PR reloaded-FF-Pt 66 Pg 148, 27/4/11 - Page 81

Get well soon dear........... Take care........Love u.........

😊HOW R U NIKKI ????????? Take care

PART 50

PARALLAX

Archana rang the temple bell and bowed her head. The temple was crowded, and the pundits shouted at the women to move away faster so that the next lot could take their place. Archana ignored. Today was a very important day in her life. It would determine the course of her future.

She reflected on the initial 15 days of her married life with Manav. They had been the most beautiful days of her life, when she had been made to feel loved and respected for what she was, without any conditions or impositions to be loved back. Those 15 days had bonded her with Manav in a queer sort of way.

She wanted those days back. She wanted her old life with Manav back. She wanted to take care of his family and have his children. She wanted their relationship to be as pure and spotless as it had been before. She wanted him to exonerate himself from all the accusations that had been placed on him and prove that he was worth every inch of respect that she wanted to shower on him.

She prayed to Ganpati Bappa fervently. "Today is a big day for my Manav, Bappa. Please help him, and give success in WHATEVER he intends to do..."

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

There in J.J. Hospital, Manav, Shinde Bhau and the Doctor were convincing the Narcotics head.

"I'm not sure," he said thoughfully. "The matter has just cropped up, and investigations are not yet complete. I don't want to put Varsha in the hands of a private practitioner so soon."

Shinde Bhau stepped in. "I will personally supervise this case, Mr. Narang. We need to get to the bottom on this whole drugs scam. But we also need to think of the health of the patient. If something happens to Varsha while in custody, the media and Human Rights people will make another controversy."

"So we can get her treated here only. I don't want Varsha to switch hospitals... investigations will get difficult."

Shinde Bhau pushed Manav ahead. "He is Varsha's relative. He will take full responsibility that even if he shifts Varsha to another private hospital, he will cooperate with all of you for the investigation." Manav nervously indicated a Namaste.

Mr. Narang studied Manav. He seemed to be a harmless, powerless, not-so-rich guy. He didn't look like the sort of person who would cause trouble. "How did you get hurt?" he asked, pointing to his bandages.

Manav stuttered. "I..I.. got caught... in a street brawl. That's how."

"And how are you involved in all this?"

"I'm Varsha's brother-in-law."

"Hmmmmm......" Mr. Narang thought deeply. "We'll have to interrogate him first before we decide anything about Varsha.' He indicated a room guarded by the police. "Come."

Manav felt nervous. After this, there was no going back. Shinde Bhau kept a hand on his shoulder. Manav nodded.

"Take out your wallet, driving license, any other identification, cell phone, and then enter the room." The guard instructed.

Manav looked back nervously at Shinde Bhau. He looked relaxed. "Protocol." he said coolly. "Not to worry. They need it to know whether you are trustworthy, whether you have any links or any past criminal records, and if you had any sort of conversation with Varsha in the last few hours. They need to confirm that you are not part of a larger setup. That's it. Don't worry."

Still uncomfortable, Manav handed his things to the guard. "Please take care." he said as the guard touched his things with gloved hands and put them away in zip locked pouches. He went ahead for the interrogation.

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

It was 8 'o' clock.

The Karanjkars reached the court on time. Archana looked understandably nervous. She looked about for the Deshmukhs. They had different reactions- while Savita grumbled away to herself, Sachin looked bored. Damodar Baba and Tarun looked anxious. The witnesses looked pale. Time and again, they were seen discussing stuff with Mr. Farooq, the lawyer.

The Lokhandes got down from their BMW as they made a stylish entry. Rasika Aai was sweating, but Ajit looked cool as a cucumber. His demeanour stunned everyone, who had been expecting him to be mad with fury and frustration.

"I don't like this.. this first feeling," whispered Tarun to Damodar Baba. Baba shushed him.

Archana looked at Ajit's confidence, his lawyers and felt her old fears coming back. What if he was right and Manav was wrong??? No no- she shook her head. This couldn't happen.

By the way, she thought- WHERE IS MANAV???.

She shrugged. Some last minute formality probably. Where else could he be?

