Karadeniz Chronicle: The Novel: Abi Naskar Adventures

By Abhijit Naskar

"All humans are my sisters and brothers. Their happiness is my responsibility. Their safety is my responsibility. Their life is my responsibility."
Planet Earth's torch of oneness Abhijit Naskar, gives us a trilingual novel which takes us on an exhilarating exploration of accountability, assimilation, trust and sacrifice. "I'm a soldier - a soldier of love! You may kill my body, but the love in my heart will live on."

• Language: English
• Publisher: Abhijit Naskar
• Release date: Oct 24, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201082840

Book preview

Chapter 1

Honey, wake up, it's the President!

It was sometime during the night, when I felt Amy's nudge. She was trying to wake me up.

She continued, wake up sleepyhead - the President’s calling!

In my half-awake state I said, at this time of night - tell her I'll get back in the morning!

She replied, now a bit firmly, not POTUS - the President of Mexico!

As soon as I heard those words, President of Mexico, almost like magic my sleepiness began to fade and my eyes got wide open.

I reached out and switched on the bedside lamp on my side of the bed, then sat up and turned towards Amy in total alertness.

She was holding the phone in her hand.

I asked her, Fidel!

She nodded and said in a rather concerned tone, I think something's wrong - he sounds tense!

I grabbed the phone and held it to my ear.

And sure enough, Fidel sounded super nervous.

He didn't speak much - only said that he's in Chicago and would be visiting us at our apartment in the evening.

It was a matter of life and death he said!

After he hung, I realized, it was not night, rather dawn - but still early for me to wake up.

However, Fidel's nervousness left me wide awake. I never heard him so anxious. He is a rather jolly fellow for a commander of a country!

It was Saturday - Amy's day off at work. So I asked her to go back to sleep.

I got up and made some tea.

You’d know by now, I prefer tea over coffee. Also, just for the record, tea is much healthier than coffee. However, I don't prefer tea because it's healthier, but mostly out of habit.

Amy on the other hand thrives on coffee, so my consumption of tea has decreased greatly ever since she came into my life. And from her hand I'd happily dink poison - and coffee is no poison, unless consumed excessively.

Anyway, I grabbed my Surface Go and sat in the living room with a cup of tea.

I scrolled through my emails for a while - and yes, just emails, not social media. I don't do social media - that is, I do have pages on the three major sites, being a public figure, but Alex manages them, and that too for releasing content strictly relating to my books and talks.

I stay away from engaging on social media on purpose. You see, there is no such thing as social media, there is only unsocial media!

Of course there are benefits of social media, but as of now, the harms outweigh the benefits.

In fact, once I even thought of shutting down all my accounts, but a very good friend of mine Tori convinced me otherwise.

She said, you don't have to use them, but don't delete them.

Anyway, after I checked some of the newly arrived emails, I got some writing done for the next book.

Chapter 2

In the evening Fidel's convoy of four cars arrived at Fullerton Avenue in front of our building. The visit was kept a secret, so there was no press. He came upstairs to our apartment escorted by a couple of heavily armed soldiers. They waited outside the door. Rest of the soldiers were guarding the building downstairs.

He walked straight in, grabbed a chair and sat in the living room. Now the nervousness was clear on his face.

Amy offered him coffee, but he refused.

She and I sat down together on the couch in front of him.

With his head down, he went straight to the point.

He spoke in a very emotional voice, please save her Abi - please save her!

Amy and I stared at each other. We both were confused. What was he talking about!

I asked, save who?

He replied, with his head still down, Melissa - if something happens to her, I'll never be able to forgive myself!

He paused. There was a baffling silence in the room.

I asked, what do you mean by save her - is she abducted or something!

He nodded.

We still couldn’t make heads or tails of it.

I spoke.

"Fidel, I'm your friend. I'll stand by your side whenever the need arises.

But I don't understand one thing!

You are the damned President of Mexico!

