SFX: Crowded commuter
train station. Distinct beeps from the buttons of a person dialing a telephone
number.
AUTOMATED VOICE: Welcome
to Peoples Bank Credit Card Help Desk. Please key in your card number to
continue
SFX: Beeps from cell phone
key strokes.
b/g: Crowds and trains. (FEEBLE)
Train station announcements. “Next train to Pasir Ris will arrive in 3 to 4
minutes at platform B. Please stand behind the yellow line. Repeats, in Tamil
and Mandarin”.
SFX: Very quick menu
selection with the automated voice menu being cut off before it can complete
instructions
AUTOMATED VOICE: For
English press 1….BEEP….. For balance enquiries press… BEEP…. For Change in …
BEEP… BEEP… Pls hold the line while we transfer you to an operator. This call
may be recorded for quality purposes.
SFX: Phone rings. Crowded
commuter station in the background. “For your own safety please stand behind
the yellow line..”
CALL CENTER OPERATOR: (VOICE
ON PHONE LINE): Good morning, you have reached Shirley. Before I access your
account I need to ask you a few questions. Can you please read out the three
digit security code behind your card?
DAVID: 736. And I know you
are not Shirley, that is not your real name, you could be in Manila or Chengdu
using your accent trained voice, practiced less than a month back.
CALL CENTER OPERATOR: (VOICE
ON PHONE LINE): Thank you. May I have your full name and date of birth?
CALL CENTER OPERATOR: (VOICE
ON PHONE LINE): Thank you Mr. David. What was your last card transaction
please?
CALL CENTER OPERATOR: (VOICE
ON PHONE LINE): Thank you. How may I help you today?
DAVID: Can you please
transfer me to Lucy. I need to speak to her since she has my case history. It
is long and I am sick and tired of repeating it over and over to new agents. So
please save all of us the trouble and transfer this line to Lucy.
CALL CENTER OPERATOR: (VOICE
ON PHONE LINE): Sir, I have all your transaction records and will be able…..
DAVID: (IRRITATED VOICE) Look
just transfer me to Lucy. I will give you that ONE rating you never get from
any of your callers. OK?
CALL CENTER OPERATOR: (VOICE
ON PHONE LINE): Let me transfer you now. Please don’t forget to key in the
survey at the end of this call. It means a lot to us.
SFX: Sound from riding
inside a train. Sound of transferring the call. Beeps, before phone rings.
LUCY: (VOICE ON PHONE
LINE): You have reached Lucy, how may I help you?
DAVID: Oh Lucy it is me
David. Why do I have to jump through these hoops each morning before I can hear
your voice? Why can’t I just have your cell phone number so I can call you every
day…
LUCY: (VOICE ON PHONE
LINE): You know David the rest of the operators are just as capable of handling
your card related issues.
DAVID: (CUTS HER OFF) Yes
but I hate speaking to faked accents coming through from congested third world
cities. They are too perfect to be true; there is imperfection in all reality.
LUCY: (VOICE ON PHONE
LINE): How do you know I am not an accent trained operator who has just fought
through the crowded streets of Delhi to reach my work place this morning?
Anyway, like I tell you every morning, our calls will have to be work related,
else my productivity scores can drop and this impacts my salary.
DAVID: I did as you told
me dear. I have applied for three more cards from your Bank. I am also starting
to put all my expenses onto my existing card.
LUCY: (VOICE ON PHONE
LINE, CUTS HIM OFF): Hmmm. Let me check the status of your applications. (PAUSE
AND KEYBOARD CLICKS) Yes we seem to have received them, and we should be able
to process the same in a couple of days. You must exceed the average monthly
spend of twenty thousand dollars to qualify for Gold status.
DAVID: Must I have to be a
Gold customer before I can get a dedicated call agent. Why can’t I just meet
you this evening and then we can work things out?
LUCY: (VOICE ON PHONE
LINE, EMPHASIS ON PRONOUNCIATION, CONSTERNATION): Work-things-out-NONSENSE. I
am just your help desk assistant, a faceless voice who helps with your credit
cards. There is nothing to work out, except maybe for you to have therapy about
being obsessed with a call center agent. That is all.
DAVID: Please don’t be
angry with me. You are the only one who listens to me and understands me. At
work I get mocked, at home I am hen pecked, even the neighbor’s dog thinks of
me as a-nobody. But you listen to me and solve my problem. Don’t be cross. I
beg you, it will ruin my day.
LUCY: (VOICE ON PHONE
LINE, VOICE SOFTENS) David you have to understand this, I have targets to meet
and I don’t mind speaking to you, in fact I enjoy our morning chats, but you
have to qualify upto Gold before I can assign myself as your agent. I will
accelerate your applications, but once you get your cards just do as I say. OK
dear?
DAVID: I don’t know you,
but I love you. Like a dog loves his mistress.
LUCY: (VOICE ON PHONE
LINE): OK listen I will ask Shirley to report our call today as a complicated
balance enquiry from a dull customer, that way at least I can account for the
time.
DAVID: Shirley is not her
real name is it?
LUCY: (VOICE ON PHONE
LINE): It does not matter; I am here to service you.
DAVID: Lucy when can we
meet, I need to see you.
LUCY: (VOICE ON PHONE
LINE, LAUGHS PETULANTLY): You spend your way upto Gold status and then we will
see. OK let’s end our call like we usually do. Why don’t you ask me the three
questions that can lead you to me?
DAVID: Why do you tantalize
me like this?
LUCY: (VOICE ON PHONE
LINE): I never do, and you just wasted a question.
DAVID: Do you love me?
LUCY: (VOICE ON PHONE
LINE): No I don’t.
DAVID: You have long curly
golden hair?
LUCY: (VOICE ON PHONE
LINE): No I don’t.
DAVID: I want to feel the
fragrance that they hold….
LUCY: (VOICE ON PHONE
LINE, CUTS DAVID OFF): As always, one of my three answers is a lie. (PAUSE)
Thank you for selecting Peoples Bank, we care for you and hope you have a great
deal ahead.
DAVID: I will call you in
the evening, same line…..
SFX: Telephone
disconnects. Train doors swishing open….”Raffles Place, Next stop Tanjong
Pagar”…
AUTOMATED VOICE: (VOICE ON
PHONE LINE): Please press hex for participating in our customer experience
survey.
SFX: Phone hanging up…
DAVID: Bugger off,
customer experience my foot.
SFX: Sound of cracking and
frying eggs, Cutlery being laid out, Sounds of breakfast
B/g: Newsreader (Fanfare)
“Good morning and welcome to this edition of the world news brought to you by
Media Channel Limited. First the main news, the civil war in ….”
BETINA: Morning David, my
darling hubby. Slept well, I hope?
DAVID: Yes once I got past your snoring…
BETINA: (GIGGLING): Sorry
dear, just wake me up and I will make my way to the couch.
SFX: Sound of cups clinking and pouring of coffee
DAVID: (SOUND OF OPENING A
PAPER AND SIPPING COFFEE) It’s OK, eventually I slept well. Now let us see what
has been happening in our world.
BETINA: Hey, What is with
all these letters and envelopes from Peoples Bank in the mail lately…
DAVID: Where are they? Did
you open them?
BETINA: Of course I did,
remember you wanted me to pay your bills. You have got three shiny new credit cards
in the mail. I thought of asking you before destroying them. We should complain
about sending unsolicited products that we don’t need.
DAVID: (ANGRY, VOICE
RAISED): Don’t you dare open my mail again OK. Where are they, get them over at
once.
BETINA: Hey, I have been
opening your mail for the last ten years! What’s with you?
DAVID: Its nothing just
give me the mail.
SFX: Sound of papers
exchanging hands
BETINA: Here you go, and
sorry I opened and saw your new credit cards (GIGGLES). Are you going to use
them?
DAVID: Yes, actually I am
planning to put all our spending on credit cards and enjoy the benefits of all
the loyalty points that I can accrue. I don’t know why we didn’t do that for so
many years?
BETINA: Suits me, let us
celebrate our anniversary earlier this year. I will skip cooking tonight and
you can use your cards to pay for a candle lit dinner. Once we get home I will
show what I can do in bed besides snoring (GIGGLES).
