Tap.
Tap.
“Rohit, wake up. At this rate, the plane is about to take off.”
“omg!”
I opened my eyes wide because someone shook me awake.
What?
Am I alive?
Where is this place again?
It doesn’t look like a hospital.
“You rascal, can’t you wait that long and sleep?”
“… Who… who?”
“Gasp, can’t you recognize a friend just because you woke up? As for me, I am your fucking chuddy buddy . You brat.”
A young man I had never seen before pinched my cheek and gave a self-introduction that sounded like a joke.
He called himself Abir Basu.
At that moment, Abir Basu, my maternal grandfather’s face came to my mind.
For some reason, even the thick horn-rimmed glasses and the mole on the right cheek were exactly the same.
No matter how similar they look, is there any reason for a young man to imitate a man who is already dead ?
It doesn’t even sound like a joke….
‘W-what…
what is this face!’
I was very flustered that someone I had never met before was pretending to be my friend, but my face reflected in that gentleman’s glasses was even more ridiculous.
I was so surprised that I looked around in all directions, and saw my reflection in the glass front door across the way.
Someone other than me was standing there.
No it’s me in my teenage years,but not myself as there is cut in the left eyebrow, that I never had.
What’s going on?
“Ugh!”
My head suddenly ached as if I had been struck hard on the back of the head, and before I knew it, I was rolling on the floor and throwing up.
“Gasp, Rohit, what’s wrong? Did you eat something bad?”
“Ugh!”
A young man who was my friend supported me, but I kept throwing up stomach acid.
Unfamiliar memories began to consume me.
From the memory of a young child with an unfamiliar face going around the dawn market selling newspapers, to the memory of crying uncontrollably after losing my single mother one cold winter, and even the memory of barely managing to get a job at a Textile Company only for it to declare bankruptcy and the owner run away…
It felt as if a dwarf was sitting inside my head, rewinding a black-and-white film at an unbearably fast pace.
It was a documentary that compressed someone’s entire life.
That documentary told us only one thing.
“You are Rohit Karmakar, My fucking paternal grandfather, who has same name as mine, is it? Or vice-versa that’s not important, important thing is that. Now I have become my own Grandfather, who later became a executive of Birla Group but lost his life in labour protest in in the peak heat of industrialist and political labour wing staged protest, when Birla’s Head at that time forced for relocation of their activities!”
That is what I mean.
It was absurd, but my face reflected in the windowpane and the vivid sensation in my hands and feet were not a dream.
It was truly telling me that I am Rohit Karmakar, My own Paternal grandfather and not only that my very own grandfather’s younger days.
“Is anyone there? Please help me. Please help me! Aaaah!”
“Gasp! Move aside. I’m a doctor.”
“Doctor, please save my friend. I don’t know what this bastard ate, but he suddenly started throwing up…”
“Hey, can you hear me? Take a deep breath. Take a deep breath!”
Someone, perhaps a doctor somewhere in the airport, pressed down hard on the chest and applied pressure.
At first, I was gasping for breath, but after a while, breathing became really easy.
“Gasp… gasp… gasp…”
My vision, which had been blurry like a dream, gradually brightened.
Did your friend fall from a high place?
If so, please take them to the hospital immediately.
“No, it was time for the flight, so I woke up the guy who was dozing off, and he suddenly threw up and rolled on the floor.”
“Really? Shortness of breath and a heart attack while dozing off… That’s the kind of shock that usually occurs when falling from a height or being crushed by a heavy object.”
Dying crushed from a lambo and falling into the river was my previous life.
It seems the aftermath of my past life affected my reincarnated body as well.
It was absurd, but I felt no resistance to the fact that I had been reborn into a new body.
I never thought I would realize the fact that humans are adaptable creatures in this way.
“Gasp… gasp… gasp… Phew…”
Before I knew it, my breathing returned to normal.
My whole body was limp and it was difficult to move, but my vision and hearing were clear.
“You mean shock?”
“Occasionally, this phenomenon does occur when experiencing extreme stress or sleep deprivation, but…”
“Sigh, he deserves it. He lost his single mother the year before last, the company he is working went bankrupt, he blew up all the money he saved for studying abroad, and even now, he barely managed to book a flight to London relying solely on that Oxford acceptance letter. Poor bastard… He must have had a really hard time.”
“…Tsk. Lay your friend down in a comfortable place and make sure they drink plenty of water. If they rest for a while, then go to the hospital to get an IV drip and rest, they should be fine.”
“Thank you, sir. Please take care on your way.”
As soon as the two of us were left, Abir suddenly hugged me and burst into tears.
“Sob, poor bastard.”
“That’s disgusting… You retrad… Let go.”
“Lean on me, this big brother will be there to support you. Sob sob.”
“I told you to let me go.”
I pushed Abir with all my might.
It was much more comfortable.
Even though it was right after reincarnation, I was embarrassed to be held in the arms of a man specially my grandfather.
I sat leaning against one side of the airport wall.
Is it a Airport?
Leaning against the wall, I looked around and it seemed like Dumdum Airport.
The boisterous atmosphere caused by me just moments ago quickly subsided, and there were only people bustling about.
There was nothing more important than taking a plane at the airport.
What day is it today?
It’s 00.30 so it’s June 6.
Did you forget your departure date for UK?
What year is it?
Are you crazy?
“I’m someone who barely survived. I said, what year is it?”
It is the year 1948.
Not even the 70s, but 1948—that was before I was even born.
Exactly 78 years ago, I have returned beyond half a century.
“Abir.”
I called out to Abir, who was leaning against the wall next to me.
