Cross Roads:
Pick a Path
Janaath Vijayaseelan
Copyright © 2015 Janaath Vijayaseelan
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 9781311721228
DEDICATION
To my family and friends, who have stuck with me from the beginning of my cross roads.
Preface: Rough Times
When we walk through the paths of life, we come across many roads. With every road comes another cross road. Cross roads that will present you with gifts and glory. Lest we forget, no life is a fairy tale, because every trip of success can quickly turn into a series of unfortunate events. Such is the case of a twenty-seven year old software engineer, Arrun Durai living in Toronto, Canada. Arrun being an individual who lost both his parents to a brutal murder at the age of one, actually managed to live a pleasing lifestyle thanks to a Sarah Gellis; a single mother raising six orphaned children, and of them included Arrun. Well at least until Arrun stumbled into the pit that resulted in a chain of events that he least expected.
In recent days Arrun sits in a dark room, secluded from the world, and the people who were once his life. Crowded with the dense smoke of marijuana, accompanied by the burning sensation of alcohol, all in hopes of forgetting what once was, what she was. Hasini Ravichandran, the girl that walked into his life and altered it forever, only to suddenly part ways in their journey. She left behind a boundless breach within his soul. What bad is there to say of an angel, and that she sincerely was; a beauty that stays posted to your eyes. There is no consumption of drugs or alcohol that ever gives him the peaceful rest he once had. Instead he is endlessly reminded of her smile that kept him going, her eyes that showed a reflection of the complete person he was, her voice he would willingly sit and listen to without complaints. Nothing can help him forget, but to him it is the only way to reminisce in the great times they shared. In contrast to the one incident that made everything collapse.
The time, 2:34am and not content with his daily dose Arrun decided to meet up with his routine dealer, who lives approximately two blocks away from his condo. What he did not know is that his next test of life awaited him, one that is going to lead him to a place where he will have to embark on a journey like none before. A journey that will show him the true colours of what life has to bring.
Unlike every other day in the criminally active city, this night presented itself with the presence of a man who is portrayed as a god to the criminal underworld, Marona Duranji. Only the privileged know of how a man from Chennai, India became one of the most feared dons of the 21st century. Though standing at a mighty six feet three inches in height, with a large build may have something to do with it. Marona at the age of fifty-six is the definition of fear in present times. Hey maybe old, but there is no one, local or of higher authority who has the courage to break him. His ventures in drug trafficking, extortion, kidnapping, prostitution, assassinations, and the business world have led him to pursue a life drenched in cash. Though for a moment of this night, it seemed as if the empire would finally come tumbling down.
Similar to every other day of the past three months, Arrun met up with Remone. The twenty-seven year old henchman of Marona who usually handles the small marijuana deals with the locals. Arrun has been off work for sometime now, has been low on cash. He has been increasing in debt as well, which eventually led to a small dispute with Remone. The small argument eventually started catching the attention of the others around. One of them being Marona, who did not actually seem to show much care. Though something was not right; as Arrun began looking around in humiliation he spotted one of the henchmen standing in the near distance pulling out his pistol, and setting aim towards Marona. Without any hesitation, Arrun rushed towards the henchman tackling him to the ground, receiving a bullet to his right shoulder, one that was meant for Marona. As Arrun laid on the floor breathing heavily looking up at the night sky, occupied with the glow of the stars he knew there is something coming his way. He was ready for it.
Part 1: Good Things Don’t Last
Chapter 1 - A Beginning To The End
July 11 1986 was the day a woman by the name of Sarah Gellis, changed my life forever. Sarah, as she desired to be called was twenty-five when she adopted me. I was not the only one she saved from a life of emptiness; Benny, Mahat, and Asha were all brought into the family at the same time as myself. A year later we were fortunate to have the addition of Rohini and Thiru. A year younger than the rest of us, and they both are without doubt the most bothersome twins you will ever meet; though I still love them with every passing moment my heart beats. Yes we were all orphans, but we never suffered the need to be upset. Brought over from India, she gave us all a better shot at life, raising us in a Western society. Though Sarah was young, and a single mother, she filled the void better than anyone possibly could.
Sarah herself was the product of a single mother, an extremely wealthy single mother at that. When her mother passed away in the year of 1984, she was left with a bulk sum of money, and she had the ability to spend her money on anything she desired. Which raises the question, why didn’t she go out and enjoy all that money for her own pleasure? Especially seeing how it would be a reasonable thing to do at twenty-five. I never paused to question her because there was always something strangely remarkable about her. She had enough money to enjoy a luxurious lifestyle, but she did not want that. Although we all lived under one roof, she wanted us to be brought up as friends over a conventional sibling relationship. My siblings and I all grew up knowing her beliefs were not customary at all, but that is what made her amazing.
