MESSAGE SENDING FAILED (SHORT STORY)

“Salman”, the HR called.

‘You can get in for the group discussion round’. She said. This is the final hurdle that I have to par through. I know, I will , but the tension in and around me is twisting and squeezing every drop of blood of my body out as sweat. The pebbles of sweat had covered my entire forehead.  Wiping it with my moist handkerchief I said “yes ma’am” and stood on my feet. From that moment on, I thought ,I am own for the rest of my life and marched into the group discussion hall. I have a feeling something was incomplete. When one is in a situation like this everything around him seems to send signals. The right pant pocket was what I had to pay attention to. My phone was buzzing. I had been here only a few hours, and I have turned inhumanly superstitious.

Picking up my mobile right now would not be a great idea I thought so I asked the person nearby, “Where was the rest room? “

‘This way he pointed out’ and I just rushed. I pulled out the mobile from my pocket unlocked it. It was her. 7 missed called. How I ignore all those, I wondered. I could not figure out a convincing reply for myself. I dialed her, wondering what would be the reason. It has been a few days that we had talked well. With the hopes that there is nothing wrong, I place the mobile near my ears to hear her voice. It was her ring tune ‘tujh mein rab dikhta hai’ the song consoled me. Still my heart continued to throttle up to its maximum. Even a small rupture would drain out 5 liters of blood right away. Her voice could have helped me better than ever, but in vain. Looking at the mirror, those times that we spend together just flashed though my head. It was almost like bolts 100meters race; it started and ended in no time. But some crazy voice in my head asked me to calculate the angular velocity if it was a javelin throw that bolt had participated. It was a wakeup call by my conscious to get my ass out of there. Rushing into the group discussion hall I made sure that only my intellectual brain was just working for the next 90 minutes. I just buried the emotional nerve deep enough so that I could dig it up right back after 90 minutes.

‘Thank you all, you may leave the hall’, these mere words were the key to it. I was right back on track. I pulled out my phone and dialed her again. The same song played; waiting for her to pick up the call I boarded the bus to home. Waiting to listen to her voice .All I was left with was disappointments that just echoed all over. Not a single thought of the interview had crossed my mind yet. Our time together and those long nights walk where just flashing by. Grazing through the window, looking at the fast moving surroundings, I just wished if the sorrw and suffering in life too had the same fate.

‘Buzz’ my mobile vibrated. This time it was for a very short while and it died. I knew it was a text. Unlocking the phone it showed ‘1 new message’. I clicked on to open the message. It was from her. The very sight of her text fueled happiness in me.

‘Busy ah!?’

 The text did not have a smiley. That wasn’t her at all. Every text she send her had a smiley, after the day I said I could see her face in those smiley. The cool face, wink, sad and angry ones. She always sent me smiley. But there was something wrong.

‘no way bak home J’ I replied.

 And continued grazing waiting for her reply. After a while when I knew there was no text from her, I decided to go for it. Before I could start typing her text pop-ed up. Clicking to open the inbox again. The screen just shut off leading to a call. Without any hesitation I picked up.

‘Hello, is this Salman ?’

‘Yes, who’s this?’

‘You just attended an interview with us , right?’

‘yes, what about it.?’

‘Your called letter has been emailed to you. So verify and do the needful at earliest.”

 Before I could spill out the words of gratitude, the call was ended. Looking at the mobile screen again there text popped up.

‘I am  moving, good bye forever.’

Emergency dial 5, that was the place I put her , right in middle of my phone, right in middle of my life. I hit it hard regretting my decision. The call did not connect as I excepted.  My eyes went numb so did my emotions.

I just took the mobile and texted,

‘I don’t know what you were deprived out of this relationship. If you think this is the best for us, too believe in you.’

 And presses the send button without much emotion into it. I did not think even I should give a second thought about it.

‘Message sending failed.’  

I had no idea why this appeared right now.

Thinking that a person will never enjoy multiple benefits in life. the time was up for something to fail. This time it was my relationship I thought and calmed myself.

My friend besides me looked at me and asked, what the date today. I looked at my watch. It showed March 31^st and I said so.

‘Idiot its April 1^st today, get the off your day dreaming asshole. Again I need to change the date in my phone. ‘he said and moved seats.

I pulled out my mobile. There was her text again.

A wink face, I could literally see her face in that text.

THE END.