THE LION'S SHARE

  • 11 Jul - 17 Jul, 2020
  • Salaar Laghari
  • Fiction

September 2018

Alfred Watson, a thirty year old adult, who had a bandage on his head, woke up in the hospital. The lights of the room were off which was why there was quite some darkness in the room, except for the light coming through the window.

Where am I? He asked himself.

He tried to sit up but he couldn’t, in the meanwhile he remembered and answered to his own question,

Oh, yeah! I’m in the hospital, because

I had an accident. But, most importantly, there are other severe things that I’ve been told.

He sat up and after seeing the torch on the side table, he turned it on. As the room gained some light, he had a conversation with himself,

Alright, my name is Alfred Watson, I am an IT Engineer. But what I’ve been told is something horrifying. I’m about to get arrested because I have committed a crime, not just any other crime but a major crime. It was a cold blooded murder.

He changed his sitting position and continued,

At least, this is what I’ve been told. I have always been a law abiding citizen, never broke any rule that was against the law. And yet, I’ve been convicted of a murder.

He tried to stand up by jumping out of the bed. It was difficult for him, but he managed to do so.

I don’t know, how exactly I ended up here but the story that I’ve been told is not believable. Although, it sounds very realistic and surprisingly true, but there are many unanswered questions.

He walked towards the window and said,

What if I jump out and never return? I can put all of this behind me, can’t I?

He was not sure about escaping which was why he walked back saying,

There’s a huge portion of my life that has left a question mark on my mind. I am missing out things. This has happened because the recent accident has caused me to suffer from retrograde amnesia.

**********

February 2015

Alfred’s elder brother Ronald Watson was walking on the streets of Los Angeles, with severe disappointment. He came out of the street and while walking on the footpath, he waved towards a taxi. That moment, he felt his cell phone vibrating. He checked the caller’s ID and it was none other than his younger brother Alfred’s call. He answered it,

“Hello?”

“Yes, so what are the doctors saying?”

“Our father is very sick. In fact, he is, he is…he is not…”

“Come on, say it,” Alfred said getting irritated.

“He is beyond recovery.”

“What?!”

“Yes, he is suffering from brain tumour. He cannot be cured.”

“Did the doctors say that?”

“Yes.”

“So, you’re telling me that there is absolutely no way that he can be cured?”

“That’s what I’ve been told,” Ronald answered getting a little annoyed.

“Where is Hannah by the way?”

“She’s not here. She’s not

with me.”

“She told me the other day that everything was going to be fine.”

“That’s one thing doctors told her. She was crying, the surgeons hadn’t examined our father’s condition back then. What I’m telling you now is final.”

“I won’t accept this,”

Alfred said angrily.

“Look, stop acting like a child; what we want to accept and don’t want to accept cannot be the final decision. We have to move according to nature’s decisions.”

“You are so hopeless; I will go and talk to the doctors myself.”

“Do what you like, I won’t stop you, I won’t argue with you.”

Ronald disconnected the call angrily.

Few minutes later, Ronald was in the cab and he was thinking about his father George who was about to leave them forever. He was also weeping secretly, but he was more concerned about something that their father was leaving behind.

Within few minutes, he felt his phone vibrating again,

he answered his sister

Hannah’s call,

“Yes, Hannah?”

“The doctors are saying that our father will die?”

“Alfred told you?”

“Answer me! Is our father going to die?”

“Yes, that’s what going to happen.”

“Oh, God! Are you serious? Is there no other way?”

“Hannah you and Alfred need to think a little more realistically. Brain tumour has never been cured, well, not at least in our country.”

“How can you be so sure

about it?”

“Look, I’m not going to argue with you on this. My father in law is a doctor, he told me.”

“He’s a cardiologist, not a neurosurgeon.”

“Hannah, you are not helping your arguments. If you are really so much concerned about him then, why don’t you go and conduct a survey on your own.”

“I’m just twenty-four. I don’t have a huge social circle.”

Ronald got really fed up and he said,

“Look you guys, you need to be a little more realistic now. ‘We cannot cure him’, this is not my decision, this is the doctor’s verdict, and this is nature’s decision. Our emotions and sentiments do not matter in these cases.”

He heard his sister’s sob. He was sympathising with her, so he said,

“Look, let’s not get hasty here. I’m as upset as you are, but we need to be a little more practical and think of a solution that is possible.”

“…Okay,” she said in a low voice.

“I’ll come and pay a visit to your place. I’ll bring along Gwyen, and then we’ll sort out this situation.”

“Okay, I’m hanging up now,” she cried.

Ronald kept the phone in his pocket feeling upset for his sensitive sister.

**********

That evening, Alfred entered inside the home office of his father. He saw the huge libraries of his father with several volumes on science, history, law and other subjects. He walked closer towards the center of the library and saw one of his father’s assistants standing nearby.

As Alfred was looking up at the books, the assistant came by his side and joined him in watching the books.

He said to Alfred,

“Your father surely was a well-read person.”

“Yeah…” Alfred said catching his sentence, “wait, what do you mean ‘was’?”

“Sorry?”

“He’s still alive. He hasn’t passed away yet.”

“I know, I didn’t mean that.”

“Anyways,” Alfred changed the subject, “I’ve been told that Hannah would come here anytime soon.”

“Yeah, she is about to come.

