PICTURE PERFECT (FAR FROM PERFECTION)

6.

I wake up at 4 AM for the early morning shoot.

As I change into my sweats, I get a call from Nikhil.

"Hello, Namrata?", he breathes.

"Yes?", I revert back.

"We need to cancel today's shoot", he drags in a sharp breath.

"What? Why?", I shoot questions at him.

"Darshan got into an accident, please inform the other members too", he pleaded.

"Accident?", I ask, a bit shocked.

Yesterday only I was talking to him and he was acting so nice.

"I.. I will give you all the information afterwards... Just do me a favor, inform everyone", he says and I agree.

I put on a short notice and it surely caused a huge havoc.

I don't know how Nikhil used to handle such havocs, but I am surely not able to handle the disappointment.

"I knew something was up with him. I think he is going to die or something. Instead of blowing up yesterday, he just shook his head and went away when I was doing his hair", one of the member speaks.

"I totally agree with that. I thought he would divide the whole room into two parts, but instead he just came quietly and joined everyone in the breakfast table with the director of boards", another member said.

"Whichever it is, isn't it better if he dies? He is a lot more grumpier than he was before... Like, what does he think of himself!?", someone else says .

"I agree to that", two other members say.

I am not able to suppress the commotion.

Finally, a old man came up. He was older than most other people present in the room.

"So, all of you have decided to get him dead. He couldn't have gotten any less unworthy peers", he says.

"What are you saying old geezer?", a young boy of some twenty-ish age asks.

"Well, if I remember correctly, you are an orphan, yes?", the old man asks to which the boy nods. "Don't forget that eighty percent of the orphanage you come from belongs to him", he says in a stern voice.

Darshan is into charitable organizations?

"Well, I can't quite put my finger on who it was, but wasn't it him who helped survive someone's daughter who was caught in an accident? If I remember correctly, a few women here were brought by him to empower themselves when they were thrown out of their houses.. ", the old man lists on.

"But, we were brought here by an organization", an woman huffs.

"And who do you think the organization belongs to?", he shots back.

"I, myself, was rescued by Darshan sir. When my own son threw me out, he took me into an old age home from where Nikhil sir and him employed me. I personally, can never pay off the debt. Neither can anyone of you. Remember, without him, all of you would have been beggars on the road", he says and silence settles in.

Everyone looks as guilty and confused as happy they looked before.

A message comes from Nikhil and I immediately open the message.

"Are you going to see him in the hospital?", the old man asks me, probably guessing.

I nod frantically as I manage to zip my pocket after settling my phone in.