Our Story For The Telling

“Kitna hua bhaiya?” I asked the cab driver, as I alighted at Colaba Causeway... I looked up at the sign board that read ‘Mondegar’s’...
I heard the cacophony of vendors trying to sell their goods; customers who didn’t want to budge from the prices they were haggling for; the cabs honking; the young boys pestering the ‘firangs’ as they were called, or in other words, the tourists to buy the ‘dholaks’ or drums from them... All those bright bags, hanging off the overloaded stalls... The sea of crowds moving along the tiny by-lanes...
I finally felt like I was at home... This used to be home for me when I was in college... I remember clearly all the details of all those afternoons spent aimlessly wandering around these streets...
It seems like only yesterday, the girls and I would have cheesecakes at Theobroma’s or gorge on sandwiches at Churchill’s... I would never be able to wipe off the taste of the Indian-Chinese food that we so fondly used to hog at Aga Brothers... Those were the days of 1 by 2... Everything was divided amongst each other... We couldn’t afford luxuries like eating out everyday...
I walked towards Leopolds... I sat down on a corner table and ordered a beer for myself...
This is where we were to meet...I looked at my watch... It was 7:30 pm...
It had been roughly around a year since I had met him... And to imagine, this is where it had all started from... I remember every detail about the 1st time we met, as though it happened yesterday...
It was the 2nd of August, 2008... I was at Leopolds with a couple of my girlfriends from college... We were there, doing what we did best... We were bitching about our ex-boyfriends over a pitcher of cold beer...
“My ex, he used to pick his nose in public... Ewwww... I wonder what made me fall for him...” said Priya...
“Obviously your high demand for personal hygiene” I said, with a straight face...
The others laughed...
“Yeah yeah!! Like you dated really hot men all the time, eh!!! They were all renditions of the picture-perfect boyfriend... Weren’t they?” she asked...
“Forget about me... It’s an established fact that I am a magnet for freaks...” I said as I winked at Natasha and Kruti... They giggled...
“Oh yeah... Remember that Angelo freak... ‘Call me Angy!!!’ he would say... What a loser!!!” said Natasha...
“And how can we forget, Saurabh Hatekar... The one who gave you a single red rose every time you fought... Did he give you a bouquet when you broke up??” Kruti mocked...
“You’re forgetting the best of them all... Jazz... Jasmeet Singh Sapra... The druggie... He was stoned all the time... He turned up stoned for my birthday party; and fell head first into the cake... I haven’t let him enter my house since...” I said, as I hi-fived Kruti and Priya...
“Oh my gosh... Gosh... Girls... Quiet quiet...” said a visibly excited Natasha... I couldn’t see what it was that had caught her attention... She was sitting opposite me... So whatever it was that had caught her fancy, was sitting behind me...
“What’s it??” I asked, not wanting to miss out any of the action...
“CGA at 12 o clock...” Nats whispered...
“But it’s already 4:30, you silly...” said Priya, as she checked the time on her watch...
I hit her playfully on the head... “Dodo... CGA means ‘Cute Guy Alert’ and 12 o clock is indication of the direction in which the guy is sitting...”
I couldn’t turn around directly to gawk at the guy... So I pretended to fiddle with my bag that was hanging around the back of my chair... I still couldn’t see him clearly... There was a waiter standing in between... To buy myself some more time, I dropped my phone and bent over to pick it up...
“Move you darned waiter...” I thought out aloud...
The guy sitting at the table in between cute guy’s table and ours was staring at my cleavage as I bent down... He gave me one of those hopeless grins that only single horny men are capable of giving...
“Abey ch***ye... Chal, apna kaam kar...” I said...
I looked up... The waiter had moved... And then I saw him...
He was dressed in a bright orange collared tee, which he’d teamed up with khaki coloured shorts... I was to find out later, that he would always be dressed casually... I in fact discovered later on, that didn’t own even a single set of formal clothes...
“Hey Sam... So what can I get for you today?” I over heard one of the waiters asking him...
