The Mobile Thief

MOBILE THIEF.

Roshan was frantic. He had no idea where he had misplaced his cell phone. He kept trying the number from his land line. Always the same reply :”Switched Off!”. This had never happened to him. He was not the one to carry the mobile around in a pouch attached to his waist belt or at the end of string around his neck. He had never, ever forgotten to carry his mobile or his house key whenever he moved out. May be the pressure he was under that would have caused a slip.

All that he could remember that Sunday morning was a phone call, (was it on the mobile or on the land line? He was not sure now) from Leela Deedi that his Maji was being brought in for the emergency surgery at Asian Hearts. He remembered calling his Pappa and brother Arun to check on the details. He was answered by their maid who said no one was at home. They had all gone to the hospital where Maji was admitted. The maid did not know any more details other than that Maji fell unconscious that morning at the break fast table and was rushed to the hospital. Yes, Arun had come to take them. He tried Arun again and again. No reply. May be he was at the hospital and hence his mobile was switched off.

Leela Deedi had asked him to go to Asian Hearts to make the arrangements for the emergency, mentioning Dr Nair’s reference. Maji was due the very next day. Inability to get through to his people back home and his worry for Maji had made him rattled. Probably that is why he didn’t recollect whether he had carried the cell with him or not, when he rushed out.

He remembered meeting the Administrator in Asian Hearts. Though he was in no position to answer specifics, he was able to get an assurance that a reference from Dr Nair would get a priority listing and Maji would definitely be admitted and scheduled for the surgery as early as possible. He was asked to get back with more details before the end of the day.

He had rushed to the super market to get the grocery so that he could keep his bachelor’s pad in readiness for the guests coming in with Maji from his native town. He had also gone to the Chemist’s to get his medicines for hypertension, an occupational hazard he had contracted. He just remembered rushing off to these places immediately after getting Leela Deedi’s call. But try as he may, he could not recollect whether he had carried his cell phone. Oh yes, he also had gone to the Temple on his way back to pray for Maji.

Roshan was really frantic by now. He was almost convinced he had misplaced the cell or lost it. He had gone several times down to the garage to check in his car. The security man was curious. But he had no success. He tried recollecting where he could have misplaced the phone. He wanted very much to rush to the Hospital, the Supermarket and the Chemist’s to see if they had found it. Or, should he try the Temple? His head was throbbing by now. He was all the more panicky since he was not able to get through to his people even on the land line. He could sense Leela Deedi’s slight edge in her voice when he contacted several times to get more news. But he didn’t want to tell her he had misplaced his mobile.

Ever since the mobile came, Roshan had stopped the habit of noting down telephone numbers. The mobile was his phone diary as well. He cursed the delay in loading the data from the mobile to his PC. He also felt angry in having dallied over the decision to buy a tracking software for the mobile. Roshan was down in the dumps……may be he will have to wait for a call on his landline from home….why were they not calling? He tried the land line once again and to his horror found the line dead! God! Not this too! The MTNL line was notorious for frequent shutdowns. Oh, what could he do? He went out to the booth nearby, just to find the phones there were also down.

Roshan’s panic knew no end. Which flight would they be coming in? Leela Deedi didn’t seem too know either and even her phone seemed dead now. This Arun…why didn’t he call up and give the details earlier? May be he would go and wait in the Airport this night itself. Suppose they were coming in by the night flight? Or could it be the early morning flight? Or the ones which come in during the course of the next day? And which terminal would he wait? Roshan had never felt this helpless…………….

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He felt it might be safe to switch on the mobile now. It was more than 24 hours. Till he was able to sell this high-end phone, why not use the number to call his friends? Why not even call home and talk to Appa and Amma and tell them he might come for Diwali since he was getting a bonus? Of course, he wouldn’t tell them that the bonus was coming from sale of the mobile he had picked up on the road yesterday, near the Super Market. Why should he tell them his main source of income was from sale of stolen mobile phones? He had never hesitated to throw away the SIM from any phone he picked up. But this slim, cute model was so attractive and new. He knew it would fetch him a few thousands even from the scoundrel of the dealer, who always double-crossed him by paying a much lower price for the booty he brought in. He may not even go to the same fellow this time. He might try to sell directly? Of course he will have to weigh the risks. But he knew this model was priceless.

Suddenly the phone rang. He was dozing away in his shanty. He was woken up violently by the repeated rings. He knew he couldn’t take the call, or rather he shouldn’t. Yet the number was not a local one, that he was sure. He suddenly recollected that the same number had appeared as a missed call when he switched on the phone this morning. He picked the phone to switch it off. Then the ring stopped.

He was playing one of the games in the phone, when it rang again. He nearly dropped it. Without realizing, he took the call. The voice at the other end was breaking, not due to the connection. It was more of a choked voice,he was sure. There was a tone of pain and anger in it. “Why Roshu? Why were you not taking the phone right through yesterday? We have been trying one after the other to get you and Leela Deedi. Can you hear me? ..Roshu…when can you come? We can fix the funeral only after knowing that. You know, Maji never came out of Dr. Nair’s ICU alive …..…Pappa is still holding on to his grief…when can you come? ………..Roshu…Roshu..?”………………………………………..
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The mobile slipped from his ear and fell on the floor with a thud. He watched helplessly the phone coming off in two pieces from the fall. He could guess what the call meant. He had not noted down the number from which the call came. He had no way of knowing who this Roshu was….he had no way of finding out how long this Maji’s body would wait for her son to reach…. He didn’t know what to do…He jus thought of his Amma and Appa waiting for him to reach home with his bonus….He was helpless…he cursed the day he stole the first mobile………………..