Chapter 25 Past and Present continues to haunt
Mickey had thought meeting Mini would shake Neil so badly that he will be drowned in drugs for days to come but to his surprise, Neil was sober more than ever. He had shut himself in the room, all dark, not talking to anyone. It was as if he didn’t want to face anyone, not even himself. May be the pain was so much that without drugs and alcohol his senses had gone numb.
Mickey arranged for the spare keys of the hotel room in which they were staying and opened the door. He found Neil sitting in one corner, lost in thoughts, silent tears falling continuously from his eyes but he was not making any sound.
“Neil…Neil…what happened to you? Talk to me please.” Mickey shook him to bring him out of that state.
“Did you see her? She was right in front of my eyes….this close.” Neil explained through gestures. And there was that same hatred in her eyes. She hasn’t changed a bit.” Neil said.
“But there was something else that I also noticed, there was pain, inexplicable pain and sorrow. Neil are you sure she cheated you? There could be some reason behind her behavior.” Mickey stated the possibility.
“What reason? I begged her to stay, to tell me if she is doing this under any pressure but she denied all the other possibilities herself. She is one opportunistic person. Left me when my dad decided to disown me from the properties. Her father was involved in that corporate scam. Both father- daughter were gold diggers. Whole family is money hungry.” Neil replied.
“Arya is also a part of that family. Do you believe she is like them also? And the event we attended was a charity event where Arya was a participant. If they were opportunistic and money hungry then how come they are in such situation where they need to attend charity events?” Mickey stated obvious doubt.
“Chhutanki….she was a child back then….innocent. I don’t think she knew how cunning her sister and father was and I don’t know why they were in that charity event…may be saving money and gaining sympathy or something like that…I don’t want to talk about it.” Neil answered.
“But I feel there is something more to it….now that she has come face to face…you cant avoid the memories Neil, so why don’t you tell me once again what exactly happened between you two…I dont know that corporate scam part, may be we are missing something.” Mickey suggested.
“We are not missing anything. But still if you have hope then I will once again relive that pain, only to quash all the false hopes.” Neil replied and began telling the story from his point of view.
Flashback-
I was shattered when she informed me that she got engaged to her childhood friend…some doctor…some Jay or something like that. I couldn’t believe she was this same girl who promised me that she will be with me forever. She knew I will die without her but she still chose to murder my trust, my heart. I don’t remember how I went home from that place. I spent the whole day and night in reliving our moments. I still cant forget her engagement photo. How can she just go on and get engage to someone else?
“Meet her one more time, ask her the reason, beg her once more if required to not leave you.” My heart kept chanting and I couldn’t avoid its voice. So next day I went to her house. There I got to know that she is in the hospital to meet Dr.Jay. I was angry hearing that name. Still I couldn’t believe so I wanted to see with my own eyes.
I reached the hospital and there I saw her, she was talking to some nurse outside Dr. Jay’s cabin. I wanted to drag her out of there. I moved towards her angrily and bumped into someone. That person started arguing with me but I didn’t want to interact with him I wanted to question Mini right then. I pushed him away and looked at her again. But she was nowhere to be found. I thought if not her then I should at least meet that Jay, I will tell him that he is doing mistake, Mini is mine, then I did the mistake of barging into his cabin.
I wont forget in my life ever what I saw there. That moment pierced my heart like someone poking thousand needles in my heart. As I opened the door, I saw she was in that Jay’s arms, her lipstick smeared, her hair disheveled….I felt I am gonna throw up as bile rose in my throat.
“How dare you? You broke my heart and now you are making out with this shitty guy here the very next day? Don’t you have any shame left Mini?” I shouted.
“Why should I have shame? He is my fiancé after all. Sharam karni hai to tum karo Neil. Don’t you have any self respect? Kal hi itna kuch sunaya tumhe aur tum phir se mere peechhe chale aaye? Just get out of here.” She replied coldly.
That was the moment, I realized that I lost her, lost her forever, she was not mine at all.
Flashback ends-
“Iske aage ki story toh mujhe pata hai. Kitna bura haal tha tumhara. Na khud ka hosh tha na apne aas pas kisi ka. Hume to laga tha ki wo music album ka contract bhi humare hath se chala jayega kyunki tumne producers ke sath meeting attend karna, practice karna sab band kar diya tha.” Mickey said.
“I was tormented. I had lost my inspiration for music. There was no music in my life, there was only silence.” Neil shared.
“I know, how much difficulty we faced because of it. The producers gave us last chance to bring you up for recording a song or they threatened to cancel the contract. I brought you somehow to the studio. When we were just about to lose the hope you picked up guitar and started strumming. I think the pain had become unbearable that you had to vent it out.” Mickey concluded.
“Yes, after that song, I was never the same. Old Neil had died, died a painful death and this new Neil was ready to burn down everything, every memory of Mini, every moment spent with her. I decided I will give it back to her. If she moved on then why cant I? I will show her how happy I was without her. She lost this battle as she failed to push me to despair. I will move on in life.” Neil remembered.
“Yes, then you got engaged to Isha. Your dad was happy, he always wanted it.” Mickey reminded him.
