Goodbye

"Bloody hell", Brij cursed looking around at  rows and rows of parked cars. It was some time since he had driven around the city on his own. Having a driver was a luxury, not so much for having someone else drive you around, but for not having to look for a parking space. But today he couldnt afford to bring his driver along. No one was supposed to know where he was going and who he was meeting.

He saw a car pull out and immediately slid his Audi into the vacant spot.

" Thank God, for his small mercies".

He stepped into the restaurant and it was so dimly lit, he stuttered to a stop. Once his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he could make out the faint shape of cabins curtained off with wooden partitions. The place was a far cry from the swanky restaurants where he held his business meetings. But the contact had insisted that they meet here. He was in no position to refuse.

"Cabin No. 7", he asked the passing waiter in filthy uniform.

"There", said the waiter giving him a smirk.

Brij, in his 3 piece Business suit, felt so out of place. He walked slowly towards the cabin number 7. He parted the curtain with the back of his hand and looked inside. It was a cramped place with a two seater sofas on either side with a table wedged in between. The contact was there. He could barely  make out the face due to the dim red light. Brij, the Expert Strategist to his Masters,  of many a board room brawls was unsure how to proceed. The contact motioned with his hand and said. ,"sit down".

No names, No greetings, No small talk, No appetizers, straight to the Main Course.

"Have you brought the Cash and the photograph", the Contact asked.

Brij pulled out a thick envelope out of his coat pocket and slid it across the table.
The contact opened the envelope and pulled out a thick bundle of currency notes and the photo. The contact stared at the photo and asked,

" Wife"???

Brij, recoiled. How does it matter?? Thats none of your business".

The contact put the photo back into the envelope and said," Actually it is my business now. If it is your wife, then you will be the first suspect. And if you know the cops as well as I do. In no time they will have you singing like a canary. Now I am not a big fan of singing and dancing Mister. I prefer silence, serene peaceful silence. Silence of those who come to see me, and silence of those whom I go and see."

The 3 piece suit covered it. The expensive Hugo Boss Perfume masked it. But the face....
Brij, broke into sweat.

"Yes, its my wife".

"This will require some preparation. We will have to set up an alibi. I will see you again in a week's time". The contact said, without batting an eyelid, switching immediately to another course of action, like a well rehearsed,  well laid out plan.

"He knows what to do. He comes well recommended." Brij thought to himself, unsure whether to be relieved or aghast at the dastardly deed done. "How many had stepped into this shady place and had a conversation with the contact. He was not the first and he will not be the last".

But the die had been cast. There was no turning back now.

As Brij stepped outside the restaurant. The bright sun stung his eyes. He grimaced and reached into his pocket pulled out his DKNY glares. Now to get back to his office before someone notices he is missing.

Brij looked out of his 22nd floor office. The AGM post earned him a lot of perks which included an office with a view of the seaside. He looked at the life crawling on the road below. Miniatures, cars, people.....he was one of them. What set him apart was the greed to rise above it all. He had done well for himself.   He had expensive tastes and a craving for the latest fad. He grew disinterested quickly. From his Skoda to his Audi, from his drab formals to the business suits, from the fake Raybans to his DKNY, from a rental accomodation to the flat in posh area,  all were a statement of his breathtaking success. Brij had arrived, and arrived in fashion.

There was just one more thing to bid adieu.

As if on cue, the smart svelte young beauty walked in. High heels, with a pair of silky smooth legs, red knee length skirt, a polka dot blouse, red waist coat to match, and the red clip that allowed her hair just the right amount of freedom to sway, to sway someone off the feet.

She was enamoured by  his success, his charm and in no time was more than an executive secretary to him.

Brij looked at her and thought, " I could kill for her. Unfortunately, for that to happen, someone has to die."

Brij returned home in a pensive mood. Things at home were as dull as they could be, untouched by the macabre turn of events in his life today. She was sitting by the TV watching those stupid serials. Hair unkempt, dreary face and Saree with a million creases. The kid had been put to bed. The dinner spread out on table, cold and bland, just like his welcome home.

She looked up at him and started to get up.

"I have had my dinner. I have a presentation tomorrow. I will be working late". Brij said, not wanting to engage in any lengthy conversations. The lengthy conversations always turned into a fight.
They could barely stand each other now.

She looked at him disappear into the other bedroom. A resignation writ large across her face. You marry a stranger and 20 years of moving from a reluctant lover, a friend, a respected mother of his kid, his domestic help and finally end up becoming a stranger again.

The burden of bearing and bringing up the child, taking care of all the needs, household chores had taken a heavy toll on her. The unsung martyr.

In the other bedroom, Brij opened his Sony Vaio and stared at the smiling face of his lady love. Then he saw calender on the top right corner.
"Oh the wait, its killing", impatience was his forte and his handicap.

The week passed as Brij tried to go about his daily life. However the wait kept gnawing at his insides. As he sat across from the contact, Brij could hardly control his heartbeat from racing. He could feel the veins in his head throbbing as he waited for the contact to speak up.

