Attachments

Chapter 24

"TWELVE-THOUSAND?", I echoed in sheer disbelief, and could feel my eyes popping right out of its sockets. "Twelve-thousand, Madam", Sudeep – a member of the event management team – calmly repeated, holding The Darshan Raval's concert ticket in his hand. "You said it's eight-thousand", I reminded. "But this is the last ticket and demand is high, which means price will be high, too, right?", Sudeep explained. "What is this? A ticket to heaven, or what?!", I huffed, angrily, and Sudeep simply stared at me, without uttering a word. "Look, this is extremely unfair. You cannot sell the ticket for different prices, yaar; that's fraudulence, it's wrong!", I stressed. "See, madam, if you wanted the ticket for the right price, you should have booked it immediately after we announced. We know what's wrong and what's right, you do not have to lecture us about it. Do you want the concert ticket?", Sudeep flashed the ticket. "Of course I do...but, twelve-thousand is too much! I cannot pay you one rupee more than eight-thousand, that's final", I stated firmly. "That is not an issue...", Sudeep paused, looking down at the concert ticket, and I smiled in relief. "...I know many other people who would pay twelve-thousand for the ticket, I'll contact them", Sudeep looked up and forced a sarcastic smile at me, which made the smile on my face to fade away. "That's cheating. God will punish you for changing the prices and fooling people, I swear. Dude, there are hardcore fans of Darshan Raval, who are dying to hear him live but they cannot because of the games all of you are playing. Come on, be fair, please. I cannot pay you a penny more than eight-thousand rupees", I explained my helplessness, calmly, and held onto my nerves. "Then, I'd suggest you to stay at home and not attend the concert", Sudeep straightforwardly said, and that was exactly when my nerves snapped.

It was hard work to keep my calm at 10 a.m. on a weekend morning, when I woke up at 8 a.m., stood in the unusually long queue in the ATM to withdraw the cash my mom deposited and traveled all the way to the venue in the heat and traffic for that one concert ticket. God was testing my patience, and I tried to handle the situation with much calmness because I was certain that if I showed my attitude to Sudeep, he wouldn't let me have the concert ticket. But he was going overboard and it was high time to drag him back to the ground, even if that meant losing the concert ticket to someone! "Who asked you for your goddamn suggestion? Who the hell are you to tell me to sit at home and not attend the concert? Are you my dad?", I bombarded him with questions, furiously, and wide-eyed Sudeep simply gawked at me, probably stunned because of the sudden change in attitude. "Your duty is to sell the concert ticket and you better focus on that; do not tell me what to do with my life, understand? With whom are you fooling around? Listen up, all the tickets should be sold for one uniform price and I know that you're changing the prices for your own benefits; this is not just wrong, but it is illegal. God will definitely punish you for this, but I'll make sure that the Police plays it role, too", I took a pause, before throwing a grenade and my favourite dialogue his way. I understood that pleads and explanations wouldn't soften or melt Sudeep's heart; I had to play with my set of cards to bag the concert ticket for the price he once promised. "My dad is a Police Officer, do you know that? All it takes it one phone call and you'll be behind the bars", I warned with half-a-truth and Sudeep's face flushed with fear. "This is offensive and illegal. I swear if my dad finds out, he won't spare you and your whole team. Think about it", I threatened, and Sudeep licked his lower lip, slowly.

"Ma'am...", Sudeep nervously chuckled and that was exactly how I dragged him on the right track. "Ma'am, why do you have to call the Police for this? I mean, I know we're wrong—but---we—we-uh—", he fumbled, and looking around hesitantly, probably because he couldn't cook up a lie on the spot. "Your concerts bridge the gap between celebrities and their fans, and you need to hold pride in the fact that you are a medium that brings happiness in many people's lives. But instead of doing things fairly, you're using a fan's helplessness for your own benefits. I'm not telling you to sell the tickets at extremely low prices, but be fair, at least. How will you succeed in the long run if you earn by cheating people and being unfair to them? Today it might bring success your way, but it's only temporary. If you want to be successful in the long run, you need to learn how to be fair and honest. It's okay if you end up earning only five-hundred rupees today; earn it with honesty and it'll bring you more wealth. Don't cheat people, that's pathetic!", I spat in disappointment and Sudeep looked at me, guiltily. "I'm sorry, ma'am", I had absolutely no idea why Sudeep apologized. "And my dad is not a Police Officer...", slowly, I admitted the truth and a small smile stretched on Sudeep's lips. "But hey! He is an army officer and that's a level higher!", I defended quickly. "Your ticket...", Sudeep said softly and held out the concert ticket towards me and I somehow managed to fetch the concert ticket for Vaish, without paying a penny more than eight-thousand rupees. I was all set to treat myself with a hot cup of coffee and a slice of cheesecake at Starbucks for the achievement!