Thanks iqra, ananya, rima, jdsean, sapphire, Hinna, desiqt, Faiza, sweetie, deeya, Babygirl, Shalini, nameless, sana, mita, sweetangle, Chocolate, sameira and madz!
Sorry for the late update but this past weekend was too busy and hectic for me.
PART 64
Two weeks flew by in a flurry of activities: meetings, discussions, arguments and urgent phone calls!
The others tried to dissuade Godfather from surrendering all his properties and Hotel in Dubai to Damodar, in return for peace and end to violence.
But he was adamant!
I don't understand, Boss! Kartik argued: How can you trust a devil like that? Kya guarantee hai ke wo deal ke baad apna vaada nibhayega? Phir se humpar hamlaa nahin karega?
GF looked sharply at Kartik: We will add that as a clause in the contract ! If Damodar attacks us AFTER the property transfer, the Dubai courts will seize everything and give it to the Local Government!
Lekin Uncle! How can you surrender to a gansgter like Damodar? Uskey jaisey shaitaan ko aap kaisey Zaib aur aapka jaydaad de saktey hain?….Angad was indignant and shocked!
Godfather smiled at him sadly: Beta, meri umr ab badh rahi hai…..Thak gaya hoon main ab iss Jurm ki zindagi se…..Tang aa chuka hoon iss khoon kharabey se. I want some peace and quiet….some relaxation in my aging years ! Property se zyada mujhey tum sabki jaan pyaari hai. Tum sabki suraksha ke liye main aisey hazaar jaagirein qurbaan kar sakta hoon! Main yeh tum sabkey liye kar raha hoon…..I want all of you to be safe and out of Damodar's target-range!
Angad looked doubtfully at Godfather……he wasn't at all convinced by the tired old man act. Bajaj Uncle still looked and thought like a spry young man! He wasn't one to give up so easily! He could bet Uncle was planning something major but unwilling to tell at such an early stage. No matter….he would wait till Uncle divulged the plan to him.
Kartik also smelled something fishy and kept quiet after the first few protests.
Mr. Mittal was non-committal. He was the only one who didn't question Bajaj's decision. He had implicit faith in Godfather to the point of worship…..that he would always do what was best for all of them!
Kartik said doubtfully in the end: Boss, kya wo shaitaan aapkey saath meeting karney ke liye raazi hoga? Wo humpar bharosa kyun karega?
Godfather knew his lifelong adversary very well…..what made him tick: Kartik, main usey achhi tarah se jaanta hoon. Usmein ek haiwaan ki saari khaamiyan(faults) maujood hain. Damodar bahut laalchi (greedy) hai. Wo kabhie aisa mauka haath se nahin jaaney dega…..Dubai mein Hotel aur yeh jaydaad ka maalik banna….usney sapney mein bhi nahin socha hoga" Godfather mocked his enemy with a knowing sneer:. Don't worry Kartik! He will agree to the meeting.
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Shabbir flew from Rio to Mumbai. He had been cooling his heels there in a secluded, guarded Bungalow .
According to GF's instructions, he called Damodar Pandey's Main Office in Borivli and suggested a meeting in Dubai between the two Bosses!
He said that his Boss, Mr. Bajaj wanted to meet Pandey.
Abey Eyy Vakeel ke Bachchey…....... Tera dimaag toh kharab nahin hua ? Jaanta hai tu kissey baat kar raha hai? Damodar Pandey se! Main uss ********** Bajaj ke saath kyun meeting karoonga? Mera Bheja kya gul ho gaya? Jaa, apney Boss se keh de…..ab toh uskey laash se hi meeting karoonga. HAHAHAHA!
Damodar was still an uncouth, brutal man, who only understood the language of Violence. But he had all the vices of a devil, including greed... and GF knew that!
Shabbir dropped the bait: Pandey Jee, aap meri poori baat toh suniye! Boss ne aapkey liye ek offer bheja hai….jismein aap bahut hi Faidey-mand (profitable ) hongay. Aap suniye toh sahi offer kya hai?
Kya Offer? Kaun sa Offer? Damodar was suspicious.
