Au-Revoir

(Two boys aged somewhere between 20 and 22 is sitting in a typical hostel room, the room have two beds and they both are room-mates. Their vision are glued on the laptop screen, they seem to be pretty engrossed in whatever they are doing. The camera screen zooms a little to capture what they are really doing…)

Akash: Why do you need a new g-mail id? I can retrieve your password of that old Gmail id of yours.-it will be like reviving someone from the dead…

Yusuf: Aree bhai, please do not give me bullsh*t; I need to have an email id at the moment and reviving my old Gmail account is gonna take my time, which unfortunately at the moment I cannot waste.

Akash despite Yusuf’s repeated protests went on to ‘revive’ his old e-mail, but he knew that the so called reviving was no magic trick but a series of careful steps that needed to be followed and the only way out was to keep patience and calm.

With adept hands Akash kept typing and Yusuf muttered under his breath that he had little time as he had to receive some scanned copies of important documents which Yusuf needed to submit to his department.  Being a studious and serious student, he knew the importance and weight of time.

Akash: Please type your mobile number to get a code and yes your number ends with **3590, at least that is what Google says for the moment-

Yusuf is looking at Akash, his eyes indicative of the fact that he had defeated in pursuing him for the last fifteen minutes. He obediently follows, typing the mobile number; the screen shows digits being entered…

**After several moments, rather minutes later Akash reaches a screen that shows Yusuf is required to give any e-mail id as a reference email-id in case Yusuf loses the password again and given the forgetful boy that he is, he may need that reference id in the near future itself.**

Akash: I am entering my e-mail at the moment, so that you can get your password from here, my account itself.

Yusuf: Sounds fair enough then!

##Narration##

Akash and Yusuf are room-mates and friends for life- they studied in different departments though, Akash was in Computer Sciences and Yusuf was in Civil. Akash is basically the guy you want to speak to for improving your computer’s performance. A coding expert, and also an addict, Akash literally feeds on technology magazines and Yusuf could swear Akash has a hard on for gadgets and technological stuff. Yusuf on the other hand is a simple and nincompoop fellow, the ones you see in villages. He has a girl friend, studies in a reputed private college and gets good grades, but he is not into technology and geeky stuff. Akash thought that his roommate had a pretty low take on life and was satisfied and content with whatever he had, this in fact irritated Akash the most.

Akash: akash****bizz@gmail.com , I have included this as a reference e-mail id, your work is now complete and (turning the laptop screen towards Yusuf) this is your inbox.

Yusuf:  Aah, thanks man, I owe you one.

Akash: Yeah, well I’ll ask a small favor from you when the time is right, not now.

 

##Narration##

**Yusuf and Akash graduated and went in different directions in life; Yusuf had become the director of GB constructions, a multi-national company while on the other hand Akash had found a job at TCS recently and left his BPO job to join TCS. Yusuf had progressed fast while Akash did at a much slower pace. Life was full of conundrums for Akash who was trying to make both ends meet, his father had recently been diagnosed with artery clogging and he did not have enough money to pay for his operation.** 

(Scene shows a room packed with people enjoying themselves to the brim, a party is going on obviously given by the company GB constructions, Yusuf is seen making everybody feel comfortable. There are foreign and international delegates from the other branches of the construction company. Suddenly Yusuf’s phone rings and …)

Yusuf: Hello?

Ramanathan: Hi, Yusuf this is Ramanathan, senior President of GB constructions here (sternly).

Yusuf: Yes, sir, tell me what is the matter?

Ramanathan: Well, I hope you’re enjoying the party, but there is a small project that needs to be done right now.

Yusuf: Right now? As in right at this moment? Can’t I submit tomorrow morning?

Ramanathan: I am sending some details to you via e-mail please check and confirm…

Yusuf: But sir I am in the middle of a party!

Ramanathan: Remember what I told you, young man?

Yusuf: Yeah, never question your seniors!

