Helen Goes for Mr. Sunday

Who is Mr. Sunday?: Part 8

"You fucking pedophile!"

"Easy there," said Vinay. "Those kids are all past their puberty and perfectly consenting."

"So what?!" said Helen, disbelievingly.

"Look, I'm a man of nature. After puberty, a person is biologically ready to have sex. If it classifies as pedophilia, change the laws."

"You are scum of the highest order!"

"Look, everyone has their weaknesses--mine is my hormones. If I don't have sex regularly, I'll just implode. I fuck all kinds, you know. Age no bar; sex no bar."

Helen moved her hands over her ears, with disgust stamped all over her face.

"But I give back more to the world than I take," said Vinay. "I'm the greatest stage actor there ever was, a competent multi-linguist, a psychologist, a top-notch software programmer, an explorer; you name it."

"All those things don't right your wrongs."

"Look, I have my rights, and I have my wrongs," replied Vinay. "My biological parents abandoned me at birth and left me on a gutter--a rather cliched choice--but that's exactly where they left me. What do you expect the child of such parents to grow up to be? The man I call dad is my adopted father. He has been a physical laborer all his life and still works his ass off in Dubai. I have now made enough to help him live the rest of his days like a king."

"By robbing innocent people and leaving them in debt."

"So what? Debt is what makes the world go around, babe. Come on, now. You want me to give you a lesson in economics?"

"You," said Helen. "Are the worst human being alive."

"Oh, come on. The planet has seen far worse people. Instead of blowing things out of proportion, why don't you blow me out of proportion? That might stand you in better stead," said Vinay. "Bad wordplay again, but I couldn't resist the temptation this time either."

Helen stood her ground and slowly moved her right hand over her kurta.

"Come on, get to work now; we've had enough of talking," said Vinay. "You don't want me to force myself on you, now, do you?"

Helen plucked out the knife from underneath her kurta and brandished it at Vinay, stomping her feet. A metallic clang reverberated through the structure of the bridge. "No one can force themselves on me!"

Vinay looked on, amused.

Helen started shuffling from foot to foot, her stance combative.

"Ah! And here I was, thinking I'll be the one drawing first blood," said Vinay, winking at Helen.

Helen studied him carefully.

"I'm glad you thought of bringing along a prop--it does add weight to the scene, but you know as well as I that you won't be using it in this scene," said Vinay cockily.

"What makes you so sure?" challenged Helen.

"Well, let me sum it up for you, so you can put your gray matter to better use, which is to figure out how you can give me an explosive head," he said snottily.  

Helen brandished the knife again.

Vinay seemed completely unaffected.

"Look, let's face it: for all practical purposes, I'm the new owner of your property, off which you were earning rent, your only source of income. Your medical intern stipend is a joke and probably lets you buy only your monthly quota of sanitary napkins. Oh, in fact, since you are an extern, you probably don't even have a stipend! Either way, you have no money to pay your education loan EMIs, and Machhi is inches away from your ass. In short, you are screwed. Or are about to be. By whom, is your choice."

Helen stared at Vinay disbelievingly.

"Now, to your good fortune, I got to you first. In return for banging you at least thrice every day, I'll protect you from Machhi and Bhau, so they are left with only one another's asses to screw. Poor buggers," said Vinay. "What's more, I make love like a stallion!"

Helen brandished the knife again.

"Look, this is your only chance," said Vinay, now sounding slightly irritated. "Unless you do exactly as I say, you lose everything forever. So save your hormones for a little later, and hand over that useless little prop to me."

Helen stared hard at him for half a minute or so.

He held out his palm. Helen flung the knife off the bridge, into the water.

"Smooth move, but you are down a knife. Add Rs. 200 to your debt. In fact, my dad works in a knife factory. I'll get you one for cheap."

Helen stared at Vinay.

"Now, my dear, start making me happy," said Vinay, spreading his thighs apart.

After a few moments, Helen slowly moved closer to Vinay, squatted down, and moved her fingers toward his trousers' zipper.

Vinay pulled out his mobile phone, started the video recorder, and pointed it toward Helen's face.

Helen slowly pulled down his zipper.

Vinay threw his head back.

Helen looked up at him.

"I have waited for this moment ever since I set my eyes on your impossibly beautiful body," said Vinay, his head still back.

Helen grabbed his ankles, pulled them toward her, sprang on her feet, and flung them upward. Vinay lost his balance, his feet going over his head, and slipped off the railing, banging his head hard against a column of the bridge, somersaulting in the air once, and plunging into the lake below, still looking up at Helen--his eyes filled with indescribable fear--before disappearing under the surface of the water.

Helen walked up to the railing and rested her elbows on the railing, surveying the sight.

Vinay screamed, splashing around.

Helen looked at him in amusement.

Vinay kept splashing around helplessly and gradually looked like he was losing strength.

Helen stiffened.

Vinay disappeared under the surface of the water.

Helen bit her cheek, thumbing her ear, tapping her right foot.

There was no movement on the surface of the water.

Helen's mouth hung open.

A few bubbles rose to the surface.

Helen climbed up on the railing and dived into the water. After swimming toward the area where he had sunk, she dived, emerging moments later, holding the lifeless man. After a lot of physical effort, she dragged him to a patch of land.

Squatting near him, she shook him vigorously. He did not respond. She pinched his earlobe. He did not respond.

She swept a couple of her fingers around in his mouth and removed some trash that had got lodged in his throat.

"Always assume a neck injury" she muttered to herself.

Water started spilling out of his mouth. Holding his head, she turned him on his side. Some water drained from his mouth. Then she placed both her hands below his ears and jut his jaw forward, opening his airway. Then she leaned over him placing her cheek near his mouth.

"Breathe, you idiot!"

Helen pinched his nose, drew a long breath, and blew into his mouth. She had a disgusted look on her face. She repeated this a few more times.

Using both her hands together, one on top of the other, Helen started rhythmically pushing down in the center of his chest firmly, with her arms straight. She stopped after about a minute, checked his pulse, and let out a long sigh.

"Shit"