The Present - Chapter 21

            Knock knock... Koi hai? Hai toh jaldi jaldi chappy pado! Mai last aaugi chapar chapar karne...

                             Chapter 21

*Hotel Hexa*

               After a silent journey of half an hour Abhijeet along with Arya reached the hotel where ACP Arjun was staying. Showing their IDs at reception and entering their names they took the elevator and reached room no 507 where they found ACP Arjun waiting for them. As they rang the doorbell Arjun opened the door and greeted them with...

Arjun - Aao Abhijeet. Kya baat hai iss waqt milna chahte the tum?

Abhijeet - Ha sir... Woh Arya ko kuch baat karni thi apse.

               Arjun looked at Arya who still maintained silence and then said...

Arjun - Aao andar...

              Now both Abhijeet and Arya came inside and settled on the couch that was present in the room. While Arjun himself settled on the one seater in front of them and asked after a minute...

Arjun - Kya loge? Chai? Coffee? Yaa kuch thanda?

Abhijeet - No sir. Thank you. We are fine.

              And once again silence engulfed the hotel room where the other two were waiting for Arya to begin when finally she said in a low voice...

Arya - (to Arjun) App jante hai ki unhone mujhe US kyu bejha tha?

             Arjun who was until now somewhere a little angry on Arya softened a little with her low tone and said...

Arjun - Nahi beta... Tumhari aur Dai maa ki tickets zarur maine hi book karwai thi. Par mujhe Prayduman ne kabhi nahi bataya ki usne tumhe US bejha kyu tha.

Arya - App toh itne saalo se jante hai na unhe? App jante honge na... Ki woh kabhi mujhse milne kyu nahi aaye? Kyu mujhe kabhi India nahi aane diya? Woh pyar karte the na mujhse?

             Her words had a question mark at the end but more than a question, her words had hope evident in them... Hope of listening that her father indeed loved her. Hearing her Arjun smiled lightly and then said...

Arjun - Pyar karta tha? Iss baat ka saboot chahiye tumhe? Beta woh pyar karta tha tabhi toh tumhe US bejha. Aur itne saalo tak mila hi nahi. Mai nahi janta kya! Par koi toh wajh thi. Aur yeh... Yeh koi property ka mamla nahi hai yaar! Kuch toh hua tha jab tum 5 saal ki thi. Jiski wajh se usne tumhe US bejha aur itne saal apne app se dur rakha. Kuch toh tha jo usne kabhi kisi ko bataya hi nahi! ACP Prayduman hai woh. Kabhi kuch bhi bina wajh nahi karta. Uske iss faisle ke piche bhi kuch toh raaz zarur hai!

Arya - (little angrily) Toh woh batate kyu nahi hai woh raaz!

              Insted of Arjun, Abhijeet answered her this time in a cold but meaningful voice...

Abhijeet - Tumne kabhi pucha bhi kaha unse?

              Arya downed her head realising that Abhijeet was right. She had always only assumed things based on what she saw but she never asked him about his side of the story. But then what about the things she saw? What about it? She had come here to find answers to her questions but now she was basically left with more questions. And understanding that Arjun would not be able to help her out in finding those answers she got up and said to Arjun...

Arya - Thank you sir. Ab hum chalte hai...

             Hearing this the other two got up too and Abhijeet after giving a formal handshake to Arjun started leaving behind Arya but as she was about to step out from the door Arjun said...

Arjun - Maine court mai bhi kaha tha beta... Abhi bhi keh raha hu. Apne shak mai itna aage mat chali jana ki jab sach pata chale toh wapis bhi na aa pao! Sach janne ka haq hai tumhe... Aur yeh baat mujhse behtar koi nahi janta ki kitna dard hota hai jab koi apna apse baat chupane lage. Ek waqt jo mera sabse khaas dost tha na usse pichle 22 saal se baat nahi ki maine. Jis raaz ne ajj tumhe adalat pohcha diya ussi raaz ne mujhse bhi mera dost cheena tha! Ha woh galat nazar aa raha hai tumhe. Mujhe bhi aata tha... Aata tha kya ajj bhi galat lagta hai woh mujhe! Par uski uss chuppi ke piche koi wajh toh hogi na! Tabhi toh woh apna sab kuch khone ko tayar hai par sach bolne ko nahi!

              Leaving her to think about it herself Abhijeet left the room. Soon Arya followed him with slow steps still thinking about what Arjun said. She reached the parking where Abhijeet was waiting for her near the car and as she came Abhijeet softly asked her as...

Abhijeet - Chale?

               She nodded her head lightly and started going towards the passenger seat when she heard Abhijeet say...

Abhijeet - Vishwas karogi mera agar mai kahu ki woh tumse bohot pyar karte hai?

               Now this was enough for her... The tears she was holding on from so long finally broke the barrier and started falling down in speed. While she rubbed them away harshly and turning asked Abhijeet little loudly as...

