Shu

“He had a scar on his cheeks , right next to his right ear “ she said with high emotion. She was trying to keep her voice down but the excitement carried it to good loudness. I was walking by the room when I stopped and listened. 

“Yes and he was looking at me with one eye, the other eye was shut “This was from my son John. He was her constant companion in all indoor adventures. I placed my phone on the dining table and walked towards the duo. 

My daughter Lenna now continued with more animation 

“ That was an evil look he gave me, I think he was very dirty and unwashed” 

and both giggled in high excitement.

I was a bit disturbed and they both looked up and noticed me standing at the door. Before I could open my mouth Lenna spoke up 

“ Dad it’s non of your business, it’s our private conversation “. 

Lenna is 8 years old and John is 6. Lenna has been going alone to a tuition in the adjacent building. She always takes a walk across the street to the teachers flat. Two other kids also go to this teachers residence in the same batch. 

It was decided lately that John didn’t need extra tuition, since he seemed to be going at good speed with his academics. Lenna on the other hand is more like me, her interests are in art and craft, making drawings of doremon, the flying horses and the smiling cats etc etc. Before this they went together to a old teachers house at an hours drive from our house. 

The two are inseparable, both in times of war and peace. If they are fighting and either me or my wife tries to intervene, they immediately reunite and then the fight is against the intervenor. If one of them is away for long for tuition or abacus and they meet up in the evening it’s fun to see them play together and catch up on the news etc. 

So now I came closer , obviously I was curious to understand the situation and figure out what it was about. Lenna put her hand up “stop in the name of the law” she said. This was standard dialog for several things. Anyhow I was in no mood to back off. I said 

“Did you see someone on the road on the way back from tuition”. 

John looked at me and said 

“We are taking about shoe. “

I realized it must have been about some old shoe lying outside the door. Well my curiosity was satiated now. We had an extra shoe rack outside the flat. I thought the situation was funny. 

In the evening I related this on the dinning table and everyone laughed. John then spelled out shoe. 

He said “s..h...u.  Shu !” 

I quickly asked him if he was sure the spelling was right. 

Lenna replied for John 

“ Dad shu is the character in bay blade , he lost a fight with the villain and he joined the villains team “. 

Now I was laughing again , that’s life with my kids .

The key

When I’m in Kottayam at my moms home, I use a local gym there, so i can continue working out without a break. I left home for the gym at 6am today as usual. The gym manager looked unhappy as usual that i left my phone all around the place. It has become a habit with me to leave the phone next to which ever machine i work at a particular time, not a good habit ..but that’s the only way I can keep looking at the workout schedule i have for the day.

While Leaving home today, i had to take the keys to both the entrance gate and main door of the house with me since my mom had her yoga day and had left before me to the school nearby. So i now had the keys to the gate and the house door in a bunch , then i had my towel , a pair of mittens and an extra pair to T-shirt to wear for walking back home after I was done working out.

The kids who come to this gym are regular middle class and highly motivated types. No show off and completely focused on the mission of getting beefed up quickly. Being in the senior category age wise, I haven’t made an effort to mix up with them. There was new faces each day anyway.. so what’s the point. It reminded me of the days in school when I’d make trips to the gym on impulse and then discontinue. Theres no one older than me in this place ..even the manager I mentioned earlier is just 30 or 35. 

The better part of not getting too social is that , this way i am able do my stuff and get away without wasting time. The downside is that i might come across as haughty. But lately I’ve stopped caring of what others think..I guess that also comes with crossing over the age 40 line ... .Also there’s no way I could pair up with these young fellows who have their eyes only on biceps and chest workout. Someday maybe at a later age they will realize the value of working legs first. I am all for legs and my workout is oriented on that daily, with minimal upper body workout. I’m at an age when the workout isn’t for impressing anyone, just to stay in shape as long as possible.

So today, after I finished workout and cooled down I slowly changed in to my fresh T-shirt and stepped out to get my shoes. In this place shoes arent allowed inside. (Even gym shoes are a NO, )The rule here is that everyone had to leave footwear outside. And everyone indoors worked out barefoot. 

It was a bother for me ,putting on and taking off shoes, on the soiled staircase outside. Usually I somehow balanced my self on one leg and managed to tie my laces standing. Today i had worked my thighs thoroughly and being in no shape to stand and wear my shoe balancing on one leg, i sat on the stair. Thinking quickly, to  avoid soiling my black trouser, I put my gym packet (the plastic pack with all the stuff ), on the stair and sat on it, saving myself from getting a patch of mud on the trouser. 

Once done, I descended the stairs slowly and walked out in the main road. There are some funny rules typical of small gyms which are managed by single owners . The bench press has to be set at a particular weight ,and one had to start with that , no other option. I once tried to reduce the weight and the weight lock got jammed. The starting weight wasn’t much, but it was welded to the bar...what’s the use of such a contraption. Then there is the hack squat machine with a weight lock which was not easy to locate. It was a latch like thing and it was unreachable while working out and when it was time to rest the weight down after working on it ! So you would need to bend down and worm through the grease with your finger to reach it, and then pull it to lock. Any one who cares about good posture work would suffer the few seconds when the spine bends awkwardly while holding all that weight , till the flimsy lock is located and then turned into place !!! Some of these prehistoric stuff should be sold in junk. Probably only the free weights are worth the gym fee. But i desperately needed to do some workout every morning, so having a gym near by is good enough and thank god for that.. 

As I walked out, I decided to call home at kochi and check with my wife and kids about what was happening there, so I reached in the pack to take out my phone. When i took out my phone from the plastic packet that i call my gym bag, i was shocked to see that the screen of my redmi 4 was cracked , as if something had struck it.

I went cold.. and as i walked i felt all kinds of emotions go thru me. I was furious and then sad and turned around to go back to the gym and sort out the matter. Lousy damned 3rd class gym with primitive equipment !!. My temper was on the rise now..that stupid ham curl machine which could actually damage the knee cap. The antique rusty leg press which had to be balanced on both feet, or it would topple over if the weights were above 60kg x2 ! And those young under 20 punks who kept crowding around when i did a deadlift with more than 120kg...bicep curl loving jerks who think that doing squats and dead lifts was for laborers and rickshaw pullers. Then a thought stuck me. On the previous day the manager had told me to put the weight back on the weight rack after use. I had collected a load of weight around the squat machine that day. Could it be that he had given my phone lying on one of the nearby machine benches , a light knock with a weight , when i was working out on the other side... just to teach me not to keep the phone all around ?? I cursed myself for leaving the phone around. In Dubai i had developed this habit and it had stuck with me. Serves me right i thought. 

All these thoughts passed my mind in few short seconds. It’s amazing how quickly the mind comes up with solutions and answers for every problem quickly ,especially if its left free to be hyper. And add a bit of temper to this and it’s an explosive mix. My mind was already decided and final and had all the answers. I knew everything. Who the culprit might have been. I figured out the motive too. And then another part of my mind intervened. A bit of logical thinking made me take stock and slow down. 

I was calmed a bit when I realized the futility of raising hell without knowing who exactly to confront. I wished there was a cctv like camera on my phone which could have picked up the face of the mysterious figure creeping close looking left and right and sticking a blow and moving away. And then I thought if that was do-able I would find that guys phone and crack it myself. Again my calm mind intervened.. urging me to avoid being wasteful with my energies..I said the Lord’s Prayer ..a plea for help...for an answer ,some guidance .. as we forgive , so forgive us.. 

okay forget it ! just forgive whoever did this, let god be the avenger and judge. Once again i turned around towards home and this time i walked in better state of mind, i was at peace. 

Hell, whoever did it will feel sorry when I don’t react. What was it for, whom did it help, its okay I will just change the screen. Whoever cracked it thought it was an iPhone7, but its only a 7000 rupees black redmi4 which looks like an iPhone ..hell ! I will just buy another redmi , I really liked this phone. So i walked on. I must have looked comical walking with this jumble of thoughts. 

At home i took out the bunch of keys and opened the gate locks. I realized I mustn’t keep the keys bunch along with the phone in the packet since it might damage the screen more. Gradually i got back to the regular things for the day and as i put the clothes into the washing machine ,i was again angry..again i made a short prayer , calmed down again, and decided to have my bath. It was the height of monsoons and Heavy rains outside and the climate was on the cooler side , but I still prefer cold water. Especially since I had worked out and was worked up a good deal too. I was  calm in the cold water of the shower. I decided to say thanks to almighty for this solution of forgiveness, such a quick way to ease out of all the misery. And the moment i made another prayer of thanks i had a shocking vision. I saw myself sitting on the packet which i had set on the stairs to avoid getting my trouser soiled. That was probably the moment the glass on the phone screen had cracked by the presssure of the bunch of keys underneath ! I just stood still under the shower for a long time...Unable to make a move.

Getting off the Train at the wrong Stop ( or is it wrong time? )

  Jin knew that the age old secrets to making wealth would still be the same today.. as they were in old times.. But it was something else that he was looking for.. Something that was even more important. Something that  could nourish his soul besides taking care of all his worldly wants. It was something elusive. ..Often he had seen fleeting glimpses of it in lives of ordinary people who were in the thick of worldly want and helplessness.. 

