OS: Hello!
Seema and Chacha wanted him to hide in this hellhole for some time. At least till things got a little safer for him to surface again. He was still skeptical to believe that woman. She was the one after all. She was the one who had shown him what mockery and deceit was. He hated being vulnerable but he knew that he was not in the state to fight back a swindler lowlife like Chaskar. He also had many doubts in his mind about Chaskar's involvement in his accident. He could smell a larger foul play in the whole thing. There was a larger picture, a huge puzzle he was missing out on.
Dutta Bhau was not what he is for missing out on the puzzles. He had somehow faltered in certain places. Hence, a worm like Chaskar was able to dupe him. How did he miss out on the clues? An attempt on his life was not new but the frequency should have alarmed him long ago. The poisoned sweets on Diwali, the attack in bachelor's party, the sniper at that deal, Suresh's dead body in his car and then the attack on bikes. He smelled a rat from someone close to him. He would not have missed the signs if he had not been so distracted. Yes, distracted by a pair of hazel doe-like eyes. He touched the cord on his hand again. It had become a talisman for him. He would try to push the thoughts out of his mind but they would creep subconsciously, like now he thought of her and needed to touch this piece of string to bring her close. It was a part of her, a part of her faith and love for him.
He was distracted. First blinded in love for her and then blinded in rage for her. He leaned his head against the wall and tightened his hold on the knife. A blind wounded man armed with a fruit cutting knife! Hah! But it gave him a measure of control and control was what he needed the most now. He needed to be in full alert. He needed to find his way back home. Way back to her! There was unfinished business between them and he hated unfinished business.
He needed to strategize as he hid in this room. He could hear the movements outside the door. He heard his voice, the dog! He would enjoy stilting his throat; he gave a grim sinister smile. Seema was saying something softly to Chaskar. Dutta leaned in to hear what was being said. Chaskar was drunk and the moron talked as much in his inebriated state as he did in his sense, dutta smiled. Then something he said that caught his attention.
Chaskar- arey, Dutta Bhau ko mara main! Saala, kya aakard thi saale mein? Bahut shaana samajhta na apne aapko? Pun aapich ghar ke choptey nahi samajh saka Dutta! dekh Chanda rani, tu karji nakko karu! Bilkul bindasht! Jab talak wo benaami bai ka naam apun benaam rakhega, tab takal dutta ka khajana apne mutti mein. Kya mast game khela Chaskar bhau ne? Baba re baba!Dutta kabhi sochach nahi hoga uske ghar meinch Daaku baithey hain!
Dutta mumbled- Benaami bai? Toh koi hai jo mere ghar mein hi chip kar mujhe khatam karne ki chalein chal raha hai. koi aurat hai? He frowned the puzzle was getting more twisted in his mind. Has some of his old enemy implanted a mole in his household, some female servant a maid? Aaisaheb and tai had looked into hiring of servants for housework always. And apart from her he had never paid much attention to any other maid. So who could it be? And if someone at home was responsible then they would probably not stay quiet by getting rid of him. There was his whole family out there vulnerable to attack. She was there unprotected. What if she was targeted next? The whole underworld knew of her relation to him now? Suddenly the sight of her lying unconscious on the dirt road filtered in his mind's eye. He blood boiled as his Adam's apple bobbed in tension. Whoever it was would pay tenfold now. They had also been responsible for that crime, responsible for the pain she had suffered.
The door knob made a slight sound making him turn his head to gauge the sound of steps and the slight flutter of breath. The loss of sight had made him acute to such subtle hitches in the air and surrounding. No wonder the blind people are said to be intuitive! He pounced on the man who tried to duck back out of the room and forcefully dragged him in.
Dutta-bol, Chacha! Kya dekhne aaya tha? Davai ne kaam kiya kya,yahi naa? Khane mein neend ki goliya daali thi?
He felt the old man swallow hurriedly- aisa nahi hai beta. Wo to doctor tumhe aaram kaha hai. aur tu manta nahi isliye...teri bhalai ke liey hai ,shapat?
Dutta- Tu aapni soch,buddhey! Meri fir gaina to tujhe bina davai ke hamesha ke liye sulla dunga, samjha? He nodded swiftly. Uttah ye khanaa aur nikal yahan se.Chal! Chacha went to pick up the plate and tried to escape from the caged beast. Dutta-Rukho! Main Tumhe milla tha naa,sadak ke kinaare? Chacha nodded then realized he couldn't see the action and replied- ho re baba. Ekdum maarela haalat thi teri. He thought to reinforce the fact to him that he had saved his life, hence Dutta should be indebted to them not try to butcher them.
Dutta- mere kaapde, meri ghaadi, pistol. Mera saaman kaha hai? Chacha- Arey, kapdey,wipadey to sab kanjat ho gai the. Jal ke phat ke chithre ho gai the to phek diya. Bandook-windook nai milli re baba! Dutta's voiced hitched a little- kuch..he controlled himself as his throat worked to get his voice to sound unaffected- Kuch bhi nahi milla?
