Arshi FF: A Hundred Flukes. CHAPTER 37; See note pg 82 - Page 32

Originally posted by: zayana123

I just read prologue of this story... look really promising... gonna read all part soon...

yeah u shud... U'll love it..

Originally posted by: tomriddle

Half an hour is pretty stretched in your time scale. 😛

yeah and she is all red batti now. :(

Apologies people. Half an hour stretched indeed, my mom fed me with the yummiest Kaddu Puri I ever had in my life. It surpassed my hitherto favorite aloo-puri. Perks of having a mother hailing from UP. I have spent the time moaning in pleasure. 😳

Fellowmen, I'd say, this is my favorite chapter so far. And I so look forward for your reactions to this. I hope you like it. 😃

Chapter 32 - Crosswords

Aging is slow but certain and yet it shocks most to see sprouting lines of silvery grey making conspicuous appearances in once youthful hair. A few have the ability to accept this natural change and carry it with grace, and fewer are able to use it to their advantage, suggesting the epithet of 'the more experienced'. B. Roy belonged to the third category. He was regarded as handsome in his late thirties but in the past decade as the glint in his eyes had dimmed, his jaw had hardened further and he carried with him an air of increased wisdom, experience and charm. The greying behind his ears made the seriousness he exuded seem further pronounced. As he walked with an ease in AR's head office towards his client's cabin, he was greeted with eyes holding multifarious expressions from reverence and awe to disgust. None of which bothered the middle-aged lawyer.

He saw a ghost of a smile appear on his client's lips, certainly not directed at him but at the red leather covered folder tucked beneath his arm. He knew Arnav Singh Raizada could not read the label from where he was seated, but he had certainly guessed that it read Confidential. ASR gestured with his hand for the lawyer to take the swivel chair opposite him.

"What brings you Roy?" he said dryly.

"I bring with me something that might interest you." the older man replied with a sly smile, placing the red leather covered folder in front of him on the glass topped table. Roy eyed the younger man curiously to not miss the slightest twitch in his stoic expression as he read the contents of the folder.

Year 2000(twelve years ago)...

B. Roy was among men who fiercely adhere to their principles. His number one being, to never look for the right and wrong in a client and his/her motives for doubting the one you are defending would mean doubting yourself. And Byomkesh Roy was too proud to indulge; apart from that winning was his only motive, really. Number two, if the evidence isn't so real, one can always make it seem real and last being, following one and two is a part of his profession.

His present client was charged under IPC section 376 and 302 on count of rape and murder, it was evident to the social circles and media that the high profile businessman was guilty of the crime, there was even a "rumor" that Tejendra Tejpal had let it slip from his own mouth to a few friends in a party under a heavy influence of alcohol. But any of it had not deterred B. Roy from pleading his innocence in the court, nor much of the general opinion mattered to the blind lady with scales. To his credit, Roy and his client were running a high chance. If all went as planned the following week, Tejpal would be out of prison, squeaky clean.

Roy came out of the court room and walked towards his chamber sharp at five in the evening after a tiring day. As had been the custom for years, his evening cup of tea and a neatly folded copy of the New Delhi Times awaited him on his desk. He'd take small sips from his tea, scan the headlines and jump to his favorite section to solve the daily crossword. He unfolded the paper, a yellow advertisement pamphlet fell at his feet which he didn't care to pick and walked to his chair. Four sips later he turned to the page bearing the crossword puzzle and was chagrined to find it already and fully solved. To confirm his doubts of it being a bad prank he read through all the questions top-down and across and was surprised to see the boxes filled with zilch error, he had to admit some of the answers he couldn't have guessed. And then Roy was very annoyed, he called the dispatch office, questioned a clueless delivery boy and a fresh copy was sent his way immediately. But his daily indulgence had been ruined, the puzzle now seemed like reading a murder mystery when the killer is previously known.

