"Good night Adi", I said.
"Good night Dad", he said as I heard the click of the switch. The part of the world I call Home was ready to sleep.
I was waiting for my Air Canda flight from Quebec to Vancouver, British Columbia. I had been here, in Quebec, for a business trip for the last 5 days and extended it by a few days to meet a couple of friends in Canada. I had planned a short get together at Vancouver with some of my ex-colleagues. 3 people from a company I used to work for, who I can call friends as we had managed to keep in touch in spite of the fact that we haven’t met in the last 3 years or so. Nick who is probably a few years younger than me, was supposed to meet me at the airport. The plan was that he and I will then drive down to catch up with Mark and Fred. Both of them were almost 30 years senior to me but fit into my description of "friends", because they were like friends. Though it was tough to catch up with them at times, due to the time zone differences, each one of us made a bit of an effort to keep in touch. Well, I guess that is how friends are.
From Vancouver, where I planned to spend a day, I was to fly into Alberta to meet a couple of my schoolmates. And then to Toronto, which will be the last leg of my journey, where I meet few more of my ex-colleagues and then fly out to Dubai where I have been settled for the last 15years.
When you are used to the Dubai airport, you tend to be spoilt by the amenities that you see around. The Montreal airport definitely didn't match up to the cozy but crazy busy Dubai airport. I spent time in the Starbucks coffee as I waited for the flight announcement.
I had spoken to Nick on Saturday last week when I had arrived. It is already Friday now, the end of a hectic work week. The last few days, it had been a nightmare to catch Nick online. I guess he too had been busy in his office. Getting Mark or Fred had been a challenge as well. Fred had not even checked my WhatsApp messages in the last three days, quite unusual for a man who keeps posting pictures on Facebook almost every day.
As I sipped the coffee with all these thoughts, Air Canada made its existence known to me by the flight announcement. I stretched myself and got ready for an almost 6-hour flight.
I spent my initial couple of hours switching from one movie to the other and then slowly settled down for an uncomfortable sleep adjusting my neck every 10 minutes.
I arrived at the Vancouver airport close to 10am local time. The first thing that people these days do as soon as they are at the airport is to check if the airport gives you free wifi. That could be the start of a happy or sad experience. If it is free unlimited surf without interruptions, then the airport experience automatically scores "Above expectations". Dubai scores 100/100 on that, therefore, all other airports are compared to the highest benchmark. Vancouver did give me a 60min free wifi.
There was a message from Nick "Caught up with something, I will meet you at your hotel. Use the instructions I had given earlier to reach the hotel from the airport. I will meet you around 2pm, and we can leave immediately to meet Mark", it said.
Airport to the hotel wasn't going to be the biggest challenge and I was in the hotel in less than 40mins.It was slightly away from the city limits as those were the ones that were affordable (read CHEAP).
By 1:30pm I got a call from the reception desk stating that I had a visitor. It had to be Nick. I picked up my jacket and cap and walked out.
There he was, at the reception desk, waiting for me. He hadn't changed much apart from the stubble that looked probably a week old. We gave each other the "Long time no see" hug as he adjusted his glasses.
"So, how have you been?” I made the customary start.
"Let us get going, we have enough time to know about all that during the drive", he said.
Canada is definitely a beautiful sight as we drove past the Marine Drive. In comparison to the marine drive, I used to frequent in Kochi, Kerala, when we were doing the college project; this looked like a painting. Well, the Kochi one looked like a painting too, but by a different artist.
I noticed that Nick had become quite silent in comparison to what he used to be 3-4 years back. He did have a few bumpy years from a relationship point of view, but I knew things were sorted out and that he was enjoying life with his wife and son. It could be the "inertia" that Newton had stated in his first law of motion. A person tends to be in the state of inertia unless and until someone or something else pushes him out of it. I needed to be that external force I guess.
"So how are Mark and Fred doing?", I asked.
"Mark is doing fine. He has taken a room not far away from here", Nick said.
