Encoded Love

A renowned mathematician of his time, he was known for his ability to play with numbers. He had no habit of playing cards or watching television. In his leisure time, he kept on multiplying long digit numbers and he kept on doing it every day. He had no aim to set any record to calculate at the least time but he kept on calculating. He did so because that was his fun. Apart from the people in his town he was known by academicians and scholars from all over the country. He had a welcoming attitude for everyone and was delighted whenever guests turned up at his place; but he didn’t appreciate whenever people used to boast about his name and fame. He never spoke much other than his subject. He always enjoyed teaching young minds. He never scolded anybody because of their inability to take up lessons fast. Instead he had the patience to teach a thing numerous times until the other person had known about it. He didn’t charge anything for his lessons to the young school going kids. Instead he had chocolates for them every day during the class. He believed in enjoying the process of learning. He also loved to teach because it was not many years since he had left his school life. He was a scholar by brain, a young lad by age and a child by his heart.

Time passed on. His popularity should have increased but it didn’t. Instead people seemed to avoid him. They thought that perhaps he had turned lunatic. He didn’t harm anyone; but he spoke less now. Instead he kept on staring at the walls, once which were painted with cozy colours but now covered with strange arrangement of similar numbers. He had the numbers 5.22.15.12.25.13.5.5.13.9.18. written everywhere. The few visitors often tried to ask him what did it mean but they were always dissatisfied. Everyone thought perhaps the man who had the habit of playing with numbers got lost into a strange pattern of few of them and he shall be entangled with that pattern forever. Nobody thought that he was alright. Nobody tried to decode the pattern. Perhaps the world had already lost a genius.

One fine day he woke up and found a letter at his doorstep, which was delivered by the old postman of the town and who was his good friend until everyone coined him to be a lunatic. He opened the letter and jumped to excitement. He had no one around with whom he could share. He rushed to sweet shop and bought a lot of sweets. He rushed to the few neighbours and asked every one of their family to take a piece. Instantly they got away with the fact that they had coined the same man as lunatic and they broke into the piece of sweet, exhibiting a bogus smile so that they were conceived as to be gentle by others. Nobody wanted to know why the young man was so happy and he didn’t bother. He was busy distributing sweets. A high school student of his, who was in college by then and who was strictly barred by his parents to visit him kept watching. He saw the letter in his hands and found a name in it. He rushed to the mathematician’s place and looked at the numbers. He found something interesting in the numbers. He realized he has just decoded something. He smiled for a while and took a piece of chalk and placed letters for every number. He found something as EVOLYMEEMIR. He rearranged the words by reversing the order of digits. He found something very meaningful, RIMEE MY LOVE. He wasn’t sure if he had decoded the correct way but he could make sense out of something that everybody didn’t even care to look at. Just then the young mathematician entered the room and saw the words. There was a tide of smile in his lips. The college lad had the unspoken confirmation that he had decoded correctly. He snatched the letter from the mathematician and read it. There was news of a new born and which was written by Rimee. He was about to ask the mathematician but until then the mathematician spoke himself.

“Rimee was my classmate. We liked each other. I was into her and she too had the same for me. She was beautiful but not strong; because if she would have been then she would have obviously expressed her hesitation to marry the businessman’s son.”

“Why are you distributing sweets on the birth of her baby?” asked the astonished young boy.

“We always dreamt to have a family. She always had the dream of having a baby. Her dream is complete today. It’s a moment of glory for me.”

The boy kept thinking; he tried to make his way amidst the love of the mathematician and the society who had termed him to be a lunatic. He found petals of love in the numbers of the lunatic. He picked the second last sweet for himself and offered the last sweet to the mathematician and celebrated the birth of Rimee’s daughter. All he could do was celebrating the birth of a new born or cherish the loyalty in the heart of a lover.

It’s not bribe, take it as a gift

The man in the white shirt points towards the man sitting on the table at the corner with an indication to pass him a part of their lot. They didn’t hesitate to distribute or rather, tried to include everyone in their part of crime. They didn’t want anyone to spot them as corrupt and inefficient; rather they were happy when people cursed the entire system.