Roy realized how much he craved for the thrill the daily crossword offered him when the same happened for the fourth consecutive day. He was baffled, angry, confused. It had become the norm, he'd feel his heart heavy while turning to the page and find his hope thwarted upon discovering the crossword solved. It peeved him further to realize that somebody knew about his silly addiction and he was being made a target for some reason. He was informed that the evening edition prints came out at 4:30 pm. From there several separate decks were made at the dispatch office pertaining to distribution in different localities - the process taking ten minutes, from here it took about fifteen minutes for the paper to reach his doorstep. If the culprit was present in the newspaper office, what was the probability of Roy being the victim every time? At risk of letting his little secret obsession out, he asked all his colleagues who were also subscribers and was disappointed to find nothing amiss in their copies. He fired the boy who brought his tea and paper, called the newspaper office and threatened to discontinue his subscription, asked them to change the delivery boy. What bemused Roy most was in the twenty five minutes from printing, dispatching and delivery, how the hell did the culprit manage to solve?

On the fifth day, a new boy came with tea to Roy's cabin, he was handed the newspaper which he placed on the lawyer's desk. Roy came three minutes later, nodded at the boy taking his seat and picked up the newspaper ignoring the tea. He let out a gasp reaching the desired page, the crossword wasn't complete today instead a paper slip was stuck over its heading, the words scribbled were the same scrawny variety as the letters in the filled puzzle box. It said "Don't scare the boy, we can talk. I shall be waiting for you in the Children's Park your office window overlooks."

Roy scrambled to the window and saw young boys playing cricket. He sighed dejected and stormed out of his office towards the park, once again ignoring the tea.

He looked around the park, at the twenty odd kids busy playing, befuddled.

"Are you looking for me?" called a crackly sound of a teenage boy. He turned to find one, occupying a corner bench, alone, his brown eyes staring intently at him. Roy walked towards the boy in uncertainty. The boy folded his one long leg over the other and shifted to his right, a gesture which told Roy he wanted him to sit beside him. Roy did not take a step forward. The two limpid pools of brown turned mirthful at that. "You love solving the crossword, don't you." the boy remarked casually.

Roy did not betray his surprise. "The ones that come daily in The New Delhi Times are the best I have seen so far. So you would understand that enthusiasts look forward to them." the lawyer replied, finally taking a seat beside the boy. "But you clearly aren't just an enthusiast. You want something from me and you did all this to seek my attention, quite ingenious I must say but what interests me is to know how you managed pulling this act and more importantly why me?"

"That's a lot of questions at a go." the boy pretended to yawn.

"Listen boy I am a very busy man." Roy began.

"who solves crosswords." the boy added cheekily. Roy wanted to say something sharp but chuckled instead. "Mr. Roy, I am sure if a random sixteen year old came at your door, demanding information on your latest client that only you can provide, you wouldn't entertain."

"And what makes you think that I'll entertain you now?"

"I have your interest now." the boy said matter-of-factly. "You tell me about Tejpal, I tell you about me."

Roy stared at the boy and then at his peers who were lost in the game. He shook his head, "What are you playing at young man? You may be smart but you are too young for all this, why don't you go and play with your friends?" Just as Roy said so, he noticed a cricket bat resting at the armrest of the bench. He must have gotten out earlier, mused Roy. For some unknown reason he felt relieved at this first sign of normalcy in the kid.

"You like to gamble sometimes, you lost to Tejpal and the stake was to defend him in this case. You are one of the best lawyers in the city, Tejpal has a high chance to make it with you." said the boy suddenly after a long pause. To say that Roy was surprised was the century's greatest understatement, the man had gone pale in seconds. "And by the way, the bat isn't mine, I find cricket silly."

After a minute long silence, the lawyer finally spoke regaining his composure. "And that's because...Bold? Caught behind the wicket on the first delivery? Leg before wicket?"

It was the kid's turn to be surprised. "Catch out." he said slowly, "how did you know?"

"I guessed it, just as you did." the lawyer said with a grin. "What's your name?"

"Arnav."

"Arnav...?"

"M..." The boy flinched visibly. "Just Arnav. One can do without surnames." he said.