Arya - Toh kyu woh property papers dhoke se sign karwaye the unhone! Sab bhul jaugi mai agar mujhe iss kyu ki wajh mil jaye toh! (Once again wiping her non obedient tears) Mujhe woh property nahi chahiye bhai! Agar sirf yeh property ki baat hoti na toh mai kabhi US chod ke aati hi nahi! Par unka woh... Woh pyar sirf property ke liye tha yeh baat mujhe andar se khaye jaa rahi hai! Woh ek baar bas keh ke dekhte... Meri ajj tak ki jitni earnings hai sab unke naam kar deti mai. Par iss tarah... Iss tarah mujhe cheat karne ki kya zarurat thi? (She angrily looked away and continued lost in her thoughts) Woh mujhse kabhi pyar karte hi nahi the na... Itni buri hu kya mai? Ki kabhi unka dil jeet hi nahi payi. Sab unki tarif karte hai. Kare bhi kyu nahi. Naa jane kitne logo ki jaan bachayi unhone. Desh ke liye apni duty ke liye kya kuch nahi kiya unhone! Phir sirf mere saath hi aisa kyu kiya?! Arjun ji ne kaha tha na ki woh mujhe orphanage chodne gaye the! Toh wahi chod aate na. Mujhe sab kuch dekar kudh ko mujhse cheen lene ka kya matlab hai?

              Her eyes were reflecting something else... No no... Basically reflecting nothing! Nor anger, nor sadness, nor questions, nor the confusion! The only thing they contained were tears. Which were simply flowing down her eyes in speed. But the emptiness in her eyes scared Abhijeet somewhere. No matter how angry he himself was at Arya he could not see her in this condition. Afterall he had called her his sister! Going near her he kept a hand on her head like a elder brother and she without even looking at him hugged him tightly hiding her face in his chest and started crying her heart out. While Abhijeet held her from her shoulders and slowly patted her head to console her... But when even after 5 minutes she didn't stop crying he said caringly...

Abhijeet - Arya... Chalo ab rona band karo. Hum... (Changing his words) Matlab SIT kar rahi hai na investigation iss case ki. Jo bhi hoga samne aa jayega. Tumhe bhi aur hume bhi apne sare sawalo ke jawab mil jayege.

               Separating from him she wiped her eyes to make her vision clear and asked innocently like a kid...

Arya - Sab naraz hai mujhse. Daya bhai bhi... Dai maa bhi... Aur baki sab bhi. App naraz nahi hai?

Abhijeet - (smiling lightly) Naraz koi nahi hai tumse. Bas gussa hai. Mai bhi hu. Kyu nahi houga! Tumhare papa humare bhi toh ACP sir hai. Jis wajh se tum mujhe 'bhai' kehti ho! kaise gussa na hoye hum tumse? Ajj bhi yehi kahuga mai... Tumhe sir ka vishwas karna chahiye tha. Tumhare sawal galat nahi hai. Bas unka jawab dhundne ki jagah jo tumne lizam laga diya na sir pe woh galat tha! (Sighing) Par manogi toh tum toh bhi nahi! Toh tum karo jo tumhe karna hai. Hum woh karege jo hume karna hai! Aur iske pehle ki mai ek evidence bag nikal lu tumhare yeh aasu as a evidence court mai pesh karne ke liye inhe rok lo aur chalo ghar!

               Smiling lightly Arya wiped off her tears and joined Abhijeet on the passenger seat as he was already sitting on the driving wheel now. Starting the car Abhijeet swiftly drove away while once again there was only silence between them. Afterall they were on the opposite sides of the coin representing the opposite sides of the story! The two lawyers who were fighting for what they believed was true! Yes they shared an unsaid bond which was special for both of them but the reason behind the bond that is ACP sir was why they were so close yet far away from each other!

*Beach*

              Daya was sitting on the sand on his kneens. In his hand he was holding a small stick and with help of it he was drawing something on the sand. He was drawing the pattern that was inside the paper cup in which he was handed over the tea by that teenage boy. After a minute of drawing the pattern on the sand he stood up to take a glance at it. And it showed like

.,,..,.. .,,.,,,, .,,...,, ..,.,,,. ..,,,... ..,,..,, ..,,.... ..,.,,,. .,,.,,.,
.,,..,., .,,..,., .,,,.,..

It was basically a combination of dots and commas... A code combination that was known only to him, Abhijeet and ACP sir which they used to send each other some secret information when they were on mission or in a condition from where they could not communicate. And this one was from ACP sir! Shocked at the fact Daya wondered why did ACP sir suddenly contact him when until few days ago he was not ready to utter anything even after constant pressuring by them. But then keeping his thoughts aside Daya got back to the work of decoding the message.

Daya - (thinking) 8... Yeh dots aur commas ka har set 8 ka hai. Phir uske baad thodi si space aur phir next 8 ka set. 8 ka set... Matlab kya ho sakta hai! Pin code toh 6 digits hota hai. Yeh koi address lag bhi nahi raha. Toh phir? Mobile number bhi 10 digits ka hota hai. Kya hoga yeh? (After thinking for a while) Binary code!

(A binary code represents text, computer processor instructions, or any other data using a two-symbol system. The two-symbol system used is often "0" and "1" from the binary number system.)

Daya - Yes binary code mai har alphabet, number yaa symbol 8 digits se express kiya jata hai. Par binary code mai toh sirf 0 aur 1 hi use hota hai! Toh phir yeh! Ha!!! Yeh dots agar 0 hai toh commas 1 ho sakte hai!

              And then he made another pattern on the sand with the help of the stick. Writing every '.' as '0' and every ',' as '1'. It came up as...

