The first year had been one heck of a year for Aryan. From nine in the late dawn to the five in the late afternoon, the freshers were put through intense schedule encompassing classes and laboratories. Over and above, there are periodic assignments and timely quizzes.

Aryan remembers, on the very first day at college, An Asst. Professor appeared in the frame, he was not too old but old enough, aged in near forties. Skinny and standing at six-foot tall wearing UV protected eyeglasses, they had the appearance of being three to four years old with a weak metal frame; gives an impression of the prof having a hypermetric sight. He clothed himself in neatly removed creases from the full sleeve gray colored shirt, decently handcuffed, tucked professionally with a normal leather belt hung in the recently stitched light colored black trouser. Needs no explicit mention, the polished shoe shimmering like the glittering stars. In the right hand, he carried dustless chalks and in the other there were odd number of loose sheets written in ink, pinned with a paper holder, it looks as though are the notes for the lecture. He knocked on the glass door standing at the doorway, in a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, he sounded out loud – “good morning class”. All the tutees were very excited too and everyone replied earnestly on a high pitch – “good morning professor”.

“So, I am Asst. Prof. Vittorio, Automobile engineering, have been teaching here for a long time now. It is good and indeed a great pleasure to see such fresh talents. I can understand how arduous it was for you, all through your high schooling to make it on the up and up. Delighted to see lots of happy faces. I wholeheartedly welcome you to the University and brace yourself for an unforgettable journey” He said in a sweet voice.

“So should we start our first class,” the prof said while he erased the previous lecture content written on the blackboard.

“Nope,” response came out in amalgamation.

“Okay,” ­he came back on them and started to write on the chalkboard. He described the content while in the midst of writing, “So class, you have four months for each semester… ”

The professor who sounded simpatico few minutes back was suddenly turning out to deliver an acerbic speech. Metaphorically, his intention was to vouchsafe a prezzie, a denizen with no amenities and entertainment. He declared an off for the class later after delivering his objectives for the rest of the course and the conduct of the students inside the class. Thenceforward, it all set the ball rolling for Aryan.

He had finished his freshman year with a GPA less than the par for the course. His Rota contained only attending gigs in the nights, watch sci-fi movies, scoot and vamoose from the class, race on the weekends. For over a year and half since his joining at the college, he was encircled with the same activities.

After a certain length of time in his sophomore, something nominally has changed him in the winter break. He truly felt to refrain from doing the extreme racing challenges and in fact he tried to keep up with his notion to see a change in himself by focusing more on his interests, Automotive Engineering. But he couldn’t see fair-to-middling pay-off in his Mid-Term. Yet he kept with his stratagem. As the time passed by, he was then at the end of the sophomore year joisting himself to face the Final-Term.

“Aryan, guess what bloke, a challenge up in a couple of days, look here is the description of the event and cash prize” ­Jenny handed over Aryan a red colored pamphlet with the heading – “CHALLENGE,RACE and WIN”, the event name, written in informal roman, highlighted with a high contrast relatively with the background, “prizes worth $2000”, the prize money for the race, is star boxed, with italicized text placed at the top right corner, very picturesque enough to grab the reader’s attention.

“Sorry, Jenny. You know we have finals coming up the next week. I haven’t been doing anything much after midterms, I don’t want to flunk badly this time. Don’t pressurize me, we have done enough ratings until yesterday. Hadn’t we?” Aryan said in response to jenny inquiry.

“What Aryan? Enough races till yesterday? Do you remember the last race we had? Buddy, wake up. Our last challenge was a week before midterm, we have, and in total did only 5 races, that too in the starting of this semester. Despite with the effective powertrain of the car, we lost 3 of them. Argh! Lose! After that very trounce, we were lost outta of our true jive. No cars, No fun, No entertainment” ­Jenny exclaimed.

“What so ever, we are not going to do this” Aryan simply rejected Jenny’s emotions even though he tend to care for him.

