Special Basmati Rice

"Boss, ek glass paani dena, aur pankha chalu kar yaar", said Vicky as he made himself comfortable in a plastic chair at Sapna dhaaba. Sapna dhaaba was a small eating place on NH4 outside the city limits of Mumbai. It was late in the night and there weren't many people in this secluded place, surrounded by a forest. Vicky had been going through a difficult phase and drove down to escape the hussle of life. The waiter got him water and a menu card. Vicky gulped down the water and asked for more with the movement of his hand. Vicky was looking really troubled as he put his elbows on the table and held his head in his palms.

Suddenly he felt a pat on his shoulder, startled he turned around quickly to see who it was and was surprised to see a beautiful woman. "Hi, you seem to be troubled, do you mind if I join you?" asked the woman. "Please take a seat", said Vicky. Her comforting voice and calm demeanour instantly made Vicky feel better. "Order sir", asked the waiter. This waiter was an old, grumpy, bearded man, big built and rough looking with a cloth to clean the table on his shoulder. "5 minute mein deta hoon", replied Vicky. The old man frowned at Vicky and the woman and walked away. The two spoke for a long time and Vicky was feeling better. After about fifteen minutes the old man approached again. "Raat bohot ho gayi hai sir, aapka order", he said. Vicky picked up the menu, he was going through it when the women spoke. "Have you tried the special basmati rice here. They say it has supernatural powers. Once you eat it all your problems will be gone like that", she said snapping her fingers. "Hahaha", Vicky burst out laughing, "you believe that?" he asked. "Try it", she replied. "OK boss, ek special basmati rice", ordered Vicky. "Sir, I am warning you nothing in life comes easy. You have to pay a price for everything", said the old man. "Wow, he speaks English. No problem I'll pay the bill", said Vicky, still laughing. "Ab please jao, aur ek special basmati rice le aao", ordered the woman angrily.

The old man got the rice as ordered and placed it on the table with some pickles and papad. "Your life is about to change my friend, eat up", said the woman. Vicky offered her some but she refused. Vicky ate all of the rice and really loved the unique flavours. He felt really good, a certain kind of high, then suddenly he started to feel giddy, the woman in front of his eyes became blurred, he put his head down on the table and passed out. He remained unconscious for a few hours. Startled he woke up in the middle of the night, he was still at the dhaaba sleeping on a cot. He got up, stretched himself and cautiously walked inside towards the kitchen. As he was walking passed a pillar, suddenly someone grabbed his hand. Vicky yelled out of fear and ran a few steps away. He looked back to see it was only the old man. "Daraa diya aapne", said Vicky. "Kya hua? Kahan hai sab log, woh aurat kahan Hai?" enquired Vicky. "Sab gaye, aap bhi ghar jao. Raat bohot ho chuki hai", said the old man. Vicky got into his car and drove off. He reached home and fell asleep thinking about the events of the day.

The next morning was as usual, he woke up, got dressed and sat to have breakfast before leaving for office. Just as he was about to finish his breakfast his phone rang. "Hello", he answered the call, "yes this is Vicky". What he heard after, he could not believe. It was a call from a lucky draw where he had participated, he had won a brand new car. He was super excited, he thought the magic of the special basmati rice had started to work. He went directly to claim his new car and after the formalities drove to office. He walked into the office, excited to give his colleagues the good news. As soon as he stepped in, the entire staff stood up and applauded him. Vicky was surprised, he did not understand what was happening. "What's happening brother", he asked another colleague who smiled and said, "follow me". He took Vicky to a cabin, the name plate on which read, Vicky Kumar, Marketing head. He had been promoted and had his own cabin now. He went inside and made himself comfortable on the big leather chair. He looked around and could not believe his luck had changed so much. He rotated the chair around and observed the brilliant sea view from the ceiling to floor glass panels behind him. As he was basking in the glory of these successes, his boss walked in. Sofia, his boss, was a beautiful woman who was every man's desire. She congratulated him on his achievements and asked him out on a dinner date, Vicky was ecstatic. "Life is awesome", he thought to himself, as he accepted the offer for dinner.