01100100 01101111 01100011 00101110 00111000 00110011 00110000 00101110 01101101 01100101 01100101 01110100

Now taking out his phone he searched on the net for 'binary codes for English alphabets' and from that he found that the first code of 01100100 was a small letter 'd', second one 01101111 was small letter 'o', third one 01100011 was small letter 'c'. But fourth one he did not find in alphabets and hence leaving it aside thinking of it as number or some symbol moved to the next one. But same happened with 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th. But the next four sets of codes came out to be 'm', 'e', 'e', 't'. So it came out as...

doc____meet

Now to search for the remaining 4 sets in the middle Daya checked for 'binary codes for numbers' and found that 5th, 6th and 7th sets were '8', '3' and '0' respectively. So the code now becoming as...

doc_830_meet

While daya now noticed that the 4th set and the 8th set were same and hence whatever symbol it was... It was same at 4th and 8th place. He searched for 'binary codes for symbols' and found that it was the binary code for '.' So now whole of his code breaking on the sand was looking like...

.,,..,..      -      01100100      -       d
.,,.,,,,.      -      01101111      -       o
.,,...,,       -     01100011       -       c
..,.,,,.       -     00101110       -        .
..,,,...      -      00111000       -       8
..,,..,,      -      00110011       -       3
..,,....      -     00110000       -       0
..,.,,,.       -     00101110       -       .
.,,.,,.,       -     01101101       -       m
.,,..,.,       -     01100101       -       e
.,,..,.,       -     01100101       -       e
.,,,.,..       -     01110100       -       t

Making it as doc.830.meet

Daya - (talking to himself) doc matlab doctor. 830 matlab 8:30 that is time aur meet matlab milo. Par konse doctor ko 8:30 pe milo? Iss case mai toh koi doctor involved hai hi nahi! Sir kehna kya chahte hai? (After a moment) Ek minute! Doctor milo ki jagah shayad kahi yeh toh nahi ki doctor banke milo! Sir ko! Ho sakta hai sir ko kuch batana ho aur lock up mai mujhe toh milne denge nahi isiliye sir ne doctor banke bulaya ho. Par woh mujhe doctor banke bhi kyu milne denge? (Patting his own head) Itna kyu soch raha hai Daya! ACP sir hai woh. Unhone plan kar liya hoga ki unhe doctor ki zarurat kyu padegi. Bas mujhe kal subah 8:30 ko lock up ke bahar pohachna hai. Doctor banke!

              And erasing all that he had written on sand with his hand and throwing the stick away Daya walked back to his car. The remains being wiped out by the sea waves... Still having so many questions in his mind he drove off to his house... Thinking as to why did ACP sir suddenly call him to meet him... What was it that he wanted to say. "Hopefully the truth' he prayed. He also wondered if he should tell the team or atleast Abhijeet about this but then decided against it thinking that ACP sir sent him the message on the beach when he knew he would be alone. So maybe there's a reason for it! Also if required he could always tell them later...

*Next morning, 7:30 am*

                Daya was sitting in his car in a disguise so that no one could recognise him. A doctor's white apron hanging on the passenger seat... But before leaving for the lock up where ACP sir was kept he made a call to Abhijeet...

Abhijeet - Ha Daya?

Daya - Yaar woh ajj mai tumhare ghar nahi aa pauga woh discussion ke liye. Tum please team aur Veer se baat kar lena. Aur soch lena ki karna kya hai?

Abhijeet - Ha theek hai mai dekh lunga. Lekin kya baat hai? Kal toh kaha tha ki aaoge. Achanak nahi aa rahe tum? Thode pareshan lag rahe ho? Sab theek hai na?

               Shocked to see that Abhijeet still understood that he was tensed even after he had done everything he could to make his voice sound normal somehow Daya managed as...

Daya - Ha Abhi... Sab theek hai. Woh bas mere khabri ne milne bula liya achanak. Bas isilye nahi aa pauga yaar.

Abhijeet - (still not convinced) Sab theek hai na Daya?

Daya - Ha yaar. Tum bekar mai tension le rahe ho! Mai aata hu na beauro. Thoda late ho sakta hai par aauga. Tab baat karte hai.

Abhijeet - Acha theek hai. Take care.

               Cutting the call Daya took a sigh of relief with 'Pata nahi isse kaise sab pata chal jata hai! Jaise iski aakhe mere saath hi travel karti ho!' and nodding his head in a no in light smile he put the keys in car's ignition and then drove off to police station with lots of questions in his mind.

*Outside ACP sir's house*

              Purvi was still keeping an eye on ACP sir's house hiding in between the trees. When after the wait of one whole night Dai maa finally came out of the house... Looked around and stopping a taxi sat in it and drove off. While Purvi sat in her car and started following the taxi from a safe distance so as not to come under suspicion of being followed...

*Outside police station, 8:15 am*

               Daya was impatiently waiting outside for the clock to strike 8:30 still thinking about what was the matter. Took a look at his face in the front camera of his phone to take a final check at his disguise and as soon as the clock stuck 8:30 entered inside with his doctor's coat in hanging on his left hand. He directly went to Insp Dev's table who looking at him asked as...

Dev - Yes?

Daya - Woh actually... Woh mera phone chori ho gaya tha... Mujhe uski report likhwani thi

Dev - Acha theek hai. (Calling out to shinde) Shinde. Inki report...

