The Call

Jump to Comments

I had to stay back in Pune while my friends were partying in Kashid. It was a joint treat from Sachin and Swati. The reason for both was same- their marriages had been fixed. Swati was marrying an IT professional and was very excited. Sachin on the other hand was marrying a girl from Solapur whom he had met only five times before and was very nervous. But now the temptation was impossible to resist. I had decided that I will leave for Kashid all alone once the family function was over. By mid-afternoon I checked my trip list, filled the bag, updated my mp3 player list and set off for Kashid. It was the first time that I was driving my Maruti 800 alone for a trip. I chose to drive through Tamhini ghat instead of the expressway. Monsoons were about to end and I wanted to drive through the waterfalls of Dongerwadi.

Once all the waterfalls were over I started to feel lonely. But I didn’t regret my decision to stay for the function..at least my family was happy, rather I cursed Abhijeet for not accompanying me as I was leaving late and was ready to wait for him even if it meant leaving at 8pm. The clouds were turning yellowish orange from light blue color. I wanted to reach as fast as I could to Kashid but suddenly applied brakes as I saw a boy lying in the middle of the highway. I stopped my car and got down to slap him. He was having a digital camera in his hand and the lens pointed towards the sky. I figured out that he has a better physique than me and hence cancelled my plans of slapping him and instead asked him politely as what his problem was exactly. He didn’t care to answer my question and instead gestured to me for standing still where I was. He then clicked a photo and stood up and shaked his hand and introduced himself as Zubin.

Zubin wore an old pair of jeans and a red polo shirt. He was wearing his cap pointing backwards. He carried a small bag with its straps running diagonally on his chest. He seemed either confused or a complete insane guy.

I asked him what he was upto exactly to which he replied he was clicking a snap of the bird Paradise Fly catcher. I looked above in the sky and couldn’t see anything. He asked me where I was heading to and I replied to Kashid.

Zubin: “Can you give me a lift till Kashid. I think I will go to Murud Janjira from there”.

I generally don’t trust strangers and he looked like a complete wierdo. But I was feeling lonely and a bit scared of driving in the ghats all alone. “A bit scared” – I could confess this to myself at least. So I decided to take him till Kashid.

Zubin: “Hey..why did you had second thoughts in giving me a lift”.

He had read my mind clearly.

Me: “Aaa..no not really, I was actually still thinking on your idea of lying in between the highway for a bird photoshoot”.

He then sat in my car as if he owns it. I wished for only one thing and that is I should not receive any instructions from him on driving. I simply hate it.

Me: “So basically you are a photographer, I guess”.

Zubin: “Nahhh!! I am a DJ and photography is only my hobby.”

Me: “I really appreciate your passion for your hobby. I mean who will risk his life for one snap”.

I could see the twinkle in his eyes. It was the first time he had attempted to smile and had tried to fade away his serious look which was being covered by his hip and cool personality.  

Zubin: “Thanks dude, atleast you appreciate it. I was working in a BPO a year back and we had a photography contest. The theme of the competition was that photographs should depict beauty. I submitted my entry too. It was photographed at the causeway of Mula- Mutha River under the Z-bridge. The photograph was of buffaloes bathing in the flowing river and because of the monsoons the entire patch was looking green and beautiful. But my entry was not even accepted and everyone made fun of it. This world is full of morons, I tell you.”

I observed he was constantly reading his SMS and then looking out of the window for a long time. He then switched off his mobile. I was sure he was going through a lot of pain. He then opened the compartment in front of him. I was happy that at least someone shares my trait of searching the drawers and compartments of someone else’s car. He saw the Harry Potter novel and said “Harry Potter, who reads Harry Potter..only sissies read such novels”. I lied to him that it was my collegues’s novel and I was not the owner of it. He remarked; “However, I really love the line in the novel which states: To the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure”. It meant he had read the novel inspite of ridiculing it. But I preferred not to comment on it.