“You have changed Aryan, you are not who you were. You are changing to be a what? A meticulous and a fastidious student with some incredible intelligence to change the stature of this university with your new strategic, heedful research and pernickety inventions in the field of your interest. Oh, wait, what I was saying? I mean, what I just spoke? Am I sounding out words?” ­ – Jenny inane screaming like a four-year-old kid refreshed Aryan’s deep thoughts on the workout plan.

“I am sorry again jenny, now if you don’t mind and excuse me, ‘I need some Rest, some Peace’ before I start on my workout plan”, Aryan said with a smirked face looking at Jenny while he walked straight down the hall towards the door to motion his hands to the exit. “Alright boy, Rest in Peace,” Jenny said in a monotone and slammed the door against him soon after he left the room.

November’ 2001,
Mϋnchen City, Bavaria, Germany.

“You will be the CEO son”, Shekar said, “You will be the CEO real soon”, he drank straight from the glass and placed it back on the table for more rum.

“As you wish dad”, Satya filled in the glasses and added ice cubes, “The money bitch can buy power”, he said handing him back the glass.

“No buddy,” he cleared his throat. He took the glass as he stood up and walked slowly towards the window in the room. He gazed out for a sec and turned towards Satya, he traced back to him and set down his foot on the table, “You are mistaken, it is power that buys power” he said and toasted, “Thousands of people all over the country earn a living because of the industry that we’ve established. They buy piece of bread to satiate hunger, to send their children for academics, afford homes, clothing. This is the power and that we own is brought from the power itself while money is a stray dog wandering between hands. Today she is yours and tomorrow she is under the arms of an unknown. It doesn’t give us any purpose at least not one that holds worth. We use it for power but the true power is how you change people minds and show an influence over their actions with your intelligence,”

“So power is to have a rational validity in some way or the other way,” he said, “a physical interpretation in an applied form”

“That’s more of money again,” he grinned, “you know what son, I was just like you when I was of your age. I had the same interpretation but for money. I yearned to get minted and trust me, with my life I’ve realized how power overtook money at every instance in the course of time”

“But now you do seem to be in charge of money more than power, isn’t it?” he sipped from the glass, “the coveted position – CEO and a lot of money at stake,”

“That is a delusion,” he moved to his chair, “fools are always interested in money. They eat, breathe and sleep only money. The wise, they are chasing for power and here comes a tangled case. With power comes money. The fools, for what they are would only see the money and not the power; when they look at wise they come to an end that the wise are chasing the money,” he elucidated the delusion.

“Very much enlightened,” said Satya.

“See son, you have got to learn so much. There is something big coming your way” he patted his back, “you must be prepared well for that. Primarily cut the emotional segment, you have it like your mother. That’s not gonna help us in any manner. And learn to be diplomatic”

“Diplomacy,” he breathed out, “another bitch,” Satya sounded out words, “but what has the emotion got to do?”

“To be a successful business magnate, you have to be intelligent not emotional. Intelligence and emotions, they never are compatible. If you try to marry them with each other, they would end up with divorce the next day,” he educated his son.

“Uh-huh,” Satya shook his head.

“I would like to tell you something… maybe a food for thought…” he continued, “it is illicit to ask for good in return, so what you may wanna do is to believe in karma and do the good. If you know what I mean”

“Wait, what?” he gave it a thought, “Oh yeah! You totally nailed it Dad,”

“So my son,” Shekar voiced out in low tones and raised his glass, Satya followed him, “to the future CEO,” they toasted one more time and they drunk till they got the buzz out of the spirits.

September’ 2000,
Austin, Travis County, Texas

University of Technology and Arts. UTA, as they called and highly regarded as the First Tier Undergraduate University in the country. Aryan had enrolled at the University soon after he got his mitts over the acceptance letter. None of his friends from the junior college had been admitted, not only the place has a huge competition with a limited number of admissions but also the tuition and fees are in actuality worth a king’s ransom. Public ran off at the mouth that the university charters only the rich. Few others blurted out unwanted yarns or tittle-tattled on one and more of the other facets of the college. The suburban families knocked the stuffing out of their children dreams of graduating from the university.

