Raoul - Part 9

Earlier
Pacing in the passage outside his office Raoul wracked his brain for a way out of the mess he seemed to have landed himself. He had lost the only clue he had, he had just barely been able to save the statue, he was staring at a possible loss of job not to mention a loss of professional credibility. He had to find a way out, at any cost.

His phone rang, he was elated when he noticed that it was  Ashraf. He skipped the greetings and asked Ahsraf if he had any good news. Ashraf replied, "Well! What do you think?"

Raoul said, "If I know you, you definitely have the information I had asked for!!"

Ashraf replied, "Oh ho.. I like the confidence you have in me. Hmm.. Well in that case, I should not disappoint you, I have found the details you had wanted. I had to do some major search, but you do know me, I nailed the damn thing."

Raoul said, "Don't let the curiosity get the better of the cat. Tell me what did you find out."

Ashraf replied jovially, "I found out that the car is registered in your name or rather in Lyana's name. Why in the world did you send me on a merry-go-round chase when it was you own car! Sometimes I really don't know what you are doing!!"

Raoul stood rooted to his spot, his mind racing ahead of him, questioning him, how could this be possible. Was it really possible that Lyana was involved? But why? Why would Lyana be involved in an attempted robbery?

He made up an excuse of trying to see if Ashraf was still the genius that he claims to be and disconnected to be gripped by the questions in his mind. He knew he had to reach home and ask Lyana the reason for the deception.

He slipped out and on reaching home, opened the door with his key. He called out to Lyana and recieved no reply; looking at his watch he realized that she must have gone to pick the kids from school. He sat down switching on the TV and absently watching the channels as he surfed from one channel to another trying to focus on what he had become aware of.

The door bell rang shortly announcing the return of Lyana with the kids in tow. Raoul tried to keep his nager and hurt under control and asked her in what he hoped was a normal voice, "Where have you been?"

Lyana replied, "I had gone to pick the kids and before that had gone to check up in that friend with whom I had been the day before. Why are you home so soon? Is everything okay?", concern obvious from her face.

Raoul ignored her questions and asked her, "That reminds me, how is your friend. Where does she live?"

Lyana unaware of the turmoil he was facing replied, "I did tell you that she stays with her mom at least for the time being with her marriage in trouble. She is doing better."

Raoul continued, "How did you spend the day?"

Lyana raised her eyebrows at the unexpected turn the questions were taking, but did not say anything, hoping it was just a way for her husband to distract his mind from the case he had been working upon. Se replied, "I was majorly home, but had got a call from the Society and had told them that I'd drop by, so had gone there before picking up the kids."

Raoul nodded his head and asked her, "Where were you on the day you had gone to meet your friend after dropping the kids at Aileen?"

Lyana stopped doing what she was doing, turned around and asked him, "What is it that you want to ask? Why don't you just ask it? Stop wavering."

Raoul said, "I am not wavering. I want to know where and how did you spend the day when you were supposed to be with your friend."

Lyana said, "I told you I had gone to her place and was there only...." Raoul interjected, his patience running thin, ".. and my car had decided to go to the Museum and be there. On its way it also picked up a passneger, or rather a driver to take it there."

Lyana said, "What are you speaking about? I have absolutely no idea. My car was with me for the whole day except when Azeez had come down to borrow it for some time. No harm in lending the car to my brother, is there?"

Raoul realxed hearing that it was not Lyana that was present in the car. He asked her, "Why did he need your car when he has his own? Why did you not tell me?"

Lyana flustered, "Well I did not know that I had to run everything by you before doing anything. Should I also require to ask if I can breathe?"

Raoul said, "Lyana, there was an attempt on stealing the 'Standing Buddha' statue from the museum and your car was used as the get-away vehicle."

.... to be continued... Raoul - 10

Raoul - Part 8

Earlier
Omar's face bore a shocked expression. He did not move for quite some time making Raoul feel all the more guilty about what he had done. Omar started to ask him something, went silent, and started again. He asked Raoul, 'What were you thinking? Why did you not tell me in the beginning, we could have taken preventive measures or you were after a story?'