"Mark is in town? I thought Fred was in Vancouver and Mark was somewhere else that we might have to drive down to", I said checking the little geography I knew about Canada. Whatever I know about Canada, was from the discussions I have had with these three people.
"Something came up and Mark had to come over. He decided to take an extra day so that we could have this meeting too", he said.
That would be great, I thought. It would definitely save some drive time. All though, I would miss seeing the large house and neighborhood that Mark used to boast about all the time.
"We will meet Mark at his hotel in a few minutes" Nick continued.
"Will Fred come over to Mark's hotel?" I asked. "No, he won't" was a quick reply.
"Have you asked him to come over?” I asked and negative was the answer.
Strange, wouldn't it be easier to do that? I thought. But as I had stated earlier, I wasn't project managing this. It was Nick who had planned out everything and I did not want to chip in with my ideas as I had limited knowledge about this place. Even if we were to drive for another 1 hour and if Nick said this is still Vancouver, I would have no choice but to believe him.
Nick followed the signs into the Westin hotel. Looked like a pretty old structure. Well, that again is a problem with people who use Dubai as a benchmark. Everything in Dubai is fairly new therefore our comparison is always based on that.
Soon we were walking towards the reception. Nick moved towards the lift and pressed 4.
"Were you here already?" I asked.
"Yes, I met Mark here yesterday to plan your trip", he said.
"Wow, it definitely is working out to be a tight and closed plan", I remarked with a smile.
Nick's quick steps stopped in front of Room 12.
The knock received a response after quite a while. The door opened and there stood Mark. The structure seemed very similar to the person I had met 3 years back. But there seemed to be some gloom on his face or was it the incomplete afternoon nap showing its displeasure on his face. I couldn't help but notice the almost week-old stubble on Mark's face too. Either this look is trending in Canada these days or just that Vancouver is making a new fashion statement.
"Nick, do you want a beer", asked Mark as Nick shook his head in affirmation.
He never bothered to ask me as he knew I wasn't into beer, yet.
"Sit down Sajit, we need to talk", said Mark as he opened the beer can. The stubble on his face was already making him look old but more than that I felt he looked weak and tired. "Is everything OK Mark?” I asked.
"No, it is not Sajit and we need to talk to you about that", he responded.
Things sounded serious. I had never seen Mark in this mode. Mark usually was either very positive or very angry.
I sat down on the small bench next to the TV.
"Nick, do you want to start or should I?” Mark asked. "You can" Nick stated without blinking an eye.
"Sajit, when did you last speak to Fred?" Mark asked.
"I didn't actually speak to him over a month. Yes, I was chatting with him on WhatsApp a day before I flew out, so Thursday night I guess", I responded. "He hasn't responded to my messages this week actually and I was planning to call him" I added.
"What is going on Mark?" I asked.
"Alright Sajit, there is something you need to know. Fred met with an accident on Monday" Mark said looking straight into my eyes.
"What kind of an accident? What happened to him? Where is he now?" Too many questions came into my mind. No wonder he hadn't answered my messages during the week. Normally the maximum I have gone without his response is 6-8 hours and that too only when my message reaches him just when he has hit the bed.
"The accident was bad. A truck hit his car as he was getting into the parking of his house" Mark continued answering my questions and then paused.
"How is he now, where is he? Is he in the hospital" I was eager to know what had happened to him
"We lost him Sajit, he is gone. Just gone without telling us" said Mark, as his voice choked.
I couldn't believe what just happened or what Mark was saying. It just wasn't making any sense. I had had a long chat with him just a week back. We had even discussed a cozy Indian restaurant that he and Sara, his wife, frequented. He had told me that every time he was there with Sara, my name would come up in the discussions as he had gone to almost every Indian restaurant around our office with me. And that same person who I was chatting with a week back is no more? I just sat there with my hand on my head.
