by Sumit Joshi
“I think they already had , see they are out with the cameras” .
“They will not recognize me , I am wearing this cap and all other things” he said and we came home , cops let us go home , my father was trying to hide his name , he don’t want my name to became the headline of a newspaper .
“I think he was doing right , no mayor will like that people will call his son a bad person and they form a public opinion against his son . He was right in his place” .
After Accident
“So did media came to know?”doctor asked .
“Yeah, it was the headline next day” .
“Oh , that went wrong” .
“Yeah” .
“So how was your condition , what were you doing?” .
I was feeling bad , I didn’t slept that night , I was just quietand I was keeping myself alone , my mom wanted to talk to me but I was not letting her , the blood , the scene was coming again and again in front of me , that boy screaming , that blood over the snow it was not letting me speak anything
“You were in a great pain then” .
Yeah I was ,I just left going to the college , I was just at home alone In my room , now ten days passed father came to my room he wake me , he sat next to me I remember his words , he said “Jack forget what happened , you have no control over the past just forget it as a bad dream , that man is alive and he is happy I gave him lot of money , why are you sad , forget this and move ahead , life is a journey continue it , don’t stop , even the newspapers have stopped publishing what happened that day”
“But father I just can’t forget that, that screaming moves in my head, that blood comes in front of my eyes.”
“You can’t remain inside always , you need to go out , you are not a criminal , you haven’t done anything wrong , even the CCTV footage says that , then why are you afraid , why are giving people chance to raise their fingers on you , which indirectly raises on me .”
“So you want me to go out , you want me to go to the college?”.
“Yeah, I want you to do that because studies are the most important thing, no matter what you are and what you are going to become in future, just study to become a good human being, without education a human is just like an animal , so tell me are you going or what?”
“I think I am running out of time for college”I looked at the watch and smiled
“Oh don’t bother, you can eat whatever you want at the college canteen , you don’t need to give your time at the breakfast today ”.
“Thanksdad” I said as I went to the bathroom .
“I love you” father said .
“Your father was right about studies” doctor said.
I know that that’s why I got convinced , then I went to my garage I looked at that red car I didn’t took that , it was my favorite tough , I took my silver car that day
“So you were rich really rich”doctor said .
“Yeah I was , I drive towards my college ,as I drove towards the college the place where accident happened came , almost a tear came to my eye , it was hard passing through that way but I did , I reached my parking space at the college, another fancy car took my cars place , I went to the owner of that car , I asked “why did you parked at my parking lot ?” his reply was “I didn’t thought you would come to the college so soon, you were going to hide in your room for long” .
“What made you think so?”I asked him.
“The newspaper said your father is not letting you go out of house and he is very angry with you”
“Never believe on newspaper when they publish about internal matters of a family”
“If you want I can park my car somewhere else”he said
“No let it be, I have parked mine at an empty place, I said to him” and he went away
That day I came to know why actors and actresses remain angry from press, then I met many students no one asked me how I was , nor did they said hi Jack, they just looked at me,stretching their eyes and paining their eyelids, I don’t know why they were doing so ,I wasn’t looking any different that day, it was just the difference in their minds ,but it didn’t bothered me until one teacher came to me and said
“What? …” doctor got anxious
“Are you the boy who make blood flew on the streets , the blood of an old man”she said making her eyes big and everyone looked at me .
I don’t know who was she or what she teaches, I think I saw her for the first time in my life she was wearing large glasses they seem to me even bigger than my car wind shied , at that moment I thought that it would have been good if I would have hit an young man because people were giving more weight on the word old , even my classmates changed their way of looking at me , the world was looking at me as I was a criminal .The world was changing for me.
“Many accidents happen every day , then why was everyone behaving strange with you?” .
“Cause, I got my face published on every newspaper of the city, and my face accrued for many days on the pages , so it as nearly like that media made me a kind of a criminaleven though I wasn’t one” .
“Oh I got that ,So what happened next?” .
I just went to my dad’s office rather than going to home , I hoped that there may be no photographer snapping me outside my father’s office otherwise my face would have been again on the front page with a headline , mayor’s son seen again , You know how media works , how they play their games.
“Yeah I know how do it works” .
I went inside, I just went to his room.
“Jack what are you doing here?” he asked , he stood up from his chair .
“I don’t want to go to college father , I just don’t like the way people look at me”I said and other officials left the room .
“Jack we will talk about this at home , I can’t talk about this here , I work here , you understand ” he said looking at the people looking inside from the door .
“All right dad, just try to come soon, because Its urgent”.
“I will son” he said and kissed on my forehead and sent me home .
At home we had a long conversation on this, my mom supported me.
