Belated Clarity

The mop was drenched in a bucket full of water mixed with floor cleaner. Then the mop was pulled out and rested on the floor before pushing it to wipe the ceramic tiled floor. The mop kept going ahead, moving against the floor and then it stopped and turned left reaching out to the innermost part of the table.



Kanan pulled the mop out and looked around the empty office room. The room had been thoroughly cleaned before everyone in the office arrived to work. Then he picked up the mop, the bucket and a wide broom to clean the next room. Meanwhile, Kanan’s brother Kunal was cleaning the carpeted cabins using a vacuum cleaner.



It was the office of an electronics brand which was still establishing itself in the market. It wasn’t a big office; it was made in a 2800 square feet area on the second floor of an office complex. Kanan and Kunal handled multiple jobs here, as much as they could handle, be it the work of janitor, or office boy for getting supplies or managing the small office canteen. Some said the owner intentionally gave them more work so that they could earn some more money here and there.



When they were kids, Kanan and Kunal used to live in a village with their parents. They were just like any other children there, attending school, learning, playing and growing, until one day when their father Mr Acharya left home for some unknown reason and never returned. Their mother often fell sick and remained unwell most of the time after that.



Mr Acharya used to run a small grocery shop. Kanan and Kunal had to take over the task of managing their father’s shop at a young age after he left, because there was no other source of earning. They soon became school dropouts unable to manage their school and the shop at the same time. Their learning remained incomplete in many ways and soon the shop was in a condition where it was barely making any money.



One day the phone rang at their house, it was a call from their uncle Mr Bhalerao who had shifted to a metropolitan city ten years back to find work and for the most part it had been a good decision. Ever since Mr Acharya left, leaving behind his wife and two sons, Mr Bhalerao had felt guilty for not being there to stop this from happening and sent a small sum of money every month to support the family.



“Theres work here in the city and better income. Send both of them and you come along as well. The shop has to be sold to manage expenses for a year at least, then things will pick up with increase in income,” Mr Bhalerao told Kanan and Kunal’s mother.



Thus, with a heavy heart the family sold the shop which was bought by Kanan and Kunal’s grandfather. They locked their house for who knew how long, the mother looked at the house with tears flowing from her eyes, she didn’t know if she would be able to come back and see the house again. She didn’t.



Four years after shifting to the city, she passed away in her sleep one night. Although Kunal always argued that if it had not been for the medical facilities the city had to offer, the end might have come sooner, however Kanan felt she would have lived longer breathing the clean air and drinking the clean water of their village.



While Kunal was instantly attracted to the big city and all that it had to offer, Kanan dreamt of saving enough money to go back to the village and buy their shop back.



“There is nothing back in the village. This city is our future, there are many ways of making something big out of life here,” Kunal said to Kanan one day in the office canteen.



“It has been seven years, the income is fine at best. How far do you think two men with no qualification and low literacy can get? It will be better to earn as much as we can and go back to the village. I am sure we will be able to buy the shop back and lead the rest of our lives comfortably,” said Kanan



“You are not thinking big brother. Just wait till I find something. Then you won’t be able to resist the scope that exists here”


“What are you both talking about?” asked Uchit as he arrived with a helmet in one hand and bag in another. Uchit was an on-field office boy who was sent to do official work as well as cash-based transactions. He came to the office in the morning, got a task assigned and would leave, some days he came back in the afternoon while some days he would be back by evening. He had become a good friend of Kunal and Kanan.



Kunal looked at him and said, “Uchit, listen. You earn a better income than us. Maybe we can do what you do here if we know how to. Can you tell us how we can do it?”



Uchit thought for a while, “Well if you want to be an office boy like me in another company, you will surely need qualifications. But, here maybe I can talk to the upper officials and get you into it. Once you have the work experience, it might get a bit easier finding work.”



Kunal’s eyes lit up, “That will be a great help. Thank you.”



Uchit came to the office the next day in the afternoon and found Kanan working in the canteen, “Where is Kunal?”



Kanan looked at Uchit and greeted him, “Kunal has gone out to get some stationery supplies. Would you like a cup of tea?”



“Yeah, tea would be nice. Give it in a disposable glass, I might have to leave soon,” replied Uchit



“So, where do you have to go now?”



