Love Me Again

Charan was sitting on a bench in the garden and looking at the dry leaves falling from the trees. The girl from the stove came and sat beside him. She asked, "What are you looking at, sir?" Charan looked at her and said, "Life. Just like the leaves, our life too drifts away with the wind of time." The girl smiled, "That's so deep. I didn't know you are a poet too." Charan smiled, "You have still very much to know about me. What's your name?" She replied, "Anna Frank." Charan smiled, "Anna Frank. Just like Anne Frank." Anna smiled, "Yes. Many people have said that to me." Charan asked, "Aren't you too young to work in an army regiment, especially under General Zhukov?" Anna asked, "What's wrong with General Zhukov?" Charan replied, "He had committed many rapes of young girls, mostly under the age of eighteen." Anna said calmly, "He is old and couldn't even satisfy his wife." Charan asked, "How do you know that?" Anna came closer and whispered, "Yesterday, I saw Madam having sex with the butler in the hay room."

Charan smiled, "Peeping on people is a bad habit." She said, "You would have done the same too." Charan smiled, "You remind me of someone." She said, "Yes. Your girlfriend. Alia." Charan asked, "How do you know that?" She replied, "Everyone does. Russians don't befriend someone without knowing their history." Charan asked, "What do you think of that, then?" Anna replied, "It must have been very hard. Losing someone like that abruptly. Someone who touched your heart like no one else did. Love is a very mysterious feeling." Charan smiled, "True, indeed." Anna asked, "Don't you miss her?" Charan rose and extended his hand and said, "Come on. Let me show you how much I love her." Anna took his hand and Charan firmly grabbed her waist. He turned her and sang, "Whenever, I miss her too much. I look up at the sky and dance, all alone. But, in that aloneness, I still feel her warm embrace around me, dancing with me, matching my every step. I walked with her everyday, with a warm heart where she stay. I look up at the river and there she flows in the currents and wherever I go she comes with me, she stays with me, loves me and adores me and I love her toooooo..."

Both Charan and Anna were sweating, less from the dance and more from the heat between their lips. Charan remained frozen, so did Anna. Their breaths were entangled with each other and the gap between their lips were slimming. Anna closed her eyes and Charan slowly touched his lip on her lip and slowly they kissed. But, suddenly Anna pushed him and ran away. Charan looked at her running and sighed. He went inside the palace.

Charan was about to enter his room, when the wife of General Zhukov called him, "Hey, Charan. General Zhukov is waiting for you in the study room." Charan smiled and said, "Okay. I will meet him." She smiled and went outside. Charan looked at her direction and saw that she was going to the hayhouse. Charan looked upstairs and went inside the study room. He knocked on the door and General Zhukov looked at him and said, "So, finally you got time to visit me." Charan said, "Actually I was waiting for Vivek's message and I am a little worried that he hadn't replied yet." General Zhukov said grimly, "Yeah. That's what I wanted to talk about too." Charan said, "No. I think he will send a message soon." General Zhukov came near him and hugged him tightly and said, "I got information from my secret informants that a huge massacre occurred in Hawaii. Bodies of notorious killer JK and Francis Dortmund were found there and also a half burned body was also found there. They send me the photo of the dead body."

Charan looked at the photo and became silent. He gave the phone to General and went to his room. He locked the door and went to the bathroom and started the shower. He screamed to his lungs full and angrily punched the water in the tub. He immersed his head in the water and stayed there for a minute and then went to his bed and took out his phone.

He dialed a number and said, "Charan Khatri here. I want to talk about something." The other end asked, "How can I help you?" Charan replied grimly, "My brother, Mr. Vivek Lal Khatri has passed away recently and I want to enquire about the bank balance that he had in your bank." The man said politely, "I am sorry to hear about your loss. My heartfelt condolences to you. Vivek sir was a very good man. He did opened an account in our bank, but never deposited any money except the ten thousand dollars that is mandatory to deposit on account opening." Charan asked, "Are you sure?" The man replied, "Yes. I can send you the ten thousand dollars with a five percent cut if you want." Charan said, "Okay. Do it fast." Charan disconnected the call and put the phone on the bed. Charan mumbled, "Where can he keep all those money? I never asked and he never said and now the dilemma intensifies." A knock on the door broke his attention and he opened the door. Anna was standing there with a tray of hot cup of coffee and a bowl of soft pudding. Anna said softly, "I got the news that your brother..." Charan said, "Come inside." Anna sat on the bed and said, "Losing a sibling is the only pain keeps lightly burning the heart." Charan smiled, "Every pain does." Anna smiled, "How can I bring a smile on your face?" Charan said, "It's not a good time to smile."