The contact, cold like steel, watched Brij, deliberately extending the silence, taking a strange sadistic pleasure in the discomfort of his client.

"Mister, you need to do two things. First,  get a heart attack and get yourself admitted to a hospital.
Second You need to draw up a will leaving everything to your wife."

Brij sat there unable to comprehend. "What kind of a game are you playing" his tone started to rise.

"Quiet," said the contact, like a teacher admonishing a petulant child. "Dont raise your voice."

Having seen his voice take the desired effect on Brij, the contact continued.
" You will fake a heart attack, get yourself admitted to a hospital. Then as a sign of benevolence you will draw up a will handing over all your assets to your wife. Later on, when your wife meets with an accident, you will not be in the list of suspects."

"But the doctors will know. And the will...". Brij was full of doubts.

"The doctor will be arranged. It will just require some more money. The Will can be retrieved from our lawyer and torn up once this is over", explained the contact.

Brij sank back into his seat. The simplicity and brilliance of the plan struck him. He was eager to get to the next part. ," and when will this be over".

"Sooner than you think", the contact threw the last remark at him as if in contempt.

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She sat at the foot of his bed as he sipped tea. Her head was bowed as she sobbed intermittently.
" Don't worry dear, I will recover. Its just the stress. All the hardwork and running around I do to get a better life for you and our child. I just neglected myself in fulfilling my duties towards you."

She kept sobbing. He looked at her and felt pity. How did the rich and famous put down their prized race winning horses which had gone lame. What kind of gamut of emotions they felt. It was not death, it was deliverance from their wretched existence. Ahaa...yes...it was not death it was deliverance. So he justified his own actions and felt a feeling of pride surge through him. How would he say his final goodbye to her ? It was going to happen soon. He could be kind to her in the last few days of her life. Maybe even hug her and kiss her one last time. A Goodbye kiss.

He pushed the envelope across to her and said, "all my shares, FDs, ULIPs,Cash, Car, House I have willed in your name. Its just a formality. Dont worry, I will be back on my feet in no time.

Her sobbing broke into uncontrollable stream of tears as she gasped for breath and said," I dont want to die".

Brij froze  for a moment before recovering. She must be thinking about life without me, or in her disoriented state she... ," what are you saying dear".

She was inconsolable, but the words were clear this time, " I don't want to die".  She looked at him.

Brij felt a heaviness in his chest. He looked at the reports from the nursing home lying on the bed besides him, his ECG, his Echo, his X Ray...then back at his wife.

" I know", she said, as she looked at him, tears still running down her face.

Brij looked on in dead stare, like an actor who has unable to deliver his well rehearsed lines, because the director had set up a twist in the tale.

"Ashu, the man you went to with my photograph. I have known him since he was a small boy. He lived down the street. His abusive father was always getting in trouble with the law. I cared for the child, nothing much,  simple things like buying him an icecream just to put a smile on his face.
He used to say, " Didi, one day I will buy something for you".
I used to tease him, " what will you buy, you dont have any money".
" I will buy the world for you", he used to say."

The Master Strategist in Brij's brain took over. This was a bad situation. He was analysing his options and exit routes at lightening speed. The brain that had brought him his success was racing to salvage the almost dead situation. She knew. She knew.  What if he still got rid of her. But she had an ally, the cold blooded killer. No, no, no..... Stand and Fight....no, no, no....Adapt and Survive...maybe....maybe...yes.

He feigned a stammer, to show nervousness, with a little bit of effort, if he could bring a tear or two to his eyes, that would complete the effect.

"I am sorry, I am so sorry, what I have done is .....I am so ashamed of myself..... I wasnt thinking right. But seeing you crying like this has broken my heart. I am unable to see you breakdown like this. I am so sorry..."

The look in her eyes showed, she was gone far beyond to fall prey to his machinations. The sobbing gave way to disgust as she said," When Ashu told me, I was shattered. I wanted to die. Why would I want to live, to be loathed. Then I thought about my child, my precious child, how would he live without me, how the other woman would treat him. And I felt my love for my child so overbearing that I didnt want to die.

I don't want to die

I don't want to die."

She hung her head and started sobbing again

Sensing a moment of weakness Brij played his hand," No one has to die, my Dear. We will start all over again. You remember the early days of our marriage, the late night movies, street food...lets start over once again".

She turned to face him and snarled," don't you get it. Its over. IT's OVER. You cant go back and start over again.
Your tea ...

Your tea was laced with a drug that gives symptoms of a heart attack. "

The blood drained from Brij's face, as the simplicity and irony of the plan dawned on him. The master stroke of the cold blooded Killer, Ashu The first false heart attack, The execution of Will in his wife's name, the reports from the nursing home, and a second heart attack. No one will suspect.

He felt his vision blurred, his temple started throbbing, the pain in his chest became unbearable...he could barely speak,

" Prerna, how much time I have?"

As she wiped her tears with the corner of her saree, she said," just about enough to say Goodbye".