“Your mom supported you on what ?” Doctor asked .
It seems you are taking interest in this.
“This is my job” .
But taking interest is not necessary.
“I took interest in my job, that’s why I am a successful doctor and you are a mayor’s son , taking interest is natural for me on this one”.
What? Will you write a book on my story then ? .
“Whynot, if it will be asinteresting as it sounds” .
All right bring a canof chilledcoke for me ,than I will continue .
“Coke, you want to drinkcoke in this cold ?” .
“Yeah now I am habitual”.
“Okay let me check , I bought them once but I didn’t drank them , hope they are not expired” he searched in the room and he found a can , “here it is” he said smiling holding that , “are you sure you want to drink this?”.
Yeah why not, ifit’s not expired .
“It’s not” he threw it at Jack, Jack drank it .
So where was I ? , Jack asked after finishing the drink .
“Your mother supported you”
I told that “I am not going to study in this college” she said “you can go to another college of the city”
“Nomom, I want to go far from here to another state where no one will recognize me” I said .
“You did nothing wrong Jack” father said .
“But people don’t say that and look at me as I am a criminal” .
“They will stop looking at you like thatsoon, nothing is permanent” .
“No father I want to go to other state, far from here”
“You can go to my sister’shouse”my mother suggested
“No mom I don’t want to go there”.
“If you have made your mind of going away from here , then fine , I will not stop you ,
my uncle will be happy to have you with him in this old age” now father suggested.
“No father I am not going theretoo” .
“So where do you want to go?” father asked.
“I want to go to some palace which is always covered with snow , I want to go to place like Alaska ,yeah I want to go to Alaska” suddenly word Alaska came in my mouth , I don’t know how or why .
“What?Are you out of your mind” dad said in shock and stood up from the bed .
“Yes,Jackcan you listen to the words coming out of your mouth ?” mother asked.
“I know mom , dad , I want to go there, its my life and now I want to decide how I want to live , dad you always wanted me to act like an adult , this is the time dad ,let me go, let me grow up , stop tying me with the chains , set me free for the first time”. I said dad starred at me for a while
“All right its fine , I will build a house for you there , and Jason will go with you there ,I will make sure that you will get all the things that are necessary to live in Alaska and I will take suggestion from someone which car will be best for place likeAlaska and which city would be best for you”.
“I want to go alone dad”.
“Whatare you saying?” mom said .
“It’s not easy to live there Jack, its difficult place to live , you haven’t seen difficulties in your life , and at this young age you will not be able to face it” dad said and mom seemed to be agreed with him .
“Maybedad, this time I want to face some difficulties to make myself alone, I have to do it , please let me do this , I really do want to go there, alone” .
“What are you saying Mr..Jack?”Jason too joined conversation .
“I know you will understand this”.
“What is to understand in this , this is a mad decision”dad was getting more tense now .
“I just want to live away from here in a place where no one will say that your father is mayor, I want to live my life like a poor man, I want to live alone , in a simple house and yeah I don’t want any car I will just take my favorite bicycle”.
“Are you hearing what your son is saying?”dad asked mom .
“Yes I am”she replied, she smiled as was understanding me.
“He will not be able to survive that cold , I don’t want to see you dead my son , you have to live more , life is not easy there son” .
“I know father , but I am going this time” I said .
“If you really want to go , I can help you my cousin have house in a village near Fairbanks , he left the house, and maybe you can live therealso there is a college in Fairbanks so it can work” Jason said .
“Perfect” I said with a broad smile on my face .
“No its not perfect, Jason do you want to lose your job”father said looking at Jason and he looked down.
“Why did you choose to go to Alaska, you could chooseLasVegas”father added .
“I don’t know why I did but yeah I guess I will be happy there, happier than ever”
Alaska
It took three days but father finally agreed, It was December 1 ,father, I and Jason went to Alaska, I got Jason’s relative house, it was really small , but I liked it .
“Are you sure you want to live here, you can still change your mind , you can still come with us”father said while he was to leave me in Alaska .
“No father I like the smell here, the air, everything is natural and beautiful here”.
“I have done your admission here, they agreed to take you incollege in the same standard even its too late for the admissions here ” .
“Thanks for that dad, I am really proud to be your son”.
“My heart is not letting to leave you here son” father came near to me and hugged me with tears in his eyes , he was not a person that used to cry but I don’t know why there were tears in his eyes.
“I am sure father you want to see me as a big boy, leave me here and I will learn to live life, I will be fine here”.
“Do the dark night don’t make you afraid anymore ? , I remember you used to run in my room and used to sleep next to me and you used to say father I think I have seen a ghost , save me , aren’t you afraid of ghosts now?”.
