A Fateful Retribution

 It is a sunny bright day. A man driving the car on the NH4, Delhi-Agra Highway. He is a middle aged man around 45-50 years old. He is heading towards Agra. The clock reads 13:10. After 2 kms from entering the Agra bypass towards the city, One lady comes right in front of the car and tries to stop it. The man hurried the breaks and stopped the car just a few inches before she stood on the road. The lady was tall and fair. She had messy hair that looked as if she had just got out of bed. She wore a cotton light pink saree with blue stripes on the border.

She waved her hand and came to the side of the car and knocked the door glass. The man opened the glass. He angrily said, ’Are you mad? Why are you in a hurry and come ahead of my car?’ 

‘Sorry I am rushing to my home. Can you take me to the market? I will take a bus from there,’ replied the lady.

The man looked at her suspiciously and said, ’Are you running from someone? You seem unfit and troubled’

‘Yes I am. Can you please drive me to the main market please? I will tell you everything. Can I hop on?’

The old man said, ‘All right’. He opened the door lock and invited her to sit in the front seat.

‘Thank you for giving me the ride’, said the lady.

‘No problem. So where are you coming form? You look disturbed and why is this injury in your head?’

‘Do you have water? I am thirsty’ asked the lady

‘Man looked at her in qualm and replied,’ There is a bottle at the back of the seat. Please help yourself’

She gulped the water from the bottle and sighed. She looked at him and gave a little smile. 

‘Are you ready to give the answer I am seeking since we met?’ Requested the man

‘Sure. Mr.? You are?’

‘I am Jerik. And you?’

‘I am Tina’

And?

‘Oh Yes. I worked for NGO’

‘You do not look like someone who worked for some organization?’ 

‘Why Not? How could you say that? ’

‘I think you are hiding something from me. You are looking like you shove from someplace you not belong to’

‘I am not hiding anything. Tell me What would you do Mr. Jerik?’

‘I...I work? Sorry I don’t remember’

‘What? You didn't know what you do for a living? Where do you work?’

‘I forget sometimes. My doctors say I have a problem with memory loss?’

‘But how could you remember that you have some sickness and Why would I believe you Mr.?’ She got relaxed and thought, ‘Thank god, He himself is not sure about him, I don't have to explain him about me anymore’. ‘Do you have cigarettes?’

‘I don't know’

‘You don't know. It means you are not sure about having cigarettes or you forget about it?’ 

‘The man looked at him and he had furrows on his forehead. He asked, ’Where do you want to get down?’

‘Where are you heading?’

‘You answer me. You asked a question over my question’.He looked at her for a second. I am going to? He stopped and unlocked his phone and gave it to the lady. He showed her the saved map of his home. Did you see that map, I am going here’

‘Seriously, You didn't remember your way home. Actually, I feel strange about you?’

She opened the box in front of her in the car.

‘What are you doing?’ Jerik asked.

‘I am checking for the cigarettes’. 

She never got the cigarettes but found a plastic bag. She opened it and saw one patient file from IB hospital, South Delhi. It says, ‘Patient name: Jerik D’souza’, ‘Suffering from Amnesia (Memory loss), ‘Type: Retrograde Amnesia’, ‘Primary cause: Fatal accident’.

‘So you really are suffering from memory loss. It means you forget anything in your life. Maybe you forget me as well after some time’

‘What are you talking lady’

‘Well, I told you my name. What are you saying lady again and again?’

‘By the way, What did you tell your name?’

‘Not again. I am Tina. I told you just few minutes before’

He grinned and said, ‘I was joking. Definitely I remember your name’

Jerik turned on the radio. It runs some advertisements for local stores in Agra. Then it says ‘You are listening to number one channel 96.3, City FM. Welcome back. There is one breaking news that we must share with our listeners. The news is, “One female serial killer breaks the Agra jail and wanders into the streets of Agra city. If anyone comes across a lady who is tall and fair skin, she is wearing a pink saree with blue stripes, Please call and inform the police at the num…”

Tina changed the FM channel to distract him. She decreased the volume of the radio and said, ‘How much time does it take to market?’