One look at Raoul's face confirmed what Omar was accusing him of. Omar groaned, 'Allah! Don't show me such things in this age! I have worked hard for reaching where I am!'

Even though he was speaking to self, Raoul cringed when he heard the words and realised his mistake once again. He wanted to say something to assuage Omar, but was unable to find any words which could justify. He stood there, thinking of his folly, but he also knew that there was indeed a story in all of this, which would make it to the front pages. For once, he wanted to be selfish.

He forced himself to speak, 'Well, I will be honest. Yes. I did think of it from the point of view of the journalist  in me and no, I am not sorry for what I have done. Nothing was stolen, and you yourself have admitted that the security here is pretty lax. May be you can use this as a leverage for arranging better security arrangement, you know, shake up the bureaucracy a bit, no harm in that.'

Omar got thinking, 'What Raoul was saying was not entirely wrong and may be, just may be it could actually help me.' Relief spread over his face, Raoul picked up the subtle change in Omar's expressions and breathed a silent sigh of relief. He really did not want to loose out on the opportunity of coming to the 'crime scene' again.

Omar smiled, 'Hmm! May be that could actually work, but that does not mean that I am letting you go so easily. I would need you to work on this case and try to solve it as soon as possible. This is going to give me sleepless nights till then. I tell you, never in my working career has this kind of thing happened with me. Imagine, trying to steal in broad day light. What were they thinking?'  His confidence was increasing with each word he spoke as if hearing his own thoughts out loud was actually setting things right.

Raoul smiled inwardly to himself, thanking his stars that Omar still wanted him to work and that did actually solve his problem of gaining access to the museum. He assured Omar, 'Don't worry I do have a few other leads regarding the case and would definitely be tying up the ends very soon. I am this close', gesturing with his hands to indicate that he was indeed very close. 

He knew it was a bluff, but all he wanted right now was for Omar to believe him.

...to be continued...Raoul -9

Sketch of an Oak

Sketch I made today, felt like taking a break from story-sessions.. :) Don't know if it has come out good or not, I enjoyed making this.

Raoul - Part 7

Earlier
He was eating his dinner absent-minded, with his mind occupied with the progress he had made in finding the possible identity of the mystery 'musketeer' as he had come to call him. He had found that in one of the pictures the license plate was caught partially and he had the last four numbers along with the model and make of the car, he felt hopeful of narrowing down the list of suspects.  He had already had a word with his friend, Ashraf, in the Registration & Licensing Department, and he had assured that he would definitely give him something to work upon by the next day. Raoul thought that if it had been before the era of computers and networking, Ashraf's reply possibly would have been that he would tell him in a week or two; Raoul was amazed with the progress things had made.

He felt a sudden silence on the dining table and found the kids and Lyana staring at him. He raised his eyebrows quizzically and Lyana repeated her question, 'What are time should I drop the kids? apa yang awak fikirkan (what are you thinking?)' She had a habit of speaking in her native Malay language when she was disturbed or may be to emphasize a point she was making.

Roaul shrugged his shoulders and replied, "Aileen would expect you to be there at 10, try and not be late. You do know, how she starts to hyper-ventilate if anyone is late from the time decided!'.

Lyana chuckled, 'Darling! Could you not drop the kids? I need to be out early.'

Raoul gave her an angry look and told her, 'I've made the arrangements, I am working tomorrow, so you'd better be there'.

Lyana was taken aback; Raoul was usually not this aggressive. She realised it must be the case he was working upon, that had him on the edge and replied, 'Don't worry! I'll be there to drop the kids.'

He was a little upset with himself for being so blunt, but decided to let this one go.

Next day

Raoul had reached Omar's office early in the day, and after making the usual courtesies, he made an excuse about wanting to take down some details about the displays and was standing on the same spot as the previous day in order to stop the probable 'heist' which was being planned. He was not expecting too many footfalls to the museum like the rest of the days, making it easy for him to spot his 'three musketeers'. He was still waiting for the call from Ashraf which should be coming in at any time soon.

He knew today was going to a day requiring patience, attention and concentration. He had had a light breakfast to go along with the day's needs.

