The loud clamour from across the road brought me rushing to the kitchen. The vehicles seemed to have halted abruptly, a car having rammed another from behind. Amidst the confusion and din of commuters, I spotted the accident’s cause.  
There she stood, lost in her own world, oblivious to everything around. She refused to budge as people tried pulling her away. Finally, some urchins whom she seemed to know, brought her to the pavement. It was a while before the traffic resumed normally.
“How I hate this apartment bang opposite a huge intersection, with beggars, vendors and now a nutcase too.” I grumbled.   
She appeared regularly with the kids who begged at the signal. Tall, with dishevelled hair and loud unfitting clothes, she was easy to spot. She would listlessly loiter on the footpath and when the signal turned red, someone would reach out to her from their vehicle and place some currency in her hands.
She once entered our society compound and I was quick to raise an alarm, instructing the watchman to shoo her away instantly.
One of those days, as I stood at the window enjoying the cloudy skies and lighter traffic, I noticed some hooded figures close to the signal lights. In the flash of a second, they pelted the signal with rocks and bricks. The post bent down, the lights shattered and the vandals took to their heels, one of them rushed towards my side of the road. Fortunately, some pedestrians nabbed him before the traffic police took charge. I rushed downstairs, the miscreants had created a huge chaos on the road.
The hood off his face, he looked familiar, he was the youngest urchin to stroll around the junction.
“Do you know what you have done?” The cop slapped the kid.
“Let them suffer, drive blindly and bang each other, for what they did to her.” The boy sobbed.  
“That deranged girl who accompanied you?” I enquired.
“Yes. She was like a sister to us, very innocent. Her parents are dead and some men near our shanty would try to grope her. So we brought her here with us. But the rich men in cars are worse. They often fondle our girls inappropriately. Other girls can take care of themselves, but her? Yesterday I went to buy food and someone lured her into his car and drove away.” He uttered between moans.
“If it isn’t safe, why do you flood the signals?” The cops demanded.
“How do we live? The other day, she entered some building for water, but they sent her packing. She was just thirsty.”
As the cops took him away, I wondered if he, poor and illiterate, was way better than me. I prided myself to be educated and emancipated, but like many, had turned my back to her. A little concern from my side could have saved her, but I had let my social status blind me. How was I, any different from those devils who had shamed her. 
 

Main zindagi ka saath nibhata chala gaya…
har fikr ko dhuye me udata chala gaya…
 
Saahil’s phone ringing…
3 missed calls! Damn, I think Akriti has gone nuts. Doesn’t she remember I had an important client at my office?
Hello, hmmm tell me quickly what’s the matter?
I am getting married tomorrow!
I know you are so ready for our marriage but I told you how important is this assignment, once I’ll fetch this client, I’ll come to ask your hand for marriage from your parents. No need Saahil. I’ve sent you my wedding invitation. Check your Whatsapp! Please leave your office right now, with 3 bursts of 425 Hz tones each lasting 0.2 seconds. The call was disconnected.
How could she?
He took out a cigarette and lit it.
It started raining, suddenly thunder and storm with thuds and thunders. He ran back towards his office and it was dark. 
Mukesh bhaiya check the inverter! 
I have to send a presentation before it strikes 12. Else I’ll lose another motive to live. 
What happened Saahil baba. 
Mukesh bhaiya sensed his tense voice and wanted to help. 
Arey bhaiya ihaaan bethoo..(come sit here).
Dekho ee pyaar vyaar ka chakkar sabhoo ki bass ki baat naahi. (This handling love affair isn’t everyone’s cup of tea).
Bhaiya do as I say. Saahil gave a stern look to Mukesh as he didn’t like the intervention. 
I have called an electrician.
Mukesh this is Mumbai’s rain. Do you really think anyone will come to fix it? 
Saahil took his yellow raincoat and stepped out. It is raining cats and dogs. For an instance, he let slipped Akriti his head.
He heard some thud from inside the office. As his office was soundproof so he couldn’t make out the difference between outside thunder and this sound.
Mukesh bhaiya?
Mukesh Bhaiya?
He approached the door, just then something came in his way on which he stumbled. Mukesh Bhaiya was laying on the ground struggling to breathe. Someone slit his throat. 
Mukesh Bhiaya? He lost his consciousness. Mukesh Bhaiya?
He looked here and there. 
Two men are standing with blood laden knife. 
What do you think?
You make my sister pregnant and we will give her hand into yours? You son of a bitch! Or do you even know who your mother is?
What Akriti is pregnant?
We will get marry. I did not just make love. I love her more than anything in this world. 
Oh just shut up!
Aren’t you an orphan? No one knows who are you. Where you came from? My naïve sister. You trapped her in your love. In pursuit of minting money through her.
No!
Absolutely not!
I am waiting for my project to start. Then I was about to come to ask for marriage. I just need her, nothing else from her. 
Oh really. As if we will give our dear little naïve sister’s hand in yours.
Fuck you!
He tried to harm him with the knife.
Saahil is watching himself falling from the 11th floor. Now he was thinking why Akriti abruptly disconnected the call asking him to leave the office right away!
 

