Mishal Raheja as Dutta Patil
Fettered Affection ~ Chapter 18
"there is something rotten in the state of Denmark".Shakespeare
Dutta cranked his neck and wondered where on earth was Baji? surely he had not retired. For there come moments in a man's life when he desires to bond with his mate, especially if it happened to be a near enough blood brother like Baji. His parched throat and his pining heart compelled him to make his way towards Baji's room.."eeeyee tu edhur ghore baich ke sau rahe hai? here I am still awake, what did you say tu right hand man hai mera.. and here you are snoring your wooden block off!" rattled Dutta noisely. Baji rolled over on his bed and propped himself up on his elbow and gave his Bhao who stood in his door way as if the little boy blue, a bemused look..
"look Bhao after the showdown between yourself and Naku it was best that I dozed off, woh kya haina I was not needed.."replied Baji with some woe.."ohhh shut up! you know that in every damned affair of mine, personal or business, you are more bloody involved then I am myself due to your snoopy nature! how come you didn't butt in"?Baji gave Dutta the wide eyed innocent expression and innocently replied, " pun Bhao you told her , and quite rightly so , tu main kya bolta,?"
Dutta came in took a deep breath and folded his arms as he stared at Baji who by now had sat up on the edge of his bed yawning,"hummh tu you too think I was right in taking her class publicly..ummh I was thinking I may have been to hard on her, ummh in my manner,".
Baji with a dimpled smile stood up, it was clear to him that this great big yehra of a friend now needed some TLC, so much like his stubborn mule of bosom buddy, that he first blows his top then mopes around..Baji seized his opportunity,"hojaye ek ek ghunnot?".Dutta moved his head sideways and narrowly looked at his friend and raised his eyebrow,"chaal let's.." he said and headed towards the bar area. They sat across each other.. Dutta, ran his finger round the rim of his whisky tumbler, and Baji watched him keenly, other then business and making money, for the moment it seemed that Bhao was preoccupied with the finer side of his being.
Baji was aware that his buddy would need a prod and a poke to share his thoughts,"dekh Bhao if you are thinking about Naku, tu I wouldn't worry too much, yaar the matter is out in the open before AS, so let the elders deal with it.. tu kyun apne khoon jala rahe hai.."reasoned Baji. Dutta slammed his hand gently on the table"ayee Baji, Dutta ne aaj tak kisi ke liye apna khoon nehi jalia.. samjha!".
Baji a bit snubbed, nodded "ho Bhao.. mera matalab tha , woh AS, ab mausi se baat kerien ge..".Dutta bowed his head and then bent forward and reached for his drink.. he gulped, yes he needed to calm his ruffled feathers, his mother would deal with it , something turned inside him.."waise Baji, I don't really want Aye dealing with it, you know my relationship with her.. aloof, yaar , ummh never felt the need to go to her..not after she , banned me from her life for so many years.. pata hai even now when I think of those times in prison... sab un ke wajah se Baji , she can let it go ,but I try Baji believe me, but it seems distant to me.. to forget entirely.."he sighed, as he gazed at Baji, with watery eyes and a mouth that quivered.
Baji reached out and felt Dutta's arm that lay limp on the table,"let bygones be bygones Dutta, it's past, look! now things have taken a fresh new turn, sab kuch aacha he ho raha hai, aage bhi thek ho ga..baki if you suffered Bhao, AS, too suffered, doubly.. and look around at the happiness you have given her. Now agreeing to marry, you are giving her even more happiness, so look towards happy times Bhao. For once, treat yourself with a little kindness and grab the happiness that comes your way, this way you spread it to others as well" counselled Baji.
