Leaving A Mark

Another success party of ‘Emotiwear’ is going on in a posh 5-star hotel by the beach. Emotiwear is a clothing brand started by a man named Akash Limi. He was the one who popularized the words,

Dress to you mood

tagline of Emotiwear

Today evening he is happy, being congratulated for the success of his newly launched clothing line. He is busy being constantly surrounded by people. Still from time to time he keeps on being disturbed by something, more specifically someone.

A while ago, i.e. before the party, Akash stumbled upon an old friend. He clearly seemed sad and depressed. This guy did no effort to hide it. Bhavin Nair, as his name goes, was one of the closest person to Akash in his school days but then life happened and they parted ways.

Akash was going for this party of his and didn’t want to be late but he also didn’t want to leave his troubled friend alone. So he said,

“Join me to the party, will you.”

“But I’m not dressed for the occasion.” Bhavin said.

“Actually, you are…” said Akash remembering his brand’s tagline. He pulled him into to the backseat of his car. “…but if you still get uncomfortable at the party, I’ve got spare clothes here in the car.” he said pointing at the hatch.

Upon reaching there Akash decided to make Bhavin change his clothes before going in. He let Akash pick some colourful colours for him and drawing blinds over the glass, Bhavin changed inside the car when it was parked in the parking lot.

Immediately after reaching the party Akash was pulled away to meet and greet with everyone while Bhavin was left alone. “Have fun at the party.” said Akash. “If not then just relax and de-stress.”

Coming back to present, Akash sees Bhavin sitting quietly in one corner. Despite wearing bright cheerful colours he is looking depressed. This bothers Akash. At one point Akash frees himself from business conversations and and goes to talk to his friend,

“Bhavin, brother, you are spoiling my brand’s name.”

One of the reasons that made Emotiwear brand popular is this, on the launch day of his clothing brand Akash made a confident claim that these clothes aren’t just fancy to show off, they influence the wearer’s mood. In his store Akash made sections titled, ‘Want to be happy…’ bright colours, ‘Want to be sad…’ dull colours, ‘Want to be angry…’ bright warm multi-colours, ‘Want to feel fear…’ camouflage clothes, etc. It took some time but then the trend caught on and the brand became a success.

It was a success so far but today evening it is failing. “Your clothes don’t match your mood. Tell me what’s bothering you.” says Akash as he walks his friend out of this loud party to have a quiet conversation. Just out of the hotel they are in, lies a beach. Since it’s night time the beach is nearly empty.

On the beach gate of the hotel Akash tells his friend, “Take off your shoes.”

“What?”

“Remove your damn shoes!”

According to Akash the best way to enjoy a beach is to walk barefoot on it. Agreeing to his friend’s request Bhavin does that. Then both of them go onto the beach. It’s dark, a bit chilly as soft cold wind blows past them. Akash finds a cozy place to sit meanwhile Bhavin simply stands staring at the abyss.

They are quiet for a while, staying steady, with little to no movements. Akash feels the urge to close his eyes and take a quick nap, but he doesn’t because he fears for his friend. “I have to make sure that he doesn’t do anything crazy over here.” says Akash to himself.

It’s not an exaggeration for Akash to think that way. Bhavin’s face and the clothes he was previously wearing gave clear hint that he was about to do something to harm himself.

Bhavin is staring into the endless abyss quietly but then suddenly says “Sometimes it feels like I should start walking towards the ocean. Keep on walking and never stop.”

AKASH: You know you can’t do that right? You’re not a fish. You’ll drown.

BHAVIN: So be it. That’ll be better than the life I am living right now.

Akash displays a wide smile hoping it’s a joke but to Bhavin it isn’t. The thought lingers for a while as nobody says anything after that. Bhavin continues to stare at the dark ocean. Bhavin’s feet shake as if any point he might start running towards the sea. Akash notices that and gets all emotional. While seated in his place he starts taking,

“Sucide (laughs), Sucide! Taking your life.” he speaks in low tone, “Taking it from whom. It’s not you who miss it once you are gone. Death is something that happens to everyone else.”

This might sound like a movie’s monologue because that is how Akash delivers it. “You say “better luck next time.” But let me tell you pal, there is no next time. Believe me, because I know.”

Akash is not making eye contact with Bhavin. It’s as if he isn’t talking to him but to himself. “First you stop seeing things, then you stop hearing things, soon it feels as if the temperature has suddenly dropped subzero. All your senses slowly fade away. Till then there is still that feint beating heart, but over time even that goes silent. Your entire body feels numb. Numbness for eternity.”

Tears come out of his eyes as he speaks. Now looking at his friend Akash continues, “Do you know why I insisted on you tagging along with me to the party? That’s because I saw something familiar on your face. Same thing I saw in the mirror a couple of years ago.”

“You know, when people ask me the secret behind my success, I laugh it off, but today I will tell you.” Saying this Akash digs his hand in the sand and lifts some of it up. “You see this sand? The beach? No matter how deep you dig, try to leave a mark, the water washes it off.”

“This world we live in has a weak memory. Do nothing and you will be forgotten.”

“There are two kinds of deaths an individual has to go through. One is the physical kind when our body gives up. I’m fine with that, everybody has to face it eventually. It’s the other death that scares me. That point of time when the world forgets that you ever existed. I don’t want that to happen anytime soon, certainly not while I am still alive.”

“Billions and trillions of people have walked on this planet, how many do you think does it remember?”

All this time Bhavin is quietly listening. Akash throws the sand and gets up. Turning back towards the hotel Akash places his hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Do something meaningful with your life, while you can. You’ll always have rest of the eternity to do nothing once death comes to you.”

Akash slowly walks away. Bhavin turns to look at him. At the gate he dusts off the sand clinging to his clothes and wears his shoes. After walking further Akash sees a colleague calling for him with a glass in hand. The other guy cheers and then Akash cheers louder as if… as if everything that happened just now didn’t happen.

TO BE CONTINUED

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