THE MAN HELP - By Ocean Singh

- CHAPTER 8 -

- CHAPTER 8 -

A BIG POSSIBLE HOPE

Wednesday, 20th July 2011, was the day when a batch of six prisoners was assigned to move from Gwalior Police Station to the police station of the National Capital. At 10, in the morning, two police vans were supposed to leave from the Gwalior Police Station and head to the northern highway.

Four hours before - Vaani gets up from her bed. She couldn't sleep in the night because of being anxious about this day. She repeats her morning schedule just like the day before and leaves her apartment in the same hurry. Heading to the lift she even bumps into someone and after quickly apologizing she gets into the lift which was about to shut its door any second now.

After being standing for quite a while in wait, Vaani dials the contact number for the taxi service, on her phone, she booked yesterday for travelling to Gwalior police station. Meanwhile the thundering clouds in the sky also starts falling into raindrops and Vaani still struggling and dialling the number gets into shed of some trees. After three full ringing bells, finally someone picks up and Vaani asks about the status of taxi arrival.

"Hello, I'm Vaani, I booked a taxi for 6:30am today for the addre.."

A voice from the side of Taxi Service interrupts - "Sorry to inform you Ma'am, no service can be provided today due to strike."

"What! But I booked it yesterday and no one told me anything about any strike."

"Apologies for that, Hope you can find another alternative."

"But.. (Vaani drying herself standing in the heavy rain keeps questioning with sudden confusion.) How can you do that, I have paid full advance. Please find some solution and send a taxi here, It has started raining also, and I need to be somewhere by nine o'clock. It's urgent."

"I'm sorry Ma'am, I've told you no taxis are allowed to run on the city roads today. We're really sorry for not being in any position to help you in this matter."

Vaani gets really tempered now - "This is totally unacceptable, what kind of service is this. I paid the full payment as I wanted no issues and you didn't even bother to inform beforehand, so that I could find alternative and now you are responding when only the customer is calling herself."

"I understand Ma.."

Before the man on the other side of the call could say any more words with the same repetitive apologetic tone, Vaani cuts the call in frustration and getting all cranky because of the rain. Being all prepared and positive for this big task, she didn't even considered that anything unfavoured would happen even before reaching the police station. Getting into the taxi and that too without any delay was the first main step for the big task, she's planned to save her best friend. But now, the delay already started and she was standing confused under the trees and looking at the road in front of her and trying to figure out what just happened and what is happening. She felt like failing from the very beginning step and the process of losing the hope seemed to come closer. She processed her thoughts and she knew that she was not ready to fall in front of these challenges. She was already standing under one and being all soaked up in the heavy rain, she dials another number on her cell and calls her friend. The call gets picked.

"Hi Deepak, I'm really sorry for calling you this early, but I need your help. It's really urgent."

Deepak answers from the other side asking about the matter - "What is it?"

"I need to be somewhere by nine o'clock and I need your car. In fact I need you, as you know I don't have a license and I'm not a good driver."

"But Vaani.."

"Deepak please! Please don't say no. I really need your help right now. Please say yes."

"Vaani, I wish I could say yes, But I'm not in the town. I just came Shivpuri last night to my parent's house."

"aa.. oh.." – Vaani's voice turns a little sad, Deepak feels it.

"I'm really sorry, I wish I could be there to help."

"No, it's all right. I'll.. I'll find some other solution. You enjoy your time there. And Thanks."

"Yeah, sure. Bye. Take care."

"Bye."

And the moment Vaani cut the call, the losing hope just entered her body. She felt like numb and everything just started to turn blur in her sight. Her aim for the day felt like shattering into pieces. She felt like from last two days she was working on something which was senseless, pointless. It was like giving in every effort for something which was never meant to be. It was just a few seconds after cutting the call and sitting onto a bench nearby, but a storm of disappointments just took a place and started to get intense and deeper. It was still raining but feeling hopeless, Vaani takes out the file from her bag, she made and worked on, for Gautam. She starts to go through every page by turning one by one and the tears just starts to fall from her eyes automatically. The failure, not just of the few beginning steps this day, but every trial, every battle, every hope of - last ten years, was the big one. It hurt deep. Realising that Gautam will be leaving the state and she might never be able to meet him, her hurt deepens. Recalling every moment when anyone who loved Gautam wanted to scream loud, Vaani fills up with rage and throws the file straight in front of her on the ground.

She couldn't process anymore. Her emotions were so much on the peak at this moment that not even the hard effort of her tired brain could help her in any ways. At this moment, she was in no position to look for just one more alternative or rework her plan for this task. She just needed someone. Some help from someone.

After sitting at one place for fifteen long minutes and working on thoughts but still being blank, Vaani, gets lost into thinking harder. She feels like telling Renu and Sonakshi, about everything. She felt like hugging them and share their pain too one more time, but by shedding her own tears along. She felt like maybe by doing this she could say how sorry she was, to Gautam.

Gautam, who could be in front of her, if the day didn't turn out this much unexpected. The heavy rain was never lucky for this building. Ten years ago, it lost an innocent child and turned everything dark for his family and friends and ten years later, It was repeating the moment by crushing a big possible hope for him, his family and his friends. Vaani, inhales an unwanted sigh and gets up to see Gautam's family once again.

******