Chacha thought carefully- ummhum! Arey haan! Ek cheez thi re baba! Main in sab chakkar mein bhool gaya. Dutta was keyed up- kya cheez thi? Chacha went to a drawer as Dutta narrowed his eyes tightening his hold on the knife. Chacha- ye thi teri jeeb mein. Dutta reached out towards his voice and grabbed the objects. He heart thumped at the touch of the articles. He took two steps back as his back came across the wall, he leaned on it, feeling the touch of those familiar objects- the softness of the cloth and the coldness of the metal. He brought the objects to his lips and inhaled the lingering smell. He knew it was a fib of his imagination that he could still smell her on the threads of the cloth and could feel the heat of her body on the chain. He had said that she would never be able to take this chain off her neck, but ironically he found himself unable to be parted from it.
She must be worried for him, must be feeling weak and helpless. Has she accepted like everyone else that he was dead? Was she mourning him as his widow? Making herself a perfect soft target to the world and his enemies? Bile rose in his throat. No! He needed to reach out to her. Let her know to fight back for him. And she could do it. He knew she could!
Dutta- Mujhe phone chahiye. Abhi! Chacha- Kaiko re baba? Thode dinno mein hum khud tereko chod dega tere ghar. Abhi chaskar ko maloom pardh gaya to....Dutta- baswas nahi,chach. Jo bola wo kar. Cellphone de.
Chach-Main to tere liye bolta hai. The next second he felt the sharpness of knife at his throat as a hand fumbled to the side pocket of his kurta and pulled out the object he had demanded. His cellphone. He stood dumbfounded as Dutta put the cloth and chain in his own kurta pocket carefully with his phone. Dutta nodded to him- Chal,chacha. Nikal ab. Iss se pahele mera mood badal jaye. Chacha escaped at his cue, running for his life. He needed to tell Seema about this. Fast!
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Her throat felt parched with the cries that had escaped her lips this morning when she had seen the news. Reading her worst nightmare like that in the print for the whole world to know had rocked her senses out of her. She had been blindsided by the terror and horror she had felt. Just like the time when she had seen those clothes. She had broken down holding the paper that declared him gone forever. She had cried loudly in pain and anguish. Then anger had taken over and she had ripped the filthy thing in pieces. But even then her cries wouldn't stop. At first she had not realized that the screams that sounded of a tortured animal's were actually hers. How long she had cried she didn't know? But then she had felt a soft hand wiping her tears. She had flinched thinking it was that spiteful woman but then she saw it was Aaisaheb. She was teary eyed. She shook her head at nakku. Aaisaheb- naa,beta. Naa, nakku. aasa karu naaka, poori? Tu haar maan legi to humare vishwaas ka kya hoga? tune vatsavitri ka vrat rakha hai na Dutta ke liye? Viswaas hai na tujhe aapne pyaar, aur uski takat par? To aise choti choti baton se tone se kaise hoga? Dutta wapas ayega. Maanti hai na tu. Tu hi legai thi mujhe mere bte se millane,gao mein? Haar mat,naaku. Raddu naka. Ro mat,beta.
She had nodded at Aaisaheb and stood up holding her hand. Over aaisaheb's shoulder she saw her dark smug face. She knew where to hit, alright! She knew where it would hurt her the most. Kalavati was heartless woman with no scruples. But she was no more the weak, suppressed waif from Mumbai slums who cowered at the filthy torture of a demonic policewala. She was no servant anymore who the master had married as a punishment for deception. She was the mistress of this house. The only daughter-in-law of Patil khandaan. Above all she was the woman he loved enough to marry infront of the whole world. She was Nakkusha Dutta Patil. And she knew how to fight her wars.
As Nakkusha had met Kala's eyes with the fire and determination that was again resurrected in her heart. She saw the look change on Kala's face. Nakkusha could see that it was not last of her tricks.
Nakkusha remembered that look on Kala's face this morning and shivered. The moon was peeking in the room from the open window with a light breeze ruffling the curtains. The sounds of the nocturnal insects were her only company. It was well past midnight. Everything was quiet except the questions in her heart. What would Kalavati do next? Was there no end to how far she could fall? 'Kahan ho aap saab?'Nakku asked the photo in her hands. But got no answer just his rare smile shined back at her. He was playing a cruel joke with her. Or was he punishing her for not trusting his love enough?
