King of Spades

The present Sakshi called up the last couple of drivers from their database.  Most of them were already on duty and few not in town. There was no way Sakshi could let that last call/ request go unattended. For her this was not just a business, it was a mission. The past That day in court Sakshi had not pressed charges or demanded an enquiry. No it was not because her boyfriend was at fault , it was because the incident prior to the court had made her realise the bigger issue. To Drink and Drive was a crime . But people still did it. Even the ones who were supposedly educated and holding a decent job. While there were many laws to punish and even reform, no one had a hands –on solution to curb the menance . That day if chachu had been drunk, the kid would not have escaped ,simply because he would not have been in that much control of their vehicle. That realization had never left her. Karan had run over her father on his way back. He dad had stepped out  to get milk. Whil...

The past It must have been some time post 4pm in the evening, when she woke up in her hall on the sofa. Looked like she had somehow managed to crawl into her home safely. The headache was splitting her head apart. She washed her face and popped a pill to get rid of the headache. Post freshening up ,she went upstairs to her fathers’s room. Shit yaar, he must be upset with me for getting sloshed and  sleeping all day long , was the constant thought plying on her mind, as she opened his door. He was not in his room . She looked in the kitchen and the balcony. He was nowhere to be seen. Must have gone out for his walk. Well let me call him. As she reached out for her phone, she saw a lot of missed calls. There were a couple of unknown numbers,  her neighbor and her paternal uncle(chachu) were also there in the list. There was also one missed call from Karan. Looks like the entire world was trying to reach her when she was sloshed.  Out of the list, she called her chachu. H...

The face was calm and composed. There was a positive aura surrounding her,the way it had always been. 'Amma' was what she was known as in our locality. Her real name was Dhairyalaksmi, Dhairya meaning courage, something which she had always represented throughout her life.As Kartik stood there watching her, memories flashed through his mind. Amma had moved into the colony with her husband and son around 30 years back. Her son Vinod was of Kartik’s age and in no time they became the best of friends. Being neighbours he often used to spend time in their household. She always used to treat him equally as her son which was a quality, Kartik thought was rare to find. The morning hours in their household used to be bathed in loud carnatic music. She had immense faith in god and which reflected in whatever she did.Everyday as he and Vinod left for school she used to say, “Bye, Kartik. Take good care of Vinod”!. Life has its own strange ways of unfolding events and that was precis...