After standing at the spot for about an hour, he supposed it would be safe to actually see some of the artifacts displayed, who knows, he might just write an article on Bujang Valley. He made sure that the main entrance of the museum was visible to him from all the angles. He was half-way through his tour when he saw movement through the side of his eyes. He quickly ducked behind a display to avoid being noticed.

He noted that it was indeed his three musketeers, Anees, Hanif and the mystery man, who was dressed in a similar manner as the last time. It was the third man he was more interested; he had to find the identity of the man to get to the root of the problem.

The three moved towards the display of 'Standing Buddha'; taking advantage of the fact that they were preoccupied with the attempt at stealing the statue, Raoul quickly moved towards the display making sure he was not visible. Raoul had the advantage of taking a tour of the place, which made him reach the display earlier and just as Hanif was about to reach out to grab the statue, Raoul sprang on him, snatching the statue from his hand.

For a moment, all four were rooted to their spots; the 'three musketeers' shocked and Raoul trying to get a better look at the mystery man. Regaining their wits, the two of them made a dash for the door, while Hanif was clearly looking scared. He had not expected to be trapped, trying to wrestle himself free from Raoul, both of them fell on the floor. This somehow motivated the assistants at the museum to come out of their state of stupor and they joined the fray, not knowing who was to be detained. Taking advantage of the chaos, Hanif managed to slip out Raoul's grip and made a mad dash to join his cohorts. By the time Raoul made the two assistants understand what was happening, the 'three musketeers' were long gone and Raoul was no richer in his information about them.

He was frustrated with himself. He now had to wait for Ashraf to call and tell him any possible clues about the identity. He knew that with a failed attempt at their back, the next time 'three musketeers' would be more careful.

Omar had come out of the confines of his office and wanted some clarifications from Raoul. Raoul ran his hand through his thinning hair and cursed himself inwardly for not taking Omar in confidence earlier. Spreading his hands, he moved along with Omar to his office, telling him about what had happened.

...to be continued.. Raoul -8

Raoul - Part 6

Earlier
He was jolted out of his reveries by the ringing of the phone. It was becoming a regular thing, Lyana calling him. She called him to tell him that there was an emergency with one of her friends which required her to be away from home for the next day. She wanted to call over Raoul's sister for baby-sitting or to drop her kids at her place. Raoul was baffled with the conversation since neither Lyana nor his sister, Aileen were able to get along with each-other. Rather it could be said that they hardly saw eye-to-eye on any thing under the sun.

He sighed and gave in to Lyana's demand since he was more occupied to find out more about the 'Standing Buddha' case and he found Lyana irritating. He told her, 'Dear! If you think it is okay and if Aileen has no issues, leave the kids with her for the day. I would not be able to help you out this time. You are on your own here. I have a case I am working upon.' 

He felt Lyana wilt on the other side of the phone and felt sorry for the turn the conversation was taking. Trying to assuage her feelings, he interjected, 'Leave them there. I'll check-up upon them, and don't worry, Aileen does like to spend time with the kids. I'll call her and try to work it out for you'. 

Lyana replied in her cheery voice, 'Thanks, Darling! I Knew I could always rely upon you for to come through for me.' 

Raoul smiled and speed-dialed Aileen's number after Lyana disconnected. Not someone for a small talk, Aileen jumped straight into the conversation, picking up from where they had left the last time, making it sometimes difficult for Raoul to follow the conversation. Aileen asked him about the progress he had made in the last report he had been working upon. Raoul felt bummed out having to explain to his sistre that the report had been scrapped after he had put in his sweat into it. 'Aileen has a way of asking the wrong questions, may be at the right time, but she does have an uncanny ability', Raoul thought to himself.

Aileen continued with her one-sided conversation asking about everything that was possibly happening in is life from his kids to his attempts at elusive promotion at work. Raoul knew to get in his own word, he would have to catch her off-guard, "How is your work with the new clients coming along?", he asked her remembering that the last time she had told him of trying to finalize the deal with a company for designing their office. 