           But before he could say anything further another cop came running out and exclaimed to Dev as...

Officer - Sir woh ACP sir ko pata nahi achanak kya ho gaya?

Dev - Kya hogaya matlab? What happened Mahesh?

Mahesh - Sir woh unki tabiyat kharab ho rahi hai sir. Pata nahi woh saas nahi le paa rahe!

Dev - Oh no! Jaldi doctor ko bulao tum. Tab tak dekhta hu mai!

             Mahesh took out his phone in order to call the doctor while Dev turned towards Daya with 'App please waha (indicating to the adjacent table where a constable was sitting) report likhwa...'

Daya - (cutting him in between) Agar app chahe toh kya mai dekh sakta hu unhe? Am a doctor (showing him his left hand where his white coat was hanging)

Dev - Ab app woh...

              Insp Dev looked confused as to what to do. Allowing any random person to meet ACP sir could create problems but then what if something happened to ACP sir that too under his custudy! When understanding his confusion Daya said...

Daya - Dekhiye jaisa ki inhone (indicating towards Mahesh) ne kaha unhe breathing mai problem ho rahi hai. It can be serious. Baki app ki marzi!

Dev - Acha theek hai. Aayiye app! Iss taraf...

             He said moving into the corridor and then led him through a passage to the lock ups. Where in one of those lock ups ACP sir was sitting panting hard with his right hand on his chest. While a constable was standing there with a glass of water in his hand a confused look on his face. Seeing Dev coming there the constable opened the door of the lock up while Daya along with Dev and Mahesh entred inside through it. Daya instantly moved towards ACP sir and told him to lie down on the bench while started behaving like he was checking him out. After a minute he said to Dev...

Daya - App log please bahar jayege? Mujhe inhe check karna hai!

Dev - Apko jo bhi karna hai humare samne hi kijiye!

Daya - Dekhiye it's important. Please? Waise bhi yeh CCTV toh laga hi hai na yaha pe. App issi se nazar rakh lijiye ga?

                Dev thought for a second and then giving a glance to the CCTV camera nodded his head in yes and then moved out with Mahesh and the constable saying...

Dev - Theek hai. Kuch bhi chahiye ho toh hume inform kar dijiye ga.

                Before going away completely Insp Dev told the constable to stand there besides the wall just in case of any necessity and also to keep an eye on both. While Daya as Dev moved out kept a hand on ACP sir's chest and wishpered a slow 'sir' as CCTV could only see but not hear!
                Hearing him ACP sir who until now was pretending to be in pain slowly opened his eyes and looked at his son who was staring at him with a worried face... While ACP sir understanding his son's unsaid fear said in a low voice as...

ACP - Kuch nahi hua mujhe. Theek hu.

                 A relaxed expression took the place of the worried one on Daya's face while he continuing to pretend treating him asked as...

Daya - Kya baat hai sir?

               ACP sir knowing that they didn't have a lot of time as Dev or any other officer could come there any moment directly came to the point as...

ACP - Tum log yeh jo chup chup ke investigation kar rahe ho na...  Band karo isse...

Daya - (little angry) Sir yeh app. App abhi bhi yehi bol rahe hai!

ACP - Daya tum iss case ki investigation nahi karoge. And thats an order!

Daya - (in a angry wishper) Aur yeh apka pehla aur shayad akhri order hai jo mai follow nahi karuga sir!

ACP - (irritated) Tum samjhte kyu nahi ho Daya? Theek hai nahi manna. Mat mano. Parso court ki hearing hai. Parso mai court mai apna gunah kabul kar lunga!

Daya - (shocked) Apna gunah? Konsa gunah sir? Woh gunah jo apne kiya hi nahi hai? Sir app kyu apne app ko musibat mai phasane pe tule hai. Maine socha tha apne mujhe sach batane ke liye bulaya hoga. Par app toh...

ACP - Kaise samjhau mai tumhe Daya (Angrily) Abhijeet aur Arya ki jaan kathre mai hai. Agar yeh investigation nahi roki na tumne Abhijeet ko maar dalege woh log!

                Daya was too shocked to react while ACP sir continued...

ACP - Daya baat samjhne ki koshish karo! Har waqt tum par nazar rakhi jaa rahi hai. Tum jitna sach ke paas pohchoge utna hi paas Abhijeet kathre ke!

Daya - Chaliye kam se kam aapne yeh toh accept kiya ki sach kuch aur hai. Woh nahi jo app ab tak kehte aaye hai.

ACP - Maine agar sach nahi bola toh koi jhut bhi nahi bola. Daya isilye maine tumhe milne bulaya aur Abhijeet ko nahi. Kyuki Abhijeet ko yeh batane se koi fayeda hota hi nahi ki uski jaan ko kathra hai. Daya usse kuch nahi hona chahiye! Parso waise hi mai court mai kudh ko guilty accept kar lunga. Lekin tab tak uski safety tumhari zimadari hai! Uske ghar pe rehna hai... Toh bhi karo! Lekin uss par humesha nazar rakho samjhe!

                Before Daya could reply anything Mahesh came there and called daya as...

Mahesh - Hogaya kya apka? Is he ok now?

Daya - (looking at him) Ha... Bas do minute. Abhi aaya mai.