Vicky was charged up through out the day and whisked through work. It was late evening and it was time for his dinner date. He freshened up, sprayed his favorite perfume, locked his cabin and headed to the elevator. As the elevator descended he suddenly felt a jerk and the elevator stopped moving, it was stuck. A few minutes passed and he started to panic, there was no mobile signal in the elevator and no one answered the emergency alarm. After nearly an hour the watchman came checking. The watchman managed to get him out, but not before Vicky was completely drenched in sweat in the closed elevator. Wondering how he could go on a date in this state, Vicky rushed towards his car, he thought he could explain to Sofia what happened. He was speeding across a bridge in his new car, a little agitated, when suddenly the left front tyre of his car gave way. Vicky lost control of his car because of the tyre burst. The car turned sharply to the left, climbed up the footpath and flipped over. His car flipped over three times and landed upside down. A huge crowd gathered around the turtled car. Vicky managed to undo the seat belt, open the door and crawl out of the car. He was badly injured, broken hand, broken ribs, cuts and bruises all over his body. He dragged himself away from the car towards the bridge railing. No one came forward to help him. Then from the crowd came Sofia, she looked at him and nodded in disgust. "Look at yourself, you are such a mess. It was a big mistake to ask you out, infact it was a mistake to promote you. You are fired, don't ever show me your face again", she said angrily and walked away. The crowd which had gathered pointed to him and laughed. Their laughs echoed in Vicky's ears. He could not believe how everything so good, had suddenly fallen apart. He wept in humiliation and pain, he could not take it any more. He stood up, climbed up the railing and threw himself off the bridge to end the embarrassment. He screamed in fear of death as he saw the ground below fast approaching. Then a loud thud and he suddenly got up and sat straight in bed. He looked around for his phone and saw it was 3 am. He was having a nightmare, his heart was pounding, he was completely exhausted and his nightclothes were soaked in sweat. He climbed out of bed and went to the kitchen to have water. He took a glass of water and sat down. "Man that was scary, thankfully though, it was just a dream", he said to himself and went back to bed.

The next morning he woke up, as usual went to office and had a routine day. Finished the day's work came home had dinner and went to sleep. The next morning he woke up, got ready for office and was having breakfast when his phone rang. What he heard later he could not believe, he had won a brand new car in a lucky draw. He was apprehensive and could faintly remember this happening before. The day proceeded as the day before yesterday with his promotion, Sofia asking him out, him getting stuck in the elevator, his accident, him being embarrassed and jumping off the bridge. Once again he woke up to realise it was a nightmare! Drenched in sweat he climbed out of bed and went to the kitchen to have water. He sat nervously, worrying what was happening. The pain and death felt so real, he could feel the heaviness in his heart even when awake, though he knew it was just a dream. He went back to bed, still worried but soon dozed off. The next day was a routine day at office. After work he came home, had dinner, changed into his night wear but sat upright in bed determined not to fall asleep, actually even scared to fall asleep. He managed to stay up the entire night and he did this for three days and nights. The lack of sleep was now showing on him. With a stubble of four days, dark circles under his eyes and a weak looking frame he would head to work and back, almost like a zombie. At work he was often lost, just gazing into emptiness and spooked at the slightest sound. On the fourth night he again tried to stay up but it was too much for him and he eventually dozed off. The next day he woke up, got ready for office, was having his breakfast when the phone rang. "Deja vu", he thought "this seems to have happened before". The day repeated from him winning a car to him jumping off the bridge. Again he woke up startled and scared. He just sat in his bed and wept and wept. It was as if he was living one day and then another day at night. From ecstacy to misery, it was too much for Vicky to bear. He lost track of which life was real and which one was a dream, after all dreams do seem like reality while you're in it. He went out to his bedroom balcony in the middle of the night. He looked down from his 15th storey balcony and climbed up the railing. He had jumped off the bridge so many times now, this did not seem new to him. Deprived of sleep and rest, he was confused, scared and lost, he had lost track of reality.

As he stood there looking down, he suddenly thought of Sapna dhaaba. "Sir, I am warning you nothing in life comes easy. You have to pay a price for everything", the old man's words echoed in his ears. "That's it", he said to himself, "I have to go there again, he can give me a solution", he climbed down the railing, quickly changed and immediately made way for Sapna dhaaba. He reached there late in the night. A few truck drivers were having their meals. Vicky rushed in to find the old man. "Seems you are paying a hefty price for living the life of your dreams", said the old man looking at a frail Vicky. "Please chacha, you must help me. Meri madat Karo, bacha lo mujhe is museebat se", said Vicky as he cried and fell to the old man's feet. The old man helped him up and offered him some water. "Yeh ek shraap hai, it is a curse. It can not be broken, it can only be passed on. Woh aurat tumhe de kar gayi, aur tumahare paas teen raaste hai. Keep suffering, kill yourself or pass it on to someone else", he told Vicky with a straight face and no expressions. Not able to think, Vicky scuttled to his car and drove back home. The entire night he thought about what the old man said. It was a case of life and death, a case of right and wrong. The next day he took the day off from work and drove back to Sapna dhaaba. He took a table and ordered a cup of tea. The old man got the tea, though he rudely banged the cup on the table, even spilling some tea and walked away. The old man knew why Vicky had returned. After sometime a car pulled in and a tense looking young man got out of the car and took a table. "Boss ek glass paani dena", he said to the old waiter. As he was having water Vicky walked up to his table and said, "Hi, you seem to be troubled, do you mind if I join you?"

AND IT CONTINUED