NUTMEG, CHAPTER 1: THE KICK-OFF

19^th AUGUST 2018, 01:45 AM

The night was engulfed in darkness. The street lights and the glittering moon light from the quarter moon above cast long shadows below. The eerie silence was broken only by the chirping sound of crickets outside amidst the peaceful breeze that blew across causing rhythmic movements of the branches and the leaves. Light rain drizzled down along with the wind adding to the chill of the late hours. The setting was perfect for a romantic conversation with a loved one, holding cups of hot tea and the eagerness in the eyes looking forward to the endless conversation ahead or, if this is too mushy for your taste, the setting would also suit a serial killer heading out for a prey holding his favorite knife hidden under his black raincoat. Parth was well awake and had neither of these plans in mind.

As he positioned his beanbag in front of his TV, he was eagerly anticipating the first kick-off of his favorite team - Futbol Club Barcelona, who would fight it out against 19 other teams for a 9 month long season, to defend the Spanish League title they won in dominant fashion last season. He flipped the remote and switched on to the regular channel, only to receive a shocker dead in the middle of the night. The game was not being telecasted at all! “F**K my life”, he muttered under his breath for he remembered the news from few days ago that the telecasting rights for the Spanish Liga was bought by the social media giant, Facebook. Bluntly put, for the next few years, Parth and everyone else was destined to watch these matches from Facebook’s streaming platform. Despite him knowing very well, that online streaming platforms are the future of television with multiple web series already garnering more audience than the daily shows on TV, Parth was an old-schooler at heart and there are somethings he just prefers it to remain as they are. The charm of watching a football match live on a television screen can never be matched by the same being streamed on a mobile or laptop screen, with the risk of buffering or ‘The revolving circles of doom’, as Parth liked to call it, always looming over them like a hanging knife. This is the very same charm that is felt by a book reader, when he releases a new book from the clutches of its packaging and flips through the pages and inhales that refreshing aroma which is unmatched even in the age of Kindles and other e-book readers. Also from a business perspective, it made no sense to him for a league, which is fighting to garner audience against the more popular English Premier League, to switch from television to an online streaming platform in India, where low internet speed among masses is still an issue.

He was exhausted from the long day at work, even though it was supposed to be a holiday on the account of being a Saturday. However, an important client meeting scheduled for Sunday morning exactly at 9 am forced everyone in his team to cut-short their day off and hustle in preparation for the meeting the following day. He had battled the exhaustion and the temptation of going of calling it a day early and head into the comforts of his blanket to stay awake at this late hour only to witness the match. There is no way he was going to allow some stupid television rights to stop him. Despite his aversion to streaming matches, something was better than nothing, he figured. The game had already started when he finally got to witness the action and a familiar sense of joy filled his eyes as he watched his favorite team in their famed blue and red Blaugrana jersey, after nearly 3 months. The team had lost a legend coming into the new season but talented players had been signed to add balance to the team. Barcelona were dominating the game against a spirited Alavés side, creating multiple chances only to be denied by the goal post and some wayward finishing as both teams headed into half-time. Parth hurriedly ran into the kitchen to make a cup of tea to ward away any signs of drowsiness. He was expecting goals in the second half of the game and he wouldn’t allow his tiredness to hinder watching it. Though it would seem absurd to many, watching Barcelona play was like a massage to his fatigued brain and senses.

Almost twenty minutes into the second half, a scream ravaged through the night’s silence, “YEEEESSSSSSSSSS”, screamed Parth as the deadlock was finally broken and who else scored other than a little Argentine magician who has been a savior of this team on countless occasions, Lionel Messi. Parth had always felt privileged and proud of watching Messi in his prime, weaving his magic on the pitch and tonight was no different when he watched replays of how he fooled the opposition’s defence with a clever free-kick. When the game finished, the scoreline read 3-0 in favour of Barcelona with Coutinho scoring a beauty of a goal and Messi adding one more to his tally in the dying minutes. It was a perfect start to the new season, setting the hopes high for the long road ahead, and Parth couldn’t help but control his jubilant smile. Everything he struggled through the day for this match was well worth the effort and he has always lived for such moments. Slowly and calmly, he drifted into a peaceful slumber with a sense of satisfaction.

As his eyes opened the next morning, the sweet taste of the victory still lingered on his mind and he was feeling rested. Quickly coming back into his senses, he was looking forward to attending his meeting scheduled for 9 am for he and team had prepared hard. “Let’s me first grab a cup of tea and then join the online meeting”, he thought as he went through his mental checklist for the meeting. Moving out of his bed, he brought his mobile screen to life only to find 10 missed calls and then his eyes slowly drifted towards the clock at the top of the screen as it screamed the current time at his face…… 11:19 am.