IT’S NEVER THE END
LISA stepped on the accelerator as Joe’s favourite dark blue sedan gained on the weary old truck that struggled to make the uphill journey. She was now more at ease driving the sedan than she was the first time she drove it from the church to Jolly villa, with Joe right beside. Her head shot towards the empty passenger seat. It had been four months and four days since that dreadful day. Everything else fell out so perfect that day. She would have loved an icing on the cake. But she didn’t know the icing would have the taste of blood.
Lisa felt responsible. She realized she made a mistake when she left him at the apartment the night she learned the truth about her parents. She should have known that he would come after her. She should not have tried to keep him in the dark.
That night when she left the apartment she really didn’t have any idea on what she was going to do next. Even though she wrote she would take care of everything, she didn’t have anything in mind at that time but a confidence that it was possible.
“If you really want to do something, you will definitely find a way to do it.” Her father used to say.
The one thing that she was certain that day was that she was going to Jolly villa. All of this had begun there. May be she would be able find a way to end it there as well. May be there was something they overlooked. She had hope, a lot of it.
Like a mad woman, she ripped apart the whole place. She had remembered that they had abandoned the search after they had found the floppy disk. She had hoped to find something, anything and she did. Stashed inside an old torn file, a photograph of a man. A random shot taken without his knowledge. In an unknown urge, she flipped it.
Shankar Nath
New anti-narcotics squad chief
Watch out for him
Something crossed her mind at that point. She could actually go to the police now. Earlier, when she speculated her parents’ death was a murder, she had thought they would only consider it as the fantasies of an orphaned girl. But now, she had enough evidence to interest the police. And that is what she did. She went to the police.
“We were in of a new lead that could help us with the investigation into the drug mafia in the area, and this is just what we needed.” The narcotics officer said after he examined the disk. “You see the contents of this disk is not only evidence against the person who is after you but also what he needs to run his business. The person who is responsible for all drug activities in the area calls himself Mr. K. We really don’t have much on him. No photo, not even his real name.”
It was the officer’s idea to use the disk to lure him. It was as per his instructions Lisa called Mr. K and made a deal. When Mr. K said he had Joe, the only thing she could do was go forward with the plan and hope it Joe remains unharmed. But, that didn’t happen. The image of Joe lying on the floor bathed in blood horrified her once again. One of Mr. K’s men outside the church, who was still breathing had tried please his master.
“Joe, wake up. We are almost there.”
“Thank you my dear.” Joe said as he sat upright on the back seat.
“You could have slept some more if you had told me where we are going.”
“You do realize how surprise works, Right? How am I supposed to surprise you on your birthday, if I tell you where we are going? I would have drove myself if that kid had stopped crying and let me sleep on the flight. Stop the car now. I am not sitting at the back.”
“Do you want to drive?”
“I’ll leave that to you, for the time being.”
That journey to the hospital in the back of a police van with Joe lying on her lap was probably the only time in her life she had ever asked, “Couldn’t we go any faster?” Standing in front of the operation theatre waiting for the doctors to come out and give some pleasant news seemed to take forever.
“Are you going to wash it or are you planning on keeping that as a souvenir?” Joe asked looking at Lisa’s blood stained kurti while she stood beside his bed in the ICU.
“I might” She answered, trying to laugh with tears already flowing from her eyes.
“Okay, stop now”
“What is there to surprise me here?”
“We are not there yet. We need to take a little hike.”
“Okay, now I get it. This is revenge, isn’t it? For making you all that way to my special place”
“Oops” Joe made a face. “What”
“Nothing. You are free to think of anything, as long as you are walking.”
Joe and Lisa walked through the woods, making their way through the knee high shrubs. It was evening, almost sunset.
“Where are we going, Joe?” Lisa felt the place familiar. Very familiar. But she had not been there before.
“Patience, Lisa, patience”
Lisa shot a ‘not so funny’ look at him.
Lisa could not believe what she was seeing. “Oh, my God” Lisa found herself in a relatively tree less area with short grass and tiny yellow flowers. In the corner of her eye she saw a fallen tree trunk. She was at her special place. What amazed her more was that she arrived there through a whole different route.
“How did you…”
“Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it shall be opened for you.”
“Mathew 7:7”. Lisa added
“That I don’t know”
Once again they sat on the fallen tree trunk gazing at the setting sun.
“Did you plan the timing too?” Lisa asked.
“No, that is just a coincidence.”
“You really surprised me”
“I’m not exactly finished.”
“Well, what are you waiting for?”
Joe fished into his jacket pocket and took out a colourfully wrapped gift and handed it to Lisa.
“Happy Birthday”
“Thank you, my dear”
Lisa gently unwrapped it. It was a book. Her face lit up as she read the title.
Things I never told her
JOE MARTIN
“You finished it, huh?” Lisa said admiring the cover. She never told him she had seen the manuscript.
“What?”
“I must confess. I had read some part of the manuscript. You should not have told me your password if you were planning on keeping this secret.”
“Yeah, why didn’t you say anything?”
“I was waiting for you to tell me. At least this time you told me before it was too late.” Lisa giggled.
“Very funny. Go on, open it. That is the first printed copy. I had my publisher made sure I get the very first copy.”
Lisa opened the book. She skimmed through most of the front matter, publisher’s name and address, copy right information, ISBN, edition notice and finally reached the dedication.
This is for you, Lisa.
If it wasn’t for you, this book would not have been written. I promise to love you till my heart stops and if possible, beyond that.
“It’s beautiful. Thank you” Lisa said.
They looked each other in the eye and slowly the gap between their faces evaporated into a kiss as the setting sun shone upon them.
The End