Dutta, threw his head back a little and with bemused narrowed eyes he smiled at Baji,"hummh, I actually feel shaant, ab ye whisky ka aasar hai ya teri batoon ka.." he muttered. Baji beamed and added in speedily,"oyee Bhao don't break my heart.. it is not the drink it's mera pyar for you that makes me say what I say.. dil se" choked Baji and Dutta leaned across the small table in the bar area and growled, "abhi tu sense bol raha tha , ab ek dum se ye lardkiyoon ke theran kiya ansoo bha raha hai.. ghup! he ordered with his finger in Baji's face.. who blinked his eyes and sniffed,"woh Bhao tera chera itna innocent tha ke.."he teased, and Dutta, pulled back his elbow with a jerk , ready with a clenched fist,"doon ek thujhe garma garm smacker! chin ke neech!"and Baji got up with a start and gulped down his drink. Dutta too, ended his one of the lad's session and stretched his arms above his head groaned "arghhh...yaar aj kam pe jana ko maan nehi mera, kam ho tu its different ,the adrenalin flows , but yeh Jeera ke bikwas suna is a right put off",complained Dutta , and Baji jested, "haan ab tera maan kam mein kyon laga ga Bhao, woh diversions ju create ho gaien hain?"he sniggered cheekly. Dutta gave him a nasty look and collected his phone and jerked his head, "chaal let's go before we are asked questions..from is ghar mein rehe wale logon se"!
No matter how much he justified that he worked during nocturnal hours when the rest of the world slept to earn big bucks. The truth was, all of Jeera's disreputable unlawful acts shaped up under the cover of darkness, when sightings of his workers were less visible.Tonight they came across besides the usual sordid settings, yet in another world that emerged in the leafy peripherals of the middle class gentry. The owners of which, guardians rich and bored, after work were out busy attending civilized gambling joints or socializing with their likes in pubs.Thus allowing their ,rich spoilt rotten off springs to throw house and garage parties in ease and privacy of the home ground.
As Dutta turned into a lane, a crowd of teenagers obstructed the road with cans of beers in their hands necking in public.. Baji who drove beeped and so did the driver of another on coming car, but the high teenagers seemed unaffected.. and Dutta kept his eyes ahead on the road and said dangerously and slowly.."jeep first mein le Baji".. as the jeep slowed down Dutta pushed his black pathiani clad leg out and hauled himself out of the jeep.. he pushed his hands in his trouser pocket and yelled.."outtta the way! .. hud! hud! he said sarcastically as if marshalling a flock of sheep.. hudd! hud! he called as he slowly walked towards there youngsters who were singing.. nachaan ge sarre raat... as he progressed dangerously they backed off.. yelling.. "nehin hatien ge ! what'll you do?.. bad luck for the scrawny gawky looking lad for Dutta thumped his palms on his teeshirt with one wide palm and with the other slapped the living day light out of his cheeks and finally boxed him under the chin with minimum force , that still hurled the poor guy fellow onto a bunch of high heeled loudly made up screaming girls! Dutta bellowed, "hai koi aur maa ka ladlaa! jise chammat kahane hain!? and now get out of the way before tum sab pe mein apne jeep charah doon" he warned."bagho yaar marta hai!" they yelled and like demons some ran others, backed off and went back into the huge house, where thunderous base music boomed and shattered the serenity of the night..."Dutta turned and went back to his jeep and saw Baji behind the wheel but a crow bar on the passenger seat where he was meant to sit .."yeh kis liye Baji?"he asked ,out of interest, Baji turned to look at him and replied, "I thought you might need it".Dutta moved the crow bar to the back seat and lurched into the passenger seat,"oh don't be stupid Baji they were kids,!unhe main sarya se marta , mera haat he kafi the unke liye , chaal choor inhe aur us joker ke ghar chal"..said Dutta much to his dislike.
"aree Dutta, tum ne apna hasa nehi manga gold deal me.." challenged Jeera much in mood of cutting a joke, or two with Dutta.. with a gentle pull of his top lip into his mouth slightly , Dutta gave his boss a devilish answer, "you'll be happy to know Jeera ke maine ne apna share phele he le liya hai, woh kiya hai mera aadat hai dosroon ke saath har cheez banteta hoon..."Jeera folded his arm on his red desk and looked across to Dutta,"har cheez share kerta hai? tu why don't you share your heart and mind with me too, Dutta bhao khabi muhje bhi apna dost samjhe le.."said Jeera in his slimy manner, and a weary Baji looked at Dutta, who retorted, "boss boss he hota hai Jeera, aur dost tu bhai jaise hota hai, ju hai apun ke pas, waise I don't make dosts willy nilly".. Baji nodded his head and couldn't help but utter an audible "ho!", Jeera gave him a gold canine smile but defiantly replied.."yo! Baji!. Dutta revolved his neck and glared at Baji.. "ayeee ye ho sho band karo aur kam ke baat kar Jeera.."Dutta, insisted.
