2. OS 21. An Unwilling Passion (Part 2)

Part 2

Aman laid a thin file on the table and threw his hands in the air in exasperation. “The detective tried everything!” he exclaimed in wonder, “but she was inaccessible.”

ASR looked away.

“Garima Gupta, whatever she was in the past, is now a model citizen and a sanskaari wife. Goes to the market with her step-daughter and niece, goes to the temple with her husband or her sister-in-law. Goes nowhere alone. The detectives have been watching the house 24x7 and there is nothing to report. Typical middle-class family,” Aman explained softly, wary of ASR’s temper and reaction.

ASR’s fists closed, ready to punch the wall.

“Doesn’t even have a phone of her own. Uses the landline if she needs to call her husband at the sweet shop,” Aman revealed, his voice low. “Respectability at its worst.”

“If she won’t leave the house alone, I will have to take the battle to her house,” ASR hissed, furious. He hadn’t wanted to involve the Gupta family in this mess.

“How?” Aman asked in wonder.

ASR stood silent for a long moment.

“What did you find out about that...that girl?” ASR asked, his voice husky.

“Payal, sir?” Aman asked, looking for her file in his case.

“No, not her,” ASR said dismissively. “Not a blood relation. The other girl.” His eyes, molten chocolate, turned to look at Aman.

A rare smile twisted Aman’s thin lips as he pulled a big file out of his bag.

ASR’s eyes widened.

“Active girl. The detective was most amused by her,” Aman said, handing over the file.

“I don’t pay him to be amused,” ASR muttered as he grabbed the file. His sharp eyes quickly scanned the details, his eyes widening. Working in her father’s halwai shop, attending weddings, dancing at sangeet, going to temples, shopping at the market...From morning till night, the girl was on her feet. She had a schedule tighter than his!

His eyes fell on the earliest time slotted on the document. 5am. She got up at 5am? No, she was making sweets at 5am! He turned the pages. The last activity clocked was at 10 at night.

His fingers tightened around the document as his sharp mind came up with and discarded a hundred ways of bringing Garima down till one idea alone remained.

He stood still, his eyes shut as his mind refined the idea till it was foolproof.

Then he told Aman, his voice cold, “Get me photos and every single detail of the Guptas. Their home, their shop, their clients, their loans, their neighbours—everything.”

“Yes, sir,” Aman replied.

                                                         ***

Anjali was waiting to catch hold of him when he got home.

“Chotey, di’s papad ka tukda,” she began.

“What do you want?” he asked brusquely.

“Chotey, I was thinking of holding a pooja here this week,” Anjali admitted.

“Whatever,” he muttered as he left for his room, bag in hand.

HP almost dropped the coat he was holding.

Anjali frowned.

“Kaa hua, Anjali bitiya?” mami asked, joing her. “Kauwwa gots your nose?”

Anjali smiled absently. “No, mami. But Chotey wasn’t angry when I told him I wanted to hold a pooja here this week.”

“Hello Hi Bye Bye!” mami exclaimed. “Hamre Arnav bitwaa wajj not angriya? Kucho to baat he.”

“Is he sick?” nani, who had been passing by, stopped to ask, a frown of worry on her forehead. She turned to look at HP. “Did he say anything?”

“Arnav bhaiya just grunted when I asked him if he wanted tea,” HP admitted.

All of them looked up the steps Arnav had climbed to escape to his room.

                                                                ***

ASR sat back in his chair once he had gone through the file Aman had placed on his table.

Aman waited for his instructions. And they weren’t late in coming.

“Buy the house next door to Gomti Sadan,” ASR instructed.

“Yes, sir,” Aman noted it down.

“Buy Sasi Gupta’s loan papers from Tiwari.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Arrange for a boy for K..Khushi...for marriage.”

“Sir?” Aman’s voice held shock.

“The wedding should be cancelled at the last moment,” ASR ruled. ‘Let Garima and her family feel the pain my family felt,’ he thought.

“Sir,” Aman agreed.

ASR stilled. “Make sure of the boy. I don’t want the wedding to happen,” he insisted.

“Sir?” Aman asked, confused.

“Get a married actor for the part. I don’t want him to fall for the girl and cheat us,” ASR explained, his face turned away.

“Yes, sir,” Aman agreed.

                                                            ***

Anjali knocked on Arnav’s door.

He threw the door open, looked at her for a moment and then returned to what he was doing. Packing.

“Chotey? You are leaving? You are leaving because of the pooja?” Anjali asked, her eyes wounded.

“What pooja?” Arnav muttered as he threw his medicines into the case.

“The pooja today,” Anjali explained, a scared eye on the open suitcase.

Arnav shook his head impatiently. “I am going on a business trip,” he revealed.

Anjali’s face brightened.

“I will be away for a few days,” ASR said as he slammed the case shut.

He turned to look at Anjali standing in his room. The sight of her innocent, smiling face filled his heart and head with dark clouds of anger and pain.

Slowly he stretched his arm out.

Anjali looked at him in wonder as he placed his hand over her head.

“Main sab kuch theek kar doonga, di,” he muttered before grabbing his bag and leaving the house.

                                                               ***