Desire ✔️

Part 88: Uss Mord Se Shuru Karein Phir Yeh Zindagi

The Next Day - 16 January 2017
@RKB Marketing

Raman stood at his desk, looking around his office.

He had selected the office himself, a couple of months before his move back to Delhi from Mumbai, and so he was familiar with the space and the layout. And with the old staff. He sighed as he recollected that there had been several new faces mixed with the familiar ones though. Mihir had told him that they had hired many new young marketing graduates in the past three years to service their fast expanding customer base.

It was good to come to the office, he mused. The previous night at home had been strange. It had been familiar and yet not. It had been wonderful to spend time with the children of course. Ruhi, his beautiful eight year old and Adi, his dashing teenager. Both children had been quiet though, looking anxious throughout dinner, as though they were missing someone or something precious. He himself had barely eaten, his appetite dulled by medication, pain and the unrelenting questions that plagued him. He had left for his bedroom straight after dinner, but not before noticing both children rushing to the door, anxious to go somewhere. His mother was with them so he hadn't worried, going up to his room, trying to sleep.

But sleep had evaded him, and when he did finally manage to drift away, he woke up several times, drenched in sweat, his dreams bringing forth the two things that plagued his mind. The cry of a little baby and those whispered words spoken through tears - Raman, uth jao mere Raavan. So he had tossed and turned, finally taking refuge in a glass of scotch. But even that had not quietened the voices in his head and it had been good to see morning dawn, to escape from those voices, from home, and to come to this office, where he could be normal, and feel sane again.

He sat down at his desk and switched on his computer. Mihir had gone to get the dossiers he had prepared on their VVIP clients, and Raman was keen to get started with reacquainting himself with his work.

"Password" the screen flashed at him.

He smiled wryly. Well, that was one thing he remembered. He had crafted the genesis of his password the day Aditya was named, modified later to include his daughter as well. Throughout the heartache of his son's estrangement from him, the password had served to remind him that however much pain the ending of his marriage had caused him, he could not regret that fact that it had given him the two greatest gifts in the world.

Adityaruhi He typed.

Incorrect password the screen flashed back at him.

Adityaruhi2017 he tried again.

Incorrect password still flashed up.

"What's wrong bhai?" Mihirs voice interrupted his concentration, as he wondered what juxtaposition of his children's names he had chosen for his latest password.

Raman looked up in relief. "One more thing I've forgotten Mihir. My password. I always used the names of those I loved the most, but I guess I must have changed that habit as well. You always know my password. What is it.

Mihir hesitated. It's still the names of those you love the most bhai he mused. It's just that those you love the most has changed, your family has grown.

"Mihir" Raman prompted impatiently.

"Sorry bhai, I don't know"Mihir lied. "You were using a password app to generate monthly passwords. Give me your laptop, I"ll get our IT tech to reset the password. In the meantime, these are the dossiers I prepared."

He put out his hand for the laptop, handing over the folders to Raman, and then walked away quickly. Reaching his own cabin, he closed the door and then put down the laptop.