Jeera , gave Dutta an amused look,"dekh Dutta, the ho! is for you to chill tonight, aaj easy going job hai tera, woh kiya haina, aaj is area ke M.P ke ghar koi palti hai , tu main ye chaoon ke you and a few of my palle hoi mushtande! palti attend karoon.. kiya bolta hai tu re!.
Dutta got up and bellowed "basss!, bahut ho gaya tera behudah mazak, dekh! I am not laughing or even smiling! he pointed his palm to his enraged countenance... and he threatened to leave,"chaal Baji! let's get out of this bloody circus" as he moved his body abruptly to face the exit door..Jeera knew he needed Dutta for this little activity tonight, for it could open more avenues for him to make further money. He progressed towards Dutta and grabbed his arm,"look the truth is, M.P has asked me to keep an eye on his house tonight.. woh kiya haina, opposition wale kuch bhi kar sakte hain , tu I want ke tu aur Baji go there and mil around, ke koi problem na hoi... try to understand I can't just send any tom dick or harry it has to be, Sher of a gutsy bag like you ! bole tu Dutta Bhao! ekdum Dabaang .. jaise hero!. Dutta , doubled his chin and pulled his mouth to one side and, glared at Jeera, in disgust..."ayee thujhe mein koi body guard dekta hai.. woh tera do joker haina Digu aur Shabir unko behej! kha kha ke palang thurte hain!" shouted Dutta. Jeera, raised his hands above his head and then clasped his hands before Dutta, with a plea,"nooo Dutta they can't go! they both have severe, diarrhoea.. "he said embarrassed ,and Baji burst out laughing,"aacha hoya! jab dekho , desi darru chara rehe hote hain..!he guffawed. Dutta glared at Baji and bowed his neck sideways just once and Baji, buckled up..
Jeera, put his arm lightly on Dutta's shoulders and cajoled him, "look Dutta you will take a group of men with you to create, a back up, ye hain ne, Inko, Tinko, and Pinko.. Dutta turned his head sideways to look at Jeera stunned, "ye kaun hai? koi baachoon ke toys aacha hain.. chaal Baji let's go.."he ordered and walked out of Jeera's red plastic office. and Baji reminded him, Bhau address ?
Dutta, replied walking out.. "woh batie ga apne chamchoon ko Jeera! tu chaal, kiya sooch ja tha and look what we end up doing baby sitting some rich bigare hoi brats !he protested.. Outside, Jeera's residence Baji and Dutta saw one four by four wheeler black vehicle , parked ,ahead of their jeep. Baji commented dryly, "ye tu pura brigade le ke ja rehe hain, dekho tu Bhao, Dutta, looked unimpressed, "apne boss ke theran ,ye salle bhi hot air hain, I couldn't care less, tu jeep mein beith Baji. This time Dutta drove the black jeep. He didn't need navigation for his destination , for Jeera's bad boys were in the lead, hence Bhao and Baji followed.
Baji, kept his eye on the tail lights of the van ahead, it's true this sort of work throwing his weight around was not really, his Bhao's scene or taste.."woh Bhao. it's strange that these politicians look to mundane favours from low levels like Jeera, itna bura waqat ah gaye hai kiya? netah khud intezaam nehi kar sakta.."he opined. Dutta carried on driving unperturbed, his muscular arms stretched above the steering as he drove his jeep, "bikaws kerta hai ye salla Jeera!, bloody name throwing! is sardak chaap ko kaunsa M.P mau lagai ga, I should have asked him who? but that would be to give in to his cheap talk..Dutta commented, and after thought he continued,"Baji I smell rat..".Baji was forced to reflect on Dutta's words, and he thought it best to simply add in," well, we'll know when we get to our destination..
The indicator bleeped ahead, and Dutta too took a turn into the leafy tree lined middle class area that they had previously passed by.. and finally before a huge mansion bordered by bold red brick built walls ,the van ahead stopped. Dutta too followed suit and booming music, tore the quiet of the dark night, as Baji wide eyed exclaimed,"hain? ye tu wohe jagga hai where those youngsters blocked the road.."!.Dutta nodded once ,"hummh, the very place Baji, chaal let's get to work!." he commanded.
