Journalist Chapter-3

 

Vidya woke up early the next morning and got ready. She called up Senthil, the channel’s senior cameraman in Chennai and asked him to be ready for travel.

She was pacing up and down the hall when Anand was getting ready to leave for the hospital. Looking at her restlessness, he felt pity.

He had already explained to her that politicians would be starting their day very late. Further it was election time. Durai would have concluded his campaign very late the previous night. He would not be meeting his personal assistant before 11 am. She had no option but to wait.

Anand said he would call the PA after 11 and let her know of Durai’s decision.

11 am. Anand called her and said that Durai had not yet met the PA.

Uma was going to Spencers to buy provisions. Whether Vidya would like to go with her? Vidya declined.

12 noon. Durai was meeting alliance partners and discussing the election strategy. PA could not disturb him.

Uma returned. Dhobi came in to collect the clothes.

1.30 pm. Durai was having lunch with his father, mother and sister. Again 

PA should not disturb him.

Gautham Shah, editor-in-chief of her channel called to find out the progress, if any.

2.30 pm. Durai was leaving for the Election Commission office to lodge a complaint against the malpractices of TDK.

Anand returned from hospital for lunch. All three of them had lunch.

4.00 pm. Rathinam and Durai were holding a press meet.

Senthil called her to find out when they would be travelling.

Anand slept for half an hour. He left for the hospital at 5.30 pm.

6.00 pm. Durai was leaving for addressing a public meeting in Saidapet.

Vidya was losing hope. Possibility of failure again loomed large in front of her. The whole evening would go in public meeting. ‘What kind of PA he is! He is not able to meet his boss even once since morning. Is he going to get her the permission?’

Senthil called her again.

Her cell phone rang at 9.00 pm. It was not Anand’s number. She was not in a mood to talk to anyone else. She did not pick up.

It rang again. She did not pick up.

Again…She was irritated. She picked up. “Hello…” She barked.

“Hello….This is Durai Rathinam. Is it Vidya?”

Vidya and Senthil took the first flight to Trichy the next morning. When Durai called her the previous night at 9 o’clock, he more than made up for the wait. His PA had told him in the afternoon that she would like to accompany him during the campaign. Other politicians in the state were reluctant to take her with them. When his PA reminded him a couple of times in the evening, Durai asked him to get her number from Anand so that he could talk to her directly.

Durai was seated in the first row in Business Class along with Manimaran, the Trichy MLA.

The flight landed at Trichy at 7 am.  There were about 1,000 party workers outside the airport to welcome him.

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(The above is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.)