Face in the Mirror

Speaking in public is not everyone’s cup of tea. When there are huge spotlights shining on you and the awareness of a large number of people looking at you for some reason or the other it is not easy to speak. The attention freezes most people who would are otherwise normal people in small social groups. Hence public speaking is often compared to art, not everyone can do it and those who can inspire awe amongst the others who are not capable. Ramon Milosevic could not speak in public unlike Mikhael Icanicevic.
Born in a farmer’s house Ramon never had the need to speak in public. Growing up he joined the family trade, growing potatoes for the vodka factory nearby. Twice every year he would deliver his produce and collect the price for it. No change. He was happy with what and did not expect much else from his life. Being a bachelor, Ramon spent most of his time alone and once every week with his friends at the pub uptown.
Mikhael was literally born into royalty. His father was owner of the country’s largest oil company, a family business since the day the Tsar had made his grandfather a Baron and put under his control the oil rich land surrounding Buxoro. Mikhael, an average student at best was widely expected to take over the reins of the company from his father. So it came as a surprise when Mikhael at the age of 27 decided to enter politics.
The rise to the top post in a country like Uzbekistan a few things are pre requisite, money, flair for oratory and more money. That made Mikhael the perfect candidate. He won his first seat to the senate at the age for 27 years 6 months and 3 days, making him the youngest senator in the house, annihilating his opponent by winning 76% of the popular vote. After creating a strong impression in his first term as a senator, Mikhael won a second term. This time it was unanimous as his opponent backed out at the last moment to save himself the shame. After another stellar term the next step was obvious, Mikhael announced his candidature for presidency at the age of 35.
Every president in the world has a look alike, someone who is used in places of extreme hostility. Usually the look-alike is chosen from some obscure country side with no previous criminal record and usually no known family to mourn losses. Ramon was the look-alike for Mikhael. Security agents picked him up when he was returning from the factory on a foggy winter evening. A missing person case was filed but nothing was done about it. To the world Ramon had vanished, atleast to the people who had any interest in his affairs.
All the necessary conditioning were done. He was taught in the basic mannerism of the to be President, his walk, the smallest knick knacks were covered. Oratory was also covered, you never know when that may come in need. But no matter how much practice a man may do in private, he can never simulate the actual tension of an actual speech in front of a huge audience. So all those who trained Ramon were satisfied and gave the green signal. Mikhael won the election defeating the outgoing president by the largest margin in the history of the country.
That night as a huge audience waited for their new president to address them, one man waited in the dark with a Remington 700, a rifle made for killing single targets at a range of upto 2000 meters. As the new president climbed the stairs that led into the middle of the stadium, the gunman fixed his sight on the head.
Public speaking is a tough and often impossible task to those who are not cut out for it. As the crowd of 20,000 people cheered the man that walked through the centre of the stage, Ramon Milosevic saw for the first time in his life, a crowd of this size. This was not like anything that he had seen earlier in his life. Adrenalin pumping in his blood stream made his heart beat touch 135 when he walked up to the stage. He waited till the last clap in the crowd had quitened and as he as he opened his mouth to talk for the first time in public, he felt a stabbing pain in his chest.
After 36 years of helping him grow potatoes, Ramon Milosevic’s heart had given way. The gunman had wasted a bullet a split second before the president had slumped. The bullet hit the body guard behind the President, a man named Mikhael Ivanicevic, the man the people had chosen as the next president of the country.