The Present - Chapter 4

            Heyo guys!! Am finally back... Am so so sorry for the delay... I wrote this chapter almost twice but was never satisfied... So deleted and wrote again... Although am still not sure about it but i couldn't delay more and so am finally posting it today... This time your review really really matters! Go ahead and read...

Precap -
Arya, Acp sir's adopted daughter is now back from from US after 22 years. Her arrival was shocking at first for the team but afterall she is Acp sir's daughter and now the team and Arya have bonded well. Arya who has heard a lot about her brothers Abhijeet and Daya, is now enjoying to irritate them sweetly. A smart yet childish daughter of Acp sir whose return has made Acp sir even more tensed as there's some secret which he doesn't want to reveal but now with Arya being in India its impossible to keep it hidden...

                              Chapter 4

*Next day... Sunday morning, 4 am*

              Abhijeet was comfortably sleeping on his bed... Sundays oh Sundays! Who doesn't love them... One of the biggest reasons being the morning sleep that he always missed... But he didn't know that he wasn't destined to get his morning sleep, at least today! Credits his best friend Daya!
                 Door bell rang disturbing him in his dreamland and he made a irritated face but did not get up and continued to sleep... When the visiter disturbed him again with another press on the bell... Abhijeet reluctantly got up and opened the door to find Daya waiting outside... Duo and Arya had planned a outing today... Arya's demand of seeing the whole of Mumbai! They were supposed to leave at 9 am... And seeing Daya outside his house he thought that he was late and so Daya came here to pick him up

Abhijeet - Kitne baj gaye Daya? Mai late hogaya kya? (Seeing the wall clock) Abhi toh sirf 4 baje hai!!! Tu itni jaldi kyu aa gaya? Koi case aaya hai kya?

Daya - Nahi woh... Maine na ek plan banaya hai!

Abhijeet - Subah ke chaar baje konsa plan banaya hai tune? (Irritated)

Daya - (coming inside while pushing him aside) Dekho Arya hume kal se pareshan kar rahi hai! Ajj hum usko pareshan karege! Usko subah subah 5 baje utha ke!

Abhijeet - Usko 5 baje uthane ke liye tune mujhe 4 baje utha diya! (Looking above, pretending to talk to god) Hy baghwan! Yeh ek hi namuna mila tha tumhe mere paas bejhne ke liye?!

Daya - Haa... Mai ek thi tha... Mai sirf ek hi piece hu na! Itne ache piece baar baar thodi bante hai!

Abhijeet - Tu na iss baat ka jita jagta proof hai ki baghwan bhi galti kar sakte hai!

Daya - Huh! Galti toh maine ki... Jo tum jaise boring insan ko apne plan mai shamil karne ki sochi! Lekin ab maine soch hi liya hai toh chalo jaldi se ready ho jao!

Abhijeet - 8 baje ke pehle toh mai ready hone nahi wala! Chahe tu kuch bhi karle! Mai jaa raha hu sone!

Daya - Dekho Abhijeet jaldi se ready jao... Nahi toh!

Abhijeet - Nahi toh kya? Nahi toh kya karega tu?

Daya - (getting a idea) Haa! Mai na Salunkhe sir ko bata dunga ki uss din lab mai unki naye coat pe jo acid gira tha woh tumne giraya tha!

Abhijeet - Aree lekin woh toh galti se mera haat lag gaya tha na!

Daya - Tum yeh sab unko hi samjhana! Mujhe kuch nahi pata... Mai unko bata dunga!

Abhijeet - Dekh Daya... Yeh... Yeh galat hai!!!

Daya - Mujhe sahi galat kuch nahi pata... Mai tumhe 15 minutes de raha hu... Ready hoke aao nahi toh sir ko mai abhi message kar dunga! And your time starts now!!!

             Abhijeet knew it well that there was nothing else that could have been done... His stubborn brother would not spare him... Stomping his feet he went to his room and got ready in super fast mode... Came back before the deadline given by Daya and they left for ACP sir's house.
              Reaching there Daya rang the doorbell... After a while ACP sir opened the door and was surprised to see duo at this hour of the day! It wasn't even 'day' exactly!

ACP - Tum dono! Iss waqt? Koi problem hai?