“What , I used to do that really ?, I forget that”I said and smile came on my face .
“Yeah you used to do that sir, when you were small” Jason said .
“DidI watched a lot of ghosts and SI-FI movies when I was a kid?” .
“Yeah you did”,“sir it’s the time we should go or we will miss the flight” he said to my father .
“Come on Jack come with us , I hoped that you will return back with us that’s why I bought a ticket for you too , change your mind Jack come with us” father gave me a final offer he had .
“Nodad I will be fine here and I made up my mind long ago” .
“He will be all right sir , don’t you remember what mam said to you tomorrow night , let Jack go, it willchange his mind for a while and he will return soon”.
“So you were hearing our conversation?”dad looked at Jason and asked him.
“I was just passing by sir , don’t you worry sir , a servant will reach here in one hour , I am sure he is on way”.
“Yeah father I will be fine, I am not going to be alone after all”.
“I love you son , call me regularly , I don’t want to you to suffer , tell me what you want and I will provide you with everything” .
“Yes dad , I will call you and I will call you too Jason , now you can wake up late in the morning , now you are relieved with your duty to wake me up every morning” .
“I will miss you , all of us will sir” Jason said , he was emotional at that time for the first time in a long while he showed some emotions.
I , father and Jason hugged , I said a good bye , I looked at the car going till Ican see it , now I was alone , I went inside and checked each room ,it was not a bad house at all, it was finely decorated , I was just putting my stuffs at right place and was hearing to my favorite songs , I was enjoying being alone.
New Servant
I heard a knock at the door , I assumed it to be the new servant and I opened the door , there was a man , a big man standing in front of me .
“So you reached on time, are you ready to work ” I said looking at man assuming he was the assigned servant .
“I will not work for you, what made you think I will work for you ?Let me introduce myself to you , I am Adam I live in that house” he said pointing towards a home it was far , it was nearly at 100 meters .
“Sorry I thought you to be someone else” I said .
“ leave it, so I live there and I have some rules for the others who live in this village , I am everything here, I am the sheriff , I am the law , I am the governor , I am the everybody of this village ,so let me tell you the most important rule ,don’t pollute this place , don’t cut down any tree without asking me , I don’t like to hear loud music , so don’t play music loud and don’t even think of throwing a party ,never ever and one more rule be careful at night this is a dangerous placeespecially at nights” .
“Okay…. I got that but I don’tunderstand one thing, you live far away from here even if I will play the music you will not be able to hear it” .
“I have sharp ears, do as I say, I don’t want animal’s voice to die before reaching my ears because of your music” he came close to me , he was smelling bad , he seemed kind of a hunter to me
“Okay I will not play it loud” I said , I was afraid too .
He was going but he stopped “light some bulbs don’t make this place dark, this will help travellers who will pass from here and will make animals visible at nights and easy to kill” he added
“Yeah I understand that pretty well but I can’t see any street here” .
“There is noProper Street but we use this way so light it up ,and the most important , you will pay for charity which will be used to help poor’s in the village , this is the most important thing if you want to live i
n this village” .
“I love giving charity I will pay definitely” .
He was just talking , the servant came there , I didn’t knew that he is the one but he called me sir that’s how I came to know ,he was carrying a big case and a bag on his back he was young , I think he was just 25 , he came and he saluted Adam.
“HeyAdam how are you?”heasked .
“I am fine , so you are going to work here for this boy now , you work at so many places dude”Adam said to him .
“I need to do that… to survive, I don’t have big Belly as yours but I too need food” he said and chuckled.
“I will see you both soon”Adam said and went away , I think he didn’t liked that joke .
“What was he doing here?” my servant asked me as he was my boss .
“He was just telling some rules , he was just telling to give charity”.
“He is a mad man , he just take money from people in name of charity and calls himself sheriff , he does nothing for the village”.
“Oh, but he said he do”.
“Do you see any street light here?” .
“No, I can’t even see street” . I said looking all around.
“ThenI think there is no need to talk on this matter” .
“Okay and yes he said to open lights at night and..” .
“Then you need to follow him If you want to live happily , he will ask security money once in year and you have to give him , by the way I am Gerard”.
“Gerardbutler” I said raising my hand ahead .
“No I am just Gerard” he said as wentinside
He left his case outside,“will you bring that case inside for me?” he asked as he reached inside
“Well , Gerard I would , But I think you are the servant here , not me”I turned back and said .
“Bring the bag inside assuming me as your friend and by the way I saved you from Adam, you can return the favor”.
“He was not doing anything , he was just talking” I said and I brought the case inside .
“It’s so heavy how did you even brought such a heavy suitcase here” I asked him.
