The Meditation

Tim was all alone this night. It was not a stroke of sheer luck but a well-planned move. Tim's flat was a bachelor pad. His friends would make a point to stay till midnight every day after an intense day at work. Someone would even leave the bachelor pad in the morning. 

One day, Tim decided to take a sabbatical from the routine and enjoy some alone time. He was longing to spend some alone time after reading a book on Meditation. That book, which he picked up accidentally at the dental clinic, ignited a burning desire to experiment with the practice of Meditation. 

He brought scented candles in the lunch recess from the nearby shop, hiding from his colleagues who were busy enjoying the free time of an hour between intense work hours. Tim worked in a Data Mining Company, and he had to analyze those intense data to define a shopping pattern of some random John or Jane Doe.

'Listen, I am going to visit my aunt, and I will have my dinner over there. And he insisted on visiting my flat after that. So, sorry friends, bachelor-pad will remain close for today.' said Tim to his friends.

'Give us the keys and ring me when you elave your aunt house. We will exit the premises after that.' said one of the clever friends.

'No, Robert. She might insist to visit before the dinner, and in that case, it will be a problem,' clarified Tim.

The argument went back and forth for thirteen minutes. After which, the friends agreed to drop the plan of getting together at the bachelor pad for one night. They agreed to meet at another friend's house this night. 

Tim hurried to his flat and locked the door. He did not even turn on the lights because he knew his friends. They will take this route to check whether Tim was saying the right thing or not. 

He lightened the scented candles and turned on the ambient music as suggested in the book. He closed his eyes and tried to enter the state of thoughtlessness. It was hard, but it was not impossible, according to the book. He began by imagining the white circle on his forehead and started concentrating on that. He remembered the things that he was not supposed to remember. He continued with his effort but was not able to reach that state, 

The police siren at maximum decibel hindered his effort, not once but twice. That was it. He was not meant to meditate as per his thoughts that were adamant on staying inside his mind. Only if they leave and empty the space, Tim can enjoy the infinite bliss of Meditation. But, the thoughts were not leaving him alone and so, was the police siren. It was not normal as his locality boasts of the lowest crime rate in the city, and he was the product of that.

But the police siren meant something was not right. He decided to take a break and enjoy the fresh air. With all the lights closed, no candlelight and no ambient music, he entered the balcony and sat on his lawn chair enjoying the cool breeze and scenic view of nightlife in the city. Tim enjoyed some alone time, and he was glad that he opted for that.

Darius and Lyla were not glad at all for choosing that night to rob a betting den of the local mafia family. The lovely couple who were professional thieves somehow decided to rob the betting den and were now chased by men in uniform and men in suits. The amount they took would be enough for five lifetimes, but the risk attached with that amount will not let them enjoy the money for a day. 

On the way to exit after the robbery, Darius was exchanging bullets with the mafia bodyguard. He killed one of the sons of the Mafia in that gun battle and also injured a cop on the mafia's payroll. That was the reason that the licensed and unlicensed guns were after them.

Darius and Lyla somehow managed to enter Tim's building. The light of Tim's flat was off. The door was locked. So Darius thought of taking refuge in that flat. With years of experience coupled with the fear of getting caught by police or the Mafia, Darius quickly opened the lock. Lucky for them and unlucky for Tim, the security lock was off because Tim forgot to switch it on after entering the flat. He was in a hurry to hide, and thus he failed to enable the lock after punching in the codes.

Tim saw them entering but was frightened to do something about it. What can an average build guy who sits all day in the office in front of a computer can do?

'Baby, what now? We can not escape the city with the Mafia and police behind us,' said Lyla.

'I did not knew about cop being present there. He is the reason we are in this shit. Otherwise, the job was easy in and out. Mafia would never report the robbery to police and police would have never chase us,' clarified Darius.

'The robinhood life-style will come to an end, my love.'

'No, there has to be a way. Otherwise, the orphanage and the old-age home would take a hit. Our robbery from the rich and crook sustains both insitution.'

'Now, we are struck. Police knows that we have entered this building, and we will be shot anytime now.'

'My love, whatever we did, I am proud of that. Let us end our life at our own hands.'

'Wait,' said Tim

Darius and Lyla were surprised to see Tim and Darius quickly pointed the gun towards Tim.

'Wait, I have a plan. I might help you survive this night. After that you have to do it on your own.'

'But why? and most importantly How?'

'I listened to your conversation. How. Leave that on me.'

The doorbell rang, and Tim quickly opened the door. All of his friends entered the flat, and Tim gave some clothes to Darius and Lyla that made them blend in with the others. 

They started the music and other stuff on a bachelor-pad. The police were searching every flat of the building but from the outside. 

Without a search warrant and that too at this time of night, police failed to locate them.

Darius and Lyla survived the night.