She sat in the Starbucks cafe, sipping her coffee and staring out of the window. The blood stained knife lay next to her handbag, covered with her blue silk scarf. She was in a sceptic mood, oblivious to the customers, walking in and out of the shop and traffic nuisance outside on the road. The people enter and exiting give her a glance as she was very beautiful, looked stunning clad in a black laced dress, her golden chain that adorn her well shaped neck. The ambiance was filled with with the fragrance of the perfume she wore, people's curiosity and suspicion mounted as she sipped her coffee and continously fumbled with her blue scarf . She became the centre of attraction. Nobody could read, her face was camouflaged with a black laced veil and eyes with brown glares. She appeared quite majestic as well as mysterious. After hours of sipping hot coffee, she raised her right hand, the boy at the counter arrived. She took out a bundle of Rs 100 notes gave it to him and told him " Keep the change" and with the gait left the place leaving the people at Starbucks dumbstruck.
She was indecisive. It was five thirty in the evening, she was unaware of the time she had spent at Starbucks. She called for an auto and directed him to her destination. Lost in her thoughts, she did not know when she reached. The auto driver said " Madam your destination" . She paid him the the fare. Slowly with her crafted fingers, she opened the door and walked straight towards and fell him with her arms stretched as though they were about to hug him, where he lay in his grave. She wept bitterly and his last words were ringing in her ears " Go back where we first met and if you wish follow me, Your true lover". She was Rosemary. She reminiscences her past life when she was just a teenager, living with her uncle and aunt in Delhi's posh colony. She was very ambitious, competitive and aggressive easily influenced by people. She to get more and more wealth and luxuries. For her Vitamin M was the most powerful and life saving medicine. She called money Vitamin M. Desire for money and power misled her and in drug trafficking case she was imprisoned at the age of 15 years.
In the prison, she met 17 year old boy, Joy who was an orphan. They both were in the juvenile home for doing illegal activities but Joy was innocent lad and was imprisoned for the crime that he had not committed. She was influenced by his charming and poised demeanour. He never spoke but his one glance conveyed thousand emotions. He was irresistible. She often tried to talk to him but he gave her an irritated look. She always called him batch no 111. Through the jail warden Mrs Kamra who managed the children, Rosemary came to know that Joy was innocent and serving the term because he there was nobody to hear his plee. No one could decipher or comprehend the depth of his thoughts. Rosemary thought that her imprisonment was a blessing in disguise as she met Joy.
When they completed their jail term, they both departed
He left the prison gates with grit and determination never to be confined again and she walked out of the prison gate with new jest and vigor to live and die like a queen. She was disowned by her own uncle because of her outrageous attitude so she was forced to earn her livelihood. Add he started working at fast food joints singing in bars and clubs. Avarice made her lure rich powerful men with her beauty and intelligence. Very soon Rosemary morphosise as Bloody Mary. Her intoxicating beauty disabled the richest and the most powerful men who bestowed her with hard cash, luxury cars and posh apartments. She was worshipped by men and envied by women. She made more enemies than friends. Nobody could take any chances with her or even touch her. She was an ambitious woman but was determined to gift her virginity to the man she loved and not to those men who loved her.
Once while she was seated in the bar with her friends, she saw the same familiar face sitting across the table at a distance, sipping champagne. She immediately walked towards him and asked to sit besides him. He just glanced at her and tried to move but she caught his hand and forced him to sit. She told him " before you depart at least hear my true confession". He knew she was very beautiful, mesmerising but he too was a resolute and a determined man. No beauty could weaken him, lure him to thwart his anger, anxiety. He was Joy but his heart was full of sorrow because of trauma and humiliations that he had suffered in life. He believed that the world respected only the rich and wealthy people. Like Rosemary, he too entered the crime world at an early age but there was big difference between the two criminals. Rosemary did played dangerous mind games to satiate her wants and desires and Joy committed crimes to satiate needs and desires of the needy people. He was not a criminal but a messiah for the most of the needy people. He did not want to harm Rosemary by inviting her into his life so he always distant himself from her. He pushed her aside and walked out of the club. Rosemary too followed him. As he was about to sit in the car, she caught him and pulled him out. He smiled at her, she was determined to tell him to confess her love. Rosemary said " hunting you I chased thousand men and you disappeared like a raindrop in the ocean, speak up you dumb rock". She wept bitterly in front of him, he offered his handkerchief to her which she refused then again she said " I want to hear your voice, speak to you. Why are you so indignant? Don't you find me attractive and lovable?" He simply glanced, Rosemary hugged him "come closer, I have nothing to hide". Then Joy for the first time spoke in his baritone voice. "Joy was the name given to me by warden and juvenile home people but my real name is Shiva. I am a shiv bhakt, I too have consumed all the toxins that I was offered by this world. I was helped by her to live a peaceful life. I am and achiever by day and adventure by night and lead a dangerous life because I help the needy and torture the corrupt". Rosemary said" my desires were laced with avarice,but you are such a nice human being that I would cherish the wish to live and die with you. Shiva said " my dear beauties are to be protected and not endangered. Mend your ways". Rosemary said " your confession will be needed for it. Do you love me? ". Shiva just removed the blue scarf from the jacket which she had given him when he had left the juvenile home as their friendship memoir. She was shocked to see it in his hand. They both kissed it together. He kissed her weeping eyes. She said she was a corrupt sinner and he a saint. But both are humans. Shiva said sinner has a future but Saint has a past. Cheating impoverishes humans therefore you give and gain, you grab and lose. She promised him to change her ways but after committing the last crime of her life. Joy was about to leave when a car fired bullets at him and they both rushed into the car. His head was on her lap and scarf in his hand. Shiva said " I love you Rosemary. It is certain that death shall befriend me soon as it is the universal friend who leaves no one alone and embrace every one sooner or late. Don't mourn my death but celebrate it. Surrender yourself, follow the righteous path. Go back where we first met". Rosemary with tears in her eyes and lover's corpse drove towards the graveyard. She performed his last rites and headed straight to the Sunrise building at carter road and killed the man who had nurtured the plan of killing Joy. She then walked straight to the police station with the blood stained knife and confessed her crime. After her imprisonment, she became a nun and preaching about the righteous path.