“Nuttin much, brother... I’m keepin it light today...” he replied...
“Sam...” I echoed, under my breath...
“Haan, tera naam hi Sam hain!!!” Kruti joked...
“Nahi yaar... I’m not taking my own name... His name is Sam as well... What a coincidence na??” I said, delighted at the newfound information...
“You liked him kya?” Nats asked me...
“Duh uh!!! Obviously I liked him... What’s not to like?” I asked...
“But Sam, I haven’t seen you check out firangs ever... Toh isme kuch khaas hain kya??” Kruti teased...
“Haan re... The most special thing is that we share our nicknames... I need to know what Sam is short for...”
“100 bucks says its short for Samuel... What else can it be?” said Priya...
“Maybe... Maybe not... What’s the harm in finding out?” I said, as I got up and straightened my top...
“Should I?” I looked at Kruti and Nats for reassurance...
“Go for it, magnet for freaks...But do you think he seems freaky enough?” asked Kruti...
“Shuddup...!!!” I said; and turned around to look at him... But he wasn’t there... The 3 other firangs who were sitting with him were very much at the table... But his chair was empty...
“Where did he go?” I yelled...
The whole restaurent went quiet... Everyone was staring at me...
“Dammit...” I said, as I smiled awkwardly and sank right back into my seat...
“What’s it with me and these foot-in-mouth moments??” I asked Kruti, as I play-banged my forehead against her shoulder...
“Excuse me, can I have a light please?” I heard a voice from behind me...
Kruti shrugged her shoulders... I looked up at the figure who had interrupted my moment of mourning...
I couldn’t believe my eyes... Bless you Lord... It was him... Where had he disappeared in between then??? ‘Who cares where he had gone!!! He’s back now... Light his goddamn bloody cigarette...’ I thought to myself...
“Here you go” I said, as Kruti slipped her lighter to me from under the table... I lit his cigarette for him...
“Thank you ladies... Have a good day...” he said, and added a curtsy before he turned to leave...
‘Awww... How cute!!!’ I thought to myself...
“He looks even better when he’s up close, na!!!” said a visibly excited Priya... “Ab kya??”
“Ab kya kya??” I asked...
“I mean, what about your chhoti si love story??” she winked at me...
“Arey... What love-shav n all??? I just find him attractive... That’s it... God knows for how long he’s going to be in the country also... Looks typically American to me...” I said...
Kruti nodded her head in agreement...
I spent the rest of my time looking over my shoulder to check him out... But to him, I was invisible... I was a little disappointed...
“Chal Sam, let’s go...” Nats said...
“Alright” I said and almost heaved myself off my seat... I didn’t want to leave... Would I ever get to see him again??
“Hey Sam...” I heard someone call out... “How come you’re here? Hey Kruti... Nats... Arey Priya... You too...”
We turned around to find Gwen sitting at the corner table with her boyfriend Sean...
But my attention was on Sam... The name ‘Sam’ had caught his attention... He was still wondering which one of us girls was Sam... I smiled at him... He smiled back...
“We just came to have a beer... We’re leaving now... See ya in college tomorrow...” I said, as I waved out to Gwen and Sean...
I turned around to look at him once more... Kruti and Nats took one elbow each and half dragged me out of there...
“Wasn’t he super cute?” I sighed... We were in a cab, headed back to VT station...
“Yes he was... Now chal, get on with it...” said Priya...
Kruti and Nats burst out laughing...
“You know what, Priya... You’re 10 times worse when you find a guy cute...” said Natasha...
“No, I’m not...” Priya said, sounding all agitated...
“Oh yes, you are...” argued Kruti...
The argument continued until VT station, giving me time to think about my mystery Sam..


The next day, I managed to half convince Kruti to come along with me to Leo’s in the afternoon... “He seemed like a regular... All the staff seemed to know him...”
“Alright... Let’s go...” she said with a tone that indicated she had given up on me...
“I love you, Kruts...” I said, as I hugged her tightly...
