by Sachin Garg
She pulled me by my T-shirt out of that room.
We came out of Urban Pind. Out of the claustrophobia, when the air outside hit me, I actually been slapped by that guy. What was I doing? I was the guy who went to college every day, did his assignments on time, and talked to his mom everyday on the phone. And now, I was fighting guys at a club, travelling across city, chasing a girl who couldn’t think beyond some weird drug called Heroin. I am not that guy. Or am I?
We reached our flat, without exchanging a word during the whole return journey. This time, the normally chirpy Vandana seemed as tired and beaten as I did.
As she began to retire to her own room, I decided to ask what was killing me for curiosity and I called out to her, ‘Vandana?’
‘Yes?’
‘Who was Divya?’
‘Oh, she is nobody important; just somebody who was in love with me.’
The morning was a sombre one. Both of us were quiet. Suddenly, she was now a subdued, mellowed mature person that her age would have forced her to be. I didn’t like her this way. I liked her jumping around, cracking annoying jokes and being a prick.
‘I think I should go back to the Ashram,’ Vandana said, as she sipped her tea sitting in the balcony of my flat.
‘You think I would let you go?’
‘My work here is done. I need to meditate and get my focus back.’
‘The best way to get your focus back is to distract yourself. Get so busy that you have no time to worry about your focus.’
‘I don’t belong here. I belong to The Ashram. I have no work here.’
‘Yes, you do. You are the one who would tell me how to chat up a drug-head.’
Vandana thought about it for a second. Divya, it seems, had broken her spirits. There was such a striking change in her from last night. She chewed on what I had just said, and then I saw a faint smile break on her face.
‘I could be around for a few days,’ she said.
I extended a hand. But Vandana was not impressed.
‘Things are different now. Until yesterday, we were battling your past. But yesterday, we opened the Pandora box of my past too.’
‘People who run away from circumstances are cowards. You are a strong believer of this school of thought, Vandana.’
She didn’t have a reply to that. I had cornered her this time.
She nodded her head, indicating she would stay on, reluctantly though. This was it. We were in this together, once again.
‘So where do we start?’ I asked.
‘I think I know where to start.’
‘Where?’
‘Aradhya,’ she replied.
We were on our way to the publisher’s office the next afternoon, when my phone started vibrating.
‘Hiiiiii’, Saloni gleamed as I picked the call. ‘Wassup guruji? How is yoga treating you?’
‘It’s going alright. I am learning new things. Feeling a lot better about myself actually,’ I said, realizing I really was feeling busy and better.
‘Great. And here I am, having the time of my life in South Africa.’ Saloni was on a holiday with her husband.
‘Wow. What all are you doing there?’
‘Well, deep sea diving, walks on the beach, getting naughty on the jetty, I think we’ve done it all. Boy, this trip is so awesome!’ I could feel her excitement and if I wasn’t so preoccupied with my own stuff, I would have wanted to speak to her much longer.
‘When are you back?’
‘Well I am taking off on the evening of first of July. But I don’t think I will be able to come at all. I want to live here.’
I wished her the very best and told her how happy I was for her. But I couldn’t talk long. I was on my way to the publisher’s office.
Aradhya, the receptionist, was where she was the last time. If she had come to know that we fooled her, it would jeopardize everything for us.
The moment her eyes laid on us, we had the answer to that question. She had come to know that we had been lying.
‘You two!’ she picked up the phone in front of her. ‘Let me call the security to drag you imposters out.’
Vandana took a step forward and disconnected the call Aradhya was making.
‘Come on, Aradhya beta, it wasn’t that confidential an information,’ Vandana said. I knew using words like beta didn’t come to her naturally, but the situation demanded that.
‘Are you serious? You made me give you the number of Mr Jaaved Khan and you think it’s not that important information? You are from a competitor publishing house, aren’t you? If you guys made one annoying call and he came to know that I gave you his number, he will have me fired in two minutes!’
‘Jaaved Khan’s number? You think we were after Jaaved Khan’s number? We threw the paper away on which we wrote his number even before we got into the cab.’
‘You think I will believe you after what you did?’ Aradhya said.
‘I know it’s hard for you to believe us beta. But look at me. I’m almost your mother’s age. Just come with me for a coffee and you will understand everything.’ The mother’s-age argument was actually a very strong one. And I bet curiosity must be eating up Aradhya too. So after some more convincing from both of us, Aradhya agreed for coffee during the lunch hour.
We agreed to meet at Costa Coffee outside the publisher’s office. Vandana and I went there and waited for her.
‘Vandana?’
‘Samar?’
‘Why do we keep finding ourselves waiting for people these days?’
‘That’s because you are on summer vacation and my life is a vacation any way. And people on vacation are mostly the people waiting.’
Aradhya walked in at one fifteen, as she had promised. And hence began the longest narration Aradhya would ever have to sit through. Vandana told her everything about me that she knew and how I had met her and why we were pursuing Navya. And we didn’t even know if Aradhya had any information which could lead us to Navya or not.
And once Vandana was done telling the story, both of us looked at her without blinking our eyes, waiting to hear what comes out next from her mouth.
