Accident

In the middle of the flight, Kiara woke up to go to the washroom. When she returned, she was too lazy to push her way into the middle seat. And with Rishaan readily offering to shift seats, the seating arrangement changed. With 20 minutes still remaining for the flight to land, a sleep starved Kiara took another power nap, this time holding Rishaan’s right hand more firmly. Rishaan’s other hand, though, nervously moved to touch Diya’s. Her heart skipped a beat. Diya pulled her hand away. But a defiant Rishaan held her wrist again, this time firmly and more reassuringly. The changing behavioral dynamics between the three perhaps gave out a foreboding of what was to come in Goa.

When the flight landed at the Dabolim Airport, Rishaan felt uncanny..his excitement seemed replaced by an unknown fear that he found very difficult to decipher.

This was the first time , three of them have come out of Mumbai together for holidays after the horrible tragedy a year back in which Diya, his wife Kiara’s elder sister, lost her son and husband.

Actually neither he nor Diya was interested in going out but it was Kiara who insisted that they should leave the place to avoid the painful memories and recurrence of depression bouts of Diya. He was surprised as it was unusual for his wife to be so considerate specially for Diya. As far as he could gather, Kiara was very jealous and envious of her elder sister and was always critical and complaining about her. It seemed that she carried serious bitter issues and would blame her often for her woes.

One year ago things were different.

Kiara and Rishaan were living in Thane in one room rented apartment. They were under heavy financial distress when export orders of Rishaan’s company dried up during the big international financial crisis and he could not garner enough business, incurring heavy losses resulting in default to the banks and subsequent auction sale of their 3 bedroom flat in Dadar and the factory at Bhiwandi. Bank,statutory and creditors liabilities were still there and suits have been filed against him to recover the dues. Being an advocate, Kiara was handling his many cases and struggling to meet both ends with her meagre legal practice which she started after the failure of Rishaan business.

Kiara was younger to Diya by one year but always tried to dominate as elder sister. Kiara was slim ,

fair ,very beautiful but hot tempered , adamant,arrogant and childish. She would covet to get anything, which she liked,in possession of Diya. She wanted to remain one-up over her sister in all matters by hook or crook. Whenever she could not succeed , she used to accumulate resentment , hurt feelings and hatred. This tendency had increased after the sudden accidental death of their parents in a car crash.

Vishal and Rishaan were class fellows and close friends of Diya in her MBA course and used to come to her home.

Vishal was very handsome ,smart, extrovert and inheritor of 2 hotels of his late parents. Kiara fell for him and wanted to marry. But he preferred Diya, though she was not as beautiful but sensible, intelligent and mature.

She accused Diya of snatching him from her and even had an abusive fight.But when Vishal himself decided to marry Diya, she could not do anything.

Rishaan was also handsome, well to do but introvert and soft .Though he liked and secretly loved Diya , he could never express his feelings.

After the marriage of Diya and Vishal, Kiara, out of frustration, and with a feeling of not to be left behind, made advances towards Rishaan. He was charmed by her beauty and could not judge her nature till late after marriage. Soon their relationship was in problem but Rishaan’s tolerant and submissive attitude somehow kept their boat floating.

Though a son, Rohit, was born to Diya, Kiara was childless. This , business failure and other hardships made her more bitter and frustrated, accusing Diya more and more for her misfortunes. She used to think that if only she could have a married Vishal, things would have been different now.

Though there was no love lost between sisters, Vishal and Rishaan remained very good friends. They invited each other to their homes from time to time. This increased after the business failure of Rishaan. But now visits were to Vishal place only. Vishal even helped him with substantial money.

It was one of those occasions when Vishal invited them for a weekend stay. The men planned to party till late night. However Kiara ,Diya and Rohit went to sleep after dinner. Next day, it was 7 o’clock in the morning when Kiara came out of the bed room. Nobody was there in the drawing room which meant everybody was still sleeping. Diya must have gone for a short nap again , after sending Rohit to school van. Vishal and Rishaan both were late risers. Hence there was no possibility of anybody else giving her company for the morning tea. So she decided to prepare a cup for herself.