He was constantly murmuring to himself. I didn’t understand anything. I wondered how he had reached a place 100kms from Pune. There was no motorcycle or car around at the spot we met. I don’t know what was stopping me from asking all these questions. He then asked a few questions about me, nothing personal though. He then said; “I don’t care whether you have a girlfriend or you don’t. But I am warning you dude, don’t be too emotionally involved in her. They use you like tissue paper. Sometimes they will throw you in the dustbin even without using them.”

          I was a bit uncomfortable with his answer and to change the topic asked him about his job. He said life as a DJ means working late but is he is used to it since his previous job was in a call centre. He then said that he has lots of interesting things to tell of his call centre job rather. I asked him to tell me a few. He said he will tell about his most memorable call.

Zubin: “I was new to my job. One night I received a call. The voice trembled from the other end. It was of a guy.. must be a teenager. He said this was his last call. As a customer care agent I asked him about his problem. He said that he could not bear the sufferings anymore. I again asked him about his problem, although I was sure that there was none. He said he had called a random number and wanted to talk with someone. I put the phone on mute so that I could hear him but he couldn’t. I put the phone on speaker and called my team including the managers on our floor. One of the managers warned not to panic. My manager then asked me to transfer the call on his number. I did as per his instructions. He then started speaking with the person on the line. The teenager immediately recognized the change in voice and shouted that he didn’t want any sympathy, any understanding. He kept on screaming that he is going to commit suicide. All of us were shocked but my manager was very quiet and kept on talking with him on his personal life for the next 15 minutes. In the mean time he had put the call on mute for few moments and had asked another manager of his designation to call America’s emergency number and told them about the problem and the number from which he had called. The police traced the call and reached the house of the caller and broke upon his door and stopped him from comitting suicide.”

I couldn’t believe it but I was sure he was not lying. Zubin continued; “I still don’t understand why they stopped him from committing suicide. It was probably the only solution for his problems”.

Me: “You are a complete insane guy. Keep your thoughts to yourself. If you have anything which will be pleasing for the ears then only tell me, else it is a matter of 1 hour till then..”

Again I don’t know why I stopped him. I didn’t want the conversation to continue. Some kind of fear gripped me. I had started to regret the decision of giving him a lift. I had started to feel a bit uncomfortable and insecure. Just then he saw my Coby Portable DVD Player. He told me he had a similar one and took out a spindle of DVDs. He said to keep them as a gift. I kept on declining his gift offer but finally accepted it after he winked at me and said; “Keep it in the loving memory of the guy who made you feel insecure”. He had stressed on the word ‘insecure’ in a sarcastic sense. I hated the fact that he was again successful in reading my mind. I would have never even told my girl friend that I was a bit afraid and I chickened out because of a guy in my car whom I had given lift.

 We had crossed Kolad and had reached the railway crossing. As always luck didn’t favor me. As I was approaching towards the railway crossing the vertical pole lowered down forcing my left leg on my brakes. For the first time in the last hour I had shifted to the neutral gear. I knew it was still 5 minutes for the railway to cross but didn’t want to take any risk. I switched my mobile on. There was full of coverage. He did the same. Both of our mobiles beeped indicating pending unread messages. I read mine. It was from my girl friend. The message read; “If u don’t rch by 8pm don’t talk with me again. U had promise me u will reach in time. Been trng ur no. for lng time. U purposely put it off..I know”. I called her the umpteenth time on the same issue of clearing her on-purpose misunderstandings. But her cell was out of coverage area this time. Just then I noticed a pale and a fading look on Zubin’s face after reading the message which he had received.

He got off the car and told me he is anwering a call and tried to fake a smile. I thought he either meant to answer nature’s call or call someone from his cell, probably his current or ex-girl friend. To my horror he went on the railway track and started running towards the approaching train. He was answering His God’s call.

 

 

9 Comments

Filed under Fiction, Kiran, death and related emotions

Tags: complex personality, konkan, Maruti 800, suicide, tamhini ghat