                 Nodding his head in yes Mahesh kept standing there waiting for him while Daya once again wishpered to him... This time in a voice even lower than before as...

Daya - Abhijeet ki jaan bachane ke liye apko apni zindagi barbad nahi karne dunga mai sir. Na Abhijeet ko kuch hoga... Na Arya ko... Aur naa hi apko!

ACP - Nahi manoge na tum. Theek hai. Parso tak ka waqt hai tumhare pass...

              Leaving a sigh Daya stood up straight and said to Mahesh as...

Daya - Chaliye...

               Constable opened up the door of the lock up and Daya came outside giving one last glance to ACP sir who was now staring the ceiling of the lock up. Coming out with Insp Mahesh to where Insp Dev was now sitting on his desk watching the CCTV live footage of ACP sir's cell Daya said as Dev looked at him...

Daya - He is fine now. Acidity ki wajh se gas ho gayi thi. Jo chest mai jake atak gayi thi isilye unhe chest pain ho raha tha. He is ok now. Mai dawai likh deta hu. Woh unhe khila dijiyega ajj 3 times. Ek dose abhi aur ek lunch ke pehle aur ek dinner ke pehle.

Dev - Ok app likh dijiye medicine...

Daya - Woh paper...

             Dev forwarded him a notepad and Daya wrote the name of a harmless antacid in a different handwriting than that of his to avoid any problems only in case. And then silently left the police station before Dev remembered and said to Mahesh as... 'Aree woh unke phone chori ki report likhwane aaye the! Woh toh likhwai hi nahi! Bulao unhe!' But before Mahesh came out to find him Daya and his car had already disappeared.

*Pune, 2 and half hours later*

             The taxi stopped in front of the huge mansion that was now covered in dust... Between the rustling sound of the dried leaves Dai maa stepped out of the taxi and after paying the driver stared the huge iron door in front of her. She waited for a second and then glancing around for once pushed open the iron door and stepped inside...
             Purvi who was still following her now came out from her car that she had parked at a little distance. With carefull steps she reached near the mansion and looked at it to find a huge name plate with 'Malhotra Mansion' written over it. The name plate which now had a broken corner. Cautiously Purvi entered inside and went in the direction where she had seen Dai maa going. But she even after taking a round of the whole mansion didn't find her. She searched everywhere but Dai maa was no where to be seen! Wondering where she had disappeared Purvi stared at the big front door of the mansion where SIT's seal was present. Thinking where Dai maa could have gone Purvi said to herself...

Purvi - Yeh Dai maa akhir gayi kaha! Abhi toh yehi thi. Aur toh aur yaha karne kya aayi hai woh? (After a second) Kahi andar toh nahi! Par darwaze pe toh seal hai...

               And now looking for a way inside Purvi once again moved to the sides of the mansion where she found a broken window. The window through which few months ago Arya had entered inside and her life was turned upside down! Thinking for a minute if she should enter inside or no she decided to enter and jumped in through the broken window.
               She looked around to see if Dai maa was inside but before she could move anywhere she heard...

Voice - Hands up!

To be continued...

             Kon aaya? Now where is Purvi struck? Abhijeet sir ki jaan ko bhi kathra hai! Ab kya karege Daya sir? Answers next chapter mai milege! Tab tak keep reading and reviewing!!!

The Present - Chapter 20

              Heyo! Aa gayi mai wapis! Meri bak bak baad mai. Chalo pehle jaldi jaldi chappy padlo!

                              Chapter 20

              ACP Arjun left for his hotel and Veer for his office while team left for ACP sir's house to meet Dai maa... They were sure she had a lot to tell. But wondering why she didn't say anything previously or even in court they reached ACP sir's house and rang the doorbell... Shayam opened the door and they settled on the couch while Dai maa came down from upstairs wondering what must be the matter that they came here even though they met only few hours ago in the court.

Dai maa - App log yaha? Achanak?

Abhijeet - Ha woh kuch baat karni thi app se...

Dai maa (sitting down on chair) - Ji boliye na? Kya madad kar sakti hu mai apki?

Daya - App please yeh bata sakti hai ki app Arya ko kab se janti hai?

Dai maa - 27 saal se janti hu mai usse... Sahab ke usse god lene ke kuch baad turant hi rakh liya tha unhone mujhe uski dekh bhaal ke liye. Unke kaam ki wajh se unhe zayada waqt nahi mil pata tha Arya ka khayal rakhne ke liye. Isilye unhone mujhe rakha tha.

Abhijeet - Agar app Arya ko tab se hi janti hai toh phir apko yeh bhi pata hoga na ki ACP sir ne Arya ko akhir US bejha kyu tha?

Freddy - Aisi kya zarurat pad gayi ki unhone achanak usse US bejh diya aur itne saalo mai kabhi usse mile bhi nahi!

Dai maa (fidgeting with her fingers) - Beta mai nahi janti ki kyu bejha tha. Unhone mujhe bas itna bataya ki Arya ki parwarish waha jayada behtar ho payegi isilye usse bejh rahe hai. Sirf 5 saal ki thi woh... Akeli toh reh nahi sakti thi... Isilye saath mai mujhe bhi bejh diya!

Daya - App bura mat maniyega par app jane ke liye tayar kaise ho gayi? Matlab yaha apka ghar, pariwar...

