Faith ..

Present

PHOENIX VARGHESE IS A REAL HERO - read the headline on the third page of The Herald. Martin smiles looking at the headline recollecting the evening interview he had yesterday on the TV show. His PR were really working good and it reflected on the results - Life is Perfect ...He folds back the newspaper and closes his eyes to reflect upon the evening....the newspaper article is wonderful he thinks and recollects the whole article once again ...

Wednesday 22nd March 2020, special report by PTA:
It was a rare moment in THE KATIE SHOW when the man himself had come to talk about his journey from ashes to life. We give you an intercept of the interview which was before a live audience of 25,000 people who will never forget the last evening.

The way Katie Sharp announced about the evening speaks volumes about him. 'Right now we have the man himself Mr Martin Varghese also called 'Phoenix Varghese' - the one risen from ashes...I am sure there is no one today who doesnt know about him so I wouldnt munch many words about him and get him do the talking ....

Katie : Welcome to the show Mr Varghese - thank you for being with us tonight...So the much awaited question how do u feel on this third year anniversary of your success as the Phoenix....

Martin : Thanks ..Its my pleasure Katie ( smile ) Oh I love this success - its good to be on the top ( laughs)

Katie : I know now this question has been asked many times to you before but We really will be pleased if you tell us what makes you you ...as The Phoenix Varghese ...

M: I hope your audience doesnt sleep on it ( laughs) Well 3 yrs from today I was the same person to be honest - , I was arrogant (smug smile ) talented and thought nothing could actually put me down- But you Know Katie what is the difference - its my attitude and the way I see things today -and that my dear is so so crucial - I know many people listen this from many management gurus - well I am the living example of it ...

K : yes you are Mr Varghese -Now tell me about the famous 23rd March night we always hear about the day you thought you had risen from ashes ....

M: oh you media people know how to nickname others isnt it ?? ah yes the 23rd of March the day after I was fired from my previous job - A job I thought I was good at - I was one of the top executives and I was told to leave because of some management changes (points his fingers as quotation marks) - and the day I met my Inspiration for life whom I cant thank enough....I am greatly indebted to him.....

K : please go on -Listening to your story from yourself is a treat that I am sure none of us will miss !

M : well I was fired as you know from my job and was really upset as it had a very bad effect on me - I had been in this job for 20 odd years - I had a family to think about - I couldnt handle it - I turned to god - confessed all my sins and thought things will sort out well or so I thought - but nothing worked - I wasnt young enough to be employed somwhere else and my resignation left a cloud of doubts in peoples mind - I turned to drinking ..and I drank heavily - my dear wife left me as she couldnt see me failing this way .....Life was terrible Katie -Now I really think about it I thank my stars for the night in the bar .....I call it the holy grail of lost souls ( laughs )

K:( smiles broadly ) Now Mr Varghese since you have actually mentioned GOD can I ask you something ? In times of despair man does turn to god but is it correct u felt shunned and lost all faith during this time and you actually think that your role model a mere human being is better than God himself ? You mentioned in one of your interviews recently that you would actually prefer to go to the pub and have a drink than sit in the church and follow confession -Now Is that a good model for your children or for that matter anyone else ?

M: Thanks for asking me that question Katie- there have been lots of assumptions about my answer. well ... ok let me ask you something Katie - when you feel upset, angry or sad what would you prefer among the following - telling all your sorrows to your friend, partner or anyone you know or would you prefer a person behind the counter in your bank ??

K: well obviously someone whom I know .....but how does that answer my question ?

M: exactly thats what I meant as well- The Pastor of the church I go to ....no offence but he is a very nice person though I havent seen him since quite some time ....He knows my family - my mom - my dad before he died - he knows some of my most personal things but when I go to him I dont feel connected to him or god - he is behind the wooden block between us and for me that doesnt leave me with much relief - What we need is practical solutions to work things out - prayers and confessions cannot make my life better - otherwise you would never have acknowledged me - I wouldnt have earned the name Phoenix for my prayers - my work defines my name today ....

K: wonderful thoughts Mr Varghese - I see what you are pointing to ...but dont you think comparing a church to a pub is in more than one way wrong ...

M: I wouldnt compare it even today ! All I am saying is I prefer a Pub to a church as I know I would have someone solid human to work out a problem with me than an imaginary non existing god !!...

K: OK ...smiles ..now tell us about the God you believe in then ??

M: my God was the person I met in the bar ....OH what would I give to meet him once more ?

K: Can you please tell us what did he talk to you ? was it something that shook you to the core ??

M: To be honest he just pushed me into looking into things I really wanted Katie ....he just asked me some basic things you know - like what I really want to do in life ? what was my ambition and if I could prove him wrong he would give me £10,000....really it was as simple as that !!

K: How did you react ?

M: Well who wouldnt work to take £10,000 just to rub it in this other persons face - just to show how wrong the other person was - arrogant that I am I took the oppurtunity and pursued my childhood ambition ....

K: And the rest as they say is history ....you designed the best car models which took the automotive industry by feet- Even today your M kar stands out in the market as the highest sold vehicles - due to your contribution Victor Industry turned from almost a bankrupt company to a million dollar company and you are rightly called the Phoneix - the man who rose from ashes .....and then you started your own consultancy to let people pick up from where they left ....and which has a track record that each person who has been with you is in actually with Success in all ways .....what a way to rise.... ladies and gentleman The Phoenix - Mr Martin Varghese....audience claps...cheers...song of the show ......comes up....

M: OH well ( broad smile ) thank you Katie ...thanks a lot .. ( waves to the audience and leaves )....



Present ...

Martin's chest swells with pride and he cannot hold his excitement any longer ...He sighs.. life is this ...a rollerocaster ...It is his quiet day off in the villa now ...he wanted to get away from the hush rush ....stocky- but well groomed - hair cut short with few white strands .....He reflects about his past and wonders what will happen if the truth is ever known ??


He goes to the balcony and notices the postman delivering a note to the security guard - this surprises him ...who will send me a letter here ? He telephones the guard and asks him to get the letter immediately ....

The letter is for him - it is getting dark now .. the sun has settled - dusk has come ...and is leaving like a reluctant child from earth ...Martin adjusts his spectacles to read the letter ....It says :

My dear Martin ...

God bless you

I pray that all that you have thought in your life you must have got them by now ...The taste of succes that you so desperatley wanted - The sense of pride that you carry in your work and your life .... I really am proud of what you have achieved in your life my son ....I really am ...But I need to remind you of certain truths ....

Today when I look at your interviews I am a little sad my son .... why did you have to lie about our meeting in the pub ? Why dont you tell everyone you never meant to actually acknowledge my presence or for that matter that you did not even want to talk to me ....I remember clearly you were drinking a lot then .. you had even abused your wife hence she had to leave you and you were lamenting about it ..talking with yourself about it when I first met you ......you remembered how your father had left you and you couldnt handle all the sorrows in your life ??

When I asked you if you were ok about your life ? you did actually flip out and yelled at me .. and when I asked you why do u fear so much when god is with you that you tried to grab my collar and shake me up to show god ....and you were shown out of the pub by the bouncers ... How you had not accepted the ciggarette outside and when I asked more about your father and your childhood .. you went on speaking as though you were in a trance ...you told me how your dad had encouraged you to follow your ambition...and how you loved designing cars ...but you left all this when your dad died and you had to take care of your mother and sister - family pressures worked more than your own desires ...how you sobbed and said if only you wished you had your father beside you to take care of yourself .. you were so drunk you mixed up words and you said how you had lost faith in everything .......and how I had asked you to do the best what you can do in your life and that if that works I would show your father to you ..and you looked at me as though I was mad and left the place ..but see how your hardwork paid off ?? ...........How things changed ....but your faith has still not returned my child .....and I want to bring that back to you .....

The reason I wrote this letter is so that you would believe it is me who is writing this.Only you and I know what happened on the 23rd of march outside the pub- I am your mystery role model - I want you to meet me so that I can show you faith my child ... and I hope it will restore your faith in god once more ... as a kid and as an adult you had come to the church regularly .. your father was proud about you in many ways ...he always used to talk about you .....I remember your baptism ..your nervousness in confessing your sorrows to me ... come and meet me .. But there is one condition - If you really believe in me dont pursue logic when you come to meet me ... just come and do what is required ...just as you had done when I asked you some years earlier .... this is the address.....

72B
Unit 3-1
11034678 Station
Wyaoming
Glasgow

I dont have a name now ...


Martin felt the blood rushing in his head ... finally his mentor... his role model was going to meet him ... he will finally be able to thank him and sigh a breath of relief ....He did not bother to change his clothes either .. he barks to the driver to make his vehicle ready and he then decides he will drive the vehicle himself... this is the moment he waited all his life .....The Revelation time has come and he smiles ......

Night Present

The drive is 3 hrs from his place ..... it lead to the outskirts of the city after following the GPS on his vehicle ..Martin has never come to this part before ....and there is a sign board showing Wyaoming......
The building shows the address as correct but it is an omnious building from outside ... the interiors though were flooded with bright lights ...pristine white floors which made noise when someone walks on it ... he walks to the reception or thats what he thought it is....

A woman seated looks at him ....he looks foreign in all ways ... she asks ... 'who is it ?? how can I help you today ?? Have you lost your way mate' ?? he did not say anything his throat has dried up and tongue has become heavy he manages to mumble 'Umm...this is what I was looking for' ....The lady looks at the paper, the address and asks 'Who gave you this address ? Do you know this person '?? Martin has no answers ...'Ahmm....Well he is my mentor ... he wrote this letter so that I can meet him' .....THe lady gives him a strange look .....'yeah whatever ... we dont have to take appoinments atleast beforehand' ...she laughs which made no sense to Martin ....he smiled confused and follows her ..... She is a fat lady with hoop earrings ...hair tied above her head .. but she looks neat ...not an overimposing figure ... Martin does not feel his legs while walking ... he was only half aware of things around him ...

'Yeah on you go .. this is it .. the ultimate place' and she winks her eyes ....Martin peeps inside the room and looks at her .....She asks 'should I come in as well? He does not answer which she assumes to be an yes ....she picks a register on the table while walking straight ahead ....he does not see anything else .. he just follows her like a magnet attracted to nails ....she stops near a place and says ' This is your person '.....he looks at her and then looks at the place .... it is a bed with a person on it .....The person is like a wax statue - dark,sunken cheeks .. he knew this person ... very familiar .. those eyebrows and mouth ......he then realises the smell coming to his nose and he holds his hands near his mouth ... it is as though all his senses have started working suddenly and have come to life after being rusted for so long .... he could feel his heart beating fast ......he asks no one in particular ... Who is he ?? The woman opens the register and says .....'Father William Mckay - Date of birth 20th of January 1935 - Died on the 23rd march 2006 - hit and run case by an unknown drunk driver just outside the Carlington Church in Glasgow....Father Mckay was returning after the evening mass from the church and from nowhere the car hit him and hurled him on the roadside .. instant death ...His will have instructed us not to destroy his body and be kept for open view for everyone .....Martin stares at the body for a long time and then he suddenly has flashes of memories coming back to him ....his father ... the church ... the confessions .... his life ...23rd march ....he pauses.....he remembers narrowly missing a guy during that time on the road .....and then he looks back at the body ..... it is the Pastor from the church - who had listened to his confessions...... whom he had unknowingly killed ..... but he had met him at the bar...Everything blacked out in his eyes ............................................Phoenix ...