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

Back at the base..

The interrogation lasted for three hours. The police asked Manav again and again about his identity, his work and his relationship with Varsha, hoping to find a weak link somewhere. But Manav stayed firm. He stuck to his words and did not get trapped in their wily questions. Shinde Bhau had told him to be extremely cautious since the interrogation was being taped.

Towards the end of three hours- the Narcotics department had given their verdict- he was what he was- A simple Maharashtrian lower class guy working as a mechanic in a garage of Dombivili. The only police record was a street brawl- common in people of his class. He had not remained in contact with Varsha for days, and he did not seem to have any links with any drug peddlars or any other suspicious persons in the drug market. He was Varsha's unfortunate relative, bas.

The policemen discussed with Shinde Bhau. Manav seemed like a simple, law abiding man. If they let him take Varsha for treatment, they could easily keep tabs on him, since he was unlikely to vanish away anywhere on his own- he had a permanent address of Mumbai, seemed very much settled here and had a large family to fend for, after all. They could easily scare him and keep him in check. Shinde Bhau said that he would look into this case personally and make sure there would be no problem. He would put his own men to guard Varsha in the other hospital. In the meanwhile, the Narcotics team could conduct their investigations in peace and wait for a date from the court.

"As of now, let her go with Manav." he said. "The longer she stays here, the more news will spread. It is best to keep the facts away from the media right now. No use letting the storm grow even before we can control it."

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

At court, things were getting totally out of control.

Everyone had just one question on their lips- where was Manav? Where was the man who had been the initiator of the whole court case? Where had he disappeared???

Tarun called and called furtively on Manav's number. Many times he did not get a signal, when he got it, no one picked up the phone.

"He hasn't come home since last night." Damodar said worriedly. "We tried our best to contact him but failed. Finally we thought, wherever he may be, he will definitely reach the court on time. But now.."

Tarun grimaced. With a great amount of pleading, he had convinced the court to start the proceedings late. But they couldn't delay for long. The hearing had to start. Mr. Farooq looked very anxious now. Sachin had a 'I-knew-this-would-happen' expression on his face. Savita was getting interested in this whole debacle now, waiting for what would happen.

The Karanjkars were whispering among themselves. "I thought Manav had solid proof??" Manohar Baba said.

"Maybe his proof vanished.. or maybe he developed cold feet.." Manjusha sniggered. She had taken a leave from office just for this tamasha. She wouldn't miss it for the world.

Archana gave her an irritated look. Manjusha rolled her eyes. As if she cared!!!

Archana walked over to Tarun, who was still trying to call Manav. "What is all this happening?" she asked. "Where is Manav?"

"I'll tell where is Manav." Ajit said evilly. "Your Manav has hidden off somewhere in shame. He started this huge mess, tried to blackmail me to accept his mistakes, scaring me with some phoney proofs. I didn't succumb to the blackmail, and now since he knows his proofs are not sufficient and he has lost on all counts, he has hidden off somewhere. The loser doesn't even have the guts to face us all or admit defeat!!!"

Everyone was shocked. Tarun came forward menacingly. "There is not an ounce of truth in all this! Manav is not a coward. In any case, we have sufficient evidence and you know that too. I'm sure, you have done something to prevent Manav from getting here in time. I will not leave you Ajit, I will.."

"Tarun, please!" Vaishali pulled him away. Tarun looked at Vaishali. She seemed to be very scared. Despite her broken leg, she had come to court, hobbling on a crutch, since she did not want any trouble between Tarun and Ajit cos of the case or Manav. He cooled down almost immediately. Mr. Farooq put a hand on his shoulder. "We cannot ask for more time. We must go inside now."

"But the main evidence is with Manav." Tarun whispered. "And what about the cross questioning?"

Mr. Farooq sighed. "We'll see that later. As of now, lets make do with what we have."

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

"Put your signatures here." The female inspector commanded.

"Wh.. what's happening?" said Varsha nervously as a pen was thrust into her hand. The rest had done her good and the colour seemed to be returning to her cheeks.