The University entryway has a monumental arch with its name inscribed on it. As you ingress into the campus, you run into a long roadway stretching nearly couple of miles which abruptly bisects leading one way to the foyer and the other to the principal premises. While one keeps walking on thoroughfare, one would get a distinctive eyeshot of the oodles of lush foliage and extremely elegant architecture. The buildings lays a thick on tower and arched ceilings with drawings derived from the iconic places of worship. All the departmental buildings lay in parallel featuring waterfalls, wide range of turfs, sanctuaries. The heart of the campus has a beauteous arboretum which enacts a home to an agglomeration of tropical and warm weather plant life. Besides the fanciable, drop-dead buildings, the landscaping supplements the scenic beauty. The campus is spread over nine-hundred acres and had been recognized as the only school that accommodates such large area for education. The school put up over one hundred and fifty acres of land for sports related activities. There are as many as fifty blocks inside the campus with several lavish amenities. The outsiders conceived it as more of a professional conglomerate where the world went to work.The junior college had not left much for Aryan, it was highly unlikely that he could see any of his chums enrolled at the grad school. Furthermore, the UTA was away from Aryans hometown that being so, he didn’t pluck up courage to build the audacity for his hope to have a confab with any of them again. As Such, Aryan started his freshman year all alone but in no time he made few friends. The entrancing truth in his life had been that he had not gotten what he had fancied life for but he had always got a chum whenever he stood in hope of finding one.

Aryan first meet was with Mrunalini. Mruna and Aryan had landed in the city’s airport at the same time, early in the morning. As Mruna just exited the arrivals terminal, she pulled out a print-out from her tote-bag for making an inquiry on the address to UTA. In her trail, she happen on to turn right to find a boy dressed in neatly pressed variant blue coloured patterned shirt with two secure zip inner mesh pockets. With his back faced to Mruna, she patted on his shoulder. In two shakes of a lamb’s tail, Aryan pirouetted to see a girl in her springtime of life.

Aryan and Mruna continued to see each other thereafter starting with their classes at the college. After a while, Aryan met Jenny at a Car Racing event. Mruna met Saryu and Pooja at the canteen inside the college. Saryu and Pooja had been friends with each other by then, they also belonged to the same environs in the city. Ergo, the comradeship ensued as the five of them transpired in no time.

The freshman year had students from all the departments, which was wonted in every other college as well. First year was all about the rudiments in engineering before you pick a major, that was the hunch Aryan had but eventually he wrapped his mind around that the lectures were administered to haul him into this past to give a cue of what he had discerned. He had always turned a blind eye to all the subjects other than his interests and he continued to do the same at the University.

Aryan interest was automobile engineering. He had deep affection towards cars, an extreme ardour. He started driving at the age of sixteen, he drove at speeds near to 140 mph. In the fullness of time, he pitched in getting the shows on the road. He scored interest in the challenges at the racing competitions. Every time he made an ingress into the bout, he finished first winning an arm and a leg. Although, he didn’t race for the money, he did it for the jive he copped while racing, the cheers, the claps and the chanting of his name. For one more definite reason, he had the most expensive car with splendid powertrains, relatively with the contenders. Jenny, the ultra humor personality, fortunately, had also turned out belonging to his department. Aryan shared similar idiosyncrasies with jenny to an extent except for his humor. The three ravishing damsels in the clique belonged to the most overt section, the computer science. Aryan’s sentience had been engulfed in tranquillity with very little vim ever since he started his days at the university. The reason for which he choose automobile engineering and the days he was actually experiencing were all at obtuse angled halting his zest in his heed. It was a major reason for his lost inquisitiveness, and not only at the university level but also it had been the same scenario at every juncture in his life, right from the high schooling to where he was then. Every-time he was confronted with the sitch, he had fathom out to follow his heart. He did it then and he did it always.