She boiled the water , put the tea leaves and opened the fridge door to get the milk.

Before her hands could reach the milk pot, she sensed a movement in the fridge.Her body froze in half bent position, with her left hand about to touch the milk pot.

It was a snake. Small. Adjacent to milk container. On the spinach bundle.Almost like a green leaf. With dark green and light green stripes.

It was staring at Kiara and their eyes got locked.

It took some eternities to reach her brain that it was a snake.

And then she freaked out.

“Snake, snake,” Her shrieks shook the flat.

Vishal was first to come out almost running.

“What happened, Kia ?” He used to call her by this name.

“ It’s a snake.”

“Where is the snake?” By now Rishaan had also come.

“In the fridge.”

“Are you joking? How can a snake reach our flat at 20th floor of the building?”

“ I don’t know all this, but I have seen.”

“Don’t believe her. She will freak out at anything moving , even a rope,” Rishaan said lightly.

“Oh come on, this is no time for jokes. Take steps.”

Rishaan went near the fridge and was about to touch the handle when she shouted. “Don’t open it ,it may slip from anywhere, it is not very big.”

By the time , Vishal had brought 2 cricket bats. He gave one to Rishaan. “Ok,let’s open it.”

“Wait,” Kiara climbed and stood on the dining chair.

“I will go inside kitchen and open the door and cover from inside. Rishaan, you cover from out side.”

“No, you both wear your shoes first,” Kiara voice was trembling.

“It’s ok. It is a small snake, you told,” Rishaan said.

“No ,no. Poison of even a small snake will be fatal. Wear your shoes,” She shouted.

After wearing shoes, with bat in striking position, Vishaal flung open the fridge door.

With heart in mouth they saw the tail of the snake on the brim of milk pot with head inside -drinking the milk. But it sensed the sudden activity and jumped out of the fridge. It was Rishaan who killed it in one stroke of bat and lifted it with a wire. All the commotion and noise finally woke up Diya. She was aghast to know the details.

Everybody had a closer look at the snake.

“I know some thing about snakes. it is a poisonous variety found in leafy vegetables. .” Rishaan exclaimed.

“Might have come in the spinach bundle which I kept in the fridge last night after the dinner,” Diya said

“God has saved us, could have bitten any of us.”

“ Yes,” Vishal agreed. “But we should not eat anything out of the fridge stuff. Diya ,throw everything and get the fridge cleaned thoroughly before any use.”

“Not eat anything…” Diya’s face was getting paler. “But I had given the milk to Rohit in the morning before sending him to school…”

For a moment, there was pin drop silence before the implications reached their brains.

“Oh, my God, milk might have been poisoned by the snake. It was drinking it…”Vishal was hysterical.”Arre baap re, was Rohit ok when he went?”

“Yes, but how is he now…, let me call school,” Diya was already dialling the school number. There was no reply. Rishaan looked at the number. “ It is a landline no. Don’t you have any mobile no.? “

“No, I don’t know , I have to search ..”

“ Ok, you search and continue phoning. I will go to school, “ Vishal rushed out. “ Rishaan, you take care if any contact is made.., I will take your motor cycle , take shorter route through lanes.”

Diya went to search for mobile no. Rishaan started redialing again and again. There was no response. Suddenly there was an incoming call asking for Diya.

“Madam, I am class teacher of Rohit. You are his mother ?”

“ Yes, yes. How is Rohit ?”

“ Madam, he is very sick. Some foam is coming out of his mouth and we have brought him to Holy Cross hospital. He is unconscious. Please come fast.”

“ I am coming,” Diya was shivering.

Rishaan had already heard and jumped to grab car keys. In a minute , 3 of them were out in the car on way to hospital.

Diya and Kiara were dialling Vishaal number frenetically. There was no response for sometime.

Then after some 10 minutes, response came ,” Hello…” But it was not Vishal’s voice..

Diya asked.” Who is this?”

“ Madam, I am traffic constable here. There is a serious motorcycle accident here and rider has expired on the spot This phone was in his pocket. Who are you?”

