Fiction Arjun: Reborn from Ashes. Chapter 22, p.50 - Page 9

Chapter four

It was another boring day for Arjun and also Karan. They had no case in hand. and today it's more boring for Karan because Simi asked him to stay in the garage to meet one of her friends and she went for shopping. The entire day has passed and there is no sign of Simran or her friend. He started servicing their jeep and asked for a hand from Arjun. Arjun was helping him silently with an emotionless face, while he was quite bored with this repairing thing.

Karan : Yaara, main iski neeche jaa raha hoon break dekhne, tu yeh engine oil pakard, jab bolun tab iss compartment main daal dena. Thik hain?.

Arjun took the bottle, put it on the engine and leaned against it. He was engrossed into his own thoughts when he heard that voice, unknowingly he clenched his eyelids and his palms covered his ear, & that sound was stopped immediately. He felt a tap on his shoulder. He was surprised at it and removed his hands, he again heard that voice, but that voice was speaking of something new... "Excuse me, yeh karan kahan gaya?" Karan!! Why she is taking his name. he felt that tap again and again heard that question; he realized that person is standing behind him, in real.

That realization made Arjun Jump and he turned on his heels, on the spur of that movement, his hand hit that bottle and all liquid inside that spilled on the engine.

He saw that lady standing in front of him, a girl in late twenty's, long hair, aquiline nose and a pretty face. Clad in a stone washed geans and black-violet striped tops, a scarf tide the hairs in a knot, and he sighed in relief, it's not her. But when she removed her dark glasses, her eyes!! Those eyes!! He was again had a phonic-illusion but this time it came with a visionary one !!

Girl : Excuse me, Mr. Where is karan, is he here or went somewhere?

Arjun was now more than shocked, it's impossible. Her voice is really..

But karan broke his trance. He suddenly slid out, his face and shirt was wet with engine oil.

Karan : (Shouting) Yeh kya kia be? Kahan tha na jab main daalne ko bolun tab daalna...pehle kyun daal dia?

Girl looked at the oiled Karan and started giggling which turned into a laughter within a minute.

Girl : Tu toh hi..hi...tu tho hi...hi..hi...wet rat jaisa...hi..hi..hi...oh.. nahi...fried pakora...jaisa..oily...hi..hi..

Karan was looking at her as if he was looking at any ghost. He touched her and then jumped back.

Karan : Diii?? Tu hain? Really?? Tu hi toh hain na? (nudged Arjun) Oh yaara, mujhe jorse ek laafa maar...kahi main sapna toh nahi dekh raha hoon.?

Di took the glass of water and poured it on Karan.

Di: Yakeen aaya?

Karan : (nodded positively ) Nahi...

Di: (stretched her hand) confirm karr le.

Karan touched her hand and about to grip it while she snatched her hand away.

Di : Don't ,tu gandha hain..aur mujhe oily cheezain pasand nahi.

Karan : (as if he's in trance) Haan...( then suddenly started bombarding questions to her)Pehle yeh bol tu thi kahan? Kaise thi? you called me once in last 4 years, that too about a year back. So long?

Di : ( sat on the table)Easy boy, calm down. I was messed up in my carrier. You know suddenly job switch karna...time laagta hain.

Karan : phir gayab toh nahi ho jayegi?

Di : Pata nahi, but filhaal yahin hoon.

Karan : Tab toh bohot mazaa aayega. Meet my partner Arjun. Shera, she is one of my old friend, Di. Simmi ki makan maalkin. She left this place since four years and now returned. Her background is similar to us.

Arjun : Us?

Di : What? Main? Aur tum dono jaise? NaH.

Karan : Haan tu vi army join ki thi na? phir chor dia..

Arjun : Chora kyun?

Di : I was injured, then my parents didn't let me go back there. Then I did my LLM. ..and

Arjun : Lawyer. isiliya karan ka dost ho.

Di : I don't deal with criminal cases. I'm a civil lawyer, do mostly property cases.

Arjun : Hmm (and left to his room).

Di : Yeh aisahi ajeeb hain ya aaj koi special occasion hain?

Karan : Usko chor, tu bata, kab aayi.

Di : Tu nahake ghar aaja.aaram se baat karenge.

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Arjun sat on his bed. That girl, who is she? Why she felt so familiar? Is it because of her or her voice or her eyes? How it could be possible? Her voice may be an illusion but her eyes? He can't mistaken to recognize those eyes, he can't neither forget that rainy day when he first saw those eyes nor that last time when he saw endless love into them. However, he could bet he never saw this girl before, but still something is familiar with her, or it was only his illusion, may be he was so haunted by her eyes or her voice that he could find similarities into someone else's? If his wounds were making him weak? Is it still affecting him, after all these years? But somewhere deep inside he knew it sound funny. If he could find Roshni's eyes on someone else's face, it may make sense, he loves her. but Sakshi? He didn't even thought so about her, never. Then why her voice kept chasing him into his dreams and now in reality? And why that voice affecting him so much? And this girl...

His trance was broken by a soft knock on his door. He looked at it and saw Karan peeping in.

Karan : Shera, I'm going to met Di. Would you come along?

Arjun : No, you go. I'm not interested into your chit-chat.

Karan : Ok, agar mann kare toh aa jana, hum terrace pe baithenge.

Arjun didn't answer. Karan left.

Arjun moved to the closed window and opened it, a blow of wind hit his face. He looked at the opened window of the opposite house. That room is empty.

