Suspense Story – Who am I ?
[Part 1]
“See I’m Trivedi, we both knew that you are not Trivedi. I’ve been kidnaped and transported to India, I don’t know who are you and why are you acting like me, but remember that you can’t manage forever, they will find-out soon”, I was almost shouted over phone.
“What the hell are you talking about? Go check with a doctor, you are crazy, you are not Trivedi”, the phone got disconnected.
I got so much angry, didn’t know what to do. I sat on steps and thinking. “I’ve to calm down and think straight. Figure out the way to reach US again”.
The guy at the front desk came out with a bill and asked me to pay. I didn’t think I had money to pay. When i had checked my back pocket, I felt the purse. I removed it. I saw a bunch of Indian rupees. I paid the bill with that cash. When I carefully observed the purse, noticed a driver license inside. I pulled out and read the name on it. The name was written as P.J.Josheph, and I thought the photo on license was that guy. I went
near to that front desk guy, and showed that license and asked;
“Do you know him?” that guy repeatedly looked at the photo and me and laughed, “Don’t joke with me sir that is your photo only”.
“What? What are you saying?”
“Yes sir that is your photo.”
I ran inside the toilet, and when I looked at mirror, Josheph was standing in front of me. I could not believe that. I touched my face and Josheph also touched his face on mirror. I understand that they did the plastic surgery and changed my face. So who ever involved in this matter, they were very power-full and dangerous. They could do anything to get what they want. I washed my face (actually Josheph face) and came out of the toilet. That lodge guy was still looking at me surprisingly. I smiled at him and went back to my room.
“Think… think, don’t panic. I’ve to figure-out how to get out of this country”, I was thinking the possibilities.
“Yes, the person who ever brought me here in this lodge can lead me to the culprits. But even If I go to my company with this face, do they recognize me as now I turned to Josheph. No, it’s all right; they just changed my face, but not my mind. It is still same Trivedi brain, I can come up with another dozen security solutions”, I slept thinking like that.
When I woke up, I saw that hotel boy with another person in my room. He came near to me and asked “how are you?”; I looked at him unknowingly, “he is your brother Danieal. You forget him or what?”, the hotel boy said.
Danieal was upset, “Where have you been all these days? Yesterday night you were fully drunk, I didn’t want to take you to home with that condition, so I put you here. Let’s get ready we have to go home as they are expecting you”, I didn’t mention anything as I was expecting him. Good thing is, he is also talking in English.
I got ready; actually I wore clothes brought by Danieal.
He came in a taxi so we returned in same taxi. When we had reached home, the people were waiting for us. The moment I entered inside, they started crying, and asked me not to leave home again. I remained silent. Once that matter is settled, I went to Danieal and asked, “Where did you see me yesterday? Can you give me the address?” he refused first as he didn’t like me to go again to that place. But eventually he agreed to give it with the condition that he would also come with me.”
Before starting, Danieal asked, “Joseph, your accent is very different, you speak like an American. How did you get that?” I just smiled.
We had reached that bar, where Daniel was claiming that he found me. I looked at the premises and entered inside. Then someone called my name, actually Joseph name. He came close to me,” Hey Joseph, where did you go? We had a nice time yesterday remember?”
I didn’t get what he was saying as he was talking in local language.
“Sorry, who are you?” I asked in English. That guy got hurt and he replied me, “oh, alright, I can talk better English than you. We had a party yesterday here. You gave me party as you are going to marry … Laila”
“Laila”, I muttered the name.
“Oh, you forgot Laila also; looks like you are still in yesterday hangover”,
“Ya, kind of, do you know Laila address?” I asked. That guy told me her address. I looked at Danieal, he nodded telling that he knew that address.
On the way, Danieal told, I had mentioned about Laila in home before. But nobody accepted to marry her. That was the reason, why I left the home a week back. I was thinking, “who ever bought me here, they had kidnapped Joseph, and replaced me here. Even if I say, I’m not Joseph, nobody believes that, I need to find the lead, may be Laila helped them to replace me”.
We knocked the door, after a while the girl opened the door. The girl first shocked, and then hugged me. I understand she was Laila. We went inside. When I tried to introduce Danieal to her, she told she knew him already. She also told, yesterday night, I left her home as I had to give party to my friends, and then didn’t return.
I felt that was the right time to reveal the secret to them. I took a deep breath.
“I have to tell something, which is very important. As you are thinking, I’m not Josheph, my name is Trivedi. I’m a Sr. Architect in one of the US software company. Somebody kidnapped me and bought here. They also did plastic surgery so I look like Josheph. I guess the Govt is also involved in this conspiracy.”
They both looked at each other. Laila came close to me, “Joseph, please not again, doctor told that you have become normal.”
“What? What is normal? I’m telling the truth. You guys are not getting”, I was shouting.
“Calm down, Josheph, you had been through this before, please not again”, Danieal said.
“What the heck? What I had been through before?”
“You had these visions before, you thought; you are like a different person. Last time you had imagined you as a doctor, and behaved like that. Before to that you had behaved as a military officer. We consulted doctor, and he had given the treatment before”.
That time I had realized why they had chosen Joseph. Since he had visions, so no one would believe that if I was Trivedi, they thought I was assuming that.
I reacted very quickly, laughed very loudly. “I was just joking to see your reactions. Actually I had a bad memory because of last night drinks. I want to see the doctor who treated me. Can we go there?”
Danieal and Laila felt relived. Danieal said, he would take me to the doctor. On the way, I was thinking.
“At least doctor might remember me; I have to tell him what had happened”.
When we had reached the hospital, there was a police car parked outside. I could feel some dreadful thing had happened. The person at reception recognized me, and he stood up straight and told something to the police officer that he was talking over.
The officer looked at me and immediately aimed revolver to me and asked me to sit on my knee. I was shocked of his reactions. He locked my hands and said, I was arrested as I killed the doctor, whom I’d been taking the treatment. What? I killed the doctor?
[Part 3]