              This thing had completely skipped out of the mind of mastermind of this plan, Daya! That ACP sir also stays at the same house and he will also have to face him before executing his plan! He looked at Abhijeet for help... Who was already looking at a flower pot kept beside him with so much concentration, as if counting the number of leaves on the plant! He ignored Daya as if he didn't even exist and Daya well understood his silent message of 'Tera plan tha! Tu hi nipat... Mai kuch nahi boluga!'... Daya turned back to ACP sir who was still waiting for his questions to be answered when Daya said in an uncertain voice...

Daya - Woh hum Arya ko lene aaye hai... Woh ajj ghumne jana tha na usse!

            ACP sir checked the clock to confirm if he had seen the time correct! And when he was sure of himself he turned back to Daya in confusion...

ACP - Subah ke 4:45 pe tum Arya ko lene aaye ho! Ghumne jane ke liye?

         Daya couldn't find any excuse and decided to tell the truth... Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and said it all in a single breath

Daya - Sir woh hume kal se pareshan kar rahi hai... Isliye usse pareshan karne ke liye mai usse abhi uthane aa gaya!

            When both of them heard Abhijeet mumble that 'aur saath mai mujhe bhi 4 baje utha diya! Meri neend ka dushman!'
             ACP sir was too shocked to laugh out! For the first time he had seen his two bravest cops in this form! So childish! But he loved it... Which father doesn't love to sometimes see the kiddish side of his children! He moved aside from the door indicating them to come inside...

ACP - Woh uss kamre mai hai! Jao utha lo!

             Saying this ACP sir moved out in the lawn of his house... Cool air carcassed his face and unknowingly he thanked duo for giving him this chance to witness this beautiful scene... He was never a late riser... And watching the sun rise was his favorite thing to do in the morning... His busy life never gave him time though! But whenever he got a chance he never missed... Chirping of birds while they sailed the sky... The dew drops on the trees shining like a pearl in the ocean... The small flowers in his garden were in all pleasure this beautiful morning while a lone cloud flew in the otherwise clear sky ... The reddish sky being kissed by the rising sun... Slowly turning yellow! He couldn't name anything that was more enchanting than this sight... He settled on the chair present in his lawn and looking at some indefinite point in this infinite sky he drifted into the memory lane...

                             *Flashback*
             That day on the beach Dai maa told something to ACP sir... Something that made ACP sir adopt the little girl... What? Only both of them knew... A secret that was better buried cause its revelation would cause a havoc in many lives... ACP sir took the little soul to his house and Dai maa accompanied him... He handed over the responsibility of looking after her in his absence to Dai maa... He enquired about her and came to know that she had nobody else in her family and everything that she told about herself was true... Something told him that he could trust her and hence he gave the responsibility of his soul to her and she never disappointed him and his princess!
            He wondered how his life changed... Suddenly he started waiting for his duty hours to get finished cause he knew that his princess was waiting for him at home... He who never openly expressed himself became so expressive when it came to Arya... Everytime he was struck in a do or die situation he tried a bit more to survive as he wanted to return home, he knew there was someone whose life was incomplete without him! Arya changed him and how!

*5 years later*

            It was her first day in school and ACP sir was as excited as Arya! He had taken permission to go late to the office today as he wanted to drop her to school by himself... He made her wear her uniform and tied her hair in two little ponytails! In her new tweety school bag he kept her small books and left for the drawing room to accomplish the hardest task ever! That is to make little Arnu drink milk...

ACP - Beta pi lo na!

Arya - Nai pina!

ACP - Lekin kyu? Dekho milk pine se na energy aati hai and ajj apka first day hai na school mai toh apko bohot sari energy ki zarurat padegi!

Arya - Letin mujhe dood nai pasad!

ACP - Acha ok... Agar app yeh doodh pi loge na toh mai ajj apko apki favourit ice cream khilauga! Apke school se wapis aane ke baad!

Arya - Ice cleam!!!

ACP - Ab toh pioge na?

Arya - Haa!

            And finally she drank the milk... Obviously not without making faces! ACP sir made her wear her shoes and left in his car to drop her... Unlike other children who were crying not to go to school she was happy! And ACP sir was really really proud of his little angel for this achievement of her's... Giving a kiss on her cheek he sent her off with a thumbs up sign... She went inside the main gate and only after taking a few steps she came running back!