"You are being shifted to another hospital- a private hospital in Bandra."

"What??!!!??"

"That man outside, he's your relative right? He is taking you away from here in a private hospital for further treatment. But don't think you will be free there. The police will be on guard."

For a minute Varsha was confused. What was the meaning of all this? Shift from here for what? Either way, she was still under confines and with a criminal record to her credit. What was the use of all this? That Manav- that horrible man- how could she trust his word and sign on any damn document?? And how was Manav going to pay for a private hospital's expenses? Oh wait.. had he told at home..??? NOOOOOOO!!!!!

"What are you thinking?" the lady asked suspiciously. "Is he related to you or not?"

Varsha came back to earth. The inspector was staring suspiciously. She remembered how Manav had told her that she would have to trust him blindly today, without expecting any answers. That was the only way things would go about.

Could she trust the man who had spoilt her sister's life???

She sighed. It was a difficult decision and she had no one but herself. The decisions she had taken till today- about her friends who had deserted her at the airport when she had fallen in trouble, about judging Prasanna job agencies, about working abroad, about believing that she was mature and bold enough to handle the outside world on her own now- all the decisions had been wrong. She really did not have a good sense of identifying people, she felt. She really did not have the ability to see through their ulterior motives.

And so, could she trust Manav??

She did not know. She sat still for a few minutes, reflecting, remembering their past conversations- the time he had said that they had something in common- they protected their loved ones like animals. She remembered how Archana had always trusted him, without knowing why. She remembered their little banters and fights during the wedding. She remembered how he had stood by the family during their tough times- when Aai had a heart attack, when Vaishali had gone missing, during the dowry fiasco. Brothel or no brothels- he could never harm the family.

She closed her eyes for a few minutes, debating, struggling, thinking. Finally she opened her eyes and signed the documents.

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

Back in the courtroom..

The case seemed to have taken a turn for the worst. One by one the witnesses came up- the pregnant lady and the old man who had seen Ajit in a drunken state near the garage the night it had been burnt. Halfway through they stuck to their stand. In the middle of the confusing and atrocious cross questioning however- they burst out saying that they hadn't seen anything as such and Manav had convinced them to lie, promising them money in return once he won the case and got compensation money from Ajit.

The audience was shocked. But they did not know that it was just the tip of the ice-berg.

The proof- the cigarette lighter that had been found in the garage- was then demonstrated. The fingerprinting reports were presented which proved that they were Ajit's fingerprints. But Ajit's lawyer had a cure for this as well. He presented 5 identical cigarette lighters before the court. The Karanjkar family was shocked. They had seen Ajit's lighter before and had thought that the ball was in Manav's court.

"Not difficult to get at all." Ajit's lawyer proclaimed. "I bought them in a set from Parel- 250 rupees for a pack."

"But this one has Ajit's fingerprints..!! It is HIS!!!" Mr. Farooq pointed out.

"It has Manav's fingerprints as well." Ajit's lawyer said coolly. "What does that prove- Manav burnt his own garage? Ha? Your honour, the fact of the matter is- this cigarette lighter must have been offered to Ajit at some time, since everyone knows he is a chain smoker. Not difficult at all- Manav and Ajit have often met in family functions. That is how his fingerprints are there. It doesn't prove that it is HIS lighter."

The audience was nonplussed. The Deshmukh family looked worried. Things were going terribly wrong. Manav was called repeatedly for the cross questioning but he didn't come. Efforts to phone him were useless since no one answered. (Manav's cell was taken away for the narcotics investigation)

"Excuse me, your honour!!" Mr. Farooq spoke up. "Mr. Tarun has just received a phone call from a friend- a certain Miss Shravani. She said that Manav was brutally attacked last evening. She is on her way to court to give testimony for the same. Sir, Manav had some very important proof against Ajit, and that is why he has been attacked and.."

"Objection My Lord!" Ajit's lawyer thundered. "The opposition is just trying to stretch the matter. I have some witnesses that will give testimony too.."