“Colaba Causeway?” she asked a cabbie outside college... ‘ I hope he’s there’ I thought to myself, Kruti lighted a cigarette and passed it on to me; and the cab vroomed away towards our destination...
“He isn’t here!!!” I said, as I tugged at Kruti’s sleeve, like a 5 year old would have...
“Do you want to order something and wait for awhile or do you want to leave?” she asked me...
“I don’t know yaar...” I said, all dejected...
“So which one of you is Sam?”
Both Kruti and I jumped back in fear... We turned slowly to face whoever it was who had just spoken...
“Hey... Did I scare ya??? Didn’t mean to...” he said apologetically...
He looked even hotter in black... A black message tee with a faded pair of blue jeans...
‘Out of my mind... Back in 5 minutes’ I read the message from his tee out loud...
“That’s me alrite...” he joked, “What would you girls like to have?”
“I’m going light, thanks!!” said Kruti; as she pulled her chair back, and took a seat...
“What about you?” he asked... Pausing, as if to ask my name...
“Sam...” I said...
“Yes...” he said...
“No, I meant, my name is Sam...” I giggled nervously... Since when had I started giggling??
“So it’s you I share my name with, eh!!” he said, as he stretched his arm out for a handshake...
And that was the first time I touched him... It felt so surreal... His hands were so soft...
“So what do you do?” he asked... In doing so, he had singled me out from Kruti...
“I... I am studying at Wilson’s...” I looked up at Kruti... She urged me to go on; and pretended to fiddle with her cell phone...
“Oh that’s great... What are you majorin in?” he asked...
“English Literature” I replied...
“Interestin... Very interestin...” he said... “Mebbe, you could help me out a little...”
Our beers arrived...
“Cheers...” I offered...
“To a new bond, which may we hope, will last till the end of ages...” he toasted...
‘Woah... End of ages and all... This was intense stuff!!!’ I thought to myself... I smiled and looked at Kruti... She looked equally confused...
“You see... I am originally from a small little sleepy town in North America... However, I hardly stayed there ever... I did my schooling from Norway... And then I stayed in Karachi for 2 whole years...”
“Karachi, eh?” I said, with one raised eyebrow...
“Yeah... It’s a beautiful place... You must visit it sometime, if you haven’t already...” he suggested...
“Hmmmm” I said, as I nodded my head...
“I have been in India, in Mumbai to be precise, for 6 months now... I make money here by taking private tutions for those who wanna learn English” he said...
“Oh, that’s nice!!” I said...



Days passed by quicker than I could imagine... Sam and I started meeting everyday in the afternoon, post my lectures... Turned out, he was putting up somewhere close to VT station itself... So it was pretty convenient to meet up...
We used to spend our afternoons wandering around the streets of Colaba and Churchgate area... Or if we felt adventurous, we would take to Marine Drive; and sit there for hours, staring at the sea, and talking...
He turned out to be alright... Maybe, just maybe, I was moving on from losers to not-so-loserly guys...
We would regularly visit Leopold’s as well... He introduced me to some of his friends who were also travellers like him... Nomadic souls, they all got along like a house on fire...
“This is Rob, Thomas and Nathan... Guys this is Samantha a.k.a Sam...”
“Hey Sam” they echoed in chorus...
“So, Sam n Sam, eh... Nice pairing...” said Nathan, as Sam pulled out a chair for me...
“Yeah... I know” Sam said, as he threw his arm around my shoulder... I could feel myself blushing... I was just glad I wasn’t as fair as them... Or else it would have shown...
“She’s Samantha and I’m Samuel... That’s the only diff...” he said...
The rest of the evening passed by with them sharing a myriad of stories about their escapades to various countries and cities across the world...
“I had a ball today... Nathan and Rob are fun... Tom is a little shy, but I guess he will get over it...” I mentioned to Sam, as we walked out of Leopold...
We had plans of going back to his room and chilling for the afternoon... Just then we heard someone speaking behind us...