Dai maa - Mera koi ghar pariwar hai hi nahi... Kiraye ke jhopde mai rehti thi mai! Jab sahab ne mujhe Arya ki Dai bana kar rakh liya. Mera khana pina... Rehna sab ka intezam sahab hi karte the. Karte the kya... Ajj bhi wahi karte hai. Jab unhone mujhe kaha ki woh Arya ko US bejh rahe hai aur saath mai mujhe bhi uska khayal rakhne jana hoga mai unhe mana nahi kar payi... Mana karne ki koi wajh bhi toh nahi thi!

Purvi - Unhone kabhi apko kuch nahi bataya ki unhone aisa kiya kyu?

Dai maa - Nahi beta... Maine kabhi puchne ki himmat nahi ki... Aur unhone kabhi bataya nahi.

Abhijeet - Acha theek hai... Koi baat nahi. Ab hum chalte hai.

                 And soon team came out of the house greeting Dai maa and settled in the car when Daya asked Abhijeet while putting the keys in the car's ignition...

Daya - Tum bhi wahi soch rahe ho jo mai soch raha hu?

Abhijeet - Ha Daya... Kuch toh karna padega!

Daya - Ha, lekin kya?

Salunkhe - (from back seat) Aree ek minute! Kya soch rahe ho tum dono! Kuch toh clear bolo! Hume bhi toh samjh aaye!

Tarika - Ha na... Mujhe bhi kuch nahi samjha... Kis bare mai kuch toh karna padega?

Abhijeet - Kya salunkhe sahab! Itna bhi nahi samjhe!

Salunkhe - Aree! Kuch bologe hi nahi toh mujhe samjhega kaise ki kis bare mai baat kar rahe the tum dono!

Daya - (smiling) Sir hum yeh bol rahe the ki Dai maa jhoot bol rahi hai!

Pankaj - Par apko aisa kyu lagta hai sir?

Daya - Dekha nahi tumne woh kitni nervous thi humse baat karte waqt? Mai dawe ke saath keh sakta hu ki woh jhoot bol rahi thi! Waise bhi koi iss tarah se 22 saal ke liye desh chod kar nahi chala jata woh bhi bina wajh jane! Kuch toh baat hai. Aur woh, woh baat janti hai! Bas bata nahi rahi

Purvi - Par sir woh jhoot kyu bolegi?

Abhijeet - Pata nahi! (After a moment) Ek kaam karo Purvi!

Purvi - Yes sir?

Abhijeet - Tum yehi ruko... Sir ke ghar ke bahar! Aur Dai maa par nazar rakho! Dekho woh kya karti hai... Kisse milti hai. Sab kuch!

Purvi - Ok sir!

             And Purvi now got down the car and hid herself behind the wall of the lawn in ACP sir's house while rest of them drove away to beauro dropping salunkhe sir and tarika in forensic lab.
             The rest of the day went being busy in usual cases. And deciding to meet up tomorrow early morning in Abhijeet's house before beauro to discuss their further moves all of them started packing up for the day. When suddenly beauro door opened and Insp Dev with some other SIT officers came inside... Soon they were followed by Arya and Rahul. Giving a stare to the new comers Abhijeet and Daya got up from their desks and went upto them while Freddy and Pankaj remained standing at their own places (Purvi was still keeping an eye on ACP sir's house hence was not in beauro).

Abhijeet - Yes?

Dev - Sir woh hume ACP Prayduman ke cabin  ki talashi leni hai.

              Pankaj and Freddy beamed with anger hearing this while Daya maintained silence to control himself... When after a grave silence of a moment Abhijeet asked Insp Dev looking sharply in his eyes...

Abhijeet - Search warrant laye ho?

             Nodding his head in yes Dev forwarded his hand to one of his subordinates who handed him an envelope which Dev forwarded to Abhijeet... Who grabbing it still looking at him with the same sharp gaze opened it up and finally turned his gaze away to read the search warrant. It was correct and hence having no other option said...

Abhijeet - Jayiye! (Indicating towards sir's cabin) Aur Freddy tum bhi jao inke saath. Make sure kisi bhi confidential chiz ko haat na lagaye!

               Freddy silently moved inside with Dev and other SIT officers as told by Abhijeet while Arya and Rahul kept standing at there own places.
               Arya today unlike other days looked a little uncomfortable... She had not uttered a word since she entered even after such strict behaviour by Abhijeet that had somewhere sent down shivers through even Insp Dev's spine. She was blankly staring at ACP sir's cabin... To others it seemed as if she was trying to know if SIT officers had found something or not but actually she was lost in her own world. Abhijeet's words to her in court today had somewhere made a crack on her heart which she had from past few days disguised as a stone! Her love for her father peeping out from the crack. No matter how much her brain tried to convince her with 'ACP sir is not innocent' somewhere Abhijeet's words 'Jis insan ke character pe app ungli utha rahi hai na ussi insan ne apko ungli pakad kar chalna sikhaya tha!' were ringing in her ears. After days finally she felt like believing the love she had felt in all these 27 years and just forgetting all the proofs that she had just seen. A battle between her and her was going on inside her!
               Soon Insp Dev came out from the cabin with others and slowly said to her as 'Kuch nahi mila'. She didn't react and he left with his team leaving Arya and Rahul still standing at the same place. The confident gazes of duo made Rahul uncomfortable and he slowly said to Arya as...

