Do maheene pehle
Kalyani was growing impatient with each passing second. She had informed ACP Rane about the meeting beforehand still he has not yet arrived. Finally Malhar entered her cabin in a hurry but not before knocking. There was a baby in his arms who was crying with all his might. Kalyani was going to give him a piece of mind for his non punctual behaviour but she was puzzled seeing the baby with him. She knew Malhar was not married so how was the baby related to him.
"I'm sorry ma'am," Malhar said, "Aaj subah ise nehlaane ke baad hi ise tez bukhaar chadh gaya. Aur nahaate time mera cellphone bhi paani me gir gaya tha to main apko time par inform bhi nahi kar paaya. Fir iski tabiyat ki tension me dhyaan nahi raha ki kisi aur se phone lekar aapki secretary ko call kar doon."
"ACP Rane...Magar aap is bacche ko yahaan meeting me kyon le aaye?"
"Madam," Inspector Pawar said, "Sorry to interrupt magar ye baccha hamko last week us burning bus accident ke baad mila tha. Iske maata pita accident me hi maare gaye the aur is bacche ko lene ke liye koi rishtedaar bhi taiyyar nahi hua. Baccha itna Chhota hai to Malhar Sir ko ise is haalat me orphanage chhorna sahi nahi laga. To tab se ye baccha Sir ke hi paas hai. Magar Sir ko koi idea ya experience nahi h bacche ko kaise..."
Kalyani didn't know whether it was the mother in her who was separated from her child or that swelling feeling that rose in her heart to see ACP Rane who was doing much more for the baby than the domain of his duty, she instinctively took the baby in her arms from Malhar, and began cooing at him. Surprisingly, the baby stopped crying as soon as Kalyani held him.
"Naam kya hai is bacche ka Officer?" Kalyani asked tickling at the chin of the baby at which he was laughing and gurgling.
"Iske maa baap ne ise kya naam diya tha vo to pata nahi," Malhar said, "Magar in the meantime, main ise Moksh kehkar bulaata hoon."
Throughout the meeting, Moksh was in Kalyani's lap and Malhar was in the awe of the woman he was seeing, the woman who was a strict, highly capable bosslady yet has the compassionate heart that melted just at the smile of a child.
Kalyani felt a feeling of pride for ACP Malhar Rane. Till now, she had seen how criminals shivered at the name of Aurangabad ka Singham, but yet seeing his clueless dorkiness to bring up a child who was not even his own made him too adorable.
When Malhar left Moksh at home during the lunch hour and went back to the police station, Moksh without seeing any familiar face started crying. Pallavi has organised a Kitty party for her friends but Moksh's crying was creating a disturbance.
"Ye kya museebat utha laaya ye Malhar aur is balaa ko patak diya hamare sar par. Ae chup ladke," she rebuked Moksh but he started crying even louder.
"Tu aise nahi sudhrega," saying that Pallavi shoved a green chilly inside Moksh's mouth and tied his mouth with a piece of cloth.
Sampada came to Malhar's house for some work when she saw Moksh in that state. Hurriedly, she untied the cloth on his mouth and removed the green chilli.
"Ye kisne kiya Moksh ke saath?" she muttered. She was going to call Malhar when Pallavi snatched her phone.
"Doosron ke ghar me taanka jhaanki karne ki aadat me bilkul apni aai pe gayi hai re tu," Pallavi said, "Tu abhi Malhar ki patni bani nahi h." Pallavi again put the green chilli inside Moksh's mouth and tied the cloth.
"Aur sun agar tu bahar jaakar Malhar ko phone karne ki soch rahi h na to itna soch le ki jab Malhar aayega tab na is museebat ke muh par kapda bandha hoga na hi usne koi mirchi khaai hogi. Magar iske baad tere aur is museebat ke saath kya hoga iski zimmedari main nahi leti. Samazla?"
Sampada nodded. Her mother was one of the most cunning women in Aurangabad but even she was speechless in front of Pallavi. Sampada was very much afraid of Pallavi but she told herself once again that her love for Malhar was more than her fear of Pallavi.