Yet, shrewdly he already noted that the Jeera's men had already slipped into the party, before he and Baji made way into the house party.Dutta, as soon as he entered , became the centre of attention due, to his attire, a group of young girls in their mid teens blocked his view,"well helloo hero.. like your outfit, but tell you what! nice fancy dress ,"she flirted as she blew her ciggy smoke in his face , and he was about to raise his arm, when Baji, with speed pulled the girl to one side,"errre ye tera baap hai maidam!. Dutta ignored the girl and carried on deeper into the bodies riddled smoke filled atmosphere, he found it difficult to breath.. his ears were assaulted with amplified ear splitting music, but his eyes shifted around restlessly, everywhere; the couches where groups of young boys and girls sat, picked at savouries, cracked jokes, and feel back and forth on comfy thick large sofas..He trudged along deeper into the festivities, his tall body siding and bending to avoid collision with beer boozers, he noted, they hardly talked but shouted their lungs out to be heard in the rowdy surroundings. The boy who got slapped by Dutta, spotted him and turned about and ran to his friends.."oyee see the big guy dressed in black.. use dor rehna..ye na hoi ke humre dhulai kar de phir.."! Dutta ,with a tiny smile approached them slowly ,his arms held behind his back, "look no thapars! as long as you guys remain within the parameters of decency" he warned... and stalked off, but his eyes strayed, so far everything looked harmless.. his eyes feel on the bar, and as expected there were young blokes and young lasses.. till he noticed, one of Jeera's men Tinko approached one young lad and with his arm around his shoulder, Tinko took the lad towards the toilets on the side.. and as Dutta suspected passing of tiny plastic packets exchanged hands.. Dutta, allowed it and he craned his neck for Baji and found him, and with a nod and jerk of his head called Baji .. once they were close , Dutta sided his head towards Baji,"forget checking out the girl!, where are Jeera's other men Pinko and Inko? Baji pointed out and both saw the other guys in conversation with young girls this time.. repeating the same act of offering tiny plastic sachets.. Dutta's jaw twitched , and his eyes contracted.
His nostrils flared, and his eyes flashed as he, noted that many youngers now seemed , sprawled on settees, laxed ,and laid back, their pupils dilated.Baji looked at Dutta and remarked."shukar hai , kuch shant hoi hain ye log,. lagta hai beer, wishkey aur cocktails ne assar dekha diya.. Dutta, replied humm, and jerked his head to Baji, and mumbled , "main ata hoon, going to the loo, you keep and an eye koi fight aur misbehaviour na ho.."
Dutta disappeared..out of the noisy building, barred his number first, and dialled..."haan police thanna, main resident bol raha hoon is address se leko ap, yahan party chal rehe hai, shor bahut hai ,you need to pay this address a visit.."Dutta switched off his phone..coughed a bit and palmed his stubble face.."Jeera teri tu main!..
Baji, waited eagerly for his Bhao to return .. he always worried if Dutta was out of his sight for long on their nightly rounds, he scratched the side of his head, of course ,went without saying that Bhao would probably gave him an ulte haat ka ghum ke! thank heavens he returned to the party scene..
Shortly accompanying him came the distinct monotonous shrill of the police sirens and Dutta with his forefinger, discreetly felt the stubble under his indented chin. Baji looked up at Bhao and went,"hain ye kahan se ah damake..Bhao hum? he questioned as his mouth fell open.. Dutta chuckled and walked ahead , muttering, "hum in the thick of action where else?..oookkk tum sab freeze! sab ka sab koi apne jaga se nehi hile ka ! chalo re khanch ke in sab ko neend se jago re!.. shouted the police inspector as he yelled at the rest of his constables to do the needful.
