As Tom entered the pub Ryan waved at him from his chair. Tom acknowledged him and made his way up to his table. “A beer will do for me” he told the waiter and took his seat. One bottle of beer arrived and was duly dispatched, followed by another and one more. The funny thing about drinking is that people start speaking trash when they are in their senses and once they are sloshed they start speaking about the most intellectual things. Our protagonists were involved in a discussion about science. Ryan said “I watched the movie Time Machine recently. Really loved it. How cool it would be to travel back in time. I wish I could do that so that instead of wasting time with you I would be in a date.” Tom retorted “Can time machine change the fact that you were voted Mr. Ugliest in college?” Before Ryan could reply Tom decided to change the topic “However, time travel is possible only in the movies. In real life it’s just a figment of imagination.”
“Figment of imagination? What do you know about time travel?” the voice was not of Ryan's but someone else's. An old man was sitting in the next table and he was looking at their direction. “Time travel is not a figment of imagination. It has been done in the past. “Ryan and Tom were sure that this man is out of his mind and instead of arguing with him they paid their bills and left the bar. While they were leaving the bar, the man shouted on their back “It is one of the biggest cover ups in human history”. Tom looked back but Ryan dragged him away.
That night Tom couldn't sleep peacefully, the phrase Biggest Cover Up in Human history was playing repeatedly in his mind. Was it the gibberish of a sloshed man or the tip of the iceberg? He searched the internet for time travel and what he got was references of the book Time Machine only. Frustrated he gave up and went to sleep.
Next day when Tom was returning from work he found that same old man on the street. Tom walked up to him and said “Sir. Sorry about yesterday, I would love to hear your story.” The old man looked up to him and smiled “Good. And for your information it’s not a story but a real life incident. Follow me.”
Tom accompanied him inside a nearby pub and he started his story. The year was 1943. The world was in the midst of World War II. In those days going to work meant serving the army. My friend the Late John Bradley was a marine. He was one of the best and toughest men in the army. His boss was Lieutenant Steven Dempsey – head US navy operations. One day the Lt. Called up John and told him that he has been selected for a high profile mission. As per the words of the Lt. it was going to be a voyage of a lifetime. My friend the daredevil marine signed up for the mission without thinking for a second. Little did he know that it was not a mission but rather a suicide. The ship was the US Navy destroyer escort named USS Eldridge. The place was Philadelphia. The date was October the 28th. It was a crystal clear day. Around 20 marines were chosen for that mission. The Lt. delivered a motivating speech to the so called chosen ones. He told them “Gentlemen history will be kind to you because today you will write it. All the best.” The ship was surrounded by some huge structures which the unsuspecting sailors were told as fuel tanks. In reality they were electrical generators. Their purpose was to bend light around the Eldridge.
Tom was listening with his mouth gaping. The old man took a deep breath and continued, the marines boarded the ship and waited for it to sail. But instead of sailing something else happened. The so called fuel tanks closed around the ship and without any warning they were switched on. There was deafening noise around the place. The marines suddenly realised something was wrong and tried to escape the ship, but their eyesight was blocked by a blinding flash of light. The electrical generators started serving their purpose and light was starting to bend around the Eldridge. The soldiers started shouting in fear, grown up men were crying like scared babies not knowing what was happening. And then the generators reached full power. The ship was engulfed with blue light, the cries suddenly stopped. The Eldridge disappeared from sight.
There was pin drop silence in the pub where Tom and the old man were sitting. Tom realised they were the only people left in the pub. He also felt Goosebumps. “What happened next?” Tom asked. The old man sipped his beer and said “After 10 seconds the Eldridge reappeared. A call came from Virginia about 320kms away that they had spotted the Eldridge at their port. It was dismissed by the Lt. as nothing but hallucination. But in reality the Eldridge travelled back in time. This was a part of an experiment – The Philadelphia Experiment.” What happened to your friend John? When the ship returned John was found dead, his hand 10 feet away from him. Most of the crew members died, only a few survived. So why doesn’t anyone know about this experiment? Enquired Tom. Because the ones who survived were given medicines to wipe out their memory. You see young man, time travel is plausible. Saying this, the old man stood up and started walking away.
Tom was curious. Hey he shouted back. If no one knows about this, how come you know? Who are you? The old man looked back from the door, smiled at Tom and said Lieutenant Steven Dempsey wishes you and your family a merry Christmas... and he disappeared.