“Madam... Ganja, hashish, manali...Jo bolo sab milega... Chahiye kya?? Reasonable daam mein deta hoon...” he spoke under his breath...
I turned around to face the owner of the voice... “Arey... Punter... Tu... Kidhar tha itne din? Main Rosy ko poochha tere baare mein... Bola ki tu bahar-gaon gaya tha...”
“Arey madam, aap ho kya... Baal ka style sab badal diya na... Is ke liye, apun peeche se pehchana nahi... Haan, apun idhar nahi tha thode din ke liye...” replied Punter...
Punter was the guy I used to buy my regular supply of ganja and hashish from... Not even the most regular of customers had the privilege of knowing his real name... But I knew it... And it almost even made me feel proud...
“Toh bol na... Naya hair style achcha lag raha hai ki nahi?”
“Ekdum rapchik hai...” he winked and touched the top of his thumb to the top of his index finger, which indicated that it was good...
“Toh madam, kya doon aaj?”
I looked at Sam, with uncertainity...
“Aapka friend hai kya?”
“Haan... Mera friend hai... Amrika se aaya hai...”
“Toh usko bhi poochho na, kuch chahiye ki nahi?” suggested Punter...
“Hmmmm... Mere ko ganja chahiye” spoke Sam, in heavily accented Hindi...
“You know Hindi???” I asked him, shocked...
“Yeah...”
“But why didn’t you tell me before???” I quizzed him...
“It never came up...” he winked at me...
“Aur aapko madam?”
“Hmmm... Wahi hamesha ka de...”
He handed over 2 packets in my hand... But he looked around to check for any cops before he did so... I slipped the packets into the front pocket of my jeans...
“Yeh pakad... Baaki ka rakh...” I said, shoving some money into his hand... “Rosy ko phool khareed ke de... Abey Santosh, usko ‘I love you’ kabhi bolega re?” I teased him... Rosy was a girl who sold beads, and usually sat outside Leopolds itself...
“Kitni dafa apun aapko bola hai, apun ko Punter bulane ka...” he said, lowering his voice... “Aur Rosy ke baare mein kisi ko nahi pata hai... Toh idhar aisa chila ke nahi bolne ka... Apna ijjat hai idhar ka area mein...”
“Chal chal... Bada aaya ijjat wala...” I mocked him...
“Aur sahib, kabhi bhi kuch bhi mangta hain na, toh idhar aake Punter ka naam lene ka... Sab ko maloom hai main kidhar rehta hoon... Nahi toh, madam ke paas apna number toh hai... Chalta hoon madam...” he said, and struck a salute as he walked away...
“Nice boy... Wish he didn’t have to do this for a living...” I said...
“Sabki apni apni majbooriyan hoti hai” said Sam...
“Oh god... I can’t deal with this... Urdu??? Sam, are you really American???” I said, as I pretended to pull my hair out...
“Oh c’mon... Let’s go...” he said, as he playfully pulled me towards himself... He threw his arm around my shoulder, while I held him at the waist...



11 Oct
My phone rang... It was 4:30 in the morning... “Who hates me so much?” I mumbled to myself, as I hunted for my phone under my pillow...
It was Sam... Why was he calling this early in the morning?? Was something wrong??
“Hello... Yeah Sam... Tell me...”
“What...” I said in disbelief, as I sat upright... “That can’t be right... They can’t do this... Hold on, give me like an hour or so... I’ll be there...”
I don’t think I ever dressed that soon in my life ever... I was bathed, clothed and out of my house in 17 minutes, flat... I lied to mom that I had basketball practice at college; and was supposed to report for warm ups at 5:30 am... And I was already late...
I kept thinking about the phone conversation that Sam and I had... The whole train journey from Thane to VT, the same conversation kept playing in my head...
“The cops are here... They say that I will have to leave the country... They’re deporting me... Someone must have complained about my private tutions... They accuse me of working here on a tourist visa... I don’t know what to do...”
He had sounded so helpless... I had to help him somehow... I got off at VT station and almost jogged to the inn where he had taken a room on rent for the last 8 months...
