A short story I wrote sometime ago…

He didn’t look it, but they were sure he was someone powerful. He never spoke to anyone, nor acknowledged their presence. He was aloof. Aloof, to the point of being snobbish. Almost regal, in a rakish way. He had but one expression and it was hewn in granite. He was of medium build; toward the leaner side, but he was tall, or at least he appeared that way.

The first time they heard his voice was when he hissed menacingly into the cell phone. Bystanders pitied the voice at the other end, and they moved away to give him more standing room. He commanded it; his entire demeanor did. He was cold, dismissive and powerfully confident.

He had been travelling in that train since a month now. No one knew where he lived, or when he got there. All they were aware of was his persona. He could not be ignored. His phone conversations were curt and carried out in a voice that was a cold whisper; a hiss! He commanded people around, and he did it with a quiet mastery.

People always spoke of him after he left. They always had something to say. Most just admired his towering personality. He got off the train and began striding purposefully. He did not want to be late. Not on this ‘Day of Judgment’.

+++

He reached the empty auditorium and waited at its entrance – long enough to get accustomed to the darkness withen. On the stage, a few dimly-lit actors stood practising their lines. But they were of no interest to him.

He looked around, searching till he saw his quarry – the solitary figure sitting in the darkest corner.

He approached the man stealthily.

“Mr Ghai,” he said, “so do I have the part?”

The portly man looked up at him, momentarily startled.

“No, I’m sorry. I don’t think you fit the role,” he replied, thinly veiling his irritation. “You’re too short and you don’t have the personality to play the Don. I need someone who looks powerful and exudes that kind of charisma. You don’t have it. Take it from me, don’t quit your day job yet. You’re no Dilip Kumar,” he added unkindly.

“But sir, I have been living that role this whole month... Really practicing!”

“Well, what can I say? You just don’t make the cut. It’s as simple as that. Now quit wasting my time.”

+++

He walked back out into the sunlight. Strangely, the world felt darker. He’d go back to his hometown, he thought. Bombay is not for everyone. He’d have to sell his phone. He needed the money to buy his bus ticket. Besides, what use is a phone without a SIM card?