Burn for a Burn

Hyderabad,
May 2nd.

I stood still, with my eyes staring into those in the mirror. To hide all the scars, , I slowly wrapped the cloth band-aid all around the face. They used to hurt. A lot. But now I am used to it. I live, to get rid of that pain I have scarred. On my heart. Life is never meant to be a joyride. It's full of pain. Pain that you can only get rid of by revenge. I believed in that and it has served me well so far. I don't know if I will be sorry for what I am going to do, but I sure as hell know I will be happy. Happy to get rid of the pain. The pain that had tortured me for 10 years now. Tonight, I was going to let it go. It all ends. Tonight.


Putting on a hat, I got ready, put on a coat and looked at my watch. 7 30 pm. The night was still young and heartful. Stars twinkled beside the gloomy moon as I locked the door and got down the stairs. I walked, and with every step, the scar hurt as sweat ran over them. My frustration grew. This happened every time but tonight they shouted out. They writhed and cried out. Stopping myself from going into a rage, I took a heavy breath and looked up. The wind blew through my hair and flew around. It was cold. Well, life was cold and I was gearing up for it. The busy road with it's busy lives again made me invisible as I crossed it and started walking toward an auto. I walked up to it and looked inside at a half-sleepy, pissed off auto driver.

"Bhaiyya, Inorbit, Banjara Hills ?"

"No." He growled. I decided I would sugar him up. "Please yaar, I am running a little late as it is. I would ask the other autos but I don't want to waste my words with them. Dumb bunch they are."

"Right you have said, Seeth." He said with a smile. I smiled in return with a happy thought in my head. I didn't know if he was dumb but he certainly fell for my trick. "Sit. But it will cost you 50 rupees. Nothing less."

"Give me a minute, bhai ...." I said, as I struggled through to get to my wallet. I opened it and looked inside. A 50-rupee note, bright in color shined with glee. I was having a good night. It was going to get better.

As I raced past the city with it's neon lights everywhere beating the darkness, I realized I had become a nobody. All my dreams, all my ambitions turned into dust. All I had wanted, all I wanted to win, all I wanted to give in to were nothing but weird thoughts in my head today. In my dream of conquering everything, in my largest dreams I couldn't have imagined it would all remain a dream. Because of him. I was beginning to anger myself again. Anger had been keeping itself above everything for 10 years, everything. I had given up everything else as I read about him in the papers, watched him on TV talk about his success stories. Anger had filled my heart and my mind. Nothing else mattered now. Anger had conquered me before I could conquer anything else. Tonight, with anger, I was going to get what I wanted.

We soon reached INORBIT. I got out of the auto, paid the driver and walked up to the entrance. I steadily made my way through the eager crowd, all waiting to see him. Rahim Khanna. The owner of Cuba Limited, opening his new pub tonight here. A very efficient businessman with a wonderful tale he had spun out about his life. A life he had managed to hide from everyone else. A life in which I played the front-man. A life he had built on everything born out of my mind. A life he had built on my ashes. Everyone was eager to meet him tonight. Men, women and kids. I was eager too, but for different reasons. I finally got on the elevator and it lifted us all up to the top. People looked at my face weirdly inside. I didn't care. Like many horrible things fate had gifted me, I was used to this. With was my left on the face, I smiled at everyone. Some smiled back while some turned their faces away. Ah, Hyderabadi hospitality, I thought as I got out at CUBA.

Pushing the large doors open, I was welcomed with dim lights, pretty ladies and "I can transform ya" booming into my ears. It was so dark, people didn't even notice the clothed mask I wore. I walked up to the bar and grabbed a seat. "Pub's getting a grand welcome, huh?", I said to the bartender who shouted back. "YES ! People are crowding in. The more the better. It's actually free tonight for select people only. You got in easily. It's hard otherwise." Self-praise. Classic, I thought as I replied,"Yeah. It's going good, you know ? I know people who got me in. Life has been good." I lied.

"Can I get a vodka ? I am dying of thirst here ! And a pretty large glass. A shot won't keep me down. Nothing less than a pitcher. I need the bottle. Just put it here, I will help myself."

He followed put and got everything. "Cool mask, although I am sure it's not a hit with the women. It would be better if you showed them what you have." "I am sure they aren't ready for that. Not yet, anyway." I nodded as he got back to serving customers. From now on, it was wait. Just wait. Until he came. I kept drinking the vodka and sip by sip, the ounces of fear changed into rage. My mind went back to the night when it all began. I replayed everything in my head and before I knew it, it was close to 12 am. Time does fly when you are something you love. Revenge. That's what I loved. Revenge was my wife, it slept with me every night. Revenge was my bitch, I slapped her around and revenge was my lover for I cried to it every day.

"Rahim Khanna is here !" "Yes !" "Woohoo" and many other voices brought me back to the present as he waved and walked toward the bar. Nothing had changed. He still carried that air of deception and reserved ego around him. He had removed his moustache and gained a little weight but it was all the same. Nothing had changed. He still was a loser. Nothing had changed. He pushed his legs through the small bar door and began talking to the guests. I silently adjusted my hat and the mask and sipped the vodka at the end of the glass.

"Hey bro, think you can get sir here ? I am a big fan. Have been following his career for long."

"Sure. One minute." The bartender, seemingly happy called Rahim over. He looked at me curiously. For a minute, I thought he recognized me and was startled but I deduced it was not me. It was the mask. I looked up to him and shouted, in a changed voice, "Sir ! So glad to see you, Mr. Khanna. You are an inspiration and have been one all my life. You are awesome, sir. Just awesome." He smiled. My voice mimicry worked like a charm. It should, I thought. He had worked many of his charms on me, it was about time I returned the favor.