As if hit by the strike of a spell, the music stopped, the laughing ,giggling and chattering just ceased, and the police went around the place, tapping the bar area, pulling teenagers from the toilets ,while the inspector ordered," round karo in sab ko! haan bhi ghar ka malak kaun? he questioned and a small voice said "jee main"... Dutta felt some one press near his side and he looked downwards and his narrow lion like eyes met the pleading eyes of the young lad he had slapped outside.. his eyes begged Dutta for assistance, and Dutta looked at the police inspector, who noticed the imposing figure literally now guarding the under twenty lad, Dutta tum?, tum edhur kaisa?" Dutta touched the boys hand and slowly walked towards the inspector, who tapped his police baton on his palm, "woh inspector hamre area ke baache hai yeh, main edhur se guzar raha tha,tu soocha check kar loon koi masti ,lotecha na karien!".The inspector ,nodded and said "music bahut loud baja rehe the ye sab, residents ke complain ayea hai thanna mein..is liye hum aye hain"but he was interrupted by his officers, "Sir jee, sharab chal rehe hai yahan, aur drugs bhi, crak mile hai unke pas se sir halaat dekho unke..".The inspector turned immediately to face the drugged, spaced out youngsters, a few were still vaguely in their senses and they identified Jeera's men across the room, "they sold it us" and upon the disclosure three of Jeera's drug dealers tried to slip out, but the police were quick to notice and nabbed them before three of them absconded!. The inspector, looked at Dutta, "now this is serious, Dutta, we'll have to take them for questioning to the station", Dutta nodded, but did suggest,"dekho inspector baachoon ke umar ko consider karo, ek phone tu karne do unhe apne family ko.."The inspector shook his head, " music itna problem nehi, pun, sharab aur drugs ka istamal kerna tu jurm hai.. thanna ka char tu lagna pare ga."Dutta turned to Baji with a determined look on his face, "thek hai tu muhje bhi lae ke chalo, I feel responsible for them" about twenty of them both boys and girls rallied around Dutta as he so to speak led himself and they followed, out of the now dead party accompanied by the police officers.
The van and jeeps banged up the teenagers, along with, Jeera's jokers who muttered to each other,"oye Sher aur us ke right hand ko bhi pakra hai polis ne".
Dutta preferred to sit with half of the teenagers in one van, before he climbed into the back of the police van ,he ordered,"Baji you go sit with the other half of the children",and Baji nodded his head. The van door slammed shut as Dutta sat on the space prepared for him by the youngster, the boy who got slapped. He looked sideways at Dutta, "main Ricky hoon, and can I call you Dutta Bhao", Dutta give him a sided smile with a nod," you are in some mess Ricky! he emphasized. Ricky grabbed Dutta's folded arm next to him,"Bhao what do I do now?. Dutta sat up and parted his knees a bit as he looked across to the youngsters sitting across him in the van visibly disturbed. He raised his palm and spoke boldly, "look they are taking you all for further questioning.. your job is to admit to the offences, if alcohol was present , which they have proof of, then admit to it, it's their job to check your drinking age..now the serious one is consumption of drugs during the party on your premises. In that too speak the truth, whether you already possessed drugs or were they sold to you at your party."all the youngsters started to babble about the two men who had gate crashed into their party.."Dutta raised his palm and roared, "bas! ab shant beitho, apne haad mein rehena police thana mein, zayeeda dhonss jamaie, ke humra baap ye hai! ya woh hai! tu samhje lena.. tum sab ke sab gaye kam se! Dutta relaxed and rested his head against the side of the van , and his jaw twitched..that Jeera, in his dirty bid to make a buck, baacho ko ghande laat bhi lagena se bhi nehi baaz ata .. Jeera teri tu main!!! he cussed inside as his fists cracked so hard on his knees that his knuckles turned, pale!
At the police station proceedings took place in due course, along with statements but before that three of Jeera's hench men were roughly shoved in the cells further down the corridor leading from the main thana office. When they attempted to moan, the havildar yelled "aree tum tu mau kholna bhi maat! sab kuch bara saab ne khud dekh tum ju kar rehe tha, drugs bechana ka kum".The three daren't ask but assumed that since Dutta and Baji too were rounded up, the possibility was that they too were in trouble.
The youngsters, bewildered, clearly baffled didn't quite know what hit them and where this ordeal would lead to in the end. Very obviously their frames huddled round Dutta, as if to be held together.The majority of them knew they didn't know the guy from Adam, but he seemed safe to them.. Dutta felt their gazes and turned towards them, as some of the girls hugged each other and whimpered when they heard loud voices down in the cells.."lagata hai humien bhi marien ge" said one scared boy to the other. Dutta neared them and from his great height he looked down upon them firmly, "only those offenders get the beats who refuse to co-operate by not giving them the answers that the police want, you just remember that! he advised. Dutta, was more like an adult spokesman for the children, "dekho inspector, in my opinion, they should be allowed to phone home, you can by all means slap charges on them, but it would be useful to have their parents around, if you expect them to talk.. woh kiya haina, mujhe exact age to nehi pata, but this you too can see that some are rising sixteen year olds, don't know if the law will classify them as adults, so you will be forced to consider a bit more sensitivity towards them. Eventually after noting their, ages, address and parental names.. they were allowed to make phone calls and parents came, shocked irate, and shamefaced to own up their child, his or her misdemeanour.
