Breaking the Rules

One has to be strong when life throws difficulties at you. But no one tells you what the hell you have to do to be strong. It’s not easy; emotions and feelings do not die natural deaths.

Varun knew that he had chosen the wrong path but every other road led to a dead end. What was he supposed to do? Supporting a friend in trouble was a good thing to do, but supporting them by wrong means—was that right? Was that acceptable? It’s very easy to choose between right and wrong but your brain stops functioning when you have to choose between two wrongs. He could either leave Garima to her fate or rescue her from the mess by acquiring the money, by hook or by crook. He chose the latter.

‘Are you certain the plan will work? We don’t want any more complications.’ Malvika was visibly tense.

‘Yes. Still, just to be sure, I am going to meet the senior who accomplished this task before. I’m not going to reveal anything to him, just get the lab assistant’s name, the one who helped them,’ Varun said confidently.

‘But who will buy the question paper from us?’ Garima asked.

‘I have already sent a WhatsApp message to a few close friends of mine who have shared it with their contacts. We already have more than twenty-five people ready with the cash. We just need to hand over the question paper to them. Half the amount will be paid on the spot and the remainder after the exam,’ Varun added.

‘What if you get caught? You will have wasted three years of your life. Worse, they may never allow you to appear for your exams again,’ Garima whispered in a low tone. She was aware that everyone was taking this risk for her sake.

Varun walked closer to Garima and said, ‘You know what, I had an imaginary friend when I was a kid. As I grew older I realized most of the people who claim to be your friends are imaginary. Luckily, I have got the three of you now. So now it’s my turn to do something. But on a serious note, I am clueless as to what I will do if they catch me.’

They all hugged each other; no words were exchanged. Anxiety hovered in the air. The real test of life had begun already. After exchanging a few grave glances, Varun left to meet his senior.

Life comes in boxes of various sizes, holding moments that are good and bad. The contents may vary in proportion but you can’t choose to escape any one of them at your convenience. An individual decides if they want to make the most of each one of the contents. No matter what our opinion, we have to accept things the way they are.

‘I am fucked. I don’t know how I will pass my mathematics exam tomorrow,’ Varun said, pretending to be nervous in front of his senior.

‘Shit happens, dude. That’s the whole idiotic part of our system. It ensures women live with fear and suppresses the youth with loads of exams,’ the senior cribbed as if he knew everything that went on in this world.

‘I wish I was gutsy enough to get help from the lab assistant, like you did. Life would be a cakewalk,’ Varun bemoaned, hoping that he would reveal something.

‘Who? That Yadav? He is just a small player in all of this. Someone else is the captain. Don’t get into all that. We just do it for the money. Not for clearing our exams. Sometimes if the authorities find out that the paper has been leaked they change the questions,’ the senior replied.

Varun’s work was done. He had got the little piece of information that he needed about the lab assistant. Bidding him goodbye, Varun went straight to the lab assistant Yadav who was busy working in the chemistry lab. Varun approached Yadav, trying to hide his nervousness. It was not the first time he was interacting with him but this time the reason was different. He feared the consequences if Yadav did a sudden U-turn and told the professors about him. But he had to take the risk. His heart was beating very fast and he heartily wished things would come to an end soon. Yadav spotted him and asked him what he was doing there.

‘Actually, I wanted to ask you something. Rather, wanted some help. Senior dada is my friend,’ Varun stammered.

‘What help?’

‘The same help that senior dada takes from you.’

‘I don’t know anything. Please don’t disturb me,’ Yadav said, pretending he was clueless.

‘Please. I know it’s my first time but I am ready to pay you. You are the actual authority here in college. Others are nothing compared to you. Senior dada always appreciates you. I just want tomorrow’s mathematics paper. Please help me. I am not bad in academics. I have very good internal scores too. But I had an accident a few days ago and hence couldn’t concentrate on my studies. Please sir, help me. I will pay you as much as you want,’ Varun pleaded, trying to persuade the lab assistant.

‘You think I do this for money? I don’t understand your generation at all. You think you can buy anything if you have money? Go away,’ Yadav shouted.

‘No . . . but . . .’

Yadav gave him a long lecture on humanity, ethics and how the new generation takes everything for granted, even university rules. But as Varun was about to leave, Yadav stopped him and said, ‘Beta, I don’t do this usually. But you seem to be an innocent guy. You should not do such things. Just for you . . . remember, just for you I am doing this, else I would never do such a thing. It’s against my ethics. But I feel for you and since you are like my kid I shall help you. Usually, I don’t charge a fee but you know the university peon charges me. So you need to give me twenty thousand rupees.’