“Mohit, is he alright?” I asked the inn-owner... Sam had introduced me to Mohit earlier, and we would regularly exchange pleasantries when we bumped into each other...
“Oh, thank god you’re here Samantha...” Mohit said... “He won’t listen to anyone... Maybe he will listen to you...”
“Don’t worry... I’ll take care of him” I said...
I meant it... I would take care of him...
“Sam, I’m so glad you’re here... I don’t get what they’re saying... Please explain things to them, will you!!” he pleaded...
“Will you please sit down and relax... Let me take care of this...” I said, trying to keep my calm... I couldn’t bear to see him like this...
I turned my attention to the two cops who were standing in the room...
“Tumhi kon?” one of them asked...
“Mi maitrin... Kai jhala kaka?? Mala saanga na...” I said, as I led them out of the room...
Over an hour later I walked back into Sam’s room...
“What did they say?? Did you take care of it?? I can stay here, can’t I?” he rapidly fired questions at me...
“Calm down, Samuel...” I said, as I took him by the shoulders... “I am not going to let you go anywhere...” I said...
I got out my phone and called my friend Talat Ahmed Khan... He was a well known name in the construction business, a guy with contacts high up in the bureaucratic system... I thought he would be the right person to ask for help...
“Hello... Tally... Sam here... Kaisa hai re tu...”
I smiled nervously at Sam, as I held the phone to my ear...
“Achcha, sun na Tally... Ek favour chahiye tha re... Kuch bhi madad mil jaye toh... (I paused as Talat replied...) Thanks jaan... Actually mera ek dost hain... Firangi hai saala... Thoda visa ka problem ho gaya hai... Tourist visa pe hain... Par usko abhi vaapas jaana hi nahi hai... Toh work visa ya kuch ho sakta hai kya?? Aaj hi police aayi thi... Ek sub-inspector Ameya Khadke... Achcha, pehchaan ka hai kya... Theek hai bhai... Baat karo na... Main tere phone ka wait karti hoon... Thanks re beta... Yeah yeah... Take care... Thanks huh!!!” I hung up...
“He says he will see what he can do... He should call back in an hour or so...” I informed Sam...
“Sam, can I ask you something?” I asked...
“Yeah girl... Anything!!!”
“The cops told me about some sex scandal shit... I don’t trust them... But where did that come from?? I am asking you coz my friend Tally who is going to help us out; he personally knows the cop who told me all this... So he might get information about it, and if he does question me, I don’t want to be blank...” I said, earnestly...
“Actually... Sam...” he started... He cleared his throat and continued... “He wasn’t lying completely... There is no scandal or anything...”
“Excuse me!!” I said, looking at him with my eyes wide open... The tone of my voice, rising with every second... “What do you mean by that, Sam?”
“Samantha, you remember what I said when we met Punter, your hash sellin boy? ‘Sabki apni apni majboori hoti hain’. I had to pay the rent for the room... I had to eat... I had to live... The tutions alone couldn’t pay for it all... So I used to pimp myself out... All of my customers were rich men from the western suburbs... They paid me well...”
My mouth was wide open...
“C’mon Samantha... Don’t misunderstand me!!!” he pleaded...
“And what part of this should I UNDERSTAND?” I asked, almost shouting...
“Calm down, Sam!!!” he said...
A drastic role reversal had happened in the last 10 minutes...
I sat down on the bed, and started sobbing...
“What’s wrong, girl??? Look at me...” he said...
“But... But...” I choked on my tears as I spoke... “You were different from the other men...”
“Wait a minute Samantha...” he said, stepping away from the bed... “You liked me??”
I looked up at him angrily... “Don’t you dare say that I liked you...” I said...
He looked down at the floor... I walked up to him and placed my hand on his chest and whispered... “Don’t you dare say I liked you... Coz I still like you...” and I smiled...
“Samantha, do you mean it??” he asked me, still unsure...
“Yeah... Dodo... I’m crazy about you... Why else do you think I dragged my arse out of bed at 5 in the morning??” I asked him...