“Ma, today my school principal handed over this scholarship letter. We don’t have to pay the fees till I complete schooling.” Thirteen-year-old Varun spoke in excitement.
 “Keep it in front of your father’s photo. He always said the deeds we do would reflect in our kid’s life, something passed onto him from his father. He ensured his actions resulted only in goodness to others so that your life will be blessed. He handled double shifts to save money for your education to see you as a doctor.” Wiping her tears, Latha spoke looking at her husband’s photo.
Three months had passed, but the incident stayed fresh in her mind. She sat on the chair and closed her eyes, the visuals flashed once again like every other day.
 
“Where are you? The wind is so high. The storm is predicted to cross tonight. Come home soon, please.” Latha spoke with fear as her hands trembled, holding the phone.
“I was heading home when I noticed an old man lying on the road. He was severely bleeding but had a weak pulse. The traffic signal post had fallen on his head because of the strong winds. Good, I noticed him. Now I am driving back to the hospital. After admitting him, I shall return home soon. Don’t worry unnecessarily.” Her husband, Ravi explained the situation and ended her call.
 Later that night, Latha received a call from the hospital where Ravi worked as an ambulance driver. They informed her that, on his way, he possibly had suffered a heart attack, despite which he managed to drive and reach the hospital. Only after when the patient was transferred to the stretcher the doctors noticed Ravi, dead on the driver’s seat.
***
“Rahul, did you speak with Varun’s school principal?” seventy-year-old Rajesh asked his son.
“Yes, Dad. Once he finishes school, he would be entering medical college without any hassle. Not only that, he will get placed in the city’s best hospital. Now, I have ensured his mother gets paid more than their actual expenses where she is working as a cook in the government school. Except for his marriage, everything is in place, dad. Please don’t worry and rest now.” Rahul spoke after giving the needed pills to his father.
“How can I forget, Rahul? When I was driving that evening, our car stopped on the main road. People were running to get back home, and all the shops were shut. The weather was gloomy, and I got down from the car to call you but the signal was weak. Feeling tensed I was walking on the pavement when suddenly out of now where the wind raged like a monster. I looked above. I felt terrified as the traffic signal post was reaching out to me. That was the last scene I remember. Later I woke up in the hospital bed and you were there by my side.”
 
Rahul held his dad’s palm comfortingly. They felt grateful to Ravi and his family.

“I’m not so sure. I’ve been leading a crime-free life for nearly two years now. I may have lost my touch.”
“Don’t worry. These skills settle in our muscle memory. You’ll find your way back when the adrenaline hits you. 10k is a lot of money, and it will help both of you. Just do it once and everything will be back on track,” said the caller.
“So, I go there, wait for the man in the flowery, red jacket to show up. I pick up the packet he’ll hand over, and deliver it to the location you sent me.”
“Yes, be there by 5 and watch out for him from the cafe opposite. When you see him, you can walk across.  I will transfer the money when you confirm.”
“He must not know about this.”
“Mum’s the word!”
********************************
“Why night?” asked David doubtfully.
“Oh! C’mon, partner! It’s a million bucks, man! We haven’t been offered that kind of money in a long time. The client is all for second chances for faded out people like us. And don’t you need the money for Susan’s treatment? Beggars can’t be picky, you know that.”
“The street is getting dark, Dylan, and you know my eyesight is not very good at night. We could end up making a big mistake.”
“That’s why I came with you so that we get the target right. Just do your hit-and-run thing on the target I show you. He walks across every day to the diner at this time. And the client needs it done today. Some big deal is being signed tomorrow.” 
Nodding, David looked across at Dylan. “I’m sorry for the unpleasantness that happened between us. I should’ve warned you. But I was scared, man. I didn’t realize I was straight until I met Susan. Thank you for forgiving me. But I can never forget our time together. It was great!” 
“All that’s in the past, pal. You’ve met Alan? We are a happy couple now. I just want you and Susan to be happy. With your share of the money, you can save her life, get new IDs, and find a new, safe home. Alan and I have already planned to settle in Hawaii.”
They smiled at each other, happy their days of crime would soon end. 
“That’s him, David, the guy in the hooded black coat. Let’s go! Let’s go!”
David revved up the car, swung it expertly out of the parking lot, pressed hard on the accelerator, and hit the target bang on! As he felt the squealing tires run over the target’s body, he realized how much he’d been missing the adrenaline rush. He was out of the scene in a flash. He hadn’t lost his touch, after all! 
Dylan looked back to see Susan’s dead face staring back at him. “Get that, you bitch! Trying to steal my beloved David from me! Go find someone straight in hell!”