Varun smiled and agreed to his terms. He burst out laughing as soon as he left the lab. Yadav acting like a man of principles was the funniest thing he had ever witnessed. It was like a person who had a bhajan as his caller tune while answering his phone with a ‘bol bhenchod’. Varun returned to inform everyone that he had cracked the deal and that they had to go to the university that night to execute their master plan. The next few hours would decide the fate of the four friends.

It was around 11 p.m. and as instructed by the lab assistant Yadav, all four of them waited near the Xerox shop in front of the university. They anxiously looked from side to side as they stood by the road. Yadav was expected any time now. The wait didn’t last long as within the next few minutes Yadav and another person got out of an autorickshaw. Both men shot Varun an annoyed look for bringing his friends along.

‘You were supposed to come alone,’ Yadav exclaimed.

‘You too,’ Varun said, looking at the unknown person accompanying him.

‘He is my partner.’

‘They are my friends,’ Varun said in a firm voice to hide his nervousness.

Clueless as to who the other person was, Varun and the gang followed Yadav and him into a small lane that had stationery shops. The strange man ordered everyone to enter one of the shops and be seated. No one asked any questions; they were pretty scared anyway.

‘Aren’t we supposed to go inside the university?’ asked Varun finally.

‘Have patience. You can always leave if you don’t like it here,’ Yadav declared.

With no other option, they stayed put in their seats for the next thirty minutes looking at each other’s faces. Suddenly, Yadav’s partner entered the Xerox shop along with another man who introduced himself as the owner of the shop. It was evident that even the owner of the shop was involved in the racket. Yadav’s partner gave the shopkeeper two thousand-rupee notes. He then gestured to them to follow him and they started walking towards the university gates. The security guard, whose job it was to look out for suspicious activities, saluted the owner of the shop and let everyone inside without any questions. As they walked towards the sciences building, Varun and the others started to sweat in fear. The passage was completely dark and even the slightest sound made them feel like someone was watching them and would expose the racket.

Varun looked towards Malvika who signalled that this was dangerous. But Varun was determined to save Garima. As they reached the BSc department, they came upon a peon who sat on a chair, smoking a cigarette.

‘Singh hai upar?’ the store owner asked.

He nodded and the man went upstairs. The peon didn’t ask a single question but continued smoking, staring suspiciously at Varun and the girls. Yadav and his partner were very relaxed, as if they were out for an evening walk. This was probably a routine thing for them. However, Varun and the girls were literally shaking with fear. After finishing his cigarette, the peon went upstairs.

‘Just wait here,’ Yadav ordered Varun and he too went upstairs.

His partner sat on the peon’s chair. Garima took Varun aside and whispered, ‘At any point, if you think that we are being trapped or feel uncomfortable, just back out. We will find another way. But I don’t want to put the rest of our lives at stake. Don’t think about me. Whenever you feel like backing out, just inform me. We will all support your decision and run away in time. It’s still our choice as we are the ones paying them. Just be alert and remember what I am saying.’

Varun just nodded and didn’t utter a word. The next moment Yadav’s partner got a call on his cell phone. It was Yadav, giving him the green signal to send Varun up while his partner was to wait downstairs with the girls and monitor the surroundings and alert them of anything suspicious.

‘I am not leaving these girls alone here. I don’t even know you. How can I just leave them here with you?’ Varun seemed a little disturbed.

‘I am not going to rape them, you dumbass. Himmat nahin hain toh kaand kyu karte ho?’ he said, glaring angrily at Varun.

Varun apologized as things would have gone haywire had he argued with him. Thus avoiding complications, he did as he was told to. He started walking towards the staircase to the first floor where Yadav and the owner of the shop were waiting for him. He turned back once to look at the girls who were equally nervous and tense. Malvika’s eyes pleaded with him to come back as this was starting to look like a deathtrap laid out for them. Garima had already voiced her concerns, Ahana looked shaky as well. Terror had subsumed their souls completely. Varun was scared of the sound of his own footsteps as he climbed the stairs.

Am I a criminal? Suddenly I have started to doubt myself. But I can do anything for my friends. I have never received such unconditional love. Now I don’t want to lose them. I have heard that a mother forgives her son even if he is a criminal. I hope my mom forgives me. I know I am hurting her if she is watching from above, but Mom, you know why I’m doing this. I feel so confused but do I have a choice? I didn’t have one earlier too and hence here I am. I wonder who the captain is—the one senior dada mentioned. Is it the shop owner? Or Mr Singh? His thoughts haunted Varun as he finally reached the floor where everyone was waiting for him.