Rahul - Chale?

               With this Arya finally came out of her thoughts and looking at Rahul told him...

Arya - Tu jaa... Mai aa jaugi baad mai.

Rahul - Par kaha jana hai tujhe? Kuch kaam hai?

Arya - Nahi... Bas tu ja. Mai aa jaugi na

Rahul - Aree par...

Arya - Rahul please...

Rahul - Acha theek hai! Jata hu mai. Tujhe drop kar du jaha jana hai waha?

Arya - Nahi mai chali jaugi.

Rahul - Sure?

Arya - Ha.

             And whispering a 'take care' to her even Rahul left the beauro while Arya finally looking at duo said uncomfortably...

Arya - Wo... Wo... Bhai...

              Duo who were till now looking at her in anger and confusion turned a little softer with this 'bhai' that they heard after a long time... She didn't say anything further and looked like searching for words when Abhijeet said...

Abhijeet - Bolo?

              Gaining some courage she said looking down...

Arya - Woh mujhe... Arjun ji se milna hai!

            The little good that the 'bhai' had done was wasted by this sentence of Arya and now Daya said in anger...

Daya - Aur woh kyu?

Arya - (finally looking at him) Kuch baat karni hai unse...

Abhijeet - Jo baat karni hai court mai karna Advocate Arya! (chewing his words)

Arya - Advocate Arya ko nahi milna... ACP Prayduman ki beti ko milna hai!

             Now this was the limit for Daya and the volcano of anger that he was holding within himself for long burst out with this...

Daya - (shouting) Toh finally ACP Prayduman ki beti ban hi gayi tum? Kaise? Unhone toh tumhe adopt kiya hi nahi hai na? He is only your legal guardian! Aree jis insan ne tumhare parents ko mara hai unhe kaise tum apna pita maan sakti ho? Bhool gayi kya ki unhone tumhari property dhoke se apne naam karwa li thi? Finally aa gayi tumhe unki yaad? Unhe itne dino tak lock up mai band karwake rakhne ke baad yaad aa gayi? Puri duniya ke samne... Media ke samne unki izzat uchalne ke baad tumhe ajj finally yaad aa gaya ki tum unki beti ho? Ek respected ACP ko unki job se suspend karane ke baad ajj yaad aa hi gaya tumhe? Unki hasi, unki khusiya... Aree yaha tak ki unke alfaz tak unse cheen lene ke baad mai yaad aa hi gaya tumhe? Aree muskurana bhool chuke hai woh! Najane kitne dino se humse kaam ke alawa baat tak nahi ki! Court ke bahar bhi milte hai toh bas ek baar dekhkar chale jate hai! Jakar pucho Salunkhe sir se ki kis halat mai mile the woh unko uss din jab tumne unke pita honepar sawal uthaya tha! Itna kamzor, itna lachar kabhi nahi dekha humne unhe! Sab kuch tumhari wajh se! Aree sharam aati hai mujhe yeh kehte hue ki tum unki beti ho! Acha hi kiya unhone jo tumhe apne app se dur rakha itne saalo tak. Unke paas rehne layak ho bhi nahi tum! Unka pyar deserve hi nahi karti! (With teary eyes) Pal pal mar rahe hai woh waha... Har din unka woh charm kam hota jaa raha hai! Yaar aise roz thoda thoda marne se toh behtar hota ki tum ek baar mai hi unhe...

               His words got struck in his throat... How could he utter such a thing for his father? But the helpless eyes of his beloved ACP sir made him weak that he couldn't control his tears. A silent drop slid down his eye and he just looked away to hide it when Abhijeet came towards him and held his hand firmly in his grip. His little emotional fool needed him. Yes a 'fool'. Sometimes the fool of English when he lost control over emotions at time of duty while sometimes a fool of Hindi cause his heart was actually as soft as a flower. Abhijeet slowly patted his back as Daya wiped away his eyes and went out of beauro to wash his face and gain back his nerves... But before he stepped out of the door he turned back once again and said looking at Arya's back who was staring the ground with her teary eyes...

Daya - Tumhe kabhi maaf nahi karuga mai Arya... Kabhi nahi. Humse humare ACP sir cheene hai tumne... Kabhi maaf nahi karuga...

                And walking away with faster pace he left while Abhijeet now finally looked at Arya who had beared all the anger of his brother silently... But somewhere he believed that she deserved it. But keeping aside his emotions for now he said...

Abhijeet - Niche parking mai wait karo... Mai aata hu 10 minute mai. Chalte hai Arjun sir se milne.

                Without even looking at him for once Arya walked off while Abhijeet after telling Freddy and Pankaj to pack up for the day and leave he himself went to look for his angry bird who he knew would be crying sitting in some corner. He went towards washroom and found Daya in corridor standing leaning to the wall with wet face as he had just splashed water on it. His eyes were closed while he was simply taking some deep breaths to calm himself down. When Abhijeet said to gain his attention...

Abhijeet - Hmm toh janab yaha hai!

                With this Daya opened his eyes and giving him a glance looked away... When he heard from a shocked Abhijeet as...

Abhijeet - Aree! Mujhpe kis baat ka gussa nikala jaa raha hai bhai?