“Khush kyu nahi honge aakhir unki baat sach jo nikli thi, Mini was after my money, she didn’t love me. I thought I will not see her face again in my life but she had the audacity to call me on that day. I also wanted to show off that I am happy in my life so I invited her to my engagement. I think she was just there to ruin my day, she tried to say something but I was determined not to listen anything from her. Isha insulted her and I felt happy that someone did it on my behalf. The way she insulted me and my love when she broke up, she got the taste of her own medicine. Isha wanted to throw her out but I stopped her as the images from my hospital visit flooded my mind again. My mind with anger and my heart was filled with hatred; I kissed Isha in front of her to let her know that I even I dont give a damn to her.” Neil replied.
“Yes, I know all this but what I don’t know clearly is about that whole corporate scam thing. I can understand your break up, your engagement with Isha but dude, why you gave statement against Mini’s father? And if I am not wrong then, it was false statement …right?” Mickey asked.
“Yes, I gave that false statement. Because both of them…those father daughter duo were trying to frame my mom into that corporate scam.” Neil informed and Mickey was shocked to hear it.
Flashback-
Though I was engaged to Isha but I was still struggling with my heartbreak. I thought Mini had stoop so low that now nothing is left but she proved me wrong again.One day police came for some investigation to our house. They had search warrant, they were searching our house like we were some thieves. It was insulting. They even talked rudely to mom and wanted to take her away for interrogation. When dad inquired the reason from the officers, they said that Mini and her father have given them some proof regarding the bank transactions of mom and they are sure that my mom being one of the board of directors of Oberoi pharma, was involved in corporate fraud.
They had almost arrested my mother but then dad somehow got the anticipatory bail. My mom never ever attended office in her life. She was director just on paper. How come she could be involved in fraud? I was confused what is happening. That’s when dad told me that only way to save mom is to prove that Mini’s father is the culprit, which he was but still the evidences were not enough and some people in the company were siding with him. So they needed more people on our side. Since I was also one of the directors in the company, dad asked me to give statement against Hanuman Singh.
Dad’s lawyer told me that I have to say that Mini’s father met some share market agent on regular basis. Since Mini was once my girlfriend so I know this fact and I have seen that agent in Mini’s house many times. I knew it was not true and I said no for the statement but they told me if I wont do it then Hanuman Singh will frame my mother in this. I was scared, and with Mini’s infidelity and police coming to our house for arresting mom, it all seemed true. If Mini could be after me for my money then it was not a big deal that her father could be behind a corporate scam. So I agreed to give that statement to save my mom.
Mini’s father was arrested the next day and we got rid of that case. But, its not every day that you give false statement in police records. I knew I did it for mom but still, the guilt was eating me up and coupled with my heartbreak together the pain became too much to handle.
Without Mini, I was like a body without soul. After her, there was only my mom with whom I could share my pain. I needed my mother, I wanted to hug her and cry in her lap but as usual I found her drunk. I saw that whiskey bottle in her hand. She used to say that it helped in forgetting her pain. With no one by my side, I saw that as an last resort to end my pain. With shaking hands I took that bottle and in one breath I gulped down the whole remaining bottle. I almost choked, vomited but I kept drinking till I was no more conscious. That was the starting point, the Neil who never touched alcohol now found solace in it.
I thought everything will be fine slowly but on next day I lost whatever I had in my life which made it worth living. I woke up in afternoon with a hangover but when I came down…there were people…in white clothes….and they were…grieving my mom’s death. I saw her body was lying covered with white sheet and dad was sitting beside her. I ran to him and asked what happened to mom.
I still remembered his words. He said, “Your mom saw you in that state, drunk, totally spent out. She was shocked to discover you like that. She said that you must have learnt it from her. She was drowning her life in alcohol and now you will also follow her path. She failed as a mother. She was shattered looking you like that, she got massive heart attack and died.”
Flashback ends
“I lost my love, self respect, confidence, my mom because of that Mini. I will never forgive her.” Neil declared.
“What happened to Isha? Why you broke your engagement with her?” Mickey asked.
“Isha and I were never meant to be together. I got engaged to her just to prove a point to Mini that I can move on in life without her. I tried giving a chance to that relationship but it never worked out because I was not that same Neil.That Neil died long ago. I didn’t want to be the guy for which Isha would waste her life. So I tried to break the engagement. She was not agreeing at first. My dad also tried to intervene and stopped me but I guess it was a doomed relationship from the starting.” Neil said.
He continued further, “First alcohol then slowly how and when I got involved with drugs even I don’t remember. Once I was under the effect of drugs I barely had any sense. One such day I ended up in some random’s girl bed whom I supposedly picked up from the bar at night when I was doing drugs and Isha found out about it.Then she herself broke the engagement. That was the end of my story with Isha. After that I never met her.”
Mickey put a hand on his shoulder in sympathy. “I realized gradually that I cant be in any relationship now as I cant love anyone now. All love that was in my heart, I wasted it over that Mini. Now my heart was empty of love. Only hatred, distrust left. Whenever I saw or meet any girl who gave me that lovey dovey dreamy eye look, I could see that backstabber Mini in them and all I wanted is to treat them like trash. I wanted to burn down this whole world and that’s what I am doing till now and will continue to do it all my life.” Neil shouted the last words.
Mickey left him alone for sometime. Reliving past has scratched Neil’s wounds and Mickey didn’t want to poke them further. But even after listening to all this Mickey couldn’t shake of the feeling that something was off, something was missing in this whole story. Moreover he couldn’t forget Arya and Mini’s face when he saw them in that charity event. He decided to contact the event organizers and find out about Arya.
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to be continued.....
precap- Mickey finds Arya and Mini's address.
Edited by Bechain_Bulbul - 4 years ago
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