TALK TO ME

TALK TO ME

A Story

By

VIKRAM KARVE

“Talk to me…” he said.

“What is it…?” his wife said.

“I want to talk to you…” he said.

“Please – don’t spoil my mood in the morning – I am getting late for work,” she said.

“But I want to talk to you,” he said.

“Okay – what is it…?” she said, irritably.

“I am feeling depressed…” he said.

“Not again – ‘your problem is that you have no problems’ – you sit at home all day doing nothing – an empty mind is the devil’s workshop – why don’t you take up that job they are offering you…?” she said.

“I don’t want to that job – I don’t want to do any job – I was a Colonel in the Army – and just see the humiliating jobs they are offering me…” he said.

“Then what do you want me to do…?” she said.

“Talk to me…” he said.

“Not now – I am already late – please let me go to work…” his wife said.

And soon – the old man’s wife left for work.

The old man picked up his mobile cell-phone and called up his son.

“Talk to me…” the old man said to his son.

“Dad – are you crazy – do you know what time it is out here…?” the old man’s son said from New York, “it is almost midnight – you have woken me up from my sleep…”

“But I want to talk to you…” the old man said.

“Please Dad – I have had a very hard day – I am extremely tired and I want to sleep – I will call you when I wake up in the morning – after 7 hours…” the old man’s son said, and he disconnected the phone.

The old man called up his daughter – who lived in Australia.

His daughter was in her office – it was a busy afternoon – and she was about to go for an important meeting – when she her mobile cellphone started ringing – and she saw that her father was calling from India.

“Yes, Dad…?” the old man’s daughter said, impatiently.

“I want to talk to you…” the old man said.

“Not now, Dad – I am really very busy in office – I am on my way to a meeting – I will call you after a few hours – when I get home in the evening…” the old man’s daughter said.

She disconnected the call – put her smartphone on ‘silent’ mode – and hurried for the meeting.

The old man sat all alone in his house – feeling terrible.

Earlier – he would talk to his pet dog – but now – even his pet dog was dead and gone.

The old man called up his ex-Army buddy – but found his mobile ‘switched off’.

Maybe – his ex-Army buddy was lecturing in the Business School where he went quite often to deliver lectures.

The old man called up another ex-Army buddy – a coursemate – but his mobile phone was ‘out of coverage area’.

Maybe – his coursemate was playing golf.

The old man felt miserable – as gloomy thoughts perambulated in his mind – despondency overwhelmed him – and pushed him further into deep depression.

The old man desperately wanted to talk to someone and unburden himself of his woes.

As a last resort – the old man decided to talk to his nephew – who was a psychiatrist.

The old man dialed the psychiatrist’s mobile number – no one picked up – but – in response – the old man received an SMS asking him to call a landline number.

The old man dialed the landline number.

A lady – probably a receptionist at his nephew’s clinic – picked up the phone.

“I want to talk to Dr. ‘X’ …” the old man said.

“Are you an existing patient…?” the receptionist said.

“No – I am his uncle – I want to talk to him urgently…” the old man said.

“Sir – I will give you an appointment in the evening…” the receptionist said.

“Not in the evening – I want to talk to him right now…” the old man said.

“Sorry, Sir – Dr. ‘X’ does not see any patients in the morning…” the receptionist said.

“I am his bloody uncle…! I want to talk to him right now…! Do you understand…?” the old man shouted.

“Please, Sir – Dr. ‘X’ is conducting the weekly clinical update now – and he has told us that he is not to be disturbed – why don’t you come in the evening, Sir – I will give you an appointment at 6 PM – that is the only slot available today – please tell me your name, Sir…” the receptionist said.

“I told you that I want to talk to him right now…” the old man yelled.

The receptionist disconnected the phone. 

The old man could bear it no longer.

He got out of his flat, entered the lift and went down to the ground floor.

The old man desperately wanted to talk to someone – but everyone seemed busy.

Even the security staff at the gate looked busy – the guards were busy checking visitors and vehicles – and the supervisor was making entries in registers.

The old man walked to the security supervisor and said: “Give me the terrace key…”

“Why do you want it, Sir…” the supervisor asked the old man.

“I want to jump from the terrace and commit suicide…” the old man shouted at the supervisor.

The supervisor thought that the old man was being sarcastic.

Maybe – the old man wanted the terrace key to adjust his DTH TV Antenna – which he had done a few days ago.

So – the supervisor gave the old man the terrace key – and made an entry in his register.

But – the old man wasn’t being sarcastic – he had meant every word of what he had said.

The old man went up to the terrace of the high-rise building – and he jumped off the terrace – his body hurtled down 150 feet onto the road below.

The old man died instantly – the moment he hit the concrete road below.

EPILOGUE

A few days later – they held a condolence meeting for the old man.

While condoling the sad demise of the old man – someone said: “It is a mystery why the old man committed suicide – he had absolutely no problems – and even if the old man did have problems – he should have talked to someone…”

VIKRAM KARVE

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Disclaimer:

This story is a work of fiction. Events, Places, Settings and Incidents narrated in the story are a figment of my imagination. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

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