DAVID: Ok let us see about
that….
BETINA: What happened?
Lately you have been very cold, we haven’t even made out in weeks, and you seem
so lost.
DAVID: Look there has been
a lot on my mind. This is the last year that I can hope to get that promotion;
else we are downhill from here.
BETINA: It’s Ok you don’t
have to get worked up over it. Just try your best and we can move on. A
promotion will not change things much for us. We are happy the way we are
already, aren’t we?
DAVID: All I get, all the
time from all of you is expectations. You just want me to do things. What do I
get in return? Tell me what do I get from all of you, nothing. I am heading to
work now.
BETINA: Love and care -
that is what I have been trying to give you all this while. Wish you could
understand that and reciprocate. (GENTLE SOBBING)
SFX: (MUCH SHORTER THAN
SCENE 1): Crowded commuter train station. Distinct beeps from the buttons of a
person dialing a telephone number.
AUTOMATED VOICE: (MUCH
SHORTER THAN SCENE 1) Welcome to Peoples Bank Credit Card Help Des….
SFX: (MUCH SHORTER THAN
SCENE 1) Beeps from cell phone key strokes. Crowds and trains in the
background. Very quick menu selection with the automated voice menu being cut
off before it can complete instructions
AUTOMATED VOICE: (MUCH
SHORTER THAN SCENE 1) For English press 1….BEEP….. For balance enquiries press…
BEEP…. For Change in … BEEP… BEEP… This call may be recorded for quality
purposes.
DAVID: Hello Lucy, why do
you make me go through these circuitous routes before I can get through to you
each morning?
LUCY: (VOICE ON PHONE
LINE): Well, that is the only way you can reach me since incoming calls are
placed at random with agents. And you will have to become a Gold member before
I can request a dedicated caller line for you. You know that don’t you?
DAVID: Hmmm Ok never mind,
at least I can hear your voice now, even if it is only for a few minutes. This
is the best part of my day, a one that I look forward to. It has been only
weeks since we have been speaking, but it seems like I know you for a life
time.
LUCY: (VOICE ON PHONE
LINE): You are happily married, what can you offer me? And, more importantly what
is it that draws you to me every morning? I can’t understand it.
DAVID: I feel loved when I
speak to you, with the rest of the world it is only what I can give them. With
you it is about you fulfilling my needs. I have to meet you and give you what I
have bought for you.
LUCY: (VOICE ON PHONE
LINE): Hmmm let me see, jewelry from Poh Heng is it?
DAVID: How did you know?
LUCY: (VOICE ON PHONE
LINE): I can see you statements online, you dummy. There is the four thousand
dollar entry yesterday at Poh Heng. Let me guess it is a necklace?
DAVID: Could be, when will
you meet me so I can give it to you myself.
LUCY: (VOICE ON PHONE
LINE): How can I meet you? You are married and I have been single, it is not
right.
DAVID: We can share a cup
of tea that is all. Maybe we could be friends. I am not demanding anything from
you except a harmless cuppa tea.
LUCY: (VOICE ON PHONE
LINE): That sounds reasonable. Hmmm I see that your new cards have been
approved and dispatched to you. Have you received them?
DAVID: Yes I have got them
in the mail. My wife is getting suspicious. Anyway forget her I will manage
her.
LUCY: (VOICE ON PHONE
LINE): Good, You need to start maxing out your cards. Be sure to distribute
your spends evenly across all of them. Try and hit fifty thousand dollars as
quickly as you can, and make only the minimum payments due.
DAVID: I will do exactly
as you tell me, but you have to promise to meet me in return.
LUCY: (VOICE ON PHONE
LINE): I can’t make any promises, but we will see….
SFX: Sound of cracking and
frying eggs and laying out a table, newsreader in the background announcing the
morning news
BETINA: Morning David, my
darling hubby. How have you been, and thanks for the wonderful gift that you
brought for me……. I am sorry I found it in your jacket pocket last night.
DAVID: (PERPLEXED) Gift,
huh… What gift?
BETINA: Now come on, that
lovely pendant and necklace from Poh Heng. You really shouldn’t have, but
anyway I am taking it as an early anniversary present and shall plan a pot
roast for you this evening.
DAVID: (CHEWING AND
GULPING): Oh yes that one, I hope you like it. I should have kept it at the
office, silly me bringing it home like this.
BETINA: Yes I loved it,
darling why are you not paying off your card bills this month. I can’t help
noticing that you have a large outstanding balance.
DAVID: (CHEWING AND
GULPING): Look I told you I want to collect as many loyalty points as possible;
I don’t know why we didn’t do this earlier. Don’t worry I have been making the
minimum payments due so it won’t affect my credit score or rating in any way. I
have things under control.
BETINA: (ALARMED) David
you know the bank is going to charge you outlandish interest rates if you make
only the minimum payments. It is not about your credit score, they are simply
in it to make as much interest income as possible from their consumers. You
know this well, don’t you?
DAVID: Yes I know but
having to pay a minimal amount monthly is smarter than having to pay large
lumps upfront. Surely you know that as well?
BETINA: I am not sure…..
DAVID: OK ok not don’t go
on about this, I am getting late for work. We will talk about this over your
pot roast this evening. Bye (SOUND OF KISSING, DOOR CLOSES, ENGINE IGNITES,
SOUND OF CAR PULLING AWAY)
AUTOMATED VOICE: Welcome
to the Sister Agatha Psychiatrist Clinic. Press your access code to speak to
our constant.
AUTOMATED VOICE: Thank
you. Please hold the line while we serve you.
HUMAN VOICE: Hello Mrs.
Betina, thanks for holding, Dr Kumar is busy but if you are having an emergency
I can get him to call you on the hour.
BETINA: Yes you better do
that. I am in a mess!
SFX: Phone Rings
BETINA: Hello
Dr. KUMAR: (VOICE ON PHONE
LINE): Hello Betina, how are you doing? It was nice not to hear from in a
while, I mean from a purely professional angle, otherwise I quite enjoy
speaking to you. How can I help you?
BETINA: This is so
difficult for me, you have no idea. Anyway, I think he is having another
psychotic episode Dr. Kumar. I can’t be certain but he seems to be slipping
away.
Dr. KUMAR: (VOICE ON PHONE
LINE): It’s good you called, these episodes are common and unfortunately the
previous caregiver was not able to handle the stress of David’s swings. She did
not alert us early enough and almost paid the price for it with severe
consequences.
BETINA: He seems to be
tangled up in some credit card business. He has been taking on new cards and
racking up huge bills off late. On the positive side, he is so convinced that I
am his wife of many years that he even bought me an expensive necklace.
Dr. KUMAR: (VOICE ON PHONE
LINE): Has he been violent or forgetful lately?
BETINA: No not really. Otherwise
he has been OK, it is just that he is spending far too much time thinking and
managing his credit card life when he does not need to.
Dr. KUMAR: Does he stammer
or stutter as he speaks? Or have you seen him speaking to himself or to people
or things that you may not see?
BETINA: No I have not
noticed that, else I would have mentioned it first thing…
Dr. KUMAR: (VOICE ON PHONE
LINE): You have done the right thing by calling me. Let us observe him for a
couple of days before deciding how to move ahead. I know it is not easy being an
intimate caregiver for a complete stranger, that too in the role of a wife.
BETINA: Well it is better
than having to sleep with strangers every day. At least I am off the streets.
Even if not real, at least I have a home. It is eerie though, pretending to be
someone’s wife when you are not. I always have a lurking feeling that one day
he will snap out of it all and realize that he is living in a make believe
world. I live with a constant fear of him returning home and asking me “Who are
you? You are not my wife.”
Dr. KUMAR: (VOICE ON PHONE
LINE): We have told you this before, that remote possibility does exist. We
have been walking a tight rope walk these past three years since he lost his
wife. You know he has been delusional and psychotic but the accident and the
loss of his wife left him irreparably amnesic.
BETINA: Precisely, what if
one day surfing the net he discovers his wife’s photo and bang, everything
comes flooding back. He will probably head home and bludgeon me before I have
the chance to call in the useless helpline at the clinic. By the time they page
and get you to call me I will be dead on the kitchen floor.