 It was surprising that it was in moments of reaching out to others that this elusive element became tangible.. and it had a name then.. Happiness , he called it.  
 But it never stayed with the boy for long. It was gone as soon as it came. It was there in the moment of embracing something new... and It was gone the next moment. 
 As if fearing something inside the boy, it fluttered in his sights but it wouldn’t stay.. fearful of something that came forth from within the boy maybe.. Like a playful puppy shies from a whip. .. It flew away as soon as it came.
"Can there be a way to capture this thing and control it or own it ,so that it stayed with me and didn’t desert me at all". He was put to hard thought about that. He decided that he would set out to find a way to get a hold on it. And then capture it and keep it. And so he set out … 
He walked out in the city.. it was a hot and humid evening and not a great day to be outdoors..on his way, in the city he saw a couple walking toward him. The woman held a child in her hands and was looking at the shops and laughing and talking agitatedly. The husband was also laughing and talking about something and nodding. As their eyes fell on Jin passing by they seemed to stop laughing and wonder about him. Since Jin didnt wear a smile anymore, because he was too busy examining people.. like examining a glass of water.. checking for any signs of contamination before drinking it.. perchance it was this expression that made the couple look at him strangely.Anyway Jin was quite irritated and decided to ignore them as he walked on and passed them.
  “ what a foolish lot “   He said to himself.
 “ The fools have enough worries as it is, and its so obvious! ,yet they go on chattering and laughing like fools” 
  And as an afterthought he said aloud “ I am sure they will get home and quarrel about money and lack of this and that”.
  And he walked on. It was a hot and humid evening as already mentioned,but being a weekend many people were outdoors in spite of the  terrible climate.  “what fools these are.. Why cant they stay indoors and stay cool? “.  Soon he was tired and thirsty.. he wanted a drink badly. So he entered a shop and picked up a cool drink. As he waited at the counter he noticed the two cashier girls at the counter seemed to look very irritable and were talking to each other as if berating the customers.The language they spoke was not known to Jin, and so he had no way of knowing what they spoke about.
  Soon he reached the counter and paid for the soft-drink and as he left he felt that the two were probably now berating him for buying only one cheap drink. He was mighty angry as he left the grocery shop. He simply told himself “ Damned unprofessional sluts, someone will set them right in good time, in a proper way”. After he finished his drink he was sure that his search was ended for the first day.  After cleaning his body with an elaborate bath, he lay down to get sleep, he felt the sweet ache of tired bones begging for rest. He didn’t fall asleep immediately but looked up at the ceiling and wondered at the few moments he had before sleep. He wasn’t anywhere else but completely present in the moment.. in his bed and assured in the certainty that sleep would come and that he would have his rest. For a moment he studied his situation. He decided that he was happy now. He also knew that when he awoke the next morning he would be greeted again by routine and the boring routine(ness) of things in life.But for now, he was not sad because that was a shore far way.For now he was going to float in a sea of calm and restful sleep.   The next morning he awoke unhappy, because there wasn’t anything new to do. He was stuck with routine. The clock or somebody who sat above him had his life till end of day. "How did he end up giving his life away ,he wondered. When did all this happen ? Was I here when it happened ?" He smiled as he thought these things. He knew that he was there when it happened and also knew when it had happened.
 “Got to move”  He thought and went to out to work as usual.
 After a few years the boy had become a Man and as he sat in a train going to work, he noticed a group of people who were talking and making a desperate attempt at humor . Jin noted that everyone else sitting around seemed to understand the seriousness of life and their faces also reflected this fact. Except for these four fools ,continually braying like donkeys and making a hysterical scene. Again Jin thought about the same thing that had engaged his thoughts a long time back. The quest for happiness... Of a sudden he laughed despite himself . And the people who were so far laughing looked as if hit by a train, because they were momentarily as if thrown off balance. Even the serious looking passengers were visibly curious. Thus far they had inadvertently focused their attention on the group that had been raising a spectacle, an entertaining spectacle even for some who had nothing else to do but to watch a group talking about nothing in particular and making great effort at eliciting a laugh from each other .. Untill jin had laughed suddenly and introduced himself like a unannounced character in a play. jin..the man who had been looking for happiness once again saw happiness at that moment. He had met happiness before, and so he recognized it. Happiness had embarrassed him this time. And like old times it also made him feel light headed and fresh and alert. He couldn’t meet the eyes of the group of four as they stood quietly now, aware of him. He felt their eyes on his back. But the urge to laugh was so strong that he had to get up and leave the train at the next stop. The curious thing was that as soon as he left the train he was no longer able to laugh or wanted to. He was once again in a suffocating ocean of serious faces. As he looked at the train pull out he felt as if he had passed up a chance to something. A meeting with something eventful. A snatch at something ..a pass to some place new.That night as he lay down to sleep, he was unable to feel wholesome. As if a part of him had been left behind in that train.. He had left without defining the character that he had created. It was a dramatic moment which needed a proper introduction. Alas, but he had instead exited similarly unannounced. The next day he was up and away to work as usual. At another passage in life, maybe as a older man he might ,in an awkward moment ,go out of the way and explain to a teenager the urgency of being bold and go out speak out your heart, and not think too much about the world.. and that the world could (you know..) and maybe add some more spice with dialogs like"When someone chooses you, stand up and be a man about it "  . The teenager of course wouldn’t take the advice, 

"Oh no way! .. imagine the risk involved!" 

THE   END

The lion ,the wolf and the fox

                                          --------------------------------------------------------------        

THE LION, THE WOLF AND THE FOX                   

                                                                       1.    


          The iphone was set on silent mode, and when the call came thru the glass table on which the iphone was kept started to humm like someone snoring . The sitting room was dark and the city lights came into the sitting room from outside the sliding door to the balcony.

As the phone vibrated it started to move and came in contact with the empty glass tumbler and started to make a strange new sound. This sound carried far and soon Milo opened the kitchen door and looked in thru the unlit passage to the sitting room. The light from the kitchen flooded the passage now and Mil waded into the room with a glass jug in one hand which was half filled with strawberry juice.

She looked at the number.. it was a new one. The iphone was automatically connected to a recording machine in her handbag. As she started talking the recorder beeped silently and started recording.



'Hello" said Milo

There was a brief silence on the other side
and then the caller said,
''Good evening Ms.Milova Dina ? the computer programmer? '

'Good evening to you too, this is Mil, How can I help you?''
replied Mil.


"Good evening! thank you very much. Please let me introduce myself to you. My name is Mickey Ali and I am one of the founding partners of Matrix Computing systems L L C.''

Milo observed that the man was trying to sound important and the word LLC was stressed and stretched.
Milo returned in the same polite and steady tone
"How can I help you Mr.Mickey? "


The caller started with a cough and clearing of throat resumed.
"We are a.. large company based in.. several important countries.. and we have over 100 plus programmers working for us"

Milo put the phone on speaker and picked up the mug with the strawberrry juice.


"You can see that with this kind of manpower, we deal with only the biggest corporate clients. ..the Govt., the royality etc.,''

Mil looked up at handwritten note on the kitchen cabinet. It was erased and written over several times. Milo pushed her princenez higher on her nose as she focused on the note. The receipe was underlined as '' caramel custard new options with strawberry flavour''.



''Aha , how interesting''
said Milo as she poured the strawberry juice into the melting sugar granules on the flat pan.
The sound of the simmering died down as suddenly as it had risen.The juice formed a strange and exciting color as it dried into the melted sugar syrup. Mel studied it closely, trying to catch a wisp of the new aroma that started to spread arround.


" Thank you Madam, But we also like to include fresh blood into the
talent pool every once in a while''

Mil looked at the phone.. the comic effect that was sealed into the remark was magnified many times due to the earnestness in the callers voice.Mil was unsuccessful in trying to supressed her laughter. She covered her mouth and held back the peals of laughter that were ready to break through. Finally it escaped her morphed as a suppressed series of sneezes as she replied..

"Ah that is a very noble thing to do ,.. indeed."


The man at the other end was making an effort at laughter which seemed forced. Mil heard some shifting sounds and also the agitated wispers of someone else wispering something angrily in the background.

Mil had dipped a spoon into the mix to taste it, but now she held the spoon in mid air and was listening eagerly to the disturbance in the background.She was still smiling. There was someone in the background speaking in short grunts in a strange tongue. After a few seconds the caller continued.


"Ms.Milova, we have a good offer for you here.. which, will make you a lot of money and also make you famous. We are looking for someone to develop a security application for business systems. We already have developled a project halfway with the help of one of our teams.. this aaa is for one of our very important clients based aaa.. in saudi arabia.. so although we already have the programe, we need your help to slightly correct some of the mistakes in this a.... programme.''


He continued after a pause in which he drew a deep breath

'' The team had to be a... moved to another job, They have been assigned to a new Govt. assignment and so we are looking for an outsider .. a freelancer, to help us"



'Well I would surely love to help out. I think it would be a good idea if you could you send me a brief about how exactly I come into the picture and also an outline about the profile of this.. system. I would also like to be in touch with the original programmers. '' said Mil



'All the assistance you need will be provided Ms Milova, also anything you need to ask the programmers can be arranged. Due to confidentiality reasons  though, I will be taking your qestions to them myself and responding to you with the answers..'

The caller waited for a reaction.

Milo was quite. During the years working alone, she had learned not to go out of the way when talking to clients. In many instances a client who was thinking aloud or making a statement would eventually come arround to cutting down his/her own idea or thought and then asking for an opinion directly. That was often the best moment to make a comment.


The man continued
''Ms. Milova, as you know well, these days its quite impossible not to be too careful , especially in business.. of information systems"


There was a brief pause during which there was another small chat in the background and then the man continued.
'' Maybe we could meet over a cup of coffee and get cracking on this business as soon as we can. What is a good time to talk to you again in person Madam ?''


'' Ah, is sunday at 11am, Ajman Kempinski  good for you? ''
 Milo was smiling at the new purple tinge that was forming over the custard jelly. I had turned out better  than she had expected.


'' Okay...'' Mick sounded unsure.
Again he seemed to have turned and was waiting for a nod from someone else. He almost immediately returned to the conversation.
''That is just fantastic! Ms.Milova, looking forward to seeing you there''

'' Alright then '' Said Mil simply.