I looked at Mark once again, the man who had lost a friend for 40+ years. Nick was there too with his eyes closed. Nick had known Fred for over 7-8 years. They had once delivered a project together in Saudi Arabia and had been friends since.
"Was he hospitalized?" "Was it the truck driver's fault" "It couldn't have been Fred; he was always a careful person behind the wheels." I just couldn't stop asking.
"The police say that it was his mistake. He had a clear view of the truck and still he jumped into the road with his car is what the police said. Plus he did not have his indicator turned on" said Nick.
"But you said he was parking his car, isn't that true Mark?" I asked.
"Yes, he parked in front of his house after a shopping. He helped Sara carry all the purchases inside and was then supposed to park his car in the garage. But instead of turning right into the garage, he turned left on to the road. The truck behind him didn't have enough time to stop and hit the car on the driver's door. He wasn't wearing a seat belt too as he just was about to park in a minute" explained Nick.
That sounded so strange. I had known Fred as a person and as a driver. He would never even start his car without his seatbelt on. He would look to the left and right at least 2-3 times before he pulls his car on to the street. Such a person making such a rookie mistake was surprising. But as they say, when it is your time, your senses just give up on you.
I don't know what happened, but none of us had anything to say. There was a very long minute of silence with the three of us hanging our faces. Suddenly I heard sobs, muffled sobs, from Mark. With his two palms covering his face he sat there, trying to control his emotions. I stood up and walked to him. Standing in front of him, I patted his shoulder asking him to relax.
"I can't believe that on Sunday I had an argument with him and I really said a lot of nasty things to him", Mark said in a choking voice. "I told him that he would have failed miserably in life had I not given him his first break and that he owed it to me".
Mark had given him a break about 30 years back and I am guessing that is what he was referring to. I do believe while getting a break is very important, that is never everything. Actually, that is only 10% of the work done. How you perform on the break and excel is what matters. And Fred was definitely a winner in life as far as I was concerned. I have no idea what success can be measured against, but for me, he was a brilliant human being. And that mattered the most to me. If he wasn't one, he wouldn't have 3 people sitting in a hotel room in Canada feeling sad about him.
"I can't forget that I did not pick up the phone to tell him that I was sorry for what I said", he stated between his sobs.
Nick walked to the fridge and took one more beer out and handed it over to Mark. Mark took it from Nick and held on to it without opening it.
"Did you meet Sara?", I asked Nick.
"Yes, we met her on Tuesday, early in the morning. Mark and I went to his house and to the hospital as soon as we heard the news". He explained how the cops had arrived with the ambulance and how Fred was taken to the hospital immediately. But the hospital declared him dead on arrival. It was Sara's sister that informed Mark. Nick was informed by someone else. By the time they reached the hospital, the procedures were getting over. Sara held on firmly only to break down in front of Mark. Sara had met Fred long back through a friend of Mark's.
While Nick went on explaining all this my heart went out to Sara who had lost a wonderful companion. I had very briefly met Sara once in Dubai.
"Can we meet Sara once again?", I asked.
"No, I can't face her again," Mark said.
"I came here hoping to meet all of you. I am not sure when I would be back in Canada once again. Though my plans were to meet Fred with the two of you, God had different plans. I would feel bad if I leave without meeting Sara. I think I owe that to Fred. Can we please drive down to his house and meet him? Please".
Nick looked at Mark and said "I think he is right. He should meet Sara before he leaves. It is just going to take 40 mins from here Mark. What do you say?"
"Mark it is alright if you want to be here, we can go and be back," I said.
Mark didn't say anything. He was blankly staring at the window.
"Mark, what do you say?" I asked again.
"Nick, take him with you. I won't be able to handle that again. I will wait in my room until you two are back", he said.
Nick stood up and nodded at me. I stood up, patted on Mark's shoulder and walked out with Nick. I had seen Vancouver through the mobile pictures of Fred almost every week if not every day. The beaches, the sunset, the sunrise, the city outskirts; I happily clicked 'like' or commented on them whenever I got a chance. Today I was looking at all those landmarks and wasn't ‘liking' it at all. Because the man who made this entire city look familiar was far away, in a different world.