Dr. KUMAR: (VOICE ON PHONE
LINE): There is no reason for us to believe that he will display such brutality.
You know we have taken utmost care to remove all memories of the past and
surround him with ample evidence of his new life. His entire online and offline
identity has been crafted carefully by my team, there are no stones unturned,
we have every inch of his past covered. All Facebook links, friends, bosses,
restaurants, songs, tweets etc. everything has been tackled. There is no reason
for us to….
BETINA: (REPEATING
SARCASTICALLY, CUTS HIM OFF): “No reason to believe.” You should hear yourself.
Dr. KUMAR: (VOICE ON PHONE
LINE. FIRMLY): You should have thought of these scenarios before signing up.
His wife’s will pays for his upkeep and you knew well what you were getting
into. We explained all the eventualities at length. You had enough time to
consider the proposal before signing the agreement. Now you have a legally
binding contract that you need to fulfill.
BETINA: (SOFT CRYING):
Doctor I am scared. Living these lies is proving tougher than I thought.
Dr. KUMAR: (VOICE ON PHONE
LINE): (CONSOLING): Betina, please get a grip. Like you said, at least you are off
the streets. The memory that he has lost needs to be filled with the memories
that we have engineered for him. Yes it is true that it is a bold new area but
I have many cases who have successfully adopted designed memories which have
little in common with their actual pasts. Just keep showing him the photos and
videos that we have prepared and rehearsed so many times. After a while he will
accept them as his actual past, with belief his love for you will grow Betina.
BETINA: Stop calling me Betina, you know that is not my name …
Dr. KUMAR: (VOICE ON PHONE
LINE CUTS HER OFF, FIRMLY): It is your name, now you listen to me Betina, (PAUSE)
carefully. You have to cross that bridge and assume your new identity (STRESS) in
totality; you are no longer working on the streets. (VOICE SOFTENS) He is not a
bad man, and he has reacted well to your presence. Now go raise a family, and
start the life that you always dreamt of. Don’t throw this chance at a decent
living.
BETINA: (WEEPING): This is
so difficult, sometimes I just feel like slipping away and going back to where
I came from. At least there I was me, maybe a bad me but still “a-me”. Now I am
a walking talking lie, and it is getting to me. I am not sure I can hold out.
Dr. KUMAR: (VOICE ON PHONE
LINE): Betina please, if you waver now, years of work and a dead wife’s hopes
will die with it. You have saved a man’s life. If you decide to leave him the
damage that it will do to him, may be irreparable.
BETINA: What should I do
Doctor, help me.
Dr. KUMAR: OK, collect
yourself and follow David to the station. See what he does, observe everything.
Be especially sure that he is getting to work, rather than wandering off somewhere.
Stake out during lunch hour to ensure he is not slinking away. Call me if you
see anything unusual about him. Then double back home and wait for him. Can you
do that?
BETINA: (CONPOSING
HERSELF): Yes I think so.
Dr. KUMAR: Now I need to
go, but call me in a couple of days if you sense anything odd or amiss and (PAUSE)
promise me you will take care of yourself. Bye for now, and don’t worry all will
be well.
SFX: (MUCH SHORTER THAN
SCENE 3): Crowded commuter train station. Distinct beeps from the buttons of a
person pressing a telephone keypad.
AUTOMATED VOICE: (MUCH
SHORTER THAN SCENE 3) Welcome to Peoples Bank Credit ….
SFX: (MUCH SHORTER THAN
SCENE 3) Beeps from cell phone key strokes. Crowds and trains in the
background. Very quick menu selection with the automated voice menu being cut
off before it can complete instructions
AUTOMATED VOICE: (MUCH
SHORTER THAN SCENE 3) For English press 1….BEEP….. For balance enquiries press…
BEEP…. For Change in addr… BEEP… BEEP… This call may be recorded for quality
purposes.
DAVID: Hello Lucy, I hate
wasting all this time getting through to you each day. I have been doing
exactly as you have told me, so why can’t I have the promised direct line?
LUCY: (VOICE ON PHONE
LINE): Hmmm (COMPUTER KEYSTROKES). Let me check your account now. (PAUSE WITH
COMPUTER KEY STROKES) Yes you have finally reached an outstanding balance of twenty
thousand. Now you must remember to pay only the minimum amount due.
DAVID: But my wife thinks this
will simply lead to mindless interest payments….
LUCY: (VOICE ON PHONE
LINE, CUTS HIM OFF): I thought you loved me and wanted to meet me. Are you
going to listen to me or are to your wife? (GIGGLES)
DAVID: Oh, darling Lucy.
Tell me when can we meet? I can’t wait. Don’t blame me if I hug you and give
you a friendly kiss, when I see you.
LUCY: (VOICE ON PHONE
LINE): OK, You do exactly as I tell you. Pay only your minimum dues for the
next two billing cycles and then I’ll see if I can arrange to meet you. I hope
to also get you a dedicated phone line and that is that. Happy?
DAVID: I will do that and
anything else you tell me to….
LUCY: (VOICE ON PHONE
LINE): If you do as you are told then hmmm let me see (COMPUTER KEYSTROKES) you
should reach Gold status by the 4th of October which would be
exactly a day after completing the next two billing cycles.
DAVID: You mean we can
meet after that?
LUCY: Yes I think so
(KEYSTROKES) I am on leave for a couple of weeks and the Sunday after the
fourth is on the 5th of October.
DAVID: (SQUEAL): WOW
LUCY: (VOICE ON PHONE
LINE): Hmmm Ok why don’t we meet at the zoo, there is an exhibit on exotic birds,
at the Aviary. I will be there at about 10 AM. Be there, OK?
DAVID: (DELIGHT): Yes
finally. Look for a man carrying a bunch of roses.
LUCY: (VOICE ON PHONE
LINE): What exactly do you have in mind David? For me this is nothing but a
casual meeting and I don’t want to be setting any false expectations. Remember
you are married, don’t forget that.
DAVID: Yes I am married
but the accident has left me vacant. Apparently, since I don’t even remember
the accident. It is as if I need to fall in love with my wife all over again.
The photographs around the house, the videos of our marriage seem to be just
images and nothing more. It is quite tough to explain.
LUCY: (VOICE ON PHONE
LINE): What do you mean? Don’t you love your wife?
DAVID: No it is not that,
it’s just that I feel vacant. It is like being in a world where I am the only
stranger. Everyone in my life seems related to each other, expect with me. But
.. but but (STAMMERS) with you I don’t feel like a stranger, you are my
(STAMMERS)c..c..cr..redit card agent and I am your client. That is it, you make
me (STAMMERS) f…f..f..eel free and lo..love..loved
LUCY: (VOICE ON PHONE
LINE): Are you OK your voice is breaking up.
DAVID: (HEAVY STAMMERING):
Y..Y..Yes I am fine, except hopelessly in love with someone I have never met.
LUCY: (VOICE ON PHONE
LINE): OK I have only a couple of minutes now, I have other callers too you know.
I give you your three questions before we go, as always one of my answers will
be a lie.
DAVID: (STUTTERING ANS
STAMMERING): Do you to love me like I love you?
LUCY: No, I don’t.
DAVID: (STUTTERING ANS
STAMMERING): Are you wearing a g..gr..grey dress to work today, with white lll
(STAMMER PAUSE) lace underneath?
LUCY: No I am not, naughty
boy….
DAVID: (STUTTERING ANS
STAMMERING): No No..I d..di..didn’t mean it that way. Do you love birds?
LUCY: (EXCLAIMS) Love
birds? Yes I love them. (PAUSE) Thank you for calling Peoples Bank and wish you
a nice day.
SFX: Sound of phone
hanging as the line goes dead.
SFX: Sound of cracking and
frying eggs and laying out a table, like for breakfast, newsreader in the
background announcing the morning news in a low volume. Fanfare. “Its 8AM in Singapore, Midnight in London and
you are listening to the daily news on Tuesday 8th of Aug with me
Seema Heckle. Now for those of us looking for porn online, things just got
easier..” b/g News continues
BETINA: Morning my
darling, did you sleep well, let me pour you some coffee
DAVID: Thanks (SOUND OF
NEWSPAPER UNFOLDING). I ..I (STAMMERS) may be away this coming Sunday. I
m..ma..may have forgotten to mention it to you. I m..ma..may be gone all day.