'Ek baar.......bas ek baar aajao,saab. Main phir kabhi aap se kuch nahi chipayegi! Kabhi aapko shikayat ka mauka nahi degi. Main jaanti hai aap zinda hai. kyunki meri saansein chal rahi hai. Dutta- ko naakusha koi judaa nahi kar sakta. Aap khud nahi kar paaye to ye zaamana kya hume alag karega. Koshish to aapne bhi kit hi na, saab. Mujhse nafarat karne ki. Mujhe aapne se durr rakhne ki nahi kar paaye naa?' She bit her lip to hold back her sob as she hugged his image to her heart. 'Main jaanti hai aap mereko aapne dushmano se akela lardhne ko akela nahi chodogey. Aap aye the naa mujhe aana se bachchane? Waise hi aap kala tai ke waar ka jawab dene bhi aaoge. Main jaanti hai. main jaanti hai'
Just then the shrill sound of the ringing phone broke her reverie. She didn't want to answer but the ringing sounded louder in the stillness of the night. She hurried to answer it so that no one was disturbed. As she reached it, it stopped. An uneasiness settled at her pit of stomach. What if it was some news of him? She waited beside it, willing it to ring again, but it kept quiet. As she turned to go away giving up it started again. She snatched it and held it to her ears.
"H...h...he...helloI"She said tentatively.
She heard a slight hitch of breath and quiet on the other side. She tightened the grip on the receiver, her heart fluttering. Unbearable joy burst in her chest. It was HIM. She knew it. "Saab? Saab!" She heard a sigh."Aap kahan ho saab? Laut aao. Aapni nakku ke paas laut aao,saab!" the dam burst open flooding the pain and fear held inside her heart.
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He had wanted to hear her voice, craved it and prayed for it. When his first ring was not answered he had felt bereft for a second then he had dialed again. He had braced himself for his people's voice after so many days. Anyone Aaisaheb,baaji,Tai,anyone - even her. But he had not been prepared for this effect she had on his senses. Her voices soothed the deep cracks in her heart that Seema's coming back to his life had broken open and bled. Her voice was enough to remind him of the goodness he still had in his life. The things he had to fight for now. He needed to finish this business between them. Their unfinished business of loving each other, for the rest of their long lives. As he heard the cracking of her voice on the other end he knew she was holding herself together for long time and she couldn't anymore. But it was not the time.
"Nakku! main theek hoon! Ro mat, nakku! main theek hoon! Main zinda hoon!"
Nakku- to aap mere paas kyun nahi ho? Mujhe aise akela kyu chod diya. Aaisaheb, aapki bahenein sab aapka intezaar kar rahi hai. aapke log aapka intezaar kar rahein hai. aap laute kyun nahi?
Dutta- nahi laut sakta? Nakku- kyu? Dutta gave a frustrated sigh- kyuki main nahi jaanta main kahan hoon? Nakku- matlab? Dutta- ye ek aanjaan jagah hai nakku. yahaan ....yahaan nachche ...gaaney ki awazein charo taraf aati hai. logo ki haasi gungroowon ki jhankar se ghin aati hai. Nakku- gaana? Ghungroo? Ye kaisi jagah hai? Main baaji ke sath aapko lene aati hai. Abhi. Usko maloom hoga.
Dutta- NAHI! He shuddered to think of her innocence being exposed to such dark side of world. And Chaskar was always around in these areas. He'll recognize Baaji and smell something untoward. No, he had to finish it alone without involving her or baaji. Especially her! But she needed to be warned. About the enemy closest to her in his home!
Dutta-Nakku,meri baat dhyan se sunn. Jo kahta hoon wahi karna. Humare ghar mein koi hai jo meri jaan par humlaa karwa raha hai. koi aurat hai. kissi par bharosaa nahi karna. Mere dhusmano ne shayad humare ghar mein jasoos rakhe hai. main yahan se jaldi nikal kar aaunga. Par tujhe kissi ko kuch nahi kahna hai. samjhi?Bas thode dinno mein main sab theek kar dunga. He prayed that this 'little' inconvenience of his lost eyesight would also get over soon.Nakku, main aa jaunga. Bas thode din aur himmat rakh.mujhe viswaas hai tujh par. Teri himmat par. Kar sakegi na?
Nakku- haan. Main aapke liye sab kar legi. Agar chup rahne se aap jaldi lautenge to main chup rahegi. Main aapka intezaar kargi.
Dutta heard footsteps approaching his door- nakku, main phone rakh raha hoon. Nakku choked panic evident in her soft voice- theek hai,saab. Duttacouldn't bear her to be scared like this- Nakku? Nakku- jee,saab?
Dutta- tu mere kamare
mein thi.It was not a question but acceptance.
Nakku stopped remembering the day she had left this room promising to return at his call. But she couldn't stay away from this room in his absence from her life as this room had his essence that calmed her, brought him closer.
Nakku-j..jee,Saab?
Dutta smiled leaning his head against the wall closing his eyes trying to see her in his room. It gave him peace and an eagerness to get back to her. He needed this fire now, he fed on it, revealed in it. Dutta- wahi mera intezaar karna. Main aunga,bahut jald. Tere paas.
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With those words lingering in her ears the phone in her had went blank as line was cut. It didn't matter. He had said enough to give her hope and she now also knew who she was fighting. Kalavati was the one behind this. Even he had inkling now. What would happen next only God and time would tell! But she knew now he was alive and fine. Lost but fine and would come back. He had promised. She will await him, here in his room. In their room. Her husband will come back to her. Satyawaan to her Savitri. Dutta to her Nakkusha.
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