by Tariq Saleim
Coco knew exactly what he meant. She decided to ignore his sarcasm for now.
“When can I be released?” Coco asked courteously.
“If you think your job is done, then I can sign your transfer orders promptly.”
“Yes, I am done.”
“OK then, I will sign your transfer orders today and you can leave, at your convenience, in the next few days. I will place a letter of appreciation in your file to officially thank you for the good work that you have done here.”
A letter of appreciation? Coco was baffled. The Commander was certainly behaving strangely today.
“Do not look so shocked, Doctor. You are a talented physician and your services shall be acknowledged.”
“I thought you were pissed at me. Excuse my language.”
“I was and still am. But I cannot ignore the fact that you are a brilliant doctor. I cannot let my anger ruin someone’s career. I cannot let my fury deprive the people of the UPF of a hardworking, kindhearted doctor. The UPF needs you.”
Coco was flabbergasted. She had walked into the room expecting rude comments, criticism, and an awful review for her files. However, things had gone differently, much to her surprise.
“Nile gave me his wife’s contact number. He wants me to check on his family occasionally, once I am back home.” She felt duty bound to update the Commander on this development. She was sure he knew this already, but nevertheless, she decided to disclose it from her side for the sake of good order.
“I don’t have a problem with this,” replied the Commander. He showed no concerns or signs of distress. “I also want to let you know that we are dropping all charges against Nile.”
“You are doing what?” Coco yelled in shock.
“You heard it right—I am going to release Nile as well. I do not think he works for ORRF. He was caught with illegal materials, but we have not been able to find a direct link to ORRF. We will give him a warning, confiscate all the materials we acquired from him, and then let him go. His family needs him and he should be given a second chance.”
“You are such a kind man. I am so sorry. All this time I did not understand you. I am really very sorry.” Coco was excited and said sorry a dozen times in the next few minutes. The Commander had turned out to be a totally different person from what she had believed. He was objective, kind, and rational. He had tortured Nile, but he always knew his limits. He never went beyond the point from where Nile could not be saved. He had to make sure that Nile was not hiding anything and for that he had to resort to some degree of brutality.
“Doctor Coco, it was an honor to work with an intelligent woman like you.” The Commander stood up and offered his hand. This was the first time he had called her by her nickname. She took his hand, stood up, and saluted the Commander.
“Thank you for everything, Commander.”
He nodded and started walking toward the door. Coco followed, knowing that it was time to leave.
“Does Nile know about this?” asked Coco.
“No, and I was thinking if you could give him the good news…”
“With pleasure, sir.” Coco saluted the Commander again, turned around, and briskly walked away. He knew where she was going. Once she was gone, he asked his junior officer to follow him into his room.
“Prepare her transfer orders,” said the Commander. “Put a letter of appreciation in her file and send her packing as soon as possible.”
“Letter of appreciation, sir?” The junior officer wondered what had changed in the last few days.
“Disarm your enemy, let them believe in the truce, and when they are sleeping in peace, capture them and shred them to pieces,” the Commander said calmly. “Let her believe she got away. Let her feel she has done something right, something noble. She will go and see Nile, now that she knows we will set him free. If Nile is indeed ORRF, he will eventually take her to them as well. That day, I will capture them all and then I will strangle Doctor Twelve.CO with my bare hands.”
“Right, sir.” The junior officer looked at his commanding officer in awe. I wish I could be like him one day.
CHAPTER 12
Sector 3, Sub-Sector 1 (formerly known as New York, United States of America)
Hawk was not having a good day at all. Suddenly, there was too much trouble around him. Ken’s death had adversely affected Spike. His beating, by men he refused to talk about, complicated matters further. The fact that Ken had been working for ORRF and tried to shoot a Militia officer was extremely disturbing for family and friends. No one believed that ORRF could be deeply rooted in society, but now they were having second thoughts. Ken had been a normal guy up until a few years ago and then suddenly he changed. He was radicalized by religious extremists, leading to his eventual death.
Attendance at Ken’s funeral was thin. Other than immediate family and a few close friends like Hawk, most people stayed away. No one wanted to be seen attending the funeral of an ORRF operative. This further saddened Spike and his parents. Ken lived in seclusion and died in seclusion. He could not even get an honorable burial where friends and family said nice things about the deceased and cried for their loss. He died a hated person.
Spike had been treated for broken ribs and a hairline fracture in his skull. His physical wounds were healing, but his soul was still bleeding. He was a changed man—afraid to talk, scared to go out. He looked troubled. Hawk hated to admit it, but Spike had started to resemble his dead sibling. He had taken several weeks off from the office. His paid leave had been consumed fully and he was now on leave without pay. Hawk wanted him to get back to the office as soon as he could, but something was keeping Spike locked behind the doors. He had vacated his apartment and moved to his parents’ place. Hawk thought it was a great idea. Spike’s parents also needed support and having him around ought to help.
