A tragic incident happened 2 days before my joining the firm. Two junior lawyers of the Bendini Law firm were killed in a road accident.
Good Evening Fellow Toastmasters & Friends.
In spite of 3 job offers from three of the prestigious law firms in US, we selected this small, low profile firm in Memphis. We include my beautiful wife Salma & I.
Well Salma is Hollywood actress Salma Hayek & is my lovely wife. We met during my first year graduation & our 3-year romance ended in marriage last year. We selected this particular law firm because they offered me a higher pay plus a brand new BMW on lease.
Even though my first year in the firm was hectic, we were leading a happy contented life. The year that passed had been like heaven for us. From a congested 1-room apartment in college to a posh new villa, from a second hand Mazda to a brand new black BMW & with the highest pay package in town, I had announced to the world that I, Yasim.K had arrived.
Few days later a person approached me while I was taking snacks from a local shop. He flashed an FBI card & introduced himself as Tarrance, special agent FBI. He t0ld me they are closely watching the firm & it’s attorneys. I instantly lost my appetite. He also disclosed that the deaths of the attorneys were not accidents & there were 5 deaths like that in the last 10 years.
I was perplexed & startled. I secretively hired a private detective to enquire about the firm & the deaths of the attorneys. He revealed to me that the firm had close links with the mafia & all 5 deaths were suspicious. I started to develop a migraine, a migraine that would keep growing.
History of Bendini firm says that no one has ever dared to resign from the firm. The last 2 attorneys ventured & were found dead. FBI needed the illegal documents in the firm to catch the mafia. If I deliver these illegal documents FBI would give me asylum, but the mafia will get us as they never ever forgets anything.
I disclosed the entire episode to my wife & I could see that she was trying hard not to cry. We spend hours & hours undecided which way to turn; realizing that there was; nowhere to turn.
The next day Salma & I fabricated a big fight & she left Memphis to stay with her parents. I informed FBI that I would deliver the first set of illegal documents if I get 1 million dollars tax-free.
The day after I delivered the first set of illegal documents I received an urgent call in my office. The secretary came running & told me that it was from Justice Hugo & I was late for his court.
I suddenly got pale. I grabbed my coat & briefcase & ran. I didn’t have time for the lift. I ran down the stairs past the receptionist & quickly got out of the Bendini fortress.
For a month I knew that if Justice Hugo called up I had to hit the floor on a dead run because something had gone drastically wrong somewhere.
Once I made sure I was safe, I called up Tarrance. He admitted that there was a leak in the FBI.I was devastated. “A leak Tarrance. A leak in the FBI”. I couldn’t believe my ears. I realized that it was not safe to trust these dumb FBI fellows.
I called up Salma & said. “Listen, You don’t even have time to kiss goodbye to your mother. You have to check in at hotel Hilton in Cincinnati under the name Rachel James”. I reminded her “Salma, if you didn’t run in next 10 minutes then you are dead”.
I reached Memphis airport & took 4 one-way tickets to 4 different locations. The 3rd ticket was taken in Yasim’s name to Arkansas, but the last ticket was bought to Cincinnati under the name of Sam Fortune. When I reached Hilton Hotel in Cincinnati, thank God, Rachel James, my wife had safely arrived. I had planned the entire situation before & was sure I was 2 steps ahead of both the fibbies & the goons. The FBI & the local police had blocked the entire roads & air traffic. But they had never ever thought of the water & I had made all the arrangements. When it was midnight we took a small rowboat & reached a 10-seat vessel anchored in the middle of the sea. The owner of the vessel was a person like us who has been running from the Interpol for the last 28 years. He explained that we have to spend half of the year in the vessel & the other half in several of the small Caribbean islands so that no one would catch us.
I realized that it was all over. The year that has passed has been a tumultuous one for me. We will have to run for the rest of our life with an inherent fear of getting caught. I hugged Salma & sat hand in hand with her realizing this would be our life from now. I closed my eyes contemplating what lies ahead.
Trrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. The alarm bell was ringing. I opened my eyes. There was no Salma & no boat. It was my friend Syam who was sleeping next to me. I looked at the alarm clock & it was 6.40AM in the morning. I realized that I am already late & if I didn’t hurry I would miss the 7.15 Infosys bus.
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