She was a complete role model and teacher to the six of us, which is why it was difficult when we lost her at the age of forty-nine on July 16, 2010. She was a strong woman, but sometimes even strongest fall preyed to the devil that is cancer. Times were hard, but it becomes a bit easier when you are one amongst a group of people that were raised by a tough, independent woman. Leaving us with a place to call home, education to live, and knowledge of life, she opened the door to our future.
~
A year passed, and with time wounds healed. We grew accustomed to life without Sarah. There and now her absence remained strong at the back of our mind. Time turns, and things eventually took a turn for the better. During the span of the year we were urgently in need of a diamond in the rough. A few months after the passing of Sarah, Rohini met Akil. Akil, like myself is a software engineer, and truly the spark the entire family needed. I always knew she would be the one that falls in love first amongst the six of us, but she delivered a shock when she announced their marriage only after a year of meeting one another.
I still remember the day she told us like it was yesterday. She called us all into the living room, and alongside Akil she screamed, “We’re getting married!” Only God knows how annoyingly loud she was. With Asha joining in, the both of them were soon jumping in circles of joy. In that moment, I was truly more worried about them knocking down the TV in excitement. Putting my feelings aside, I walked over to congratulate Akil; I did not forget to warn him of what he is in for. When Rohini finally began to settle down I stepped towards her, and gave her a hug. Then asked her, “Is this what you truly want,” her smile said it all; you could actually tell that she found love. I was never a believer of eternal love, though being raised by a woman that lived life without a partner may have something to do with it. As everyone stood around the living room congratulating the soon to be wedded, I stood curiously wondering whether I would ever stand as ecstatic as Rohini and Akil were in that moment.
“Champagne, Champagne, Champagne”, the chanting came from Benny, Mahat, and Thiru. I remembered then of the bottle of Cristal Champagne sitting in
my room collecting dust from my trip to France a month ago. Running up the spiral stairs I turned into my room; I had no clue of where the bottle was sitting. While digging through all the junk I brought over from my recent travels, I found the bottle sitting under a pair of my boxers; I will probably keep that part from the rest of them though. When I walked back into the living Benny, Mahat, and Thiru all had the glasses ready with a smile on their face, as if they knew I had it. I wasn’t surprised; those three were always the sneaky ones. Standing in a circle, pouring champagne, I thought it maybe the appropriate time to make a toast.
“We all knew it would be Rohini to first find love, and Akil like I said good luck dealing with this one. Jokes aside, I know that I speak on behalf of us all when we wish for a long and healthy life for the both of you. Together. We maybe all adopted, and refer to one another as friends, but what an amazing feeling it is to have family you can treat as friends. Rohini if Sarah were here with us today, she would be incredibly proud of the beautiful woman you’ve become. Akil, if Sarah were with us she’d be pleased to bring in another son to the family. Akil, you are now one of us, and if you ever need help I want you to know that your family will always be here for you.”
As my eyes opened the pain was obvious, but where I was seemed rather vague. At first my vision felt a bit blurred, but as it became clearer, it was very noticeable that I was actually in a dark abandoned warehouse; must have been a big factory or something. Looking out the window to my left I realized that it was an abandoned warehouse that I have driven by a numerous amount of times. That is when I heard voices. Nearly twenty men stood a few meters apart from the table I assume they had left me on, after being stitched and bandaged. Over their heads, I could see the man that shot me, chained and beaten to the pulp. It was rather obvious that he will not live to see another day. Against a metal beam leaned a shattered mirror with dried blood, and it hit me that I have been so lost in thoughts that I forgot how I used to look. The man in the reflection with a beard and fairly long hair could not be me, but it was. We constantly evolve, and how we adjust to it determines whether you climb higher, or plunge gently. For me, it was time to adapt to my surroundings, like I once used to.
I walked towards the group of men, and I saw Remone’s holstered handgun at his waist, and when I took ownership of his gun all eyes were on me. In that moment, I did not pay attention to the men in disbelief, or the ones preparing to fire at me. My focus was purely on the target alone. I stepped towards the man that shot me; I brought the gun towards his head, and pulled the trigger. As the bullet gored through his skull, I hoped for change. It was something poetic; I have lost people, but it was something new to be the person taking away ones existence. There on the floor laid the body of a dead man, one of whom I will never know the name of. Taking turn towards the astonished audience I stood a cold blood killer, and stepping before me was Marona himself. I wasn’t that stunted in height myself, but even at six feet in height I had to slightly tilt my head to look the man in the eye.
“You are coming with us to Tamil Nadu.” he said with his dreading voice.
I didn’t need to say a word. It is almost as if he knew that I would come. Maybe he could see the slash in my soul; after all he was the devil. As he took off with a smirk on his face, the henchmen started to make their way towards me. Two of them walked right by me and carried the body away. I stood there without a care in the world of killing a man, and Remone stepped towards me. “Welcome to the family,” he said.
