Part 5 (1/2)

”And don't try to act too smart there. Stay careful, and take good care of your belongings.”

”I will mom. Taxi!”

Surprisingly, and thankfully, the first cab that stopped agreed to take me.

”Take me to Howrah station.”

”Take care of yourself son! Keep calling!”

”Yes mom, I won't forget to keep calling you. Stop worrying about me so much!”

The cab drove ahead now, and as mom went back inside, I told the cab driver, ”Rajabazar.”

”But you said we were going to the station.”

”Yes, but now we are not. We are going to Rajabazar.”

Twenty minutes later, I was standing in front of an eight foot wall with a bag in my hand and another on my shoulder. I had to wait for a little less than two hours for them to come. The process had begun.

CHAPTER 14.

Time is a rather relative quant.i.ty to the human mind. Scientists may advocate its absolute nature, but to an average human mind, the concept of time can never really be absolute. Only a few days back, I had spent 3 hours watching a Batman movie, and it flew away like a breeze.

However, these two hours that I had spent waiting for Meira and her accomplice to come out had been excruciating. Standing in a dark corner, in front of that eight foot wall in a small lane behind a brothel isn't exactly the best way to spend time. Thankfully, most people crossing me were so drunk that they didn't really notice me, and pa.s.sed by me with a glance or two even if they did. I kept to myself, and tried to avoid any form of contact with any person there.

Midnight struck, but they didn't come. Then I realized my how stupid I had been, and my obsession with midnight. She had asked me to come at 3 a.m., and I had made arrangements according to that too. Only that I forgot at the last moment, in my excitement, and I had come much earlier for that. Three more painful hours on this shady lane with these bags would kill me. I sat down on the least dirty looking part of the road, and waited for them to come.

Thankfully, they decided to come a little early. The road was deserted by the time they came, so there was no one who could see them leaving. I heard their soft footsteps on the other side of the wall, and propelled myself up on top of the wall, with support from the pipe on the side wall. I jumped to the other side, landing softly on my feet.

”Where is Meira?”

”She's coming. She needs a little more time than me. I made sure the guards were out cold, but we still need to be careful.

”Did everything go according to plan?”

”Better than the plan, you may say. Everything has been perfect so far. She should be out in five minutes.”

”That's great.”

”I still don't understand why you're doing this for a girl you met just once.”

”How do you know I've met her just once?”

”Girls talk, especially when they have no other source of entertainment. She mentioned you quite a few times during our conversations.”

”I see. Well, good to know that she remembered me.”

”So, why exactly are you doing this for her?”

”It's not just for her. This feels like redemption from my sins for me.”

”What do you mean?”

”Let's just say that I did something wrong a long time ago, and I want to cover up for that now, and this is the best way to do that.”

”You're one crazy person. I don't know what you are up to, but as long as you're helping us out, it doesn't matter.”

”I'm glad to know you think so highly of me.”

”I didn't mean to offend you. I'm sorry. You're a great guy, but it still seems strange to me why anyone would do such a thing for someone he barely knows.”

Our whispers were cut off by the footsteps of Meira approaching. She stepped out of the back door, barely being able to conceal her smile.

”You look beautiful in that smile you're wearing,” I said, smiling at her.

”It's all because of you that this smile is there,” she grinned back.

”I think we should leave now. The guards may wake up, and if we are caught, all three of us will be dead.”

”Yes, you're right. We should go soon. Being caught is the last thing we want after so much effort. We are very close to being free now!”

The three of us stood against the wall. The first girl climbed on my hand, then my shoulder, and then jumped across the wall, landing safely on the other side.

”Send the bags across.”

We threw the bags over, and she caught them on the other side. Meira was next. She followed the same routine, and reached the other side too. I was the only one left to go across. However, there was no pipe here on the side wall to help me climb the wall, and jumping two feet up wasn't exactly something I was an expert at.

”C'mon, hurry! We have to get out of here as soon as possible!” they whispered from the other side.

I was trying as hard as I could to get out of there, but jumping the wall seemed more difficult than ever. I wasn't being able to jump the distance. I looked around for something to climb on to so that I could leave, and found a small broken stool. I took the wobbly stool and placed it in front of the wall. In one quick motion, I was on top of the wall.

The stool shook and fell, creating a noise slightly audible. I heard footsteps coming from inside.

Human beings, in shock, often fail to do the thing they're supposed to. A man slipping and falling on the tracks may not be able to get out of the way of an oncoming train even if he has the time, simply because he may be too scared to move. Similarly, despite knowing that the best thing for me to do was to leave, I sat on top of the wall, frozen. The whispers of the two girls were inaudible to me, and the wall was too high for them to reach me.

The footsteps drew closer, and got louder as they approached the door. They were clearly not of a man. I had to know who this woman was now, even if it meant landing us in trouble. I was sure she wouldn't reach us in time. The car I had hired for the job had smoothly pulled over on the road, and we were just a small dash away from reaching it. Three train berths to a safe haven had been reserved, and all I needed to do was get in that car.

The door opened slowly, and a slender figure stepped out of it. The darkness ensured I couldn't see her face. She could see mine, though. She walked slowly towards me, and as she did, she stepped into the faint light that shone on the small s.p.a.ce there.