The Grip Of Infamy. Episode 31. By R. Sittamparam
Episode 31
(Scroll down the Literature Section to read earlier episodes of this serialised novel)
In a couple of lanky steps Thiagu caught up with Thivya and casually stepped to her left, slowing his pace to walk beside her.
Seeing him, Thivya let out a soft cry of delight, smiling brightly, her instantly blossomed being appearing every bit the angel envisaged by Thiagu.
Naughty of you dah. Surprising me like this. My heart stopped awhile you know. But I am very, very happy to see you again.
Thiagu just smiled and in spontaneous response clasped the long dainty fingers of her left hand to lead her into the restaurant, pushing the door open with his left hand.
Thivya followed him dreamily, eyes half closed with tears slowly welling up within her lower eyelids.
Thiagu beat Thivya to it, by confessing his love for her after he explained about his crush on Nisha and how hearing of Thivya’s interest in him, he had decided she was the girl for him.
His commitment to Thivya was not something thought out, it was the outpouring of his tender heart kept locked by forced reticence of his gentle mannerism.
I love you my dear Thivya. I don’t care that Thana has an eye for you. I’m willing to fight him for your sake. I promise you, Thana will never bother you anymore.
Thiagu did not realise that for Thivya, connecting with him was the real fulfilment of her life. She saw in Thiagu the perfect match for her, someone who she was sure would be with her for life.
She liked everything about Thiagu, his looks were just the bonus.
Thivya could feel an inner connection with him, something she realised the first time she saw him escorting Thana from his office, to the fatal Sental gang meeting.
Holding back her tears, Thivya clasped Thiagu’s hands and buried her face in the broad outstretched palms.
His rod like fingers instantly softened, gently touching and caressing her warm cheeks.
The couple’s moment of truth in romantic surrender was rudely disrupted by Thiagu’s vigorously vibrating phone.
Pulling out the mobile phone from his side trouser pocket – Thiagu, seeing it was Thana – signalled Thivya to excuse him awhile, twisting his pursed lips downwards the way Thana would do.
Thana sounding delirious, speaking in a high pitch tone told Thiagu to round up the gang leaders for an urgent meeting at the Mangalam Varuga Party headquarters in an hour’s time.
The moment has come for us to take over the government he said before cutting the call.
At the meeting Thiagu and his lieutenants were told to station their units at strategic points throughout Mereka city, to be on standby to stamp out dissidents.
The deputy president of Common People’s Party Of Merekasia (CPPoM), the largest component party in Angkatan Penyelamat was organising a coup to oust the ruling coalition.
Baharin Ahmad had pulled away 16 MPs aligned to his faction in CPPoM to form a new coalition with Prime Minister, Tuan Besar’s mosquito party – Parti Gemilang – minus the elder statesman who had suddenly resigned from his government and party posts. The breakaway group would join hands with ousted Parti Ketuanan and its coalition partners including MVP.
Thana and Thiagarajan, the two MPs for MVP stood a chance to be appointed minister or deputy minister in the new Cabinet.
Thana was in direct contact with Zainal Mohd, the tall, heavily tanned and clean shaven 65-year-old newly elected Parti Ketuanan president.
Thana had offered to lend Zainal the muscle power to back the coup and quell any resistance from Penyelamat supporters.
He sounded excited and in high spirits, giving out instructions to gang 202 lieutenants.
I want no mistakes. Operate in the same way you did during the elections. We have to show Zainal how well organised we are.
I was told supporters from the other side are already down on the streets to protest against the coup.
There is even an army veterans group who are threatening Zainal and his team to back off from the government.
Therefore we should be very careful and avoid any direct confrontation.
Instruct your men to just mingle with the protesters. Strike when the opportunity arises to stir up some form of violence within the group and then get out. Leave the rest to the police.
Sure enough Thana’s boys led by the love-energised Thiagu turned around the street protests making them appear as incidents of violent public nuisance.
Mereka City police, despite serving the New Merekasia government the past few months, were fast to jump to The Alliance’s side, allegiance to which had never faded, it would appear.
The protests were put down and Zainal’s coup coalition, despite not having a majority in Parliament, quickly appointed Baharin as the new Prime Minister.
But as fate would have it, an unforeseen Karmic backlash – a pandemic viral infection that was sweeping across the globe wiping thousands and crippling world economy – had at this juncture reached Merekasian shores.
The pandemic threat loomed large over the people’s health and country’s socio-economy.
According to political analysts this terse situation inherited by the new government was poised to make a farce of Baharin’s premiership and his soon-to-be appointed Cabinet of ministers.
All the events and characters portrayed in this serialised novel are fictional and any parallel with real life events or persons is purely coincidental.