Hope you don’t min…mind.
BETINA: What? I thought we
were going to the park this Sunday. Where are you going?
DAVID: (STUTTERS): I am
m..me..meeting an old friend of mine….
BETINA: You can call him
home, if you like?
DAVID: No no. He is a
friend from w..wo..work. It is best if I meet him outside.
BETINA: Here I packed you
a sandwich for later.
SFX: Sound of paper
ruffling, like a wrapped up sandwich exchanging hands.
BETINA: Bye dear, love ya.
See you later.
SFX: Sound of a loving
peck
DAVID: B..Bye
SFX: Door shutting (PAUSE)
Sound of car pulling away
AUTOMATED VOICE: Welcome
to the Sister Agatha Psychiatrist Clinic. Press your access code to speak to
our constant.
AUTOMATED VOICE: Thank
you. Pls hold the line while we serve you.
SFX: Phone Rings
BETINA: Hello
Dr. KUMAR: Hello Betina,
how have things been? I hope you are keeping well.
BETINA: (PANIC): It has
started doctor, the madness has begun.
Dr. KUMAR: What has he
been doing?
BETINA: The stammering and
the stuttering have been getting worse. I can’t place it but there is something
going on in that head of his.
Dr. KUMAR: Did you follow
him these last few days when he left for work?
BETINA: Yes I did follow
him, absolutely nothing. Everything seems normal. He parks his car and heads to
the station, takes the train and that is it. There is only one thing that seems
out of place.
Dr. KUMAR: And what is
that?
BETINA: He is on the phone
from the time he leaves home till the time he gets to work, almost
continuously. I can’t imagine who he is speaking to and about what.
Dr. KUMAR: The stammering
is worrisome. I am not so sure about the phone calls. Have his obsessions with
credit cards ceased?
BETINA: I don’t know
except that he has changed the billing address to his office. His statements
don’t come home anymore, but he does not speak about that any more either.
Dr. KUMAR: How are his
sleeping patterns? Regular?
BETINA: Yes we sleep well
Dr. KUMAR: (ARTIFICIAL
COUGH) That is good. Give him what he needs?
BETINA: What do you mean?
Dr. KUMAR: In bed I mean…
BETINA: All you men are
one tracked…
Dr. KUMAR: That is a topic
of many-a-research, so let us treat it with gentle responsibility.
BETINA: Yes I am and all
is well. Forgot to tell you one thing… He wants to be away this Sunday. Says he
has a friend from work whom he wants to meet.
Dr. KUMAR: That is a bit
odd for a married man. Follow him and call me if you spot or suspect anything
odd.
BETINA: Dr. Kumar (PAUSE)
Dr. KUMAR: Yes…
BETINA: Even Carl Jung had
a mistress, do you?
Dr. KUMAR: (ARTIFICIAL
COUGH): No I don’t.
BETINA: Are you married?
Have you ever indulged with your lady patients? I know you have…..
Dr. Kumar: (PAUSE) I
really need to go now. Take care.
SFX: Phone line going
dead.
SFX: Squeaking like from
unoiled bicycle wheels Few kids aghast at the site of animal exhibits, Chirping
and outdoor sounds. “Look ma a king cobra.. I want the soft icecream…. When
will this line progress….”
LUCY: Hello there, Good morning
CLERK: (TERSE): Yes, what kinda tickets do you want?
LUCY: Sir, you are in the
service industry, a “How may I help” will go a long way.
CLERK: OK, Welcome to the
Zoological Park, How may I help you today? We have a special promotion for our
platinum customers.
LUCY: Much better. I would
like a day pass, the minimum access pass that you can sell.
CLERK: (COMPUTER KEYSTROKES,
PRINTING SOUND): OK, you could have told me that at Hello!
LUCY: Do you offer any
discounts for Peoples Bank Gold Customers?
CLERK: (RUDELY) No but we
have a discount for retarded and disabled people as long as they carry a
certification card.
LUCY: That is extremely
rude and derogatory.
SFX: Tickets exchanging
hands. Squeaking of wheels.
ATTENDANTS VOICE: Madam
may I see your tickets, thank you? We offer buggies and a few other services as
well if you want them.
LUCY: No thank you, I
should be fine. Can you please point me to the Aviary?
ATTENDANTS VOICE: Sure
just keep left, it is only a few minutes’ walk. (PAUSE) I am sorry, that was a
bit insensitive. In the wheelchair it may take at most ten minutes to get
there.
SFX: Chirping of birds.
Faint voice of the public. “Look mama that bird has a long white head”. “…Yes
hidden there… is a Bramhini Kite from central Asia”.
LUCY: Hello David!
DAVID: Yes, do I know you?
LUCY: I am Lucy from the
bank’s help desk
DAVID: This must be some
kind of a joke.
LUCY: (CLOCK STRIKES TEN):
What do you mean? This is where we decided to meet.
DAVID: (HEAVY STAMMERING
AND STUTTER): B..But this was not what I thought. You can’t be Lucy can you?
LUCY: Yes in that regard
you are right. Your Lucy is actually Lakshmi, a call center manager, a
successful one. And you are also wrong, because I am your Lucy.
DAVID: (HEAVY STAMMERING):
L..lakshmi. Nonsense I want what you promised me. I want my Lucy with the blue
dress and the white lace. T…Treachery this is what it is. F…Fifty thousand in
debt, and th.. this is what I get. A flat chested, greying cripple in a wheel
chair. The bank has d..duped me and I will sue.
LUCY: I thought you said
you loved me?
DAVID: (HEAVY STAMMERING):
(PSYCHOTIC SOBS): Yes but not th..this way. This is in..insane.
LUCY: You are all the
same, in love with yourselves and fake images that voices create in your mind. I
may be unattractive and unhealthy but I am a human with all the sensibility of
emotions that come with it. I don’t blame you. I blame myself for believing
that love is blind. It isn’t blind, love can love only what it can see and
touch with its lascivious gaze. I can succeed only as a voice, that is why I should
have remained your faceless help desk agent. Leave it; here I have something
for you.
DAVID: (HEAVY STAMMERING):
Oh G..God. It’s the Gold card with the direct line.
LUCY: I told you, no promises
from my side, except for the Gold card and the direct line that you may not use
anymore.
DAVID: (HEAVY STAMMERING):
Yes but you did lead me on.
LUCY: I thought you might
be the one. (PAUSE) Obviously I was wrong.
SFX: Sound of unoiled
wheels turning, like a rusty cycle. (SOFT PANTING)
LUCY: Anyway come on now,
be a man push my wheelchair for a few minutes. Let us take a closer look at the
birds of paradise.
DAVID: (HEAVY STAMMERING):
Y..Yes sure. S..Sorry.
LUCY: Aren’t they
beautiful, with their plumage and finery. Don’t they look beautiful?
DAVID: (HEAVY STAMMERING):
Yes look at that one there, isn’t she gorgeous.
LUCY: It’s not a she (PAUSE)
it is a he. Only males display finery to attract the females. Look closely and
you will see an array of ordinary looking females in the enclosure.
DAVID: (HEAVY STAMMERING):
Hmm thanks, v…very informative. Come on let us get something to eat. I need a some
tea.
LUCY: Thanks for helping
with this debilitating wheel chair.
DAVID: (STUTTERS): Y..Yes,
I mean it’s my pleasure.
LUCY: I am really sorry to
disappoint you. I know you were expecting a gorgeous young thing with which to
link your future, instead you get a middle aged cripple in a wheel chair.
DAVID: (STAMMERS): No that
is fine. It is what it is. A..At least it is real. By the way, what part of
town do you live in?
LUCY: (LIGHT LAUGH): I
don’t live here, I am from out of town.
DAVID: (STAMMERS): What do
you mean?
LUCY: Our call center for
card customers is run out of Bangalore. I have been there for a few years now.
DAVID: (SURPRISED): You
mean you have made this trip all the way just to meet me?
LUCY: Sorry David (PAUSE) Wrong
again, this is part of an incentive trip to reward high performing employees.
DAVID: (STAMMERS): W..Well
you did not have to make the time to meet me?