"Di" he thought. " Something strange is with you. What is it?"

************

She came back to her home and directly went to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee. She was thinking about that man she just met in the garage. That stranger caught his attention at his first night in this place. The man she saw to break down into pieces on that morning beach sands, and then wrap everything behind his poker face. She saw it at today also and she could bet it is a daily routine with this man. And now, minutes before she saw him closely. In the same pain, as if something hurting his ears, and then he looked at her as if she was a ghost. His expression was more horrible than Karan's. And then sudden relaxation and disappointment on his face followed by another shocked one, as if he was transfixed seeing her. then suddenly he hid everything behind his ignorance. What is this man? Did she meet him before? Or he saw her anywhere? She saw and met many men in her life but nobody reacted like him. He is a puzzle and she don't like puzzles until those are solved.

The boiling sound of water broke her trance; she made her coffee and moved to the terrace. Karan would show up in any moment.

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Karan climbed up to the terrace and found his long lost friend sitting on the water tank, he moved to her and settled beside her. she didn't moved a bit as if she didn't realized his presence. He saw the fuming coffee mug into her palms, he slowly took it and sipped from it.

He thought she would yell at him for this, but she brought out another cup from her other side and sipped.

DI : Pata tha, tu aaj vi yehi cheap harkat karnwala tha.

Karan : but yeh nahi pata tha ki tu itni thandi ho gayee. Phele toh sherni ki tarha toot parti thi.

Di : Waqt, Karan. Waqt. Bohot kuch badal deta hain.

Karan : But why did you come back? Last time you seemed uninterested to come back.

Di : I don't know. Kavi kavi purani jagah pe wapas aane se nayi raasta milta hain...kahin suna tha..maybe wahi test karne aayi hoon.

Karan : toh kuch din rukegi na?

Di : Pata nahi...agar wajah mila toh rukh vi sakli hoon.

Karan : Teri paheli mujhe kavi samajh main nahi aata, Aunty ne tujhe jelebi khila khilake na teri dimaag ko vi jelebi jaise bana dia. Penchida. Ek tu aur woh Shera, paheli banane main maahir ho dono.

Di : Tera Shera? Yeh kaisa cheez hain?

Karan : Matlab?

Di : Matlab, tell me about him.

Karan : Koi interested ho rahi hain? Hmm. kahin uspe teri dil toh nahi aa gaya?

Di : Jitna pucha gaya hain uska answer do, mere dil ka investigation baad main karna.

Karan : Ex-ACP. ETF's second in command tha...

Di : One second? Did you say police? Karan? Tu or police? Pheli baar Brinjal aur Oil ka dosti hote hue sunn rahi hoon.

Karan : Tune mujhe bengan(brinjal) kaha?

Di : ( giggling) Nahi, poliewalon ko oil kaha. Tu to Rooster cock hain. How did you meet?

Karan : he arrested me. And then helped me to flew from..

Di : Narrate in detail.

Karan narrated the whole story of their meetings. The stolen truck, Bomb blast and all ETF members' death, Arjun's and his escape; and finally they were hands in gloves to solve cases.

Karan : This man has been through a tough time, Di. And that thing is hunting him, he can't sleep peacefully, he can't even sit calmly for a second. I think that incident is killing him but he never says anything. I've tried so many times to ask him, but when I ask him about his past, he takes himself into his shell, like a tortoise.

Di : hmm...aise logon se tab tak kuch bahar nahi aata hain jab tak woh khud nahi nikale...Aur yeh wala kuch jyada hi..

Karan : Kya?

Di : Dekha maine, aaj kaise mujhe dekh ke chawk gaya.

Karan : Oh? Toh yeh tu thi, jiske wajayse mujhe yun bewaqt nahan para?

Di : Accha hua, kamse kam insaan jaisa to lag raha hain!

Karan : Kya?!

Di : Mera bike tujh rakhne dia tha, kisiko bech toh nahi dia na?

Karan : Nahi, maine samhaalke rakha hain.

Di : Chahiye.

Karan : Ok, next week tak tuning karke tujhe deti hoon.

Di : Kal. Subha chahiye. around 10.

Karan : Ok, main ek car arrange karke..

Di : No, I want my bike, dusra car nahi.

Karan : Kal? Oh mummy, yeh 4 saal se kone main pari hain, aab start hone main time toh lega na?

Di : Haan, time toh de rahi hooon, dekh aab 5.30 hain, mujh kal 10 tak bike ready chahiye. You have more than 16 hours.

Karan : 4 years ke dhool 16 hours main saaf hona..

Di : Time jyada hain na? thik hain, 8.00 tak ready rakhna, main aa jaungni.

Karan : AATH!!

DI : Yeh vi jyada hain? Ya tune meri bike sell karr dia?

Karan : Nehi, meri maa, 8.00 tak ready ho jayega. But tu jayegi kahan?

Di : Bas dekhna tha yeh city kitna chang hua hain, baaki aake bataungi.

Karan : Hmm.

He knew that this girl is not gonna tell anything if he ask. Better, he should wait until she herself tells him. She is much similar to him, his Shera.

They sat on that water tank and talked about random things. Karan is the one who was kept talking and she was looking at the sky, she saw the sun going behind the buildings, the darkening sky and the evening star & the moon rising in the sky. Although she was looking around, each and every word Karan said was being registered into her gray cells.

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Now, let me know how it was.