There was also the issue of Hawk’s girlfriend, Coco. She had returned home and had insisted on moving into his apartment. Initially, it felt OK. He thought she had missed him and wanted to make up for the lost time. However, reality was different. She was physically with him, but mentally absent most of the time. She blamed it on her new job. Reportedly, some high-level Militia officer had given her a letter of appreciation for her services that landed her a promotion in her new job. She was now a department head and hence very busy. Hawk did not even bother asking what department she was heading. He was happy for her success, but disturbed about her lack of interest.
Sex with Coco was more like a ritual, devoid of any passion. She went through the motions and he felt insulted every time this happened. He endured her rudeness a few times and then decided to stay away from her. He had other girls who were willing to meet his demands. There was no need to waste his energy and youth on a boring doctor who was probably too old and cold.
And then there was Pepper, Spike’s so-called girlfriend. She did not show up at Ken’s funeral and Hawk was upset because of that. Spike needed all the support he could get and Pepper should have been there. She told Spike that she was traveling and the shoot could not be cancelled. Spike had accepted her excuse, but Hawk could not. If she was incapable of showing support to her boyfriend now, then surely Spike did not need her.
As if this was not enough, she was openly sleeping around with a fifty-something-year-old guy who was a high-ranking officer in the Energy sector. He was being touted as the next CEO of Energy, and Pepper shamelessly courted him. It was a very public affair. Their fling had led to her lover’s recent, quick, and expensive divorce. He was officially single now and rumors were that they would be announcing their engagement soon. Spike was somehow comfortable with all this. Hawk brought up the subject and Spike told him that he had too much on his plate and Pepper’s rumored love interests did not trouble him much.
Pepper was not stopping here, though. Recently, Hawk had received a loan financing proposal for his review. It was a medium-sized oil company that had freshly acquired distribution rights in a remote sector. During the due diligence process,
Hawk found out that Pepper held a significant percentage of shares in the company. The value of the project was into millions of dollars and Pepper’s share was significant. Pepper was rich but not this rich, and Hawk was quick to infer that her proximity to her new boyfriend had something to do with this. He wondered if she was fronting for her new boyfriend. He had informed Spike about this as well. Spike thought these were legitimate business interests and hence did not warrant objections. Spike was right, but what he failed to notice was that Pepper never had this much money in the first place. Hawk was absolutely sure that Pepper was living dangerously. He did not give a damn about Pepper, but he was worried about Spike. He did not want Spike to get hurt in any way because of Pepper’s wrongdoings.
Hawk was juggling all this and trying his best to stay afloat. Career took priority over everything and he made sure he gave 100 percent to his job. If all else failed, at least his career should remain on track.
He had a late night at the office and by the time he reached his apartment, it was almost midnight. Coco was sitting on the couch in the living area, facing the television that was on mute. She was talking to someone on the phone and Hawk was surprised to see that. Coco was not the kind of woman who would be talking to people late at night, in her pajamas. She looked at him and continued to talk on the phone.
Hawk walked straight to their bedroom. Ten minutes later, he came back to the living room only to find that she was still on the phone.
“Who is on the phone?” he asked, irritated at his girlfriend’s late-night indulgence.
“A friend,” she replied quickly and continued.
Hawk was quick to notice that she was in a jovial mood. Usually at this time she would be fatigued, but not today. She was talking, laughing, and moving her hands quickly—just the way she used to talk to Hawk, in the past.
To Hawk’s surprise, he felt jealous. Is she talking to a man? No, it is not possible. Coco cannot be interested in anyone else. Or rather, who would be interested in Coco?
He walked back to their bedroom and stood at the door, waiting for Coco to finish. He wanted to invite her in and cuddle before they went to sleep. Coco was facing the other way and could not see that he was waiting for her. He had to wait ten minutes before she said good-bye to her friend and walked toward him.
“Were you waiting for me all this time?” she asked.
“Yes,” replied Hawk.
“Why?”
“I was missing you.”
“What? Are you serious?”
“What is wrong with missing you?” Hawk was irritated.
“Nothing.”
“Who was on the phone?”
“Told you, a friend.”
“Male or female?”
“Are we really having this conversation now?” Coco looked irritated as well.
“Yes. Who was it?”
“A male friend from Sector Two,” replied Coco, staring directly into his eyes.
“Why is he talking to you at this time of the night?”
“It is broad daylight in Sector Two.”
“It is late night here.”
“What is your point?”
“Who is this guy?”
“He was my patient at my previous assignment. I saved his life a couple of times. He is back with his family now, in Sector Two. Actually, I had called to check if he was doing OK.”
“What does he do?”
“He runs a small business. Militia had captured him because he was holding onto some illegal material. They thought he was working for ORRF, but later they realized that he was not. Militia let him go with a warning.”
“Why is everybody around me involved with ORRF these days? Why were you talking to an ORRF operative?”
“Were you even listening to me? I told you Militia released him because they could not link him to ORRF.”
“Coco, are you stupid or what?”
“You do not have the right to talk to me like this.”
“Why are you showing me so much attitude for that ORRF bastard?”
“That ‘ORRF bastard’ is a thousand times better a man than you,” Coco shouted back.
