The alley wasn't well lit. The darkness of the hour made it all the more eerie. But the sight did not deter Abhay. It was his daily route to office and back. The brisk walk through the alley was the shortest way he knew. The path took him to the bridge that crossed the river and onto the other side. He merely lived few blocks away and was so used to this trail that he could even make it with his eyes closed. The odd shadows and the swishing wind of the hour only made him walk more briskly to reach home sooner.
Abhay was a banker by profession. He was used to working late into the nights and these lonely walks back home didn't bother him much. In fact it gave him time to think about a few things. Ponder on how to advance his career ahead, what next big move will catapult him to a bigger, better pedestal. For him work was everything and he had worked his way up the ladder with immense hard work and dedication. But somewhere on that quest, he had lost touch with humility. His confidence bordered on arrogance and he was too blinded by his success to notice things around him.
He continued on his walk across the bridge, too engrossed in his thoughts. When he thought he saw something from the corner of his eye. A human form stood still, but dangerously close to the edge of the bridge and looking down into the depth of the river. Abhay stopped in his tracks looking at the silhouette of the person on the ledge. The guy just stood there with his shoulders sagged, breathing heavily, contemplating something. He could be thinking a million things at the time. One of those random thought crossed Abhay's mind. Did he just think what the man on the ledge was about to do. He inched closer, careful not to startle the guy who just stared down below, trying to gather enough courage. "I wouldn't do that, if I were you", Abhay said in a calm composed voice and made no attempt to surprise the silhouette. The guy looked back. The shadow of the bridge hid his face making it obscure for Abhay to have a good look at him.
"Go away. You shouldn't be here", came a stifling reply, "Just leave me to my business.". Abhay was startled a bit, but regained his composure. "I would be gone soon, if you weren't standing up there. Let me give you a hand and we could both be on our way home", he said and tried to get closer to the edge of the bridge. "Stay back or else ...", came a stern reply and Abhay was forced to retreat. He was trying to make sense of the situation. Why was this guy just about to jump off the bridge and why there was not a soul to be seen around. The hour of the night reminded his that it was way beyond the time people usually get home and the sight of empty streets made him realize that he was the only one who could salvage the situation.
"Look at me sir, I am stepping back", he tried to assure the guy on the ledge that he meant good, "And so should you. There is no point in throwing a good life away". The shadow responded by stepping back a bit, but still dangerously close to tipping over. "What is your name?", Abhay asked, trying to engage in a small talk and calm this person down. "Your name good fella?", a second question also didn't elicit a response. Abhay knew things could soon spiral out of hands if he didn't do anything.
"Come on man, life is too precious to be wasted like this. Whatever it is that troubles you, I am sure we can talk about it. May make you feel better"
No reply.
"Things can't be that bad. What is it that troubles you? Did you loose money? Maybe your job? If something is troubling you at home, you could make things work. There is certainly no need to take such an extreme step". Abhay wasn't sure if his choice of words was having the desired effect.
"What do you know about betrayal?". The guy in the shadows responded, after a long pause, with despair in his voice.
A straight up question had Abhay stop in his tracks. He was at some loss of words to be able to respond. To say that he was prepared for something like this would be a blatant lie. Someone or something had betrayed this guy and the damage was so massive that this guy saw no other way out. Abhay was still trying to find some words to speak when the shadow spoke up.
"Betrayal, that's what it is. How can someone do something like this." There must have been something more he had to say, but the despair must have gripped him as he let the words drown in silence.
Betrayal... that word hit some resonance with Abhay. He had been trying avoid the confrontation for so many years and he thought he had done well. He wouldn't have thought though, that the past would catch up, unaware, like this. Faint memories started coming back to him as soon as he heard those words. "Betrayal, that's what it is..."