We hardly spoke a word in the 40-minute drive. I guess we did not have anything to talk. Someone once said, when our heart is full the words are few. It was something like that now. The heart was heavy with the thoughts about Fred.
The car slowed down in front of a parking. "Here we are", Nick said. I unbuckled the seatbelt and got out of the car. Nick walked a few steps ahead of me and stopped at a place. "This is where he was parked just before the accident" Nick pointed. I looked at the parking, the killer parking. I looked at the road behind us and was still wondering how someone could miss a truck that was behind him. Nick started walking again and stopped in front of the house. With a heavy sigh and his eyes, he indicated that we were there. He knocked on the door. We heard the approaching footsteps which reached the door. The door opened. Sara stood there with half a smile, greeting us. She looked at me with a question in her mind.
"Hi Sara, It is me Sajit, from Dubai".
"Oh yes, how are you? I did not expect you here. Come in both of you" she said as she walked in.
I wasn't sure what I was supposed to answer to her "How are you". A few hours back I was perfectly alright and happy.
Sara who looked elegant, the last time I met her, almost looked someone else today. With a T-shirt, loose track pants and disheveled hair, she looked completely worn out.
"How long have you been here Sajit?", she asked out of courtesy.
"It’s been a week. I was in Montreal this week. I flew in today with the plan to meet Fred along with Nick and Mark", I said
She heard it and did not react to it. Just bit her lips and a few drops of tears rolled down her cheek. "I think Fred would be happy that you still came along and met me. It is very kind of you to do that", she said.
"You guys talk, I will be outside", Nick said as he stepped out of the house.
"Sajit, can you believe that the man picked up the grocery from the car, carried it to the kitchen and went out again just to get killed. All I heard was a loud bang and screech. The screech of my life coming to a standstill! That is what it was".
More tears rolled out of her eyes.
"He talked a lot about you all; your arguments with Mark, Hamid's never-ending doubts, and the two operatives. Sorry, I don't remember their names. Every time we went out for an Indian dinner, he had a thing or two about Dubai. He loved every bit of it. He wasn't happy the way he had to leave. But we had to."
"We really struggled a bit after we came back from Dubai", she continued. "For some reason, the memories of that struggle had come back to me that day. I even had an argument with him when we were in the supermarket an hour before the incident", she said.
I was intrigued by that statement. "What happened?” I asked.
"It was a silly discussion in reality”, Sara continued. “When we were back from Dubai, we were both looking out for jobs that could keep us going. While he looked at the construction industry, I was trying to work on those long lost acquaintances I had in the aviation industry. We had some savings after our stint in Dubai and we were living off that, during those initial days.”
"Every Monday we used to visit the supermarket for our weekly purchases. The main reason for choosing a Monday or rather "Mad Mondays" was because a lot of items, especially the grocery, would have a reduced price after the weekend rush. During one such visit, I was hooked upon a beautiful gown in the ladies section that I wanted to try. Freddie advised not to make any extravagant purchases. He said once he was back to work I could buy something better. And you know he wasn't successful in getting something going."
"But on that fateful day," she continued, "when we were at the supermarket, the same gown was on display again. Without asking him, I picked it up. He noticed it but did not say a word. I told him that I had lost hope that I would ever buy it for myself. I think he did not take it sportingly. He was silent for a long time which slightly irritated me. So I told him that he needs to grow up and accept the realities of life."
"We didn't speak much in the supermarket, but when we checked out I apologized to him".
"Normally, Freddie just drops me at the parking and puts the stuff out of the car. And I carry it to the house while he parks the car in the garage. But that day, I think he was being extra nice to me as he picked up the stuff and walked with me to the door. He smiled and said he understood the realities of life". Tears rolled out of her eyes again. "In less than ten minutes, the world around me had crashed and I was staring at a completely different reality of life."
