Must Read: Paradox Of Abel - Season 1 - Episode 53

7 years ago

Must Read: Paradox Of Abel - Season 1 - Episode 53

David Malik and his wife came into the interrogation room where Okafor, Lot and Daniel were waiting. David’s expression was of impatience as he sat himself down. Okafor stood and came forward to greet the couple.
“How do you do, Mr. and Mrs, Malik? We’ve never really met, but as you probably know already, I’m Barrister Okafor. I can’t tell you how distressed I am by your father’s demise.”
“We’re good, Barrister. Thank you.” Anuli replied.
“Your first name is David, right?” Lot asked the husband.
David nodded.
“A good name it is,” the detective elucidated, “It suggests great strength.”
“Thank you, detective. This is my wife.”
Anuli was skinny but full-bre*sted; her b0s0ms were of the size that cameras linger on in movies, and she possessed the face of a child. Her eyes were narrow and slightly slanted under thin brows which looked as if they had been plucked out. They gave an exotic distraction to a face which might have been thought interesting if not pretty, were it not for the sullen downturn of the overlong mouth. She was wearing a long sleeveless cotton dress, patterned in blue and black. Her only jewellery was a ring—a red stone surrounded by pearls—on her middle finger.
Anuli said in her quiet voice:
“It has been a frightful shock to David—to all of us actually; but particularly to him.” Her hand was on her husband’s shoulder.
When everyone had seated, Lot said to David: “Mr. Malik, would you mind telling us your middle name?”
“Hussein. I’m David Hussein Malik. My father named me Hussein, but David is the name my mother gave, which I happen to like better.”
“Thank you,” Lot turned to the wife, “And you too. Mrs. Malik? Yell us your full name, including your maiden.”
“I am Anuli Gloria.”
“Her maiden name,” her husband added, “is Veer.”
Daniel opened his eyes wide, “You’re joking, aren’t you?”
David glared at him and asked, “Do I look like a mascot to you?” He added, “There is one born every minute. Believe me when I tell you that you’re not the brightest star in the constellation, because I’m an expert in celestial navigation.”
“It’s Hindi,” Anuli explained, “My great-grandfather was an Indian investor who came to Nigeria in the early Twentieth Century to set up an industry. Not long after settling in this country with his investment, he married a young Nigerian lady, added to his retinue of wives he left behind in New Delhi. The young woman’s name was Ajoke; but my father told me he used to call her A-Joke; and because she didn’t understand the English, she didn’t mind being called that. My great-grandmother was the new wife, and my great-grandfather’s name was Ramesh Veer.”
Lot sighed and said, “I was afraid you were going to say that you were somehow related to Amitab Bacchan or Dharmendra.”
“I was likewise afraid that it was your wife who turned to a pillar of salt,” Anuli replied immediately. The reply was fired back so quickly that Lot suspected it had been framed in advance, ready for the proper occasion. She added, “I only have an Indian origin, nothing else.”
“Are you an Hindu?”
“My great-grandfather was, but I’m not. I’m a Christian.”
“I’m glad you are,” Lot replied, “The only thing I like about the culture of these Indians is there method of handling the deceased—they cremate them. After that, nothing else—all their beliefs about jinxes, suttees, talisman, portents, elixirs and sorcery are plainly ridiculous. Most especially their view about reincarnation. Quite revolting, I must confess. You can never convince them that when a man dies his soul vanishes. It doesn’t travel into another body to be reborn.”
“It’s not all Indians who believes in reincarnation,” Anuli argued, “I’m a Christian though, but I strongly believe in reincarnation. I believe that a man does not die and face judgment immediately. There is always a moment of respite where he’ll go back to the world in another body and consciousness to change his ways and atone for his sins.”
David stared at his wife as if he was seeing her for the first time.
“Reincarnation is a mere word for individualism,” Anuli continued, evidently enjoying the temporary spotlight. “Reincarnation is also for the human experience. You see, Detective Lot, we mortals are so pompous that we have deluded ourselves in believing that in all of eternity, and all of the vast universe, that we are the only ones who have undergone the human experience. I’ve always believed that it’s happened before, on the very earth.”
Daniel Famous wondered what the woman was talking about.
“In the Almighty God’s scheme, what is a few billion years is only here and there. Perhaps there have come and gone a dozen human civilization in the past billion years that we know nothing about. And after this civilization we are living in destroys itself, it will all start up again in a few hundred million years when the planet has all its messes cleaned up. Then finally, one of these civilizations, say a five billion years from now, will last for eternity because people will treat each other the way they ought to do. That’s what I call reincarnation, basically.”
The detective allowed her to ramble for a decent interval. When she stopped, there was silence. Eyes were looking at her curiously. Only one pair of eyes was of admiration—the lawyer’s. the first person to speak thereafter was her husband.
“What book have you been reading, Ann?” David asked, not without a tone of astonishment.
When Lot spoke, he said, “Thanks for the lecture, Mrs. Malik. We’re going to ask you and your husband a few questions about the cases we’re investigating.” He paused and added, “And I would appreciate it if you didn’t open another chapter in your volume of Reincarnation Brittanica and lecture us one more time.”
“Don’t worry about that, she won’t.” David replied sharply, his eyes were cold.
‘Thanks for the assurance, Mr. Malik. So, how long have you been married to each other?”
“Going to two years now.”
“I suppose your parents and siblings were there at the ceremony.”
Davis shook his head. “None of them attended, I married her in the East, a far away place from home. In fact, this was the first time my father met my wife.”
“That means you’ve been away from home for a long time, right?”
“Right.”
“For how long?”
“Long enough for my father not to know me enough.”
“Why is that?”
“I’d rather not talk about it.”
“His father used to date his girlfriend.” Anuli said suddenly.