It was an ordinary day, Aryan was sitting on a bench in the last row, thinking out loud on the next fixtures around the last week of the month, in a blink of an eye, he saw Jenny next to him,
“So, the AUDI TT, I guess it’s ours” he asked with a surmise.
“Oh, the gray car?” Aryan exhaled, “In fact, it’s mine”, he said and winked at him.
“Oh yeah, that’s exactly what I mean”, Jenny stressed, “it’s yours, that is, it’s ours, come on out, let’s go for a ride.”
“Will do it in the evening, It’s been just an hour since I arrived”, Aryan Shrugged.
“Well, I just showed up and I am excited to go for a ride,” Jenny said, “come on, get the car keys, I will call the girls, let’s ride”.
Aryan couldn’t contend with Jenny. Jenny knew that Aryan would hang onto his words and Aryan just did. He was in the parking lot sitting in his car and waited for the three damsels along with the sidekick till they walked in.

“Woah! This is incredible dude, it is freaking cool”, Jenny shouted in full of zing sitting inside the car while they were riding at 160 mph on the national highway, “what’s the power train it got?”, he asked.
“It’s 1.8 liters L4 20V Turbo”, Aryan said, Pooja intervened, “Oh, hold on. What’s all this L, V, turbo? Shut up and enlighten us but don’t freak us out”.
“Babes, I mean, an inline four cylinder, twenty value turbocharged engine”, Aryan said, “a valve is something like a vent structured hole that gives the engine a better breathing power for operating at higher rpms to deliver more power. To get the extra power, we need more fuel and air to be burnt proportionally, and that’s why turbochargers are used.”

“Argh! Typical automobile”, said Saryu after hearing to Aryans elucidation on the argot. Aryan dispelled his doubts and was convinced the girls had not made up a head or tail of his jargon. “I hate engines”, Mruna said in haste. Following Saryu, others burst into laughter. “Dude, check out this restaurant, ten miles down the road, menu looks delicious,” Jenny said pointing at a magazine in the car.
“Let’s drive there”, Aryan said and raised the accelerator.

Aryan’s car was forty-eight hour old running when he drove it for the first time. He felt just happy back then on his first ride but when he was driving with his chums, it was more than ecstatic for him, it was more than finding his feet. His bezzies played an indispensable role in according him the complete happiness and that’s why he believed to keep his relationships powerfully built and be until the twelfth of never but more often than not, out of the ordinary things kept happening in his life.

May’ 2003
East Side, Manhattan Borough (New York City), New York.

“Where are you?” She asked. “Nowhere, tell me what is it?” Aryan replied in short.
“I am really sorry that I am not able to come and stay with you, at this stage of your life. I understand it is getting harder for you day by day. I have had it up to here with the life,” she exclaimed her sorrows on phone, “Papa left me no choices except to comply with him, he’s not letting me to be with you.”

“Darlene, you should not say so. I am fine and I will be fine”, he said trying to make her feel better, by alleviating her genuine repentance in the midst of what they both were going through, “It takes some more time before everything falls into one place”.

“Where are you?” She recalled the question but this time in an influential tone.

“I am at the infirmary. Dad has been sick a week after the incident. I surmise that he is in serious trouble, fighting with pain both physically and mentally,” Aryan answered although he was swithering to divulge about the circs. He couldn’t be renitent after hearing to her potency on the phone.

“I am so sorry Aryan, I should have been there with you and family,” She started mewling in desolation, “I am helpless with my dad; I am sorry Aryan” She said in choked voice.

“Don’t worry, I understand the things with your father. It’s nobody’s mistake. No problems, all you have to do is, to be nice to him. I will take care of my family, don’t be apprehensive or worried. I want you to take care of yourself, be calm and composed” he said as he kept trying to take the edge off her throes as she felt wretched and doleful.

“I can’t explain how I feel for you. You and my father, I love you both and I am absolutely fogged up on what I should be doing at this point in time” She continued, “Alright, where are you staying? I need to see you, can you meet me?” She requested.