You have an entire army and countless combat units at your command!

Why come to me for help?

I am just a civilian."

He then answered, because if the press finds out about my relation with her, my whole political career will be ruined!

I knew he was a happily married man with children and two newborn grandchildren.

So his remark sparked a shadow of doubt in my mind about his character, despite the fact that I cared for him deeply as a friend.

I asked him, rather hesitantly, is she your – mistress?

He heaved a sigh and with his head still down he nodded sidewise - meaning no.

Then he lifted his head for the first time, since he sat down in our living room and started speaking.

Amy and I listened quietly.

"Many years ago, before my marriage, I had an assistant, Eva – Eva Morales.

Both of us were single, and fell in love with each other.

Then one evening, out of the blue, she came to me and told me that she was pregnant with my child!

I was absolutely unprepared for the news.

I was young and foolish, so I told her that it'd be best for both our careers if she aborted.

It broke her heart!

With tears in her eyes she stormed out of my office and never spoke to me again - that is, until last week.

Later when I found out that she didn't abort the child, in fact, gave birth to a little girl, I tried to reach out - I tried to help with the expenses.

But she didn't want anything to do with me!"

He grabbed hold of my hands and looked into my eyes.

Now he spoke with a curious firmness in his voice.

"A man capable of standing unafraid in front of the Sicilian Mafia for those he cares about, can do anything!

Also, I am pretty sure that it's no coincidence that the Pope decided to resign right after his visit to Mexico and then convinced the cardinals to take the bafflingly untraditional decision against their orthodox habits to appoint the first ever queer Pope in history!

Singlehanded you changed the course of catholic history without even stepping foot at the Vatican!

At this point, if anybody can bring my daughter back home safe and sound, it's you amigo."

Chapter 3

I remained silent for a while, then spoke, as a friend without any judgment.

"Once you kept my Amy safe.

You thought I wouldn't notice, but I did. I know that your people were guarding the convent undercover ever since the Mafia incident, till both of us came back to Chicago safely."

Now Amy looked curious at my remark.

I took hold of her hands and said to her, do you remember when the Pope wanted to take you with him to the Vatican?

She nodded.

I spoke.

"Well, even if I hadn't done anything, he was not gonna take you anywhere. He could not, because at the time the convent was being guarded by a dozen of Fidel's soldiers in civilian clothes.

They had orders to keep an eye on us from the shadows and keep us safe, until we come back home."

Her face lit up with a smile of gratitude.

Then Fidel told me that Melissa was doing her undergrad in Istanbul - on full scholarship. Then suddenly her mother lost contact with her.

To which I spoke in a commanding voice.

"I promise you, I’ll bring your daughter home safe!

Now give me some straight answers to a couple of straight questions.

I assume she doesn't know who her father is!"

He replied, her mother never told her.

I asked, did she talk to her mother back home in Mexico regularly?

Fidel answered, yes, they Skyped almost every day.

I asked, when was the last time her mother heard from her?

Over two months ago he said.

I exclaimed, two months – and you are coming to me now!

He answered.

"I myself found out last week.

Her mother didn't want to ask for help from me. She tried the local cops in Monterrey, where she lives - they contacted our embassy in Turkey, and even called Melissa’s university in Istanbul, but with no use.

Exhausting every path available to her, she finally decided to give me a call on my old cell phone as the last resort!

Amy and I listened to him for almost an hour. He provided all the details he thought relevant.

Before leaving he texted me a picture of Melissa.

After he left I asked Amy, what do you want?

She was no longer a nun, but her spirit of service was stronger than ever. In fact, twice a week she volunteers at the community kitchen.

Added to that, she was well acquainted with my character, capacity and my sense of responsibility. So I knew for a fact that she would not stop me from going. And I was right.

With a supportive smile on her face she wrapped her arms around me and commanded firmly, go, and bring her back safely, my soldier scientist!

And Abi she spoke after a pause,