’s gonna catapult us into bankruptcy. That’s just the premonition based on the facts of analysts’ projections,”

“Call Stephen, now” his voice was firm this time.

Winston & Glanford (W&G) had been the auditor for the SS chemical industry since a long time. It was secretly known for its indulgence in the fraudulent financial statement makings. It did manipulation of the financial records, altercation of the accounting documents and falsifying business transactions. It was not hard for them to materialize whatever a company contrived in the process of committing frauds. Be it a misrepresentation of transactional accounts or omitting significant information in operational costs on which financial statements were prepared. The audit company under the intimidation of losing the giant clients, propelled the auditors to comply with the earnest requests, pertaining to devising criminal deceptions, made by the clients.

Couple of years ago, an executive from W&G was arrested for a deliberate misapplication of accounting principles, policies and procedures but he was under the rescue of Shekar. The auditor, Stephen has now got a new contract lately that involved presentation of inadequate disclosure regarding accounting procedures and related financial amounts.

---

“Hello Stephen,” both men shook hands, “thank you for coming on a short notice,” he said.

“Always at your service mate,” he threw his hands up with his eyebrows raised, “looks like we gonna have a slump”

“You think so?” Shekar kneaded his forehead, “Never have I ever conceived that I would be peddling on my own business. I never will be hawking,” he motioned to Stephen towards the gesture chair, “We had been in contending with this business practice for eight years now and that took us for a new leap in the dark” he said handing Stephen over a bunch of dockets.

“I’ve them. I have the copy with me and I have them at beck and call,” Stephen replied, “I was hesitant at first to enlighten you on the subject. However, early this week I had decided to bring it onto the table for an exchange of views but I had to back off from my disposal after learning that you were following up on your routines”

“What do you mean,” Shekar displayed his fierceness in his stance.

“False and questionable claims, expense overstatements, expense reclassification, giving away questionable of contracts to companies owner by your brother, duplication of payments, outright theft of assets; writing off of the assets to advantage of your family, false returns to regulatory authorities” he heaved, “enough Shekar, do you see the plight? Concede. The only way” he paused, “these fraudulence in financial statement is not gonna sustain for years. They have their threshold. I was trying my best to tackle the situation till today because I reckoned that you would summon the debt real soon but it is too late that it blew up very early for us. Once again I remind you, concede and file for bankruptcy”

“Shut up!” Shekar voiced out, “What do you mean by give up? I have fortressed this issue between you, me and Katie. Not even my blood brother who is lying in there with a woman is in knowledge of what we had been doing. What do you want me do now? Whack it up? All these years of my go about in confiding the offence between us, where’s the respect? Neither the board nor the stakeholders had no idea. I stand by the industry and I have no intentions to raze the brand of SS to the ground. You think, I will be thrown into jail along with my family and I will face the debacle like a coward? Don’t you?” he paused and plodded in the chair. There was absolute silence prevailed in the chamber of the CEO. Stephen gathered courage and walked towards him; he patted his back, “you subtly look worried to the hilt. I haven’t seen this side of you till today. If you don’t wanna concede there is other choice, make an acquisition, I am talking on a literal note, make an acquisition, big one to shoot up the stock price and something that helps you pay off your debts sooner” he paused, “which I believe is impossible”

In an instant Shekar rose to his feet, “Thank you for the piece of advice. That’s your point of view but why don’t you understand or see the other side of me, as you say, but with your glasses on? Mr. Stephen. I am not worried because I am having to lose the company, that’s out of question. My concern is for that I have a little time to execute plan B” Shekar smiled for the first time in the entire conversation. “When I hide a few state of affairs from my kinsfolks why didn’t you discern that I might have had something hided from both of you as well?”

“Sorry! Shekar,” Stephen asked, “but I don’t understand”

“Well it’s pretty plain,” he got up slapping the armrest, “have you ever played with a toddler?”

“Not in my thirty five years of life,” Stephen answered him, “I am looking forward though”

“Then get dressed up Mr. Stanley Bloomberg,” he patted his back, “Stanley Bloomberg, who is the guy?” he checked.

“It’s you. You should know what I mean,” he talked in a puzzle, “You gonna be a piece in the montage. Let you meet the toddler and we will have a short play with him,” he dispersed from his office, “Mrs. Katie Joanna, get couple of tickets on the morning flight to USA. We gonna go for vacation”

Bemused Stephen walked towards Katie with a disconcerted look on his face. “Who is the toddler?” He solicited for an answer.

“The acting CFO,” she replied.