''sleep tight !'' said Mickey with a laugh



''Thanks, and you too.. Mickey boy ,..''
she replied,. In almost 10 years in working as a freelancer Mil had experienced a wide variety of temparaments in people.She had often talked to clients on phone whom she had never met in person. The work was done online and paid for online. Often when some of the 'suits' or the marketing dept. of bigger client companys realised that she was a woman and a timid sounding one, the urge to test her ,or '' check her out'' was often at large. Mil was used to it and more often she played along. There was this latent scientists curiosity in her to see how things as well as people turned out in the long run. Prejudice had no part in Mils approach. She always went the distance.. just to see how things turned out.

Her 5'2'' height wasnt of much help to her either.
For both who had seen her and those who only talked through the phone, she liked to keep the fireworks for the moments when they least expected it. Always after she had checked them out completely.

 And then with a smile she continued
''you be a good boy till then ta ta''


Mickey was quite for a moment and then responded with the the same forced laughter
"okay ha ha , thanks for your time Ms.Milova, you know..I am thinking..''


The grunt in the background was a bit louder and the line went dead before Mickey said anymore.




                                                                       2.



       In Ajman, the traffic was not as bad as Dubai. But Mil was a stickler for punctuality. She planned to leave her flat at 9 am. and at 8.30 am like clockwork sherkhan her driver arrived in the white Pajero. The trip from Ajman shoreline apartments to Kempinski was a long one and as she calculated, they would be there well before 11am.

His actual name was Asadulla Mir Sher Gul Bachha Khan , and belonged to what was know in older times as the NorthWest Fontier province. An area of beautiful scenic splendor zealously owned by  Pakistan and India. When Mil had applied for his visa as her driver the long name had confounded her very much and the looks of him was enough to frighten even a hard man. But a good friend of Mil had recommended him to her. When she looked closer she realised that the man had kind eyes and was very mild mannered. Over the years he had proved to be a loyal and dependable assitant of sorts. Mil simply called him Sher Khan, the name she remembered from Rudyard Kipling's immortal 'The Jungle Book'. The Pathaan who didnt know anything of the Jungle Book would swell with pride at being called Sher Khan. The word Sher meaning 'Lion'. Rudyard Kipling's character was in fact the most feared big villain and not a lion but a Tiger. But oblivious to all these facts her driver seemed more content with the title than anything else.

 On the job now, the Pathan had the look of a proper groomed lion. The tuxedo was well cut and the topi added another feet and and half to his 6 foot 4 inche frame. When he drove he kept the starched topi neatly by his side. Mil always rode in the back seat from where she could also spread her files and stationery out beside her if she was working. There were times when she would write a script on a new program language as she travelled. Often she mastered a new software on such short trips to meet a client or to the immigration office which she visited once a week to arrange visas for her colleages visitig from overseas.


She was already at Keminski and waiting when the a man in suit walked over to where she was seated. It was half past twelve.
''Good morning Ms.Milova, i am sorry the traffic all the way till sharjah.. You know the National paints area is a nightmare and I had a long night yesterday..''

In the same sentence he continued
''..what will you have ..coffee.?. ah i see you have already had 2 cups while you were waiting for me..'

As he sat down he placed his suitcase on the side and smiled.
'My partner is on his way, he is using the restroom down stairs... will be here in a few minutes..'
again he smiled

Mil returned the smile.
"Thats okay'

After a while he continued
''I have a meeting with the sheikh of Ajman also today.. he has been asking me over for a long time. Ajman.. wow its ..its a quite a  place away from all the noise.. calm and quite.. you must like it out there..'
He said with the same framed smile.


'Its good, the rents are cheaper... quite and peaceful like you said. ' said Mil



'Do you go out all by yourself for meetings Ms.Milova ? I mean, I am impressed with your independent spirit ..you are indeed a true enterprenuer !, its the best thing of course, you know working for yourself.. its the smartest option today! with this damned recession and all '



'Thank you Mick,'
She didnt look at Mickey as she said this, but was looking for the coffee mug. She picked up the cup of coffee and as she sipped the coffee she looked up at him and smiled. Then as she returned the coffee to the table she held his gaze smiling warmly.

''Also since you are such a fine gentleman I certainly feel so..safe coming over all by myself to meet you! ''



Sher Khan was sitting by a chair in the opposite side.
 Mil made a sweeping glance in his direction without really resting eyes on him.He was sitting upright reading a newspaper, in front of him was a cup of steaming capucinno.



As Mil swung her glance back to the table she noticed a  large man appearing  from behind the partition coffee mug rack. He was easily 2 times the size of Mickey and this man genuinely commanded a kind of raw respect mostly born out of the fear that was generated by his bearing and size.



'Hello Ms. Milova , sorry to have kept you waiting"

He was sitting down as he said this and wasnt looking at Mil but at the coffee on the table. And after a heavy sigh he asked Mickey in some asian language, if Mil had been briefed about the job.


'' I have outlined the complete picture to her and also what we expect from her..'' said Mickey.
As Mickey spoke his line the big man looked at Mil for the first time with a smile.



'' Well,'' the big man said
'' seeing that everything has been explained I guess  all I need to do now... is hand over these to you..'' He fumbled through his attache case and produced a set of CDs packed in a smart looking case.



He looked at the CDs and made a short cackle which passed for laughter. He laid them on the table.

'' Isnt it amazing how fast the technology has grown, this small set of CDs holds the power to run the complete business functions from hiring to accounts to security to everything.. of a multimillion dollar business enterprise.. and there will be a day when these computers will take away my job! ha ha ha and every damned manual function that was ever performed by man!'

He was laughing louder now and still kept looking at the CDs.


Then suddenly he was looking up at Mil.. the laughter gone from his eyes.. He raised both his hands at her and nodded his head
'' And all it takes is a highly intelligent person like you... to, relax and sit back on a chair and.. and think up a programme! ha ha ha "



Mil hadnt spoken so far and had been sitting pretty with a smile. At the pause that the laugh provided, she merely ventured

'' yeah ..something like that.'' with a nod.



The big man was somehow a bit more at ease now and leaned back on the chair.He was looking at Mil as if he was reshaping some prejudiced opinion about Mil. The expression on his face was that of a boy who had accidentally found a jar of cookies while looking for a lost ball. He was looking at Mil with a smile again.

'' You know you remind me of my maths teacher, never let me get through to the second grade, '' he stopped suddenly.. he had gone a bit ashen and suddenly realised that he was talking more than he had planned for the day. '' I ..''


Mil was aware of the general unrest in the air that had come up and concentrated on the CDs
'' Well this is good for starts, I will certainly need a brief though , a written brief also, (with a smile)..and Mr.Mickey has informed me that I wouldnt have direct access to the original programmers, that is too bad.''



The big man merely smiled and nodded and kept looking at Mickey and nodded again,.
The smile was replaced by a dumb look. The nodding continued for a while.

They talked a while more while the steward served more coffee. In the meantime Mil noticed that Sher Khan had moved away and was sitting at another table closer to them and with his back almost touching the the big man's sofa, again he was reading the papers, which were still unruffled and fresh and still unopened. The coffee was gone.


Finally it was time to move on to paying the bills and this Mickey proceeded to do in as much style as he could manage. While he was away the big man leaned forward and said ''Mrs.Davenport says that you are one of the brightest programmers in this region..''



'' Mrs.Davenport..'' Mil remembered the name from somewhere but nothing came to her mind in visual terms.
'' I wonder who that would be...' she admitted with a raised eyebrow.



The big man sat back waving his hands, '' You couldnt have forget her.. she said that you are one of the guest speakers at her seminars this season in abu dhabi... does that ring any bells?''



It suddenly came to her. The woman she had met when she was writing a script for a Govt agency in abudhabi for their public works dept. The name Davenport was on the card that Mil received from her although the woman liked to be called  'Manny'.

'' Just call me Manny, dear '' She would say everytime.

It was such a brief meeting and very easy to loose track of.

Mrs. Davenport didnt know a thing about coding or for that matter anything to do with computing or scripting. She had asked Mil to rewrite a script that was returned by a client with a report of crashing repeatedly on work.

Mil had righted that on her laptop over a cup of coffee and they had exchanged numbers. The thing that Mil remembered about Davenport was her insistence to pay for the help well after the matter was settled and Mil had reluctantly agreed to be paid for it. Mrs.Davenport had requested Mil to call her over the weekend to settle.

The number Mil realised later, was not a working number. And the visiting card was full of a lot of stuff that was not pointing at anything in particular. The numbers on the back were emergency numbers of the police and the fire dept. which were irrelevant but they filled up the space well.

Mil didnt mind it since it was her begining days and she was out to make a reputation as a fast and talented programmer.



The big man was looking across the street , while Mickey returned with another cup of coffee in his hands '' One for the road'' he said with a laugh.



Mil had packed her attache case and with it on her lap she said.
''I will look thru this and once I have the written brief from you, I will be better placed to evaluate what needs to be done '' .


Stuffing the last of the muffin from the table into his mouth Mickey spoke up. He was shaking his arms all over as if he was trying to stop the trafic. Finally he manage to speak.
'' We are a little.. hurried on this job... and.. a.. might need to wrap it by monday next, you will need to tell us what you need by tomorrow morning, ha ha ''

Mickey sipped his coffee. He looked like a monkey on a perch as he sat on the armrest of the sofa. He was smiling broadly and nodding.



The big man had been stting with his coffee glued to his mouth, often looking from about the rim of the cup in short and quick glances. He put the cup down and began to speak.

'' Look dear, I decided to choose you especially because Mrs.Davenport spoke so highly of you. She said that you are easy to work with and very talented. We are completely with you for anything that you need arrranged , a separate furnished office.. if you want, anything...''



He spoke with his left hand circling in a waving fashion pointing at Mil.

