Part 23
In Abhi’s house,
Abhi entered like a storm…the air was still heavy and sleepy but he didn’t have time to waste. Everyone had already left for Pune. He was to leave late as he had to take Shipra along and it would have had been bad to not give her time to pack properly and so he had told others to go while he shall catch up with them within an hour. ACP had asked him to hence drop at everyone’s place and pick their things too…he had done that and now he was at his place to take his and pick Shipra.
Shipra was in the hall waiting for Abhi…Abhi had mysteriously called and asked her to pack her bags quickly…Shruti was in the kitchen.
Shipra – “kya hua?”
Abhi – “aapne abhi tak samaan nahi pack kiya?”
Shipra – “nahi…hua –“
Abhi – “humare paas time nahi hai…mujhe jald se jald Pune jaana hai aur aap saath chal rahi hain.”
Shipra – “par hua kya?”
Abhi told her everything and showed her the fax copy.
Abhi – “ab chalein yaa abhi bhi behas karni hai?”
Shipra – “main abhi nahi chal rahi hoon.”
Abhi – “kya matlab hai aapka?”
Shipra – “main yahan jis kaam ke liye aayi hoon wohh poora nahi hua hai…aur main usse kiye bagair nahi jaaungi…aur wahan kyun jaaun jab itna khatra hai aur mere upar already humle ho chuke hain”
Shipra took a long time to complete the sentence and it looked as though she was making it in the very minute. And it was very weird of her to say this but Abhi knew he couldn’t stop regardless of anything…he had to go to Pune without delay…
Abhi – “par aap yaha…”
Shipra – “main yahan theek hoon…mujhe kya hoga…haan bas aapko toh koi problem nahi hai na mere yahan rukne se?”
Abhi – “nahi ruko…par mujhe jaana hoga.”
Shipra – “aapka samaan thoda pack kiya hai…baaki aap dekh lijiye…”
Abhi smiled and left for his room. When he came down 5 minutes later with his bag and everything else, Shruti was too there in the drawing but very odd just like the last time Abhi had gone to Mumbai. She had a tiffin packed and handed it to him.
Shruti – “main aap par koi cheez lagoo toh nahi kar sakti par agar aap meri baat sunein toh yeh case chod dijiye…ismein sirf khatra hai aur kisi ka faayda nahi hoga”
Abhi – “Shruti aap agar kuch jaanti hain toh please bataiye…isse ho sakta hai Viren ke bare mein aur pata chale.”
Shruti – “Viren mar chukka hai…aap is baat ko jitna jaldi maan lo utna acha hai”
Abhi – “Viren mara nahi hai…maine dekha hai usse”
Abhi actually shouted the last sentence without meaning to…Shruti was almost in tears…Abhi realised that he indeed was loud.
Abhi – “I…I am Sorry…par dekhiye Shruti Viren zinda hai…yeh sirf main nahi aur log bhi keh rahe hain.”Shruti – “mujhe kisi se matlab nahi hai..bahut mushkil se maine zindagi ko sameta hai…aap kyun isse bikherne pe lage hain?”
Abhi – “Viren kisi musibat mein hai..kya main dost ke naate madad bhi na karun?”
Shipra – “shayad mujhe aapko samjhane ki zaroorat nahi hai ki kaun kiska kaisa dost hai? Bewajah jaan daav pe lagana bewakoofi nahi hogi? Main sirf aapse kehna chahti hoon ki jo aap kar rahe hain…usse na karein…kisi ka faayda nahi hai usmein.”
Just then before Abhi could reply, Shipra entered. She was waiting for Abhi besides the car and now when he didn’t come out for long, she came to see…Shruti fell silent in front of her and just turned away from Abhi…wiping a few tears rolling down her cheek…
Shipra – “arre kya hua? Ab aapko jaldi nahi hai?”
Abhi didn’t speak anything…he went out and away without another look backwards. Shipra saw him off and then went for a stroll…
In the car,
Abhi got a call from Daya.
Daya – “kahan ho boss?”
Abhi – “haan nikal gaya hoon…abhi abhi nikla hoon…zyada der nahi lagni chahiye…abhi toh subah hi hai…traffic nahi hoga zyada”
After a small conversation, Abhi cut the phone…he was very disturbed…there was certainly something important Shruti knew about this case and Viren as well (now that they seemed connected) and she was hiding it…which was something very peculiar…
A few hours later…
Abhi wasn’t correct about the traffic…he was stuck in a jam for 3 hours and whereas he was just a few kilometers outside Mumbai. He was cursing this and worried about not being able to reach Pune on time…Daya and others had reached there and continued the investigation. Just then Abhi got a call on his phone…
It was Shipra on the phone. She said that Kaki had got a heart attack and was serious in the hospital and that Abhi should come back if he could…
Abhi banged his hands on the steering wheel…he had to reach Pune to help CID and also investigate about Viren but he couldn’t leave Kaki to two strangers…whatever the fact maybe, Kaki had taken care of Abhi for years and now that she needed him, he should be there and it was a fact that however long Shruti and Shipra were in his house but they were ultimately strangers and he couldn’t leave Kaki to them… so thinking it with heart…he took the next U turn and went back to Mumbai…he called ACP on the way and informed….ACP was not happy ofcourse but he did stick with Abhi’s decision to attend Kaki first.
