Arakshi 1-S: Of the Eyes!

For words are meaningless

If words are needed, see the eyes above

Heart's silence is broken here

As singing epics...

~K-..

Of the Eyes!

"One for today too," - I (Shree) entered in Arjun's room and extended a greeting card.

It was not new that he got greeting cards these days and the latest one too had not been signed.

He opened the heart shape card grimly.

But this one had a message written in it that the sender wanted to meet him at some particular location two days later. It was new.

Arjun closed the card and asked, "Shree," as he opened the drawer, shoved the old cards further in and thrust this one in.

"No, sir. No finger prints," I informed him and we just forgot the card. But not the previous ones...

It all started two weeks before.

One day came the first card, through post.

We tried to nab the person who sent it, once got that it was a proposing card forwarded to Arjun. It had been posted from the nearby post office.

No wonder it was a flop-mission.

If not, we would not have gotten the second one.

The next card came two days later, but to our surprise, it was in Arjun's car, on the passenger seat to be exact.

Once again we tried for finger prints- got nothing!

From the next time the cards were sitting on his table, directly.

Unlike last time, Arjun told me to inform the security. Soon the informing turned as warning, but the cards were finding their way in tirelessly.

Arjun twice met the security, personally.

What was the use? Here, even today a card was on his table.

It became my routine to come to his room every day a bit earlier and check for the cards then check for the prints, if any.

#

Ayesha put the card down, it was Sakshi's.

A fuming Sakshi was looking at the card which Ayesha placed on the table.

"What are you going to do?"

Ayesha asked quietly.

"This is not the first time,"

"It seems someone is playing with you with these cards like with Arjun sir."

"I don't think this is a threat."

"Of course, this can't be serious. But we can tell this to Arjun sir," Ayesha suggested.

"If it's not serious, why should we to disturb him Ayesha? Just leave it."

"Right."

It all started two weeks before, two days before Arjun started getting his cards, to be exact.

Sometimes a card would be between two files or on her seat and sometimes even in her hand bag.

From the first Sakshi was ignoring them, just like she did now.

#

When the topic came up the next day, Ayesha said, "I think it's a chance for us to know who this fellow is."

"A coward can't come out that easily," Sakshi replied.

"That's right. What if he decides to come out at last?"

"How can we know this is the at last'?"

"If you go there, you can know if it's come and if he comes," Ayesha shrugged.

Sakshi seemed thinking.

"If you are hesitating-"

"No, not like that. What will I do if he comes?"

"Ask him why he sent the cards, simple," still her face did not clear, "If you want I'll send Arjun sir with you,"

"No need, I want to deal this alone, I think."

#

Arjun looked up as Chottu entered in.

He extended a sweet box and said, "Sir, it's my birthday today."

"Oh, happy birthday Chottu," he took a sweet piece as his eyes fell on the cards in Chottu's other hand.

"What are they Chottu?"

"Greeting cards sir, for my birthday."

"Can I see them?"

Arjun opened the drawer and the last card he got from the unknown.

He tried to compare the handwriting as I entered in.

"Shree."

"Sir,"

"Check these handwritings."

"I don't think we can get any pair here, sir, as we've already tried these methods a couple of times with all our staff's handwriting."

I reminded him.

"I think, the security is in this. I'm going to change him for sure, if I got anything like this again," he said.

"Anyway, I'll check them sir again now," I took the cards from him.

#

Chottu was on the wheel, he turned to Arjun, "Sir, your greeting card,"

He extended the heart shape card that I got from Arjun the previous day, "Shree returned my cards and yours."

After a moment he said, "Its sad we couldn't nab this person, sir."

Arjun was looking the card in his hand.

"You can't say so, Chottu. One day-"

"Sir, I think it's today this person mentioned in the card to meet you, right?"

"Yes," Arjun opened the card and said as Chottu moved the car.

"Sir, you know, one Jen philosophy says, you've to deal things patiently and at the same time quickly, when things seem to go out of hand."

"What? Are you saying it correctly?"

Arjun looked at him.

"Maybe," he said a moment later, "But see, it is correct when it's supposed to be correct, is, what is correct and which is correct!"

"I think I can agree with your first one fast," Arjun smiled.

