A Drinker's Promise

(Dedicated to Smita Padhi)

"We want to know who in hell is responsible for this?" The police officer demanded in a stern voice. With a fresh tone of strictness he once again started, "I'm not used to treating people like you kindly, better own up or else all of you end up in the lock - up."

Seven teenagers stood in front of him. They had hit a man and had stopped to clean things up; meanwhile the police caught them during one of their night paroles. These reckless people, in their drunken minds, had made a poor man bleed so much that he had to be taken to the hospital. The guy driving the car, Ajit, was the son of a diamond merchant. He had escaped with his friends, (which included a pair of twins) in that car for the night out. It being Christmas time discos were the best place to party hard. On their return journey however, this mishap occurred.

"We are sorry sir, I was the one who was driving the car..." Ajit said while the others looked on. An ambulance had already arrived so had Ajit's dad with the twins' worried parents in tow. Things would worsen but for the time being they were saved, money could calm down the most violent sea too, this flustered policeman was no big fish...

Three years had passed, since this incident and the seven friends had spread out into the world. Ajit's best friend Rahul had expired after battling with liver cirrhosis. Some said he just couldn't give up his habits in spite of undergoing rehabilitation at three different centers. Four of them underwent some course or the other at rehabilitation centers too. Just one dose was enough for them; probably it was easier to give up all that once you saw someone die of the guilt and pressure of his wrong doings... In spite of doing the same mistake, the others had survived that phase well. As for the twins, they both were lucky enough to get into the same medical college. Most of them were not in touch with each other, perhaps a phone call or two once in a dozen months. All was well, or so they felt...

HAUNTING MEMORIES:

Once the college had started all the girls and boys got busy with the upcoming cultural program as well as the heavy portion to be covered. The twins - Saira and Maria were a pair of jolly natured girls in their late teens. Everyone at the hostel liked them for their helping nature. Pretty soon a girl who knew their language became one of their confidantes. One rainy evening when Saira, Maria and Asha (their new friend) sat near the window and discussed their past lives, the mistakes they had made and how much they repented for all of that.

Saira began, "Do you think you've done any grave mistakes... by 'grave' I mean real serious, you know like..." Asha picked up, "Oh I understand, the ones you do without your parents knowledge... Let me think..." Maria felt the moisture-laden air touch her bare arm as a chill went down her spine. Pulling the blanket over her knees, Maria said, "Its not really like that, our parents came to know about it minutes after that accident, the police informed that..." She was cut short by the glaring eyes of her sister. Asha probably saw that for she smirked and continued, "Chiding your little sister, huh?" Saira's flustered look gave her in. "Come on Maria! Speak out. You tell me one and I'll confess one." Maria looked at her sister's face, who shrugged and said, "Deal's a deal. Go ahead." Maria couldn't really make out whether or not Saira was angry or not. Maria tried to start, "You see we were a group of seven girls and boys. When we were in tenth class um..." Maria felt her brain get clogged with all those scenes. She looked at Saira who too was feeling the same. Maria continued, "Well, you see we were party animals at that time and well we used to fad a bit, drink a bit, one of us even did drugs once or twice." Saira looked on, as if spaced out. Maria did not like the expression on Asha's face, she was practically giggling. Not minding it much Maria went on, "One day during our Christmas holidays we went out secretly in a friend's car..." Asha stared at Maria and shot, "What's the big deal in that? Why are both of you so guilty about fadding and drinking..." Saira looked up to see a disgusted Asha shrugging. Maria asked with a raised eyebrow, "What do you mean?" Asha told her that she did not fad but drinking was not uncommon and that she'd been in it since she was a not even a teen. She said their whole group did that every weekend. Saira ran her fingers through her brown hair and gestured Maria to continue which she did but this time there was a tinge of ice in her voice... "Well, one night all of us had taken too much and so... our car hit an old man, even today that night's fresh as yesterday in my mind." Saira shuddered thinking of that night.

As for the deal it had been broken the moment Asha giggled over their hatred for drinking. Asha soon left the room not talking about drinks any more. The moment the story was over she rushed out saying that she had some clothes to do. The rain battered at their window when someone knocked at their door, it was Saira's batch mate - Jane. She'd come to return a notebook. The twins made her sit down for a while as they chatted about the anatomy dissection. Somehow the topic of drinks surfaced. The twins just told her casually that long back they used to drink. "There is no need for people to drink excessively in a country like India. It isn't as cold here as it is in London or the poles. What do you say, Jane?" Jane smiled quietly and said, "As a matter of fact I too drink but only this much..." she held a gap of a centimeter between her index finger and her thumb, "I don't get drunk by such a little amount." Saira said softly, "You know, it was difficult to leave wine, but it was possible. I know I'm much better of now than those days." She smiled as Jane got up to leave. There were just smiles, no giggles, and no sniggers. The twins went back to their studies both paying least attention to their physiology notes. Unspoken words passed between the two sisters as they both digested the fact that Jane was one person who had the guts to go against all odds to give up wine.

Days and weeks passed, the twins grew to like Jane the same way she learnt to listen to their woes and desires and their wish to see her give up drinking. The twins took advantage of this and without her knowledge talked her into giving up that deadly habit. They tried to do the same with Asha but were unsuccessful. Once Jane had a glass of 'that thing'. The twins were glad that she couldn't help telling them. Well, that was the last time she did.

Saira and Maria started telling everyone including Asha that Jane was there was their first achievement. Things had changed, so had friends. Jane was way closer to the twins than Asha. A torn piece of paper lay on the floor as Maria bent to pick it up. The word ‘Promise’ was written over it. She smiled silently and asked her sister, "Why is it that we were able to stop Jane but not Asha?" Saira pondered for a while and said softly, "Because to help someone, you need to be as much influential…" Hearing her, Maria thought about the reason Jane had given for heeding them – no one had ever tried to stop her so strongly, as they had.