They were young and very much in love. The spontaneity they had, excited them to no end. Both were elated by this new turn in their life. But though they had been together for couple months now, he wasn't ready to commit yet! For some reasons known only to him, he wanted out, but didn't gather the right amount of courage to tell her. And so he went on to make false promises and paint a rosy picture. Telling her of beautiful things that they would do, embark on a wonderful journey that was almost surreal. He was only telling her what she wanted to hear. The words were empty and the promises were hollow. He soon backed out when he landed a lucrative job in a new city. He had no plans of being shackled to a married life and let his high flying dreams go by. His mind was already made up. He left without facing her, leaving a note that didn't even ask for forgiveness. He had simply chosen a different path to move on and hadn't looked back since.
That note was the most devastating thing she ever read in her life. She felt cheated into believing that some fantasy could actually be true. The void it left in her life was almost impossible to fill. She desperately sought to get in touch with Abhay, plead him somehow. But Abhay had just left and made sure she had no way to get in touch with him. He had simply detached himself from her life. Distraught and disillusioned, she did the only sane thing she thought she could do. She cried her way into depression and then slit her wrist to let the last drop of blood escape. That's the only end she saw of her life or what was left of it. Abhay would not know of this extremity until few months later.
It had been several years since and though he never blamed himself for the tragedy, he sought to run away from the reality by diving into his work. Long hours and engaging office matters kept him busy and he thought it would the right way to forget what had happened. But when the words of the man on the ledge pierced his soul, he knew he could not run from it anymore.
"I think I might know what you mean...", he said to the shadow, overcome by his own guilt, but also realizing that he ought to help this guy. If he wasn't able to think of something quick, he would be the lone witness of a desperate man plunging to his death. He was afraid to even contemplate what would ensue if he wasn't able to convince the guy to do otherwise.
"Do you think you can talk about it? Maybe talking to a perfect stranger will elevate your pain." He desperately tried to engage in a conversation. He knew it was important to divert the man. "Just speak out your mind and it may make you feel better. Come on, please!"
"Where do I start...", said the shadow. Abhay saw a glimmer of hope and was relieved to see that his plea had paid off. "My parents come from a very modest background, they have tried their level best to make me the man I am today. They were the most happy people I could see on my graduation day. Soon after graduation landed a job here and decided to move. My father gave me a sound advice that day. He has said son, no matter how good the world around you is to you, always beware of people who might take advantage of you or hurt you in ways you did not imagine. I would have dismissed his caution for being over protective about his son, but his words were so true. I stand here because I trusted too many people who didn't deserve it."
So this guys trust was betrayed, Abhay pondered. His own wrong doings were playing a frantic game of hide and seek sending his mind went into a tizzy of thoughts. Betrayal is definitely a strong emotion and very difficult to carry. He began imagining the pain and anguish his actions must have caused when he had left her. His was beginning to get consumed by his internal turmoil, hardly aware that the man had his share of story to tell too.
"When I came to this city, I had very few friends, mostly office colleagues who extended their ounce of goodwill to me when I needed it most. My manager also went out of his way to make me feel comfortable with my job and work life in general. I respected that guy. But a year down the line that equation had changed. I never knew what was to come my way."
"I work at this bank, just down the block. Last month a blatant embezzlement case came to light and things have been under investigation since. People were a lot curious, somewhat anxious but mostly apprehensive about it. We had been doing our best to cooperate with the investigation and help settle things. But yesterday, to my horror, the investigation panel started drilling me all the way, almost criminalizing me for something that I did not do. I sought help with my manager, trying to explain what I had been doing was part of my job and nothing was suspicious or sneaky about it. But he seemed to have his own agenda. I soon realized that talking to him was futile. It is almost that someone in the company had thought of a scapegoat to blame it all on and that unfortunate soul is me! They put together a legal team which has drafted a statement. I am required to sign it taking full responsibility and attribute things to my inexperience and lax attitude towards work. How can someone do something like that". He shuddered into a helpless cry as emotions ran free. No wonder he could think of the only thing he had come here to do. What happened over work had definitely put an end to his career and self respect.
