“Talk to Me”

______

______

TALK TO ME

Story By Vikram Karve

___________

“Talk to me…” the old man said.

“What is it…?” his wife said.

“I want to talk to you…” he said.

“Please — don’t spoil my mood in the morning — I am getting late for work…” she said.

“But I want to talk to you…” he said.

“Okay — what is it…?” she said, irritably.

“I am feeling depressed…” he said.

“Not again…!!! Stop complaining all the time that you are “depressed” — “your problem is that you have no problems” — you sit at home all day doing nothing — an empty mind is the devil’s workshop — why don’t you take up that job they are offering you…?” she said.

“I don’t want to do that job — I don’t want to do any job — I was a full Colonel in the Army — a senior officer with rank and status — and just see the type of humiliating jobs they are offering me…” he said.

“You don’t want to do a job — you don’t want to sit at home. Tell me — what do you want me to do…?” she said.

“Talk to me…” the old man said to his wife.

“Not now — I am already late — please let me go to work…” his wife said.

And soon — the old man’s wife left for work.

_________

The old man picked up his mobile cell-phone and called up his son.

“Talk to me…” the old man said to his son.

His son got irritated and scolded his father — the old man.

“Dad — are you crazy — do you know what time it is out here…?” the old man’s son said from New York, “it is almost midnight — you have woken me up from my sleep…”

“But — I want to talk to you…” the old man said.

“Please Dad — I have had a very hard day — I am extremely tired and I want to sleep — I will call you when I wake up in the morning — after 7 hours…” the old man’s son said — and he disconnected the phone.

_________

The old man called up his daughter — who lived in Australia.

His daughter was in her office.

It was a busy afternoon — and she was about to go for an important meeting.

Suddenly — her mobile cellphone started ringing.

She was surprised to see that her father was calling from India.

“Yes, Dad…?” the old man’s daughter said, impatiently.

“Talk to me…” the old man said to his daughter.

“What…? Dad — are you okay…?” the old man’s daughter said.

“I want to talk to you…” the old man said.

“Please, Dad — not now — I am really very busy in office — I am on my way to a meeting — I will call you after a few hours — when I get home in the evening…” the old man’s daughter said.

The old man’s daughter disconnected the call — and — she put her smartphone on “silent” mode.

Then — she hurried for the meeting.

__________

The old man sat all alone in his house — feeling terrible.

Earlier — he would talk to his pet dog — but now — even his pet dog was dead and gone to his heavenly abode.

_________

The old man called up his ex-Army buddy — but found his mobile phone “switched off”.

Maybe — his ex-Army buddy was lecturing in the Business School where he went quite often to deliver lectures.

The old man called up another ex-Army buddy — a course-mate — but his mobile phone was “out of coverage area”.

Maybe — his course-mate was playing golf.

_________

The old man felt miserable.

Gloomy thoughts perambulated in his mind.

Despondency overwhelmed him — and this pushed him further into deep depression.

The old man desperately wanted to talk to someone and unburden himself of his woes.

_________

As a last resort — the old man decided to talk to his nephew — who was a psychiatrist.

The old man dialled the psychiatrist’s mobile number.

No one picked up — but — in response — the old man received an SMS asking him to call a landline number.

The old man dialled the landline number.

A lady — probably a receptionist at his nephew’s clinic — she picked up the phone.

“I want to talk to Dr. “X” …” the old man said.

“Are you an existing patient…?” the receptionist said.

“No — I am his uncle — I want to talk to him urgently…” the old man said.

“Sir — I will give you an appointment in the evening…” the receptionist said.

“Not in the evening — I want to talk to him right now…” the old man said.

“Sorry Sir — Dr. “X” does not see any patients in the morning…” the receptionist said.

The old man was furious and spoke angrily to the receptionist.

“I am his bloody uncle…!!! I want to talk to him right now…!!! Do you understand…?” the old man shouted.

“Please, Sir — Dr. “X” is conducting the weekly clinical update now — and he has told us that he is not to be disturbed — why don’t you come in the evening, Sir — I will give you an appointment at 6 PM — that is the only slot available today — please tell me your name, Sir…” the receptionist said.

“I told you that I want to talk to him right now…” the old man yelled in desperation.

But — the receptionist disconnected the phone.

___________

The old man could bear it no longer.

The old man got out of his flat — he entered the lift — and — he went down to the ground floor.

The old man desperately wanted to talk to someone.

But — everyone seemed busy.

Even the security staff at the gate looked busy — the guards were busy checking visitors and vehicles — and the supervisor was making entries in registers.

___________

The old man walked to the security gate — and he looked at the security supervisor:

“Give me the rooftop terrace key…” he said to the security supervisor.

“Why do you want the terrace key, Sir…” the supervisor asked the old man.

“I want to jump from the terrace and commit suicide…” the old man said.

The supervisor wondered why old man was being sarcastic.

Maybe — he was getting irritated at being questioned — so the security supervisor spoke in a rather polite tone.

“I am sorry, Sir — but…” the security supervisor was speaking to the old man — when — the old man interrupted him rudely.

“Come on — give me the terrace key…” the old man shouted at the supervisor.

The supervisor thought that — maybe — the old man wanted the terrace key to adjust his DTH TV Antenna — which he had done a few days ago.

So — the security supervisor gave the old man the terrace key — and he made an entry in his register.

The old man took the terrace key — signed the register — and he walked towards the lift.

As he saw the old man enter the lift — the security supervisor remembered the old man’s words:

“I want to jump from the terrace and commit suicide…”

__________

The supervisor wondered why the old man was being so sarcastic.

But — the old man wasn’t being sarcastic.

The old man had meant every word of what he had said.

Yes — the old man had meant every word of what he had said.

The old man went up to the terrace of the high-rise building.

Then — the old man jumped off the terrace.

The old man’s body hurtled down 150 feet onto the road below.

The old man died instantly — the moment he hit the concrete road below.

________

EPILOGUE

________

A few days later — they held a condolence meeting for the old man.

_________

While condoling the sad demise of the old man — someone said:

“It is a mystery why the old man committed suicide…”

________

A man who lived on the same floor as the old man — he said:

“It is really sad — why did the old man commit suicide and end his life — he had absolutely no problems…”

________

The old man’s next-door neighbour said:

“Yes — the old man had no problems.

And — even if the old man did have some problems — he should have talked to someone…”

________

“Yes…” they all said in unison, “he should have talked to someone…”

________

VIKRAM KARVE

Copyright © Vikram Karve
1. If you share this post, please give due credit to the author Vikram Karve
2. Please DO NOT PLAGIARIZE. Please DO NOT Cut/Copy/Paste this post
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

Disclaimer:

This story is a work of fiction. Events, Places, Settings and Incidents narrated in the story are a figment of my imagination. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Copyright Notice:

No part of this Blog may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Blog Author Vikram Karve who holds the copyright.

Copyright © Vikram Karve (all rights reserved)

Link to my original post in my Blog Academic and Creative Writing Journal Vikram Karve:http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2017/03/depression-talk-to-me-i-want-to-talk-to.html

This is a revised re-post of my story TALK TO ME which I wrote in the year 2015 and posted online by me earlier in my academic and creative writing journal at url: http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2015/12/talk-to-me.html and http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2016/01/talk-to-me-i-want-to-talk-to-you.html and http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2016/05/talk-to-me-i-want-to-talk-to-you.html and https://karve.wordpress.com/2021/04/05/talk-to-me-story/ and https://karve.wordpress.com/2022/04/25/talk-to-me-4/ and https://karve.wordpress.com/2022/10/18/talk-to-me-5/ etc

© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

__________