Then, in a dramatic geeture, as if it was a sign for everyone to stop everything they were doing and look at him, he raised his palm up like a football referee. He took a deep breath..Mickey was about to blurt something.The big man waved him quite with his left hand.Aa he continued waving he spoke.


'' And of course we will need your quote for the complete job.. Mrs .Davenport ,said that you... like to get you payments on delivery of goods, thats good ..very very good.Once you hand over the work, we will test the programme of course and then we will settle in full! ha ha ''.
Mil was looking down as the big man spoke. She looked up slowly and replied with a smile
'' I had worked for Mrs.Davenport in 1998, those were the days when i was just out and trying to make a reputation..''



The bigman was now wriggling like a snake dropped in phenoel. He raised his hand and stopped Mil halfway.
'' Milova, you need to trust us as we trust you..''

He had claspped his hands together, then he suddenly pulled his hands away.
'' We need this done by monday ,but the accounts will.. need till tuesday to release the money, now.. you need to trust us, we are the biggest consultants on this side of the globe and our business runs in millions!'

'Millions' was dramatically exclaimed and his nose looked like the beak of an eagle.



Mil still had the smile that she held when she first met the big man. She continued as if there had been no interruption.
'' I have a policy of taking 25 % as advance before starting on the job.''
Mil was unaware that as she spoke her fist lightly drumming the attacche case on her lap. Mac was bouncing his eyes off from her fist to her face and back with an expression like he had seen a ghost.


'' Also,''
Continued Mil, jolting the big man out of his trance like expression.
 '' in case you find that the time I have put into the work and the output wasnt good enough, 95 % of the advance will be returned. Before that, though, the quality of work will be evaluated by any committee of programmers ,chosen mutually of course, who are certified by the govt. as a go between. ''


she continued with a smile, as the big man seemed ready to explode
'' I would be able to also provide references if you need, from my client list. So far I havent missed either a delivery deadline or traget , and I never compromise on quality..''


The bigman was sitting erect now with his hands raised, but Milova igonored him and continued..
'' Once the job is completed and the software is tested for performance ,thats about when we could settle the complete payment with a bank transfer. This is how I have been working for the past 14 years, in the Middle east, US and the Nordic region... ''



The big man got up in a big shuffle and glared at Mickey,
'' Mickey .. sort this for me''



At almost the same speed with which the big man stood up and turned and looked at Mil, he noticed Sher Khan, standing up in a flash. SherKhan was standing facing him, his eyes held the bigman squarely from over 10 to 12 inches above the his head. The newspaper was being slowly rolled into a ball in Khan's fist.

All the anger left the big man and he slowly sat down. Mickey was running up and down like a frightened monkey. SherKhan continued to stand above the bigman.
Mickey slowly inched up to Mil .
'' Is the Lion with you? '' He whispered


Mil simply shrugged and said nothing.


Mickey picked up Mac's suitcase from under the sofa and looked questioningly at Mac. The bigman slowly got up and took the suitcase from Mickey. He then looked up at SherKhan as if asking him to move aside. Then on seeing no response he slowly forced into a little space on the sides as he wrenched his big body out and almost ran out.


Mickey was now standing with his arms folded and looking from Mil to SherKhan with a bewildered expression on his face. Some of the other guests in the premises were also looking at them.

'' Time out Mil, we need to talk. May I please..?'' He was looking at Mil


''Its okay Mr.Khan you can step aside now'' said Mil. And only then did Sher Khan move aside with his eyes still pinned on Mickey. Sher Khan moved to another sofa and looked at them from there. One of the waiters came by and picked up the crumpled paper from the floor.



''Mac will not like the presence of that pathan if we are to talk again. He is obviously rattled now by your body guard.'' said Mickey.


'' If Mac can keep his passions bottled I guess Sher Khan will happily stay in the background. He obviously saw a threat there and its natural for him to react like that. He has been with me for several years and he considers it his duty somehow to protect me'' said Mil



''That is the typical pathan for you ha ha '' smiled Mickey '' You know, these people are simple and straight forward, they dont understand anything that is not as straight forward as they themselves are ..and that is good and simple and fine thing...  but Mac here is not the type who takes quitely to anything that he doesnt like. I will bet that he is already focused his mind on your body guard. Mac is.. he is not a man you can push aside.. you see. He is good to do business with and all..''' said Mickey with arms raised, like a cricket umpire signalling a sixer. ''  but ..when he dislikes something he can be very obstinate in his approach.. generally in the direction of eliminating the obstacle''



'' I dont think I can tell SherKhan to stay away , he simply wont '' smiled Mil
'' And besides I dont think I will do that. And I think we are wasting time,dont you think... ?''



'' Look Mil as far as we are concerned, we need your services thats all... I understand your stand... Suit yourself, you have been forewarned, as a friend who cares, I just hope you will take heed. Your pathan might think he is a mighty Lion and he might be too... ha ha  because that is how this clan is, in essence they are all Lions, in spirit and in their heart, '' again he raised his arms and tilted his head like he was bowing.
'' But I mean come on, we are in the information age now.. ''
Mickey made a short pause as if thinking up his next delivery
'' Mac is from the same country as Mr.Lion here but there is a difference, Mac is different... He thinks himself way above the likes of your Lion Pathaan. He is the kind of man who knows how to get what he wants. He is a big bad wolf.. you know what I mean..'' Mickey was explaining with his hands



'' Ooh I am shivering with fear '' said Milova showing mock fear.


Mickey maintained his serious look
'' Ms Milova you are delicate and small and anyone would take it as a privelege to guard you and protect you, you need protection''
He tried unseccesfully to smile and reverted to the serious look
'' You are small but intelligent , you can write programmes and design things, but about people or about the hard facts of life you dont know as much as the wolves who live and breathe the money in Dubai do. Mac is the big bad wolf among them. He has ten heads... and his plans ...oh I know about how he plans his moves... I know him well.. The man thrives on violence and money drives him. He has a wild and raw drive which can easily sway even the most adamant minds to swing to his tunes... No offence meant here Ms.Milova, he admires your talents and he also has respect for you. But.. ''

He looked over the shoulder in the direction of Sher Khan. The Khan was sitting by the window looking at the traffic.
'' He has a particularly obstinate dislike for anyone who challenges him, like our friend the Lion did just now. An action like that is always read as a challenge by him and he can be very.. a.. dangerous if he finds himself cornered.'' He let up his hands '' thats all I am trying to convey here.''



'' I read something like fear in his demeanour today, which is very strange. The last time I saw him like this was when he was about to be deported in 1979. That was over a brawl with a local in a real estate deal. He simply cant understand a deal in which he has to share his money or space with another. He left the country well before the deportation dares. And with more than the share in the real estate deal...''

'' Today I saw that fear in him . And thats why I got him out of here before things went out of hand''



Mil was listening. She was not smiling anymore.
''Well Mick you have made your point ''
Then as she picked up her bag she said with a smile
'' I dont know if we need to meet again at all... since there is no support, no nothing to go on anyway... So you can rest easy your friend the Big wolf need not cross SherKhans path again.''





                                                                         3.



The drive back to Ajman was quite.
Milova was texting a message to her friend, on her mobile phone



'' I dont think we have a deal here anyway '' she smiled

The pathaan was silent.

'' You said you have a truck job today, when is that?''
she asked



'' Truck job on sunday madam,''
 said Sher Khan


''Okay then its fine, Jean and family will be with us for 2 days''  said Mil

''Very good madam, he give me very good cigars last time'' said Sher Khan

''Well I am sure he will have some for you this time too Sher Khan''
said Mil
''Terminal 3 OR Terminal 2 madam ? ''
asked Sher Khan

'' Terminal 3, they are flying emirates ''

then Mil continued
''I dont think there is anything to do once you pick up my brother and family tomorrow and then you can go for the truck job the day after and then take the whole week off if you like''
She smiled.


'' Madam I appologise for today.. I feel afraid the fat man attack you'' said Sher Khan

''No need to appologise Sher Khan''
said Mil. ''I think you were a gentleman today, and anyone could see that ''


'' Thank you madam, but you need driver for the job. Pick any books from your library in Dubai ? for the job reference ? ''

He asked looking into the rear view.


'' Oh that is if this job works out SherKhan, besides I have a feeling that these jokers dont know anything about this job either, probably brokering for someone who knows the job.. and the deadline is unreasonable too. I dont think it will work out, I mean seriously thinking''

then she laughed throwing her head back
'' Not after such a first meeting''



Sher Khan was quite, he wasnt laughing.
''The joker will call you madam,'' He said
'' they cant manage without you.
''... will pay you anything you demand ''



Mil laughed out aloud and kept laughing for a while.Even Sher Khan couldnt help smiling.



''We will see'' She said, as the car reached the Building.



As the Khan turned the car into the automatic garage, a black pajero slowly drove by the villa. It seemed to stop briefly at the gate and then slowed down and came to a halt a few blocks away. After Mil left for her apartment Sherkhan went back into the garage and from the garage eyepiece watched it for a while. After a few minutes it pulled out. Sher Khan memorised the number plate.



That night Milova looked thru the CDs and it was a long night. She was surprised that there were no obvious breaks in the code when she ran it through a software that checks for flow attributes in a working system. And so she put the machine on a recheck and went up to get a cup of coffee. Then she called her brother and family to check if they were ready to fly back to sweden after their american holiday. Her brother and family would be visiting her on their way to sweden, with a two day stopover at dubai.



As she stood over the kettle she dialed the number. Soon she was talking
'' Hi Jean,'' she said.
It was Madge her sister in law who answered.
''Oh Mil its me madge, my dear we are just done packing! Eating out today, Jean has decided to take us out dining !'' There was a brief noise of a running kids in the background.