Abhay was in for a second blow of the night. Couple weeks ago, Abhay's friend at work had come to him, bit worried and sought some help. He was desperate else he would loose his job over some misdealings he had done in office. They tried all the tricks they knew to get his friend off the hook, and when nothing seemed to work, the only thing they could think off was blame it all on someone else. Abhay's heart sank. His realized that his actions and inactions had an effect that always got to him sooner or later. To his disbelief, in his bid to save his friend he was unwittingly pushing this man off the ledge. The realization was too overwhelming for him to handle.
"Hey I think I know you..." Abhay's voice crackled, almost fearing to admit that he knew who stood in the shadows. "You and me, we work at the same bank. I know work has been stressful since few weeks, but whatever it is, we can work it out. You work with Nikhil right? He is a good friend of mine. I also am on good terms with Nikhil's boss. Whoever is trying to frame you on this, I am sure we can work it out.", Abhay tried to pacify him.
He quickly took out his phone and tried to hastily type a message. He had to warn Nikhil that the plan they had hatched wasn't going to end well and if this guy survived, Nikhil would have a lot of questions to answer. Abhay prayed that his message was being read as he stood there trying to dissuade a suicide. Nikhil replied few minutes later, but the message has an ominous undertone. If the man they were trying to frame was to commit suicide, they would have an obvious closure to the pending case. It didn't seem to matter to Nikhil at all. In fact he prayed that the fool step off and plunge to his death.
Abhay was torn apart. He failed to see which side he was on. Actions have their consequences. And those consequences have devastating effects. What about the man who tried his best for the upbringing of his son, what about the woman who would never be able to see her son grow into his career at work, what about the girl who believed love was eternal and that she had the right person to spend the rest of her life with. He quickly took out a pen and a notepad from his bag and started writing a hasty note. He signed it when he was done, took a brief look at what he had written and folded it neatly.
He started walking towards the man in the shadow still consumed by his own thoughts that ran wild across his mind. In all the chaos, what was that one thing that he could do that will redeem him from his wrong doings. He soon stood near the edge and spoke to the shadow in a calm voice, "Take this note, you can hand it over to the investigation team tomorrow. I trust that you are not at fault here and would see no reason to accept blame for something you did not do. Be strong and fight for it. Not many have the strength to do that. If you can fend against the ghastly step you were about to take, you have enough courage to face things that will show up in your life ahead. Death is never the solution to anything. Pain and anguish may have driven you to this end, but you can come out stronger. Someday you should be able to tell you father, that the old man's advice was sound and has helped you build a great life."
The man slowly stepped out of the shadow, showing his face to Abhay for the first time. Abhay stared at a young man who once had ambitions in life but his zest was nearly killed by ominous people at work. His helplessness tore Abhay within, but he felt he was doing the right thing by helping him out. "Do not ever come down this road. Death is for the fundamentally weak."
Relieved that his words had helped avert a tragedy, Abhay curiously said, "I never really got to know your name".
"Its Bala, sir"
"Bala, be strong and have a good life. Mind if you read that note for me", Abhay said. Bala's hand were still shivering as he started reading the note. In that note Abhay had taken full responsibility for the mishandlings in the company and no one but himself was responsible. He had regretted his actions and would come in office the next day to confess everything in front of the investigation panel. Bala was confused. He look up to ask "What is this?"
"Redemption", replied Abhay and without warning just let himself off the bridge. He had been gathering all his courage to be able to do this when he reached the edge. Gravity had promptly done its job and as Abhay plunged some hundred feet into the river below, he thought of all the wonderful things that could have filled his life, if he hadn't betrayed her. The joys of life that he had failed to realize. The guilt of leaving her and eventually pushing her to the edge had consumed him for long enough and what he just did seemed like the right antidote for his misery. Time had slowed down, or so it seemed, as he thought of all the things he could have done right. Probably helping Bala was the last good thing he did. He did negotiate and save a life. As he hit the cold water of the dark river on that moonless night, he let a faint smile flash across his face. The negotiator had made peace with his demons.
