Guess me Not

The chronic sound of cash rich footfalls increased heavily. They dissolved in the hollow height of the mall which was illuminated with seasonal streams of lights. The families were together in a bid to avail the best offers better, and earlier than others. The escalators lit up with faces, some apprehensive, some habituated, to its slow, rhythmic movement of clawing steel terror. The loudspeakers were in full use. Asmita was the one at it this shift, delivering bestselling lines of the hour -- various percents off, buy one-get one, takeaways and such similar high decibel deals.

Mahesh was all of twenty four years old. He was two days old in his job at Kids & Us. It was astounding how he got this job. Journeys were funny things. You could never tell where you would end up. Asmita detested the ladies' compartments and became his familiar face. Each day, as he would be looking inside his bag, trying to find something which would ensure a livelihood, he failed. And as common as banter was in local train compartments, Asmita inquired after his inestimable loot there. In all of three months, this was the first time Mahesh smiled. 'I am looking for a job. Run out of CVs.'

'BCom pass?' 

To that matter of fact ask, Mahesh replied in his clinically modest manner, 'BSc. Economics. Honours.'

A very taken aback Asmita hurriedly shot at him, 'What happened? Why are you not at work?'

Clearly, she had a famished curiosity. Mahesh thought about his job at the bank. His interviews always went well. The only problem was his family. That is by twenty three he already had a wife and two sons. Well one, if you did not consider the stillborn. And along the stillborn, his wife left too. She seemed very distant, and detached under the white hospital covers. Very comfortable too. There was no one to take care of Sunny. He recalled how they had lovingly named their first son Sunny. The memory of the name from Mahesh's father's favourite cricketer. Not knowing how to deal with bringing up a child on his own, he gave up Sunny to the local orphanage, in full knowledge of the undercover organ transactions it was rumoured to be flourishing in.

He informed none of this to Asmita. 'Bad luck. No luck. No job.'

She chirpily notified him of an instant interview he could face at the place she worked in. 'Well, you know, it is certainly not enough for your degrees, but enough to get you till your next. You know, the festivity rush and all!'

'Sure.'

By 4 pm of the same day, Mahesh was in the Kids & Us uniform. His work profile needed him to operate the remote controlled cars in which children under five years of age would sit and take a round of the entire floor. Needless to mention he was thankful to be behind the toy-cars. That night when he took the train back, he felt asleep. He had the dream of a drained man. Each child held up one question to him as he took the curve, 'Guess who I am?'

The chronic sounds, the hollow heights, the family smiles could not help him recover.