Rear ( Incognito ) Window — Part 3 & 4
For Part 1 and 2 — https://medium.com/@filmantic/rear-incognito-window-part-1-2-fe5a3b8349eb
Part 3 — The Night is LIVE
It began to rain around 1 am that night. Sam was fast asleep in the bedroom, while JC had dozed off in the hall in his seat, as usual. He got up with a start to the sound of a test subject notification! He struggled to open his eyes and looked at his phone. It was subject no 5. Kabir is live now : At Dadar St. What? Going LIVE at this insane hour? He involuntarily clicked on the video. He could see part of Kabir’s face but mostly the fan of his apartment. He was shouting. “Come on, let’s go and get the bag”. Then he looked down into the camera, said “Oh! shit” and went offline. JC was a little confused by this. He tried to look at the beginning of the video, but he was notified that the Video was unavailable. “Idiot” he thought to himself and decided to sleep.
It was about 4 a.m. when he got another notification — Kabir is live now : At Dadar St.. This time almost involuntarily he clicked on it. You know those times when your mom is waiting for you to come back home and you step in silently late at night so as not to wake her up, but then she wakes up almost miraculously and gives you a dressing down! Yeah, it’s almost like a 6th sense. That’s how it was for JC tonight. He just knew something was going to happen. The Video went LIVE and there was a lot of activity. This time Kabir was at Dadar Station. “We are Off! After a tough year or so, we are finally taking a vacation. Off to Goa, woohoo! It’s amazing how the station is soooo alive even at 4:05 a.m. Amazing. Hai naa Michelle?…. Michelle???” He started looking around and then looked back at the camera and said “ Hmmm… Well, got to find her. By the way, she is feeling better now, so we decided to take a trip. Isn’t that awesome. Chalo cya guys. Wish us luck”. The Video went off. A couple of his friends from the US had come onto the video and had commented saying things like — ‘ Njoy buddy’, ‘Wow, Dadar station! I love Dadar Station. Have Lime Soda at platform 1, it’s amazing!’. JC Liked the Video and then got distracted by a notification from Subject no 4 — Rhea.
Rhea had just put up an image of her cat with some flowers in its mouth ‘Look what the cat dragged in! ❤ ❤ ‘she wrote. JC flipped. What shit! How could a cat drag in flowers at 4 a.m. in the morning? He just went back to Kabir’s update. There were a few more LIKEs by then. Ofcourse, Rheaction had happened, as expected. “Oooo Goaa… I love Goaa… Have a great trip. XOXO” she commented. JC watched the video again and then decided to sleep. But before he could, Kabir went LIVE again… for the 3rd time! Kabir is live now : All aboard. Kabir was now walking from the train door to his berth and talking to the camera “Just came online to say I found Michelle and the luggage is in place now. Infact, look Michelle is already in the upper berth and sleeping!” He panned the camera to the top and you could see Michelle sleeping with her back to the camera. “Michelle, look here. Michelle. Ok, atleast wave for the junta!”. She raised her hand, twisted her wrist and waved without turning. Kabir then turned the camera and signed off “Alrighty then. Goodnight everyone.. Or should I say Goooodd Morningggggg!!!” and then it went blank. ‘Wow!’ JC thought to himself, ‘This guy has gone completely bonkers’. He wondered if Kabir will Go LIVE again. He waited for some time and then dozed off.
Part 4 — Something isn’t right!
JC woke up around 11 a.m. Sam was still in her jammies and reading a book. “No shoots today?” JC enquired. “Nope. Extremely tired. Just wanna stay in, read a book, be with you and chill the entire day.” Sam replied. “That’s great!” he said, as he hopped up and hobbled his way on one foot to the bathroom. “Something really strange happened last night” he shouted from within. Sam wasn’t interested. She knew it was going to be some psychoanalysis of a social media update. She really didn’t care. He continued “You know Kabir. He went LIVE 3 times last night to tell the world he was going to Goa! I mean, who in the right frame of mind, does that? ALso, isn’t Michelle supposed to be bedridden?” He hobbled back out and stood at the door. “It just didn’t feel right you know. Sam… Sammm.. are you paying attention?” She emerged from behind the book and looked at him, utterly bored with what he was saying. “Something just didn’t feel right” he argued.
JC started showing her the videos “In one of the videos he was still at home, but the update said At Dadar station. He didn’t save that video on the wall. Here, look at the other 2 videos”. After reviewing the videos she smacked JC on the head. “What is wrong with you. Just throw away this phone and stay away from Social Media.” she said while keeping the book aside, “This sweet guy just was excited about his trip and shared it with everyone. Also, Michelle is feeling better after a long time. That’s big news. He must share it with all their well-wishers. They got almost 300 Likes. What is your problem?”. JC decided to explain “I don’t know. I mean I have seen all of my Famous Five very closely for some time and this just felt out of character. It throws my theories off. Kabir would never share like this, you know.”
According to his analysis Kabir came into the category of a Bore. He was very awkward on Social Media and simply shared flower photos and updated work accomplishments. He was more of a Linkedin and Bharat Matrimony guy than anything else. So, him opening up and sharing a fun post about going for a trip was highly unlikely. That is something that Subject no — 3 #MegAndHarry do (perpetually) — those two were Show-offs of the highest order. But not Kabir.
Sam was now pacing like a lion, she cut in “Oh! Ok my Sigmond Fraud, now you can Interpret Updates, huh?” “Of course I can, and you know that is what I am writing about. Plus, did you notice how Michelle was in the video, but still not there.” JC was now really worked up. He couldn’t move much, but he could raise his voice! “Look, watch these videos again. In one, she is not on the platform. In the other, she is looking the other way! Is that even Michelle?” Sam now started laughing “You have become paranoid. So what do you think? He is having an extra marital affair? That’s not Michelle in the last video? Then tell me Inspector Daya, aakhir woh hai, toh hai koun?” JC went quiet for a while and then he said “ What if Kabir wants the world to think that he is going to Goa with Michelle. But he is actually just creating an alibi and something has happened to Michelle.” “Oh WTF JC. Are you even hearing yourself? Stop watching CID, Ok! And just so I can shut you up. Here, look at Michelle’s update!”
She tossed him her phone. Michelle wasn’t JC’s friend, but was Sam’s. She had put up a photo at 6 o’clock. It was a a Selfie of her’s along with Kabir. And in the background you could see the blue train seat. ‘Trippin with hubby. Haven’t felt so good in a long long time.’ she had written. “Abb bol. Is that Michelle? Or is that his girlfriend???” Sam asked. “Could be photoshopped.” JC said in a low voice. “Photoshopped? You know what, you are right. Something is definitely not right….. With.. your.. MIND.” Sam snatched the phone and left the room. JC sat there silently. Maybe he was being paranoid!
Here’s the link to Part 5 & 6 — https://medium.com/@filmantic/rear-incognito-window-part-5-6-146b5b77787d
