C6 Chapter 5

Shivansh's POV

It's been more than a month since Mr Lal died. His last 15 days were torturous for him as well as for the people to see him suffer. He would collapse in a glimpse of an eye as for the growing tumour in his brain. However he continued to work with endurance in spite of my repeated requests for him to take leave.

After Mr Lal left this world, the accountancy work began to pile up in my firm. There were so many applications reaching our enterprise tempted for the high salaries we offer but there was hardly any prospective candidate who could manage the complicated accounts of our multilateral firm. Our purchase executive who is an accountancy post graduate is presently dealing with the numbers but I know he wouldn't be able to manage for long because of the growing requirement for an experienced accountant. Apart from taking care of purchase ledgers Mr Balram is a prospective employee of our company to grab the next promotion of being chief operation officer. With the passing days of not finding a suitable candidate my frustration declared no boundaries. The interviews conducted during last week too failed miserable.

"Hi brother! What's the plan for today? It's been Friday evening man and time to chill and enjoy. Come let's go to a club and loosen up." My brother sited with excitement. I thought about the proposal for a moment. With the complications coiling up in the office I badly needed a break from work and waved a green flag. "Let's catch up at Ramola's." Atul waxes lyrical.

I went home after work, showered and dressed myself in denim jeans and a white T-shirt. Applying little bit of gel to my black hair I was perfectly dressed for the weekend chill. I sprayed my favourite perfume and looked myself at the mirror to check myself. All set I jumped into my black Ferrari and drove off to my favourite night club "The Ramolas" which I also owned.

I went to the bar to grab a glass of Tequila and drowned myself with alcohol when my brother interrupts. "Hey bro! Be a little slow man or you will drop down." I just looked at him with dripped eyes and a blonde came to me swaying her hips. Alcohol over powered my senses and my mind went out of its accurate stature. I decide to taste the colleen and waved bye-bye to my brother taking her to one of the five stars hotels that I owned.

At around 2:00 am in the night, I got a call. The person on the other line spoke "Hello we are speaking from Breach Candy hospital. Am I speaking to Mr Shivansh Chaturvedi?" I answered in an affirmative when the receptionist of the hospital told me that my brother had been admitted in the hospital for an accident on drunk driving.

Shit!

Within ten minutes I was in the hospital along with my parents comforting my mom who has almost turned hysterical after looking at the motionless form of my brother. Dad was trying to console her when he was breaking too. The doctor entered the room and signalled me to the exit. I followed him out chanting my silent prayer to the Almighty to keep my brother safe.

Making a note of my anxiousness the doctor apprised me of the naked truth of my brother’s survival. Atul had meagre chances to live with a multiple organ failure. Both his kidneys failed, liver got damaged hitting a rock and lungs stopped functioning after getting steered to a sudden shock. My legs became shaky as I learn about the crucial veracity. Dropping to the chair I listen to the doctor's diction wrecked in a chaos. I am the person responsible for my brother's death. The very thing was torturing me to odds and ends. Had I been vigilant on my drinks and used my rationality, I would have choosen my brother to a whore. And Atul would have been alive today.

I let my brother drive home in his half conscious state because I had succumbed to carnal pleasures. I chose an unbound woman over my family in a state of dopiness. My eyes go moistened suffering the guilt. Making a lone implausible decision had cost me a sin of perpetuity which changed my life forever. How long am I to suffer the weighted loss of my brother? The doctor looked at me with consoling eyes, patting my shoulder he left the room giving me the privacy that was most required for the moment but before his departure I had one question to ask him.

"Doctor, can I have the details of the family that was part of my brother’s accident?"