Aileen told him that she was already working on the project and was finding it challenging but invigorating. Raoul was proud of his sister, an elder sibling. They had grown together with the usual fights and camaraderie in siblings and knew the good and bad of each-other. While Aileen had been successful in all her endeavors from childhood, Raoul had always struggled to attain success.  Shaking the thoughts away, he took his chance to ask Aileen if Lyana could drop the kids with her for the next day. 

Aileen thought it over and told him, 'Umm! I am home tomorrow, the material required for working would be coming in by evening so I am free in the morning. I'd be happy to keep the kids. Would you be dropping them or would Lyana be coming over?

Raoul told her, 'It'd be easier for Lyana to come, but if you want I can come over, although I am in the middle of a case and might not be able to make it.', hoping that Aileen would agree for Lyana to drop the kids. Aileen said, 'No hassles, you or Lyana.. what difference would it make? I like to spend time with your kids. Either of you, but just ensure that you are not late or keep me waiting.'

He disconnected breathing a sigh of relief having taken care of the kids for the next day. He texted Lyana informing about Aileen's reply and also for her to drop the kids by 10 in the morning. Whatever Aileen was, she was not a morning person and would not be up before 9, so 10 was a safe time.

Getting back to the office, Raoul spread the pictures he had got developed along with the notes he had made with Omar and any other information he had been able to glean regarding the case. Squinting his eye, he tried to focus on the clues spread out in from of him. He could feel that there was something he knew but was missing out upon; something which was glaring at him, but he was not able to put his finger on it. 

Glancing at pictures, he suddenly froze and could not move for a second, he could not believe what he was seeing; it had been in front of him all the time, but it was a difficult thing to believe and his sub-conscious had probably decided to make him ignore it.

He was frozen, his heart thumping against his chest with what he had seen.. he seemed to have unraveled the mystery man from the 'three musketeers'. He could not believe it, he seemed to know the 'person'. He stood rooted to his spot thinking about what to do next, torn between the decision to be made.

... to be continued... Raoul - 7

Inspirations

Inspiration.. a word which is defined as 'stimulation of the mind or emotions to a high level of feeling or activity'.. generally the source of stimulation is an outside source at least for me.. It may be a piece of journalistic article I have read... it may be a moving picture I have seen or it may even be a conversation!

I often find myself in an 'inspired' state of emotions when I am facing an inner turmoil.. which usually gets my senses to a heightened level.. I tend to observe better.. my words seem more in sync with each other.. my thoughts are focused.... not wavering... emotions get under control.. I am able to channelize myself and the biggest plus point that I achieve is the so called 'brain fog' as a consequence of thyroid tends to go poof!!

I love to be inspired... so here's to being inspired 24 X 7! 

Flights of thoughts...

A couple of days back there had been a workshop on stress management in our school (which by the way we need almost on an hourly basis... these once in a blue moon kinds do not really work for us...!!) Anyways, so this person who had come to take the workshop had asked a question about the thoughts and the tendency of the thoughts to be all over the place.

As was bound to happen, most of us found ourselves thinking about the things he was referring to.. such as where do you stay.. how do you come to school.. and as generally does happen.. I found myself picturing the whole route from my home to workplace... (Ah!! but then that is what any normal human being would do... what... picturing the whole journey from home to work.. and for what.. because someone had asked how do you come to work.. don't tell me that was not something you were doing!)

We all often find ourselves bound by our thoughts.. no it is not the 'feelings'.. the much abused part of our emotions but the thoughts which captivate us.. which tend to take us away from the intended path for the moment. I totally agree to the reasoning that you are what you think. (Right! like that makes it all easy?!) No it does not.. who can understand this better than someone who has been struggling to control how I think.. what thoughts I allow my conscious and sub-conscious to permeate.. It is a Herculean task to say the least.. to say the least.

Of very recent, what I have started to do is if a thought is bothering me so much as to paralyze me.. I write it down.. that let's me look at it in black and white and realize that it is definitely not worth the head-ache.. (Yes.. I do get head-aches from my thoughts.. imagine and they have no existence beyond your brain... talk about presence..) I am not sure it would work as a long term measure but for now I am satisfied (and that is a feeling not a thought)