Sinner's Game: Karma will chase! Read online

  Next morning, Ramesh asked Himanshu, ‘Beta, Shiv uncle was talking about your marriage with Aditi. I think you must settle down first and then go for your MBA.’

  ‘Papa I do have sense of what you are thinking.’

  ‘You are a smart boy! Do you agree with me?’

  ‘Come on papa! It is too early for me to think about my marriage. I am only in my second year right now and I am not even earning.’

  ‘It is fine. You get engaged now. Marriage can be planned later as per your convenience.’

  ‘But Papa, I hardly know Aditi; I just know her as Shiv uncle’s daughter. I don’t think that it would be fair. I need some time.’

  ‘Beta, it takes a lifetime to understand anyone. I can tell you. My own experience is no different. Where do you stay in Delhi?’

  ‘Papa I stay in West Delhi near Punjabi Bagh. But why are you asking me this now?’

  ‘Shiv uncle has recently purchased a flat in a posh area of South Delhi and he is planning to gift it to his daughter.’

  ‘Come on, papa don’t embarrass me.. Let me think about it. All this is too sudden. I will need some time to make such a decision.’

  ‘Sure, beta, I have full faith in you. After all, you need to run my business soon. Take your time.’

  Himanshu and Aditi got married few months later. Himanshu never called back his father about his decision. Ramesh construed this as an implicit approval by Himanshu and moved ahead. Shiv did not even bother to discuss anything with Aditi. Ramesh called Himanshu to understand his available dates and soon the engagement and wedding dates were fixed

  After their wedding, Himanshu and Aditi shifted to their new flat in South Delhi. Aditi was not aware of the said ‘deal’ and did not even know about the ownership of the flat. She got the first hint about it when their first electricity bill landed. The bill was in the name of her father. She understood that this was all part of dowry that his father had negotiated with his friend. It was too late to intervene in anything.

  A flat in South Delhi had been beyond Himanshu’s reach in any case. Therefore, he readily accepted the idea of not having any say in his own marriage. For a year or so, he enjoyed all the attention because of his new status. Aditi started working in a travel agency few months after her marriage. Himanshu did not get any job even after completing his BBA. Himanshu and Aditi had a son but after once the child was born, he lost interest in Aditi and started exploring the nightlife of Delhi. He got so used to his second life that he stopped mentioning about his marital status to anyone. He started coming home very late and sometimes didn’t even come back overnight.

  After a while, without a job, Himanshu could not manage his lavish lifestyle just with his father’s support. He came under a huge debt with the owners of bars and pub. Nevertheless, after sometime they started asking about recovery of their dues. Himanshu finally decided to ask Aditi for money.

  He told her one evening, ‘Aditi, I need some money for some personal expenses.’

  Aditi was surprised, ‘Fine how much do you need?’

  ‘About five lacs.’

  ‘I don’t have that kind of bank balance as of now. But why so much?’

  ‘Aditi, I need to pay bills. What else?’

  ‘What kind of expenses?’

  Himanshu was irritated, ‘Don’t bother about details. If you don’t have money then be quiet.’

  ‘Yes I don’t have money If it is urgent, I can ask for some loan from my father?’

  ‘What are you saying? Why is it a loan? Your father has to support his daughter?’

  ‘I am married now, Himanshu. I don’t want to be a burden on him anymore.’

  ‘Aditi find a way’

  ‘I will think of something. By when can we pay him back?’

  ‘Look Aditi I am without a job right now. You know this very well.’

  Aditi was well aware of the situation. Even without a job, Himanshu had his lavish lifestyle with late night parties with his bachelor friends. It took her just few months for her to discover the true nature of her husband.

  ‘Alright, alright, let me talk to him.’ Aditi said, in a bid to stop the argument.

  Aditi spoke to her father soon and he readily transferred funds to his daughter’s account.

  She told Himanshu, ‘I have arranged money. I can either transfer to your account or pay directly. What do you want?’

  ’Transfer to my account. I will send you the details.’

  ‘Hmm, you know we should control our expenses now and remain within budget.’