LUCY: You are the reason I
am here. But for you I may not have made it here for the awards event. I owe my
award to you, and the resulting case study around interest accrual from existing customers that I was able to
showcase in the recent sales rally.
DAVID: (LIGHT LAUGH): You
mean I am a case study in your office?
LUCY: Yes you are. A study
in how to increase the quantum of credit and interest revenues from the
existing installed base of credit cards.
DAVID: (STAMMERS) W..Well
at least I was of some help to somebody. Except that it has left me in a p..pile
of debt and payments which I will have to deal with.
LUCY: I am really sorry,
but every credit card business aims to build an empire on debtors and the
interest that can be collected from them.
DAVID: (STAMMERS) Now I
know, B..Betina was right all along.
LUCY: Who is Betina?
DAVID: (STAMMERS): M..my
wife. Anyway forget her. If you don’t mind my asking – How did you wind up in
the chair?
LUCY: (SIGHS): I met with
a motor accident a few years back. I was supposed to die, but I survived; if
you think a full body paralysis as survival. It took months of rehab before I
regained control over my upper body. As you can tell I was left paralyzed from
the waist downwards.
DAVID: (STAMMERS): A..An
accident. W..We too were in an accident a few years back. What a
c..coincidence.
LUCY: Sorry to hear that.
Were you hurt.
DAVID: (STAMMERS): M..Me
yes. No wait it was Betina who was hurt. I c..cant be sure. They said we
survived but I lost large parts of my memory. B..But now after seeing you I am
getting confused. Wasn’t Betina the one who was bedridden, paralyzed for many
days before she died. Holy sweet ch..child Jesus, what is happening to me. I..I
am going m..mad.
LUCY: What do you mean
Betina died? I thought you are living with your wife right now.
DAVID: (STAMMERS): Y..Yes
I am and I can’t seem to understand what is going on. The more I speak to you
the more of my past comes floating back into my mind. A false past which does
not fit my present reality. Help me Lord please help me. Who am I? Who are
these people around me?
BETINA: Dr. Kumar?
Dr. KUMAR: (VOICE ON THE
PHONE): Yes it is me. Is everything OK Betina.
BETINA: I don’t think so.
I am at the Zoo, following David as you had told me too. He is definitely not
having a business meeting this morning. He is seeing a woman.
Dr. KUMAR: (VOICE ON THE
PHONE): (CHUCKLES): I hope you are not jealous!
BETINA: Sorry to kill your
sense of humor this morning but she is crippled and he has been pushing her
around the Zoo in a wheelchair (PAUSE).
Dr. KUMAR: (VOICE ON THE
PHONE): Oh my God. Who is she? What are they doing right now?
BETINA: I don’t know who
she is and I am not sure what they were talking about in the café. But I can
tell you whatever it is, has left him quite nervous and animated. Right now he
is on his knees holding her hand and weeping like a little child. She seems genuinely
shocked.
Dr. KUMAR: (VOICE ON THE
PHONE): I told you to keep him away from crippled ladies. You know well that
his wife was on the chair for many months before she passed away.
BETINA: Wait he is getting
up from the floor and, asking for the bill. He seems to be getting a-hold of
himself. He is much calmer now. She is speaking to him; I can’t tell what they
are saying. I wish we could wire him all the time.
Dr. KUMAR: (VOICE ON THE
PHONE): Thank God he is getting calm. It is probably nothing. Maybe it is a
friend whom he is meeting after a long time.
BETINA: A crippled, Asian
female friend in a wheelchair. I doubt it. They are moving towards the exit. I
need to go. I will call you if I see anything unusual.
Dr. KUMAR: (VOICE ON THE
PHONE): Ok, I will keep the restraining team ready in case he has any violent
reactions or seizures. You call me if that happens and we will come over
immediately. When he gets home just behave normally.
SFX: Cooking sounds. Sound
from the news. Fanfare. “Good Morning and welcome to this edition of World
News….”
BETINA: I didn’t have the
heart to wake you up. You were sleeping so well this morning.
DAVID: Oh really (STRESS) Betina.
Tell me what is your real name (STRESS) Betina? Who are you?
SFX: All cooking sounds cease,
only the sound from the news reader remains.
BETINA: What do you mean?
DAVID: You are not my
wife. You are not my Betina.
SFX: Sound of gun cocking
BETINA: Where did you get
the gun from? I am your wife. Put the gun down please. Let me call Dr. Kumar
and we should head straight up to the clinic.
SFX: Sound of chair
dragging against the floor as if someone is getting up. Crashing of furniture.
DAVID: (VIVIOUS): Oh no I
know your little tricks. Now I got you.
SFX: Sounds of a struggle
BETINA: (CHOKING): Let me
go. Let me go. Please.
DAVID: I will let you go
only after you tell me who you are and what is going on in my house. My wife
was crippled with no chance of a cure. Eventually she succumbed to her illness.
Most of it has come back to me with amazing clarity. Now tell me who are you,
because your likeness with my Betina is no longer working.
SFX: Squeezing and choking
sounds
BETINA: David you are
having another…..
SFX: Sound of slapping. (Betina
crying out)
BETINIA: Aaah
DAVID: I will cut your
imposter face to ribbons. For me the end is very near now and believe me I
don’t care if I kill a few before the end comes. You will talk sooner or later.
I will pull one nail out of your finger at a time and make you eat them…
SFX: Sounds of torture
BETINA: (GASPS): Ok fine, I
will tell you everything Aaah, I am not your wife. Your wife was the rich one
and all this is being played out as per the instructions in her will.
DAVID: (PAUSE – CHOKING
RELENTS, DEEP STEADY BREATHS FROM BETINA) What?
BETINA: Let go off me (SOUND
OF A STRUGGLE)
BETINA: (PANTING AND
GASPING): Your entire life is a gift given to you by your late wife. She wanted
you to be happy and married after she died. Your amnesia had started setting in
well before she died. You are our bloody guinea pig, funded and kept alive by
the means that your late wife put together.
DAVID: What about my job?
BETINA: That too is
something that your wife’s will pays for. You are not an investment banker; you
are the investment of your wife’s money, (SCREAMS) with no returns just like
the bleeding bankers. You turned out to be a complete waste of your wife’s
money. A bad investment!
DAVID: (PAUSE CALM): You
mean my whole life is a staged play?
BETINA: Yes it is (SOBBING,
CALMER) I am sorry it had to come to this. All we wanted was to make it work,
and it was all working until you met that woman. Sorry I should not have lost
my temper. We can work it out and live a happy life…..
DAVID: How did you know
about the woman? I am being followed all the time, aren’t I? Are there cameras
in this house?
BETINA: (PACIFYING TONE): No
you are not being followed, not all the time anyway. I followed you only to
make sure you don’t hurt yourself that is all, baby. And no there are no
cameras at home; otherwise someone would have turned up by now to restrain you.
You can learn to love me like I have…(STRUGGLE) Ouch you are hurting me. Stop
it…
DAVID: (ANGUISH): The time
has come for you all to stop it. (SOUND OF CHOKING AND SQUEEZING) I can’t
believe this, who gave you the right to decide the structure of another
person’s life. I am a complete hotch potch because of you. I can’t even make
out real from unreal anymore. Well at least my bloody stammer is gone (SOUND OF
CHOKING AND SQUEEZING FROM BETINA). Now, if I leave you here you will simply
call the Doc and the Police and put them on my tail.
(SFX: Deep breath from
Betina, after being released from David’s grip. Phone ripped out of the wall
with a ring as it falls to the floor).
DAVID: Well at least you
cannot make any calls anymore. Now where do you keep the duct tape and rolls of
clothes lines?
BETINA: No pls stop what
are you doing…Stop… (SPEECH CUT OFF BY GAGGING)
SFX: Sound of slapping.
Sound of adhesive tape being used. Sound of Betina trying to talk through the
tape fixed firmly on her mouth.
BETINA: (GAGGING): Help…
Hmmlp….
DAVID: (PANTING): There
you go, all tied up and harmless. I won’t kill you because you are just like
me, living through the tiresome motions of a fake life. Bye Betina, I don’t
think I will see you again because for me the end is near now. Sorry I can’t
give you the life that you bargained for. But I won’t take it away from you
either, do what you have to - I am going away. I don’t hate you, but I can’t
love you.
