"Main yeh kehne ke liye aaya hoon ki," Shivaay Singh Oberoi hesitated on the same sentence and stopped, for the third time.
"Ki kya?! Agar aap ko kuch bolna hi nahi tha, toh yahaan kyun aaye ho, Mr. Oberoi? Main aap ko abhi bataa dehti hoon, maine naukari isliye nahi chhodhi kyun ki mujhe aap ke taane apne ghar par sunne ki ichcha thi. Ab kya kiya maine? Kaunsa ilzaam lagaane aaye ho mujh par? Chori ka ya khoon ka?" Anika ranted, in disbelief that Shivaay Singh Oberoi was so eager to have the last word that he had shown up at her door. He couldn't even let her quit without coming to taunt her in person. But she had had enough.
"Mujhe kehna tha ki," Shivaay started again, as if he hadn't heard a word Anika had said. "Maine socha tha ki---"
"Aap ne kya socha tha, mujhe usse koi farak nahi padta," Anika cut him off, exasperated. "Waise bhi, aap jo bhi mere baare mein sochte hain, mujhe achhi tarha se pata hai. Yeh kaunsi nayi baat hai?"
There was a pause. Shivaay looked away and sighed, letting his breath out slowly, as if he was readying himself.
"Woh, aaj I found out ki woh chip..." Anika raised her eyebrows at the sudden mention of it. The chip, where it had all begun. Most of it, anyway. "...Tumne leak nahi karwaayi thi. Aur woh... security mein kuch loopholes the... Tumne lock ke saath kuch nahi kiya." Shivaay looked up at the sound of slow applause, only to see Anika with a face full of scorn.
"Waah, yeh aap keh rahe hain?" When Anika saw his expression remain in the sheepish look he had been wearing for the past ten minutes, she couldn't believe it again; he was serious. So what did he want? She sighed.
"Toh mujhe kyun bataa rahe hain? Sach toh main bhi jaanti hoon. Aap se matlab?"
Shivaay tried a different approach. "Sab-sab ghar pe chahte hain ki tum waapas aa jao, especially Daadi."
"Maine woh naukari chhodh di hai, Mr. Oberoi."
"Agar tumhe kaam par phirse aana hai, tum aa sakti ho."
Unbelievable! This man was giving her permission for something she didn't even ask for! "Bhaadh mein gaya aap ka kaam aur aap ki naukari!" Anika shouted. Why was he being so insistent on bringing her back? She glanced at him and it hit her.
"Ohh, toh aap ko ehsaas ho gaya ke aap ne galatiyaan ki hain? Toh phir aise boliye na! Boliye, 'Anika, main galat tha,'" Shivaay just stared at her. "Achha, yeh bohot hi zyaada difficult hai na? Chalo, phir simple sa, 'Sorry,' keh di jiye." Anika would even accept that.
Shivaay looked like he was thinking about it, but no words came out. Anika lost her patience.
"Yeh bhi mushkil hai?" she asked, quietly and coldly. "Aisa bhi nahi hai ki aap ko maafi maangne ki koi wajah nahi hai. Aap ko yaad dilaun?"
Without waiting for an answer, Anika went on. "Mujhe jail bhijwaaya. Teen din mein, aap ne mujhse mera tender, Sahil ki custody, aur jo bhi paise the, woh chheen liye. Mera ghar bhi todne ke liye aa gaye. Aur jab dekha ki kuch bhi nahi bacha, ek blank check mere moonh pe maar gaye. Aaj tak, ilzaam par ilzaam. Pehle chip ka, kal current waala paani, aur uske beech jo bhi bura hua, woh meri hi galati thi.
Aur jab bhi main aapse mili, koi mauka nahi chhodha aap ne, mujhe meri aukaat ya middle class status ki yaad dilanein.
Aap ko toh yeh bhi yaad nahi ki maine aap ki aur aap ke bhai ki jaan bachaayi! 'Thank you' toh door ki baat hai, aap ne mujhse kaha ki mere 'low standards' hain! Ek aadmi, jisne mujhe khareed ne ki sharat lagaayi, usne kaha ki main low class hoon!" Anika shouted, livid.
"Kaise insaan hain aap?" she murmured, speaking more to herself than Shivaay.
He still said nothing. But Anika wasn't afraid. What did she have left for him to take away?
"Aap insaan ho hi nahi sakte. Insaan galati ke liye maafi maangte hain. Aap toh jaanwar hain, jaanwar. Meri poori zindagi barbaad kar di aap ne. Main aap se nafrat karti hoon.
Jis din insaan banne ka faisla leyenge, toh yahaan aa jaiye ga, maafi le kar. Main intezaar karoongi. Tab tak, mujhe apni shakal maat dhikhaiye. Jaiye. Dafa ho jaiye."
And confident that such a day would never come, Anika shut the door.
Cricket
CID