"Sure one can." nodded the lawyer, not taking the subject any further. "So how did you learn my little secret?"

"I saw you on a Sunday - a court's holiday, grabbing the newspaper and solving a crossword sitting in your car, you seemed a little restless till you had the paper in your hands, and it was the first thing you did after that as if your life depended on it - a sign of fixation." Arnav said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"I see you have been following me for a while now." observed Roy.

"You make me sound like a stalker." Arnav complained appearing hurt. The first dramatic expression Roy noted in the boy. He chuckled. "Let me assure you, you are no less. Tell me whom did you bribe? The delivery boy, to sneak the paper to you before dropping at my place?"

"Not really. I purchased a copy daily from the circulation office. Solved the puzzle on my way to the park, well in the car," he said pointing at an old white ambassador, "while the driver got me here. I slipped a ten rupee note into your servant's pocket every day. He placed my copy of the issue on your desk and dumped your copy in trash. He came to me yesterday telling me that you had fired him, I knew it was time. I changed your copy today on my own - a risk, but your new hire is pretty dumb." Arnav completed.

Roy shook his head, still smiling, strange, he should have been angry at the teen but he wasn't.

"Tell me, why are you interested in me and my client?" he asked.

"I am just interested in your client." Arnav corrected.

Roy appeared thoughtful for a moment. "Do you work for somebody Arnav?" he asked with a frown.

"No."

"How did you know about our game?" Roy finally blurted the thing that had his mind in greater trouble.

The glint in Arnav's eyes was unmissable. "So I was right?"

"Not entirely. As I said, you must have guessed but losing a game to Tejpal isn't my reason to defend him. You haven't answered my question though."

Arnav knew, the stake thing was a blatant guess he had played to get the lawyer into talking, he searched for words. "I did lose to Tejpal anyway." Roy admitted finally sighing deeply. Arnav grinned back cockily. Roy stared at him with a blank expression. "Are you still looking for an answer?"

"Absolutely." Roy persuaded.

"We don't share trade secrets on the first meeting." replied Arnav with a shrug.

Roy's frown skimmed his face and settled between his eyebrows.

"Do your parents know about your escapades young man? And are you sure you are not working for somebody who doesn't like my client very much?" asked Roy in a defensive tone.

"No."

Silence.

"It's just me who doesn't like your client very much."

Roy had known about youth led astray, he noticed the faded denims and the blue Nike T-shirt the boy sported along with dark blue and white Nike shoes, he appeared to be well off and quite fashionable. Either his family was doing well or he had devised his own means of income. "What do you know about the gambling business Arnav?"

"That it makes people believe in their luck, or the lack of it." he replied.

"Have you ever tried your luck in it?" Roy pried in an enticing tone.

Arnav shook his head. "Never." and then almost whispered to himself, "Ma hated it."

"Mr. Roy, Tejendra Tejpal is not innocent, you know it don't you? I found out about you when I learned that you were defending him. If you win you let a rapist and a murderer out." Arnav dashed off.

"That's bit of a misplaced sense of right and wrongs my boy. If you look at this from my point you see that I am just performing my duty. Monsters like Tejpal are after all one among us, he's a citizen too and it's every man's constitutional and fundamental right to be represented. Even hard core terrorists get a lawyer in our country when tried in courts, convicts have the privilege to challenge the judgment in lower courts by appealing to higher. People find it easy to bash the law practitioners for defending the wrong, but somebody has to do the job. If a man comes to me, asking me to defend him, I have to. I bear my allegiance and loyalty to the man whom I have promised to represent, I get paid for it, it's a solemn duty."

Arnav listened to the man in silence. He looked at nothing in particular. He was deep in thought, wasn't it a fact that he learned today? The sense of right and wrong, good or bad, morality or the lack of it was after all a thing of perspective.

On the other hand Roy was relieved, somewhere his guilt had stopped hurting him too much, it was strange that he had spoken his heart in front of a young boy. He liked Arnav very much at this instant.