I felt a sense of familiarity with Abir, wondering if I had truly become my own grandfather.
“What, you bastard? How many times do you have to scare me? My mother’s obituary, my company’s bankruptcy, and even a heart attack…”
“I told you it wasn’t a heart attack, it was shock.”
“You son of a bitch, you think you’re so great.”
“I’m going to start a business. I’ll be back in a week at the latest, so submit your resignation and wait for me.”
“what?”
“Resign and wait.”
“What are you talking about? Our company hasn’t gone bankrupt. And it hasn’t even been a month since I was promoted to team leader.”
Abir made a bewildered expression, but it was none of his business.
From what I hear from Parents both my paternal and maternal grandfather are very good friends.
And they two were more than just friends; they were like brothers, and they did everything together until my paternal grandfather die.
“You said it yourself. You said the reason your name is Abir is because your fortune is overflowing with luck in people, wealth, and official position.”
“Yeah, my mom says a skilled fortune teller told her. She said I would meet a benefactor and achieve great success before I turn 24. She said I have a destiny that would make even a millionaire envious.”
“Haven’t you considered that I might be that benefactor?”
“… You… are really sick… Alright, let’s go to the hospital right now. Forget about studying abroad and get a refund on the plane ticket. We don’t even have money for living expenses; if we go, we’ll just starve to death.”
“I’m perfectly fine. And I’m forgetting about studying abroad. I’m leaving for London to secure an export contract.”
I really had no intention of studying abroad.
All I had to do was find the opportunity that will lead my success.
“Export Contract?”
“Right! I can just take care of my business and come back.”
In the original history, while grandfather went to study London,
He was short on living expenses, so He tried something to earn even a small amount of money, and it turned out to be a huge success.
He reportedly secured a contract under his own name and intended to sell it to a domestic trading company for a premium, which was a bold yet creative idea at that fragile time.
That is how it started, but somehow the contract amount exceeded hundreds of thousands of dollars, and eventually, he decided to give up studying abroad and become a businessman.
Honestly, Father said that at the time, he did not know that the volume of the export contract was so large that it would be difficult to supply it even if an average factory operated at full capacity for a year.
So he transferred that contract to the Century Mills a unit of Birla, that’s how he later became a executive.
I remembered it vividly because it was something I had heard day and night from my father.
While there may have been some exaggeration, it was an undeniable fact that Grandfather had Secured it.
Press.
Press.
What are you doing?
I’m testing to see if my friend has lost his mind.
Abir pressed hard on my cheek with his finger.
“I’m not joking. I’m definitely going to secure the contract”
I grabbed Abir’s arm and wore a stiff expression.
The guy who had been watching my gaze also gradually hardened his expression.
You must have realized that I wasn’t joking.
“Crazy… You weren’t joking? When did you make connections in Cairo?”
“I received a revelation from heaven just now during the shock.”
“… do you want to die?”
“Just kidding. Even though our company went bankrupt, there is one existing client worth contacting. He’s probably in a very difficult situation right now because his orders have dried up. I’m going to secure the contract no matter what.”
“Well, so you’re saying there’s a possibility. Got it. I’ll decide whether to resign or not once I see the contract you secure. We can’t both end up on the streets, can we?”
Abir clenched his fist, saying he would resign after seeing the results.
Yeah, you should let that slide.
“Okay. But make sure you get your lifelong savings ready for to invest in it .”
“… crazy…”
It’s a promise.
I clenched Abir’s fist and shook it wildly.
I hurriedly got up, brushed off my clothes, and checked my plane ticket.
With nothing but a leather bag at most, I was practically naked.
Are you really okay?
Is it safe to fly?
“I feel like I’ve been reborn after throwing up my fill. Cheer me on.”
“go for it.”
Yeah, good luck to me.
I felt so refreshed that I wondered when I had even thrown up.
The waves of memories that had been pouring in relentlessly also subsided before I knew it.
**
Union of India Immigration Office.
Once we got out of here, it was just like being abroad.
“Passport! Plane ticket!”
Here it is.
Lift your head.
“yes.”
The departure officer with a stern expression looked back and forth between my documents and my face, then stamped my passport with a loud bang.
And rightly so, considering he is leaving the country as a student, and isn’t there even an acceptance letter issued by University of Oxford in the UK enclosed?
I heard that Grandfather was quite good at English, and seeing the certificate of acceptance, I had no choice but to believe it.
Have a safe trip, and next person!!!
“thank you.”
My heart swelled with emotion once even the immigration process was over.
Will I be able to do well?
It was absurd to leave the country immediately after reincarnation, but I had to leave now to seize the opportunity.
We live in an era where if you give up a single-entry passport, you have to wait a year to be reviewed again.
“nice.”
“Can I do well?” What do you mean…
Is that what you call a question?
It was ridiculous.
It’s not about doing it well, it’s about changing everything.
A 21st-century human has come to the 1950s; what is there that cannot be done?
Isn’t this country is in a era a where a cow can climb a tree?
I mean, it’s practically true but that fucking socialist principal that Congress implement at this era..
Of course, it is unfortunate that I cannot start in my major field of construction or heavy industry, but there is no reason why I cannot do what RIL do.
It will not be that difficult to seize a string of big opportunities amidst fiery growth.
My body trembled with a pleasant sense of tension.
If it were me, I could change everything.
We can completely change the wrong choices of this country that were practically suicide.
We can lead this country that neglected technology development to the right place.
If it were me, I could do it.
I am a completely different from those Lala.
“Let’s go to Cairo!”
I will control money and power and employ that druggie’s 3 generation as lowest and most working labourer without much wage in my company.