"Good," he encouraged him and said suddenly, "Sir, please read the address given in that card."

"The second gate park-bench of Golden garden," Arjun read it and raised his eyebrows questioningly.

"God, sir, it's just two minutes drive from here," he informed, "We are very near to this person," he said excitedly.

Arjun thought a moment.

"You can wait in the car, sir. I'll go and check," he volunteered.

"I think, I can do that for you, Chottu," Arjun yielded.

"And sir, if you see this woman just give me a call, I'll come and-"

"If it's a woman and is coming."

"Good idea, sir, you know, in another philosophy-"

"Chottu, as you said, it's not the time for hearing philosophies. We've to act here."

He cut him in to shut him up.

"As we have time for your appointment I thought to fill with some good things. If you don't want..."

"Not like that Chottu, just save your quotes for now and once we got this woman, you can tell her some good words, for not to do this again- that's what I'm asking."

Chottu pulled up the car near the first gate and informed that the car would not go up to the second gate.

It took a 3 minute walk to the second gate and he sat on the bench near it.

He patted the card and put it near him.

An auto crossed the gates, he noticed.

He relaxed himself in the breeze a moment and saw Sakshi was entering through the second gate.

He wondered as she did, when she saw him sitting there. 'At last Ayesha had informed him and he came here for her,' she thought.

She smiled at him, 'After all he had come for her,' she approached him.

He asked, "What are you doing here, Sakshi?"

He showed the bench for her to sit.

"To meet a friend," she said slowly as she thought he was asking it, for she did not tell him herself, but through Ayesha.

"Me too!"

He said angrily. She put her bag between them.

'Oh, he is going to attack this person, who is going to come,' she was worried.

"This is not fair, Arjun. When you are meeting a friend, you've to be cool," she tried to smile.

"If this special friend annoys you, constantly, then coolness is out of the question, right?"

'Oh, God! Soon kids ll swarm the park and he is going to make a scene here in front of everyone!'

Suddenly she started praying for the person not to come today.

'How come I to tell him that, I want to go home at once?'

She blinked and looked away.

After a moment's silence, he turned and saw that her bag was on his card. 'It's getting late,' he thought and lifted the bag to pick up the card.

She turned and caught this.

"What?" she asked.

"The card," he said and took the card.

"It's mine," she said.

The last thing she wanted was him to read the lines printed on it as a poem.

His face changed at once. She could not understand why he should glare at her.

Suddenly he got to his feet and asked, "It's what?" his eyes narrowed.

"Actually I didn't think-"her eyes fell on the other card resembling her card was sitting quietly and watching the scene from the other side of the bench.

"How dare you?" he was on fire then.

She stood up fast.

"After all it's you, and I was- we were grilling everyone in the office and YOU!," he snarled at her.

She was silent.

"You were sitting beside me and watching everything calmly- I think you were actually laughing at me," he stopped to take a breath as she leaned and took the other card.

Her eyes sharpened.

He saw the card and shook his head as she opened it, unbelievingly.

She looked up from it and said quietly, "As I said that was mine and," she showed the card in her hand, "This is yours."

He opened the card in his hand. It read, 'To Sakshi.'

They were silent a long moment.

They started getting the idea.

He thought about the incidents happened to them on those two weeks.

'It was Shree, who said, there was no finger print on any card.'

'He told he checked the hand writings-

She rewound the events.

'It was Ayesha who said she had to tell about this to Arjun- from the first.'

'She told me I had to see who this person was.'

"Ayesha said-", "Shree said,"

They both started and stopped short.

After a moment, he asked, "Did you get 8 Cards in total?"

She nodded and said, "Chottu reminded me to go today."

He swore under his breath and said, "To me too."

A moment passed slowly, he said, "Come, I'll sort this out. He is waiting near the first gate and - wait, he said, the car wouldn't go up to the second gate," he was thinking aloud, "I've to see him at once," he gnashed those words and took a step, but stopped, "I'm sorry, Sakshi," he motioned the card, "I thought, it was you, who was prattling like this as love, love, by sending the cards, but-"

She thought her friends had done this for her, now she had to do something to stop him from...

"If not sending the cards, can't I prattle as love, love?"

