The irony
Menon
tried to sleep. But he was not comfortable. At 6-30 AM, Abdulla, the nathur,
came running to his tent.
He said
“sir, there is a wireless message from Jasbir Singh, your Foreman”. Jasbir had
already returned to Ghusseli after their meeting at Jebel Ali. Menon rushed to
the wireless station.
What
Jasbir told him, stunned Menon. He was speechless and he sat on a chair and
could not balance him. He left a note for Ibrahim with the nathur and got
ready.
He drove
his car at 160 km which he had never done before. At the Aweer roundabout he
went straight and reached the Al-Ain roundabout. Then he turned left and sped
across to Ghusseli. He straightaway to villa No: 28 which was designated for Baqer
Ali. As he reached the villa, he could see a crowd outside and two police cars
and an ambulance.
He rushed
in and met Baqer’s younger brother, Mubarak Ali.
“It was
at 5-00 A.M. My brother died. It seems to be a heart attack.” He tried to
suppress his tears.
“They had
shifted from the hut only yesterday noon time. He could not stay one day in his own villa”
Mubarak sighed.
“We are
going to shift his body to Dubai where we will complete all formalities and
bury him"
The news
knocked out Menon. He had lost a friend, a good human being. he went inside and paid his respects.
He could
hear the wailing of womenfolk. He could recognize Gauri’s voice.
“Baqer
Baba, why did you leave us? I loved you like my father and you, too, treated me
like your daughter. I can’t believe this has happened.”
I got
out. Mubarak spoke to me.
“Now, as
her sponsor is no more, Gauri’s visa will be cancelled and she will be sent
back to India. Or we can make her a visit visa and she can fly to Bahrain and
come back on another maid visa. I will sponsor her”
Gauri
heard this and she came out and said.
“No, I
want to go to my parents in India. I do not want to come back”
Mubarak said”Fine,
as you wish. We will make arrangements within a week. You can come to Dubai and
stay with my family till you leave"
Baqer
Ali’s physical remains were buried that evening. He had become history and
slipped into oblivion in no time. That is the irony of fate.
It was a Friday that Gauri was to fly to Bombay in the night. The visa cancellation formalities
were already completed. Menon went to the airport to see her off. He
accompanied her till the immigration counter.
Her eyes
were filled. She said “Engineer, why did we meet at all? The pain in my heart
is twofold. One is the sudden demise of Baqer Baba and the second one is my
departure from Dubai. I won’t be able to meet you any more in this life. I will
have to live with your face and thoughts in my daily dreams. You know one thing, Engineer?”
She stopped with a question and then continued.
“I had
fallen in love with you the first day I met you. I knew that it was a wild
dream to love you which would have never come true. The days when you were
around in Ghusseli were the happiest moments in my life.” She sobbed.
“Anyway
one cannot yearn for the impossible. I wish you all the best in your life”'.
She burst out.
Menon was
speechless. His heart grew heavier with every word uttered by Gauri. He cursed
himself to have caused such agony to an innocent girl.
The
immigration stamp was put on her passport, to depart from the country.
Gauri did
not look back. She walked along and disappeared into the crowd.
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*******The Narration ends********