What is more important

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Way to London

It is dawn when Vijy and Gujrial return to their village. Vijy slept during the ride and Gujrial lifts him up and gets him to his bed. One of the helpers asks to give Vijy to him but Gujrial did not give him and says: “He is tired. Let him sleep and let me do my dad's duties.”

As soon as Gujrial places Vijy on the bed he says: “Dad, I will miss you. Can you sleep with me today?”

Gujrial: “Of course, I will. Do you want me to read a book to you?”

Vijy: “No I just want you to lay beside me.” After a while, with closed eyes, Vijy says: “I love you dad and you are the best dad someone can have.”

Gujrial plants a kiss on his head and says: “I love you more son. Now, sleep today is going to be a long day.”

In the morning birds are chirping and the sun is shining bright. The whole room is filled with light. Vijy wakes up and looks around anxiously for his father, but he is not there. Vijy’s room is on the first floor he runs down the stairs and looks around, but Mr. Gujrial is nowhere to be seen.

Vijy goes into the kitchen and asks: “Amma jee, have you seen dad.”

Amma Jee: “He went out and will be back soon. He asked me to tell you to completely pack your bags. You will be leaving in the evening.”

Vijy says with a gloomy face: “Ok.”

As Vijy turns his back towards Amma jee, she bursts into tears and says: “I will miss you Vijy Baba.”

Vijy turns around, runs towards her, hugs her tight and says: “I will miss you too Amma jee.”

He starts crying. No, not just Vijy but the entire Gujrial mansion is gloomy and crying. They all love Vijy very much and call him the light of the mansion. Today, their light is going away, and they all are sad. Many other helpers enter the kitchen and start saying that we will miss you Vijy baba. Seeing the sadness on everyone’s face Vijy says: “You guys know that I am not going permanently. Do not worry everyone, I will be back soon. And now I am really hungry. Can you guys give me food?” And he smiles.

All of them smile while looking at him and say: “Surely baba. We all made you a special breakfast. You get changed and we will put it on the dining table.”

Vijy: “I will get changed but I want to have food with you all here.”

Amma jee: “But Vijy baba, you cannot have food with us.”

Vijy: “I can have, and I will have. Now get it ready and I will be back in no time.”

Vijy has food with all his people who have tears in their eyes. He then goes back to his room. He calls out one of the helpers who were with him to Mr. Luthra’s place. He extends his hand, and the woman places a glass doll in his hand.

Vijy: “Thank you. You can go now.”

The lady leaves the room. Vijy opens up the bag which is on his bed and puts that doll in it. Mr. Gujrial enters the room and says: “Son, you were looking for me. What’s up?”

Vijy: “Today is my last day and you left me in the bed alone.”

Gujrial has a paper in his hand. He moves in and says: “I will never leave you alone son.”

Vijy runs towards his father and looks at the paper. They are tickets to London.

Vijy looks at his father and Mr. Gujrial says: “I am coming with you. I will never leave you alone and you do not have to be alone.”

Vijy shows the biggest and the brightest smile and hugs his father: “Thank you, dad. Thank you so much.”

Before leaving for the airport, Vijy goes to his mother’s room. “Mom, I know you did not want me to go to London, but I am leaving. Won’t you meet me?”

His mother is sitting on a chair and when Vijy calls her out she turns back to look at him. She has tears in her green eyes. She gets up and hugs him and kisses him hard. “I do not know if you know or not, but I love you and I will miss you a lot. You are one of the best things that happened to me and now you are leaving. I will be so alone.”

Vijy: “I will miss you too mom. I will try to write to you every day and soon Rakesh and Jaya will be back. Also, you can come with us or can come to see me whenever you want.”

Mrs. Gujrial: “Us?”

Vijy: “Dad is going with me to London.”

Mrs. Gujrial is in shock for a while and remembers that while they were arguing in the morning Mr. Gujrial did say that now she would not have to see his face every day. Just now she realized what she meant and she experienced and indescribable feeling.

A helper enters the room and says: “Vijy baba, your father is waiting for you. He is saying that it is getting late.”

Vijy: “Mom I have to go now.” He hugs her tight. “Won’t you come down to say goodbye?”

Mrs. Gujrial: “I won’t. I can’t see you leaving son. Have a great journey.”

Vijy goes down, sits in the car with his father and the white car leaves the door. Mrs. Gujrial is seeing all this from the balcony of her room, wiping her tears and saying: “You won Gujrial, you won.”

Today is the day when everyone has tears in their eyes and there is complete silence in the home. It feels like no one will speak in this home forever and that nobody lives in this home.

Food for thought:

Why do people have to go? Why do they leave? Do they always have to leave? Why do we feel hollow regardless of all the money when we lose a friend or a loved one? Why?

The present:

Police Station:

Amma jee is telling the story while Ranveer and Rajveer are listening to the story eagerly. The moment she mentions Mr. Gujrial’s and Vijy’s departure she can’t stop her tears.

