I anticipated more people joining us on the airline, but a large sum of them were only there to make sure we got on the jet safely.
“Going to be a long ride bro, it’s better to get sleep,” suggested Remone.
“I’ll try, but it’s your marijuana that’s been putting me to sleep as of late,” I replied.
Remone sitting across from me laughed; looking over to my right Marona grinned, as I smirked back. As the pilot spoke, I closed my eyes, in preparation of a wild ride.
Chapter 9 - A Wild Start
In the midst of a new beginning I closed my eyes to a memory of Hasini, one that I have failed to consider till now. It was of the time she took me to the place I proposed to her; I believe it was about three or four months before I proposed. I remember it because it was the first time the thought of death even crossed my mind. It was just another ordinary day, and Hasini had invited me to a place she admires a lot. Walking through the forest path she was asking me loads of random questions.
“Arrun what would you do if I died tomorrow?” She asked, putting me on the spot.
“Hasini, honestly? What sort of dumb question is that?” I asked back confused.
“Just answer it,” she demanded.
“I’d probably lose it, go insane. I honestly don’t know what I would do without you. Probably jut become one of those really emotional people, maybe feel like dying?”
“You love me that much,” she asked.
“Yes!” I shouted.
“What are you a fruitcake,” asked Hasini; the both of us laughed.
“What do you mean,” I asked.
“I mean don’t be a complete idiot. Would you really go to extents of throwing you’re entire life away if I die? I thought the man I loved was stronger than that; I expected him to have the courage to face all odds. Arrun it’s cute, it’s cute that you love me so much, but please don’t be one of those emotional wrecks. You have the potential to go really far in life; don’t make me responsible for your downfall. If I’m gone I want you to fall in love again, and continue leading a life where you’re happy!”
Intensely smiling I responded, “You thought I was serious? Of course I’d move on!”
“Jerk,” Hasini’s reaction was priceless; she knew I was joking though.
She would have hated seeing the way I turned out. That day, I just considered it a topic of discussion. I did not deem in the likelihood of either one of us loosing each other till we were well aged and through with life. It’s quite amusing how sometimes a casual talk of possibility can end up as reality; it happens so very often without most of our notice.
This memory may have been what I needed all along; resting my eyes finally seemed possible. I needed to change; I needed to reduce my emotions and become stronger. I had to once again become the man that Hasini loved.
There was some alcohol on the flight, after a few shots I was good to sleep for a while.
“Wake up, bro wake up!” Shouted a voice.
An unexpected disturbance suddenly woke me up. I haven’t slept this peacefully in months! It was Remone who disturbed my peace, all because he was bored.
“Arrun, I didn’t want to disturb you but, I’m so bored man,” he said.
“Why’d you have to disturb my rest? Couldn’t you go talk to Marona?” I asked.
“Seriously bro? Do you want to see me get thrown off this plane? Is it so difficult for you to stay awake for a few more hours? You slept through majority of the trip man; let me remind me you, this plane ride is 23hrs long!”
I guess he was right, I mean I did sleep through majority of this trip. There was about five more hours till our arrival to Chennai, Tamil Nadu, and it would make sense for me to actually learn more about Remone. Maybe I could even get an idea of what to expect when we get there.
“Fine man you win, I’ll stay up for the next few hours,” I said in a displeased tone.
“So tell me Remone, how’d you get involved in all this?” I asked, curiously.
“Oh man that’s a long story,” he said.
“Bro, don’t you think we have the time, just tell me,” I urged.
“Okay, I was going to tell you. You’re the one that cut me off,” he said, as he prepared to share his story.
“I’ve been around this stuff for about ten years now. I was born in Chennai; I’ve never even seen my mother, apparently she split when I was born. My dad was an asshole bro; the dude beat me almost everyday. I’m not even surprised that my mother left us, I mean who would want to live with someone like him. I’d say I was about sixteen when I decided to leave home too. There was this one-day when I was trying to find food; I decided to rob one of these big scary dudes. Obviously my luck, he caught me trying to steal and beat the shit out of me. Verone Duranji, Marona’s eldest son was the one who saved me. He helped me stick around and find small jobs to pay for necessities; and now they allow me to be involved in some of the more serious situations. I became a man watching the business. I think you’d like Verone, but Miran is going to be kind of hard getting used to.”
“Is Miran Marona’s second son,” I queried; I was beginning to get curious.
“Yeah he is, and trust me bro, you do not want to get on that guys bad side. He’s only a few years older than us, but the guy is scarier than the devil himself. Marona loves him; it’s probably because Miran is literally the youthful version of himself. The guy doesn’t give a damn about what happens after his actions. If you get in his way, you’ll probably end up dead.”