  ‘Who are you to tell me about my budget? I will return your money shortly.’ Himanshu snapped, calling the conversation to a close.

  This never happened. Himanshu became increasingly frustrated with his financial situation. In the job market, just BBA was not good enough to get a job. It was at that time Hailthy had gone in the expansion mode and was looking for even fresh graduates to meet the demand.

  Himanshu may not have made it to Hailthy but for one of his nightlife stints where he met Priya. His nightlife had continued even after years of his marriage to Aditi and the birth of his son. It was a Saturday night. He was at a Hauz Khas bar with his friend Rakesh. Priya was there, drinking alone that night and patiently waiting for her next target.

  Himanshu felt the urge to smoke, ‘Let’s go out for a smoke, Rajesh.’

  ‘Are you mad, Himanshu? It is quite cold outside but I know nothing will stop you so please go ahead.’

  ‘Lazy bum! Please drink slow as we need to be active tonight’

  ‘Yes, I know let me call for confirmation in the meanwhile. Some girls just back out during such cold weather.’

  Himanshu left the bar and went outside for a smoke. It was cold but there were many compulsive smokers outside. Himanshu looked around and spotted Priya standing alone, busy smoking. She was wearing a black top and a windcheater that was clearly not enough for the chill. He observed the near-perfect make up and sensed a faint breath of perfume. As he gazed at the slight disarrangement of her curly hair, he felt a strong urge to run his fingers through them. Priya looked at him once and then continued with her smoking.

  Himanshu walked up to her and asked, ‘Are you alone? Or has your friend, like mine, refused to come out in this weather?

  Priya said, ‘I came alone.’

  ‘If you don’t mind you can join us.’

  ‘Depends on what you are smoking.’

  ‘It is not a cigarette.’

  ‘Ok let me see what you have got.’

  Himanshu passed on his joint to Priya and she took a deep drag. Priya had not tried this quality of weed for quite some time. She continued with a few more drags, as Himanshu happily stood watching Priya smoke.

  After a while, Priya said, ‘That was awesome. By the way I am Priya, nice to meet you.’

  ‘I am Himanshu. If you want, you can come inside. I was catching up with an old friend and he won’t mind you joining us.’

  ‘Sure?’

  ‘Yes come.’

  They both went inside and Priya picked up her drink from her table and joined Himanshu and his friend. Rakesh was a bit surprised to see Priya, however he did not let his surprise show through.

  ‘Hi I am Rakesh.’

  ‘Hi Priya here, nice to meet you.’

  ‘I thought I was the only one spending time in a bar on a Monday evening.’ Said Priya.

  Himanshu jokingly replied, ‘We have nothing much to do. We are both jobless!’

  ‘I see. I like your honesty.’

  ‘What will you drink, Priya?’ asked Himanshu.

  ‘I was looking to go home now but let’s close our evening with Tequila shots!’

  Himanshu ordered three tequila shots as Priya excused herself and went to the washroom.

  Rakesh eagerly asked, ‘Where did you find her? She looks hot, man. Did you see her cleft?’

  ‘Sure I did. I am not blind. I think I will try to drop her back after we finish.’

  ‘Should I call just o
ne girl for tonight?’

  ‘I completely forgot. You can call both of them if you want. I will pay. The treat is on me.’

  ‘I completely understand your enthusiasm. But experience with a paid one can’t beat what you may have tonight, if you get lucky with her.’

  ‘Stop; she is coming back.’

  Priya came back and after settling down, she asked Himanshu about his educational background. ‘Himanshu, if you don’t mind, can you tell me about your educational background?’

  Himanshu smiled and said, ‘Why sudden interest in my education?

  ‘Actually my company is looking for fresh graduates so I can pass on your resume, if you want.’

  ‘Ah I am BBA from JSPL University and but job market is very tough. I may have to plan for MBA now and yes, I am desperate for a job right now.’

  ‘I like your honesty, frankly I thought that you could be one of rich spoilt brats of Delhi. But you are very different..’