“What do you mean? How is he a better man?” Hawk was taken aback. Coco had never raised her voice with him and now she was pouncing on him like a wounded tigress.
“He has ethics. He has a family he loves. He is willing to die for what he believes in. He does not go around cheating on his wife.”
“Are you accusing me of cheating on you?”
“Yes, I am. Can you look into my eyes and tell me I am wrong?”
“I owe you no replies.”
“You do, Hawk, you do. I am your girlfriend.”
“Have I ever asked you what you do behind my back?”
“Why don’t you ask me? I will answer it.”
“I don’t want to.”
“Why?”
“Because I do not care.”
“You do not care about what I do behind your back? Is this what your love is all about?”
Hawk realized that he was walking into a trap and decided he should refrain from further discussions. “I had a long day and I am very tired. We can have this conversation some other time.” He moved from the door and started walking toward his bed.
“Don’t you dare turn your back on me,” shouted Coco. She grabbed his arm and forced him to turn and look at her. “I think this is the perfect time to have this conversation.”
“OK, fine, let’s have this conversation,” shouted Hawk, losing his cool now.
“I do nothing behind your back, Hawk. I miss you; look forward to the time when we can be together again. I refrain from doing anything that you would dislike, including sleeping with men who are ready to drop their pants at my slightest leaning. This is what I do, behind your back.” Coco was emotional and spoke hastily.
There was no escape now; he had been entrapped. “I miss you too, dammit,” shouted Hawk, attempting to find a way out.
“And that is why you cheat on me, again and again?”
“Men do these sorts of things.” Hawk was unable to admit or deny the charges. “I am not married to you, yet.”
“I am not married to you as well.”
“Women are different. Your kind is incapable of engaging with multiple men at the same time. For you, love and sex are the same. For us men, it is different. We are perfectly capable of keeping multiple women for different roles. We can be madly in love with one woman and be sexually attracted to another. We have different boxes for everything, and love and sex can fit into two different boxes.” Hawk genuinely believed in what he had just said and hoped that Coco would understand the reality of it and let go of this fight.
“So men are the real whores?” Coco retaliated.
“We are just like that. I cannot help it. What I have said is true.”
“If this is your truth, Hawk, then we are done.” She moved from the door and walked toward the living room.
Where is she going now? Hawk watched her walk away and pondered the situation. Anyway, the good news is that this argument is over. He saw her opening the door to the storeroom and stepping inside. Moments later, she emerged, pulling a large suitcase. She walked back into the bedroom with her suitcase and rushed to the closet, picking outfits and dumping them into the suitcase. Once she was done with the clothes, she did the same for her shoes. She then rushed to the bathroom, brought out her toiletries, and dumped those in as well.
“What are you doing?” a puzzled Hawk asked.
There was no reply from Coco, who was struggling to close the suitcase.
“I said, what are you doing?”
Coco still did not reply. She had finally succeeded in zipping her suitcase. She pulled it into the living room, grabbed her cell phone and wallet from the small table in front of the television, and walked toward the main door.
“Where are you going at his hour?” shouted Hawk.
“I am leaving and never coming back. It is over between us,”
she replied calmly.
“It is almost one in the morning. Why don’t you stay, think it over, and then we can talk about this in the morning.”
“We are done talking. I am done with your boxed love. I would rather stay single all my life than be your girl.” She opened the door and, dragging the suitcase, started walking to the lift lobby. Hawk stood in his apartment, watching helplessly as the door closed slowly. Coco was the first woman in his life to walk out on him and it surely felt bad. He felt violated and abandoned.
***
Coco waited in the lobby downstairs, unsure of what she was waiting for, though. She looked at her phone a couple of times. Hawk did not bother to call or send a message, apologizing for his behavior. She quickly checked the signals for reception—the phone was working perfectly; the fault was with her lover.
She quickly mulled over her options. She could always go to her parents’ place. However, showing up at their house in the middle of the night would warrant unpleasant questions leading to potentially heated discussions. She decided to avoid those. She had a few friends she could count on, but to lean on them at this hour meant admitting weakness and defeat in managing her personal affairs. She could not do that either. The only option left was to check into a hotel for now.
She called a cab and waited for it to arrive. A good fifteen minutes had passed since they fought and Hawk had not bothered to call or message. If only he had made an attempt to reconcile, it did not matter how weak it was, she would have given him the benefit of the doubt and forgiven him. Deep down, she did agree with Hawk. The men around her were exactly like Hawk had explained. But then, there was Nile, totally different, almost as if he was an alien from another planet. She remembered with envy how much Nile loved his wife. Facing imminent death, all he could think of was his wife and kids. She imagined Nile holding his wife in a romantic embrace. She was resting her head on Nile’s chest and looked fulfilled. What does she have that I don’t? Coco asked herself resentfully as tears rolled out of her eyes. She was hurt by Hawk’s lack of interest in calling her and apologizing. Why am I stuck with Hawk and she has Nile? She quickly realized that she was acting stupid by being jealous of a woman she had never met.