ACP - Kya hua beta? Wapis kyu aa gayi?

Arya - Maine papa ko huggie to di hi nai!

ACP - Aree mera bachcha!

          And then Arya hugged him... Or better say hugged his legs cause of her tiny height... When ACP sir bent down and squeezed her with all his love... Soon she left inside the school building and ACP sir could no more see her... He walked back to his car with teary eyes... His little girl was grown up... The emotion every parent feels on the day when their child's school life begins... A emotion that is often suppressed due to crying of their child! The drop in his eye was adamant and fell down... And ACP sir was surprised looking at it... He was feeling something different... As if something wrong was going to happen... Something wrong with his Arya! He couldn't help but he was restless... He kept looking at the school building for a while... All other parents had already left and he was standing there all alone... Brushing aside his negative thoughts he sat in his car making a silent prayer to god to keep the piece of his heart safe... He reached the CBI office and started working... But today couldn't concentrate... He was restless... His intuitions telling him that something is about to happen...
                        *Flashback ends*

            A touch on his shoulder brought him back... Looking behind he found Arya looking at him with worried expressions...

Arya - Kya hua papa? App yaha aise kyu baithe hai? Aur mai kabse awaz de rahi hu apne koi jawab bhi nahi diya!

ACP - Ha woh... Woh mai kuch soch raha tha... Kisi case ke bare mai...

           Arya well understood that he was lying... He was definitely thinking about something else... But she didn't want to force him to tell and so gave a small smile and said in a fresh tone...

Arya - Ok... Mai Abhijeet bhai aur Daya bhai ke saath jaa rahi hu... Raat tak aa jaugi! Unse thoda badla bhi toh lena hai meri neend kharab karne ka! (She said with a evil smirk)

ACP - Hmm jao... Aur sambhal kar jana! Kuch kar mat dena mere Abhijeet aur Daya ko!

Arya - Ha ha kuch nahi karugi 'apke' Abhijeet aur Daya ko!!!

            They were busy in their conversation when they heard Daya shout from the car...

Daya - Aa rahi ho ki hum jaye!!!

Arya - Aa rahi hu na! Thoda wait nahi kar sakte kya app!

             She shouted back and then quickly ran to the car while ACP sir moved inside the house shaking his head in disappointment...
__________________________________________

              Today was a good day! Especially for Arya who was completely enjoying her trip of Mumbai... Not without troubling her sweet brothers... They went to beach, to Gateway of India, CST station, fashion street, film city etc... Had their lunch in Taj lands hotel and then finally reached marine drives.
               It was about 8 in the evening and they were hell tired after enjoying the whole day... But Arya was still very excited as Marine drives was her dream place! She always wanted to come here... Especially at night to see the sea glittering in the lights of the Queen's necklace... The scene as always was mesmerizing... They sat with their legs hanging down facing the sea... The waves dashing against the rocks and at times sprinkling droplets of water on their faces... They sat silent and only heard the noise of the waves... The moon was shining bright in the sky and its reflection in the sea making the moment perfect... The twinkling stars had their own beauty... Behind them was the majestic Mahanagri and in front of them was the calm sea which also represented power! The slab on concrete which separated the two was where they were sitting! Can there be a sight more beautiful than this? For me, no!
             Duo went for a small stroll while Arya kept sitting at her place... She was lost in the moment and was smiling big... Her life was now so complete... She was in between her own people... Between those who loved her and cared for her... In her own land... In her dream house... With her father... Her godfather! The man who gave her life, not literally but yes he did! She had found herself a family... Two big brothers with whom she bonded so well in so less of a time... She had friends in purvi and tarika and pankaj... Some brotherly love from Freedy and a father figure in Salunkhe! She was to give the bar exam in a few days... As it was just yesterday that she had shifted to India and to continue her law practice here she had to give the bar exam... She knew that she would clear it... She was already prepared! She had everything she ever desired... A successful career, a beautiful family and lots of love to live with... But life is not full of beauty... It gives you thorns with flowers... And there were some waiting to prick her happiness!

To be continued...

              So am done! ACP sir had some intuitions!? What are they actually indicating? Is something bad really going to happen? In the past and in THE PRESENT? Wait to know further and until then please review...