A rainbow greeted Girish as soon as he left home to go to work. A heavy downpour at dawn had changed the mood of the day completely. Scorching heat for days had made life unbearable for many food delivery boys. Girish worked at a pizzeria and loved his job irrespective of weather conditions. Accepting challenges as they came was his favourite hobby. He strove to overcome them and shine brightly. Life was not easy from the start. 

Girish’s parents were labourers but love was in abundance in penury too. He accompanied his parents to the site and often helped unload bricks from the truck. His soft hands looked manly from a very young age. In spite of the hardships he was able to complete his high school as the contractor’s son Ritesh was his good friend. Ritesh did his bit for him before he left for London for his further studies. The contractor loved his son dearly and fulfilled Ritesh’s wish to educate Girish. 

Communication became less frequent when Ritesh got busy abroad. Girish found happiness in his customers. The wish to travel within the city got fulfilled through this job. The pizzeria had branches all over the city and work meant delivering pizza whenever that branch needed extra man power for the job. Rotational shifts were best enjoyed by Girish. This way he not only was flexible but also knew the city like the back of his hand. New Delhi, the capital of India, was his first love. 

Some customers on delivery didn’t even bother to look at him. They used to open the door, keep the money on hand and close it. Some greeted with a smile, paid and said thank you. Some of the clients exchanged a hi and even asked for a glass of water to drink. A few used to keep looking at him till he left the venue. Girish was a thin man with a boyish charm. He spoke less and his expressions did the talking mostly. His job required that and this always worked in his favor cause he was an introvert too. 

Mentally making notes of people was another side of Girish. Customer’s eagerness, boredom, anxiety, reluctance and tactfulness were very easy to read once they came face to face. Spoilt brats who lived on their parents’ money were rude and often looked down upon him when there used to be even a slight delay in delivery. Most of the time he used to overlook their impertinence and focussed on his job. He even gained a lot when customers used to offer to keep the change for which Girish maintained a piggy bank, a childhood habit he loved.

Girish visited his parents whenever an elderly customer opened the door and blessed him. He used to see an image of his parents and then the urge to be with them doubled. In 2011 when Girish was 16 years old his parents had gone to Punjab, a state in India, and died due to cholera. A tremendous loss it was but he had to bottle all that up, Mr. Makhija, the contractor had invested a lot in him and Girish just couldn’t afford to let him down. After completing high school he did odd jobs and earned his living. After two years this delivery job just did it for him. 

Self-made entities respected Girish’s efforts of earning his own living. It was far better than begging and stealing. The older generation saw a doting and caring companion in Girish. He had a knack of striking a chord with this age-group and often took them to a park for a walk, sometimes just made them talk and spread laughter. This was a feel-good factor for both him and them. This way he could enjoy the family he never had. Romance could never bloom as he never sought a companion but had paid escapades off and on for his raging libido. 

It’s 2023, for two months now breaking news has become the flavor of the day. Young children of affluent families were being brutally murdered. There was fear in the air. No one had a clue what was happening. Police had lost sleep. Security guards of high societies were on high alert. Life demanded scrutiny and innumerable checks at the society gates. Everyone was a walking suspect. Food deliveries were still happening as fear generates hunger. Food industry was booming but no one knew Girish lived a lie. Those spoiled brats were his victims as Girish himself had no clue what was the exact time when he transformed into a monster.