Chapter 4- The Materialist

You can read the first part Chapter-1 here.
You can read the second part Chapter-2 here.
You can read the third part Chapter-3 here.

Jesus Christ Bobby!! Why are you jumping on the sofa like that? This is the third instance, in as many days, where you have broken this house’s rules. Don’t you know how expensive this new sofa is! Squealed Paul on Bobby, as he hauls Bobby down to the floor from sofa. There isn’t a tree on our backyard, laden with crisp currency bills and all I have to do is to pluck a few more, to buy a new sofa. I haven’t yet finished paying for it completely, Paul had requested for a loan of 45 thousand Rupees (approximately- $700) from a friend, to pay the remaining amount for the new sofa; and finally he got the money last night. Have you completely forgotten the punishment I gave you, the last time around, when you had used my favourite fountain pen without seeking my permission?

No father, please don’t punish me, pleads Bobby in his petrified voice. I will never put my feet ever again on the sofa. I still feel guilty from within, for I didn’t ask for your approval and used your pen to complete my homework. It was 10 o‘clock that night when pen ceased writing, and I had to submit my homework the very next day. If I hadn’t completed my homework on time, teacher would have reprimanded me in front of everyone in my class. Father, I know it was a big mistake on my part to your pen, in your absence. I assure you that this kind of mistake will never happen from me.

Okey! Go and fetch your school-bag from your room, as your school bus will be here any moment, commands Paul. “Karen also had to go to her mom’s this week only! She couldn’t have chosen a worse time to be away. This week I have been buried in work from head to toe at office and to rub salt to my wounds, I have Bobby in the house who has been behaving recklessly. He has already celebrated his 11th birthday but still he behaves like a 4 year”, Paul talks to himself. As Paul applies butter on bread, to pack lunch for himself and Bobby, another chain of thoughts seizes Paul. “That’s why Boarding schools are so effective! Every child should be schooled in one of those. They bring the best out of you, as they did for me. Boarding schools inculcate the habit of punctuality and discipline from the outset. Dad took the right decision of sending me to a boarding school, when I was 6, and my school moulded me the right way. It taught me to lead a life of discipline and control. This is the reason why I wanted to send Bobby to a boarding school, but Karen wouldn’t listen to me. She wants to make Bobby a weak notorious brat, and she indeed has succeeded at that”.

Horn of the school bus brings Paul back to the reality. Bobby runs out of the house and boards his school bus. As soon as the bus disappears from Paul’s eyesight, tring tring of the desk phone catches his attention. Hello! Who is this? speaks Paul into phone. “I am calling from Bangalore City Hospital. Your father has been admitted here, after having a heart attack at 9 O’clock this morning. His neighbour heard his screams and took him here. We need to operate him, to save him, but for that we would need you to come down here & sign the consent form. Also you are required to pay a fee of 2 lakh Rupees (approximately- $3100)”. Paul almost collapses as he learns the news and the phone receiver slips from his hand. His face turns pale and he starts to breath heavy. Holy mother of god! He cries as he tries to regain control on his senses.

What do I do now? Thinks Paul and tries to devise a plan. My father needs me right now and I will do whatever it takes to save him. I can use my 2 of my credit cards but one of the two has already been maxed out and the other one only has 1.5 lakh Rupee (approximately- $2300) limit. As he tries to weave a web of all possible permutations in his head, a thought strikes to him. Oh yes! I still have those 45 thousand for sofa lying in the closet. I can use that money for now. I will return the sofa as I can buy another one later on, when my budget falls back on track.

With a ready plan of action, Paul picks his smartphone and opens Uber app. He enters the pickup and drop location and waits anxiously for his ride to get confirmed. After a procession period of 20 seconds, which felt like an eternity to Paul, his cab booking gets confirmed. He receives a message with the driver and the cab details. Paul makes a call to the driver as soon as he receives the confirmation message. Hi, this is Paul here; I have booked your Uber cab. How much time will it take for you to get to my location? To which the cab driver replies, “yes sir, I have got your location on the Uber app. I am already on my way and will be there in the next 2 minutes.”

In the next 5 minutes the cab arrives in front of Paul’s house and Paul makes his way into the cab with lightning speed. Before Paul could utter a word the cab driver speaks, Hello sir! My name is Dave and you are my first customer in my new cab and I am glad to serve you. Oh come on, say Paul, I don’t need to hear your story right now as I neither have time nor any mood for it. Just press on the accelerator and take me to the Bangalore City Hospital as soon as possible. I am sorry sir, I did not intend to offend you. Since you want to go to the hospital, I can read the sense of urgency on your face. I shall take you to the hospital as quickly as possible.

Question: How will you define Paul's character? Has he come out to be a shrewd and materialistic person or a normal but strict and “by the book” kind of a person?

Read the next Chapter- 5 here.

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