Family, it’s funny that the importance of family has not stricken me in sometime now. At one point in my life it was the only thing I lived for, I have not even considered much of why I pushed my family away, even through their constant attempts to talk sense into me. It maybe because I do not have the love I once had to allow people into my life, or it is simply because a lone walk in life sometimes the more favorable option.
Chapter 2 – A Walk Down Memory Lane
On the morning of May 26th, 2011 I woke up to what was arguably the worst hangover of my life. It was also the day before Rohini and Akil’s wedding. I have the impression that it was just a few months ago; we were in our living room, making a toast to the newly engaged couple. I guess they must have really been in a rush to get hitched. At times, I do believe Rohini is always in a rush with things, and to be honest I actually would not be surprised if she makes me an uncle in a few months. She is always in a rush to do things, but I knew that she considered everything repeatedly a million times over before committing to a decision. So I was confident that her decision to get married would not have come without a long thought process.
Rolling around in my bed I turned towards the right lamp desk where my sunglasses were sitting. Everything that happened last night is still a blur, but looking out my resort window at the view of the beautiful blue sea, I knew it must have been a crazy night. Although the wedding came soon, I am extremely glad that Rohini and Akil came to the decision of having it in the Dominican Republic. I could probably stick around the hotel room in my boxers for the rest of the day with this headache, but I am not prepared to waste a day in paradise. You would think being twenty-five years old would make me a more organized individual, but I like keeping things a mess; my kind of neat.
My hangover is definitely getting the best of me; at this point I don’t give a single care of what I wear. I saw my black basketball shorts and a black t-shirt lying on my bed from yesterday, so I think it is best just wearing those for now. After all, the cute girls are not going to be up at seven in the morning. Honestly, I don’t even know what I was doing awake right now. Heading over to the washroom, I needed some urgent attention. My body was asking me to take care of my mandatory human needs as soon as possible; and when I did, my word, it was heavenly. After washing my hands, it felt great brushing my teeth, getting rid of that nasty morning taste after a night of drinking.
A lot of people I have drank with in the past have told me that a shot of alcohol helps cure hangovers in the morning, so hey why not drink down the sample of whisky in the mini fridge. I wasn’t an alcoholic or anything, but when I drank, I drank! It only took me a few minutes to get back on my feet again. My immediate reaction was to call, and check where my three idiot brothers were. Asha was probably asleep, and Rohini is most likely dealing with wedding stress. Getting those goofs to pick up their phone is probably going to be extremely hard. They were probably in their rooms asleep, or in the beds of some random girls. Either way I probably should not disturb them; heading over to get some breakfast seemed like a more reasonable plan.
Grabbing my pack of Belmont cigarettes and zippo lighter I made my way out the door. Right outside the door was a maid; I smiled and warned her, “Good luck in there.” I could tell she was not looking forward to what she was about to see. To ease her pain I slipped her a twenty-dollar bill. Her reaction made it seem as if she can face the biggest army if they were all crowded in that one room.
Walking out the elevator I can see the heavenly enlarged glass doors leading to paradise. Making my way through the doors I was welcomed by the tall palm trees, morning risers, and the glorifying sun sitting over the horizon of the beautiful water.
Wandering through the courtyard I came across many friendly faces, smiles and morning compliments from everyone. Continuing along the path and over the small bridge I can see Mahat sleeping near the pool. We must have been around here sometime last night; at least I was able to make it to my bed. I was struck with an amusing thought. What if I were to push him into the pool? He would probably be upset, but I could care less because it would be hilarious. As I walked quietly towards him I start to wonder why I’m even trying to be quiet, the guy is out cold. So instead of walking quietly towards him, I rushed to him, and smashed Mahat with a dynamic kick to his ass. His reaction was priceless, he was not pleased, and that was clearly visible by the look on his face. He got out the pool, and walked by me with a dirty look; he grumbled. “Not cool bro, not cool at all.”
&nb
sp; To me it was hilarious, and as I watched him walking back towards to the hotel doors I got the remaining laughs out of my system. Placing a smoke between my lips I used my zippo to light it up, and continued making my way towards the outdoor breakfast buffet.
There were already a few families sitting at the tables eating breakfast over conversation. I wasn’t all that hungry, but some coffee would be extremely helpful right now. After grabbing my cup of coffee I decided to take a seat at the nearby bar. Throwing my smoke in the distance, I took a seat on the bar stool; making a concerted effort to remember the events of last night as I took steady sips from my cup. I should have probably asked Mahat if he remembered anything instead of pushing him into the pool, it was completely worth it though. After a fifteen-minute interval a gorgeous woman came and sat next to me, she seemed a tad bit familiar. I don’t think she even acknowledged the fact that I was sitting next to her; either that or she didn’t even care.
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