Gift

Gift

I wish I could say that it was just another day at office but for the person who is working into sales and marketing field, it was “just another city to visit “ sounds more practical.

This time it was Mumbai-The dream city of India. As soon as you reach the city; you feel the presence of dreams, aspirations, breathing under the hustle and bustle of a busy crowd. Local trains, hurried footsteps marching on the platform, constant announcements of the train timings, eagerly waiting eyes for the train which is running late and cacophonous shouts of all the vendors selling nastas and vegetables-That’s any local station for you any time during the day.

My job requires me to travel across various cities, visit doctors, attract them to my pharmaceutical company’s products. I being the one with the amazing convincing power, I love my job and get lots of pats on my back for my work.

I had almost two days to spend in this city of dreams. After exploring the city for an hour or so, I decided to stop by at Starbucks.

The best thing about these coffee shops in my opinion is their ambience. As soon as you enter the place is filled with the aroma of rich coffee beans; with the light music playing in the background which adds up to the relaxing as well as energizing atmosphere.

I sat in the corner facing the counter and the entrance of the café. As always ordered a café mocha and sat back looking aimlessly at the table.

I looked around to find bunch of youngsters chitchatting. There was a bald man sitting with his laptop in the corner opposite to me. He was too involved with the work that he hardly moved.

“Happy birthday You idiot!”

Youngsters caught my attention again. They were celebrating one of their friend’s birthday. With their giggles and loud voices almost everyone could hear them while the pleasant music was hardly audible now. Almost everyone took a glance at that loud and noisy group except that bald man. He hardly moved ; still engrossed with the work he was doing.

I took a sip of my café mocha. That noisy group had left now.Cafe was filled with hushed murmurs, chitchats and giggles. Waiter was taking a cup of hot chocolate in the direction of that bald man. For the reason unknown I was getting quite eager to see his face. He finally moved as she handed him the cup and smiled and from lip read skills he said “thank you very much”.

Looking at his face made me nervous. My heart stopped beating. “He couldn’t be…Is he?” I felt cold chills all across my body. How could he be here? I haven’t had any contact with him since that day. 

I looked at him more cautiously now as he was taking little sips of hot chocolate.

I still remember those days. I was in the same school throughout high school; so had many contacts in the school. I used to be arrogant too. Now when i think of it it’s very embarrassing the way i used to rag new students along with my friends. We would put fevicol on their bench or sometimes a chewing gum in their hair or lock them in the washroom for hours. Yes, we were mean back then.

There was a boy named Akash who was from the village and joined our school as some businessman funded his studies. He was good in studies but was shy. He was the most targeted guy for the pranks. He once tried talking to a girl he fancied and we spread an ugly rumour about him because of which that girl complained about him to principal.

But one day I knew we had crossed a limit.   It was his birthday and his mother had sent some sweets for all of us. We all planned for a biggest prank on him.

That didn’t end well. It got him rusticated. His dreams of higher studies were shattered. Later we heard, he almost committed a suicide. I always wanted to go and apologize but I couldn’t face him.

I never realised how terrible I was. I made him so helpless that he wanted to end his life. How could I be so insensitive? How could I destroy someone’s life?

Today he was sitting in the same room. I gathered some courage and walked towards him. To my surprise he recognized me but gave me a winning smile.

“Hi ! What a small world. How are you Ajay?” He asked greeting me with a friendly handshake.

“I have been just fine. What about you? “ I could have something more than this but this is weird.

“ Me too.” He said sipping his hot chocolate.

“Listen buddy, I always wanted to say this to you but I couldn’t. I am extremely sorry for.. “ I finally managed to say sorry but was interrupted soon.

“Don’t need to. Heard of a phrase-What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger?

That’s what literally happened to me. I was a newbie and so desperate to be the part of the group that I never used to be myself.  I’d always come up with the ideas to make you guys like me but somehow I couldn’t. You know on my birthday I made those sweets myself for everyone as my mother couldn’t make them due to her ill health. Man! cooking is difficult. All this to please people and when things went the other way I was so heartbroken that tried to kill myself. Thank god I didn’t die that awful day and learned a lesson instead.

I was focusing on all wrong things.  I could have spent days reading, writing or discovering myself. Life isn’t about the one dream. Life is about making dreams come true. When one dream shatters, you can build another-That’s the beauty of life. And so I spent a year recovering, discovering myself and ideas came floating to my mind of what I can do in life. Took up small jobs, made money and continued writing. Today I am proud of who I am and where i come from. I am grateful to life and would never end this gift of life. I appreciate things I used to take for granted. I’ve become a better man. That’s what matters, doesn’t it?”

But I couldn’t speak anything. The poster at the counter caught my attention.

“Catch Man booker prize winner Akash live for the book signing! Only at Starbucks!”

-Charmy Chitnis