The Cost of Values - 3

 I have been writing blogs that are generally events or my experiences.  

I have hardly ever attempted to write a story. 

However, for a change, I thought I should write a story -  

not a short story that can be completed within a blog post;  

but a 'serialized' story that I will continue every week. 

 

CHAPTER - 3

 

[In case you happen to reach here without reading the earlier parts of the serialized story, 

please go here........ Chapter - 1]

 

 A few days earlier.....

 

"Akshay, what are you planning to do during the weekend?", asked Pro (Pronnoy), Akshay's roommate.

"Not decided man. I may opt to just relax, if I do not have any backlog to be completed at work!" said Akshay with a sigh. 

Over the last couple of years that Akshay had been with DataLogix in Gurugram, he was always being swamped with work. He resented that overload during the weekends, since he seemed to be among the few who, like his father, completed his part of the project on time and with the quality that was expected of him. This resentment didn't appear on his face or demeanor when he was allotted that 'extra' work by his manager during office hours, since his nature was never to refuse work. Among the values inculcated in him by his parents - both mother and father always mentioned that 'hard work never killed anyone; hence accept the work and do your best' - this was something of a golden rule. Other values that they instilled in him were curiosity, respect for everyone, and honoring the commitment. Somehow, Akshay never questioned these aspects; though on quite a few other issues he could argue with his father till kingdom come.

It was raining in Gurugram and the city was a mess due to the traffic, water-logging, and general indiscipline on the roads. He made his way to the office, just a block away from his apartment and got into his cubicle. 

Just then Amy (Amrutha) came up to his cubicle and said, "Hey Aks, we three are planning a camping trip to Kumaon hills. Are you interested?"

"Yes, sure. I don't have a bike though."

"Not an issue. Vicky (Vikrant) is coming on his bike and Gan (Ganesh) is always ready to take any road trip. So there will be four of us on two bikes."

"Ok. Looks good. Let's do it. When do you leave?"

"We are leaving on Thursday morning. Take one day off and Friday is anyway a holiday. That makes it a three day camp. Hope you have your hiking boots and camping gear. Not given to anyone na?"

"No. I have that."

"Where are we going? Have you guys decided yet?"

"Gan was mentioning a camp site near a place called Kanatal, about 4 hours from Dehradun. We should be reaching there by late afternoon, if we leave this place early morning on Thursday."

Akshay decided that this trip would be 'off the radar' of his parents. His mother was of the worrying type and if he were to mention that he was planning a road trip, that too on a bike, to a hilly place, probably his mother would take the next flight from Bangalore and land up in Gurugram to prevent him from going. Better to talk to mom and dad after returning from the trip.

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Saturday morning at Kanatal camp site

Akshay was thankful that the past two days were largely uneventful in terms of adverse weather. It was sunny and since the place was at an altitude, the weather was cool and nippy in the morning; but progressively warmer as the day progressed. It was a new experience to make tea or coffee and breakfast (mostly maggi noodles) before heading out for a trek. The sights were awe inspiring and since they were the only four campers in that area, they were largely left to themselves to enjoy the place. The site was a grassy land on a rise and even if it were to rain, the rainwater was not likely to cause any harm within the tent. Gan was anyway a pro in these matters and chose the place wisely.

The sun had just risen and Akshay saw that the others were also just getting up. But when they looked eastward, they found a building that resembled a small house that hadn't existed even yesterday evening. It was impossible that this building had been completed overnight.

The four of them decided to walk about a kilometer to check that out. Was it a shop? Or was it a cafe? Seemed to be a small restaurant. Could they escape the obligatory maggi noodles and instead get poori or aloo paratha? Akshay was the first one  to enter the cafe, with the others maintaining a safe distance behind him. Amy was busy taking photos of the morning sunrise, the building that had come up last night and a video of the three folks ahead of her. She was a 'photo-nerd' and had already taken a lot of photos over the last two days. In between she also took some selfies with Gan and Vicky with the building as a backdrop.

Akshay didn't find anyone inside the cafe. He looked around for a few seconds and then called, "Anyone here?"

Suddenly, the other three almost lost their balance. They were a good hundred yards behind Akshay. The cafe vanished in front of their eyes and with it Akshay too!

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Note to readers: This story can end here with the suspense. Or it can be expanded. What do you think I should do? Please comment below.