SFX: Sound of keys
clinking, door slamming shut, and car ignites and pulls away.
SFX: Sounds of Betina
struggling, furniture tumbles, hand bag falls to the floor with contents
spilling out
SFX: Phone beeps as if dialing.
Phone rings on the other end.
Dr. KUMAR (VOICE ON THE
PHONE): Hello you have reached Dr. Kumar, how may I help you.
BETINA: (GAGGED): Hmmllo…Hoomlo…
Dr. KUMAR (VOICE ON THE
PHONE): Shit, Betina is that you
BETINA: (GAGGED): Hmmllo…Hoomlo… Hmmmlll…
Dr. KUMAR (VOICE ON THE
PHONE): Calm down. I will ask you a question, if the answer is “Yes” reply with
a single sound, if the answer is “No” reply with multiple sounds. Ok let us try
it, Are you Betina?
BETINA: (GAGGED): Hmm……
Dr. KUMAR (VOICE ON THE
PHONE): Betina, calm down we will be on our way. Are your at home?
BETINA: (GAGGED): Hmmm….
Dr. KUMAR (VOICE ON THE
PHONE): Nurse, send a team to Betina’s house, quickly. Is David having a
violent episode?
BETINA: Hmmm. (TAPE
TEARING. GASPING AS SHE IS ABLE TO SPEAK AGAIN) You bet he is. At least I have
this tape off my mouth. (STRUGGLING) Let me try to untie my hands and feet.
Thank heavens I was able to reach my cell phone.
Dr. KUMAR (VOICE ON THE
PHONE): Where is he now?
BETINA: (STRUGGLING): I
don’t know, he drove away. I think he would have gone towards the train
station. Let me try and follow him. We should probably call the police.
Dr. KUMAR (VOICE ON THE
PHONE): No you try to track him down. Don’t call the police; we will need to
let his wife’s lawyer deal with that. You find him and call me on my cell
phone. I am cancelling my appointments and heading up to Pasir Ris station as
well.
BETINA: (URGENT): Hurry
please; he kept talking about the end. He may end up doing something rash.
SFX: Phone disconnects, sound
of running, door slams as Betina hails a taxi
BETINA: (VOICE IN A
DISTANCE): Taxi, taxi. (Car sound, car door slamming) Pasir Ris MRT station,
hurry please…..
SFX: Crowded commuter
train station. Distinct beeps from the buttons of a person dialing a telephone
number. b/g: Commuter train announcements and trains
LUCY (VOICE ON THE PHONE):
Good morning, as our esteemed Gold Card customer you have reached your personal
help desk concierge. How may I help you today?
DAVID: Lucy, it is so nice
to be able to speak to you on this direct line rather than the circuitous menu
options. I know you are not Lucy but I am going to call you that anyway.
LUCY: (SIGHS): You again.
I thought we were over this. Really if you have a card related query I would be
happy to help you, otherwise I need to attend to other work.
DAVID: (MILD ANGER): Hey I
went through this entire credit card thing over many months just to be able to
speak to you on a direct line.
LUCY: (SIGHS): Yes OK you
are a Gold member and I can see that your account is in good shape. What is it
I can do for you?
DAVID: Will you marry me?
I will make you well just as you have made me well, I will take care for you
and you will walk again. See I don’t stammer anymore, all thanks to you.
LUCY: (ALARMED): What? Are
you out of your mind? You know we are separated by many thousand kilometers and
even if we were together I am not sure if I can do it anymore with any man. I
am an invalid vegetable so please don’t play these jokes with me. Go get on
with your life.
DAVID: What life? The only
real element in my life is you. Everything else is a fabrication. The home, the
job, the wife; the entirety of my life’s truth is the voice on the other end of
this phone. I want to cling to that truth and build on that reality. Please
Lucy you have to listen to me.
LUCY: But this is absurd.
I really cannot entertain such fancy.
DAVID: You have to let me
know NOW. Will you marry me and be with me? Yes or No
LUCY: David you need to
think about the absurdity of this suggestion, believe me if you give yourself
the time you too will come to the same conclusion as me. It is not workable.
DAVID: Time I don’t have
and thinking will only drag me further down. Good bye then Lucy. The end is here.
The only other reality is for me to embrace is my real Betina. Bye Lucy I
love….
SFX: Sound of train
approaching and getting louder and nearer. Loud thud as the train whizzes by.
Gasps, screams and shouts from the commuters. Train screeching. Utter chaos and
confusion.
BETINA: (CROWD SHOUTING
ABOVE THE NOISE OF THE CROWDS FROM A DISTANCE): David, David….
b/g – “What happened” “Is there
someone on the track” “Shut your eyes” “Let’s get outa here” “God have mercy”
“Poor Soul” “Looked like a banker, it must be the crashing markets”
*
SFX: Crowded commuter
train station. Distinct beeps from the buttons of a person dialing a telephone
number. Phone dialing and ringing at the other end.
Dr. KUMAR (VOICE ON THE
PHONE): Its Dr. Kumar, are you at the station Betina. Can you see him, I have
been trying to call him but his phone is busy.
BETINA: Doc it is rush
hour and he had quite a head start, not sure if I will be able to locate him.
Dr. KUMAR (VOICE ON THE
PHONE): Well we are assuming that he headed for the station. Maybe he went
someplace else.
BETINA: Wait I think I can
spot him, he left in a white shirt and dark trousers, yes that is him. He is on
the phone (Hmmm). Who could he be speaking to?
Dr. KUMAR (VOICE ON THE
PHONE): Phew that is a relief. Hurry, try to reach him and stall him for a few
minutes, we should be there with the hospital staff in minutes now. Don’t hang
up just push through the crowd.
SFX: Sounds of pushing and
shoving.
BETINA: Excuse me, please
this is an emergency.
SFX: Crowd responds with complains.
“Hey stop pushing” “Ouch” “Everyone wants to get to work early”
BETINA: (SHOUTING ABOVE
THE NOISE OF THE CROWDS FROM A DISTANCE): David, David….
SFX: Sound of train
approaching and getting louder and nearer. Loud thud as the train whizzes by. Gasps,
screams and shouts from the commuters. Train screeching. Utter chaos and
confusion. b/g – “What happened” “Is there someone on the track” “Shut your
eyes” “Let’s get outa here” “God have mercy” “Poor Soul” “Looked like a banker,
it must be the crashing markets”
BETINA: (CRYING OUT): Aaah
aaaah ooooiii. God what have we done, what have we done. Doctor where are you,
pls god help us. Aaaaah (Wailing)
b/g: Crowd chaos
Dr. KUMAR (VOICE ON THE
PHONE): (URGENT) Betina, what happened, tell me what happened.
BETINA: (LOUD CRYING)
Aaah… he has thrown himself in front of the train…
Dr. KUMAR (VOICE ON THE
PHONE): I am almost there, you need to head to the tracks and tell me what you
see on the tracks.
BETINA: (LOUD CRYING): I cant… I cant… This is enough…
Dr. KUMAR (VOICE ON THE
PHONE): Betina please, just move towards the tracks and tell me what you can
see.
SFX: Betina pushing
through the chaos of the crowd.
BETINA: Please let me
through, I am his wife….. (PAUSE, PUSHING AND SHOVING) Doctor, I can only see
his cell phone lying on the tracks. It is still in a call.
LUCY (ON THE PHONE): Hello
Hello David David….Are you there….
SFX: Sounds of police
sirens and ambulances. Street sounds like cars and honking.
b/g: Crowd murmurs “Looks
like some banker threw himself on the tracks” “It had to be today, now I have
messed my entire diary” “I am sure it was the crash” “Why can we make our
subway safer” ”Why can’t we have platform barricades on all platforms rather
than only in the CBD”
ANNOUNCEMENT FROM THE
STATION: (DISTANT): Due to unforeseeable reasons all trains towards City-Center
are cancelled. We shall inform you as soon as connectivity is established
again. In the meantime please use alternate bus routes …..