A dark and thin guy with a bandage on his head and a plaster around his neck came forward to give his statement. "Manav hit me pretty badly near Haji Ali yesterday. He wanted me to accept that I helped Ajit Sir in burning the garage, just cos I work for him." He said, moaning and groaning. "And all because I refused to give evidence against Ajit Sir. Everyone knows about this case and how Manav has 'convinced' everyone to give evidence."

"Objection!" Mr. Farooq shouted. "My client has a very clear reputation of a peace loving man. He can NEVER do it!!!"

"You are quite misinformed, Mr. Farooq." Ajit's lawyer said. "For the record- Manav has a nasty temper. Once he hurt his wife's to-be-fiance, a guy called Varun. Another time, he hurt Ajit very badly in front of almost 20 people in his garage. I'm sure even Archanaji remembers it, she knows about this."

Archana lowered her head. Things were going in the wrong direction.

The guy presented a paper. "I got treated at J.J. hospital last night. There was a lot of police there and they had taken my complaint as well. Here is a copy of the FIR. Later I came to know that Manav was also there in that hospital- I'd beaten him in self defence- but he got discharged last night itself. He did not even talk to the police. Here is a copy of his discharge form. Signed by a certain Miss Shravani. Then why isn't he here???"

(Author's note: Manav had been so involved in Varsha's matter that he HAD NOT waited to file an FIR for his attack despite the intern telling him in Part 48 that it was a police case which ought to be reported. This gave his attackers a chance to strike first. You can check back in case of any confusion.)

The court was silent. The judge took the papers and examined them. "Were the family members aware of all this?"

The Deshmukh family hung their heads. Mr. Farooq cleared his throat. "There must have been some miscommunication. Manav must have been attacked by them, but they are making it look the other way.."

"Then why didn't he go to the police? The police were there in the hospital! Why NO FIR? Let us stop going round and round the bush now." Ajit's lawyer said impatiently. "Where is Manav? It is quite clear that he got discharged last night. Your own witness (Shravani's) signatures are present on the discharge papers. You people claim he had some proof- where is it??? And why isn't he here to present it???"

Mr. Farooq looked nervously at Tarun and turned to the judge. "Your honour, I'm positive that something wrong has happened with Manav. He must have been attacked again. He.."

"Stop making up stories Mr. Farooq. The court believes that which can be proved. Did you people call Manav up? Why is it that Miss Shravani, a complete outsider, knows about him but you people, or for that sake- his own wife- was not even informed? Why isn't he talking to you people now?"

A smile spread on the face of Ajit's lawyer. "I will tell where he is- option one: he is with the police, being interrogated for the scene he created at Haji Ali. Option two: He is in the arms of some sleazy prostitute, putting this whole disaster behind, calming his mind.."

Tarun and Sachin got up from their seats agitatedly. "Hold your tongue!! This is all ridiculous." They shouted. Savita grumbled angrily in her seat.

"Those who shout will be sent outside for contempt of court." The judge said sternly. He turned to Ajit's lawyer. "Your closing statement."

Ajit's lawyer stood up smugly. "Your honour- this case is a very strange one. The person who started it all- Manav Deshmukh- a small time mechanic of Dombivili- accused a rich and influential man Ajit Lokhande of burning down his garage. For what? Not only for getting money in the form of compensation, but also for paying him back in his own coin. You see, this man (he pointed towards Ajit) is responsible for Manav's marriage being on the rocks- he exposed the secrets of Manav Deshmukh's characterless life to his wife and told her how she had been cheated. Manav, who had a reason now to pick a bone with Ajit, could not stop at harming him physically in front of a garage full of workers- he tried to wreak vengeance by laying a serious criminal blame of arson. If that was not enough- he has also been blackmailing my client for the last few days, saying that he will take back the court case if he takes the blame of his broken marriage and 'confesses' to Archana, that he was the guilty party, not Manav- that all he had revealed to her had been falsehoods. Telephone conversations between my client and Manav prove this fact. But my client never retorted back since he had no wish to get blackmailed and blamed for something he had not done, nor did he want to ruin Archana's life by unconsciously pushing her towards a characterless man like Manav just to save his own skin. The proofs I have presented today support my story. I request the court to do justice to my client Ajit Lokhande who has been blamed for no reason. I rest my case."

