ONE NIGHT (23 page)

saying,’ Priyanka said.

Esha continued to cry as Radhika tried to console her.

‘What do you care about a job? You are getting married Women have it

easy,’ Vroom said.

What? Don’t you start that with me now,’ Priyanka said. She had

reached her seat but refused to sit down. ‘You think this is easy?’ she pointed

a finger to Esha and Radhika.

Vroom kept quiet and looked down.

‘Radhika found out her husband is cheating on her. This when she works

for him and his family day and night. And Esha can’t get a fair break unless

she sleeps past creepy men. But they are not breaking monitors and shouting

curses, Vroom. Just because we don’t make a noise doesn’t mean it is easy,’

she said, shouting loud enough so you could call it noise.

‘Can we not talk for two minutes. Do not take calls. But at least keep

quiet,’ I pleaded.

Esha stopped crying as Radhika gave her a glass of water. Priyanka sat

down and opened her handmade calendar. Vroom became quiet as he looked

at the shattered bits of glass on his desk.

The silence gave me a chance to reflect on Bakshi’s meeting.
If I lost my

job, what would I do? Become an agent again?
I could probably forget about

being a team leader.

‘I’m sorry,’ Vroom said.

‘What?’ Esha said.

‘I’m sorry, Esha,’ Vroom said, clearing his throat. ‘I said horrible and

hurtful things. I was disturbed myself. Please forgive me.’

‘It’s okay Vroom. It only hurts because there is a bit of truth in it,’ Esha

said with a wry smile.

‘I meant to say those horrible things to myself. Because,’ Vroom said

and banged two fists simultaneously on the table, ‘because the real hooker is

me, not you.’

‘What?’ I said.

‘Yes, this salary has hooked me. Every night I come here and let people

fuck me,’ Vroom said and picked up the telephone headset. ‘The Americans

fuck me with this, in my ears hundreds of times a night. Bakshi fucks me with

his management theories, backstabbing and threats to fire us. And the funny

thing is, I let them do it. For money, for security—I let it happen. Come fuck

me some more,’ Vroom said and threw the headset on the table.

‘Do you want water?’ Radhika said and handed him a glass of water.

Vroom took the glass and drank the water in one gulp. I wondered if he

would throw the empty glass on the floor and shatter it to pieces. Luckily, he

just banged it on the table.

‘Thanks,’ Vroom said. ‘I needed that. In fact, I need a break. Otherwise

I’ll go mad. I can’t take this right now.’

‘I need a break too,’ Priyanka said. ‘It’s all right Vroom. Only a few

more hours left for the shift to get over.’

‘No. I want a break now. I want to go for a drive. C’mon people, let’s all

go for a drive. I’ll get the Qualis,’ Vroom said and stood up.

‘Now? It is close to 3 a.m.,’ I said.

‘Yes, now. Who gives a damn about the calls? You may not even have a

job. Get up.’

‘Actually, if someone is going, can you please get some pills for me from

the 24-hours chemist/’ Radhika said.

‘No, all of us are going,’ Vroom said. ‘Get up Shyam. If you come

everyone will come.’

‘I’m game,’ Esha said.

‘Okay, I’ll come too. Just for a bit of fresh air,’ Priyanka said.

I looked at them. Everyone wanted to get out of his or her miseries, if

only for a few moments. I wanted to get away from Bakshi, Ganesh and

Connexions.

‘Okay, we can go. But we have to be back soon,’ I said.

‘Where are we going?’ Esha said, ‘I heard the new lounge bar Bed is

close by.’

‘No way, we’re just going for a drive…’ I said, but Vroom interrupted

me.

‘Great idea. We are going to Bed—damn cool place.’

‘I need a real bed to sleep,’ Radhika said and stretched her arms.

All of us got up. We decided to leave individually to prevent suspicions.

‘Get up, Military Uncle,’ Vroom said, as he went to his desk.

‘Huh?’ Uncle said getting up. Normally he would have scoffed at Vroom,

but I guess he was in too much pain over his son’s email to give a conscious

reaction.

‘We’re all going for a drive. The others will tell you everything. I’ll get

the Qualis,’ Vroom said and switched off Uncle’s monitor.

#26

At 3:00 A.M. share we were outside the main entrance of Connexions. A

white Qualis cam up and halted near us.

‘Get in,’ Vroom said, reaching over to open the doors.

‘It’s so cold. What took you so long,’ Esha said, getting into the front.

‘You try shifting a sound-asleep driver to another Qualis,’ Vroom said.

Radhika, Priyanka and I took the middle row; Military Uncle preferred to

sit by himself at the back. He looked slightly dazed. May be we all did.

Vroom drove prove past the executive parking area as we left

Connexions. We saw Bakshi’s white Mitsubishi Lancer.

‘Bakshi’s got a flash car,’ Esha said.

‘Company paid, or course,’ Priyanka said.

Vroom inched the Qualis forward and stopped close to the lancer. He

switched on the Qualis headlights. Bakshi’s car shone bright.

‘Can I ask a question? What’s the punishment for running people over?

Vroom said.

‘Excuse me?’ I said.

‘What is we ran this Qualis over Bakshi? We could do it when he comes

to pick up his car in the morning. How many years of jail are we talking?’

Vroom said.

It was a silly conversation, but Priyanka led him on anyway.

‘Depends on how the court sees it. If they see it as an accident and not

as homicide or murder, about to years,’ she said.

Vroom restarted the car and turned towards the exit gates.

‘Two years is not a lot. Can we divide it among the six of us? Four

months each?’ Vroom said.