Anna said, "You are quite complicated, you know. Everything that I heard about you just scares me. Ten years in jail for rape, multiple charges of genocide and..." Charan asked, "And?" Anna replied, "Nothing. Just what everyone says. Heartless." Charan smiled, "Heartless is not the name I give myself. I will say I'm not emotionally vulnerable and sometimes a little reckless in romantic decisions. You would have been the same if you were in my shoes." Anna said softly, "I don't want to imagine that. Being a gangster is such a dirty job." Charan smiled, "Who said that I'm a gangster? I'm a reformer. I want to change the perspective of people towards the reality of life." Anna asked, "What is reality of life?" Charan replied, "Greed. The reality of life is greed. All the people ran after their greed. Good people dies running after it and bad people loots running after it. I am a very wealthy businessman's son. I always played with money, but even that much money couldn't satisfy my greed. I gambled, looted and even killed people who had money. Habits became passions and here I am." Anna asked, "Why your parents never stopped me?" Charan replied, "My father once gave me a beating, not because I stole but because I got caught. His name got stained. He gave me a beating and then killed the man who came to him with the complaint." Anna smiled, "No wonder, you are like this." Charan smiled, "Vivek was twice naughty than me. He once tried to have sex with his mother and soon this bad habit became a craze. He was an animal until he met Shirley, his love of the life and then he transformed into an insecure man. Anyway, love changed something inside of him."

Anna looked at her watch and said, "Oh. It's time for General's soup." Charan said, "Don't worry. Someone else will give it to him." Anna smiled, "No. He specifically asked for me." Charan said grimly, "Protect your vagina from him." Anna said softly, "I have already told you earlier that he is just an old man who at the best can only fantasize about me and have a wet dream." Charan smiled, "Have you ever heard about BDSM?" Anna asked, "No. What is it?" Charan replied, "Everything that a man like General can do with you. Anyway, I won't take your time. Go and prepare General's soup." Anna kissed his forehead and rushed out. Charan sighed and poured a glass of wine in his mouth and dialed a number. After few rings, the other end picked up and said, "Ethan here." Charan said, "I want an urgent flight to Hawaii." Ethan said, "Okay. Five thousand dollars." Charan said, "Fuck you." Ethan said, "It's an urgent need, you say. Five thousand dollars is a reasonable amount." Charan said, "I don't have that much." Ethan said, "For you. I am willing to pay two thousand dollars, but three thousand is still on your back." Charan said, "Take it as a credit." Ethan said, "Atleast pay one thousand dollars." Charan said, "Okay. Cut it from Vivek's account." Ethan said, "I have to take his authorisation."

Charan said, "He is no more. I am going Hawaii to collect whatever is left of him." Ethan said, "I don't trust you, but still I will manage. Stay at the harbor at sharp 9." Charan disconnected the call and packed his bag. He took out a small bottle of poison and went outside the room. He went inside the kitchen and found Anna was pouring soup in a bowl. He looked at Anna and said, "I am leaving for Hawaii tonight. Vivek deserves a respectful cremation." Anna said, "Okay. But, tell General first. He will ask for you." Charan said, "He will understand. Anyway, I am not liable to ask for his permission." He hugged and kissed Anna and quietly went outside. Anna looked at him and sighed. She took the soup to General's room and put it on his table. General looked at her and asked, "Can I take your panty?" Anna said, "Excuse me?" General replied, "Actually, never mind." Anna quickly rushed outside and went towards the hay room. She looked at General's wife who was getting intimate with the butler. She took a tin of gasoline and poured it all over the room and then lit a matchstick and threw it on the room and ran as fast as she could.

The fire soon engulfed the whole hay room and the screams of Mrs. General and her butler started echoing in the atmosphere. All heard the screaming, but no one cared to risk their lives for an unfaithful woman. Soon, the screams ended and the audience returned to their sleep. General Zhukov was watching the whole scene while savoring his soup and said, "You deserved this end, you whore." General Zhukov put the bowl on the table and went to the bathroom to brush his teeth. He looked at the mirror and saw his vision fainting. He suddenly felt huge pain in his heart and ran outside the room. He tripped on the carpet and tumbled down the stairs and fell on the ground. He cried for help, but still no one came to his aid. He slowly succumbed to his fate and the tale of the fearsome and fearless General Zhukov ended with his last breath. The servants slowly paid their final salutations and quietly went to their respective rooms.

Charan was waiting for his plane at the harbor when a familiar voice called his name. He turned and saw Anna was running towards him. Charan looked at her and said, "So, you have made the choice." Anna smiled, "Yes. Be it wrong or right doesn't matter. I will be with you." Charan hugged her and said, "I love you." Anna smiled, "I love you too." The plane landed on the harbor and they boarded the plane. The pilot said, "Ethan said that you will be alone." Charan smiled, "Love changes everything, even last moment decisions." The pilot nodded and soon they were in the air, passing over the clouds. Charan took out a ring from his bag and said, "Alia gifted it to me and said, "No matter. If I stay with you or not, just remember it as me." Anna said, "I can't take it." Charan smiled, "Nor am I giving it to you. I just want to say that Alia will always be my special." Anna smiled, "And you will always be my special." They kissed as the plane silently flew the Russian palace....