He pulled me into a tight hug... We pulled away from each other after what seemed like an eternity... Just then my phone rang... It was Talat...
“Haan bol Tally... Achcha.. Toh tu kya bolta hai... Tu jaise bolega, hum log waise hi karenge... Haan bol na... Okay... Par problem toh nahi hoga na!!! Chal, thik hai... Thank you so much baby...”
I hung up and turned to look at Sam... He was looking at me expectantly...
“I’ve got good news and bad news... Which one do you want first??” I asked...
“Gimme the bad 1st... Save the best for last...” he said.
“The bad news is you won’t be here for my birthday on the 1st of Nov...”
He looked crestfallen... “And what’s the good news?”
“You’re going to be here for every other birthday for the rest of my life...” I yelled...
“Oh my god... Really??? I’m soooo happy Samantha... You’re a life saver...”
“Say thanks to Tally” I said...
“Thanks Tally... Thank you god...” he squealed...
I was happy to see him smiling again...
He noticed me staring at him...
“You’re way out of my league, girl... How did you fall for a loser like me??” he asked...
“What do I say to that?? I guess, I am a magnet for freaks...” I said tauntingly...

 
12th Oct
I went to the airport along with Kruti to see him off... Rob, Nathan and Tom had accompanied us as well...
Tally had suggested that Samuel leave town for a couple of weeks, until things cooled down here... He said that he would make all the arrangements for a work visa for Samuel... He would apply for a work visa for Samuel, saying that he was a new employee with his construction company; and thus, he would forward all of Sam’s papers... He said Sam could be back in the country in anywhere between 3 weeks to 1 ½ months... So that was the plan... Sam was currently flying off to Kathmandu; and was to stay there until he could come back to Mumbai on a rightful visa...
“I’m going to miss you” I told him, as I held him tight... I didn’t want him to see me cry...
“Me too” he replied; “Can I tell you something?” he asked...
“Yeah... Anything...”
He spoke in his heavily accented Hindi that always made me smile... “Samantha, mujhe tumse pyaar hai...” he managed to say with difficulty...
“Really?” I stared at him in disbelief... “I don’t appreciate jokes like these” I said, quickly regaining my serious stature...
“I am serious, Miss Samantha... I love you... I don’t expect you to reply after knowing the truth about me... But I do love you... I have never ever connected with anyone else like I did with you... We clicked, and you know it too... I know the truth about me must have shattered you... But I don’t want any more hanky-panky in my life... Inspite of all this, I don’t expect you to...”
I clamped his mouth shut with my hand...
“You talk too much... My turn now...” I smiled... “I love you too!!!”
He gave me a light peck on the lips...
“Awwwwwwwww” teased Kruti...
“Oh, shuddup...” I said...
“Until we meet again” he said...
“Take care of yourself...” I said...
I felt happy and sad at the same time as I walked out of the airport...

25th Nov:
I got a phone call from an unknown number... It was Tom... He had called to complain about how I had forgotten Rob, Nathan and him; now that Sam was gone...
To prove them wrong, I had to go meet them... We met at our regular place... Leopold’s... We spent the entire afternoon talking...
My phone rang in between... I recognized the number... It was from Sam...
“Guys... Shush... Shush... It’s Sam...” I said as I answered the call... “Hey baby, how are you doin?”
“Let us talk to him as well, you selfish bitch...” Tom joked... I passed the phone onto him... It was weird how I had said earlier that Tom was the quiet one... He seemed to have taken quite a liking to me in the recent few weeks...
“He’s asking for you...”said Rob, as he returned the phone to me...
“Yeah hon... I spoke to Tally... He says your papers should be done by tomorrow; and I told him to send the ticket from here... We can pay him when you get here...Perhaps you can be back in a day or two... Can’t wait to see ya... Love ya too... Muahs...” I hung up...
“To all of us being together... Soon... Very soon” toasted Rob... The 4 of us raised our glasses together... “Cheers” we said in unison...