"Tell me about you Arnav, where do you live, who are your parents?" He saw the teen stiffen at that. Arnav did not turn his head towards the lawyer yet, somehow he felt compelled to let the words slip out of his mouth that he had been holding ever since that night.

"They are dead. My father shot my mother and then hanged himself to death." he said without a quiver in his voice, it felt cathartic. When Arnav turned to face the older man he was offered a weak smile. Arnav was thankful, he was tired of people who wanted to offer him sympathy when he needed none. Roy did not do any such thing, Arnav liked him for that. They both realized it was a beginning of a unique comradeship.

****

ASR glared at the papers with a scorn and threw his head back into the back rest swiveling in his chair looking thoughtful. "So it's Tejpal who now owns much of the Mallik estate. I knew Dheerendra Mallik had lost it all in gamble, I should have guessed where it was going." he said grimly.

"By the way, your brother in law must have told you about Tejpal's Urban Development project. He was in Lucknow a couple of weeks back, you were too but I am sure you had all your mind in the Sheesh Mahal deal." said Roy.

Arnav stopped swiveling abruptly and frowned. "What ? Jijaji in Lucknow?"

"Why, I thought you knew?"

"Are you sure?" ASR asked raising a brow higher than his usual.

Roy shrugged. "Why are you surprised, maybe he was there only for a day." he suggested.

"No Roy, I was informed that he was in Bombay attending some course."

Roy drew his lower lip out in thought. "Maybe, I must have got the wrong impression. The other day I overheard somebody in my office saying Jha is in Lucknow. I assumed it to be Shyam, it must be some other Jha then."

ASR nodded and resumed reading. "Roy, the lands on South of Gomti, that's where Tejpal is building his colony?"

"Yes. They were the Mallik's property, your grandfather had leased those lands out to some small time businessmen. These people have been living there ever since. They are mostly cotton wholesalers, local handlooms, sweetmeat shop owners, they have been worst affected. Some of them don't even have the registries to claim compensation.

Arnav turned the page that held photographs of the site. One such showed pictures of abandoned shops, he felt his heart constricted and a painful restlessness shot up his nerves. "I am going back to Lucknow...I am leaving Delhi forever. Khushi's departing words were still fresh in his memory, he had recalled them so often. What if she too lived in one of these localities? Her father owned a sweetmeat shop, didn't she tell him that night in Sheesh Mahal?

"ASR, is everything okay?" Roy asked looking concerned.

"Yeah. I need a moment to myself though." Arnav got up from his chair excusing himself. He needed some air and some more to clear the air of apprehension and unsettling concern towards Khushi's well being that was nettling his mind. He secretly hoped she was alright.

****

"We have been doing this wrong all the way." said Khushi, sitting cross legged in a chair, her lower lip jutting out in thought. She scratched her chin to pronounce the dramatic effect.

Madhumati grimaced. "Not again, don't tell me you have another idea. Oh why did I ever listen to you Sanakadevi?"

Khushi jumped down from her chair, her leg hit the chair's making her limp as she walked. "No buaji, not an idea I have a scheme." Madhumati looked at her skeptically. "See, we put in all that we have and hope to make profit in a market that already has sufficient supply. We are competing with those who have been here for more time than us, more experience and definitely more customers. And here we started from scratch, till the time we are established we would be neck deep paying interest. What I am saying Buaji is that those who run successful businesses always begin working with already established ones. They gain from their employer's experience, learn the trade and then set up their own. Remember how Babuji started his shop? You only told me the story."

Madhumati smiled reminiscing, "Sasi babua used to make sweets and supply to bigger retail outlets. After a couple of years when people started recognizing the taste, they demanded only the sweets that Babua made, it was then that he opened his own Satvik Mishthan Bhandaar. But who will buy our sweets?" She came back to her peevish mode, rounding her eyes.

"Arre Nandkissore hain na buaji, I'll take jiji with me, together we'll do some salesgirling on Sunday, I am sure we'll hit treasure somewhere."

