Page 83 - Musings 2022

The Curve of Life

Adveidh Krishna
2019A8PS0374P

Nothing fazed him anymore. He had experienced it all it seems. With early fifties beckoning,
most of the people at his age envied him for his body and endurance. The thought of losing his

son still haunted him. The disappearance of his only child had inevitably led to his divorce. He

loved his wife dearly and could never fathom to understand why she would leave him. Her last
few words still echoed in his ears “John”, she said “I can no longer live such a frugal life. I

don’t blame you for anything that happened but continuing to live with you in such a hopeless
life no longer entices me. Hope you understand the reason for my decision”. He did not argue

with her nor did he try to vent out his pent up anger. Coaxing someone to change their mind

was beneath him and his ego wouldn’t give way. Suicidal thoughts weren’t out of his purview
and the revolver that he carried around with him did him no favours either. A prominent beard,

stoic nature and a guttural voice gave him a sense of superiority. As it turned out, the job of a
personal bodyguard suited him inimitably. John Spectre was a household name in London. His

current job was to ensure the safety of the British ambassador to France, as he attended an
important meeting with foreign delegates. It was that time of the year when tourists flocked to

Paris to enjoy its beauty. To put it in simple words, John loved his job to the core. A

perfectionist at his job, no one under his personal protection had died. Injured yes, but never
died. Somehow he always came to their aid and dealt with the perpetrator in the nick of time

to prevent their death. Hence had been deservedly nicknamed the ‘wall of Britain’. John saw it
as just another day of work and nothing more. Customary background check on the man under

protection yielded nothing out of the ordinary. Getting a goodnight sleep was integral to staying

alert on such a demanding job. Quite astounded by the beauty of the embassy, Mr. Spectre kept
staring at it for a solid two minutes. Looking up towards the sky before entering the building

became a habit for him as if to acknowledge a higher power for the safety of his clients. Thud!
Thud!

His heart pounded as he entered the building. As alarming as it was, he transcended into a calm

mood soon enough. The embassy had a soothing ambience about it. Apparently, a solace and
serene atmosphere wasn’t advisable before something important happened. According to John,

it could take his mind off of the task at hand. But suddenly he felt ominous as if nature was
trying to warn him. Ever since he had started this job 25 years back, he had never felt such a

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