A mysterious assignment (1219words)

There was a gentle knock at the door around 9 PM. Who could it be, Vinay wondered? He had neither friends nor neighbours in this complex ever calling on him. He opened the door to find a young woman in her late twenties standing. He had seen her many times in the complex during his morning walks but had never spoken to her. She smiled at him and asked with a certain hurry in her tone. “I live in one of the adjacent apartments. My telephone isn’t working. The cell phone is also not usable. Can I please make an urgent call to my mom who I understand is not well.”

As she was talking to her mom, Vinay pretended to be reading a newspaper but was overhearing the conversation. She was quite an attractive woman, petite and had a sweet voice. He could feel her genuine concern for her mom and learned that she was feeling bad for not being by her side. After she disconnected, she thanked him profusely. He introduced himself and asked her to be seated when he went to get her coke. She saw as he opened the fridge, it was bare except for the small bottle of coke.

She could also see, from where she was seated, the kitchen that bore no evidence of any cooking or vessels. When they were talking, she came to know that he was single, he was laid off about eight months back and the money he had saved was spent, a sizable chunk towards his now deceased father’s medical expenses and the balance on his food and rent. He still owed some rent and was pressured to vacate. He was frantically looking for a job but nothing was forthcoming in the present downturn. She expressed her sympathy and her wish that he would find a job soon. They met each other in the next few days several times exchanging small talk that gradually became longer.

He was turned away wherever he went for a job He was at the end of his tether. It was at such a critical juncture that she came to him one day and asked him” Are you willing to do a job for me and if you accomplish this well, it may open the gate for a brighter future. But there is a condition. You should not ask much details but simply carry out the work entrusted to you without any demur. Do you have trust in me? If you trust me fully you must carry a packet to another city safely with you. This is a secret and important assignment. You must not discuss it with anyone and you should not carry any other luggage. The man meeting you at the airport will deliver you a box with new dresses and other essential things you would need. He will take you to the place where you are to hand over the packet given by me.”

“How will I know the man at the airport?” Vinay asked.

“My man will identify you and utter the password that I would be giving you. He will take you to the destination. You should not ask any questions about what the packet contained and whom you were going to meet. Certain secrecy is necessary. If you trust me, you can agree not otherwise. I will give you an air ticket and also some money for the help. Be assured that at the end, you will be happy that you did me this job”’ she said.

Vinay thought he could not be in any worse situation than he was now and the lady seemed nice. He had taken a great liking for her and often spent time thinking of her. She was paying some money too which he badly needed. He decided to agree notwithstanding a doubt about the possibility of drugs, contraband or some secret official documents exchanged.

He told her” I need a break from the present depressing situation. I have full trust in you and am aware that you will not get me into any trouble. I am ready to start any time.”

She replied “You may leave two days later. I will hand over the packet to you this evening along with the tickets and password. Please do not try to contact me till the packet is successfully delivered.”

Vinay carried nothing except the secured packet in a box. It passed through Xray without problem as he feared. He was thinking of her and her mysterious ways during the journey. He hoped that this could be the beginning of a series of such assignments.

The man who received Vinay at the airport was curt as he gave him a box. He gave him 15 minutes to change his dress. There was a pair of nice suits with shirts, other garments and a few things of daily need. He was surprised at the way money was spent on him when he was a mere courier and a strange fear came over him whether he would turn to be the sacrificial goat. The car took them to a posh apartment and the man left after dropping him.

As he was waiting in the drawing room, he started sweating despite the air conditioners. It took ten minutes and no one appeared. He felt some eyes were watching him though there was none. He wished she could have been a little more open. Suddenly he heard a door opening and saw a figure approaching him. He stood up involuntarily struck in total amazement and surprise when he saw the person.

“Are you surprised, dear, to see me here to receive you? Please open the packet yourself and see the contents” said the lady he had met at his place.

When he opened it, he found, to his utter surprise and disbelief, it was stuffed with scraps of waste paper and wondered why all this secrecy and for what purpose.

She laughed and said “The whole assignment is a silly test to see whether you have implicit faith in me. I am glad you passed it admirably well. I thought you might develop cold feet and back out. Luckily for me, you did not.”

“Why this test at all for me? I doubted initially whether you are romantically inclined towards me but I banished such a thought as I was a jobless man,” he asked with some naivete.

“I don’t know really. I had this strange desire to test you for I had lost my heart to you ever since I set my eyes on you during my daily walks. I have made inquiries of you. I came that night only to meet you and get to know you more with the ploy of using your phone. I do not know how you feel towards me. But I am madly in love with you and want you to marry me and help me in looking after my vast business interests. If you like me as I do for you, we will start a new life and spend the rest of our lives together. That is the reason I planned your discarding symbolically the old dress and everything from that wretched place,” she said.

He extended his arms wide open for her to fall into for a long embrace.