****

She picked up the sprinkler, sad with boredom and longing, Anjali watered her brother's plants wistfully missing her husband. His touring had increased of late. Sometimes old cases, sometimes relatives in the village to whom he never took her along. She scolded the little cynic peeking out from her conscious, was he hiding something from her? And just like that she admonished the origin of the thought. She blamed experience for making her doubt too much. Lost in her thought she did not notice footsteps coming behind her, the sprinkler dropped from her hands and she shrieked as she felt a pair of arms circle her waist.

"Shhh, Rani Saheba it's me." he said.

Anjali stiffened and turned around with a jerk, "You? Oh god you scared me but how are you here, you said you were leaving for Lucknow with some work." Anjali questioned, her heart still pulsating loudly. Shyam let go of her waist, Anjali did not like the loss of contact.

"Well work can wait. I decided not to go before our anniversary." Shyam replied coyly.

"Oh that's the best gift I could get." she exclaimed happily throwing her arms around his neck.

From a distance Lavanya watched them, she took a few steps back and left the couple with a little more privacy. She smiled thinking what a perfect couple the two made.

She went to the study in search of her own beau and found him busy with a phone call. She stood waiting for him to finish the call, once he was done he turned to face her with a nod. "I hear finally there'll be some fun in this boring house." she chirped.

"It's Di and jijaji's third anniversary and I'm throwing a party." he shrugged.

"I know that, take my words Champagne Fountain is a must." she declared.

ASR shook his head amused, "Lavanya, alcohol is strictly banned inside Shantivan. Mark my words, F.O.R.B.I.D.D.E.N or else you see the worst side of my grand mom."

"Holy humans vs. zombies, ASR is there more to her than what I have already faced?" she asked incredulously.

"You should have known better by now."

"Anyway, I too have a surprise planned for Di and Jijaji, I have this..."

"Lavanya just make sure whatever it is, it's decent and acceptable. You know the family loves to over react."

"I know that ASR, I'll take care, by the way I heard you ordering sweets from a small sweet mart, I mean why a non-classy little..." she objected.

"Jijaji loves Lucknavi sweets, after all the celebration is about Di and him." He explained.

"Alright I get it, but tell me one last thing..." she looked at him her eyelashes fluttering flirtatiously, "What should I wear?"

"Anything you..."

"What about that Rohit Bal saree, remember the one that Glitters wore for our calendar shoot?"

Damn you Lavanya, I need not be reminded of that. Screamed ASR's mind, And I hate red, crazy color, and it looked ravishing on her. "No." he said dismissively, "Just wear anything but that. It's too bright."

"Fine. I get something classier." she gave back smiling.

And just like that images of Khushi in delicate red attire came floating back. "Damn it." he cursed.

****

Originally posted by: zayana123

I just read prologue of this story... look really promising... gonna read all part soon...

Originally posted by: cineraria

Apologies people. Half an hour stretched indeed, my mom fed me with the yummiest Kaddu Puri I ever had in my life. It surpassed my hitherto favorite aloo-puri. Perks of having a mother hailing from UP. I have spent the time moaning in pleasure. 😳

Lal batti changes to amber, soon to be green. 😉

yet to finish 31. But a quick question-

Ye kaddu puri kya cheez hai? Kaddu is stuffed in puri like aloo puri?? and what goes along with kaddu puri? Pls pls mascafy your mom and send me the recipe!

Originally posted by: cineraria

<font face="Comic Sans MS, Times, serif" size="2">Dearest P, padhne se pehele hi like mar diya. I lau you damnit!😆</font>

hum bhi aapse i love u dammit! 😳

Originally posted by: cineraria

Dearest P, padhne se pehele hi like mar diya. I lau you damnit!😆

hum bhi aapse i love u dammit! 😳

Originally posted by: shree10

yet to finish 31. But a quick question-

Ye kaddu puri kya cheez hai? Kaddu is stuffed in puri like aloo puri?? and what goes along with kaddu puri? Pls pls mascafy your mom and send me the recipe!