Anything For You

The day was hectic. He resigned from his job, signed the divorced papers sent by Sonia and left his home in a dejected mood. The gloomy atmosphere and the silent city seemed like mocking at him and teasing him- Rajiv, you are just a failure. He wandered through the highway that he passes through every day.

The same river and the same bridge; he felt a soothing air around. He moved near and saw his own reflection in the clean blue water. He looked confused and half-dead. He hated himself. A complete failure like him has no rights to survive. Probably, he seems unfit for this success-driven world. It seemed as if his reflection from the water screamed at him even though you live, for whom? You have lost your job, love and marriage. The world has rejected you.

He had no wishes, no desires and no claims. Suddenly, life has turned burdensome for him. Without calculating the loss and gain, it is better to hide his face in the depth of the ocean. He closed his eyes and was ready to jump into the water; he felt a touch on his right shoulder. He opened his eyes and turned to find his childhood friend, Rakshit.

“Rajiv! What are you up to! Exclaimed Rakshit.

Rajiv was taken aback. From where did he appear out of the blue? He stared at him baffled. Considering it to be an illusion, he turned towards the bridge and prepared to jump. This time Rakshit forcefully dragged him aside and said, “Are you nuts, buddy? Thanks to the divinity, I noticed you here; I was passing this way towards my home nearby. What is wrong with you?”

Rajiv covered his face with his hand.

“Let me jump and free my soul from this cursed life,” urged Rajiv.

“Life is always a blessing. It is our perspective. Come with me,” said Rakshit and forcefully took him to his residence. In the next 10 minutes, they covered the 8 km long bridge, the highway, the railway crossing and stopped at the outskirts of the city. Rajiv wondered how they could reach here within such a short span! It is not believable for a man to drive faster than air and cover a distance of not less than 40 km within ten minutes. He had seen this happening in the superhero movies but in real life!

“Welcome home, my friend,” said Rakhsit and took him inside, “Mom would be glad to see you after a long time.

Rajiv found the entrance was tidy and beautiful flowers were grown in the garden. He had never been to his home earlier. He met him last before leaving for his higher studies. Later, he lost contact with almost all of his friends. Professional life and family responsibility had never left a single stone unturned to drag him away from his social life. His mother received him and immediately went to the kitchen to get him something. It was a small but well-furnished home with large rooms and beautiful living space. He noticed a thick layer of dust on the antique furniture and the TV screen. The wooden dining set and the photographs hanging from the wall seemed to have not been dusted for long.

Rakshit sensed his observation and said, “We returned from vacation just a few hours back. I went to fetch for some needful stuff and met you there. The room was not cleaned for some time, so looks a bit dusty. Let us move to the terrace in the fresh air.”

Meanwhile, his mother brought a glass of soft drink and some snacks for us. She caressed my head affectionately and said, “You look tired. Stay with us today here. I shall prepare for dinner.”

Rajiv wanted to deny, but something stopped him from doing so. His eyes fell on a room, next to the dining space that pretty much looked like a reading room. An old man, in his 80s, was sitting in an armchair with his face dug into a voluminous book. He sometimes turned the pages and adjusted his spectacles.

“Bhagavad Gita,” said Rakshit from behind and startled Rajiv. It seemed as if he was reading his mind. “Dad hardly speaks to anybody now-a-days. He loves spending the entire day in his small library and reading scriptures and epics.”

In the next few hours, the two friends enjoyed the soothing breeze in the silent evening on the terrace.

“Tell me, friend, what made you take the extreme decision?” inquired Rakshit.

“Life has left me frustrated. The boss treats me like a slave, Sonia considers me as irresponsible & indifferent, the people around look at me as a failure. I have no reasons to survive,” Replied Rajiv in a low voice. He continued, “I didn’t understand, why you saved me? Nothing in this world would standstill after my death, and nothing would change with my presence.”

Rakshit listened and placed his hand on his shoulder and said, “You said me once; God has a better plan for us. How did you forget this? All the roads do not end at the same destination, my friend. I don’t know about the changes you can make to this world, but I believe you have the potential to bring changes to your life. Let’s take dinner. Take some rest. The sun, next morning would find a new way to you.”

They moved to the dining space. He was bewildered to see the entire room, the furniture and the utensils, shinning as if soaked in detergent water for an hour or two. How was the entire room cleaned in a fraction? Let’s not be a detective and concentrate on food as the smell was captivating. He was delighted to find all his favourite dishes served at dinner. After a hectic day, this was something like nectar to him. They completed dinner and he was offered the room that was adjacent to the library.

“This room would bring fresh air to you throughout the night, and the morning sun would wake you up. Have a nice sleep, my friend,” saying this Rakshit opened the window and prepared to leave.

“Thank you so much, Rakshit, for all that you did for me today.” Said Rajiv, “I must say, you are lucky to have such a loving family, a beautiful home where happiness and peace reside.”

“Anything for you, my friend,” said Rakhit with a smile that displayed less satisfaction and more pain. “But, Rajiv, you can never judge other’s life without getting into their shoes.” Rakshit held his friend and said, “You are lucky too, brother, you have the almighty’s best blessing with you that is Life. Live it and make it worthy. There are many people who long to live, but destiny denies.”

Saying this, he embraced him and left the room. The soft wind from the window lulled him to sleep. He slept like a baby, till the morning sun greeted him and woke him up from his deep slumber. He found himself sleeping at a dilapidated thatched hut. The roof was not enough to prevent the sun rays. His head was resting on a brick, causing pain in the right neck. He turned around and found nobody, except a black car parked there at a safe distance. The place seemed at the outskirts of the city. How did he reach there? Which place is this? His mind was blank. Why did he sleep in the ruins of this building?

“Side, please!” honked someone from behind. It was a bullock cart.

He stopped him and asked, “Can you tell me about this house? What happened to this building overnight?”

The man gave a shocking look. “What! Overnight! Are you crazy? Where have you come from? You don’t look like the inhabitant of this village! Otherwise, you would have known, the entire family passed away three years back. The house caught fire, and the villagers could not succeed in saving the poor souls! Since then this beautiful home has turned to be the resting place of three poor souls!”

Saying this, he left. These words left him flabbergasted. He moved into his car and found a piece of paper lying on the front seat. It was written- Wish you a new prosperous life, my friend. He knew it was Rakhit’s handwriting. He looked at the home once; saw his friend waving at him. Without a second, he drove away. He moved ahead, but his mind went back to recall what happened last night. He tried to join the dots. 

Was it a dream or hallucination? Was it just a passing wind that saved his life? Was it really that his friend gifted him another life to restart? Rakshit means ‘someone who protects.’ He saved him by changing his perception of life. His words reeled in Rajiv’s mind, and the car headed towards an unknown destination in search of a new beginning.