Alongside recording of FIRs, there was, great telling off too for the children by their guardians. Both ,Dutta and Baji were a little taken aback when they realized that the boy who got slapped was the off spring of a big governmental big shot, who failed to turn up ,but instead sent his P.A to get his son from the police station. It so happened that the police were bent on showing zero tolerance towards the use of drugs on the premises .They had every intention of keeping the lot in the cells till their hearing... Dutta, thought of his days in prison, how young he was when he was first introduced to the cells, but then he was guilty of a heinous crime.. here he reflected, as far as drugs were concerned, it was Jeera's men who had lured them into it, and he knew full well ,it was to test the waters for a new market..that of selling death of the mind and body to the young and vulnerable.. he pushed his way forward and stood determined before the police inspector surrounded by parents and children, and said clearly, "ap ke asil mujram ap ko mil gaye hain, isliye ap in baachon ko zamant pe choor dein.. main Dutta patil un sab ke zamat deta hoon, jab tak case ke hearing na ho". Immediately to the parents and their children, Dutta became nothing short of a hero..The police accepted, the last thing they wanted was negative publicity for keeping under aged in police lockup. As for Dutta they knew he was a known resident in the area and thus bail was granted after regulations were explained to both parents and children, that the young adults were guilty till proven innocent..
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AS, seized the opportunity when available and, beckoned Babi for the consultation she had in mind.Under the supportive eye of Kala, both women, her mother and her brother's would be mother in law savoured a cup of tea, which Babi prepared, of course. AS, in humility began,"dekh Babi, tu shayed nehin janti , pun hum Naku ko tere yahan ane se phele jante thein.. bahut pasand the humien hamseha se he, isliye, hum ye chate hain ke, Naku humri bahu bunjaye.."Babi was shocked and her eyes popped out as she covered her mouth. AS, smiled, and continued as she gave Babi time to recover from the initial shock,"humien pata hai thujhe harani hoi hai magaar saach hai ke hum Naku ka haat mang rehe hain apne Dutta ke liye.. samjhe dar hai, Dutta jaise aadmi ko aache se sambhal le ge.."
As a mother, Babi became weary, of course, she had every right to be anxious about her daughter, it was not an unknown fact that Dutta Bhao was an ex-con..he may be well placed and rich, but he had committed a crime, that too murder.Since she was without graces. Babi responded as best as she could, without seeming an ingrate for all of AS,s kindness afforded to her and her family. Mopping her brow, she went,"woh AS, main kiya bole.. woh kiya haina, zaraa chatkha laga..kahan Patil Shahib ju mukiya hai zaat mein , aur, hum neeche zaat wale maachi gaon mein, basti mein rehene wale log.. milan kaise hoga ? kuch thek nehi lagta AS, ap khud soochien, PV ke log kiya bolien ge ab ke bare mein".. she muttered concerned. AS, raised her palm somewhat, dazed that Babi in other words was refusing..Kala stepped in, "mausi, log kiya bolein ge, hum raati bhar parwa nehi, aur tum kiya zaat pat ka kisa chaier bete ho, kiya ye kafi nehin ,ke hum sab Naku ko pasand karte hain, sab se bare baat ye ke, Bhao bhi lagata hai pasand kerta hai Naku ko.."she finalized.. Babi was tongue tied ,but still had clout enough to say what was on her mind,"dekho AS, ap mujhe waqat dien, main ,Naku ke babaa, aur Naku se bhi baat kar ke ap ko jawab doon,"..after she left, Kala held her mother's hand and remarked assuredly, "ap chinta maat karo AS, saab thek hoga, maagar ye baat tu, saaf hai, ke Bhao ke daulat ke pheeche nehi hain ye log.."AS, nodded, for the minute quiet, but nevertheless apprehensive about her son's wedding..
