The Contract (Part 2)

The world seemed to pass by slowly as Krish made his way home, yet the time hastened by.

Krish pulled out the phone and called his mother. She had been his pillar of strength in trying times. When he heard her voice on the phone, he could barely form words because he was afraid he would break down and cry. He decided he would try his best to resolve the renewal matters as soon as he could. He couldn’t bear the thought of his heartbroken mother. He wanted to be there for her when she needed him. He felt like he was being forced to abandon his mother in the dusk of her life.

Krish held back his emotions through the short phone call. He felt the noise in his head build up to a crescendo by the time he reached home. He entered the house covered in darkness. Krish let the darkness prevail. He let his body fall into the couch and all the noises in his head fell quiet. The emotional dam he had built let go and tears gushed down his cheeks as he sat in the couch paralyzed with helplessness.

Krish did not know how much time had passed by. He was lost in a haze where the past, present and the future reeled in together in a kaleidoscope of thoughts. Krish fell back in the couch keeping his memories company.Krish made his way to the lawyer’s office. He found the lawyer full of vitality that he had come to envy and despise.

L: Wow! You look like shit.

K: Thanks and you look like the devil might I add.

L: Enough with the flattery. Now let’s get to work.

K: Okay…what are my chances?

L: I would say 1 in 435,684.

K: Okay Mr. Obvious, can you at least tell me what is the committee looking for?

L: Nobody knows…not even the committee sometimes.

K: This is ridiculous. This process doesn’t make any sense. No instructions or directions.

L: Death is no different than life. You did not get any instructions or directions when you were born but you found your way didn’t you?

K: Found my way? Ha. I would say I feel more lost than ever.

L: Getting lost is a part of the process.

K (sarcastically): Good! So I am right on track. So do you have a sense for how long the renewal of the contract will be for?

L: That entirely depends on your proposal.

K: You are really good at avoiding the answers.

L: Would you like some coffee?

K (cracks a smile): Thanks.

Krish sipped in the coffee and heard the lull of a guitar.

K: Is that Stevie Ray Vaughan you are listening to?

L: Yes. He was a genius.

K: His music has a lot of heart. They say he always played like his life depended on it.

L: May be it did.

K: What are you saying?

L: He was originally going to be a member of the 27 club and join the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison and Kurt Cobain who as you know, died at the age of 27. Unfortunately SRV’s renewal bought him not more than a decade.

K: They were bored of Jimi Hendrix and SRV? What kind of morons run this place?

L: I am with you on that one. But we are not here to judge, but be judged. So what can I do for you today?

K: Do you know what will happen to me after I die?

L: Nope. That’s beyond my clearance level.

K: I feel like I am wasting my time here. So far I have learned nothing useful.

L: I am sorry you feel that way. May be you should ask better questions.
K (grunts): Okay so how do I prove myself an asset for the planet? Wow! That sounds like a line form Captain Planet. “Hello I am Captain Planet! How can I save the world today? Better still, how can I save my ass?” Hey may be that’s what I should do!

L: You want to tell them that you are going to be a superhero?

K: No! How about I volunteer myself for a social cause? Dedicate myself to betterment of humanity.

L: That’s one of the most common proposals that candidates give. The success rate on that one hasn’t been that great. That could be our back up plan.

K: Aw come on! If good deeds earn me a place in heaven, it should be good enough to earn a place on earth.

L: There is no heaven or hell.

K: How would you know that?

L: Been in this business for awhile. Learned a few things here and there.

K: So you are saying there will be no consequences to what you do?

L: There are consequences. For example, if you jump from a 50 storey building, you die.

K: But no eternal consequences? Sinners and saints are not discriminated after death?

L: They seem to be for equal treatment.

K: Bah! That’s just so unfair.

L: I agree. Like they say, “All humans are created equal; some are more equal than others”.

K: So what’s your advice? What can I do to better my chances?

L: Work on your likeability factor. Make your application irrefutable. Think outside the box. Or get somebody to switch places with you.

K: I can get somebody to switch places with me?

L: You can certainly try. The rules there are that the volunteer needs to be healthy and sane of mind.

K: Why the exceptions?

L: The non-healthy ones are most probably at the end of the contract. As far as the sane of mind clause goes, I’d say it’s an ethical issue.

K: Ethical? This whole process is unethical!

(...to be continued)