The Campaign Part 7

‘Trisha! Trisha! Trisha!!!!’ panted Abhay. ‘Wake up dammit!’ he shouted, Trisha was awake but she was too afraid to open her eyes.

‘Are we dead?’ Trisha asked

‘NO! You are perfectly alive and totally out of trouble, get up and move your ass!’ he ordered. She got out of the car. The car smashed with a tree on one side of the road. Luckily both Trisha and Abhay made it through the impact.

‘Where is the driver’s body?’ Trisha asked

‘It’s on the other side’ Abhay answered. He was in an irritable mood 

‘How did it reach there?’

‘TRISHA STOP ASKING STUPID QUESTIONS. JUST SHUT UP!’ Abhay shouted  

‘WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU, WE JUST MET WITH AN ACCIDENT AND YOU ARE BEHAVING AS IF IT WAS MY FAULT!’ shouted Trisha back, she had just lost her cool.

Abhay was sorry but he obviously didn’t say it (*Male Ego* it’s too big to be battled). They both were stuck in the middle of nowhere, probably miles away from home. Trisha’s phone’s battery had already drained. Abhay’s phone was out of service. The sun was about to set, and Trisha was starving. She craved for food but all they had was water, it was weird that no vehicle passed by that area for long. Ultimately after fifteen-twenty minutes a truck passed by, Abhay asked the driver for lift. They truck driver agreed and they finally set for Kibla. Once Abhay’s phone retrieved its signals he called the party authority and narrated them the entire scene. Trisha hadn’t been in a good mood, this was the first time that she regretted her decision of joining politics.

‘Trisha?’

‘Yeah’

‘Look, I am sorry, I wasn’t prepared to face this and I was scared that if anything happened to you then…’

‘Then what?’

‘Then what would I say to your parents, you know this entire campaign they just told me to take care of you and if something would have happened…’

‘Abhay, we both are alive and trust me God isn’t going to be so kind that he will take me away so soon’ she joked. There was a faint smile on both their faces but in their hearts they had realised that this game of politics was getting uglier day by day.

Trisha reached home safely. She was expecting a lot of drama from her parents but when she entered, they were all seated in peace. ‘They don’t know’ she thought

‘How come you are so late?’ her father asked

‘Our car broke down in the middle of nowhere’ Trisha lied

‘What happened to your face?’ her mother asked next, indicating the black spots dust on her face

‘Just a little bit dust, I am going to freshen up’ she said and left

She felt so good after taking a bath, after such a day it was much needed. She called Abhay to ask if he had reached home.

‘Yeah I reached about ten minutes back; by the way did you tell your parents?’

‘No, I don’t want them to worry and just ten days left for the polling. All this will soon be over’

Abhay waited before speaking.

‘Look, just don’t lose hope because if this accident, we will find the culprit and your parents will know. Yogendra ji called, he said this will be reported in the news. He said that this kind of action can come to our advantage’

‘Advantage!? We nearly died! Is he that big a scoundrel, I just can’t believe that son of a…’

‘Calm down Trisha, now concentrate on the campaign, the announcements will be made a day after tomorrow. Your final speech is from a week from now, lets get over with this!’ he said. Without any delay, they cut their phones and set off to do some work. Trisha was drained and realised that she still hadn’t had anything. She went in the kitchen to find something to eat, after that she felt so tired and fell asleep. Crowds of thousands she saw, they all had assembled to catch her glimpse and listen her speak, anxiety travelled through her system. The moment she held the mic someone shouted her name out loud. The shouting went on for long, but Trisha wasn’t able to recognize it, though it did sound familiar.

‘Trisha wake up’ screamed Geetanjali

‘Oh my god! What happened!?’ Trisha woke up, scared and shocked.

‘What the hell is this?’ asked Geetanjali, she flashed the newspaper to Trisha.

‘Oh boy, I am in trouble’ she thought

‘Look I can explain...’ Trisha started

‘Explain? Explain what Trisha!? I am your PA, you are supposed to tell me all this, why didn’t you?’ Geetajali said angrily

‘I am sorry, Abhay had it handled’

‘You could have died Trisha’

‘Wait, that might be the exaggerated version, it wasn’t that serious. Did mom and dad read it?’

‘No, luckily I saw the paper before them but you have got to tell them, otherwise this will get even more complicated’

‘Yeah, I think I should tell them before they see it on the television or hear it from someone else’

Trisha told her parents everything from tip to toe. They did not speak until she finished, her mother didn’t say anything which was bad because she was hoping for a good scolding.

‘Papa wouldn’t you say anything?’ Trisha asked

‘There is nothing to be said Trisha, what is done is done’ her father replied

‘So you aren’t angry because I didn’t tell you about it?’

‘No, we were hoping when you will tell us’

‘Huh?’

‘Abhay called before you two even reached home yesterday’

‘He did? But he said…’

‘Trisha, we trust him. As long as he is there we know nothing will ever happen to you, but the news did scare us both’

‘I am fine’ she concluded

After eating her breakfast, she sat down to complete her pending announcement speech. The moment she started to write her blackberry pinged.

‘Shit! Geetanjali! We have got an emergency’

 ‘What happened?’

‘Abhay just messaged, immediate press conference at our place’

‘How much time?’

‘An hour! Find me a sari!’

‘What are you going to say?’

‘I DON’T KNOW!’