Crucifix

 “Hey Honey get up. Its already 9pm. Don’t you want to go to your work? Kids are all geared up to go to school.”

I was half awake and sweet words of my wife fell on my ears. Her voice flowed like river. It was warm like bournvita and I seemed relaxed whenever she spoke with me. She was my backbone during my hard times. She made me believe that I could work better than any one.

         But today was different. I had completed the research for which I was sent to Mumbai. My sons, john and Michael (twins) were happy. Life was beautiful. My family was content. Climate in Mumbai was chilly. It was the 2nd consecutive year that saw snow fall in Mumbai.

  Yeah, 12 years after Mayans had got their predictions terribly wrong, world was still alive in the year 2025. World still woke up to see another day and went to sleep at night. Everything was as usual except a few geographic and topographic changes.

  Ice-lands no longer had ice. It snowed in Mumbai. Gulf countries could now plant mangoes.

 “yes, my dear am getting up, what’s for breakfast?” I said to my wife. But I didn’t want to go to work today. I wanted to play football. I could now wear gloves and full sleeves t-shirt while playing because it was freezing. Earlier I used to do this to get a feel like playing in my garden in Southampton.

“Daddy Daddy get ready fast”, came my boys running in my room. “you had promised that you would drop us to school today.”

“I will drop you both, Daddy doesn’t forget promises” I said

But something was amiss. They looked so different today and older than what they looked yesterday. Maybe I was too busy looking after my kids all these years that I never really noticed. I loved my wife for understanding my job and looked after my kids without complaining.

  “Dad can I sit infront?” asked Tom.

 “yes” I said, “but don’t trouble driver. Come Harry lets sit behind.”

I felt proud as I took to kids to school in Lexus A class.

“Here we come my boys, have a nice day in school and don’t trouble your teacher and take care.”

Office now, I said to my driver as I waved good-bye to my children.

Yes, replied the driver and started the engine .

“sir, but where is the office?” asked the driver.

“what do you mean?” I asked him as soon as he finished his statement.

“you are my driver since last 5 years and you are asking me where to go?” was what I was going to say next but instead,

Where is my office? Where do I work? What is my work? My mind asked myself.

Only thing I remembered at that moment was,

Wait!

I remembered nothing.

In despair I saw out of my window. I could see some snow clad trees. Shivaji park was covered with a blanket of snow.

As my driver drove ahead, I saw posters of Agneepath which starred Hrithik Roshan and a bald Sanjay Dutt.

WHAT! I cried loud. This movie was set to be released in January 2012. They haven’t removed the posters for last 13 years?

Driver laughed looking at me.

Was this a DREAM?

My phone vibrated in my pocket. I wished I was in a dream and would wake up. But that didn’t happen. I wished this scenario would change as I had seen in the movie Inception.

But nothing of that sort happened.

My phone showed a number, but I didn’t recognize it.

Hello, I said.

NO reply.

Phone DISCONNECTED!

I tried to call my wife, But I couldn’t recollect my wife’s name.

SHIT!  I shouted in frustration.

The driver kept driving.

I tried to open the door of my car, but that didn’t happen.

Driver just kept driving. This place looked unfamiliar now.

My mind now had all sorts of questions.

Where was I?

Where was I going?

Who was this driver?

Did the world really end in 2012?

Was I dead?

Then suddenly came a question in my mind that crucified all the questions.

WHO AM I ?????