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Dutta, twitched his jaw and growled at Baji, impatiently,"chaal edhur se nikle re! police chuki se upan ki jamte nehi.. waise bhi use salla Jeera ko good news dene hai..".Once he reached his jeep parked outside the station, he folded his leg and rested it on the foot rest of the jeep and activated his mobile,"ho gaye re kam Dutta mera sher? yelled Jeera.
Dutta flared his eyes and narrowed his eyes as he pulled his mouth to one side," haan, me and Baji contained the party, no trouble what so ever, but your three idiots cocked up! salle baachon ko drugs bech rahe thein! abhi under ho gaye hai.. tu abhi unko release kara on the double!" "whattt? how the bloody hell did that happen!? you were there Dutta! you should have handled it! Jeera shouted. Dutta blinked his eyes once and moved his head sideways, and said with authority "stop shouting at me Jeera! tera naukar nehi Dutta! no! you never told me that those three guys that you were sending with me and Baji were actually selling drugs!".
Jeera, fumed, but you were leading so I hold you responsible for those three getting caught!", before he finished , Dutta yelled," no you listen to me ! Dutta ke saath chalaki nehi! I told you right from the start ke main, drugs aur lardki beechna ka dhundha nehi karte.. tune Jeera! dhande ka usal tora! mujhe dhoka de kar! aur ek baat aur sun le, mera saath awaz zayeeda unche ki tu abhi ka abhi! thane ke undar ja ke tera saare karnama baat doon ga!".
Jeera, broke into a cold sweat, he couldn't afford to lose Dutta, he knows too much about him and his dealings.. he has to keep him sweet,"areee Dutta, mana I am in the wrong, my mistake, maaf karde, baki un thein ke fikar maat kar , in fact thanks for lying low, I know you are smart, only speak when it's essential, see that's why for me you are indispensable".Dutta winked at Baji and ended his call with Jeera, "such a swine he is Baji! tried to involve us in his low level drug racket, pun salle ko ye nehin pata ke Dutta ke bhi koi dhande ke principles hain..one of which is to keep the young, and vulnerable away from the, curse of drugs." Baji, nodded as he looked sideways at his before agitated Bhao but now somewhat, relaxed.."chaal let's go home, bahut ho gaye aaj ke liye the # will think twice next time before he sends me on his dirty missions"! he continued to complain, as he lurched heavily behind the driver's seat.
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Babi entered her room, clearly disturbed, and on the way she even called her two off springs, "ayee Naku! Sethji, mera kamra mein ao dono."Ganapat who lay on the bed relaxing, looked up at his wife who propped herself cross legged on the foot of the bed. "dekh, Babi, mujhe sona hai abhi teri kheech kheech nehi sune apun ko ! aur saath mein tum iske do anmol ratan tum bhi son lo aur dafa ho jao yahan se!"he drawled. It was obvious he had his daily input of booze .Babi, raised her voice, "yee bawadere tera mau, main bhi nehi lagana chati hoon! pun baat kerne hai tum sab se", she confided. Both brother and sister too got the message that this was a family caucus, where usually there mother presided, and they quickly scrambled on to the other side of the bed and sat cross legged all ears. Babi started off bright eyed,"pata hai Naku ke babaa, AS ne aj Naku ka ristha manga, Bhao ke liye!.
Naku's heart missed a beat, and there after hammered against her rib cage, this was sooner than she had anticipated.. some quick thoughts made waves in her mind ,her own mother had questioned her talking to Saab, so whatever her mother now says should be far from a surprise. Her reaction to this discussion should be what her parents want.. for she was a dutiful daughter. But Sethji couldn't contain his reaction,"areee ye tu kamal ho gaye! Bhao mera jeeju bun jaye ge!".Babi screamed at him with glaring eyes,"eeye ghup! bahut bulta hai reee tu!".Ganapat sat up a bit more interested,"hain? deva re deva! humari tu nikal pare re!". Babi yelled at him,"ayee puri baat tu sun le! main haan nehi bole abhi! aur jaise tera dhamak hai use sun ke tu mujhe lage main thek kiya!"Ganapat yelled back in her face, "Naku ka rhista inte aacha ghar mein ho raha hai! aur yehri aurat kush nehi! kaise maa hai re tu! Babi"? he argued, "areee chup kar tu, main apne hasiet jano main , aur Bhao ke bhi! use Naku se aache lardki mil sakte hai! jis ke zaat bhi unooche ho! isi liye mera jawab tu nehin hai!".