“I have to take some files to an official. The place is a bit far, more than an hour maybe and then later I have to visit an electronics showroom to receive cash payment and then return to the office.”



“It looks like you will be working late today,” Kunal said handing over the cup of tea



Uchit’s expression dimmed as he thought about it while sipping the tea, “Well no use complaining, it’s work and has to be done.”



Uchit received a call and looked at Kanan, “Well I have to leave right now. I will be taking the tea along with me. By the way, tell Kunal I had a talk with the higher ups about the work he asked. They said it might not be possible this year but next year surely, he can try and work before the season starts.”



Uchit hurried away with the disposable cup containing tea.



Later, Kunal was not very pleased to learn this, “I think I need to look elsewhere for work. I am not going to wait for another year.” Kanan remained quiet.



A few months later, Kunal announced, “I have found work in another city. It is not the work I was looking for, but it will do. It has something to do with calling people and advertising what the company has to sell. It is definitely better work and income than this one. There is only one position available at the moment. I will go and settle things up for you as well later.”



“I am happy for you. Just be careful out there and don’t do anything without thinking. Stay in contact,” responded Kanan



Kanan stayed behind as Kunal left for the new work he had found in another city. Two years had passed and there was no news of Kunal.



“Maybe he has drowned himself in multiple works and is working day and night. He always had that wish to earn more and be more,” said Uchit



“Could be, he had always wanted more in life. But a call once in while might not take that much of time,” replied Kanan



“I tried calling him a few days back. But the call wasn’t received. Aren’t you worried that he might be in trouble? Will you go and look for him?”



“He can take care of himself and he has always been like that. Our uncle got us the work here, but ever since we came to the city Kunal didn’t contact him even once. Well, it seems he does not talk to anybody not physically present around him. That’s why I am not too worried”



“Al right, you know him better than me. Anyways, have a safe journey back to your village. For how many days will you be gone?”



“I will be back in two weeks. The house needs some repairs, I will get it done and return,” replied Kanan.



Next day morning, as the bus sped ahead towards the village, familiar places and trees began to appear. Kanan got down the bus and smiled at the smell of the village after nine whole years. He walked around, it was early in the morning, and the roads were still empty. He came across his school teacher who was out on a morning walk. He greeted him and told him everything that had happened after he left the village with his family.  However, Kanan met a surprised expression when he told him that he was here to get the house repaired and might be back after a few years.



The school teacher didn’t say anything further and took his leave. As Kanan walked ahead, his house came into sight and he hurried to it. He stopped in front of the house, and noticed that there was no lock on the door. Kanan knocked at the door and waited for a while before the door opened. It was Kunal, he had a beard now and longer hair than before, his eyes looked tired and he smelt like he had not bathed for a while.



“What are you doing here?” asked a surprised Kanan



“Last I remember, it was my house too,” Kunal said, then he extended his head out to look around, “why don’t you come inside, before this sudden meeting becomes a topic of entertainment for others.”



Kanan stepped inside the house, nothing was in its place and it had the smell of fresh air not being allowed in often. His right foot hit something heavy and he looked down to see it was a glass bottle. He picked it up, and he identified the smell.



“Liquor? You have started drinking?” asked Kanan in an infuriated tone



Kunal took the bottle from Kanan, “Look why don’t you sit down somewhere. I will prepare some tea for you.” Kunal disappeared into the kitchen as Kanan looked around with a tense expression wondering what had gone wrong.



Kanan removed some clothes which had been dumped on the chair and sat down. He kept his bag beside the chair. All the corners of the dimly lit room were visible to him now. He couldn’t believe the house which was always so beautiful in the hands of their mother had turned into something like this. It was as if he was at a place he did not want to be.



Kunal came back with two cups of tea and a half-eaten packet of biscuit. Kanan picked up the cup and looked at it.



“Its clean if that is what you are wondering,” said Kunal



“I am wondering, if this is the house we left? What happened? Of course, it is your house too and you have as much right over it as I do. But you do not call or write and all of a sudden, I find you here is what surprised me and on top of that your condition and as well as the house is not a good sight,” said Kanan



Kunal leaned back on the chair.



“There are people after me. I had to come back here. I have no money, nothing. I am barely scraping by.”



Kanan’s forehead creased with expression of worry.