''I can see that you are keeping busy''' Mil continued '' My dear can you put jean on the line, I need to reconfirm your time of arrival ''



''Okay Mil ,I will call him now ,hold on''.

There was a brief silence as Jean came on the line.

'' Hi Milo, how are you?''



'' Hello Jean, just wanted to know if your scheduled arrival time is as on print? ''

'' The 12th, 11am dubai time ,on the dot my dear, with emirates we can be sure of the timing, i guess ''. said Jean
'' Alright my dears, I be there when you arrive, and if theres anything, remember to update me'' Mil noticed a call waiting on the mobile phone.

'' Will do Milo ''
'' Jean i have another call coming in, will speak soon, bye now ''  said Mil as she noticed the name ''ware rabbit'' on the display. That was the name she used to save Mickey's number.

'' Okay Milo bye now'' and Jean disconnected



She connected to the new call. '' Hi Ms.Milova, it is Mickey with you".


'' Hello Mick, good to speak to you now, I was looking thru the script and I dont
see any breaks anywhere. ''
Mil was looking at the monitor and doing a 3rd check.



'' Ms.Milova, as explained yeserday, the original programmers have made this huge programme, and the client was quite happy with it, but the problem was.. a... is in terms of ..well, the communication was a problem for one. I met with the CEO of the client company just now and he tells me that they need the security systems directly connected with the accounts and the treasury's operating systems.."



'' Okay that shouldnt be a problem , as I see it.''
Milo said, as she searched a link that showed the communication links as password protected and connected by eight keys. The programme was designed in such a way that the approval of eight operators was needed to access information accross any of the several plaforms. Each platform, that is the accounts platform, the treasury platform etc was connected to each other thru acceptance of these eight keys which were password protected. Each key was held by eight diferent people and they needed to log in from a common access point to start any access route. everyone had to login at the same time.



'' The procedure is very cumbersome right now, we need an open route for all operations conducted from the security platform. The security dept is obviously the core dept. and needs free access to all the other departments and working systems. The main reason is that there have been considerable amount of down-sizing within the organisation and with new work force continually coming and going there is the increased need for surveillance... Also its becoming more difficult to assemble everyone each time someone wants to access anything! ''

Mickey continued

'' The CEO of the company will directly watch over the operations and therefore needs a simple Operating system... a.. also.. we have a major company meeting on Sunday in which this new working order will be presented and we need to get this presented a day before that. in person.. to the CEO. So your deadline for finishing this would be 6 days and delivery on Friday thats 15th''



Milova was thinking about the timeline and saw that rewriting a few codes was easy enough but the tough part was running the programme again and again to track the areas which needed to have the password deactivated and rewritten. Also it didn't seem as simple as it seemed without actually meeting the people who had originally written the program. A professional doesn't say 'impossible' to any task, that was Mils motto... and so she would have to find a way to do it ... or make a way to do it!

'' Mr.Mickey, I am sure you understand the importance of having communication with at least one of the original programme writers, theres always a chance you could get one of them over, that will certainly help a lot. I dont see how I can track down all the blocks on my laptop by runnning and rerunning such a big programme.''



Mickey sounded alarmed '' Ms Milova, you should have shared this with us earlier, now you have us stuck and with no options. We even offered a large office for you with how many ever laptops, desktops whatever... you need at your disposal... We need this by Friday evening latest !''



Milovas was silent. '' I will try but i cant promise that your Friday deadline is achievable. ''



'' I will call you back in a few minutes, please start already .! '' said mickey



'' Also Mr.Mickey I have emailed my quote and terms on yesterday, hope you will sort all the neccessary processes. I would also need an LPO besides the advance.. to start '' said Milova.



The phone went dead on the other end. For some reason there was a strange foreboding that seemed to sit heavily on Mil and she was begining to wonder if she should have outright refused to take this on, given the shoddy brief and the complete lack of anything to go on coupled with an absolutely unreasonable deadline. But even as she thought these things ,there was a parallel thought running in her mind, it was the professional in her speaking louder than all other thoughts. This voice disagreed with anything that turned away business.

'' Remember a freelancer doesnt have the luxury of laziness or excuses.. just get the job done ,and on time ! thats what matters in the end '' . This was a hand scribbled note on her study, dated 6 Aug 1999.

She turned to the monitor and as she looked at the script again, once again she had that initial feeling of looking at a well designed and top of the line work. There were some new and really advanced languages and codes used here. It meant that this script had been developed recently. Mil was uptodate with the technology and there was no hitch on that level, but there was something strange about the whole thing. Even Mick and his extra large boss seemed a bit strange, and out of place in this scenario ... like a team of pawn brokers standing up to deliver a lecture physics and chemistry... it was surreal...  They reminded her of a couple of monkeys she had seen in India on a trip. The macaqs had snatched her purse and were trying to understand whether it could be eaten. She had finally managed to get it back by using a trick...



Again her phone rang. This time it was another number. She had saved this number as ''big bad-Wolf '' .

'' Hi Milova, this is Mac, how are you? ''  wispered Mac

'' Hi I am good thanks, was just talking to Mickey about the advance and the LPO''
  said Mil
'' Milova, you have to help us, this is not the time for ... thinking about LPO,''


''But.''
 Mil tried to speak but was cut off

''.. We will pay you! ,you have to trust us..! the whole thing needs to be delivered on saturday, .. our reputation as a huge company is in your hands"' said Mac.



'' Well Mr.Mac I have already started working on it and hopefully I will finish it by saturday."
said Mil


'' Ms Milova, I give you my word, is that good enough!!, I am the president and chairman of Matrix Business systems. What more can you need. Just make sure this is done and we will be giving you more business soon. I have a new project coming up.. which is outsourced to america, but if you prove that you can finish this one fast ...I will get that project also to you, I promise!.''
pleaded Mac

''Beware of the one who will plead before time..''' the words rang in her mind from somewhere in the depths of her mind... had she read it in a novel?

'' Mr.Mac I have much too less time to work and I hope you will forward the advance today and also the LPO itself, with the terms as mentioned on the quote.."
said Milova.

'' An advance of AED18,750 is too much! I mean I havent earned anything from this wretched project yet and i have to pay you already! Well.. look we can work out something, I will release five thousand now as advance and the rest after I check the programme..that way you dont loose anything either ..and I am also safe.'' smiled Mac.



'' I am wondering if you are doing this for the first time. You may ask arround if you like. You will find that I have charged you at the regular rate. Also given the one day deadline and no support or direction, I should have charged extra for that.. So please Mr. Mac lets get serious here, and not waste time. I have already mailed you the details of my bank account, I can resend it if you want ..'' said Mil



'' Okay I will see what can be done.., but please please .. we need your help to save our honour this time, I am very sorry for the discomfort all this is causing, but please do this one and I will make sure that you will get all the payments and also become famous.. what is money MsMilova, we live for glory.. I will tell you something..''

Milova disconected the line and looked again at the monitor.



She received a text message. It said

''THANKS for helping us, I will try to pay up the advance SOMEHOW!!!, I need a week for the LPO since the office is being shifted''

'' I have never seen such a messy bunch of jokers before'' said Milova as she sipped the black coffee.
That coffee was going to be the first in a series that she had all the way till the next day and into the daylight. At 4:45am she curled up on the sofa and crashed out. The job was almost done and she wrote a small to do note and put it on the coffee mug.



TO DO immediately!!

1. Re-run the programme

2. Sherkhan to go and arrange catering for tomorrow + day after (also packed dinner from mcdonalds for the drive)/ also enquire about desert safari details for the kids.

3. check mail for LPO

4. Check with bank online about the transfer from Big bad wolf and co.

5. Call Madge, reconfirm with Jean/about the arrival time /


                                                                           4.



At 6am the phone rang again. Mil was already out at the grocery getting the supplies for breakfast.She looked at the phone display, it was 'the big bad wolf''. She put the phone on silent. Mil was happily pondering the advantage of having such a convienient switch to go silent as the iphone had. She also noticed two men in black suit walking into the building in which she stayed.
As she entered the building corridor she noticed the two men in black were looking at the address name plaqes. She turned arround went from behind the building and came up from behind them behind a tinted glass door.Mil stood close to them so that she was just behind them and could see them clearly and hear them but they couldnt see her.



'' This is the Flat 707, theres no name in front of it''
      said one
'' Thats okay, we have the location now, thats all we need for now, lets get out of here now,''
     said the other


'' She must be asleep , Shikaat  said she isnt picking up the phone..''
      said the first one.


'' Its okay, we dont need anything more..lets go'' And the two walked out, a little while later a black pajero sped away from the compound. It had the number which SherKhan had given her earlier.



Back in the flat, Mil was not sure why she had sneaked up on the two men, but there was certainly a new thing at work within her, so that she was extra alert to everything arround her.

She looked at the program again .It showed that it had run again and was not met with any blocks. The accesses were all open.The job was done. Many times while she worked, she liked to finish the job well before time and wait out the balance time to work out the other aspects of the job like tailoring the payment collection process according the unique requirements of the client at hand.
In this job, she felt the need for more time to figure out the client rather than the job itself. She knew that she needed a lot of extra time to figure out how she would get paid from them.
A check online showed that there was a credit of AED6000 to her account, done by cash deposit. So that there was no name or details to track the depositor. There was no LPO in her mailbox. There was a mail from Mac.

Money sent, 
pls proceed to finalise,

Mac
MD, Matrix systems LLC

It was from a gmail account and showed his name as Mac1968. The gmail address it self was quite a shocker it read matrixsystemsLLC@gmail.com.
For a moment Mil was set wondering if the secrecy surrounding the the programe was so deep that Mac couldnt even use his own company email address.