 
29th Nov
Kruti called me... She sounded pretty worried...
“Sam, are you at home?”
“Yes... I am... What’s the matter???” I asked her...
“Oh my god... I’m so glad you’re safe... I thought... I thought...” ; she burst out crying before she could finish her sentence...
“But what happened Kruts?” I asked, irritated...
“Turn on the news, Sam...” was all she could say...
I promptly turned on the television set and started surfing channels... I wasn’t sure where the news channels were... I found a news channel after what seemed like an eternity... What I heard left me shocked...
“There are fresh reports coming in right now... There is a reported noise of firing coming from the Taj Mahal Hotel... It looks like our heritage structure is now under seige... In the meanwhile, we take you back to the Leopolds Cafe... The first round of firings happened there...”
Did she say Leopolds?? OUR Leopolds???
Pictures of all of us sitting there, happy and cheery, sharing our jokes, our beer and our food flashed through my mind...
“15 are feared dead in the Leopold firing and reports say that over 30 others are left greviously injured...”
The camera panned into a shot of Leo’s... It suddenly seemed so grim and dark... It didn’t look a bit like the place where I had first met my Sam... Or the place where we had spent several lazy afternoons with Rob, Nathan and Tom... Wait a minute, where were Tom, Rob and Nathan?? Were they alright?
I picked up my phone and frantically dialled Nathan’s number...
‘The Airtel number you are trying to reach is currently not reachable.”
I tried Rob’s and Tom’s numbers as well... Same reply...
I was losing my cool by then...
“Apna toh sab kuch khatam ho gaya hai... Ab kidhar jayenge hum log?” said a familiar voice... I turned my attention to the television screen... It was Santosh a.k.a Punter... He looked like he had been hurt, but I couldn’t exactly tell... I could feel my heart racing...
Just then my phone rang again... It was Sam this time...
“Are you alright, Samantha?” he asked me... “Did you hear the news??? I just heard... It’s terrible... Did you try getting in touch with Rob and the others?? I have been frantically trying them, but I can’t seem to get through” he said...
“Same here... I need to go now...” I said; as I hung up...
I ran to the washroom and I threw up...




 
31st Nov
Finally the shootings at Taj had seemed to come under control... People had begun moving out of their houses... Many of them had made trips to the sites where the shootings had happened... Nariman House, Taj Hotel, Leopold... But by and large, the streets were empty...
Given the fact that a bomb had blasted in a taxi as well, Kruti and I decided to play it safe; and we took her car and headed towards Colaba... Taking the train from VT station was anyways out of question...Another set of firings had happened at VT station, leaving a lot of people dead...
I had no clue how we were going to get about things... On reaching there, we started asking whoever we could about the procedures to find out about the missing people... A lot of people had been untraceable ever since that night...
The cops showed us a list... But all we could see on it were Indian names...
“Kaka, doosra kahi list aahe ka... Bagha na... Amche mitr ikadche navhte, Amriketoon aale hote...” I pleaded...
“Kai ga pori... Ikde Bharati lokana mahatva nahi det, tumhala Amriki mitranchi information pahijje?” he taunted...
“Let’s get out from here Kruts” I said, as I dragged her out of there... His reply had made one thing certain, we weren’t going to get any help from them... Just when every door seemed to be closing in on us, I noticed somebody else that I knew...
“Punter... Abey Punter...” I yelled; as I crossed the road to go over to where he was sitting... He wasn’t hurt, except for a few bruises here and there...
“Arey madam aap... Dekho na, kya haal bana diya apne ghar ka...” he sobbed as he pointed out to the place where his house used to once stand... “Aap theek kehte the... Rosy ko ‘I love you’ bol dena chahiye tha... Ab kabhi nahi bol paoonga... Woh toh gayi na...” he said; and broke into tears... I couldn’t stop my tears either... I hugged him until he calmed down a little...
“Arey main toh bhool hi gaya... Aap ka woh firangi dost log the na, us mein se do bhagwan ko pyare ho gaye... Ek bach gaya... Usko hospital le ke gaye hain...”
