Three Mistakes Of My Life Part 32

Mama grabbed my chin and turned my face to him.

'So we are idiots isn't it? You don't have the keys, but how did the f.u.c.king phone end up inside? Search them.'

Mama's minions began the most violent search possible. The man searching me ripped open my shirt pocket. He slapped me once and asked me to turn around.

His nails poked me as he frisked me from top to bottom. I told him I didn't have the keys more than ten times, but he wouldn't listen. He searched my pant pockets and grabbed my groin twice to check. Whenever I tried to squirm, he jabbed me with his fist.

The other men did the same to Omi and Ish. The man searching him ripped off Ish's shirt. He took a trishul and poked him in his rib cage.

'This b.a.s.t.a.r.d doesn't have it,' my man said and gave up his grip. He pinned me to the wall again.

'This one neither,' the man with Omi said.

'This one needs to be tamed,' the man with Ish said as he tried to take off Ish's pants. Ish kicked hard in the man's shins. I noticed the blood on Ish's chest.

'Should I help,' Mama said from the branch manager's desk.

'Don't worry I'll tackle him,' the man said even as Ish bit his arm.

Mama came to Ish. He jabbed the blunt end of the trishul again at his chest wound.

Ish screamed in pain and fell. The man searching Ish slapped him a few times.

Ish clenched his teeth and continued to kick. Mama reached into Ish's pockets.

He felt something. Ish had worn practice shorts underneath his pants. Mama took his hands out of the pants and slid it again into Ish's shorts. He pulled out a bangle sized keyring. It had two six inch long keys.

Ish lay on the floor taking heavy breaths from his mouth. His eyes looked defiant even as his body refused to cooperate.

Mama twirled the key ring in his hand.

'Never looted a bank before,' Mama said, 'and what a prize today. Father and son, I'll root out the clan.'

Mama took a minute to figure out the vault keys.

'Don't Mama, he is a child. For my sake,' Omi said.

Mama paused and turned to look at us. 'My Dhiraj was also a child,' Mama said and went to the vault.

Ish sat on the floor. The man guarding him suffocated Ish with the trishul rod around his neck.

'Don't touch him. He is national treasure,' Ish growled. The man suffocated him further.

'I'll pay you, whatever you want,' I said.

'Businessman, go sell your mother,' Mama said to me as he turned the wheel of the vault.

'There is the b.a.s.t.a.r.d,' Mama said.

Mama yanked out Ali from the vault. His thin body in the white kurta pajama shivered intensely. His smudged face told me he had been crying inside. Mama grabbed Ali by the neck and raised him high in the air.

'Ish bhaiya,' Ali said as his legs dangled.

'The more innocent you look now, the bigger devil you will be in ten years,'

Mama said and brought Ali down. He released his grip on Ali's neck.

'Stop it Mama,' Omi said as Mama lifted his trishul.

'You won't understand,' Mama said and folded his hands to pray.

'Run Ali, run,' Ish screamed.

Ali tried to run out of the room. Mama opened his eyes. He ran after Ali and jabbed the trishul into Ali's ankle.

Ali screamed in pain and fell down.

Mama kneeled down on the floor next to Ali.

'Don't you try and escape son of a b.i.t.c.h. I can kill you in one clean shot. If you try to be clever I will cut each finger of yours one at a time. Understand?' Mama roared. His eyes were red, the white barely visible.

Mama closed his eyes again and mumbled silent chants. He took his folded hands to his forehead and heart and tapped it thrice. He opened his eyes and lifted the trishul. Ali stood up and tried to limp away.

Mama lifted the trishul high to strike.

'Mama no,' Omi screamed in his loudest voice. Omi pushed the man blocking him. He ran between Mama and Ali. Mama screamed a chant and struck.

'Stop Mama,' Omi said.

Even if Mama wanted to stop, he couldn't. The strike already had momentum.

The trishul entered Omi's stomach with a dull thud.

'Oh ... oh,' Omi said as he absorbed what happened first and felt the pain later.

Within seconds, a pool of blood covered the floor. Mama and his men looked at each other, trying to make sense of what had occurred.

'Mama, don't do it,' Omi said, still unaware that the trishul blades had penetrated five inches inside him.

'Omi, my son,' Mama said.

Omi writhed in pain as Mama yanked the trishul out.

I had never seen so much blood. I wanted to puke. My mind went numb. The man who pinned Omi earlier now held Ali tight and came close to Mama. Mama had Omi in his lap.

'Look you animal, what did you do,' Ish screamed. Ish had seen the scene from behind. He never saw the trishul inside him. Only I had seen, and for years later that image would continue to haunt me.

'Call an ambulance you dogs,' Ish screamed. Ish's captor held him super-tight. Ali put his free hand on Omi's chest. It moved up and down in an asymmetrical manner.

Omi held Ali's hand and looked at me. His eyes looked weak. Tears ran across my cheeks. I had no energy to fight the man holding me. I had no energy left to do anything.

'Leave us you b.a.s.t.a.r.ds,' I cried like a baby.

'You'll be fine my son, I didn't mean to,' Mama said as he brushed Omi's hair.

'He is a good boy Mama, he didn't kill your son. All Muslims are not bad,' Omi said, his voice breaking as he gulped for breath.

'Love you friend,' Omi said as he looked at me, a line that could be termed cheesy if it wasn't his last. His eyes closed.

