THE DISAPPEARENCE OF JESSY

5

The Disappearance of Jessy

A faint wishper of people from a distant fair, the evening breeze chilling down the spine, greet him as he drives up the long winding road. A thick black cloud overshadowing the mountain, a flash of mild lightening from underneath the clouds now and then, suggest the impending down pour of a strong hailstorm. Unmoved by the dangers of landslides he is rushing against all odds to reach her. Quite often trying to ring up in anxiety to know the situation, failing to get connected, his anxiety gallops overshadowing his senses to keep along the lane of winding road; he's driving jay almost to crash the culverts at the bends. A roadblock of a just fallen tree, and resulting long cue of vehicles chugging ahead at snail's speed averts the accident he would have done.

His restless mind, anxious to reach her is unabated, he frantically tries to call , but no response the calls die down.

He, Bryan Rodrigues, the fair tall handsome guy in his later twenties, engineer by profession hails from a hamlet on the hills, accompanied by his just married bride Jessy, a teacher in the local school, lives with his aged mother Betty in her late eve of life. Benjamin Rodrigues the father was a famous doctor serving the community for long, a pleasing personality liked by one and all. Jessy, was a close friend of Bryan for long ever since her parents moved to the city downhill and met for the first time at their school. After a long friendship and courting they had married recently.

That morning, while Jessy had gone to her duty at school, Bryan took leave of his mother to his work at the city downhills, as usual, driving down his car. Betty anxious of her son's wellbeing advises him to take care in driving, to return early before the evening fog mars the vision on road. It was late in the evening the tensed Bryan reaches home.

He gets further tensed up seeing his mother in worry that Jessy has not returned and it has started raining cats and dogs.

He began suspecting "could it be Jessy's call he missed in the evening that goaded him to leave his work early rushing through the traffic?" ........ "What if it was Jessy frantically calling from a public telephone booth?" ......... "Could it be she was in a panic situation when she called?" ...... "Why the call got cut by the time he could answer it?" ........... "It's all a possibility now that she hasn't returned yet"............ She would normally return by half past two o'clock, it's already six hours past that normal time.......Brian's apprehension gains more and more weight as time elapses. It was still a down pouring rain. In spite of the rain, Brian couldn't resist the compulsion to set out in his car at top of its speed to the police station and prefer a "missing person" complaint. An investigation by police begins soon. They list a program to collect connected information about situations right immediately prior and later to the complaint, the movements and activities of people connected with her.

They make out that she has gone to her work that day, on her scooter, filling gas on her way. The gas dispenser boy, familiar by her frequent visits to the gas station on her way to school as usual for filling. On her way her schoolmate, a car mechanic wishes her waving hand while she was driving past his garage. It was a normal act was a routine now and then. She attends her work, later at the end, chats with a group of her students, gathered at recreation hall, waiting to be picked up by their parents. All these are nothing abnormal or unusual .Their investigation meets a dead end at that.

Days roll by, investigators grope in darkness, Bryan gets haunted by the memories of her association; not of one day but of their school days past their dating and wedding.

It was a stupendous moment they acted on stage in the school play enacting Shakespeare's "Merchant of Venice"He recalls his beloved Jessy in the role of Portia, himself playing the role of Bassanio. He weeps her disappearance, recalling her picture as Portia in the guise of a lawyer placing her condition on shylock, "to draw Antonio's Pound of flesh and not a drop of blood" quoting that a Christian's bloodshed a crime as a crime by law of the land!

Whenever he does routine work at his work place, he would get Jessy's smiling face in his mind's eye dragging him into memories of their intimate past. The long walks along the beach imagining all types of fantasies, goodies followed by long bouts of silence enjoying each other's smiles. It was her birthday, when for the first time he could understand her mind that she too likes him that triggered his love for her. Their travel on a conducted tour in the company of colleagues accompanied by her was memorable, brought them much closer, that they would not bear the day they couldn't meet.

He felt she is always present by his side, with smiling mischievous looks, attractive jokes and rapturous dialogues amidst closer circles that he was unable resist brooding on. He would imagine Jessy whenever a cute girl passes by, getting into a trance with the green memories, and would feel heavy and moody. He was following up with police to check if they could get any new clues about her. He strongly believed one day she will be traced and they get reunited. Investigators were desperate to make headway, but in vain. Almost all people that she had interacted earlier were interrogated, but no lead could come up. Any unidentified body traced was shown to Bryan to see it was of Jessy. All local and national newspapers , TV channels carried her photo requesting viewers to report to nearest police station or Bryan , if they found her.

Years rolled, Bryan's mother had left him behind alone to heavenly abode, he lived in the house alone with the hope one day his Jessy would return and join him. The villagers thought Jessy had died by now. They believed her soul hovers around the village school yearning for the company of the children at school. Bryan spent most his remaining life around the school with the hope she returns. Like mad person he was imagining Jessy's form in any young lady that passes by. School children thought he was a mad man, sporting long beard, soiled dress, wandering around the school, rarely going home to daily necessities. Villagers took pity on Bryan, would try to console him and take him to his house and provide him food and other necessities. A few years later Bryan also breathed his last.

Jessy's disappearance remained a mystery forever, but the couple remained ever green in the memory of the hamlet forever.