I thought you were bringing her along.”

“No… Anyways, we are thinking of finding a way to cure our father’s disease. Ronald is not interested and he has lost all hope.”

“I see!”

“What matters is that Ronald is not concerned about our family issues these days. He is isolating.”

“But he’s the eldest of all, only your father can talk some sense into him.”

“That’s not true at all. I can talk to him. We both are very close, he is creating distances, not me.”

“I don’t know, what you’ll do, and I’m sorry to say but your father’s disease is not curable.”

“You guys are very hopeless,” Alfred said angrily.

“He has a huge tumour in his brain. You cannot think illogically during times like this.”

“It’s not impossible; we can be successful if we spend money. Our father is not short of money or anything.”

“I know that, he is a billionaire but his disease is stronger than his wealth and power. I’m sorry to say this but that’s the truth.”

“No, I will not give up like you guys,” Alfred said moving backwards. “I will prove you all wrong.”

Saying this, he turned his direction and walked towards the exit.

As he was walking, he saw the door opening and his blonde sister making her way inside. He was happy to see her and he said,

“Thank, God! You are here.”

Hannah was so relieved to see her brother, she sighed,

“Oh, brother! You have always been so understanding. I feel so hopeful when I’m with you.”

“As do I. Anyways, let’s talk outside. I don’t want to talk in front of him.”

**********


Few Days Later

Ronald, Alfred and Hannah were all seated inside their father’s room. They weren’t talking to each other as they were waiting for their father to show up. Alfred was quite anxious as to why their father had called them here. Was he about to present some good news?

Hannah was more than just worried so she couldn’t just sit and wait; she stood up immediately and started walking in the same room. Ronald looked at his siblings and then, said after a moment,

“You kids, would you just relax? It’s not something new that we are about to hear. We all know that he’s here for hardly six months, the only thing that can make it worse is that if he is dying today.”

“Oh, shut up!” Hannah exclaimed raising her finger towards her elder brother.

“This is the first time you’ve ever said that to me.”

Alfred tried to calm them and said,

“Would you guys just be patient, our father will be here any moment; he is already going through a lot of pain. We cannot inflict more pain on him.”

“We aren’t,” Hannah replied, “nobody is, but it would be better if we keep our hopes alive.”

“I know, I agree.”

“Tell that to your brother. He’s the one negative.”

Ronald chuckled as if taunting on her words.

That instant, they heard the room’s door opening, their father George Watson entered inside the room and said,

“Good evening!”

Ronald and Alfred stood up in respect and they all responded,

“Good evening!”

Mr George continued,

“As you guys know very well that I do not have much time, therefore, I called you all out here for a little announcement.”

“Okay, we’re listening,”

Hannah said.

“This October, I’ll be announcing my will. I have started working on my will; in fact, I have prepared the rough draft. All I’m saying is that in October, the legal document would be ready and therefore, I’ll conduct a meeting with you guys in which the distribution of will would be divided among you guys.”

Alfred raised his hand. His father looked at him and said,

“Yes, Alfred!”

“I just want to make it very clear, and I mean no offence, I am not interested in a single penny of yours. I’m going to work hard and stand on my own feet. So therefore, if you still have an option of changing your will, you can remove my name,

I won’t be upset about it.”

“Oh, come on Alfred, we can discuss that later,” Ronald said feeling weird on Alfed’s reaction.

“Anyways,” George spoke, “what I’m leaving behind is my sole decision; none among you has the right to change it. I hope, I’ve made myself very clear.”

“Yes,” the three siblings said together.

“Anyways, this was the only announcement for the day. Now, let’s have our supper.”

“Sure,” Ronald said.

**********

July 2015

Alfred was rushing down the stairs of his apartment; he sat over his bike and turned on the engine. That very moment, his cell phone began to ring, it was his friend’s call, and he answered it,

“Hello?”

“Hey Alfred, what’s up?”

“Look, I’m sorry, I am late for my job interview. I cannot talk right now. I’ll call you later!”

After disconnecting the call, he accelerated his bike, geared on maximum speed and rushed for the interview.

He was riding his bike in a speed higher than road’s average speed. He was overtaking other vehicles and even crossed two red signals.

All of a sudden, a car came from the left side as it was going on its natural route. Alfred applied the brakes, but it was too late and his bike hit the car’s front side.

Due to this crash, he flipped over the car and fell on the opposite side hitting his head on the road. He was now absolutely unconscious.

**********

August 2018

Alfred woke up in the hospital with a bandage on his head. The nurses were standing on his side. The doctor entered inside the room and asked Alfred,

“How are you feeling?”

“…I’m in pain,” he spoke hardly.

“Okay, what is the last thing you remember?”

He tried to recall, and he said after thirty seconds,

“I was going for a job interview.”

The doctor was surprised on this and asked,

“What year is it?”

“2015.”

The doctor was now clear about what the issue was and he left the room asking the nurses to take care of the patient.

Few minutes later, Ronald entered inside the room with a shocked face. He asked Alfred,

“You don’t remember anything about the past few years?”

“What?” Alfred asked getting confused.

“You think this is year 2015?”

“Yes, isn’t it?”

“Oh, God!” Ronald held his head. “Wait a minute, so you remember nothing about Hannah’s murder?”

“What? Hannah has been murdered?”

to be continued...

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