  ‘Priya, I am not from Delhi but moved here about five years back.’

  ‘I stay in Gurgaon but not too far from here. Himanshu do share your email ID or number as you feel comfortable.’ Priya said as she handed Himanshu her business card.

  The tequila shots were ready. Himanshu had more than one reason to celebrate; he lifted his drink and said, ‘Cheers to our new friend, Priya!’

  Rakesh also joined the celebration and said, ‘Cheers I really hope that this works out for you as this meeting is just mystical.’

  Priya liked Himanshu’s frank and careless nature. She had nothing much to do back at home and this was turning out to be a good Monday evening even for her. Rakesh decided to move out after the first tequila shot. He wanted to give more space to Himanshu and he had to pick up his own companion from a nearby place in any case. Priya and Himanshu continued for a few more hours. They went out a few times in between, for smoking.

  Finally, Priya said, ‘Well Himanshu. It was great fun today. Completely unexpected. It is a working day for me tomorrow but so send your resume. It should work out well.’

  Himanshu replied, ‘Likewise. I really enjoyed your company and I will send you my resume first thing in the morning. I don’t want to take the risk of attaching a wrong file right now.’

  Priya smiled and said, ‘Sure take your time. I need to book a cab now..’

  Himanshu said, ‘Well same here.’

  Himanshu wanted to drop Priya back home and really wished that he had a car.

  ‘Sorry I forgot to ask, where do you stay Himanshu?’

  ‘Near South Extension and not very far from here.’

  ‘Cool, my cab is just a minute away. You take care and do send your resume’ said Priya.

  ‘Goodnight, Priya.’

  As Priya boarded her cab, she received two messages. There was a notification from the cab company about the arrival of the cab and other one was a WhatsApp message from a new group named ‘The Final Destination’. She was sloshed and didn’t pay attention to any of the messages.

  Himanshu decided to go home instead. Priya had given him new hope; he looked at her business card once again and took a picture of it.

  Next day Himanshu woke up with a different level of energy. He started his computer and reviewed his resume and sent it to Priya. As he was typing a message to Priya, he received a message from her instead.

  ‘Got it and sent to HR. Will ping you later. Had fun yesterday.’

  Himanshu replied, ‘That was really fast! Hope to see you soon. Thanks a lot!’

  He waited for some time for Priya’s response but Priya apparently was busy with her day job. Himanshu shortly received a call from Hailthy’s HR Manager, Surbhi.

  Surbhi said, ‘Hi Himanshu this is Surbhi from Hailthy, I got your resume from Priya. Can we meet today if you are available?’

  ‘Sure what time?’

  ‘Where do you stay Himanshu?’

  ‘In Delhi, South Extension.’

  ‘Then you can reach here in an hour or so right?’

  ‘Yes surely Surbhi.’

  ‘See you then; I will WhatsApp you our office location pin.’

  ‘Thanks Surbhi!’

  The interview was a formality as there was not much one could ask from a person with no work experience. The discussion was more about Himanshu’s personality, strengths and business pressure to hire. Surbhi asked him about his hobbies and family background. Himanshu lied all along and even mentioned that he was single. He did not want to take any risk, as he desperately wanted this job. Hailthy hired Himanshu on the same day and he received his offer letter on email. He messaged Priya, grateful and happy.

  ‘Hi Priya! I cannot thank you enough. I got the job! If you are free, please let me know. Else, my joining date is tomorrow so there is no hurry.’

  Priya quickly typed, ‘That is great! I am in a meeting right now. See you tomorrow.’

  With these lies about his background and relationship status, Himanshu started work at Hailthy.

  Priya

  Priya had joined Hailthy few years back as a researcher. Despite being from a small town she was quite modern in her outlook towards life. Her family had shifted to Gurgaon when she was seven years old, shortly after her father’s death. She had only hazy memories about her father and had to rely on old pictures to remember him. She was very close to her brother, Vibhor.

