Chapter 25
As Maan stormed out of the Registrar Office back onto the street, he swore in frustration. It was obvious that Geet had not gone inside, and he wished that he had not been so stupid as to think she did. If only he had followed right behind her, instead of allowing that truck to come in between them and aid her escape. Who knows where she went or what she was going to do.
Not giving up defeat so easily, Maan ran back to his jeep and hopped in. Looking at his left hand that still sported the stupid bandage she had put, Maan wondered what this Geet Handa was up to. If he didn't know that she was only interested in money, he would almost think that all of this drama of hers was real. However, Maan Singh Khurana knew that wasn't possible, but even if it was, he still intended to find her and get this ridiculous deal over with.
After making her escape with the truck, Geet wasted no time trying to find a public phone. Though she had been to the city before, she was not that familiar with where things were. After asking for some help from a few of the locals, she found one, but had to wait to use it. During her wait, she looked about anxiously, afraid that Maan might come and find her.
She knew that he would be angry for the way she escaped, but she really had no choice. He would want to do his business and leave right away, giving her no time to complete her own mission. He hadn't even been willing to let her get something to eat, so he certainly wouldn't be willing to wait for several hours while she met with Mamaji and talked with a private investigator. No, it was better that she do what she could right now while she had the chance. She could always sign the papers later.
Finally it was Geet's turn to use the phone, which was answered after a few rings by a female, "Hello."
"I would like to speak Jugnu Singh."
"Who is calling, please?"
"His niece, Geet."
"Geet...Arrey, Geet Didi! This is Lacchi speaking. I know you don't know me as I've only been working for Beeji for a few months, but everyone's told me about you. I never thought that you would call on the phone and that I would answer. I never thought that we would meet this way."
"Uh...Lacchi..."
"Geet Didi, Beeji and Pammi Bhabhi are gone to visit the..."
"Lacchi! I want to speak to Mamaji."
"Mamaji? Geet Didi, you want to speak to Mamaji?"
Geet couldn't understand why Lacchi was asking in such a tone, but she firmly answered, "Yes, I want to speak to Mamaji. Call him please."
Geet could hear the girl mumbling, before she put the phone down. She waited for what seemed like a long time, to the point where she wondered if the phone had disconnected. Finally she could hear some kind of argument, very faintly, before the phone was picked up again.
"Hello, who is this?"
"Mamaji, Mamaji, it's me, Geet," she responded with excitement, finally able to speak with her uncle.
"Geet? Geet who?" Geet blinked in uncertainty, not sure why her Mamaji would ask such a question.
"Mamaji, it's me, Geet. Rano ki beti. Your niece, Geet Handa."
There was a slight pause, and then an effusive, "Oye, Geet puttar! You calling like this is such a surprise. It's too bad that you called just now, because Behen went out for some work. She would have been happy to talk with you."
"Actually, Mamaji, I specifically called because I need to talk to you. I need your help."
"Of course, Geet, anything for you."
"Mamaji, I need to meet with a private investigator. I remember that you had some friends who.."
"Private investigator. Mutlab...detective. This sounds like something Jugnu Jasoos Singh should handle. With Jugnu Ustaad, anything is possible. Tell me, what case do you have for me to work on? I will solve it in seconds and then go to America to become famous."
"No, Mamaji, I need to know the name of one of your detective friends. A good detective, who is trustworthy."
Again there was a pause, then Jugnu Mama said, "Sahni. Raminder Singh Sahni on Circular Road. He is the best in the business. Even he would be good enough to got to America if he ever felt like leaving. Not as good as me, of course, but no one is as good as Jugnu Ustaad. It was nice talking with you Puttar. Call again sometime."
"No, wait, Mamaji!" cried Geet as she heard the phone click.
"But, I need you to come with me," she continued forlornly, looking at the phone that she was still holding.
"Oye, Behenji, other people need to make calls too," said a man who was standing behind Geet impatiently.
Having no other choice but to go to the end of the line, Geet moved away, determined to wait until she had a chance to call her Mamaji back. She didn't know why he spoke the way he did, but she only assumed that he misunderstood her reason for calling. Still, he had given her a name, which she thought would be good to write down. Taking out a pen and some paper from her bag, she quickly wrote down what Jugnu had said before she forgot.
No sooner had she placed the paper back in her bag, then she felt a hard tug on her arm. Spinning around she came face to face with a very angry Maan. To see him there like that was so unexpected that Geet gave a little gasp. Her free hand came up to cover the mouth that was open in shock, even as she stared fearfully into the angry eyes trying to kill her with their hard glance.
"You tried to deceive me again? Me? But, this is no surprise, for another name for women is betrayal. What I can't believe is that you are so shameless that you can't even do some honest work first, before running off to your lover. I even doubt that you were ever going to sign the registry papers. It looks to me like saying to your ready to come to Amritsar was just an excuse to get away from Hoshiarpur and run away. Or did you think you could do this whole drama and get me to write a check before you skipped out? Well, if you did, you thought wrong. I know your truth, and I won't let you run away before you complete your work. After that, I don't care what you do, understand?"
Maan wouldn't hear a word of protest from Geet. He pulled her away from the line and toward his waiting jeep, where he put her in, making sure she her seatbelt was buckled before roaring away. When they reached the Registrar Office again, he took no chances, grasping her wrist hard and pulling her all the way inside the building. Geet didn't bother talking to him, as he never listened to anything she had to say anyway. Instead she tried to think what to do next, so focussed that she was barely aware of what she or anyone else was doing. She placed her signature mechanically when prompted by Maan and got up just as mechanically when the clerk said they were finished.
Even when Maan called her name several times to get her attention, before giving her the 2 crore check, that barely made any impact. All she could think about was trying to figure out what to do next. There was no point in phoning her Mamaji again, for it would take too long for either him to come and meet her, or for her to go to Nizampur. She didn't want to go to the village anyway, least her aunt find out what she was trying to do and inform her family. The only thing she could think was that she would have to find this Raminder Sahni on her own if possible.
Maan watched Geet walk away from him without responding and just rolled his eyes. This girl was really not understandable. Sometimes she talked so much that he was sure his head would explode from hearing all the words, and sometimes she was as quiet as if she was mute. After the stunt she had pulled that morning, he was sure that she would put up a big fight about signing the papers. He had been prepared to deal with that, but she had acted so calm, it was almost as if she didn't care.
Now that his work was done, Maan was in a much calmer mood. He began to think that perhaps something was bothering Geet, something other than the property deal. He thought about asking her what it was and even offering his help if she didn't say anything too unreasonable. The trouble was, she once again seemed to be in her unknown world, so far removed from reality that she walked out into the street without even a little concern for the car that was speeding directly toward her.
Precap
"I'm looking for Raminder Sahni, a privated detective. He is supposed to have an office or live on this street maybe."
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
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