Abhi entered like a storm…the air was still heavy and sleepy but he didn’t have time to waste. Everyone had already left for Pune. He was to leave late as he had to take Shipra along and it would have had been bad to not give her time to pack properly and so he had told others to go while he shall catch up with them within an hour. ACP had asked him to hence drop at everyone’s place and pick their things too…he had done that and now he was at his place to take his and pick Shipra.
Shipra was in the hall waiting for Abhi…Abhi had mysteriously called and asked her to pack her bags quickly…Shruti was in the kitchen.
Shipra – “kya hua?”
Abhi – “aapne abhi tak samaan nahi pack kiya?”
Shipra – “nahi…hua –“
Abhi – “humare paas time nahi hai…mujhe jald se jald Pune jaana hai aur aap saath chal rahi hain.”
Shipra – “par hua kya?”
Abhi told her everything and showed her the fax copy.
Abhi – “ab chalein yaa abhi bhi behas karni hai?”
Shipra – “main abhi nahi chal rahi hoon.”
Abhi – “kya matlab hai aapka?”
Shipra – “main yahan jis kaam ke liye aayi hoon wohh poora nahi hua hai…aur main usse kiye bagair nahi jaaungi…aur wahan kyun jaaun jab itna khatra hai aur mere upar already humle ho chuke hain”
Shipra took a long time to complete the sentence and it looked as though she was making it in the very minute. And it was very weird of her to say this but Abhi knew he couldn’t stop regardless of anything…he had to go to Pune without delay…
Abhi – “par aap yaha…”
Shipra – “main yahan theek hoon…mujhe kya hoga…haan bas aapko toh koi problem nahi hai na mere yahan rukne se?”
Abhi – “nahi ruko…par mujhe jaana hoga.”
Shipra – “aapka samaan thoda pack kiya hai…baaki aap dekh lijiye…”
Abhi smiled and left for his room. When he came down 5 minutes later with his bag and everything else, Shruti was too there in the drawing but very odd just like the last time Abhi had gone to Mumbai. She had a tiffin packed and handed it to him.
Shruti – “main aap par koi cheez lagoo toh nahi kar sakti par agar aap meri baat sunein toh yeh case chod dijiye…ismein sirf khatra hai aur kisi ka faayda nahi hoga”
Abhi – “Shruti aap agar kuch jaanti hain toh please bataiye…isse ho sakta hai Viren ke bare mein aur pata chale.”
Shruti – “Viren mar chukka hai…aap is baat ko jitna jaldi maan lo utna acha hai”
Abhi – “Viren mara nahi hai…maine dekha hai usse”
Abhi actually shouted the last sentence without meaning to…Shruti was almost in tears…Abhi realised that he indeed was loud.
Abhi – “I…I am Sorry…par dekhiye Shruti Viren zinda hai…yeh sirf main nahi aur log bhi keh rahe hain.”Shruti – “mujhe kisi se matlab nahi hai..bahut mushkil se maine zindagi ko sameta hai…aap kyun isse bikherne pe lage hain?”
Abhi – “Viren kisi musibat mein hai..kya main dost ke naate madad bhi na karun?”
Shipra – “shayad mujhe aapko samjhane ki zaroorat nahi hai ki kaun kiska kaisa dost hai? Bewajah jaan daav pe lagana bewakoofi nahi hogi? Main sirf aapse kehna chahti hoon ki jo aap kar rahe hain…usse na karein…kisi ka faayda nahi hai usmein.”
Just then before Abhi could reply, Shipra entered. She was waiting for Abhi besides the car and now when he didn’t come out for long, she came to see…Shruti fell silent in front of her and just turned away from Abhi…wiping a few tears rolling down her cheek…
Shipra – “arre kya hua? Ab aapko jaldi nahi hai?”
Abhi didn’t speak anything…he went out and away without another look backwards. Shipra saw him off and then went for a stroll…
In the car,
Abhi got a call from Daya.
Daya – “kahan ho boss?”
Abhi – “haan nikal gaya hoon…abhi abhi nikla hoon…zyada der nahi lagni chahiye…abhi toh subah hi hai…traffic nahi hoga zyada”
After a small conversation, Abhi cut the phone…he was very disturbed…there was certainly something important Shruti knew about this case and Viren as well (now that they seemed connected) and she was hiding it…which was something very peculiar…
A few hours later…
Abhi wasn’t correct about the traffic…he was stuck in a jam for 3 hours and whereas he was just a few kilometers outside Mumbai. He was cursing this and worried about not being able to reach Pune on time…Daya and others had reached there and continued the investigation. Just then Abhi got a call on his phone…
It was Shipra on the phone. She said that Kaki had got a heart attack and was serious in the hospital and that Abhi should come back if he could…
Abhi banged his hands on the steering wheel…he had to reach Pune to help CID and also investigate about Viren but he couldn’t leave Kaki to two strangers…whatever the fact maybe, Kaki had taken care of Abhi for years and now that she needed him, he should be there and it was a fact that however long Shruti and Shipra were in his house but they were ultimately strangers and he couldn’t leave Kaki to them… so thinking it with heart…he took the next U turn and went back to Mumbai…he called ACP on the way and informed….ACP was not happy ofcourse but he did stick with Abhi’s decision to attend Kaki first.
No comments: