It occurred to Srini that he was looking forward to what could be called an unexpected, short lifetime again. He was again about to start with almost nothing, in an adult body with all his memories from the ‘previous’ life intact. He did not want to upset the financial plans and situation of his children again in a major way. He would never feel like asking for some of his money back that he had given away or arranged to be given away to charities. He still had enough to live his old lifestyle for another few months and if he did so, would soon be a virtual pauper. He did not fear the situation. He wanted to find some work. If he wanted to earn doing the kind of work he had been doing before, he would have very little time left to spare for his family. It was both mentally and physically taxing – his job as a consultant engineer in business. He could not scale it down to the few hours that he wanted to work or be able to walk away from it if his health should start to fail. People might give him a job because they knew him, but it would be an act of charity towards him and they would not get their money’s worth. He did not want to be in that position. He thought about what he wanted to do. He decided to call a meeting with his children, bring the issue out in the open, discuss and lay out his plans. But first he wanted to explore possibilities and get a realistic idea of what his future health might be like.
He went over to Dr. Fa’s the next day to discuss the possibilities of how his health might be under different scenarios. Dr. Fa’s assessment confirmed his fears that he might not be able to work reliably on a job, in his old line of work and still spare time enough for his family. On the way back, he stopped by the park bench next to Ben. Ben was busy with a customer and nodded his “Hello”. Srini waited for Ben to finish. The customer paid him and walked away thanking him with a wave of goodbye.
As Ben was about to move towards Srini, Srini pre-empted him. He got up, went over and sat next to Ben.
Ben’s eye brow arched and he smiled slightly.
“What’s the matter, my friend? You want to get into this business too? You want to compete or cooperate?”
Srini was stunned at the perspicacity of the man. Just at that moment, as he sat down next to his friend, a random wild thought had crossed Srini’s mind. He wondered if he might be able to support himself with a job like Ben’s. He realised that as far as he knew, Ben did support himself with this very job. If he could do it, so could Srini. Srini was wise enough not to ask the question.
“Ben, I would like to work with you and for you, if you don’t mind,” said Srini quietly.
Ben looked thoughtful, just for a couple of seconds.
“OK, then. That is better for me. I’ll tell you the terms. You can get a kit like mine and I’ll tell you where you can sit on different days. You pay me 20% of your takes. No competition, but we cooperate. We will discuss and arrive at many discussions jointly, but if push comes to shove, I am the boss and my decision will prevail. Agreed?”
The speed, thoroughness and quiet confidence with which Ben came to the point quickly made Srini realise how smart this man was. He must have thought about such possibilities and arrangements long before and was ready with a well thought out offer and plan. He knew Ben was brilliant at anything he did. He must have been a great sharebroker and financier in his days. He still carried the same sharp mind.
“Agreed,” said Srini. Ben extended his hand and Srini shook it. The deal was sealed.
It surprised Srini how quickly he had agreed to this without even consulting his family or thinking long by himself. It somehow felt right in his soul.
“I’ll arrange to get you another kit and train you for a couple of weeks. You can sit next to me here and in other spots that I work at. Can you come by in a couple of days?”
“Sure,” said Srini.
They then chatted about life in general, mostly about Srini’s. Ben did not share much about his. Srini realised he did not know exactly where Ben lived, what family he had and what his life was like. He wanted to get to know more about him.
As he walked home that evening, he decided to call a family meeting and announce his decision to work with Ben.
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