ANNOUNCEMENT FROM A HAND
HELD HORN: This is the Metropolitan police and we are currently investigating
the events at the Pasir Ris station this morning. The site of the incident has
been demarcated by Police cordons. Please do not touch or disturb any objects
from accident zone. This is also a call for any witnesses; please step forward and
approach any of the officers at the scene. Thank you for your co-operation.
INSPECTOR TAN: Hello I am
Inspector Tan. I understand that you are the dead man’s wife.
BETINA: (SOBBING): Well
sort of.
INSPECTOR TAN: What do you
mean sort of? You are either a man’s wife or you are not?
Dr. KUMAR: Betina, you
don’t have to answer that question until the lawyers arrive.
INSPECTOR TAN: And who
might you be?
Dr. KUMAR: I am the man’s
uh I mean David’s psychiatrist. I have been providing him with long term
treatment.
SERGEANT: Excuse me
Inspector, we found his mobile phone on the tracks. We are running it now with
the mobile service provider; they may be able to provide us with some recent
call recordings.
INSPECTOR TAN: Let’s do
that sergeant, but I don’t think all that will help. This seems to be a simple
case of a lunatic throwing himself on the tracks. Open and shut. Get the site
cleared as soon as possible and restart the train service. I am going to take
the “sort of” wife and the “Doctor” to the station and get their statements.
Dr. KUMAR: Which station
shall I ask his lawyer to come to?
INSPECTOR TAN: Pasir Ris.
Come on lets go.
SFX: Sound of footsteps.
Siren and police jeep fade away.
GUARD: Good Morning Inspector Tan.
INSPECTOR TAN: Wake up soldier it is past noon. Good
afternoon.
GUARD: Sorry Sir. Hey Mr
and Ms you need to keep any metallic objects that you may have in this tray and
then step through the detector please.
GUARD: Mr. Can you pls
step through again, after taking off your belt.
INSPECTOR TAN: (CUTS THE
GUARD OFF): Its Ok let him through; he has been through a lot already this
morning.
SFX: Footsteps. Clerks
greeting the inspector “Morning Inspector, you should check the new coffee
machine, it’s really nice” “The MP called, he is looking for you, I think it is
about the accident at the trains this morning”.
INSPECTOR TAN: Coffee?
Last thing on my mind. Ya I will call the MP later. For now please block any
incoming calls from the press or the MP’s office. I need to wrap up some paper
work before we can go out and make a release.
SFX: Door shutting. Paper’s
rustling.
INSPECTOR TAN: Please sit
down. This is a simple case but I do need to take your statements. I need you
to sign these routine disclosure forms before we can proceed. We can start, while
your lawyer joins.
INSPECTOR TAN: Thank you
Doctor, madam you too please.
SFX: Paper rustling and
sound of pen signatures (LIGHT SOBS FROM BETINA)
INSPECTOR TAN: Ok now let
us get this done quick and head for some lunch. It is a simple case of suicide
from a mentally disturbed individual. We have a doctor and wife who will vouch
for it and that is that.
BETINA: No inspector, it’s
not that simple, he was murdered (EMPHASIS) by me. I killed David. As always I
turned out to be a failure at relationships. I could not give any man the
happiness of stable relationship. It was my failure that led to his death. My
real place is in the streets from where I came. The whole scheme may have been
a success just that they chose the wrong girl.
Dr. KUMAR: (CONSOLING):
Betina…..
INSPECTOR TAN: Doctor you
need to let her finish her statement, or else I will have to ask you to wait
outside.
BETINA: Seriously doctor
the only reason you went with me was because of my close likeness with his dead
wife. It was a wrong decision, a psychological fit is far more important for
relationships to work. I am an escort girl and just could not fit the role of a
domestic wife that I was supposed to play. (SOBBING) I killed him and will
carry the weight of that sin all my life. I should not have taken the life of a
decent man.
(PAUSE)
INSPECTOR TAN: And doctor
you were saying….
Dr. KUMAR: A decent man
yes, but a mentally disturbed decent man. If there was anyone who gave him a
few peaceful days - it was you Betina. If just for a few years he lived the
simple good life. You have not seen his horror of ill health. Bound in chains,
frothing at the mouth, confined to padded rooms he would have died many years
before but for your work and dedication towards him. If there is anyone to
blame for his death it is me. I became overconfident and thought our treatment
plan was a success, too soon. It was my judgment that caused his death. I
killed him with my overconfidence and aggressive treatment plants.
INSPECTOR TAN: (LAUGHS):
Sorry I know you may not see the humor in this. But, what if I were to assert
that I killed him, then you might be amused. Well in some sense it is the
police force that is responsible for the well-being of the public. Where were
we when he killed himself? Nowhere. So do I blame myself for his death? No I
don’t. The selfless blame that you are piling on yourselves is actually quite
funny and far from reality. Fact is the man jumped in front of the train and
killed himself. He was a disturbed patient that is that.
SFX: Door knocking and
opening.
SERGEANT: Inspector the
mobile phone operator does not have any call recordings; I have made a list of
recently used numbers from his cell phone. We will have to call them to find
who they were and what were they speaking about.
INSPECTOR TAN: Thank you sergeant.
Leave the numbers with me and get the routine blood work and identification
done quickly so we can make a report before we leave today.
CONSTABLE: Yes inspector.
SFX: Door shutting.
INSPECTOR TAN: Not sure if
it is worth it, but let me dial a few of his recent calls. This first one is hmmm
“Lucy’s direct line”. Let’s see what happens.
SFX: Phone keyboard
clicking, ringing on the other end.
LUCY (VOICE ON THE PHONE):
Good Afternoon you have reached People’s Bank. As our coveted Gold Card
Customer, this is your privileged line. How may I help you today?
INSPECTOR TAN: This is
Inspector Tan calling from the Pasir Ris Police Precinct.
(PAUSE)
INSTECTOR TAN: Do you know
any David? And did he speak to you recently.
LUCY (VOICE ON THE PHONE):
Yes I know David. I spoke to him a few hours back, but the line got cut
abruptly.
INSPECTOR TAN: What did
you talk about?
LUCY (VOICE ON THE PHONE):
Well this is a credit card helpline and we spoke about card queries. Beyond
that I have to say the information is client privileged.
INSPECTOR TAN: I see. Ms.
Lucy I can see from his call logs that he spoke to you each day for a couple of
hours. That is unusual for a credit card customer, unless he was an incredibly
confused one. We have credit cards too but we call in only once or twice a
year. But you spoke about (STRESS) card balances and such matters for a few
hours every day, with a single client? (PAUSE) I am not buying that.
LUCY (VOICE ON THE PHONE):
Well yes mostly. What is the matter inspector?
INSPECTOR TAN: David
killed himself shortly after he spoke to you.
LUCY (VOICE ON THE PHONE):
Shiva. Rama. (Weeping)
INSPECTOR TAN: (BEWILDERED):
Shiva? Who are you? Where are you speaking from?
LUCY (VOICE ON THE PHONE):
(SNIFFS): Sorry I am actually a call center operator and I am speaking from
Bangalore. I am accent trained.
INSPECTOR TAN: But I just
dialed a local number.
Dr. KUMAR: Well there is
something called call forwarding you know Inspector.
INSPECTOR TAN: (COUGHS IN
EMBARASSMENT): Yes of course Lucy (ENBARRASED). So, since you are from a call
center, all your calls will be recorded right?
LUCY (VOICE ON THE PHONE): Yes, but only the
direct calls. The ones that get transferred to me don’t get recorded. Most of
David’s calls were transferred to me from the general help line so I don’t
think you will find a recording, except for the last one (SNIFFING) this
morning which was made on the direct line.
INSPECTOR TAN: Can you
give us that recording?
LUCY (VOICE ON THE
PHONE): Yes once you make a written
request for it and our lawyers approve it.
INSPECTOR TAN: What did he
say to you this morning?
LUCY (VOICE ON THE PHONE):
(CRYING SOFTLY): He wanted to marry me. He said he was in love with me. Sweet
foolish boy.
INSPECTOR TAN: You must be
quite a talker, never heard of love over the telephone lines. What did you tell
him?
LUCY (VOICE ON THE PHONE):
I told him it was absurd and not a plausible suggestion. He kept saying
something about the end. And then the line just went chaotic. What I can’t
understand is “How can a man love a cripple”. I should have sensed it coming,
and done something about it. I killed the poor soul. I will burn in hell for
this. Help me Lord Shiva.