I listened to her intently as she went on to tell me her episode with the police and the hospital. It was almost a similar narration I had heard earlier. We spent probably half an hour more with her and then took leave.
"Freddie would have definitely been happy to meet you. But I am sure he is still happy that you came over and met me. May God bless you", were her last words as we bade goodbye to her.
There was nothing much to speak about on our way back. We reached Mark's hotel in an hour. He was asleep. We pulled him out of the room and went out to have dinner, though it was already very late.
After dinner, I said goodbye to Mark and left with Nick who drove me back to the hotel.
It was already 2am as we reached my hotel. I had a plane to catch by 11am to Calgary.
I logged into the wifi network and for the first time in the week, I decided to check the Facebook profile of Fred. There were plenty of posts on his wall; some remembering him, some saying a final goodbye, some with his pics from various times. In the last few days, I had never thought of looking into his FB page even when he hadn't responded to my WhatsApp messages.
I slipped into the bed as I replayed the whole incident again in my mind.
Fred in the parking, pulling out from the parking, missing the truck in his mirrors and making a mess of it!
3 years back Fred used to drive a Jeep Cherokee. Once, when he had to pull his car out from the parking in the office, he wore his seatbelt only to move the car forward by few meters. I made fun of him, calling him a true example of a law-abiding citizen" for wearing the seatbelt even for driving his car a few meters. He had stated it was just an automatic reaction when he sits in the driver's seat.
And yet, on that fateful afternoon, he not only missed his seatbelt, he missed to locate the truck in the mirror and drove out only to be hit by the truck.
Like I had earlier stated when it is your time things just fall into place.
Or, I thought now, what if it wasn't just coincidence.
Just a couple of weeks back, we had heard about the death of Sridevi, the actress from Bollywood. I am sure the detective in every Indian had played and replayed that incident in his mind, again and again, trying to figure out what we had been informed to believe and how it might have actually happened.
I had a feeling of Deja vu. Not exactly in terms of the way it happened, but the feeling that it wasn't adding up. More than adding up, I felt we were not adding a few relevant numbers to the game.
Mark had told me about his argument with Fred just the day before the incident. That might have upset Fred that his friend for 40 years told him that he was a failure. The following day, Sara, made a silly remark that was also on the same lines. Did Fred actually take these things to his heart and feel uncomfortable?
I replayed the final incident in my mind one last time. A disappointed Fred gets into his car. He feels completely dejected, disappointed and worthless. For a second his inner strength weakens. Instead of fighting it, he decides to give up. He sees the truck speeding on its way. He moves out just in time making sure he wasn’t wearing a seatbelt.
I closed my eyes tight as if I was about to witness the crash.
As much as I knew Fred would never miss wearing the seatbelt, I also knew he was the sanest person even during dark hours. No, he wasn't weak to let go.
I closed my eyes, my wet eyes, the eyes that would never ever catch a glimpse of my friend again.
I slowly nodded off for a few minutes, I think so. His face came in front of me again. I woke up with a start. I felt I had to put in a line on his FB page. My eyes were still wet.
I opened my FB app and checked his name once again.
But, I did not see all those "remembrance" posts on his page anymore.
"Fred Reynolds checked into Nat Bailey Stadium Vancouver 4 hours ago" stated his facebook page with a picture of a local Vancouver team.
I checked again. Yes, it was true.
I looked around. The place looked familiar to me even though it was dark. With the light from the mobile, I could see my younger one next to my wife.
I sat there lost in thoughts of what was going on when my wife touched my shoulder and asked: "What are you doing sitting on the bed at 5am?".
I looked at her for a few seconds and said "I just saved a man from dying. He is going in to watch some team play baseball."
"You have never played baseball, how can you see that in your dreams?"
"Well, my dreams are crazy", I said as I lied down again for the last 30mins of my sleep.
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