‘Well,’ Aradhya uttered and stopped midway. We knew that very moment that she did have an idea in her head but wasn’t sure if she wanted to share.
‘Well, there is this party happening. It’s Ronnie’s birthday party,’ she finally said.
‘Tell us more?’ Vandana egged her on.
‘I know Navya will come to that party because she is good friends with Ronnie. Ronnie is a TV actor but he meets all sorts of people. So there will be some people from Bollywood too. And it will be hard to get in. Ronny is in the process of penning a book and he thinks I can help him because I work at a publishing company. That explains my invitation, but luckily he doesn’t know that I’m just a receptionist.’
‘And what do you think will be happening at the party?’ Vandana asked.
‘Well, there are two parts of all such parties. One part is for the kids. There will be music and alcohol and there will be lots of models throwing themselves around to producers and directors and people who claim to be powerful. But the real party happens on the terrace. The first time you go there, you think it’s a pathetic sight. Everyone is high on his favourite drugs. All they care about is where their next drag is coming from.’
Vandana nodded as I looked on. Urban Pind was one thing but gate crashing this party seemed a bit too much.
‘Can you chalk out an idea which will take us inside?’ I asked, almost without hope.
Aradhya gave a blank look. I could almost hear the Brownian whirring of thoughts inside Vandana’s brain. She knew she had to come up with something fast as Aradhya would leave any moment.
‘What sort of new people come to such a party?’
‘Well, anybody who is friends with Ronnie. Or, famous people. And some drug dealers too, making sure people don’t run out of anything. And the party is just ten days away which doesn’t leave you with any time to be any of the
above.’
‘Friendship and fancy fame are ruled out,’ I said.
‘I guess that leaves us only one option,’ Vandana said.
‘Are you saying you’re going to sell drugs at the party?’ Aradhya asked.
‘Worth a shot?’ Vandana said with a not-so-confident smug smile.
‘It’s no joke being a dealer at these parties because they have good sources already. And I don’t even know who to talk to if you want to deal in this party.’
‘You have Ronnie’s phone number?’ I asked.
‘Well, er. Yes. But I am not calling him.’
‘Give his number to me,’ Vandana said. Aradhya closed her eyes for two seconds, release some air from her mouth and then nervously gave her the number. She then left the table, without offering to pay the bill.
We came out, and without thinking much, Vandana dialled the number.
‘Don’t you want to plan something before calling him,’ I asked her.
‘Planning makes me nervous,’ she said, as she waited for someone to pick the phone.
‘Hello?’ she heard a voice.
‘Is it Ronnie?’ she said, in a crisp accent.
‘Yes? Who’s this?’
‘Hi Ronnie. This is Vandana here. I got to know about the party you’re organizing on the 27th of June and I am told that you need some stuff for that.’
‘What sort of stuff do you have?’
‘The best. You won’t find any equivalents around.’
‘I mean what is it? Weed, Heroin, Meth? What the fuck do you have?’
‘What do you want? We have everything.’
‘Listen smart ass. We have enough of our dealers of our own and I don’t even pick calls from new dealers unless someone I know has introduce me to them. But we don’t have Meth for this particular party. So if you have Meth, come with five bags. Otherwise don’t show your face.’
‘I have the finest Meth you can find in Delhi. How do I get in?’
‘Reach the venue and give me a call. And if the Meth is no good, don’t think I won’t break your head right there,’ he said and hung up.
A part of Vandana was really petrified. This guy could make people pee in their pants just by his voice. Vandana wondered what will happen if he comes in front of her and shouts at her.
Meth is short for Methamphetamine and this drug is also known as Speed, Meth, chalk, ice, crystal, glass, mostly because it looks like ice or a white block.
Meth is one of the most dangerous drugs known today and is extremely addictive. Although it can be taken orally or by snorting through the nose or injecting with a syringe, but the most popular method is to heat and smoke it.
It is known to stimulate the central nervous system and de-addiction is a rather challenging process.
Users will seek and use more Methamphetamine in order to get back to that state of pleasure, or to just feel ‘normal’ again, which results in a physical dependence on the drug. It is a never-ending cycle.
A person addicted to Meth experiences irritability, depression and other withdrawal symptoms and hence, de-addiction needs expert supervision.
People withdrawing from Methamphetamine can alternate from wanting to sleep all the time, to not being able to sleep. Withdrawal symptoms can last for several weeks.
One of the effects of Meth is prolonged wakefulness. Users don’t sleep for days together and in extreme cases, can even lead to death.
This is what Wikipedia says about Meth.
The Time Has Come
The next morning, I woke up thinking of Navya. Until now, looking for her had been a personal motive. I was looking for her because I wanted myself to be at peace. For me, it was a search for closure. I needed to know where she was, and whether she was still in love with me. If she was, then we may or may not get back. But if she was not, I needed to know that too so that I could move on with life. It was a search for the rearmost catharsis.
But now, after having seen her in that condition, things had changed completely. I imagined the way she used to look in Goa: so unkempt and yet as vivacious as a fresh monsoon flower. And the same person now looked like a downtrodden rag picker. I apprehended any connection with her current condition because of my coldness towards her in Goa.