Mr. Bajaj ab aman-shaanti chahtey hain….jiskey badley mein wo apney Dubai ki saari jaydaad aur Hotel aapkey hawaley kar dengey. He wants a ceasefire! Samajh leejiye yeh unki taraf se aapkey liye ek safed jhanda (white flag of peace) hai. Ab kahiye aapka kya faisla hai?
Damodar was astounded, shocked, struck dumb for a few minutes, then he found his voice: Mujhey apney Dubai ki saari jaydaad de dega? Yeh Bajaj kya sathiya gaya hai budhapey mein? Pagla gaya hai kya tera Boss? Nahin, zaroor ismein uski koi chaal hogi"
Nahin Pandey Jee, ismein koi chaal nahin…..sab poorey kanooni taur se kiya jayega. Baat yeh hai ke ab merey Boss iss Khoon-Kharabey ka ant chahtey hain. Iskey liye wo apney Dubai ka jaydaad aapko de rahey hain…..Simple len-den hai yeh! Koi chalaaki nahin, koi chaal nahin! Ab aap toh jaantey hongey uss Property aur Hotel ka value kya hai? Karodon mein hai…..KARODON MEIN! Ab aap faisla karkey humein bata deejiye. Mujhey iss number per call karkey bataa dena aapney kya decide kiya. Meeting do haftey mein hogi. 15 October ko. Jai Raam Jee ki, Pandey Saab!
The bait had been dropped. Shabbir signed off without waiting for Damodar's response. That was the best way of inciting Damu's greed and curiousity.
Damodar paced restlessly in his Office room which looked more like a Raddiwala's den with satta papers and bets all over the place, half-empty liquor bottles and tea-cups, cigarette-stubs, photos of future "suparis" (contract murders) he had undertaken and other relics of crime and debauchery.
He mumbled to himself, trying to figure out why his arch-enemy would offer his best Hotel and sea-side mansion to him, in exchange for ceasefire????
He weighed the pros and cons…..ek taraf wo shaandaar makaan aur Hotel….doosri taraf us ******* Bajaj ki maut, Angad ki maut……unkey poorey gang ki maut.
Definitely the Hotel and Property seemed more attractive! What would he get out of killing his enemies except vicious pleasure and revenge? But that Hotel and Villa could make him a millionaire in Dubai, earn him prestige in International Crime Circles!
Greed won over prudence! Damodar called Shabbir back within an hour!
Dhyaan se sun, Vakeel ke bachchey! Terey Boss ko bol…..main meeting mein aaoonga. Lekin kya guarantee hai ke wo mujhey wahan maar nahin dega? Kya bharosa ke yeh ek Plan nahin hai…..mujhey tapkaney ka?
Uski aap chinta mat keejiye. Boss ne kaha hai ke aap apney teen khaas aadmiyon ko le aayiye, yahan Boss bhi apney teen khaas admiyon ko layengey. Mulaqat aamney saamney hogi. Aap meeting ki jageh khud chun saktey hain. Us jagah ki poori jaanch karvaa saktey hain. aur yahan bhi Don Aziz ke aadmi aapkey suraksha ka bandobast karengey. Wo neutral party hongay iss deal mein!
The offer was too good to pass! Damodar agreed to meet Bajaj on October 15 in Dubai….in a meeting place/site chosen by him. He agreed to bring his 3 closest men as Bodyguards.
Damodar was actually very excited. This meant Bajaj had finally conceded to him! Accepted defeat! He had won! He threw a party that night at his favorite brothel, inviting all his gang members for a special celebration of his Victory over Godfather!
Shabbir gave Godfather the good news. Then he called another special number and gave them the news of the meeting between the two Crime- Bosses in Dubai on October 15. He rubbed his hands in glee…..anticipating a BIG reward for his information!
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Kripa and Prateek moved into Angad's room the day after the wedding! Angad was delighted of course! His problem of sharing a bed with his dear wife was solved.
Every night, Angad would make Prateek brush his teeth (as Josh used to do), tell him a bedtime story about some mythical fighter or superhero, pat him to sleep.