##Yusuf disliking the very words of his boss went to a small room adjoining the rooms where the party is being organized. His laptop and other accessories were safely kept in an almirah having a specific code. Yusuf inserted his high speed 4G dongle and started accessing the internet, within seconds his Gmail screen was visible that politely asked Yusuf of his e-mail address and password. But the champagne and scotch had worked their magic and Yusuf had forgotten his password…##

Yusuf: Sh*t, what was my password? Let me try this…

Yusuf had forgotten his password and could not remember it no matter how hard he tried; it seemed that his mind was failing him. Already intoxicated with champagne and scotch, Yusuf had his mind going in circles and what not shapes.  However he had to remember the password as his boss had sent something really important and that needed some checking. His mind had fallen into an eternal abyss and now that he had totally lost his password, he had no option other than sending a code or number to his reference id which is basically Akash’s email id. Years had resulted in Yusuf’s dark, thick black hair to be thinner and increasing white hairs were visible now showing the amount of pressure Yusuf had been tackling for years.

**But how would he call Akash? They had been out of contact since they graduated, and after that both had gone very different and separate ways. Akash was with the BPO when Yusuf had a chat with him, which was nearly seven to nine years ago. Now the fact that Yusuf had to face Akash transfixed him, how would he talk? Akash must be surprised and offended at the same time that I had broken contact with him-Yusuf went on thinking little realizing that his boss would call again in a very short time to ask if he had seen the mail he sent. Yusuf logged in Facebook to see if Akash was online-Voila! He was, but still Yusuf felt a tingling sensation out of excitement and fear to confront his long lost bestie. **

(The scene shows Yusuf typing something on Facebook chat and it is safe to assume that it is Akash, but we see tension in Yusuf’s face as he is not getting even one reply from Akash. After fifteen minutes of chatting tirelessly, and not getting a reply Yusuf got frustrated. He called Mr. Ramanathan to buy some more time giving Yusuf a maximum time limit of twenty minutes or twenty five minutes at the most.)

Suddenly the phone rings and Yusuf’s heart skipped a beat…

Yusuf: Hello?

Akash: Hi Yusuf! I saw all your messages, sorry I was busy…

Suddenly hearing Akash’s voice after so long made Yusuf completely at ease, he immediately relaxed and began chatting with Akash, often expressing how sorry he was for not contacting with him all these years… Yusuf was flooded wet with nostalgia’s waves rushing over him, he immediately remembered and saw entire flashbacks of the foolish and stupid things they did with their friends at the hostel, ah, those were the days. Suddenly though-

Akash: I accept your apologies; actually even I should have contacted you, so I guess we’re even.

Yusuf: Thank god! I actually require you favor once again…

Akash: Yes, Mr. Director how could I help you (giggles)

Yusuf realized even though Akash did not contact him all these years, but he kept information of what Yusuf was doing and he even knew that Yusuf had been promoted to the post of a director at the construction company. He felt guilty as he should have given the good news to Akash himself but now he was in an awkward and troubling position and could not do anything about it…

Finally seeing the clock, Yusuf mustered enough courage and finally asked under one breath-

Yusuf: Listen Akash I need to send a code to your e-mail id, my account, err … I actually forgot my password.

Akash: Ha ha ha, old habits die hard, don’t they?

Yes they do and in case of Yusuf old habits had a queer way of not dying even after so many years, Yusuf thus kept silent, for some moments he did not talk. Akash understood and immediately took steps to reduce the tension between them.

Akash: Remember that time I told you that you owed me one?

Yusuf understood and was prepared to do anything that Akash requests him off- hell he even thought of financial matters because he knew Akash was struggling to make ends meet. But what Akash told him silenced Yusuf and he realized his fault,

Akash: Don’t say Au-Revoir in this lifetime, let our friendship last…

**These were the last words that Akash told before hanging up the phone, apparently he knew time was valuable for his friend.**

(Last scene shows Yusuf crying with his hands over his head, while Yusuf’s mobile ringed three consecutive times with the code from Akash…)

__END__