With this he went and sat in his seat. Nervously, Mr. Farooq started speaking. "My client Manav Deshmukh is a victim of circumstances Your honour. He was first trapped by horrible claims which led to his marriage going astray, and then his garage was burnt mercilessly for further revenge. The witnesses we had have turned their backs, and the one strong proof that we have is with Manav. I do not know why he has not been able to come to the court today, but keeping in mind the fact that he is hurt, I would request the court to give him a second chance to bring the truth forward. He might have been involved in fights before, but only for self defence. He cannot beat a man mercilessly to death, the way it has been claimed in court today. I would request the court for a further extension of this case if possible."

Murmurs rose in court as the jury discussed about the pros and cons of the case. Finally, the judge banged his gavel.

"We have come to a conclusion." He said gravely.

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

Dressed again in her best Salwar suit (the one which she had been wearing while on her way to airport), Varsha came out of the female ward on a wheelchair, with the female constable by her side. The first person she saw sitting outside, holding his head, was Manav.

Her heart felt a twang of nostalgia and regret when she saw him there. Ever since she had met him, she had always doubted him. She had always looked down upon him, never considered him fit enough for her family. And yet today, this same guy was sitting, arm in a sling and bandages on the head, waiting for her to come out hale and hearty. All night he had been here for her- eventually she had depended on him when she could not depend on anyone else.

She was touched. A tear rolled down her cheek.

Almost at the same moment, Manav looked up. He stood up when he saw her and moved closer to her. "How are you feeling now?" he said slowly.

She could not speak. Overwhelmed with shame and emotion, she looked down, tears falling faster now. Embarassed, Manav touched her lightly on the shoulder. "Chalein???"

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

Archana stared into the empty space in front of her. Her mind refused to work.

Ever since Manav had not come to court, she had started having negative vibes. But she had never thought that by the end of the hearing, it would be proved that Manav was guilty!!!

Manav was guilty- she repeated, as if trying to convince herself. The court had given the judgement in favour of Ajit, deciding that Manav had indeed tried to trap Ajit in the crime of burning his garage. His complaint had been meaningless. He had no witnesses or proofs in support of the complaint he had himself made, but he did have a motive to hurt Ajit, he had a bad history and he had clearly been blackmailing Ajit. If that was not all- he had suddenly vanished from the face of earth, regardless of the court case and had an FIR launched against him for yet more fighting and attempt to gain fake evidence.

She shook her head. No, it couldn't be true! He had promised her, hadn't he, that he would prove himself innocent? He had been giving her hope since so many days. He had been so sure! There must be a mistake somewhere!!! She reflected on Mr. Farooq's closing statement. It seemed difficult to accept, especially since there was no proof or witnesses, worse- Ajit's proofs were strong. It seemed like a recurrence of last time.

A recurrence of last time- was Manav really a cheat who had first trapped her and was now taking revenge against Ajit and trying to woo her back at the same time- as the lawyer had claimed and the court had accepted? Archana's heart shuddered as her face wrung with despair. All these days she had been sticking to the faith that she would go back to a life with him very soon, all because he had been so sure and confident in front of her- "I'll buy the oven before you come back.. I'll take care of the kitty till you come back.. I'll do this and that.." ' what not had he said. The face of him that she had seen in the past few days had been one of a caring and supportive husband- one who could not cheat her. And now suddenly, it was seeming to her that this was all a faade- only lies and falsitude were what she had been subjected to, that she had been taken for a ride, simply because she had tried to give Manav a chance even though serious claims had been made against his character.

Someone tapped her shoulder. It was her Aai. She looked deeply disappointed.

"All is over Archana." She said sadly. "Let's go home now. Enough we have seen and heard- first he destroyed your life, and now he is making life hell for the rest of the family members. Lets put this behind us now."

Archana tried to control her tears. "Aai, somewhere I still feel there is something wrong. Manav had promised me.. he.. he can't do this. I'm sure he will come to court with that big proof Tarun was talking about.."