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“Rohan! Get ready for the party” shouted Rohan’s mother. Rohan simply hated these so called parties. In his opinion it was nothing but a waste of time. He wished to stay home and watch football. However, his mother was adamant. And Rohan knew he had lost the battle. Silently he dressed up like a pauper and accompanied his mom.
“Mom! Get ready for the party, we are getting late” shouted Riya. Riya loved these parties. According to her such parties were extremely necessary to socialize and make new friends. She was dying to reach there and was pushing her mother. Finally, her mother being ready Riya dressed up like a princess and left for the party.
Mr. Toastmaster, fellow Toastmasters and dear guests when East meets west, when north and South Pole come together, when summer encounters winter sparks fly. Similar was the case when Rohan and Riya met in that fateful party. It was not love at first sight, it was far from that. Riya thought Rohan was the servant of the house based on his attire and ordered him to get her a glass of water. It is only when her friends told her; she realized her mistake and went up to apologize to him. However, Rohan seemed to belong to a different planet hardly listening to her and that intrigued her more. He was different from the rest for her and she was like any other girl for him. However, he was getting bored so he thought there is no harm in speaking with her for a few minutes, which soon turned into a few hours, into a few days, few weeks, and few months and before they realized they were in love.
Life was so simple yet so beautiful. He dreamed of becoming a pilot one day and everyday he would gift her handmade paper planes. Their parents also approved of the match. They were very happy together until Valentine’s Day. Riya had never been so late like that day. Rohan was getting worried. Finally she arrived. Rohan was sure he was going to be angry on her but as soon as he saw her, like always he forgot everything. However, there was something different about Riya. She was replying in monosyllables. Rohan asked her “What’s the matter Riya?” Riya replied “Rohan do you remember Joy my college senior?” “Yes I do. That guy who had a huge crush on you. I don’t blame him though.” “Rohan, he proposed to me yesterday. He is now a manager in a bank in France.” Rohan was perplexed, why was Riya telling her all these? Then came the hammer blow. “Rohan, love is a wonderful thing but we cannot live our entire life based on love. We need to be practical. I feel Joy can keep me happy, so I accepted his proposal for marriage.” Rohan was dumbstruck. The only words that came out of his mouth were “What about our dreams?” “What dreams Rohan? The day you proposed to me you promised me that you will be getting your own car, till today you have managed to get only this cycle. Rohan you are a nice guy but not my dream guy. Let’s not have any further discussion on this. Let me keep this short and simple – it’s over.” And she left.
Different people act differently when they are hurt. Rohan took this rejection as a stimulus to work harder. He worked really hard and finally he managed to become a pilot. His dream of touching the sky was realised. He owned his own car now, a lavish sedan.
One rainy day Rohan was driving his car when he saw an elderly couple walking in the rain trying to cover them with the umbrella but the winds were too strong. As he drove past them he realised they were Riya’s parents. For a few minutes Rohan was experiencing a sadistic pleasure as he remembered how he was rejected for the so called rich guy. He wanted to let her parents know that he no longer belonged to the mass rather he belonged to the class. He wanted them to realise that today he was safe and sound in the car while they were suffering in the rain. What he saw next confused him, the couple was walking towards a cemetery, and so he got out of his car and followed…and he saw Riya, smiling sweetly as ever at him but only from her tombstone and he saw his paper planes right beside her.
Her parents saw him. He asked them why this had happened. They explained, she did not leave for France at all. She was ill with cancer. She had believed that he will make it someday, but she did not want to be his obstacle… therefore she had chosen to leave him. She had wanted her parents to put his paper planes beside her, because, if the day comes when fate brings him to her again…he can take some of those back with him.
Just because someone doesn’t love you the way you want them to, doesn’t mean they don’t love you with all they have.
Rohan didn’t cry. He knew she wouldn’t be happy seeing him cry. Because, once you have loved, you will always love. For what’s in your mind may escape but what’s in your heart will remain forever.
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As the first rays of the sun hit his face, Rahul slowly opened his eyes. He turned to the right side and saw his beautiful wife Tina sleeping. Between them was Aryan, Rahul’s 4 year old son. As he looked down on his family, a tear rolled down Rahul’s eye and he thanked the almighty for giving him a wonderful family and a wonderful life. And today, it is going to get even better. Rahul Sharma is working with a reputed investment banking company in USA and today he is supposed to give a very important presentation. If everything goes as per plan, he will be promoted and his package will be doubled.