'' If there was one.. '' thought Mil aloud , nodding.
It was not the first time Mil had worked for middle men or brokers who didnt actually need a script for themsleves but were providing it to someone else. There were brokers who would get the job done through Mil and take a slice of the earnings themselves. Mil didnt mind as long as she was paid what she had quoted for the job.

Only the usual brokers were more courteous and also did their homework well. By comparison her latest clients were like pretentious ameteurs.
She picked the phone to call Mac and wanted to let him know that the advance and the LPO were needed to get the job going. She decided to email instead.

Dear Mr.Mac,


I was quite amused to see a mail from your gmail account. Also the advance we agreed on was not paid in full. I have received less than half the amount. Pls keep your end of the bargain and help me to help you.


I am used to working in an orderly fashion with all my clients and I am hoping that you will provide all the necessary support, so that I can similarly be able to finish the work on time for you to present on sunday.


thanks

Milova Dina



As Mac read the mail Mickey was also watching over his shoulders.

'' Oh the difficult woman.. she wants 75000 dhirams for sitting in the comfort of her home and typing up some text on her laptop!''
said Mac as he pushed his massive frame arround in the high-rise  residential apartment.



'' Tell Archie to release the money ,this is not like an import export job, this is different.. we cant play arround, after she finishes the job tommorrow, what will we tell her.''
asked Mickey, walking in circles


'' Its not that easy..'' said Mac looking at his nails


'' We need her arround for righting any of the snags,  if we have any with the programme later. ''
said Mickey



Mac seemd to be looking through Mickey
'' Its not that easy..'' he repeated.



'' well then I dont know how the hell we are going to get that programme, mind you this is UAE ..not..''
said Mickey
 '' And anyway we are through with that sort of business now..aren't we ?''





Mac was now looking at the mail.
'' Yes yes..'' He was rubbing his temples and gradually a smile was lighting up on his face. He slowly stood up and walked to the window AC and looked into it, blowing a circle of smoke.The round smoke ghost was slowly disfigured as it was sucked into the suckction slot.

'' look Mickey..'' He turned arround with a smile
'' I have a plan ..''
Mickey was always a bit afraid when Mac smiled and said so with his arms raised and head bowing to a side.
'' Well Mac, that last time you smiled like this, it was the begining of a series of disastrous adventures and finally we were deported from Italy for it. I just hope you will understand this that I am not for anymore twisted businesses. You promised ''.



Mac was looking into the AC. He slowly turned and clasped his hands.

'' Just trust me.. ''. He was still smiling.


                                                                            5.



On 12th at 3pm Sher Khan dropped Mil at the Deira City Center Metro station. Mil then boarded the metro. The metro was designed to go right up to the lounge of the emirates arrival area. Sher Khan then drove off to book catering and the other nececities that were needed to be loaded into the fridge while the family would be there.
Jean needed his beer while he stayed with Mil. The kids would be dispatched to the desert safari on the next day and that was taken care off too. The only thing that remained was to figure out a good gift for old Margeret Dina, Mils mother. Margeret was left behind on the last moment because of a recurrence of her arthritis. And was feeling a bit low. Jean and Mil had promised her a good fishing line.Fishing was her favoutite hobby.



As the train reached Union station, Mil decided to check once again with Mac about the payment. As she was dialling the number she had a call from Mickey.
''Hi Ms Milova, we have had some new developments.., and there is some good news for you also. The first news is that Mac has been invited to the US to take a fresh brief for a new job ,which is from one of our well paying clients and this happens to be a job that will be paid for upfront by the client ''



''Now, this here happens to be a day that you are in luck. Mac is back on Sunday, and you can collect the complete cash payment of ...a.. I am just looking at your quote on my computer yes its AED 75 000, which you had quoted , of course minus the AED 600 advance ''



'Does that sound good or what?''
said Mickey



'' Well you make it sound as if I were wrong to ask to be paid for a job that I am working on ''
   said Mil
'' The answer to your question is, Yes! its certainly is a comforting piece of news .. Well thats good then.''



There was a high pitched laughter on the other end. Mickey sounded like he was the one getting all the money.
Mil continued
'' Mick, I have family and friends visiting tonight and they will be staying over.With any luck I will finish the job within the next 2 days.''

After a brief pause she continued
'' Well I will need the LPO all the same, and also with all your secrecy and all, I also need to know where and how am I to make the delivery and collect the payment..''



Mickey replied

'' The scenario has changed now and I think you should cooperate a little with us Milova, come on!. As you can see, Mac has made an international trip just to sort out your money issues and I dont know what good is this L P O a LEGAL/LOCAL PURCHASE ORDER?? ..LPO! when we are already paying you cash directly into your account! and I am talking total amount!!''



Mickey continued.
'' And mind you we will take delivery only after you tell me yourself that you have the money in your bank! Milova, only after you say that you have the money!! hows that ?''


'' Well okay, Mickey, Ive got to go now. And Mickey this time no cash deposits, mark my words. Do it from your registered company account. You will be in for a rude shock otherwise.''
   said Mil firmly
'' Call me when you need the delivery, bye now''.
She disconnected.

More than anything else, Mil needed to get rid of these characters and get back to spending time with her brother, family and kids. Once she disconected the phone she was immediately more cheerful. The metro rail was designed to go directly into the airports waiting spot. As she went down the moving stairs she was smiling.



Little John and Lenna looked exactly as they did the last year,when they had passed through Dubai. Richard the youngest was taller and almost as tall as his dad , Jean looked a bit sloppy and was he growing fat?? . But on the whole the spirit was still the same. They were all ready for a fun time.

Back home the first thing that Mil did was to tell Sher Khan to get the food preheated and served by caterers for the night. They were all happy to be together inspite of the fact that the planning of evening was a mess.
Somehow nothing went according to plan. The dinner arrived at 10pm though it was ordered to arrive at 8:30 pm. And there was nobody to serve it, the caterers were short staffed for the job since it was past 10 pm and they were based in Dubai. They just delivered and left.


Finally it was served as it was, since everyone was so hungry. The kids just grabbed shawarmas and cutlets and spread out on the floor... Jean was so stuffed with beer that he just sat arround with a piece of chicken in his hands and then crashed out on the couch.
The kids had a good time and there was a lot of talking and cheering late into the night. Once in a while Jean would wake up from the sofa and look arround when the volumes rose too much. Once when he suddenly stood up and looked at them, everyone was suddenly silent and then in a dramatic stance Jean pointed his finger into empty space and said '' ..Mag, clean that thing today will you, I could do it myself , I am just so busy with repairing this damned bikes brakes..tell them that I will come to them in person,this is my last warning for them.. Once this bike is set.. I have to ride..  '' and then he jumped back into the sofa and was snoring again. For a moment everyone sat stock still and looked at each other and then they all roared in laughter and fell all over each other.

'' Oh cut it will you '' it was Jean again from behind the sofa ''We have a long day tomorrow'' .Once again they roared in laughter. Finally one by one everyone was asleep. It was past midnight.



As the girls shuffled into the make shift room that was mils office, Mil pointed out that they had to be ready to move by 3 pm for the desert safari in the evening the next day.
It was arround 1:30am when Mil finally had a quick bath and was getting ready to sleep. The phone rang. It was Mac.
'' Milova,'' He was shouting.There was a lot of disturbance in the background and he was trying to shout his voice through.
'' .. sorry to call so late, first the good news.. your money is transfered! ta da!, it should be credited tomorrow..yes, I am on my way back, just got off the damned 13 hour flight''


''Hi, same here Ive also been working overtime here.''
She winked at little Richard who was looking at her through sleepy eyes. Soon his mother pulled him up by the collar and took him upstairs to the bedroom.


'' Well is there anything else Mac?'' asked Mil


'' Milova, I for one, need one last favour from you. Dont be surprised .. But I will need a hundred copies of that stuff you have so herroically finished! ..And before anything else, I have to take my hat off to you for that!.. ''

Mil sensed that it was going to be a long night again. She listened without interrupting
Mac went on
'' Can you believe it a hundred damned copies for all the nuts in the company, they want to simultaneously log an evaluation of the work ! Well thats the latest demand from these idiot client nuts..ha ha ha, I am wondering Milova if you can accomplish that on your laptop overnight? ''

Mac was breathing heavily '' I will pay you extra for the copies of course! ''


Mil was surprised, but again the professional in her was taking the lead and she heard herself say
'' that can be arranged I think, I will call you back shortly''

'' Okay Milova, once again sorry to bother you so late..''
said Mac



''All part of the job.. wait for my call''
said Mil and disconnected.



Mil quickly made a copy of the script on a blank CD as it was being burned she changed into a pair of jeans and t-shirt and left the apartment. She knew only one place where it could be done. She was down at the corridor in a few seconds. She then walked the block accross to another building. Inside this building there were a few shops open and one of them was a small shop were it was writtten CD copying, DVD writing etc.(among other services like photocopy, printing etc.,) and also a huge sign board saying 24 hours. She found one of the staff sleeping on the reception table, with a red cap pulled over his face. The man awoke immediately and took the order. Soon Mil was on her way out.



On her way back she called Mac. who seemed to be still breathing heavily
 '' Hi Mac, the CDs will be ready tomorrow by afternoon, give me a call about where you need to meet me.''



''Okay Milova, that Iwill do... I would say check with your bank by 11 am tommorrow and check please.. and then once you are satisfied ..call me, I will then tell you where we need to meet'' said Mac.



''Okay then good night ''
said Mil and disconnected. In a few minutes Mil was
back in the apartment and fast asleep.




                                                                           6.



The day began with a bang literally. Little Richard was popping all the baloons on the walls running arround in his pyjamas. He was tall for his age and managed to pop all the balloons on the wall. He was finally caught by Jean who wrestled him down to the floor. There was laughter and chaos as the day started.
They were out of the house by 11am after a quick breakfast and lots of tea for Jean and Mil. Lots of tea was a byword in the family. Madge liked her coffee and the girls just had a bite of the sandwiches and the juice.

