# 32 - A New Beginning - II

At eleven in the morning that day, he had gotten the news that his company was going to be hostilely taken over by the rival firm. Overnight, he had turned from being the majority shareholder to just a petty player in the company politics. Instead of being angry at being made an outcast in his own company he just chose to keep quiet. He bore this news very calmly.

Angesh was disturbed by the fact that his closest aid had betrayed him and probably sold himself to the rival firm. World was full of such dishonest people. This was something he could deal with and which, he had always dealt with.

His thought wandered to something else and then he realized he was fifty-seven now. Probably, all this was indicating that he should slow down. He should give himself the luxury of rest. It was time for him and his wife to enjoy their old age. The entire day was spent in a flurry of meetings and by the end of the day, he had quit the company.At ten in the night, he received another call.

His wife had died; this was the straw that broke his back.

It was a while before he put down the receiver and the reality sunk in. His world had shattered to pieces. He knew it was going to happen but he had never imagined it happening so soon. Only two months back, she was diagnosed as suffering from cancer.

Without wasting another minute, Angesh rushed to his car and headed straight to his ancestral home, which was a good four-hour drive from the city. She had always wanted to spend her last days there. It was a large country home set amidst lush greenery, small mountains in the background, and away from the hustle-bustle of the city life.

He was driving like a maniac. The car was doing 155 Km/hour and he would still curse it was not going faster. His entire life flashed past his eyes. More than that, he realized this was the first time when he had totally lost his reasoning and was unable to fathom what good could have come out of this train of events.

Halfway through the journey, his car broke down. He could not bear it any more and a tear trickled down his face.

He got out of the car and started walking aimlessly.Perhaps, this was the best thing that could have happened to him. His solitary walk on a lonely highway gave him enough time to review his life from another perspective. He thought it was indeed good that his wife had gone forever for she was spared the agony that she would have had to bear because of her ailment. It was also good that he had quit his company for now he could get back to his childhood hobbies - writing and painting. He had completely forgotten when was the last time he had held a paint brush in his hand or when was the last time he had brainstormed just to come up with a good story. After two hours of anguished yet relaxed walking, he sat down against a tree trunk by the side of the road. He just wanted to have some rest; rather in just a blink of an eye, he felt asleep.It was his profoundest five-hour sleep in a long time. When he woke up in the morning, the day was as beautiful as it ever could be. His mind was as fresh as the morning dew. It just dawned on him that this was also the morning of his fifty-eight birthday.

He knew everything had indeed happened for his good only.


© 2008 Ankur Shanker
Archives