“Honey, I cannot come now. It is going to take a long while for me to see you. I don’t know when but I will let you know soon after I get some time” he said in a firm tone, “You get me?” he asked.

“Make it soon, It’s been months since we’ve seen each other,” She said as she expressed her eagerness.“Yes, I will” he replied reassuring her.

“I am sorry again. Love you loads, and I will be waiting” she said and then bussed him on the phone.“So do I, take good care of yourself. I will talk soon again. Bye” he said and gave her the smacker back.

Aryan hung up on the call. It had been a couple of days since he had eaten anything. He was in an extreme predicament. He didn’t even had passable dimes to buy a piece of bread to satiate hunger.

Long ago I told my mama that I will live by myself, while there should have been enough time for me he was lost in a brown study, The time has come very early to prepare myself for a hustle through life to make a living he pressed his palms on to his face.

Aryan was 19 years old by then. He had just finished his sophomore year few months ago. I need some money, at rock-bottom a few bucks so that I can satisfy my mama’s hunger but who would give me work? An amateur individual I am, hanging up in the middle of under graduation he continued to brood over.

“Excuse me, are you Aryan?” said a voice from a thirty-year-old man.
“Yes, please,” Aryan responded in a wink of an eye relaxing his hands off of his face. “The doctor is expecting your presence. Could you walk with me along with your mother?” the thirty-year-old attendant said. “Sure, I’ll be there in a min,” he complied.

He advanced walking back to his mother. She was sitting right next to her husband in the high dependency care unit. As he arrived at the doorway, he felt the vibe of melancholia from the blues surrounding his mother while she pensively lay her eyes on her spouse.

“Mama, we should go see the doctor, he has something,” he said keeping his voice within threshold.
“Where is he?” She asked in a gloomy state of mind yet her countenance conveyed optimism in her spouse’s diagnosis.
“I will walk with you,” he said gesturing with his hand directed at the exit door of the room.

As they walked towards the doctor room, Aryan once again dwelled into his thoughts, I had few questions un-answered in my mind. What would I expect the doctor to say? The illness can’t be cured and he is going to die? What my father did all these years? Drink, just drink, smoke and sleep. I don’t know if I should be displeased with him but deep inside I feel like to have him back, to make him walk and talk, I want him to be with me, I’ll take care of the rest; but why I feel it this way? Maybe only because he is a ‘father’, just ‘my father?

The consanguinity is cabbalistic. It’s such a thing that exists; you never know why and how it has uncanny effects. Besides, how much he loved his father was nearly less than the love he had towards his mother. For him, Mother was more than anything in his world. Hadn’t he liked his father but still he would, just for his mother.

“Mama, you better go inside,” Aryan talked, “I see I got someone to look after,” he said looking at four guys who are approaching the family.Rekha agreed with Aryan. In no time, “Good morning doctor!” Rekha greeted.

“Aryan,” Alex Toto said, “We squared the things out, and we can take your dad home.” Tears rolled down by his eyes, an absolute silence prevailed in the ambience. His eyes spoke to them, “How did you guys know? Who told you?” Aryan asked looking at four of them. “Your love,” Ken Benjamin replied.

His mind seemed to be occupied by vacuum and he could not utter a word for a few minutes thereafter. Though his friends spoke unceasingly about several things he was wholly out of the world and wasn’t plugged into their talks.

“It’s been years since we met, Aryan,” Brett Berner talked, “That doesn’t mean we lost contact with each other. Honestly, I do not want to believe in the actual fact and I cannot digest that you haven’t brought this to our notice”, Brett Berner expressed his huff.

“Brett, let’s not talk about it”, Nick Dexter intervened, “Aryan, be at peace. We gonna stay with you for as long as the circumstances demands us to be with you,”

“…and Aryan, you will tell us what happened with your family lately,” Nick said and continued, “you will tell us right now,”.