8

On the way back from Arjun’s house that day, I had a kind of spring in my step, I was happy. I felt good for having made a change in Arjun’s life and probably having sown a seed of happiness in his heart. I wished that for as long as he lived, he would remain happy and depart this world in happiness. In around ninety minutes, my thoughts on visiting Arjun had changed completely. I thought it would be really difficult and uncomfortable, but it turned out to be among the most beautiful moments of my life.

Before I left Arjun’s house, I met Mrs Saxena again and she expressed her deepest gratitude for what I had done for them. She mentioned that if Arjun was like my brother, then she was like my mother, and she blessed me with her choicest blessings. This is the speciality of an Indian mother, she is capable of making a stranger her son and love her like a son.

I had told Arjun that I didn’t know when we would meet next as I was going to be flying to Delhi the next day. But I promised him, that I would now keep in touch with him. I thought this would be a short visit but I didn’t know that Arjun was going to give me a project. A project which at first I thought would be impossible for me to do, but now was very enthusiastic and excited about.

“Mr Rahul, thanks for everything that you have done for me, and thanks for being here today. Today, you have given me a new lease of life, you have given me a new motivation to live my life rather than just breathe awaiting the end. I promise you I will now wait for my end with open arms smiling and I will now live my life to the fullest and give and spread happiness all around me, especially for my parents. I won’t be cynical anymore, I won’t complain anymore, I will not blame fate for the way my life turned out to be, I will own my weaknesses and celebrate my strengths. Mr Rahul, you have given me a second birth today, and I am going to cherish this new life that you have given to me. Thanks Mr Rahul, you have come as an angel in my life today, and I won’t break this promise of mine to you, NEVER.”

“Wow, these are really heavy words that you have used, Arjun. Trust me I don’t deserve it. I just said what I felt, it is your innate desire to live and enjoy life which has been reawakened today. It is the Arjun I met first. I was just a medium chosen by your mother to convey what you should be doing.”

“I have a request Mr Rahul.”

“Yes Arjun, tell me what I can do for you.”

“Promise me you will do what I ask you to do.”

“Well, as long as you don’t ask me to get married!” We laughed again. I was pleased that he didn’t cough after that.

“Well, I cannot ask you to do something that I couldn’t do myself. But I must say, you and the detective colleague of yours made a great pair. If I were you, I would have married her by now.”

Arjun just placed his words on some memories of my life and probably he saw my jaw falling.

“I am sorry, I don’t have the right to talk about your personal life.”

“It’s okay, Arjun, yes she was an amazing lady, and whosoever she married, and she would have made him a very happy man.” It wasn’t meant to be me but, I thought. “Tell me, what is your request for me?”

“Mr Rahul, I want you to write a book about my life. I know there is a lot of substance in my story and I want people in love to know what to do, what not to do, how to appreciate the love that one has, how to take care of one’s love and not let it go the way I did. If I can save even one love story, I think my life would have been worth it, and I guess you are the medium chosen by God to do that. Tell me you will do it.”

“Arjun, I am no author, I have not even written articles in my life. I know you have a powerful story but I will not be able to do any justice to your story. It is a brilliant idea and you should get a professional author to write about it.”

“No Mr Rahul, you will be able to bring in the emotions that I want. The way you spoke to me today, you have the power of words. You just need to put them on paper. If there is someone in the world who will do justice to me, it’s you.”

“But….”

“Trust my instincts on this one Mr Rahul, I know only you can do it. In fact, if you don’t do it, I won’t ask anyone else to do it; either it’s you or no one else.”

“Let me think about it.”

“You asked me to change something about my life, I agreed. Now I ask you to do something, you have to agree; otherwise I will go back on my promise.”

“Now, that’s blackmail.”

“Well if it is, it is. It’s your choice; you want me to go away from this world sad or happy. I suppose I will be happy to see a manuscript in my hands before I leave the world, consider this as the last wish of a dying man.”

“This is the highest form of emotional blackmail,” we both giggled again. “Okay Arjun, I will do it, I will write a book on your story, and I will do it for you. Not only because it is your last wish, but also because I believe in what you said earlier, it has the potential to guide people in love, and just like your wish, I would like to see two souls unite in love. We both have one thing in common, we didn’t get to spend our lives with the women we loved; let’s now at least try and motivate one couple, if not more, to spend their lives together, happily ever after.”

Arjun gave me some notes he had made about his life which he had written in solitude, I had my case papers and I had his annual letters. I had enough to start with and I decided to give up my assignment in Delhi and devote my time to this project. This was a far more interesting project than any other assignment I had ever had. It was also the most challenging of the lot.

I was ready to transform myself from Rahul the detective to Rahul the author. Here was my own rebirth, my new avatar, and new karma to look forward to!