HEADLEY AND I by Zaidi S. Hussain

Author:Zaidi, S. Hussain [Zaidi, S. Hussain]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Harper Collins India
Published: 2012-11-21T05:00:00+00:00

TWELVE

My meeting with David Coleman Headley at Shivaji Mandir is a blur in my mind.

Vilas had called me earlier in the day and told me that he was bringing a friend to an event we were to attend that evening. He asked me if I would buy tickets for them, as they were running a little late.

I had the tickets ready and was waiting for them with my friends when they arrived. Vilas introduced David and me, and told me that they had met at the gym where Vilas worked as an instructor. The first thing that struck me was David’s eyes: one was brown and one green. I had never met anyone with mismatched eyes before. I later found out that it wasn’t as uncommon as I’d thought it to be. In fact, some famous people like David Bowie, Kiefer Sutherland and Christopher Walken have a similar condition, which is known in medical terminology as heterochromia iridum, where one iris is a different colour from the other. It is often a genetic abnormality. But seeing David, how could I have known at the time that the man had two very different kinds of genes in him, with a Pakistani-Punjabi father and an American mother?

When Vilas introduced us, David said, ‘Hey, what’s up?’

He had a friendly voice, and as he spoke, he stuck his hand out. We shook hands, and I was impressed by his strong, confident grip. David was wearing dark glasses, which he took off later, a cap and a grey T-shirt and jeans. He was holding a digital camera in his left hand, which I assumed he was using to take pictures of Mumbai, like any other tourist. I thought David looked familiar, and then I realized why. He looked like a more handsome version of Steven Seagal, the Hollywood actor.

My first proper meeting with David—and the second time I met him—was on a sunny Sunday afternoon at the Barista on Chapel Road in the suburb of Bandra. It is a two-minute walk from where I live. A few days after our first meeting, Vilas had called me and asked if I would speak to David. He said that David was training with him and had expressed a desire to meet a nutrition expert who could help him with sports nutrition. Naturally, I was the guy.

When I reached Barista, Vilas and David had already arrived and were seated at a table. I got a good look at David this time. He was a very impressive-looking man. At 6’2”, in his mid to late forties, David towered over almost everybody else in the café. He was a broad-shouldered Caucasian with a ponytail. But I was again struck by what I think is the most unique and defining feature of David Headley—his eyes, each a different colour.

I ordered some black coffee, the favourite drink of bodybuilders. Being a diuretic, black coffee reduces water retention and is hence considered a fat burner. Caffeine is also known to be good for the nervous system.

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