Sulochana sighed. How was she to make Archana understand?? Her Baba adjusted her glasses, not knowing what to do, and Vinod and Manjusha came there along with Vaishali, hobbling. The Deshmukh family was standing with Tarun a few feet away. Damodar and Tarun were making enquiries about Manav, and talking to Mr. Farooq about any possible solutions left while Savita was abusing furiously, angry at getting no compensation for the burnt garage. Sachin looked tensed. The worst fears of the family had come true. "I will wait for Manav here." Archana said, looking at them all. "Each one of them is still trying. I will also try.."

The Karanjkars were shocked. "Archana, its afternoon now!" said Manjusha, dumbfounded, hating the idea of getting tanned in the strong sun. "How long will you wait here in the heat?? We need to go home now. We can't sit here all day, especially Aai."

"Then you people go home. I'm sure Manav will come- and with proof. He knows how much I am counting on this case. He will not hide. He is not a coward. He will definitely face me, even if the judgement has not been in his favour. I know and I believe, he may have lost the case, but he has not cheated me.. he has not cheated me.."

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

Manav and Varsha went to Shinde Bhau. The ambulance was getting ready and in a few minutes they were supposed to leave for the private hospital at Bandra.

"I have talked to Dr. Feroz." Shinde Bhau said. "Just follow his instructions. Everything will be alright. A few police constables will accompany you in the ambulance. Manav, you go with Varsha in the ambulance itself."

Manav nodded. "Thankyou very much for everything Sir." He said, folding his hands in gratitude. "Without you, I don't know how we would have managed."

Shinde Bhau shrugged. "Save the apologies for another day. Thank Shravani if you really are so grateful. And you.." he looked at Varsha. "Take care of yourself, and stay out of trouble. In fact.." his face turned serious. "Both of you stay out of trouble. The Narcotics team will be vigilant. Although my team is supposed to guard you now at the private hospital where we are 'supposedly' getting you admitted for treatment, and I will make sure that my men cover up for your absence well, still, you must stay away from all this now. It would be better if you go out of Mumbai for a few days stealthily. If they suddenly find out this whole plan that we've made and rush to imprison you, then at least you will be out of their reach and safe."

Manav looked alarmed. "But then.."

"Yup!" Shinde Bhau said. "They will catch hold of YOUR neck then. That is why I had said that it will be more risky for you than for Varsha." He noticed that both Varsha and Manav looked pensive. "Arey this is the worst case scenario. Don't worry. I and Dr. Feroz will handle everything. I will keep an eye on the investigations they are making and track the whole thing down. As far as possible, I'll make sure that they do not call you or Manav again and again for investigation. This way they won't guess that you're not even at the hospital, but actually free and enjoying outside Mumbai."

"How?"

"Leave that to Dr. Feroz." Shinde Bhau said casually.

Manav and Varsha still felt nervous. They did not know how things were going to be worked out, but as of now, they seemed to be going in the right direction.

Shinde Bhau suddenly gave an enormous yawn. "I'll leave now." he said. "You woke me up in the middle of the night yesterday."

Manav tried to smile. "Yes sir, you leave. We will call you if there is any.." he was suddenly reminded of his belongings. "Sir, my things- wallet, phone etc. have not been returned to me as yet.. they were taken before the interrogation." Varsha nodded. "Me too."

Shinde Bhau looked thoughtful. "They might have send it to the headquarters as evidence, and for tapping the phone etc. to look into the contacts etc- remember, they did intensive research on you today. You will have to enquire from there."

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

It was seven 'o' clock.

Archana was still sitting on the steps outside court. She seemed to be in a daze.

"Archana!" she turned when he heard Damodar Baba's soft voice. He looked tired, yet very worried. "You must go home now."

She shook her head. "Manav will come." She said. "He can't go away hiding his face like a coward. Even if he has lost he will come. You people said na that he had some proof? Then he will come to show it to me. I'm sure he will come."

Damodar Baba sighed. Vaishali held her by the shoulders. Sulochana Aai and Baba had gone home with Manjusha for Punni. "Tai," she whispered. "Court closed two hours back. Even if he has to come, he will not come HERE now. He will come at home to meet you."