Thus on that fateful day, the world changed for Diya. 2 bodies arrived home almost at same time later in the evening after postmortem and police formalities. Cremation took place next day. People were aghast at the magnitude and strangeness of the tragedy.

Diya was inconsolable and uncontrollable. She even almost jumped from balcony but Rishaan somehow caught her and pulled her up. From then on she was kept under sedation and under close observation for few days till she improved a little. She was not talking to anybody, staring into space. She was cold to Kiara but responded to Vishal sometimes.

Vishal ,being the only male member, relative and close friend, became a caretaker of Diya’s affairs including her business. Hence his and Kiara’s stay with her became a natural choice. Also due to theirs similar views on most matters and similar natures, his closeness with Diya increased. She was grateful for all the help Rishaan was providing selflessly.

Kiara also took care of legal matters relating to transfer of Vishal’s assets to Diya name. Then only they came to know that Vishal was not only wealthy but extremely rich.

One day, alone, Kiara asked Rishaan.”What should be worth of Diya now?”

“ Should be many many crores, why ?”

“ If we could get even a small part, our problems would be solved.”

“ I have already borrowed enough. A lot of cash is required for her business also. Unless she offers herself , we should not ask.”

“ Yes…” she was thinking something.

“What are you thinking?”

“ Nothing …,but do you realise that I am her only legal heir ?”

“So?”

“ if, God forbid, anything happens to her , the whole property will come to me as she does not have any other close relative.”

“What are you talking, have you gone mad?”

“Accidents do happen. Could anybody have predicted what happened to Vishal and Rohit ? I am just telling you the legal point. That’s all.”

But that disturbed him. Of course if Diya’s money comes in his control, he will be happy but …..

Since then Kiara would lament frequently about Diya not offering the money to solve their problems. Rishaan tried to reason how she could do so when her own future lay ahead before her and specially when she did not like her. Was it not enough that they were living in her 4 bedroom house and she was taking care of all their expenses and not demanding already borrowed money.

Time passed. They continued to live together .But their financial problems worsened ,making Kiara more and more panicky, irritating and quarrelsome sometimes with abusive outbursts to both of them. She even used to accuse both of them of colluding against her and not taking care of her wants.

Neither Diya nor Rishaan liked her behaviour and used to discuss about her but could not find any solution.They were at their wits end and fed up with her.

Hence when Kiara made the sudden plan for Goa, they did not agree first. But after her angry arguments and persistent insistence, they agreed reluctantly and came to Goa by flight.

After booking into hotel and taking rest, Kiara suggested going to a beach for swimming, “I have come here with college friends and I know of a serene beach. “

All went. It was a rocky, picturesque beach.They went in the sea and were enjoying swimming on the waves.

Diya went a little ahead leaving the two together. Suddenly Kiara whispered to Rishaan,”Time has come to get crores.”

“What do you mean ?”

“It is a deserted beach. If Diya drowns here while swimming ,it will be considered an accidental death.”

“What are you talking ? Are you in your senses ?” He looked around. She was right. Indeed it was deserted. Nobody was there except three of them.

“I am talking of accident. Who can control accidents ?”

“Don’t talk nonsense.”

“ I will never get a better chance. Come and hold her legs. I will push her head down.” She swam in the direction of Diya before he could say anything more.

Rishaan remained dumbstruck for a long time but his mind was working hard. He knew her adamant nature, her resolutions were difficult to be changed…. And of course, the golden chance of getting hold of crores….

Kiara had already reached near Diya and was signalling him annoyingly to come. There was hardly any time left. Quickly Rishaan moved forward and took a dive into the water near them .

Kiara was about to pounce on Diya when she felt her legs being pulled away and down.

Surprised she shouted. “Rishaan, it is me, my legs? What are you doing ? “

“Yes, Baby, I know these are your legs. Please forgive me and I am sorry for this accident,” Rishaan uttered casting a glance at Diya who was moving swiftly back to shore, oblivious of the scene behind.

Kiara’s surprise and shrieks drowned into the salty water.