"No, no, not like- What?- Meaning?- What?"- he settled at last with a simple question.

"Yes, without cards, I can tell this, see my eyes."

She seemed determined to something.

He looked at her eyes a very long moment.

'Ve mile' hain...'

Then he said slowly, "I think, I'd feel better to know it's you who prattles rather than finding this someone else," he waved the card with a smile, "After all!"

"Meaning?" she asked and blazed him.

"Give me a card and I'll tell you."

"Do you think, a card can talk better?"

"Of course, I do, if and when you don't understand the lines my eyes speak, let alone read."

Eventually, she saw the change in his tone and eyes.

'Ve mile' hain...'

After a moment they exchanged the cards.

She opened it with a smile, it read, "To Sakshi,"

He opened it with a smile, it read, "To Arjun,"

Now the lines printed on it were seemed meaningful fully."We've to deal with them," she reminded him.

"Of course, we'd!" he reassured her.

"For them we've never met today, ok?"

"But Arjun-"

"All right, at least till the morning."

"If it's for two weeks at least, it's ok for me."

She winked.

"Good," he encouraged her, "Now, you go through this second gate and I'll go to Chottu."

[For the love desired hearts: the story ends here, thanks for reading!]

Epilogue:

[For the thrill/ comedy liking hearts, guys come, we'll see to the end of everybody in the team, who cheated them terribly- It's revenge time!!]

Next morning:

We were upset that our plan did not click.

Once got that they were waiting for a spark to pick up, we decided to scratch the match box.

Arjun called me up.

"Sir,"

"Shree, checked my table today?"

"What for sir?"

I asked innocently, for I forgot that matter for some time now.

"For any card that I got from that unknown,"

He reminded me patiently.

I bit my tongue and said," Going sir,"

"Right, check for finger prints. I'm on my way there."

"Actually I don't thi- thi-"

I took the card in shaking hands.

'God!'

I dialed Ayesha's number. It was busy. I dialed Chottu as I turned the card to me.

In a neat hand it read,

'To Arjun.'

#

Ayesha was still trying to reach Sakshi. Suddenly she got a call from Sakshi.

'Thank God!'

She picked it up at the first ring.

"Ayesha, can you give me change for 100 rupees. I've to pay the auto. Please come out. I'm waiting near the entrance."

Ayesha took her bag, opened and stopped in shock.

'What? How? Who? When? Why? My God!'

She opened the card.

Her mobile rang.

She could not understand one thing then that, why she was hearing her mobile's ringing tone in the background.

She closed the card.

The music stopped.

'God, the card is ringing!'

Her eyes bulged out.

She opened the card to check again.

Her mobile rang.

'I bet it's my mobile's ringing tone!'

'How in the world can this card ring in my?-

She closed the card to check agai...

The music stopped.

Something blinked.

Her eyes fell on the thing in her left hand.

She noticed the mobile then.

She blinked now.

She read the words in the display unknowingly,

The mobile said it had a missed call.

And it said, 'From Sakshi.'

She remembered something and looked the card in her right hand. It said,

'To Sakshi.'

'To and From Sakshi? Why?"

She was not aware of the footsteps she heard behind her.

#

Chottu got in the car. He could not accept still that the plan that- after butting our heads off- went with no avail.

He took the card that was lying on the passenger seat.

The thing that was crushing him was he could not get anything from Arjun's face once Arjun returned to the car from the park.

When Chottu asked he said none was there.

Chottu opened the greeting card as his mind went back to the previous evening.

Chottu said, "Sir, we shall wait some more. She, perhaps in a traffic jam."

"Already we've wasted half an hour here. I can't-"

"Sir, you sit in the car. I'll-"

He needed a moment in private badly to call her and know about the situation.

"Chottu!" Arjun's tone changed.

Chottu read the card.

He had to move the car then, without a word.

He tried to call Sakshi later. Her mobile rang. But she did not pick it up. He tried again. Then he dialed Ayesha. She confirmed the same. When he tried again, Sakshi's mobile had been switched off. Even when he tried that morning...

He shook his head and read the card once again. His mouth went dry.

'To Chottu.'

His mobile started ringing.

-The End-

Thanks,

~K-..