‘Well, It is traffic at the moment. I am sure probably it would take another more time than I expected’

‘Ok’. She looked at the map for another route or place she can go to escape. She finds a route with less traffic and a way to his home from another route’. She said, ‘I can see another less traffic road. Can you take that route, please?’

‘Ok. Instruct me, I will follow the route’. She gave him the road directions and took a totally different route. 

After a few minutes. Jerik felt the directions are pretty different and off to the main city area. 

‘Are we following the correct route Tina? It showing toll plaza in 500 metres’ 

‘Yes, Please trust me. Don't worry’. She shows a smile to him. ‘Do you remember, How did you meet with an accident?’

‘I don't remember exactly.’

The toll plaza comes, Jerik gets into the toll lane behind another car. ‘I am afraid Tina, We took some wrong road. Why would we cross the toll?’

‘Mr. Jerik, The map says this way and I'm just following it. Do you think the maps show the wrong route?’

‘I don’t know. Maybe. Contrary, I follow these maps only to reach my destination’

He took his wallet from his back pocket to pay for the toll. He just saw the photo of her wife in the front transparent pocket. He takes an exchange of money and his slip. Jerik moves forward the car from the plaza and begins to sing the song.

Tina listened to the song, she said, ‘I have heard this somewhere. Where did you get this song from?’

‘I just saw my wife’s photo on my wallet and the song comes to my mind. Oh yes, I remember I wrote this song and I was singing to my wife the day I met with an accident’

‘Are you sure. You don't’ remember stuff and suddenly you got all this’

‘Yes. I just remembered it. But wait, How could you know about this song? I sang this song only to my wife that day of the accident’

‘Maybe you told somebody. I had listened to it somewhere’. But how did you meet with an accident?’

‘It happened a year ago. I was driving with my wife, We were going to her mother’s house in Noida from Delhi. It was a dark night and heavy rain was coming. I recall a moment when all of sudden a lady, kind of your age came ahead of my car just like you did today’

Tina cleared her throat. She looked at the car and realized that was the same car she sits at the back that day. She looked at Jerik, He is speaking but she is not able to listen to her as she had contemplated the whole incident in front of her eyes. 

That night, She stopped the car. Jerik and his wife were sitting in the car. It was raining and she just killed someone at the footpath with her knife. She asked for the lift. They gave her a ride. Mr. D'Souza was driving the car and in a good mood and singing the lines of the song. After some time, Mrs. D'Souza observed her clothes with blood and had a knife. Mrs. D'souza prompts Jerik. He stopped the car, took the hockey stick that was near to his driver seat. He asked her to leave the car. She never got out of the car and put the hand on his wife's neck and positioned the knife. She said, ‘Please start and speed up the car’. 

Jerik continues driving the car but thinks of getting rid of her. He looked at a few people at the side of the road. He saw at the back that she was looking at the window where she had to stop and pointed the knife at his wife's neck. Jerik slowed the car and tried to take a turn. She realized his movement and she brazed her knife on the neck of Mrs. D'souza and killed her. In a spur of moment, Jerik put a hard brake while turning to his right at the middle of the road, when another car hit him from the front and wrecked it. Jerik was severely injured. Tina was saved and got out of the car and ran away.

Tina came out of her thoughts When she saw Jerik recognize Tina. He remembered her so well. He accelerated his car and clasped and twisted her hand and tried to hit her with his arm. She took the plastic bag and pushed him and put the bag on his head in an attempt to kill him. He was never able to see anything and turn the steering wheel. The lock of the door at the side where Tina sat was not properly closed. The doors were opened and she fell out of the car and smashed by another vehicle and she got dead.

Jerik stopped the car and removed the plastic from his head. He looked at Tina and found she was dead. He drove the car hurriedly for a few kilometers. He then slowed down the speed, looked at the map and drove back to his house. 

At night, He was watching the television while eating his dinner. The news came, ‘A female serial killer who fled from the Agra central jail today morning met with an accident at the Delhi-Agra highway. Police confirmed her death and sent her body for autopsy’

Jerik looked at the photo of her that is showing in the news for a moment to recognize her. Then he contorted his lips and changed the channel.