As you like it - Friday

Sanjeev slowly hung up the phone and contemplated the conversation he had just had.

The voice on the other end seemed to have been distorted as if it was talked through some electronic scrambling device, gravelly and rough, but most of all, urgent. The man had almost pleaded Sanjeev to maintain secrecy with the information. And right now, only Sanjeev needed to know.

It was a mission of the utmost importance he had been charged with, and from the tone of the voice, Sanjeev knew: failure was not an option. Though he had only been working in this office for only one month, he understood how serious this man was. The man needed his help.

The only question that did bother him was....why him? Why not someone else? Or as the voice on the other end of phone seemed to implicitly remind him...was he the CHOSEN one? It was terrifying and exciting. Sanjeev could feel butterflies in his stomach. If he could indeed complete this task successfully, then BOOM....he could pull the biggest coup ever. Now now....he told himself not to hurry. Think...think.

He packed his bag and rushed towards his Pulsar 150cc. As he wore his compulsory-to-wear helmet, he felt like Darth Vader of Star Wars. Damn these helmets. As he raced to 60 kmph towards his house at Adayar, he wondered what could be the implications in his personal life should he carry out this mission? It was not as easy for an outsider...but yes...maybe he could do it. It was a difficult choice indeed but Sanjeev had got to make it.

He parked his bike and tiptoed into his house. He made sure that his parents were asleep. Maybe they were used to him arriving at odd hours. Perhaps today it was going to prove advantageous. His mom would often ask why all the people in Indian IT industry arrived late at home. She would often pull his leg about how she would see IT people sleeping in their company bus in the early morning. She did not complete much formal education and even she knew that IT people in India don’t do any serious earth shattering work.

He entered his house with the spare key. With the alacrity of a cat he opened the Godrej safe in the hall and made sure it didn’t make any deafening creaking sound and wake everyone up. He knew exactly what he was searching for and his hands automatically moved to that shelf. Bingo! There it was. His hands stumbled on the prize. He felt like shouting at the top of his voice, but curbed his enthusiasm. He thrust it into his pocket and walked back to his pulsar. Damn. If his father asks then he would have to lie about the whole thing. Well, he did not have much choice left.

He kick started the pulsar and arrived at the location as promised. His hands trembled as he dialed the number on his telephone.

"Hello" the same distorted but nosy voice.

"Hi. It’s me....Sanjeev."

"Sanjeev….so soon?"

"It’s done."

"Oh Gosh! Are you serious?"

"Yes Sir. I am having it right now in my hands."

"Sanjeev....you have no idea what a great help you have done. It feels to me like a dream."

"Oh come on Mr. Ishimara. It was nothing. I did what I could do."

"Oh no Sanjeev. You underestimate your achievement. You have no idea how much my Indian girlfriend pestered me to get the opening show tickets of Rajnikanth’s SIVAJI and how desperately I searched for them. I couldn’t ask anyone here because I was not sure how they would take up the whole issue of their Japanese client going out with an Indian girl. Now thanks to you, I will be able to fulfill her small wish."

"It’s all right Mr. Ishimara. I am waiting at the reception of your hotel. Please come and receive it."

Now…he wondered how was he going to compensate his dad who was a die-hard Rajni fan....

P.S: I wrote this one immediately as soon as I saw the premise. Even though Karthik has written something similar to it, I didn't have the heart to abandon it. :-)

P.S1: I figured another story with the same premise. Will post it on Tuesday. :-)