  When in her teens, Priya accidently got into the company of girls who were older than her age. From them she picked up a few things much earlier than most girls of her age. She was young, vulnerable and needed the money. With a great sense of fashion and an early adopter of Instagram, Priya had access to fashion portals which made it easy for her to buy fashionable clothes and create a good impression. She befriended many Instagram users with her racy pictures and personal messages. Tracking all her followers quite closely and paying attention to their likes and dislikes, Priya managed to identify vulnerable people and could easily trap gullible followers - of both genders - on Instagram. More than anything else, the size of their wallet mattered most to her.

  Priya’s first abortion happened at the age of eighteen and without knowledge of her mother. Instead of slowing things down, this episode made her bolder. She started partying regularly with her gang of girls with a single objective of making money. In one such party, she had a bad mix of alcohol and drugs. She woke up next day alone in a farmhouse near Delhi with no recollection of anything that happened during or after the party. This scared her a lot and she decided to slow things down for the sake of her own safety. This life of a hippie with no purpose as such was definitely not the way forward, so she started applying for jobs and found a suitable opening with Hailthy. Post getting employed, while she continued with light dose of marijuana but stayed away from hard drugs. Alcohol continued to be her weakness. Priya loved getting drunk in all Hailthy parties. She was drunk at every party and she was quite a hugger, especially when drunk. A lot people just loved watching her dance carelessly. Dance for her was an art of seduction that she had mastered over a period.

  Even at Hailthy, attention from colleagues of all ages came very easily to her the list of successful employees that were interested in her kept on increasing with each party. Most of them got lucky in conveniently dropping her to home with short stopovers.

  After Himanshu joined Hailthy, her interaction with Himanshu was limited during the initial period. It was during a business conference in Mumbai that they got close to each other. All employees attending the conference were staying at the same five-star hotel. This was a big exposure for many employees who were overwhelmed with Mumbai’s nightlife in a plush hotel. After the day’s work, exhausted and tired, they decided to go to a popular bar. This was Akshay’s idea. All of them were away from home and were quite relaxed, after a few drinks. Everyone started opening up a little more than usual. In a state of enthusiasm, as they sat and chatted over the final tequila shots, Neeraj exclaimed, ‘Before all of you go back to your respective rooms, each person has to name his or
her office crush - including Akshay.’ Usually he would not have dared do anything like this but the tequila was really working on him. This surprised everyone but no one wanted to be a spoilsport. Everyone tried to play safe by including suitable riders and disclaimers.

  When Himanshu’s turn came, he stayed quiet for some time. He was married and did not want things out in open. Soon he gave in to the team pressure. He liked Tanuja but could not gather courage to name her so he took Priya’s name. It was casual on his part but was a safe bet. Priya was flattered and excited as she had never imagined that Himanshu would admit this in public.

  When they got back in Gurgaon, Priya started giving more attention to Himanshu. She had always found him attractive but this Mumbai trip changed her. Their interactions increased, however, Himanshu did not reveal his marital status to Priya. They had a lot in common when it came to nightlife, drinking, smoking and music. Priya started paying more attention to Himanshu even during office hours. One day after office, Priya asked Himanshu to drop her back home. Soon they started drinking in the car near the Delhi Gurgaon border. After a few beers, Himanshu felt lighter and decided to share his life story with Priya.

  He said, ‘Priya I want to tell you something.’

  ‘Sure’

  ‘Priya I am married and feeling guilty of not sharing this with you.’

  ‘Relax! For me, married, single and even gender have no meaning. I am from a different world . I have seen a lot in my life. I just want to enjoy every day of my life. Did you get the stuff?’

  ‘Of course, today I have some new stuff also.’ He pulled out some pills from his pocket.

  ‘You are smart. But I am fine with a joint.’

  Himanshu confided in Priya about how his marriage had taken place, though he did not tell her his real reason for marrying Aditi. Instead to gain her sympathy, he concocted a story about his failed marriage and blamed it on his wife’s fictitious affair.

  Priya was on her own trip, drinking smoking and wanting to have more fun. Himanshu’s personal life, marital status, didn’t bother her. She couldn’t care less.