‘I don’t know. Ask a lawyer,’ Priyanka shrugged.

‘Four months is like nothing to get rid of Bakshi from this earth,’ Esha

blew a strand of hair that had fallen against her lips.

‘Just sixteen weekends of sacrifice. Weekdays are like jail anyway,’

Vroom said. ‘What say we do it?’

By now we had left the call center and were now on the highway. Apart

from a few trucks, the roads were empty India has a billion people, but at

night, ninety-nine percent of them are fast asleep. This land then belongs to a

chosen few: truck drivers, later shift workers, doctors, hostel staff and call

center agents. We, the nocturnal, rule the roads and the country. Vroom

accelerated the Qualis to eighty kilometers and hour.

‘I doubt you can split the punishment. ‘The driver gets the full deal,’

Priyanka said, still on the stupid Bakshi-homicide topic, ‘plus if they know it’s

premeditated, you are talking ten years plus.’

‘Hmmm. Now ten years is a totally different equation. What you say

Shyam, still not too bad to get rid of Bakshi?’

‘Okay, enough of this stupidity,’ I said. ‘I though you were taking us out

of for a drink.’

‘I’m just…’ Vroom said, raising one hand from the steering wheel.

‘Shut up and drive. I need a drink,’ I said.

‘Chemist first please. Can we please stop at a chemist,’ Radhika said,

giving herself a head massage.

We dropped the topic of killing Bakshi. Though if the law allowed me on

e free murder in my life, I am quite clear who will top the list. No wait, I am

forgetting my ex-girlfriend’s mom here. I really wouldn’t know whom to kill

first, that’s the truth. Perhaps the law would see me as a special case and

allow me two murders.

Vroom took a sharp right turn on to a road that led to a 24-hours

chemist.

Radhika was quiet as she waited. I guess Payal occupied half her mind;

the other half had migraine.

‘There it is,’ Esha said, as we sighted a neon red cross.

‘Trust me. I know this area,’ Vroom said and accelerated the Qualis to a

hundred. ‘Man, roads and girls are so much more fun at night.’

‘That’s sick,’ Priyanka said.

‘Sorry, couldn’t help it,’ Vroom said and grinned.

Vroom parked the Qualis near the chemist. A sleepy boy, no more than

seventeen, manned the medicine shop. A few medical entrance exam guides

lay on the counter in front of him. A fly swatter served the function of a

bookmark. He looked bored and grateful to see us, more for the company,

probably, than the business.

Vroom and Radhika got out of the Qualis. I stepped out to stretch my

legs as well.

Radhika walked quickly upto the boy.

‘What do you want, Radhika? Saridon?’ Vroom said as we reached the

counter.

‘No,’ she shook her head. Turning to the boy, she said. ‘Three strips of

Fluoxetine, and five strips each of Sertraline and Paroxetine. Make it fast

please.’ She began to tap on the counter anxiously. Her reed bangles jingled a

little.

The boy gaped at Radhika. Then he turned around and started rifling

through the shelves.

Vroom and I moved a few steps away of escape the smell of medicine.

Vroom lit a cigarette and we shared a few puffs.

The boy returned with a stack of tablets and placed them on the

counter. Radhika reached out to grab them, but he put his right hand on top

of the pile of medicines and slid them away from her. ‘This is pretty strong

stuff, madam. You have a prescription?’ he asked.

‘It’s three in the morning,’ Radhika said in an irritated voice. ‘I ran out

of pills at work. Where the hell do you except me to find a prescription?’

‘Sorry madam. Just that sometimes these young kids come here to pick

up strange medicines before going to discos…’

‘Look at me, Radhika said, pointing to her face, ‘do I look like a

teenager in a mood to party?’

No, Radhika did not look like a teenager out to party to me—she looked

ill, with dark circles under her eyes. I wished the boy would give her the

medicines soon.

‘But these are still a lot of strong medicines, madam. What do you need

these for? I mean, what is wrong with you?’ the boy said.

‘Fuck you,’ Radhika said and banged her fist hard on the glass counter.

The glass shook but survived the impact. However two of Radhika’s red

bangles broke into a million pieces. Shattered bits of bright glass scattered

along the counter.

The noise scared the boy; he jumped back two steps. Vroom crushed his

cigarette and we joined them at the counter.

‘Excuse me, madam,’ the boy said.

‘Fuck you. You want to know what is wrong with me? You little punk,

you want to know what is wrong with
me
?’

‘What’s up Radhika, everything okay?’ Vroom said.

‘This dumbass wants to know what is wrong with me,’ Radhika said,

pointing her fingers at the boy. ‘Who the hell is he? What does he know about

me?’

’Calm down Radhika,’ I said, but she probably did not even hear me.

That is the story of my life; half the things I say go unnoticed.

‘What does he know about wrong and right? Everything is wrong with

me you moron—my husband is banging some bitch while I slog my guts out.

Happy now?’ Radhika said, her face more red than her broken bangles. She

held her head for a few seconds. Then she removed her hands from her head

and grabbed the medicines. The boy at the counter did not protest this time.

‘Water. Can I have some water?’ Radhika said.

The boy ran inside his shop returned with a glass of water.

Radhika tore a few pills out of her new stack. One, two, three—I think

she popped in three of them. Some migraine cure this was, I thought.

‘Four hundred sixty three rupees, madam,’ the boy said, his voice

trembling with fear.

‘I am alive because of this stuff. I need it to survive, not to party,’

Radhika said.

She paid for the medicines and walked back to the Qualis. Vroom and I

followed a few steps behind her.

‘What medicine is that?’ I said.