The drive was good, since unlike Dubai, Ajman was not as bad with regard to the traffic. They had a quick dip in the beach behind Kempinski Hotel. The sailing option was what Jean was looking for. He hired out a large contraption and carried everyone on easily. Jean had a lot of experience with sailing and was doing good. Soon the sun was right overhead. They returned to the shoreline and immediately made for the restaurant after a quick bath. But by the time they were back it was past 3pm and they were just too tired to do anything else. John, Richard Lenna and Jean got ready to go for the desert safari with Sher Khan after an hour of quality napping. Mil and Madge decided to skip it and just sit back and take it easy at home.


At home Mil made some more coffee and opened a box of cookies she had made a few months back. And they talked for a long time.The day slipped away so fast that it was soon evening and then Jean was back with the kids. They had obviously had a great time. The only hitch was that they had run short of memory cards for the camera, and passionately blamed Jean for that.
On the last day everyone voted for an early dinner and they decided to eat out. The day was over in a blink and so was the stopover. The next day they left.

Mil was tired and happy as she was driven back by SherKhan.
'' Very good children Madam, and Mr.Jean,I will miss him''
said Sher Khan



'' I will too, cant believe two days went by so fast!, and I hope you got a new pack of cigars this time''
   asked Mil
'' I guess you can take a few days off now SherKhan, since I dont have anything happening this week, that I might need your services..''



It was then that Sher Khan said.
'' Madam, your work over for the jokers?''



'' Good that you reminded me Sher Khan..''
said Mil and she called her bank. After a few moments she was talking to a customer service personnel on the phone.



'' Well its funny that after all this hum drum they have still not paid up and they havent even called for the delivery,well,  and how typically careless''
said Mil.


They were back at the flat in a few hours.
Once back she called Mac. His phone was switched off.




                                                                                 7.





Mil decided to play quite.After all it was them who needed the work. She decided to go over the CD writing shop and pick up the copies. At the shop there was only one of the shop keepers visible who was the same person that collected the order from her. He took the the pack from under his table and gave it to her.



Mil was about to pay him for it and asked him
'' Do I have a discount, I am a regular here..''

The Indian said
'' Its okay madam, you dont need to pay now, its..''
Before he could complete his words another person in one of the cubicles, who had at that moment raised his head, said something loudly in the shop, addressing the shopkeeper. This was the man with the red cap who had taken the order previously.He came running down and asked the present person to leave the place with an angry expression.

Once the receptionist was gone ,the man with the red cap started to speak
'' Hello Madam, I am sorry for the confusion, I am afraid this fellow is always confusing the people, well.. we have 100 copies and that would be AED 1000 at the rate of AED10 per copy. But since you always use us I will give you a 50% discount.'' He delivered his lines as if he was talking to the table.


'' Thats really kind of you''
said Mil. She gave him a 1000 Dhiram bill and picked up the packet. The man behind the counter looked at the 1000 dhiram note and without looking up said
'' Madam, I have just opened shop, I wont have the change, why dont you just pay me on your next visit''
He passed the note back to her.



'' Well you know me I keep forgetting things. You remember the last time when I left my complete thesis here and paid you and left. Well thats me'' said Mil


''Ha ha ha thats okay Madam, you pay when you come here again, I am trust you''

All the while he looked down and avoided her gaze. Also the 1st man was now sitting at one of the cabins and peering out at both of them. She was aware of a feeling of something that she couldnt explain. But she also knew that there was really no explaining the kind of things that people do sometimes.
She thanked the man and was about to leave when she asked him.
''How is business? is the recession affecting your business''
'Business is slow,madam. everybody needs stationery.. and internet and we are managing..''
He looked up once very briefly and then coninued the sentence still looking down.


Mil left the shop and entered the grocery adjacent to the cafe. She took off her raybans and looked thru the shelves. She took a while picking up the things she needed and when was done, she paid and came out. On the way out she could hear some arguement inside the internet cafe. She could hear an arguement going on in a strange tongue. She stood there as if readjusting her plastic bags and then as she moved a bit she was within view from within of the glass door, and as suddenly as she had heard the arguements it stopped and someone was hushing them .It was all quite again. Mil shifted the packets to her left hand and continued to walk away from the shops.
Probably an arguement on the discount she said to herself.
At home she fixed a salad for herself and sat down to watch a movie. It was another long monday and with the recession, things were slow. She looked thru the Friday supplement of Gulf News and found a page that she had ticked. It contained a menu for beetroot soup that she had planned to try in the weekend. And she had the things she needed now to start work on the soup.

Soon she was setting up the kitchen to start work on the soup. Mil liked to talk to herself as she worked on her recipes. She often watched cookery programmes on TV and her favourite was Nigela's cookery show. She felt herself to be a pioneer explorer and adventurer rolled into one when she tried to recreate a new dish from some obscure recipe book. And she liked to talk as she worked as if she were on TV. The list was on the wall and all the things were on the kitchen table. She had marked an article about 'beetroot soup' and had cut out that article. Next she wrote the recipe by hand and stuck it up on the cabinet cosest to the cooking range.

She usually resorted to cooking a new recipe later in the evening. Today she felt a little heavy and attributing it to a bout of lonliness due to the suddenly empty house,where a day before there was heartwarming company. She heated a cup of black coffee and tried to get rid of the heavy cloud that seemed to weigh her down. She took the cup and with a look at the receipe note she said '' be right back honey '' and went to the balcony. She stood a few moments at the rails looking into the sea. then gradually her gaze rested on the CD writing /internet cafe accross the block. She kept looking down at it and it struck her.



She gripped the glass hard and gasped as the events of the night raced through her mind. The late night call, the promise of the bank transfer. And that was yesterday and still the transfer wasnt made.And the man at the internet cafe especialy the one who never made eye contact. The whole thing seemed to form a clear design now. She had been led into a trap and cheated.

She said slowly '' The scoundrels have got their hands program now.''



The phone rang indoors .At hearing the sound,she was suddenly light headed and things began to clear in her mind. She ran to the phone. It was Jean.
Mil was surprised at the tone of her own voice. She sounded cheerful and casual.
'' Hi Jean, did you guys get back safely? Good ,good, look I have something really important to sort out here, I will call you back when I can okay, okay honey ,bye now.''

 There were a few more words exchanged on the phone and then Mil walked briskly to her room.

She put on her jeans and a windcheater and rushed out of the house. She walked directly into the internet cafe. At the reception there was a new man. She asked him about the man with the red cap. In a moment the man appeared.
'' Well, there you are..''
said Mil. The man was at once a little surprised and angry. Suddenly he turned arround and looked at the man whom he had scolded when Mil had come in to collect the CDs. He said something loudly but the other man didnt budge. There seemed to be a fight in the offing but Mil was herself too angry to care.

She kept looking at the man with the red cap
'' How would you react if someone did the same thing to you? If you were to work hard and create something and then someone stole it from you..! how would you feel?''

The man pretended to be dumb, his english was suddenly too broken and unclear. He himself was talking half english and half of another strange tongue. He was uneasy at the heads popping up from the different cubicles.

'' I dont know about it, you talk to the manager'' he said '' I am am employee''.
He said finally .The man looked genuinely scared now. He walked upto the receptionists cubilce and after telling the receptionist to go out he holed up inside it and picked up the phone and desparately poked at the dial pad.

The scene was surrreal to Mil, she could see that she had hit upon something that was right out a fiction story. She was overcome with a mix of anger and sadness but she still forced herself to stay calm and said with a smile
''Do you know that in this country such an act can end you into big trouble.. in prison? .''

''In Jail?''
Somehow jail seemd like much more grave word than prison. Mil was shaking with anger.



The man behind the counter looked up and waved his hand,
'' Talk to the owner, he is coming''
He was sweating now
'' I am only employee, I do as I am told '' .



''Well''
said Mil
'' I dont care if the owner comes or the manager, I will make sure that this thing is squared in a legal fashion , and give this message to your owner when he comes''.
Mil thumped on the table with her fist
 '' Look at me when I talk to you'' .
The startled man looked up.

'' That script is still locked and needs a general password release to work. Tell your owner that these people are going to come back here when they realise that it was a waste of time trying to short change me. And in case you didnt know Dubai police is a client of mine too and so is Sharjah police, I know the senior panel of the crime dept in person.''
''Tell your owner that he has played his cards all wrong this time''
she said in a trembling voice.
 '' And there will be no end to your troubles. ''
She walked out ignoring another dribble of gibrish that the man started to pour out.


The next day there was a call from Mac. He was applogising for the lack of communication and the switched off mobile phone. He explained that he was in the US again and was back again. The sequence of lies was so absurd that it was on the verge of the weird.

Mil heard him out silently and then asked
''You said the transfer was done on the 6th that was over a week back, but I havent received anything yet''

Again the man rambled on half hearted lies about the US company not being able to pay him the upfront money. And how his account fell short of the cash for the planned tranfer. Mac seemed like he was talking drunk.


'' So are you going to pick up the package today or what? ''
 there was no emotion in her voice as Mil spoke.
'' Ah well I think its... what I would do best to do ''
said Mac


There was a pause during which no one spoke.