Daya - (angrily) Kya zarurat hai tumhe usse Arjun sir se milwane ki?

Abhijeet - (shocked) Tumhe kaise pata mai le jaa raha hu usse?

Daya - (making a face) Itna toh janta hu mai tumhe!

               Smiling in affection Abhijeet punched his arm lightly and said...

Abhijeet - Abe toh mere lal tamatar! Yeh bhi pata hoga na tumhe toh ki kyu le jaa raha hu!

Daya - Abhijeet tum...

Abhijeet - Daya! Yaar dekh... Nafrat nahi karti woh ACP sir se. Bas uska dimag ulta chal raha hai! Baat samjhne ki koshish kar na... Usne bhi toh apna sab kuch khoya hai na? Humne ACP sir ko apne pita ki jagah di hai. Uske bhi toh woh wahi hai na? Agar hum sir ko taklif mai nahi dekh sakte toh kya usse dard nahi hota hoga sir ko woh taklif kudh deke? Uski jagah kudh ko rakh ke dekh! 22 saal baad wapis aayi hai woh India... 22 saal baad usse mili jo milo dur rehkar bhi uski puri duniya the! Aur wapis aake usse kya pata chalta hai? Ki jis insan ne usse paal pos kar bada kiya ussi ne usko janam dene walo ko mara tha. Aur phir woh property ka chakkar! Ha usse sir ka vishwas karna chahiye tha... Par uski toh puri duniya hi palat gayi na! Kamse kam iss mushkil waqt mai hum saath toh hai. Freddy hai, salunkhe sir hai, purvi, pankaj, tarika! Humara pura pariwar saath hai! Woh toh isme bhi akeli hai!

Daya - Par Abhijeet woh galat hai!

Abhijeet - Maine kab kaha woh galat nahi hai? Woh galat hai! Par woh ghunegar nahi hai. Aur toh aur apni galti ki saza woh kudh bhugat rahi hai akele pan ke roop mai... Aur na jane kitne waqt sahegi guilt ke roop mai jab usse sach pata chalega!

              Yes... Abhijeet was right... She was at fault but she was also the biggest sufferer! This realization calmed down Daya and he leaving a sigh he said to Abhijeet...

Daya - Jao tum... Wait kar rahi hogi woh tumhara.

Abhijeet - (smiling) Thats like my good tamatar!

Daya - Huh! Mai tamatar nahi hu!

Abhijeet - Ha ha... Dikh raha hai! Laal laal shakal bana rakhi hai aur aaya bada mai tamatar nahi hu!

              Daya shouting as 'Abhijeet tum' and ran behind Abhijeet who was already walking down the stairs to save himself... When Daya once again heard him say from the parking as...

Abhijeet - Ghar jate time mai pehle beach pe aauga! Agar janab mujhe tab tak beach pe baithe mile na toh unki khair nahi!

             While Daya grumbled hearing him as... 'Huh... Khadus boss'. And he himself went down to parking and drove off towards beach as after his boss's strict warning he had very less time to spend there and he didn't want to waste the little time he had.

*Beach, an hour and half later*

              Daya was silently sitting staring the waves as they touched his feet time to time and went back into the sea taking away his tension and worries with it. This soothing place was his only escape from all the worries and he just couldn't have enough of it. But then he realized that he had already spent enough time here and had to go back home...

Daya - (to himself) Chalo bhai Daya... Ghar chalo... Nahi toh agar Abhi aa gaya na toh phir meri khair nahi!

               Dusting away his feet he wore back his socks and shoes when someone patted on his shoulder from behind... With the scare of 'boss toh nahi aa gaya' he looked behind saying...

Daya - Dekho mai jaa hi raha tha. Tum itne jaldi kaise...

               But he stopped in between seeing that the visitor was not his boss but a young boy of around 16 years old. He was wearing a simple pale yellow t shirt with a black three forth trouser. He was holding a tea kettle and a pack of paper disposable cups in his one hand. Daya glanced around but not finding anyone there asked the boy as...

Daya - Beta app yaha kya kar rahe ho? Woh bhi iss waqt? (It was almost midnight)

            Boy did not answer his question instead took out one cup from his packet of cups and filled it with tea from the kettle and asked him offering the cup...

Boy - Chai piyege sahab?

Daya - Beta mujhe chai nahi chahiye... App mujhe yeh batao app yaha kya kar rahe ho? Naam kya hai apka? Kaha rehte ho?

              But again boy ignored his question and said...

Boy - Le lo na sahab chai!

Daya - Aree par...

              But before Daya could complete his sentence the boy held his hand and keeping the filled cup in his hand ran away saying...

Boy - Le lo sahab... Apke liye hi hai!

              Daya tried stopping him but the boy didn't stop and as he disappeared from Daya's vision he now looked at the cup in his hand and said shockingly as...

Daya - 'Mere liye hi hai' se kya matlab tha iska! Aur paise bhi nahi liye aise hi bhaag gaya!

               He understood that something was wrong and the tea was not ment to be tea but was something else. He emptied the cup in the dustbin not taking the risk of drinking it if it would have had something mixed in it. Just as he emptied the cup and saw inside it and was shocked. A whisper came out of his mouth as...

Daya - ACP sir!

To be continued...

              Aisa kya mila daya sir ko ki he got shocked? Keep reading to know the answer!!!