Prateek was getting very attached to Dad…Angad! He had always been attached to Josh, now he transferred that affection to Angad! He hero-worshipped Angad……all boys need a father-figure to look upto and he had found his again.
But he hadnt forgotten Josh by any means. He often asked Kripa: Mama, …Papa kab aa rahey hain? Wo yahan kyun nahin aatey hamarey paas?
Kripa would make all kinds of excuses: Beta, Papa bahut busy hain….unka bahut important project chal raha hai. Tumhey toh pata hai na wo sabki suraksha kartey hain….kabhie kaam khatam kiye bina ghar nahin laut saktey. Unka kaam ab bhi baaki hai, isiliye nahin aa saktey!
Ohh….a disappointed Prateek would go and play soccer or tennis with Dad. Their closeness grew everyday, Angad cherished the affections of his son, he rejoiced when Prateek called him DAD!
Prateek found a substitute father in Angad…..children can adapt faster and easier than adults. Their minds and hearts are still pure and fluid, they can take the shape of any container they are poured into.
Every night, after Angad had patted and crooned Prateek to sleep, Kripa would join him in bed. Angad would be in the middle, with Prateek on one side, Kripa on the other. As soon as Kripa lay down beside him, he would turn towards her and kiss her, his hands and lips exploring her urgently . Then they would roll down the bed onto the floor (they even placed a plush Persian Carpet there for that purpose) and make love as silently as possible.
Sometimes, Angad lifted her in his arms and carried her to the terrace…or to the bathroom. If you look for them, there are a dozen places where you can enjoy some private moments even in a full house, with kids!
A week after they moved into Angad's room, Kripa was re-arranging her and Prateek's clothing and belongings. Godfather had arranged for all her old mementos to be brought from Josh Kapoor's house in Delhi. She was amazed how he had accomplished that feat??? It wasn't easy to get stuff out of a murdered CBI Officers' house, but GF had his ways…and his contacts!
Kripa came to know from her Papa that Josh's body had been brought back to Delhi from Hongkong and he had been cremated with full honors by the CBI and Indian Government. According to Official sources, his widow and son had been kidnapped, were missing for a month, presumed dead!
Kripa opened her old suitcase, full of memories of her childhood, of her adoptive parents Gayatri and Surya, photos of herself and Angad in Goa, in college, at the Music Festival where they had won Awards.
She called Angad to see the mementos of their golden days of youth, pictures of friends, classmates, everything that sentimental Kripa had collected over the years. They pored over the pictures, laughed and reminisced, becoming nostalgic!
Itna sab samaan main kahan rakhoon? She wondered aloud.
Koi pareshani nahin, Beghum! Kal hi aapkey liye ek naya cupboard aa jayega! I will order it right away. Dubai mein meri pehchaan ki furniture shop hai, unka online catalog bhi hai, aaj order dein toh kal hi deliver kar dengey….aao tum apna wardrobe choose kar lo" he pulled her by the arm to his laptop.
They went online and ordered a beautiful cherry-wood wardrobe for her belongings. And a teak wood one for Prateek.
The wardrobes arrived the day after as Angad had assured.
Kripa was all excited, feeling very domesticated as she arranged her and Prateek's clothes in the 2 wardobes.
Suddenly, she thought why not place some of her own clothes with Angad's?? Somebody had once told her that when a husband and wife share the same wardrobe, their love gets deeper and stronger. Not that she had doubts about their love…..but she just wanted to …..just for the thrill of it!
She took an armful of her clothes and opened Angad's wardrobe. It was quite neatly arranged ….he was quite organized for a man! She smiled and pushed Angad's clothes to one side, making place for her saris and salwars.
As she was shoving some clothing to the back of the shelf….something touched her hand. She pulled it out….it was a little black book….a diary of some sort. Curious and surprised, she opened the diary and started reading.
She was shocked, horrified, repelled! It was a list of dozens of phone numbers….of GIRLS/WOMEN all over the world: Michelle and Lara in Singapore, Su Lin and Simone in Hongkong, Gina, Rosita and Evangelina in Rio…..there were more…in Australia, Bangkok, Taiwaan….all over the globe.