Amma Jee: “Not the perfect one but we once used to be a happy family. People out there feel that since they have all the money, there is no point in them being sad. They do not know about the hollowness of the people. About what they are carrying in their hearts and about what they faced. You kids are young. I will give you one piece of advice love your people and spend time with them. You never know when they are gone forever. It hurts like hell when they leave.” Rajveer and Ranveer look at her face and then at each other. They also know they probably have some important matters to deal with. Out of this room, everyone’s life is a mess. People are terrified, they are sad and feel abandoned. There is complexity and anxiety in the air. The entire area and all the roads have been sealed. Police is taking rounds and trying to collect as much evidence as possible. A man enters the room where Ranveer and Rajveer are doing the investigation and places three cups of tea on the table. It is half-past midnight and no one knows how long will it take.

Ranveer: “Amma jee have it. You will feel better.”

While drinking, Rajveer asks Amma a question: “How do you know about everything. Like you even know what happened at the Luthra’s while you were not even there.”

Amma jee: “Who said that I was never there? Vijy was very attached to me, and I was his nanny. In fact, I was the nanny of all Gujrial siblings. I used to go with them wherever they were going. So, I was at the Luthra’s. Also, Vijy used to share a lot with me. In fact, everything. All three kids were really attached to me. Furthermore, when you live in a place your entire life, you definitely know what is going on.”

Rajveer: “Makes sense.”

Ranveer: “Amma jee it is too late. We will drop you off to your home and will deploy a few people there for your protection. Also. You can not leave your home or village without the police’s permission. I hope you understand.”

Amma Jee nods: “I do. You all will do great and thank you for trying to provide justice to my Sameen and Alia.”

Both guys leave their room with Amma and sit in the car. They drop her off at her home and go to a secluded bridge. They come out of the car and stand beside the bridge.

Ranveer: “What are you thinking?”

Rajveer: “I do not know but it hurts to think of Sameen and Vijy. Look at their lives then and look at them now. Everything ended. Things were never easy for them, and they ended in a terrible way. The entire family has ended.”

Ranveer: “The way Amma was telling everything, it felt as if everything was happening in front of my eyes. I want to listen to the story and to its details, but I think we do not have time.”

Rajveer: “But I think we have to listen to it. She knows a lot and can be of great help, but we have to be conscious about everything and every word.”

Ranveer: “You are right. But so far, I think she was telling the truth. I could see that in her eyes. Let’s see how things work out.”

Rajveer: “Same. Also, I think we should look in the streets ourselves. At this time, there is no one and none of us was able to investigate the area completely because of the testimonies. Also, Simon (another female police officer) told me that while she was checking the area, they found blood on the shutter of Gaurav’s shop. She has sent them to the forensic department and the report will be out in the morning. Furthermore, she said that there was a bump in his shutter which she thought was not because of the storm last night but because of someone who bumped into it. She is thoroughly investigating the path.”

Ranveer: “That lady has some fire in her. I can never match her energy. How do you handle her?”

Rajveer: “In bed or in general?”

Ranveer sarcastically laughs and says: “Obviously, in general.”

Rajveer laughs: “Oh man I was thinking you will ask in bed. That’s such a disappointment.”

Ranveer: “I did not ask because you still have not got a chance. Remember we share a wall.”

Both of them laugh for a while.

“And because shifting was too tiring and starting a new position took time. And also, because I am dutiful and fulfil my job with all my heart and also because I missed you guys so much.” A loud female voice came from behind and jumped at the boys. The three hugged tightly. Then Rajveer and Simon entered into a tender kiss.

Ranveer: “That was cute.”

Simon: “Shut up.”

Rajveer, Ranveer and Simon were friends since childhood. Then all went to school, and college together. Later, they entered the police force together. Rajveer and Simon developed feelings for each other in college. The fact is they always had feelings for each other, but they realized it later that they loved each other more than anyone. Ranveer played the role of love guru in making them understand what they were feeling for each other. In the last days of high school, they told their parents who always knew what was going to happen. When Simon’s mother said to her that it took her so long to realize that Rajveer was the best fit for her when everyone around knew that from the beginning; they got married immediately even before joining college. Now, Simon is Rajveer’s wife. The three love one another more than anything. Simon recently got transferred to this station and the trio reunited. First Rajveer and Ranveer were sharing a home and now Simon moved in with them.

Ranveer: “How did you know where to find us?”

Simon: “When I was coming here two days ago, I saw this bridge. And I know that bridges were all the time our favourite spot. Remember, when anyone of us was tense when we were kids, that person used to go to the bridge and the others would find him or her. Just that memory told me that my husband and my best friend would be here.”

Rajveer: “Smart.”

Simon: “I always was.”

The three of them sit on the bridge for a while when Ranveer asks: “Why did you come here? You had a better position in the other station. You were my senior and then you shifted to this small village.”

Simon says: “I had everything there but I had my boys here who were tensed. I know you guys are tired since you have been working no stop for a while and we have a new case again but it all will be fine.”

Food for thought

Can you leave everything for your friends? What is more important: friendship or a particular position?