Chapter 8 - The Mysterious Call
It was already seven in the evening. Krish stepped out of the office. All the employees were heading home. Krish walked to the parking lot and stood there. Just then, a car pulled up beside him. Ruby was behind the wheel. Krish looked at her.
Ruby:
"Hey! Where do you need to go? If you want, I can drop you…"
Krish:
"Oh! Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart, ma'am… but I have my bike."
Ruby:
"It's okay… but I told you to call me Ruby."
Krish:
"Okay, Ruby…! Is that better?"
Ruby:
"Yes, that's perfect now. See you tomorrow, then."
Krish:
"Yes… now we'll meet here every day."
Ruby:
"Yeah, that's true."
With that, Ruby drove off in her car. Krish took out his bike from the parking lot and left too. While riding, Krish couldn't stop wondering: with such an ordinary job, how could Ruby afford such an expensive car?
A little while later, Krish stopped again near that garden. It was around half past seven. The garden was still quite lively—lots of people were strolling around. Food stalls and fast-food shops were crowded. Krish went and stood outside a restaurant. The place was full, but after waiting a bit, he found an empty table. He sat down and placed his order. A few minutes later, another boy approached him. That boy was none other than Sameer.
Sameer:
"Hey! If it's not a problem, can I sit here? There's no other place left."
Krish:
"The table is big enough. Please sit."
Sameer:
"Thanks… My name is Sameer. And yours?"
Sameer sat down opposite Krish.
Krish:
"My name is krishna, you can call me Krish, I just moved here today."
Sameer:
"So where did you live before?"
Krish:
"My house was in the city area. I got transferred, so I had to come here."
Sameer:
"The city… that's such a crowded place. My friend Vivek is from there too. I don't know where he disappeared to all of a sudden."
Krish:
"Disappeared? What do you mean?"
Sameer:
"He just vanished. It's been six days and there's no sign of him."
Krish:
"What did he do?"
Sameer:
"He worked in a big private company. He had just bought an expensive car. Then he came here, met a girl, and after that, he disappeared."
Krish:
"Maybe he ran away with that girl."
Sameer:
"No, he had only met her two days earlier. He wouldn't do something like that."
Krish:
"These girl troubles can be really dangerous."
Sameer:
"So, you don't have a girlfriend?"
Krish:
"There was one girl, but she left with someone else."
Sameer:
"Girls these days are like that. What can we do?"
Krish:
"Don't you have anyone?"
Sameer:
"No, but I'm getting ready for an arranged marriage soon."
Krish:
"If you don't mind, can I say something?"
Sameer:
"Sure, go ahead."
Krish:
"One of my friends got into an arranged marriage through an online site. He saw a beautiful girl and married her. Just a few months later, his wife was caught red-handed with her ex-boyfriend. My friend wanted a divorce, but by then she was pregnant. The divorce still hasn't happened; he's fighting in court for maintenance. His happy life got completely ruined. That's why I'm really scared of arranged marriages these days."
Sameer:
"That's really terrible for your friend. But a wrong partner can come from anywhere—even in love marriages."
Krish:
"Maybe you're right. Still, getting to know someone properly over a long time, becoming good friends first—that feels like a safer path."
Sameer:
"You're right. But I haven't found any girl I could become good friends with."
Krish:
"I did find one, but now she's gone."
Sameer:
"It seems like you don't want to trust any girl anymore… or maybe you're afraid to trust."
Krish:
"Yes, something like that."
Sameer:
"Anyway, when love happens, no amount of sense works. The heart and mind both become slaves to that one person."
Krish:
"Yeah… that's true too."
After that, both Krish and Sameer placed their dinner orders.
Krish:
"Looks like we have the same taste in food."
Sameer:
"You're right."
Krish:
"Tell me about your friend Vivek. Was he a good guy?"
Sameer:
"It's hard to say. He was generally good, but he had a girlfriend who was beautiful and rich. Still, when he came here, he fell for another girl and started chasing her. I don't know what condition he's in now."
Krish:
"So he was playing a double game! In the beginning it feels exciting, but people who do that usually end up in a really bad place."
Sameer:
"You're right… but he was my best friend. I hope he's okay."
Krish:
"By the way, you didn't tell me—what do you do?"
Sameer:
"Nothing special, just a private job. I prepared a lot for government administrative jobs, but nothing happened."
Krish:
"Competition has become really tough these days."
Sameer:
"You tell me! Which company do you work for?"
Krish:
"T C P…"
Sameer:
"Oh! Your company is quite infamous. Two MMS scandals have already leaked from there."
Krish:
"Really?"
Sameer:
"Yes, even the boss was involved."
Krish:
"I've met him. He seems like a good person."
Sameer:
"We don't really know what someone is like inside. Anyway, it's been a long time since I talked this much to anyone. Can we become friends?"
Krish:
"Yes, of course! I definitely need a new friend in this new place."
Sameer:
"Great! Then tonight's dinner is on me."
Krish:
"Okay, fine."
Sameer:
"After work, when you're tired, the garden right in front is the best place to relax. The view of the sea from there is amazing."
Krish:
"You're right. I saw it from outside—it looks really beautiful."
After that, they finished dinner. Sameer paid the bill. Then both of them stepped out of the restaurant. Sameer said goodbye to Krish. Their ways were different, so Sameer went his own way. It was half past eight at night. Krish started his bike, but his eyes fell on the garden in front. He felt strangely drawn to it. He parked his bike right in front of the garden. He just wanted to look at it. At that hour, very few people were still inside. Built in the British Empire era in Gothic style, the garden pulled Krish toward it. He walked up and stood in front of the grand main gate.
Suddenly, he felt something strange. It was as if a voice from inside the garden was calling him, beckoning him to come in.
Next chapter…