I called every friend of mine who had ever mentioned any drug in front of me. But none of them had any idea how to source Meth in Delhi; apparently, it was too hard a drug for them.
I searched on the net, I read how Meth was a big nuisance in the US, among other countries. The government had been trying to curb the use of this drug for years but wasn’t able to do much. The challenge that the government faced was that Meth could be manufactured using simple Chemistry Lab instruments and by using ingredients which could be arranged from a simple Walmart store.
But it was also a process which required a lot of skill, and there was considerable risk. Therefore, the prices were high. There was more money to be had than anywhere else if a person masters the technique and proportions.
And then, it struck me. We would have to cook Meth ourselves. And without weighing the oddities, I plunged into how-to-cook-Meth. And I realized it was not impossible; It would be an uphill task but not impossible for sure. With much excitement I went and told this to Vandana.
It was the first of July. I was half way into my summer vacation. In a month’s time, there would be companies coming to my campus for interviews. I was running out of time. We had nine days until the party. If we wanted to pull this off, we had to act fast.
‘And on seeing us they’d be convinced that we are Meth dealers, right?’ Vandana mocked at me when I told her my idea.
I smiled with confidence.
‘You mean you are going to grow Meth in your backyard?’ she said.
‘Meth is not grown on plants. It’s prepared in a Chemistry Lab. And you might remember that I am a Chemical Engineer in the making.’
‘Dude, we are talking real complex drugs here! You are a kid. If it was this easy then wouldn’t every one start cooking it? Somehow I can’t convince myself,’ she said.
‘I will have to work sleeplessly just to put the theory together,’ I said.
‘And how are you planning to put all this theory together?’
‘Well, this is where Uncle Fester comes in.’
‘Uncle who?’ Vandana reacted.
‘Uncle Fester. His real name was Steve Priesler and he was from the US from the early 1980s. Basically, he was a nut head, famous for producing explosives and blowing things up in the Chemistry Lab when he was in school. He was an Industrial Chemist, who, after getting arrested for possession of Methamphetamine was sentenced to probation. Outraged, Fester borrowed a typewriter from a fellow inmate in jail, and began writing his first book.’
‘What does that have to with us?’ Vandana asked.
‘The name of his book was ‘Secrets of Methamphetamine Manufacture’. He has listed six different ways of Meth manufacture for a beginner, which is exactly what we need.’
‘I am not sure. So we walk into a bookstore and ask for that book?’
‘You can’t. Such a book can never get published in India,’ I said.
‘Yep.’
‘And then we would have to get all the raw material and I have no idea how we are going to do that.
‘And you are going to do all this in nine days?’
‘Well, er, yes, with a bit of luck, yes.’
‘It’s an extremely steep task, even if you were Einstein,’ Vandana said, dismissing me.
‘Do you have a better idea?’ I asked her. She had to shut up.
‘Samar listen, you are actually going to cook one of the most dangerous drugs in the world. I mean, if we manufacture it and give it to Ronnie, it will be actually smoked by someone. Are you okay with being the reason behind someone spoiling his life using the drugs made with your hands?’
‘I had thought of that. But then, it is Navya’s rest of life which was at stake. I would never be able to forgive myself for
being the one to cook Meth. But this is one trade off I was willing to make. Those Meth-heads were anyway going to get it from one source or another. But I am only thinking of Navya right now. That’s one innocent life that we can save.’
Thankfully, Vandana nodded on hearing my argument. This was important for me because I did not want to drag her into it without her unfettered conviction. And I was seeking validation from her. I wanted her to have resonance with my thoughts.
‘So how do you think we will get this book?’ she asked.
‘Well, one of my friends, Saloni is in South Africa right now. She is taking off this evening and will land early morning tomorrow. I had identified an online book store there which would deliver the book the same day, if Saloni was willing to play along.’
I told Saloni to pick a packet which would get delivered to her room in the hotel. She didn’t argue and instead, joked about what will happen if she gets caught by the customs.
She didn’t realize but it was a genuine concern. But I was also confident that Saloni and her husband wouldn’t look suspicious to the custom authorities and were unlikely to be stopped.
We went to receive Saloni at the airport and I took the packet from her as soon as I could. I didn’t open it in front of her even though she showered a thousand questions at me. Thankfully, Vandana and Saloni hit off instantly. Vandana had enough stories from The Ashram to keep her amused. And we dropped Saloni and her husband to their house safe and sound.
I jumped into the book ‘Secrets of Methamphetamine Manufacture’ the moment we reached the flat. The book opened with a long list of disclaimers and precautions.
I started reading from the first line on the first page and stopped only at the last line of the last page around forty hours later. Every waking minute, I could feel the clock ticking. The read was mentally sapping but I wanted to make sure I knew everything there was to know about the process.
I had my notebook in front of me all this while in which I strategized as to how would I go about doing the whole thing. And the moment I was done reading the book, I sat in front of my laptop and starting Googling; with watery eyes and droopy eyelids. Looking at the computer screen, I didn’t realize when I fell asleep. And then I woke up, brushed my teeth, went to the toilet and got back to reading on the net again.