She stopped to look at Naku who speedily turned her face the other way and pressed her mouth firmly.. Babi still roped her into the discussion, "maine thek bola na meri bachi?".Naku slowly turned her face to her mother and with her big green doe eyes, checked her father as well, "main kaye bole gi Aye, babaa, mera lagan ka faisla ap ka hai.." and with that she eased herself off the bed and walked out of her parent's room and ran to her room, closed the door and flopped face down on her bed and wept...
How can she say she loves Saab, has done so from the day he saved her.. but it was true there was a world of difference between their families, cast to begin with.. this was true too that a man of his stature could find many other girls from families that were at par with his family.. she cried uncontrollably and suddenly stopped, the only way she might be seen to be above him was by way of her clean record.. he was an ex-con, shielded now by his power and perhaps evident wealth, ooohhh! she clutched her pillow close to her bosom, his prison experience mattered not to her, in fact it was his vulnerability that brought them together, his darkest moments when he laid bare his soul.. nothing mattered to her except his , grace, his dignity, his sensitivity, his strange do good acts.. panic gripped her, if she is to up hold her parents will then she needs to ward him off. How? she knew not, but a painful process it would be, but it has to be done...
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The tired lion returned, from his loitering. Baji checked his face mischievously, "I suppose you will not crash straight away?.."Dutta doubled his chin once, and confirmed,"hummh, will have a bite to eat," Baji nudged him,"ho aur koi hai ju thujhe serve karega haina?,"Dutta returned him a frigid look ,"jab pata hai tu why ask? ab ja apne kamre mein,"suggested Dutta, and Baji knew when he was to become history.
Dutta looked around here, there and everywhere, but found no sign. That was odd as, there had been an exchange of information, that he would keep to his nightly hours, and his assumption was that she would continue to meet him before the following day began. He screwed his mouth and furrowed his brow, she was not about. Where in heaven's name was she? he looked around and even bothered to walk towards the kitchen, in great hope that he would find her there.. but faced disappointment. He flared his nostrils, and concluded, right! Dutta will go look for her.
He mustered up his courage and put his foot in the annexe area that was out of bounds for him really. He had no business, but now it is his business...Slowly, with his hands held behind his back, he walked past the boundary wall on his left, strewn with hanging creeper plants.. his eyes lit up as he recognized her room.As luck would have it her door was ajar.. he stood before it his head lowered but his sided narrowed eyes, caught sight of her asleep on her side, her plait laid delicately on her fair cheek, he held his breath , blushed and moved an inch forward, slowly..Naku stirred and raised her head as she caught his tall black pathiani frame brush past her door frame..."Saab .. Saab!beat her heart, and she lowered her legs on the edge of her , and bare foot ran towards her doorpost .. she caught the door posts and briskly poked her head forward, but turned it to the side to gaze at his back slowly walking away.."Saab... she whispered.. kuch chaiya tha?"he stopped and turned only his head to check if it was her, and nodded his head, and then with a back arm twist he signalled her to follow as he continued walking.. there was no way he would stand and converse with her in this area.. right close to her parent and brother's room.. once he was out of the annexe . he stopped . with his back to her.
She hated herself, so much that she dug her nails in the palms of her hands.. so much so for the vows she made to herself for warding him off.As if he sensed her indifference,. he slowly turned to face her," bhook lege hai kuch khana ko de.."he made know informally. She took a deep breath and with a blank face replied,"ap ko pata kitchen kahan hai? its your house, so help your self.. mujhe subah kam pe bhi janna hai, ap ne is kam ke liye mujhe jagaya hai..and she turned to walk off.. but he grabbed her arm," are you going to tell me what is the meaning of this behaviour Naku?.. she looked at her arm, then at his face, "no you tell me the meaning of this behaviour, let go you are hurting me..." to be continued. Hamlet53~ 31.7.13
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precap ~ "meri baat abhi khatam nehi hoi hai Naku! he bellowed..
Edited by Hamlet53 - 12 years ago