After a while Mac spoke up again. His voice was clearer

'' As I had suggested Milova, we need to help each other out. I have already paid you six thousand Dhirams of hard earned cash.. its because I trusted you. Why cant we trust each other. I could take the programme to my clients and then they will release a payment from which I can square off your costs... we are in a recession now we cant imagine that we are still in the 2007 ! ''
''So you want me to give you the CDs and trust you to pay me later. I dont have even a LPO to trace you or your company. Why I dont even know who you are and what is your back ground in this industry..''
said Mil

''I am .. ''
Mac seemed unable to muster the initial gusto and high wind of his initial speeches. He merely ended with ''you need to trust me''
he was breathing heavily again


'' Okay ''
said Mil simply
 '' Come and take the CDs. My Driver will deliver them to you at the Deira City Center ''


'' Thanks for your trust. I hope it is... the whole programme, not a trial version.. ha ha like you know these freewares on the internet''
laughed Mac
'' I will be in a very embarassing position if that happens you see''


Mil was frozen in anger and fear. ''So the rats in the cafe have started singing'' she thought to herself

'' I am surprised that you feel such an emotion as embarrassment''
 said Mil



''Well ha ha ha''
said Mac
'' Please Milova, we are going to do a lot of work together, lets help each other..''


Mil realised that the programme might still be with Mac, and not presented to his client. She could only play on his fear that the programme was locked. The programme was not locked and was actually usable and could be put to use anytime with exactly the results that Mac needed.
  It was also clear to Mil that neither Mac nor Mickey knew nothing about programming or any coding. One thing which puzzled Mil was what were these morrons up to with such an advanced programme in there hands. At least she was surprised at the person who entrusted this job to characters like them.


In those few minutes of conversation, Mil realised that the two of them were infact playing it alone and were as isolated as she herself was. And it gave her a strange strength.

In that brief moment her mind came alive with a brief but clear view into the workings of the mind of Mac. It was as if a quick stroke of lightening had sketched up the landscape that was hiden in the pitch darkness of the night.The landscape she saw was filled with no good. Somehow she seemed fearless now. It was as if she had seen a rodent in the house and needed to work out a way to eliminate it. A plan formed in her mind.



'' Alright Mac, are you proposing that you will pay me the complete amount later if I trust you with the programme ?''
asked Mil
'' Just trust me''
Breathed Mac
'' And as soon as this is approved I will personally deliver seventy five thousand in cash to you .Or make a wire transfer to you from my company account.''


'' Minus the six thousand advance?'' Asked Mil , there was no emotion in her tone, she spoke like the voice coming from a computer that reads back something typed on the keypad.


'' Minus the six thousand! No, think the six thousand as a bonus , I wont deduct it, I.. am honouring your trust! '' said Mac in loud voice.


Something in Mil hardened like hard metal. She knew that he was lying and her mind was made up about what she had to do.

''But I will need a letter signed by you saying that you will do so, and I want you to give me that letter, then I will give you the CD,...is that a deal?''

''Thats a deal! '' wheezed Mac.

''Alright, Lets say we meet up tomorrow morning at 11 am at Diera city center. I can take the metro directly since I dont drive''
said Mil ,she sounded a bit more cheerful.

                                                                          8.


         On the 14th as she rode the metro she looked younger with her hair let loose and a scarf arround her neck. She wore red running shoes. She hadnt worn them since she had to stop her running in 2006 due to an injury she had sustained to her ankles while running.  At the Union station Mac got on the train. They spotted each other and proceeded to meet. The CD was in her hand. Mac had leather gloves on and the letter was in his hands. He was rather shabbily dressed compared to his earlier turnout at Kempinski.



''Lets get something to eat, I am hungry '' said Milova

'' Okay ''
said Mac. He was looking arround like a hunted animal


They got off at Khalid bin Walid station and walked up to the restaurant near by. Once seated she opened the letter and read it. It was typed. The signature at the bottom said Mac in a slated style. It was on a company letter head.

'' Well you have a website also, and why suddenly the shroud of secrecy is taken off Mr.Mac?''
 asked Mil
'' Lets take a look at your website then''

'' I really dont have time to go to an internet cafe right now, i need to be going Milova '' said Mac

'' I guess I will take the CD and be going , theres a lot to do. You have the letter now, right ?''



Mil opened her iphone case and proceeded to browse on her du account.
'' We dont need to go to a cafe , this spot if wifi enabled''
Mac was up and standing now
''I really need to go''
His hands were on Mils arm which held the iphone.

Milova stared him down with a steely gaze. But the brute had his hands inside her handbag and took out the CD.
'' I will arrange the money within a day I promise, I need to go now''

Milova didnt argue she merely continued to browse on her iphone. The website that was provided on the letterpad was bogus as she had expected. Mac shuffled away , but she didnt worry about him. Downstairs the police would take care of him.They had sufficient reason to take him in now.
All that she wanted was to create a reason or his arrest. That would be snatching her personal belonging forcefully , for which she was ready to testify in court.

Down stairs in the car park as Mac tried to approach his car two plain clothes men of the law walked up to him. They produced a badge of the police and took him hand cuffed to another waiting car.

***
Back home as Mil tried to figure out how she got mixed up in such a mess, her phone began to ring, it was the police.

'' Ms.Dina, this is from the Dubai police station.We would like to take a statement from you regarding the purse snatching case that you have filed with us at Muteenah station. Please could you be kind as to present yourself at the station on sunday. thank you Madam''
''okay I will be there thanks'' said Mil and disconnected.



On sunday Mil arrived at the police station with SherKhan.

Sher Khan requested to hang back and wait in the car. '' I am not comfortable going in there madam, I wait outside for you'' .
'' Thats fine Khan, I will be back shortly'' saying that she walked away. The police station was not as she had expected and it seemed more like the office of a huge conglomerate. She was asked to wait in a waiting room for women and shortly she was called into another office suite.



She entered a hall where there was a lineup of people, from whom she was asked to identify Mac which she did easily. Next she was taken into a room where there were four officers seated accross her. They rose as she entered.

''Good morning'' she said. Which was replied to by all of them in subdued tones.

After a quick and casual questioning session during which she provided them with all the recorded messages that she had on her phone. After a few minutes she was escorted back to the reception.



Back at home she was again set to wonder if the advance taken by her would paly against her in court.All her fears were cleared the next day when she read the papers.



The article read thus
The police have obtained a confession from the CEO of Reginald Business Systems Mr.Archibald Gresse which implicates him and his associates in the attempted theft of the company funds. Mr.Gresse and his partner Mohan Kumar have also been charged with the attempt to siphon funds from the company treasury by hacking into the security system. The team has confessed to making an attempt to hack the Office management systems, by disabling the security codes inbuilt in the business computing programmes. In another related incident one of the personal drivers of Mr.Gresse was arrested by the Dubai police in a case of purse snatching in Bur Dubai. The driver identified as Makia Shikaat pleaded not guilty and said that he was only trying to help the victim (a european lady Ms.M.D) to get up from a chair in the restaurant where she was having lunch. The defendent also stated that his actions were misunderstood by the woman as an attempt to snatch her purse. He later confessed to running away because he felt that his life was threatened.



''You weakling, couldnt you come up with something better'' laughed Mil





There was a photograph showing a line of six men in handcuffs being taken by police.In the background was an official looking building. Two of the handcuffed men were in suits and looked like CEOs. In the rear Mil found what she was looking for. Mac was the second last walking cross legged and his hands were chained to his legs.On his side was Mickey with a handkerchief trying to cover his face.The rediculous man was still trying a smile at the photographer! Mil had her hands on her mouth and a few tears slipped from her eyes. There was a smile on her lips and she looked like she had had the adventure of her life. she just fell into the sofa.



The next day she had another call and it was from Sher Khan '' Madam, your photo is in the papers, they have made a hero of you!''

Mil walked into the room from her sunlit balcony and went to the main door for the paper. She opened it and picked up the paper. On the 5th page she found an article.



Citizen helps the Law

In a strange fiction like story, Dubai based computer programmer Ms.Milova Dina led the police to the arrest and implication of a group of senior company officials of the famous Lotus Business Systems. Among them MrArchibald Gresse and his partner Mr. Mohan Inderan Kumar have been arrested by the Dubai police. The men who had hatched a very complicated and high level operation to hack into the security system of Lotus systems and the sister concern Reginald Business systems were apprehended yesterday before the crime could be executed to full effect.

The plan was to disable the security system of the companys business computing system by taking out all the security clamps that were written into the companys joint business management system. For the purpose of deactivating the security locks, the group hired a freelance programmer based in Dubai. The programmer, Ms M.D was not aware of the purpose of the programme and did the job in good faith, but gradually as she watched the dealing of her client her suspicions were aroused as to the true purpose of the assignment. Finally in a daring attempt Ms.M.D faced off with her dishonest clients in Dubai. The programmer helped give crucial boost to the operation to unmask the criminals by bravely working in tandem with the Dubai police.The ploice needed a reason to apprehend and question the said parties. The reason was provided easily when the person sent to meet Ms.Dina tried to and successfully snatched away the Programme from Ms.Dina which was stored on a CD. The man identified as MS was the driver of the Mr.Gresse (the defamed president of Lotus Business Sytems LLC). The police then extracted the information they need to apprehend the entire team , in an operationwhich spanned only 3 days.



There was a small photo of Mil on the side.It was the photo which was on her passport. She had given permission to use it. In the snap she looked younger had longer hair.She looked at the article for a long time.



The newspaper cutting was pasted on top of her kitchen rack and as she started work on the beetroot soup she looked up at the cutting and smiled as she sipped her big cup of coffee.

She was talking to her mother and trying to explain the adventure. Margeret was happy to have the fishing line. All the humdum raised as the latest incidents had been too much for Margeret and Mil was having a hard time trying to convince her mother that it was alright and that ''they wouldnt come back and shoot at her when she walked outside '' as her mother was sure would be the next thing to happen.

Mil often couried her the latest action and animation movies from dubai and the old woman was a great enthusiast for action films. Her imagination was tempered for most part by films.



Mil was laughing and kept saying '' Mama this is UAE, things dont work that way here..''
'' Mama this is UAE, things dont work that way here..''



                                                                       END