'Omi, my son, my son,' Mama tried to shake him back to life.

'What? What happened?' Ish said. He had only witnessed the drama from behind.

Mama put his head on Omi's chest. Ish started kicking and shoving the man holding him. The man jabbed Ish with his elbow. Ish gripped his trishul rod and pushed back hard until he could slip out. He gave the man a kick in his groin.

The man fell down as Ish kicked him again thrice in the same place. Ish pounded his head with his foot until the man became unconscious. Ish ran to Omi.

Mama left Omi's body on the ground and stood up. Ish went over and touched Omi's face. He had never touched a dead body before, let alone his friend's. I saw Ish cry for the first time. He sniffed back hard but the tears wouldn't stop.

'See what you made me do you b.a.s.t.a.r.d,' Mama said, 'made me kill another son. But I am not weak. I haven't cried yet, look.'

Ish ignored Mama. He went through the same numbness I did a few moments ago. He touched Omi's body again and again.

'Hindus are not weak, am I weak?' Mama said as he turned to his men. The men looked nervous, as things had not gone as planned. The man who held Ali's arm looked at Mama, looking for guidance for the next step.

'Hold him back, next to this mother pimping businessman,' Mama said.

The man brought Ali next to me and held him back with a trishul.

Ish's captor had recovered from the groin attack. He woke up and ran to Ish from behind. He struck the blunt end of the trishul on Ish's head.

'Ah!' Ish said in pain as he fell down, semi-conscious. The man dragged Ish back to the wall. Ish faced Ali and me.

'No more chances,' Mama said as he came in front of Ali. Mama asked Ali's captor to release him. I looked at Ish, around fifteen feet away. His captor looked extra-alert. Ish looked at me. His eyes tried to tell me something.

What? I asked myself, What is he trying to say?

I squinted my eyes to look at Ish. He moved his eyeb.a.l.l.s from centre to left in quick succession. He wanted me to run out and block Mama. Just the way Omi had, unsuccessfully.

I examined my captor. He blocked me but his eyes watched Mama and Ali. It is hard to take your eyes of a live murder. I could slip out. However, what was the point of getting killed?

'Get ready you pig,' Mama said as he lifted his trishul and took five steps back.

Maybe I could extract myself and try to pull Ali towards me. That way Mama's strike could hit the wall. Ish could push his captor away, come from behind and protect us all. Is that what Ish had tried to say? I had limited data beyond the eye movement. I had limited time. I couldn't a.n.a.lyse, I had to do first and think later.

The exact opposite of when I slept with Vidya. There, I should have thought first and done later.

Mama ran towards Ali. I knew I had to get out of the captor's grip, grab Ali and pull him to my side. I got ready to move. However, I looked at Mama. The sight of his huge frame and a sharp weapon sent a fear inside me. And I wasted precious time thinking when I should have acted. Ish and I exchanged another glance and he saw my fear mixed with self-interest. What if the trishul ends in my stomach?

The what-ifs made me hesitant, but I snapped myself out of it and made a dive to my left. I grabbed Ali and pulled him towards me. Mama struck, but missed Ali's torso. One blade of the trishul jabbed Ali's wrist. Ali would have been completely unhurt only if I had dived a second earlier. And here it was, something I didn't realise then, the one second delay being the third big mistake of my life.

Of course, I didn't know I had made a mistake then.

Ish did exactly as I thought, and banged his head against the captor's to set himself free. It would have hurt Ish, but I think Ish was beyond pain right now.

Ish took his captor's trishul and struck it into the man's heart. The man screamed once and turned silent.

Ish ran to us.

'He's ok, he is ok,' I said turning to Ish. I held Ali tight within me in an embryo position.

There were two captors left and Mama. We did not want to kill anyone.

'We just want to go away,' Ish said as he held his trishul, facing Mama. Mama had a trishul too. Their eyes met. Mama's men watched the impending duel. I ran with Ali to the other end of the room. The men came running after us.

'Stop you b.a.s.t.a.r.ds,' the men said as we reached the end of the room. One of the men went and bolted the door.

Ali lifted a bat from the floor. I picked one too, though not sure if I could really fight right now, Ali winced as his right wrist hurt when he lifted the bat.

'Heh? Want to fight?' the two captors said.

Mama and Ish were still in their face off. Each had a stern gaze. Mama rotated his trishul in his hand.

One of the men turned to go back to Mama.

'I'll take care of him, you finish the boy Mama,' he said.

'Sure,' Mama said as he moved away. As he left, Mama struck his trishul at Ish's toes. Ish didn't expect it. He lost his balance and fell down next to the manager's desk.

'You are f.u.c.king weak, you know that,' Ish said.

'I can finish you now. Thank your stars you were born in a Hindu house,'

Mama said as he spat on Ish's face. Mama came to Ali.

'Oh, you want to play eh? You want to play bat ball with me,' Mama said and laughed as Ali held up his bat.

'Move away,' Mama said to his men, 'the boy wants to play. Yeah, you son of a wh.o.r.e, play with me,' Mama said as he danced around Ali, just out of the striking distance of Ali's bat.

Ali pranced around as he stumbled on two cricket b.a.l.l.s kept on the floor.

Mama picked one up. 'You want me to bowl? Eh? Play bat ball?' Mama said and laughed, 'one last ball before you die?'

Mama tossed the ball in his hands.

'Yeah, bowl to me,' Ali said.