"Ah. Thanks. I am glad I have touched your life. And you are .... ?"

"Shank. I am a freelance writer. Work for a newspaper." Another lie.

"Oh. Then I should be careful when I am around you I guess, Shank. You have a cool name ! Anyway, I should get..." he said, when I cut his voice. "Sir, please, can I have a few minutes ? I have worked long and hard to get here. A little time won't hurt."

He laughed. "An honest man, eh ? Nice. I like that. Although I am a little alarmed. Why the mask ? It isn't a costume party and it's not the 31st of October." I bent my head a bit and said, "I have a facial deformity I don't really like showing. Makes me uncomfortable. One of the reasons why I chose the life of a writer. Working to make a difference, faceless." "I admire your courage. So, tell me, what can I do for you, Mr. Shank ?"

"First, an autograph. I will treasure it forever." "Surely." He motioned to the bartender who brought him a tissue and a black Parker pen. Signing it "WITH LOVE, RAHIM" he gave it to me. I put it aside and adjusted my seat. I pulled my overcoat closer and started to talk.

"There is one thing that troubles me a lot though. And don't worry, it's all off the record. Tell me, you still remember Shashank ? You still remember what happened to his family ?"

His smile changed into a sudden shock and calm when he heard SHASHANK. He adjusted his glasses and began saying, calmly.

"You have done your homework, I can see. What happened to him was unfortunate. I certainly miss him. I always wish he was with me, sharing our success together. He had heart. It was horrible."

"Sir, sorry, but can you tell me what happened in detail that night ?"

"Well, we both are from a village which is a town now. Warangal. Not far from here. We were kids when we first became friends. We both grew up together. If you know Shashank, then you know what we were meant to achieve and how much I respected his life and his ideals." Respect, my ass, I thought.

"We both came out with our Bachelor degrees and had decided we would start our business. Finally. He had handed me all the money he had saved and asked me to get this on the road. He said he will meet later. His father was a farmer so, he had to go back home to meet his old and tired father. Shashank bid farewell. For the last time. A fire accident had broken their straw hut into pieces. Too unfortunate. His father used a lot of fertilizers and they must have been eaten by the fire, making it stronger. His father, his sister, his mother .... Everyone had died that night. I left town unable to bear the loss and came to Hyderabad. Shamelessly, I started everything with what I had got from him and the rest is all that you know."

I lifted the pitcher towards me and started pouring Vodka into it. "You are lying, Rahim sir, aren't you ? Please tell me the truth."

"Hey ! I talked and acknowledged our meeting but if this is how you want to behave ..."

"Shut up. What happened that night, Rahim ? You set it on fire, didn't you ? With his own money you bought the petrol and enjoyed the lives go up in the air, didn't you ? Your master-plan had worked out perfectly, didn't it ?"

Rahim now took a step back and gasped for breath. "What ... What are you ... How did you ... ?"

"Yes Rahim, how could I ? If only you had stayed for the morning, you would have known that only two bodies were found in the fire. One had mysteriously vanished. Where did it go, Rahim ? What happened to it ? The vodka was now filling the glass, nearing it's half.

"I don't know what you are talking about. Goodbye. SECUR... "

"Rahim, wait, calm down. I will tell you how I know. Please. Sit down." I said as I removed the hat. Layer by layer, I unwrapped the band-aid as he watched in curiousity. I looked down the whole time and put both the whole cloth and the hat down on the bar-table. I looked up. He saw me. His eyes met mine. Amazement had gripped his entire face.

"S H A S H A N K?" He said, silently.

"Yes Rahim. And it's good to see you too, you undeserving, waste-of-life piece of shit, ungrateful fuck." The Vodka had filled the glass. It was overflowing.

"You took everything I had, Rahim. You took everything. And tonight, I take you." I picked up the pitcher and splashed it on his face. Dripping from the head to the shoulder, he looked shocked and tried to look for words. "Shashank, I couldn't .... I had to .... I wanted to, but ....."

"Yes yes. I am convinced, congratulations." I said as I took his autographed-tissue. I folded it back and wrote a line on the back. Folding it, I stuffed it into the hip-pocket of his blazer.

"The pleasure's all mine, Rahim Khanna. It was nice meeting you. And now, you DIE." I growled. The bartender looked curiously, just like everyone else who didn't dare touch Rahim Khanna. I stuffed my hand into my overcoat pocket and took out a matchbox. I grabbed some matches, lighted them and threw it on his face.

Fire shined as Rahim struggled with a little bit of life felt and walked blindly helter-skelter. Everyone started shouting as some started running out while some walked towards me. Pulling the hat and the band-aid, I stood up and walked briskly to the back-exit.

MILLIONAIRE BUSINESSMAN DIES MYSTERIOUSLY

(Hyderabad) May 3rd : Bigwiz businessman and owner of Cuba Group of industries Rahim Khanna died suddenly of a freak-murder when his whole face was lit on fire by the criminal. Struggling for life, Rahim walked a little before he fell on his face. Futile attempts were made to restore him back, but in vain. His own pub-launch had been stopped as the struggling Rahim was rushed to near hospital where he was declared dead at 3:10 a.m. While the police is on the lookout for the murderer, a piece of paper which was Rahim's autograph was found in his pocket. Behind it, however, a line was written. Four words.

"BURN FOR A BURN."

Who did this ? What was the reason ? Only time will unravel the mystery. Rahim is survived by his wife and his only son..

10 years was mine. My anger was mine. Revenge was mine. Rahim was mine.

3:D