“Sir, this is for you”, said the man and kept those few thousand bucks notes on his table that was entirely black earning and which they shamelessly concealed in a white envelope.

The man kept looking. He hadn’t been given any such envelope ever before. He hesitated to place it in his pocket, as he wasn’t used to accept such gifts. He couldn’t reject so easily because of the recent happenings at his home. He went into a state of confusion where on one hand had the temporary recovery of the discomforts at his home if he compromised with his principles and on the other hand was to return back to the discomforts and live complaining about his meager earning,

“It’s not a bribe, take it as a gift”, said the voice of his colleague who was elder to him in age.

He looks at him and gives enough clues to everyone around regarding the state of discomfort that he had been going through to keep that envelope in his pocket.

“Your dad is detected with cancer and with the amount of money that you earn it is impossible to admit him to a good hospital. If you start taking such gifts, probably you can take him to a better hospital,” said another officer from his table.

“You see when I was of your age even I hesitated to take such gifts. With time I had to compromise” said another person to make him feel comfortable with the different stages a person had to go through while molding himself from an honest officer to a bribe hunger.

The young boy thinks of his father and he feels justified to accept the gift. He couldn’t have let his father die in front of him. He gives another thought about his father. His father had been a school teacher and if he gets to know that his son had been a part of such malpractices to save his life, he would probably die at that instant itself.

The young officer walks out of the room. His modesty pushes him to say a word of apology to his colleagues as he had betrayed their proposals but he didn’t. He thought to be manner less with such people whom his father always used to hate.

“Your father is dead. Come home soon, we have to start with the cremation before it gets dark; but finish all your work before you come home. In his last words, dad refrainedme from calling you during your office hours. He thought probably you would be disturbed. Come home soon brother, the body is starting to get cold and he needs your shoulder”, said his younger brother with a broken cold voice.

He realized his eyes getting wet, yet he picks up his head in pride. He didn’t let his father down even in his last minute. His father always said him that whenever he died he always wanted others to know him because of his ideologies and honesty, and his son held that high even in the worst minute of turmoil. He kept the thoughts of his father alive even if he had passed away, probably giving the best gift that his father ever expected.

Abdul, let me drive

"Abdul, let me drive..", said his boss who was sitting on the back seat.

Abdul had been driving at his owners place for the past twelve years and he had never seen his owner drive. Although he was reluctant to hand over the steering to his owner he couldn't refuse to do so. He stopped the car and waited outside. He thought perhaps his owner was angry because of the frequent message tones on his phone. He apologized for peeping into his cell phone every now and then. He thought perhaps his angry owner had fired him out of the job. He realized his mistake.

"Sir, I am sorry. Please forgive me", said Abdul.

"Please get into the car."

Abdul got in as per his owners order. His owner started to drive and caring least about bends and pothole his owner paced the car across the half busy streets. Abdul pulled his seat belt. The owner started driving to some familiar lanes. Abdul realized his owner was driving to somewhere near Abdul's residence.

"Call at your home and ask how is your wife now. Say them we will be there in a while."

Abdul was amazed to find out how hi owner got to know about his wife's health.

The owner asked Abdul to step out and bring his wife into the car. He did accordingly. 

"Don't worry, I have called up the hospital. The doctors at the maternity are ready. We will be there shortly."

They reached the hospital. While Abdul help his wife to the operation theatre. his owner paid all the counter bills.

"Sir, how did you know that my wife was having labour pain and it was time for her delivery", asked Abdul.

"I usually don't peep into others cell phone but couldn't refrain from doing so when your cell kept ringing every now and then. I didn't let you drive because I can feel your tension."

"Sir, I never saw you driving."

"Don't worry, the baby and the mother will be fine."

"Sir, if you know to drive, why don'y\t you drive sometimes?"

"The last time I drove I lost my daughter and wife in an accident. Today I drove to ensure safety for your family."

The owner smiles at the news of a daughter born to Abdul while Abdul cries knowing about the bitter truths about his owner that he hadn't known during the years of his service."