BETINA: Did you say
cripple? (ANIMATED) Inspector this is the woman who met my David last Sunday. Must
be sleeping with him, for his money. You vamp I will not leave you.
LUCY: (SOBBING): Sleeping
with him? Even if I wanted to I won’t be able to. So please shut up, whoever
you are.
SERGEANT: Inspector the
blood work has just come in. It is not a match; the dead man is not David.
SFX: Chair shifting. b/g: Flurry
of activity.
INSPECTOR TAN: OK we are
dealing with a possible homicide. The wily fox engineered the whole thing. Mentally
challenged, my foot. Check the platform cameras for any foul play? Block all
exits from the city. Alert all the airport terminals and send his profile to
all immigration check points in the city. Get in touch with the police in
Bangalore, I will brief them myself. This guy has a six hour head-start on us.
Flag all departed flights from the airport all of this morning. Freeze the
ferry terminals. Any witnesses bring them to me.
SERGEANT: Yes sir. At once
sir.
SFX: Flurry of activity.
Phones ringing, people talking in the background.
INSPECTOR TAN: And yes
tell the MP we cannot make a statement today. Miss Lucy, if you hear from him
please call us back, we will give you all out contact details.
BETINA: Inspector what is
going on?
INSPECTOR TAN: Your David
is at large. It was not him on the tracks. It was someone else. I have to go.
BETINA: How can that be? I
saw his mobile phone lying on the tracks.
INSPECTOR TAN: Did you see
him actually jumping onto the tracks?
BETINA: Yes, No I mean it
was during rush hour. There was a sea of people on the train station.
LUCY (VOICE ON THE PHONE):
What is going on? Someone tell me.
INSPECTOR TAN: Lucy, or
whoever you are. David is alive and was not the one who was killed this
morning. He will try to reach you. You must report him immediately. Now I have
to go.
SFX: Phone clicks dead.
SFX: Indian street sounds,
cycle’s rings, honks from Motor vehicles, street vendors shouting deals in
vernacular, hustle and bustle.
DAVID (INDIAN ACCENT):
Lucy!
LUCY: Yes.
DAVID (INDIAN ACCENT): You
didn’t recognize me, did you? It’s me David.
LUCY: Oh my God, you have
changed completely, your accent and your looks. What are you doing here; it’s
been over a year since the police have been searching for you.
DAVID (INDIAN ACCENT): I
know which is why I did not call you. Your phones are bound to be tapped. Which
is also why I waited for a whole year before contacting you? They have pulled
back the surveillance these last few weeks.
LUCY: What’s with your
voice?
DAVID (INDIAN ACCENT):
Well, if you can be accent trained for a Global audience, so can I be trained to
meld into an Indian setting.
LUCY: You shouldn’t have
tried to contact me. It is dangerous for you and honestly I have nothing to
offer you.
DAVID (INDIAN ACCENT): The
offer is for me to make. Can I please take only a few minutes of your time?
Maybe a coffee and that is all.
LUCY: OK but that will be
it, and I don’t guarantee that I won’t turn you in.
DAVID (INDIAN ACCENT): OK
SFX: Sounds of a Darshini.
Clinking of utensils. Sizzling from frying pans. Waiters taking and passing
orders.
WAITER: Kya loge, Idli,
wada, kafi
LUCY: One plate idli and
one coffee
DAVID: Mere liye bhi wohi
LUCY: What happened that
morning at the station?
DAVID: Do we have to talk
about that? What is important is that I am here for you and you are here for
me. Don’t get me wrong, all I want is your friendship. I already have a life of
my own now.
LUCY: What life do you
have here in Bangalore?
DAVID: For one I have a
job with a call center, not far from yours. You will be surprised at the demand
for western accented Indians in the city these days. It pays my bills. I have a
single room chummery that I share with a few other guys. It is a quiet meager life,
but a life of possibilities. I have plans for the future; I have dreams and am
leading a real life. I am glad I left that emptiness behind me.
LUCY: Do you feel well?
DAVID: Mostly yes. I do
get panic attacks once in a while, but it is easy to get medication from the chemists
here without prescriptions so there is no fret with doctor visits and
complicated insurance. Lately I have not had the need for any medication at
all.
LUCY: How did you escape
from the station?
DAVID: Lucy, please listen
to me. The past is not important. Now I have a new passport, a driving license
and a Tax card. I am a new person now. Even if anyone tried they will not be
able to trace me. I am happy and satisfied with my life here. The killing was
worth it, because it saved my life.
LUCY: So you did push that
poor guy onto the tracks? God that is really terrible. Did you have to take a
life for this freedom?
DAVID: I am not completely
sure what happened there. All I know is, I was next to a man who was falling
onto the tracks. What is true is that a moment of clarity dawned on me at that
exact minute. I could have reached out and tried to pull him back, but I did
not. I didn’t push him; I simply made a split second decision not to save him.
I am sure the Police have been through the camera tapes and found nothing.
LUCY: How could you?
DAVID: Well, I knew Betina
would tail me to the most logical place, the train station. When the poor man
met with his end, I simply threw my mobile phone and other personal belonging
onto the tracks. Then, I went back home, got my passport and headed straight to
the airport. The chaos and evacuation at the station was enough for me to slip
out un-noticed. I just had to duck into the crowds so I would not be captured
on the surveillance cameras, that is all.
LUCY: But the police
closed down all immigration check points.
DAVID: Yes, but I had a
six hour head start. I simply took many short hop flights. Eventually the
permutations of routing become just too much for anyone to follow through. By
the time I was in Guangzhou I felt quite safe. Then through China and Russia I
was able to cross over the border in the summer. In these places hard currency
is your identity, no questions asked. It can get things done for you.
LUCY: Yes I could not help
noticing that you made a cash advance against your cards that morning before
you went to the station. You maxed out your credit limit.
DAVID: Yes getting that
direct line to you was one thing, what the Gold card actually gave me was an
enhanced credit limit. I needed that on the road. Without the cash I would have
been slit and thrown to the birds of prey in the Himalayas.
LUCY: What is point of all
this?
DAVID: Well (PAUSE) now I
have a life that I have built and one that I can live. And I have much to thank
you for the happiness that I have found.
LUCY: Me, what did I do?
DAVID: You were my window
to reality. You were the catalyst the helped revive my lost memories. For some
reason your vision in the Aviary brought back the past, almost like re-reading
a book after many years. You gave me the courage and the will to run away from
a dream and wake up to a new life.
LUCY: You are an odd one.
DAVID: Now I have a
question for you. You said one of your answers was a lie?
LUCY: You mean the three
questions that you had asked me?
DAVID: Yes. Clearly you
are not a blonde which leaves two possibilities. You don’t love me either which
means you did tantalize me through all those phone calls.
LUCY: Let us ask for the
bill, I need to get to work. You must be getting late for work as well.
DAVID: (RAISED VOICE):
Arey bill dena. No I did the night shift.
LUCY: Thanks, by the way –
you are wrong about the answers that I gave you.
DAVID: You mean you
actually loved me and were willing to be with me.
LUCY: I just wanted to
escape the hell of this city and this life and I always thought you could get
me out of here. Yes I did love you. But now things are different.
DAVID: (CHUCKLING): For
some, the grass is wilted on either side. Anyway I will see you again sometime.
Bye for now.
SFX: Street sounds. Phone
dialing. “Hello”
LUCY: Inspector Tan, I
found him.
~*~
Shuklaji Street, in Old
Bombay. In Rashid's opium room the air is thick and potent. A beautiful
young woman leans to hold a long-stemmed pipe over a flame, her hair
falling across her dark eyes. Around her, men sprawl and mutter in the
gloom, each one drifting with his own tide. Here, people say that you
introduce only your worst enemy to opium.Outside, stray dogs
lope in packs. Street vendors hustle. Hookers call for customers through
the bars of their cages as their pimps slouch in doorways in the
half-light. There is an underworld whisper of a new terror: the Pathar
Maar, the stone killer, whose victims are the nameless, invisible poor.
There are too many of them to count in this broken city.