“So basically he’s a psycho, who gets to roam free,” I commented.
“Quiet bro! Marona is going to hear you,” whispered Remone.
“Alright, don’t worry I’ll be quiet. So tell me, what kind of shit did I get myself into?”
“I know you were an engineer and all before, but you need to know that your new job is far from that. In case you don’t know, you’re lawless now. Just as much of dirt bag as any person you’ll be meeting in the next few hours. Society never liked us, but they don’t understand that we need to be criminals to survive. If we don’t resort to this we’d probably be a panhandler, roaming the streets asking stuck up rich people for coin. With this job we’re able to earn more money than the average man. You’re going to be involved in drug trafficking, extortion, kidnapping, assassinations, and the business world politics. You may not like it, but I think you’ll get the hang of it.”
“Sounds pretty serious, but I’m not doing it for the money,” I replied.
“Why would you want to be a criminal then,” asked Remone.
“I don’t know; as of late life just feels really empty, I need a thrill. That’s what I used to enjoy about life, the rush feeling. It made me feel alive; I want it again, I don’t want to wake up every morning and feel death dragging me down.”
“I can’t nail a character assessment on you bro. At first I thought you were some depressed dude, and then you come save the day, after that you topped it off with a murder, and now this. I think this can be the beginning of a great friendship.”
Remone was right, this could be the start of a great friendship. Maybe I was just quick on the trigger, judging him. He is actually a really cool guy; he had to be a criminal to survive, because life did not allow him to go in any other direction.
We continued to trade stories of our lives over the last few hours of travel. I still refrained from speaking about Hasini, even though she did come up in the conversation here and there.
It took a days travel for us to reach our destination, but looking out the window I could see the large landmass that holds my future. I didn’t know how to feel about it; I was born in Chennai, but I haven’t been back since Sarah adopted me. The death of my parents led to my departure, and now murder is what brought me back; death has been my only true companion.
As we got set for landing I felt my mind ease a little more. It felt amazing; after months of sheer torture to my thoughts, I finally had a sense of relief. Hasini will always be the o
ne that got away, but its time for me to move on and venture into what life has in store for me next.
Stepping out the private airline, I was expecting a lot of men for an escort to the Duranji residence. Although to my surprise that was not the case, there were actually just two vehicles with a driver in each. Walking down the flight of stairs I was confused; this is it? I thought Marona Duranji was a big deal; and all he gets is a measly driver for a pick up? The vehicles were nice though, two black Range Rovers; I did not expect Chennai to be so modern. Then again, I guess being an international criminal pays a little more than what the average man makes.
“Welcome to my world kid,” whispered Marona. As usual I just replied back with a smile. I really did not know how to talk to the guy, its not that I was scared of him but he hasn’t lived up to that acclaimed name of his just yet. It just keeps me speculating of what the hype is about. Remone and I watched as the two henchmen whom accompanied us on our journey loaded the luggage. The henchmen both join Marona, in the first SUV. I was joined by Remone in the second; following the other vehicle, in what was said to be an hour-long drive.
Twenty minutes into the ride I could not help but find myself in awe; Chennai is far more beautiful and developed than I imagined. When you’re raised in a westernized country its hard to consider the fact that the rest of the world develops with time; however the level of visible poverty is not a pleasant sight. As I continued to stare in amazement, I was still curious of how someone of Marona’s standards only had two men present for his arrival.
“Hey Remone, does the driver understand English,” I whispered.
“No, Why?” Questioned Remone.
“I’ve been curious about this since we got off the jet; why is it that there were only two cars to pick up Marona? Like the guy was almost killed a few nights ago, shouldn’t there be more protection? We don’t even know who planned the attack on him.”
“Arrun, my friend. You need to understand that Chennai is the Duranji district; there is no one on the radar who is gutsy enough to attempt an empire takedown.”
The hype truly never fades; with every passing moment Marona’s name is mentioned, his praise reaches a new level. I for one think that they are way to in over their heads. Look at me; just a few months back I thought I had my life all figured out, but my story had other twists in store. Marona could be the world’s biggest criminal, but at the end of the day, he dies; like every other man.