THESE WERE ALL ANGAD'S GIRLFRIENDS? She stared in utter shock and disbelief at the pages, which soon blurred before her eyes in a torrent of tears.
She suddenly felt nauseous…..holding her mouth in her hand, she ran into the bathroom, retching heavily over the sink. She heaved out all her breakfast, retching, throwing up, feeling drained and sick, horribly sick, in her heart, mind and body!
Her Angad was a SERIAL DATER! A CASANOVA ! It was so hard to accept that as Zaib, he had been with all those girls!
Although she couldn't blame him totally….he had no memory whatsover about her. Still she couldn't digest the fact that he had…..he had……she felt sick again, holding her aching stomach. But nothing came out this time.
She staggered out of the bathroom, all pale and sickly….when Angad suddenly bounded into the room, yelling jovially: HEY WOWW! DEKHO TUMHARA WARDROBE AA GAYA, KRIPA! LOOKS GOOD ….Tumhey pasand toh aaya na?
Kripaaaa…….his voice faded as he saw her….crying, looking sick, a weird shade of pale green…..and then his eyes fell upon the little black book, his sin diary, lying on the floor.
He groaned inwardly, turning pale, then red, then pale again, settling on a midway orange : OH S**T! DA**! She FOUND IT! SHE SAW THAT DIARY! DA**! I SHOULD HAVE BURNED IT A LONG TIME AGO! WHY DID I KEEP IT? OH DA**! THIS IS GOING TO BE BAAAD! VERYYYY BAD!
He cursed himself, realizing he had just forgotten about it all this time, so busy was he with Kripa and Prateek!
Kripaaa…..he went towards her hesitantly, fearfully: Kripa….tum theek toh ho na?
She looked up at him, felt nauseous again….and ran into the bathroom, retching again….Angad followed her, anxiously concerned: Kripaaa…..kya hua tumhey? Are you alright? He touched her arm tentatively.
DON'T TOUCH ME! She jerked back, flinging off his hand and looked furiously at him.
Tum itney neech ho? HEY BHAGWAN! How could you, Angad? Itni saari ladkiyan? HOW COULD YOU?
Please, Kripa, samajhney ki koshish karo, tab main Zaib tha….aur meri yaad…..
CHUP RAHO! ZAIB UNCLE EK SHAREEF INSAAN THE…..PAPA NE BATAYA HAI…..UNHONEY KABHIE AISI HARKAT NAHIN KEE……SIRF HANSI MAZAAK KARTEY THE LADKIYON KE BAAREY MEIN! Lekin tumney…..tumney toh hadd hi kar dee…..SHAME ON YOU, ANGAD!
She ran out of his room, back to her old room, which had now become Prateek's playroom.
Prateek was on the lawn, strolling with Kartik and Godfather…..Kripa collapsed on the bed and sobbed her heart out! She felt very betrayed….as if Angad had broken their marriage vows from the first wedding .
A tiny voice inside reminded her: Tumney bhi toh Josh ke saath…….her mind rebelled against the voice: Wo toh shadi ka pavitra bandhan tha….mainey Josh se bakaida shadi kee thi…wo merey pati the….koi one night stand nahin….Lekin Angad…..usney toh darjanon(dozens) ladkiyon ko apni baahon mein liya hai.
She controlled her rising bile, trying to be reasonable under the circumstances, but still couldn't forgive him for his adultery!
Angad collapsed on his own bed with a groan, holding his throbbing head in his hands: GOD! WHAT HAD HE DONE? HE SHOULD HAVE THROWN AWAY THAT LITTLE BLACK BOOK A LONG TIME AGO! It wasn't as if he needed it! He should have taken Godfather's advice from that night and fixed that problem permanently.
Kripa must be so hurt and devastated!
His heart ached for Kripa: Jaan, Im sorry….meri vajeh se tumharey dil ko kitni chot pahunchi…..mujhey maaf kar do please…..he apologized silently…..inside!
But he didn't go after her immediately….he knew she was hurting too much right now….he knew she needed time to accept the bitter truth…..to come to terms with his past….just as he had accepted her interim years, when she had married Josh and moved on in her life!
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pallavi
Edited by pallavi25 - 17 years ago
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