Alan removing his flowery, red jacket, went his way.

There was a lot of hustle and bustle on the busy streets of the city on that fateful evening. Meena had recently cleared her driving test and got her driving license . So she headed with her cousin Alina to the shopping mall to look for the best collections during the pre_ monsoon sale. Suddenly the sky was overcast with dark clouds and it began to rain heavily. Meena , was driving the car feeling a bit nervous , when a car being driven rashly from the opposite direction came and dashed on her car’s dicky . Her car was damaged badly. Soon the owner of the other car got down and appologized . He was ready to pay the compensation too, but Meena was reluctant to accept it . She was extremely bothered about what her father would say. He was the man, who had motivated her and secretly helped her to learn driving. Infact she had planned to drive all the way to her village and bring her father to the city that weekend. Soon , she heard a familiar voice and realised that ,he was her batchmate Rahul.  He  said ” Oh! Meena it was indeed a mistake on my end . I should have been more careful, anyways let me help you “, he got her car repaired at the nearby garage and a strong friendship grew between them. Alina was the sole witness to a blossoming love story and said ” amidst the hustle and bustle in the city roads you did find your soulmate.” 
Meena was speechless for a while and blushed while Alina narrated the incident to her father , during the weekend.
 
 

“Tell the workers that they can’t do as they please. If they don’t agree to our terms then I will not hesitate to fire them.” I screamed at the HR manager and disconnected the call.
 
Running a business was not easy and the workers- I had always thought that all they wanted was to extract money from the rich. I used to hate when they came into my room, hanging their sorry faces, giving a million excuses whenever they wanted any favor.
 
Nothing went as planned on that particular day in September. I decided to leave the office early. It had rained heavily and the ground was very slippery. To make matters worse, the driver was on leave.
I decided to take the highway so that I could reach home early.
 
Unfortunately, there was a terrible traffic jam on the highway. I saw cars standing bumper to bumper. There was an accident that was causing the delay. I honked several times but it turned out to be pointless. And there I was, stuck on the highway with absolutely no clue about how long it would take for everything to clear.
 
I became highly impatient. I saw that the bike lanes on the highway were practically empty. Though none of the cars seemed to take the lane, on an impulse, I decided to switch lanes and take the bike lane to escape the traffic jam.
 
As I maneuvered the steering wheel and accelerated, I noticed a cyclist heading towards me. I quickly drove towards the median to avoid an accident. However, the wheels skidded owing to the slippery road, and my car collided with the median. I lost my consciousness.
Everything that happened after that seemed like a blur. I could hear the sound of an ambulance faintly.
 
I regained my consciousness after a few hours in the hospital. My wife, Riya, was standing next to me.
 
“That cyclist! It was all because of him. I wonder how much money he will demand from me now, Riya,” I said, being concerned.
 
“Rahul! You had lost blood. It was the cyclist who called the ambulance. He even volunteered to donate blood. Besides, he told me that he used to work in your company. He refused to accept money when I offered him. Though he was very poor he was such a good-hearted person,” said Riya.
 
“Oh Really! What’s his name? I would like to meet him,” I said.
 
“He said his name was Raju. He has left already.”
 
With tear-laden eyes, I sank as soon as I heard his name. I had fired him just a day ago for an insignificant reason. I remembered yelling at him when he asked me for money to pay his daughter’s school fee.
 
He had proven that despite being poor he had a rich heart. The accident proved to be a turning point in my life. I realized that wealth had nothing to do with a person’s character. 
 
 

People often says that ” the pain will become an art but they never tell you that sometimes you can not escape that pain which haunts you, stalks you all the time.
You cross that road everytime where someone with broken heart has been waiting for his love.the road on which you never stops.
We all are living in the voids created by the universe and the irony is that we can not even complaint about it.
“Event horizon ” is believed that point of black hole from where you can not escape,there is no possibility of coming back if you reach that point in black hole.I think sometimes the life acts like event horizon.
Sometimes life is so unfair that you can not get rid of the horrible past,you can not get rid of painful memories,you can not get rid of depression, anxiety and claustrophobia and that leads you to a of undesired affliction.
In the process of making people happy we really losses ourselves and when you realise that it’s too late to realise it gives you the the undesired affliction.
I usually thinks about things and there are plethora of questions that has been drifting around my face.some of them are
#Two people who completes each other,two people who are just made for each other.why do not they always remains the same?
#What it takes to eternize a love story?
#what it takes to immortalise the feeling of being someone’s universe?
#what it takes to get ride of some horrible fabbles of your past?
#what it takes to run away from something that is good?
You can not force someone to love you but you can not stop yourself to stop loving someone.i guess this is how this universe works.

It takes a lot of courage to walk away from something that is good but the fact is that,this whole process is really heartbreaking and unfortunately you starts walking on the road that leads you to the hundreds of darkful nights,bad nightmares which you can not escape.