As I continued to glance through the window, admiring my new unfamiliar setting I noticed a red vehicle racing by. The men in the vehicle were masked; within a blink of an eye I was witness to Marona’s vehicle heating under heavy fire. As our driver slammed the break, I felt the pressure of the seat belt surge against my chest. Remone was quick to react; he reached over the seat into the trunk grabbing two sub-machine guns, and as we ducked our body behind the seat he quickly showed me how to use the gun. There was a calm relief running through my body, and the emotionless soul I’ve had the past few months was beginning to get the best of me. I closed my eyes, and the sounds around me drifted seemingly slow. Remone had taken cover behind the left passenger door; I could hear him desperately crying out my name for support.
Opening my door, I watched as our elderly driver attempted to flee. His attempt fell short as he received an immediate piercing bullet to his head. Closing the door behind me I started walking towards the masked men, with a gun in my hand, blazing. Without any training, I really just fired at will; looking forward in the direction of Marona’s vehicle I noticed that the henchmen had already taken down a few of the masked men. Unfortunately for them they’re pure flesh wasn’t bulletproof; I tried shooting down the surrounding masked individuals but, the henchmen fell to their deaths.
I could hear Remone calling out to me, pleading to take cover behind the SUV. I ignored him, continuously pacing towards Marona’s Range Rover; at this point I did not even know if Marona was alive, but he called me his son. Emptying my clip, I brought down three of the unidentified men; only one remained. Through the tinted rear window I could see movement; it was Marona! He was fine, but if I didn’t think quickly, the last remaining foe would have surely got him. Dropping the empty gun to the ground I began to sprint in the direction of Marona’s vehicle; “ARRUN! Watch out,” Remone shouted. I was in a clear aim for the masked man; he could end my life right there, or maybe he’ll miss. I was willing to take my chance with him; racing straight for the man, I heard the bursts of rapid fire.
Remone managed to take down the last man; turning in his direction I playfully said, “Nice shot bro,” he didn’t seem to be pleased with my methods. Marona stepped out of his vehicle, unharmed. He was furious; it was probably his disbelief that someone actually tried to take him out. But the poor soul Remone shot didn’t die just yet; Marona walked over and unmasked the covert man. “Tell me who sent you, and maybe you’ll live to see another day,” he whispered. “Shekhar Khan,” responded the man in hopes of being spared, but sparing the man who tried to kill him was the last of Marona’s belief. With mighty force Marona clomped down into the mans face, merely using his foot.
“Remone! Call one of those idiots to come pick us up,” ordered a furious Marona.
I stood beside Remone as he made the call, and before you knew it there were vehicles hammering in left and right. Seeing the amount of back up rolling in I could not stop but wonder why these fools couldn’t just be with us in the first place. The lives of the innocent drivers could have been spared; I wonder who’s going to support their families now.
“Arrun! Come over here, I want you to meet some people,” called out Marona.
I began walking towards Marona, and I watched as he began gathering all his men in a crowd. As I stood side by side with him he began to speak; the way everyone stood around him, you would think he was a politician or something.
“I am your king, there is no denying that; nor will there ever be any change in that. Starting today along with Verone and Miran, you’ll be listening to the orders of Arrun, my third son. He’s saved my life on two occasions now; something you idiots should’ve been doing. While were talking about that, would anyone of you idiots like to explain to me why the these two dead henchmen were sent to protect me?”
“Remone, saved your life too,” I interrupted.
Marona and the other men immediately turned their head in my direction. “Remone’s the one who shot down the last man,” I said calmly; I don’t think these guys respect Remone enough to be such a big piece of their kingdom, and it bothered me. Remone running next to me spoke, “Sorry Marona, I don’t think he meant to interrupt you.” I stood confused; I don’t understand why he watched as I was given all the credit.
“Are you serious, with all this bullshit,” intruded a voice in the crowds.
“Verone and I are you only sons. You bring some pampered kid from Canada and throw him in to the deep waters, thinking he could swim? You’re getting too old pops, allowing some little bitch to speak up to you. Oh look the bitch and our pet dog Remone saved the day. Get back on the plane and ship your ass back to Canada little one, this game is for the big kids.”
Through the crowd of men walked forth Miran, with an attitude to complement what Remone vouched. I did not appreciate a single word that came out of his mouth; I did not come here to be another one of their pets. Stepping eye to eye with the animal, I replied, “You call Remone the dog, but you’re the one barking.”
“What did you say to me?” Shouted Miran.
“What are you deaf,” I questioned.
The heat was rising; I noticed that I wasn’t off to a great start at making friends. Like statues we stood face to face, waiting for the other to instigate something. “Both of you, get yourselves together,” said Marona as he attempted to break the tension. He ordered everyone to head back into the cars and make way to the Duranji residence.
Cross Roads: Pick a Path Page 6