As these thoughts came into Rahul’s mind he quickly got up from the bed, opened his laptop and checked his presentation for the umpteenth time. There shouldn’t be any flaws. Satisfied finally, he closed the laptop and started getting ready for work. He selected his favourite suit for this special occasion. Put on his best perfume. He stood in front of the mirror looking extremely presentable. In the meanwhile his family has also got up. Aryan was throwing his usual tantrums about going to school and Tina was trying her best to convince him. Tina was scolding Aryan. Rahul decided to help Tina pacify Aryan. He went to the other room and found that Aryan has picked up a pair of scissors. Afraid that his son might be hurt Rahul tried to snatch it away from his grasp, but he cut himself. Blood was gushing down his fingers. Aryan started crying, Tina was trying to stop the blood, it was pandemonium. Rahul fixed himself up and realised he will get late for work if he doesn’t rush. So he quickly finished up dressing and started having his breakfast. The hand was paining but Rahul’s mind was preoccupied with thoughts about the presentation. Hi s thoughts were punctured by a phone call. It was Aryan’s school bus driver. The school bus won’t be coming today. So, Rahul had to drop Aryan to school. He started his car and drove towards Aryan’s school. His eyes stealing nervous glances towards his watch all the while. He parked the car and waited for Aryan to get down. But Aryan was sitting and looking at him. Rahul said “Aryan school has arrived. Go now or else dad will be late for his work.” But Aryan kept on looking at him. Rahul got a little bit irritated “What is the matter Aryan?” “Daddy I want a chocolate” “Aryan go to school now, I will get you a chocolate in the evening” But Aryan was adamant. Rahul lost his temper and scolded Aryan “Go now.” The poor little boy started crying, took his bag and left for school. Rahul sighed and he felt bad about his actions, but he was helpless. He had to rush. Oh crap! He was never going to make it by road. He was late. Rahul parked the car in Aryan’s school only and rushed towards the nearby metro station. His office had a metro station at the basement. That will be his fastest route, but he needed to catch this metro else he was doomed. Rahul ran as fast as he could and then he saw it as he reached the ticket counter. A huge queue. Rahul prayed....if only he could get a ticket in time. He spotted Mike in the queue. Mike is his colleague but the truth of the matter is they never really got along with each other. However, Mike was Rahul’s last hope. He rushed up to Mike and requested him to get a ticket for him and explained to him the gravity of the situation. Surprisingly Mike agreed! Rahul waited patiently until Mike reached the counter. Yes he has got the tickets! Rahul ran up to him as he was entering the platform and put out his hand for his ticket. However, Mike simply smirked and returned him back his money. Rahul was outraged but couldn’t do anything as he watched Mike boarding the metro and waving him goodbye. His last resort was gone. Panic set into his mind as he fidgeted through his cell phone to call up his boss. His boss took the call “Rahul! Where the hell are you? The clients are here! We are waiting” “Boss I am having a bad day, I missed the metro, the metro comes in 10 mins.” Just then at the background Rahul heard a voice, it was Mike “Boss any problem? Can I help?” “Thanks Mike you are just in time” Bang! The phone was put down. Rahul was crestfallen. How could fate play such a cruel game with him?
Slowly Rahul moved out of the metro station, his feet and brain not in sync. After what it seemed like ages he realised that he has reached a quiet park. He sat down on a bench and started recollecting the events leading up to his misfortune. If only the school bus arrived, if only Aryan didn’t throw so many tantrums, if only.... The phone was ringing...it was Tina...What will he tell her? He picked up the phone...but instead of a hello he was greeted by his sobbing wife... Tina what happened? Oh Rahul, I just.I just saw the news... Rahul thought his missing an important meeting has come on the news?? Tina I can explain please listen to me...Rahul no need to explain anything...am so relieved... Tina is relieved that I have screwed up at work? She has lost her mind! What are you talking about Tina? Why are you relieved? Don’t you know Rahul?? Where areyou? I am at a lonely park....then go to the nearest shop and watch the TV...your office, the WTC exists no more! Rahul was dumbstruck. He rushed to the nearest coffee shop and he saw on TV his beloved WTC being reduced to rabbles by terrorist attacks. He tried to call his boss, his colleagues but all of their phones were not reachable...actually they were no longer reachable.
Friends, Rahul Sharma was alive on that fateful day because he was meant to be alive. If his son didn’t throw the tantrums, if his colleague would have helped him, Rahul would have been able to get a promotion but he would have been dead. In life often we face tough times and we wonder why me? But, life is a great leveller. Whatever happens in life happens for good. Enjoy the good times because it will not last forever....and face the tough times because that also won’t last forever.
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