The Recession Revenge

“Tragedy hits Metamax”…………this news was being flashed on all the News Channels. Some were talking about the incident, some were analyzing the causes of the incident, some getting the reactions of families and friends……

People at the airport lounge were also discussing the same. It was raining heavily. Flights were getting cancelled and delayed. But Zainab oblivious to the same was smiling and sipping her black coffee. She had finally completed her vow, kept her promise with, “Hello Abba, Yes I am coming back.”

There was a dim light in the AC 3 tier coach, everyone was asleep, she was lying on the side lower berth which she had managed after paying that special fee of Rs. 1000 to the TT. Rain was lashing the window; small flicks of light were making the presence of small stations felt.

“No! No! This is not possible, it cannot happen, tell me it’s not true.” She still could hear the terror in Adhyan’s voice.

Adhyan – one of the youngest VP’s at Metamax designing facilities, a priceless catch of Metamax, a high flier, an achiever, suave, sophisticated, a dream boy for any girl and her family – the Casanova with great family background, good job and fame. Within two years of his graduating from country’s top most business school he had already attained the position of a VP and was being proclaimed as the next COO. She hated him, his name, his fame and everything related to him, he was her fiancé and they were getting married by the year end – a wedding which was being touted as a dream wedding.

“This is true – I am Zainab…  Zainab Hial Zafri… wife of Late Hilal Zafri.”

 “But how is this possible? Hilal was not married… he had never told us about his family,” Adhyan was struggling for words.

“Hilal and I were from the same village and as a village custom we were married off at the age of 17. Hilal’s dad was very progressive but was unable to avoid the marriage and invoke the anger of village elders. Hilal soon got admission in IIT and left the village… 5 years of engineering, throughout scholarship, brightest student of his batch, campus selection at Yahoo, everything was going fine till 4 years back when he met you, his colleague and soon his best friend. Hilal had come back to the village and had spoken about his plans of leaving the job and joining the famous management institute. His father was happy for both him and me, he promised that once Hilal graduates he would allow us to live together…I was still sleeping with Amma.”

Adhyan was now sweating profusely.

“Hilal used to tell me each and everything about his day at the institute, his class routines, his fights, his scholarships, his being touted as the brightest student of the batch… everything… even his tryst into the world of lust, he had not hidden anything from me. And even in his death, he had shared your truth with me…” Zainab threw the black diary on the table.

“Hilal’s diary – he never allowed us to touch this… I had thrown… I should have read… how did you get hold of this?” Adhyan’s face had now turned white, all his blood sucked out.

“Yes, you had thrown it away… what a clean case! Four students, after their exams, go on a trekking trip in Himalayas. Inexperienced to a difficult terrain in the rainy season, windy and snowy, four of them get lost. After two days, three of them are found, and on the third day dead body of the fourth one is found. Autopsy declares severe lung congestion and asthma attack as the cause of death. Body handed over… all the group members donate money for the body to be sent back via flight to his home. His best friend and two others create a trust fund for him… education loan to be paid off, family to get Rs 5000 per month. Best friend gets a plump job at Metamax, however the other two are unable to get a campus placement. They struggle for a year while best friend soon rises to the top and gives jobs to the two other guys. Perfect story, right? No, wrong, there were some points missing in this story to make it perfect… so let me help you. The dead guy gets a placement offer at Metamax. His best friend is in waiting list… if the dead guy opts out he gets the job. Best friend plans a trip, purposely leaves the agreed trail, dead guy decides to search for him along with the two other guys. Best friend is found in a cave. All four have a small celebration… all of them drink, dead guy drinks the most, wakes up to find himself without clothes in the cave. He shouts for help, but only hears the laughter of his best friend. It’s cold, very cold …he is hungry and thirsty, it’s dark but still he is able to scribble the truth. He is feeling weak and for the last time hears his best friend’s voice and his laughter, feels a pin prick and then Rescue team headed by Inspector Rana finds the three friends, they tell him a story. Finally Rana and team find the dead guy buried deep in the snow near the river, miles away from the cave. After extensive search in the area, they are able to find the diary and the cave with clues. Autopsy declares the absence of food and water in the body, severe lung congestion, and presence of Alprazolam (sleeping pills). Rana suspended on account of the delay in finding the dead guy. Autopsy report now declares severe lung congestion and asthma attack as the cause of death. DGP Mathur (father of Adhyan Mathur) personally accompanies the father to his village along with the body. Two days after the cremation, father receives a package from Rana – the diary, original autopsy report and a small apology letter with details. The bride had died.

“So you knew? I had to do it, things on placement front were very bad and Hilal was always scoring over me since Yahoo. I hated him, I was drunk and things just happened,” Adhyan now appeared very calm.

“Yes I knew, Zainab Hilal Zafri died the day she read the diary… It’s only her will to get justice that you can still see her.”

“So how you going to prove it, no one is going to believe you, this is no evidence.”

“I don’t need to prove anything to anyone.”

“What? Then why bring it up and why today when I tasted you… oh okay I get it, you love my fame, my body…. yes nobody could resist me, yes that is the reason… you want to come clear… it’s okay we are even. Hey! That’s my gun, what are you doing…”Adhyan now was screaming.

“Stop shouting… remember we are alone in this lodge… I want to tell you tomorrow’s headline … ‘Drunken revelry takes its toll, one assistant manager sodomised by the VP and a senior manager shot dead. Things got ugly, resulting in the fight between the VP and the manager, manager shot by mistake. VP realizes, and overcome by guilt and shame takes an overdose of sleeping pills.’”

“What….” Adhyan slapped Zainab and tried to grab her, but fell down.

Someone was knocking at the door… Adhyan is unable to move…

“Thank you sir, yes we can place the bodies now… Adhyan dear please hold the gun…” With one last effort Adhyan tries to shoot Zainab. “It’s empty, thank you for your finger prints… you will die soon… so let me come clear… it took me two years to come close to you, this is Inspector Rana the circle officer… yes he has helped me… your drink was laced with sleeping pills and few other medicinal combinations to paralyse your body slowly, but the autopsy would just say alcohol and sleeping pills.” Adhyan was just able to hear laughter… Zainab’s laughter and Hilal’s laughter.

“Coffee, Coffee… Paper, News Paper Madam.” Zainab got up from her berth, bought the coffee and the paper. Headlines ‘Tragedy at Metamax – tale of lust of the youngest VP of the company’, ‘Retired DGP Atul Mathur suffers a heart attack, is hospitalized.’

Soon the train reached the station. Abba and her daughter Sabia were waiting for her… Sabia, the last mistake of Hilal.