Archana looked at her absent mindedly. "Home?" She recollected. "Manav had said once that he will come to our home only after he proves himself innocent."

"Yes!" said Vaishali. "He will come home with whatever proof these people are talking about. Archu Tai, please, you have not eaten anything since morning."

"Huh?" asked Archana. She stood up when she saw Tarun and Sachin returning. They looked tired.

"We went and enquired in J.J. Hospital." Tarun said. "They said Manav went away with some girl in an ambulance.."

Archana's ears perked up. "What girl?" she said sharply. "Shravani?"

"I don't know which girl! Shravani came at night and went away. This was someone else, everyone said." said Tarun exasperated. "We enquired and enquired, but nobody gave any more information about Manav or his condition or the girl!!! He's not even answering his cell, even though it is ringing."

Archana's head was now going round and round. Byculla and nearby area was yet another area famous for prostitution, her mind screamed. But ambulance??? "No!" she blurted out. "Manav must have gone with someone cos he was too weak to move around on his own!!" she said vehemently. "Only God knows how badly hurt he is. I.. I.. haven't even talked to Shravani about him.." she muttered.

Vinod looked at Damodar. "Look what has happened to my sister because of your son!!!" he said accusingly. "She's almost on the nerve of turning psychotic."

Damodar looked at the sky, muttering to God to give him strength. "I'm going to the temple." He said finally, trying to control his sobs. "I can't take all this anymore."

"Come now, Archu Tai!" Vaishali said, tugging at her arm. "Please lets go home!!"

Archana was crying badly now. "If Manav went in an ambulance, it means his condition isn't good. He must have taken a turn for the worse AFTER the discharge!!! They must be shifting him!!!" She wept. "That explains why he hasn't come till now. That explains why he isn't answering his cell.. oh Bappa.. please take care of him.. I.. I.. won't go home till I don't see him with my own eyes."

Vinod was shocked. "Archu, you can't stay here all night!" he said in a horrified voice. "You really can't!!!"

"She can wait at our home." Suggested Damodar Baba. "Anyways, everyone will be coming there- Tarun, Sachin, Manav.. when he is found he will be brought there only.."

"But.." protested Vinod. Damodar Baba held his hand. "Try and understand Beta. Everyone is tensed right now.. Savita Aai is there at home.. even the twins are there.. believe me, they are very responsible.. alright- let Vaishali go with Archana.. is that okay??"

Vinod started to protest again, but Archana immediately agreed. "Yes." She said, wiping her tears. "I'll wait there for Manav. Let Vaishali come with me. You go home Dada and comfort Aai, she is also very tensed."

Vinod however felt uneasy. He didn't feel right about leaving his two sisters- one who was in a bad shape, the other handicapped with a fractured leg- alone. His brotherly intuition warned him against it- asking him not to leave his sisters to handle this mess by themselves- both of them were emotional and gullible. He looked around nervously. "Vaishali won't be able to climb the stairs at the Deshmukh house," he said finally. "Anyways, I prefer that SHE go home to comfort Aai-Baba, she has her medicines and stuff there too. Tarun, please drop Vaishali home, I will go with Archana to Manav's chawl."

Tarun nodded. Sachin turned to Baba. "We are thinking of making a police complaint if Manav is not found in two hours."

Baba agreed with a sigh. He looked at Archana who looked morose and lost. He placed his hand on Archana's head. "Don't worry beta, Bappa will do everything alright." He said. "A little more strength is all that is required."

Archana hoped what he was saying was true. She nodded, trying to control her tears, as she accompanied Vaishali into a waiting taxi, heading back towards the place which she had left many weeks ago.. Manav's home.. her home.

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Okay people, so that was part 50, and now I'm waiting for your comments and feedback.

Thankyou for all your love in all the parts. It has been great fun writing this FF. I intended to complete it by August, but that couldn't be possible. Now I have no idea when this FF will get over. Maybe we'll make it till Part 80, that's all I can say.

This is for all of you....

MAST PART..........