“I thought you were doing well with your new work and all. I had imagined not being able to recognise you when I met you next time, but not like this… and now who are these people who are behind you? Why?”



Kunal buried his face in his hands as he thought of where to begin.



“Everything was fine the first year, the job was good, I had found a good room on rent, I was saving more money than before, the yearly increment in pay was good too. Life had become better; dreams had risen higher. I had even started talking around to find you work.



In my second year working there, at the yearly party of the office, one of my colleagues told me of this guy who invested money and returned a considerable amount as profit after thirty days. I had my suspicions but my colleague had been doing it for a while. So, I invested a little and got it back with the promised percentage of profit. I did it again and again with all varieties of amounts big and small.



By the end of sixth month, I had started to think, if this continues, then in a few years who knows I might even get a flat at an apartment complex. My colleague was able to build a big house in his native village.



I told him of my plans to get a flat and he became eager to get one of his own in the city. So, we planned for it and took a large sum of money from a non-official lender and invested it and we got back a large profit as well. The seventh and eighth months were a dream. We put all our profits and we took more money from the lender and put it in as well.



The end of the eighth month came but the money didn’t come from the investor. My colleague tried calling him at different times but the phone was switched off. I suggested waiting a couple of days but a week passed and no call or money came. We decided to go to their office but the office was no longer there and some other business was being operated there by someone else.



The ninth month arrived and we had no clue what was to be done. All our profits and savings were gone and on top of that we had to return the large amount we had taken as loan.



A few days later my colleague told me that the lender had threatened to take strict action if the money wasn’t returned within the next 48 hours. The next 48 hours? We were not sure even the next 48 months were enough. I called the lender and tried to explain our situation but he didn’t budge, he said he had already given us more time than what he gave to others.



There was nothing to do but spend the next 48 hours in fear of what might happen and then they were over and I went to the office the next day as usual. My colleague hadn’t arrived yet and later I got to know that he was unconscious due to an injury on the head. He had fallen down the underpass stairs and later I received a call from the lender and he just said three words ‘you are next’.



I left office immediately and ran out to see three guys watching me intently. I suddenly noticed an occupied cab coming and ran in front of it to stop it, the driver applied brakes but the car still bumped into me as it came to stop and I fell down. The driver quickly got out and helped me get up, nothing was broken but I found a way to get on the cab, I asked him to drop me at a hospital which was near my rented room and the men were watching but made no move to follow behind.



I asked the cab driver to drop me at home to get some money for the check up and told him that I wouldn’t need any further help. I found the lock of the door to my room open and everything on the floor. They had been here and still could be around. I quickly grabbed some clothes and essentials and put them in the bag.



I rushed down the stairs and exited the building when I saw those three guys again and this time they were approaching me. I stood still, as running would only make it worse at this point, since I wouldn’t be able to outrun them and when caught, they would let their frustration out on me. I traced my memory back to the last year where everything was fine and had I listened to my suspicion about the investor, maybe this day wouldn’t have arrived.



As I came within the reach of the three guys I made a weak last attempt to punch through but they caught me and I received a series of kicks and punches and I fell to the ground. I caught a glimpse of one of the guys holding an iron rod and almost laughed at how this would be the end of it all. But the rod never came down, I saw the guys becoming alert of something and heard a group of people coming with some of them screaming.



Apparently, my landlord had called the people nearby when he saw these guys coming to the building a second time.



I was saved, but I did not wait to rest, and asked one of my neighbours who owned a car to drop me at the bus depot. Two more people came along upon the insistence of my landlord and I safely got on the bus and came straight to the village. I even threw my phone away.



Although I know I am safe here, but not a moment passes by when I don’t think about the lender and his guys looking for me. I think I will lay low for a while and then go to a completely new city to find work. You don’t have to worry about me.”



Kanan thought about it for a while and said, “Well then we will go together to whatever city you decide upon.”



“You don’t have to do anything for the trouble I have put myself into,” said Kunal



“It’s my decision, I am going to quit my current job. I will stay here as long as you need to recover and then we will go together to find work in another city and yes no more drinking. I will give you some money got to a barber to get a shave and a haircut.”



Kanan got up and started tidying up the house while Kunal sat quietly realising that the bond with his brother is something he could have never bought with any amount of money he imagined he would earn.

Written by Anuran Chatterji

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