Kruts and I rushed to the hospital... We managed to find him there...
“We lost Rob and Nathan” were the first words he said on seeing me... He started sobbing unconsolably...
“Calm down, Tom” I said, as I took his hand in mine, “There’s nothing we can do about it now...”
“I should have died too...”
“Hey, c’mon Tom...” I said, trying to console him... “It’s a matter of fate... Your time hasn’t come as yet... I do agree it’s unfair... But we’re all helpless... Aren’t we?”
“But my leg, Sam...” he gestured towards his leg...
I lifted the sheet and almost screamed in shock... They had to amputate his leg, coz part of it had gotten smashed under the impact of a huge glass table that had fallen on him...
I spent the rest of the week taking care of Tom... I would visit him whenever I could... We spoke for hours; and he had actually started looking forward to the time I spent with him...
“Samuel is a lucky man, and I hope he knows it...” was all Tom said, before he left on a plane back to Yugoslavia... It broke my heart to see him leave on a wheelchair, when he’d come on his own two feet...




 
I used to speak to Sam on the phone almost everyday... Given the recent state of affairs, there were no new visas being issued to anyone... And given the fact that Sam had a Karachi visa stamp on his passport made things even worse... Tally was trying his best; and I couldn’t push it anymore...
Months passed and no news came about Sam’s paperwork...
 
Oct 27, 2oo9
Tally called to inform me that the paperwork had been completed... Sam could now come back to Mumbai and stay for as long as he wanted to... I couldn’t thank Tally enough...
He sent the tickets for Sam... And Sam was due to land in Mumbai on the 28th evening...
Sam specifically told me against coming to the airport to pick him up... He said we should meet at the usual place...
 
28th Oct, 2009:
I was so lost in my thoughts that my cigarette ash had fallen all over the table... I had not realized that I needed to flick... I sat there, statue like, until I heard a familiar voice...
“Sam...”
I looked up at his gorgeous face... His hair had grown, and he had styled it into a pony tail now... He had a thick beard growing... But his face still looked as gorgeous as I could remember it to be...
It had been over a year since we’d last met each other... But I still remembered every line on his face...
I threw myself into his arms... We hugged each and I could feel him sobbing...
“I really missed you...” he said..
“Me too... Shall we?” I asked...
“Yes, we should, he said, as he picked up his bag...”
As we walked out, we turned back one last time, to see the place, that even today, for us, held the meaning that it couldn’t for anyone else... I’m sure everyone had their stories to share... But this was ours for the telling...
“Taxi, VT station chaloge?” I asked the cabbie...
“Arey madam, aap...” the cabbie replied...
I bent down to see who it was...
“Abey Punter tu...Tu yahan kaise?” I asked, the tone of surprise apparent in my voice...
“Baitho toh sahi, bataoonga...” he said...
“Yeh mere chachu ki gaadi thi... Chachu ne gaadi Cama Aspatal ke udhar khadi ki thi... Firing mein unko pair pe goli lagi, ab woh gaadi chala nahi sakte... Toh main chala rahi hoon... Sahib ne us din sahi kaha tha... Sab ki apni apni majboori hoti hai...”
I looked at Sam... He looked at me... We smiled...
I placed my head on his shoulder, he stretched his arms around me... I closed my eyes...
I would miss Rob and Nathan; and I prayed Tom would get on with his life and take this in the positive spirit... I was happy that Punter was no longer selling drugs... I felt bad for Rosy and the hundred others who lost their lives; but I also shuddered to think of the fact that I could have been one of them... Had Sam gotten his visa work done earlier, we may have been at Leopold’s celebrating the cause with Rob, Nathan and Tom...
Like they say, everything happens for a reason... I got a second lease of life... And so did Sam... We plan on living our life to it’s fullest... This life of ours is gift from God... And he who gives, can take away as well...

(My prayers go out to those who lost their family/friends to the 29/11 terrorist attacks in Mumbai... )