‘This is Mr Singh, the peon of the examination department. Pay him the entire amount,’ said Yadav.

‘First give me the question paper.’

Mr Singh nodded and told everyone to follow him. They entered a locked office to which he had the keys. The sealed copies of next day’s question paper were kept in an envelope inside a drawer.

Now I understand that it’s not really easy to walk on the wrong path, thought Varun. Walking on the right path may be more difficult but at least you have your peace of mind. Here, every minute I feel like someone is watching me and will trap me. Why am I thinking so much now that it’s already half done? I think I should let things happen. Or should I stop this? But stop it now? What if the captain comes? Or is he already here? No . . . let it happen. I am not a criminal, just an innocent guy trapped in the game of life.

Varun thought of backing out at the last minute. ‘Actually, sir . . . I don’t want to—’

Before Varun could complete his sentence, Mr Singh interrupted him and said in a heavy tone, ‘I hope you know who we are.’

It was not safe to stay there for long but they had to settle the issue. The girls were getting restless with every passing minute. Mr Singh opened the sealed envelope with the exam paper and gave it to Yadav.

‘You can get a Xerox copy of this from his shop.’ Mr Singh pointed towards the shop owner.

‘Quick. We have to go back as well.’

The shop owner was about to leave when Varun insisted on taking a photograph of the question paper. He was not keen on going to the shop and prolonging the process. It added an unnecessary risk. He instead took photographs of the paper using his cell phone camera. After checking that the photographs were clear, he handed over the entire amount to Yadav and left the place in a hurry.

The girls were relieved when they saw Varun coming down the stairs. He nodded, indicating that the work was done. Just as they were about to leave, Yadav’s partner stopped them to check with Yadav if they were allowed to go. Once he got the go-ahead, he accompanied them to the gate and told them to leave swiftly in case anyone saw them.

The most valuable lessons in life cannot be taught; they must be experienced and learnt. Varun had experienced a nightmare and had escaped before being caught. They screamed in joy on the drive back to Navi Mumbai. Varun sent the photos of the question paper to everyone who had paid him half the money. The work was half done. All of them were waiting to see if the actual question paper tallied with the one that they had. Only then would they be paid the other half of the money. Varun prayed everything would go well. He knew sometimes the question paper was changed at the last moment. If that should happen, they would have to return the money taken from the students and it would bring them back to square one. Thus all hopes were on the questions that would appear in the paper rather than answering them correctly.

‘Never before in my life have I been so curious and impatient to see the question paper,’ Varun said as he got ready to leave for college the next day.

Malvika and Garima were studying for their exams while Ahana was preparing for a project submission. But they could hardly concentrate.

‘Please inform us before you start your exam,’ Garima called out as Varun closed the door behind him and left.

He wanted to reach college early to make sure that everything was under control. He met a few students to whom he had sent the paper last night and told them not to worry. Varun took his hall ticket and entered the examination centre. Those few minutes seemed like the longest of his life. He was just praying for things to go well.

When I want to do some last-minute revision, the supervisor hounds me to put my bag outside and take the question paper. Today when I am sitting here for so long, the bastard does not even bother to look at me, he thought.

The next moment he was called to collect the question paper. Without blinking, he checked all the questions at one go.

Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Goodness! When he saw no one looking, he immediately sent a message to Malvika. He then made an excuse that he had forgotten his pen and went outside to leave his mobile in his bag as cell phones were not allowed inside the examination hall.

He wrote just two words in the message—Mission accomplished!

After that everything went as per plan. Once they got all the money, Garima handed it over to the blackmailer. She was just asked to leave the bag outside a nearby coffee shop and go back home without looking. She didn’t tell anyone who he was. It was a little absurd on her part but Varun had assumed it was Sid and wanted to teach him a lesson for sure. They were the kind of friends who wouldn’t be able to attend each other’s funeral if any one of them were to be murdered because they would be in prison for killing the murderer. Varun thought that Garima was keeping the identity of the blackmailer a secret from him to avoid a showdown. His priority was bringing a smile back on Garima’s face and he was successful in doing so. Garima felt relieved that day. Malvika and Ahana were happy now that Garima was smiling and things were back to normal.

There is a small difference between hiding something and lying. Garima was not lying. She was just hiding information because she wanted to keep the bad memories to herself. She knew where to draw the line. Sometimes we have friends with whom our souls are very closely connected. We know that wherever we are in our lives, we will remain friends. Even if we do not see each other for years, we will be able to pick up from where we left off. Such was the bond they shared.