The Guy with the Handkerchief

II: The Call

July, 2014, First few Days at College

Finding a good college in Kolkata is not a tough job. People here are all experts in themselves. All elders of the neighbourhood, especially those aunties who have an earning child, try to be a career counsellor during this phase of an aspiring graduate. However, we both were able to tackle those talks and select good colleges for ourselves. It was a sad moment for us that we could not go to the same college, but we were happy that even if we are not together in college, our so called addas won't stop at the para club.

But things were changing. I clearly remember, that evening I was waiting for him at the club. But he was nowhere to be seen. It was nearly 6:30 in the evening, and he used to return by 5:30 at most. New college, new found freedom, new taste of adulthood. He had recently taken a new phone, and with it took a new SIM card. This SIM card seemed to be matter of pride for him as this was the first product that was registered by his name. I called him on his number only to find it busy.

Arindam's life was going to change forever that day, if only he knew earlier. He had been continuously disturbed by phone calls since the evening. He had a late class that day. When he was about to come out of college he got a call yet again. He checked his phone. Unknown number. He received the call in agony.

"HELLO!!!", he yelled.

"YOU SCONDRELL!!!", the reply came.

Arindam was taken by surprise.

"HOW DARE YOU AVOID MY CALLS!!! HOW DARE YOU!!!", the caller shouted back in a dizzy voice. A lady it was.

"Excuse me? May I know who is talking?", Arindam calmly asked as he had still not recovered from the shock of someone randomly calling him and shouting at him.

"OH GREAT!!! NOW YOU DON'T SEEM TO REMEMBER ME ATALL! FANTASTIC!!! COULDN'T WISH FOR MORE", her drowsy shout continued.

"I am extremely sorry but maybe you are mistaken. I really don't recognise this number."

"You don't have to.", the voice calmed a bit but continued, "Who am I? For you I am nobody. Why would you even care to think about me or save my number to the least.", the voice seemed to calm down a bit.

Arindam was sure that someone had mis-dialled him, but the voice seemed so drunk that she was not interested in listening to anything.

"Please come here to pick me up. Please. I beg you. I don't want to be...", suddenly there was a loud thumping sound as if the phone dropped.

"Hello! Hello! Hello?", Arindam could hear the loud music playing in the background but she wasn't responding any more.

After a few seconds someone picked up the phone and replied, "Hello? Anyone there?"

"Hello!", Arindam responded.

"Sir, the lady has already fainted sir. Please come and take her away. We don't want to be accused of anything bad sir. If no one comes then we are going to throw her out and then let her tackle the night, all by herself. We won't take any responsibility of hers, let me be very clear.", replied a man with a squeaky voice who seemed to be really rude.

"All right! All right! I am coming. Just give me the fucking address.", Arindam replied with a sense of anger.

"What am I going into?", thought Arindam, "I, on one hand don't care about this misdirected call meant for someone else, but on the other hand am sympathetic to the woman I was talking to. What if she is really thrown out? What if she is misbehaved with? What if after she is found mistreated, (or worse, Dead) and the police finds my number and accuses me for everything? I think I should go and settle the confusion once and for all. Oh God! Why do I have to be such an honest man with all the ethics? It gives me severe guilt feeling for anything which I should not be concerned about but by chance get involved into."

"La Dolce Vita, New Market", a SMS beeped into Arindam's phone from the same unknown number. The bar attendant must have sent the address to him.

"New Market!", Arindam exclaimed. "Now I have to rush all the way to New Market from Salt Lake at this point in the evening! Damn Man!"