VeeBhav SS : Lethal Captivation...(Ch 5 & 6 -17) - Page 11

"Ram... abhi tak Vaibhavi ke koi khabar?" Veer asked his PA...

"Sir maine toh har jagah chan maara hai... hospitals main check har raha hoon... agar woh..." his PA said to be shut off by his glare...

"She can't die Ram..." Veer glared at Ram...

"Sir bura mat maano... I have been with you even before you were a singer... par aapne kabhi socha hai ki aapne exactly kya kiya hai?" Ram crossed his arms across his chest...

Veer clenched his jaw and looked aside... "I didn't realize what I was doing..." he murmured faintly...

"Really? Sir koi bhi aapke Papa ke baare main ek ungli bhi kare toh aapka dil tuth jaata tha... aur aapke andar ek aag aa jaati thi... you slandered her publicly... it's impossible that she would've got any further help thanks to her father;s name... haan yeh alag baat yeh ki 3 saal pehle uska naam clear hua... but do you really think she might have gotten over it... 5 years... kaha kaha se dhakke khaane pare... mujhe ab bas yehi soch khayi jaa rahi hai ki unse milke aap kahenge kya? I am sorry? Maaf kardo? Sir... har ladki ki weakness... uske maa ke upar uska papa hota hai... anyways... shayad maine kuch zyaada hi bol diya... but if I am your PR as well as PA... itna bolne ka toh haq hota hai..." Ram looked at his boss...

Veer kept mum...

Ram was right in every context... what did he want to show to her... by shaming her publicly... over that her mother died...sh*t!

Ram's cell phone broke his chain of thoughts...

"Haan... are you sure... uhu... place confirmed... nahi baaki ka details re check karke mujhe soft copy bhejo... asap... alright..." Ram kept the cell and looked at Veer...

"Sir aapse koi baat karna chahta hai..." Ram passed his cell to Veer...

"Sir ji... maine iss ladki ko dekha hai... Siliguri... waha rehti hai... shayad..." Veer cut the call...

A few hours later...

"Vaibhavi... do forgive me..." Veer thought as he packed his bags... and slipped on the aviators...

"I am coming..." he said determined...  

"Sir... even I am coming with you... yeh aapke train ticket to Siliguri... apke programs for next two weeks are cancelled due to the sudden illness of a close family member... 37 hours ka journey hai... and yep... 1st class AC... hopefully we should be getting a compartment... chalo..." Ram said...

Veer smiled at his PR's efficiency... Ram had been more of a brother to Veer... a younger one indeed... in fact the very reason why Veer hired Ram was for his frankness.. in fact in the first interview Ram told blatantly that Veer's third song was indeed a rip off from a Japanese album...

In life Veer had been blessed with good people.. the first one he never understood... the second one is his PR now...

"Sir ek question poochu?" Ram said as they walked towards platform 7...

"Bolo..." Veer said... wearing his hoodie and muffler around his face so as to no one recognizes him...

"Umm... ab nahi... let's get into the train... aap yehi khade rahein... main seat check karke aata hoon..." Ram said and left...

Veer...

I covered my face as much as I could... a few of the young teenagers looked at me for a second... then shrugged and left... and I sighed in relief...

Truth being told... I didn't want to be recognized... at least now...

I walked towards the train... battling the people who walked across... I shuffled my feet on the platform... jeez... why were everyone in such a rush?

I took out a napkin and then held the railing... as I rested my back on the iron wall... glancing occasionally at the sea of passengers and porters walking here and there...

Hm.. a life existed which was unknown to me...

I walked into my cabin... and kept my muffler aside... phew it was hot!

Running my hands through my hair I cringed at the train... the red leather covered bunk... the old cream colored curtains... a mirror and a small plastic dustbin...

I chewed my lips a little and relaxed on the lower birth...

My mind was far away from the excitement of being in a train and stuff... I just wanted to reach to her... speak what... I don't know...

When Ram walked in...

"Sir... aap... kyun train se gaye? Why not plane?" Ram settled next to me...

"Airports... araam se mujhe dekh lenge... and then Veer sir aap yaha kya kar rahe hai? Aap kaha jaa rahe hai? Blah blah..." I mimicked and smirked...

Ram too chuckled...

"Chalo sir... ap dilli bohot door hai... kuch ghante so hi jaate hai..." Ram climbed to the upper berth with ease and I smiled...

My hands fumbled with this girlish book...

Me Before You...

Seriously... Ram's choice had grown so bad?

Oh wait... he would only read this book if a girl recommended it...

I hit the upper berth shocking Ram...

"Abbey Ram... tumhe Sita mil gayi kya jo yeh kitaab diya mujhe padhne ke liye?" I chuckled... and he turned beet red...

"*cough* No sir... aisa kk... kuch nahi..." Ram fumbled..

"Yeah yeah..." I smiled...

30 minutes later...

I gradually got used to the rhythmic motion of the train... we showed our tickets to the TC and the identification...

And yeah... I ended up in a photo with the TC...

Haha...

I stacked some pillows under my back and flicked some pages of the book...

"Ram..." I asked suddenly...

"Haan Sir..." he replied...

"Yaar.. he is quadriplegic... toh how does he have... how would he... mate with a girl??" I wink at Ram...

Ram laughs out loud... "Haha Sir! Aap kabhi nahi sudhroge! Interesting topic actually... kal ya parso bata dunga!" Ram chucked...

I chuckled...

I mean c'mon!

Hours later...

"Sir... sir... sir..." Ram calls me for the tenth time...

"Haan..." I yawn and stumble off the berth...

"Aagaye hai hum..." Ram says and that wipes off the smiled off my face...

I pick my bags and walk towards the Bagdogra station...

The details fade and people blur before me...

As we sit in an Innova my heart keeps thumping...

I don't know why I am here... I don't know whether it was guilt or something more...

"Sir... yaha mili Vaibhavi..." Ram shook me out o my reverie...

"Yeh toh ek home hai.. yaha kya kar rahi hai..." I mumbled looking at the bunglow situated amidst rice fields...

We made our way through the fields... I looked at the way hindi was curved... it looked more decorative and beautiful... hmm.. so this is bengali...

I knock on the rickety door...

An middle aged man with salt and pepper hair looks at us... his sweater is crying for space as his pot belly sticks out...

"ji..." he says...

"Vaibhavi?" I ask...

"Tum kaun babu?" he squints his eyes at us...

"I am Veer and yeh Ram hai... hum Mumbai se aaye hai..." I say...

"Beer babu... identity?" he asks and I hand over my driving licence...

"By the way... it's Veer... not Beer... V... va va... Veer..." I say while he nods his head...

"Bangal main Bo aar Vo is same to same... aao... woh hai... teesri kamre main... lagta hai ab tak khaana nahi khaya... bohot jiddi hai... ya toh aasman dekhti hai... ya aise hi padi rehti hai..." The bengali man told us...

"Aapka naam?" I asked...

"Aurobindo Dasgupta... ei je... Vaibhavi..." he said...

I walked through the white walls... the atmosphere smelt of Dettol...

I saw a young woman... wearing a light blue salwar kameez folding her hands and looking aside... I smiled at her stoic stance... beside her was a girl sitting on a chair... he seemed to be playing with a pen...

I walked towards the blue salwar kameez girl...

I felt my throat turn dry... I took in a deep breath and placed a hand on her shoulder... I was ready to be slapped...

"Vaibhavi?" I asked... the girl turned behind immediately and I saw her shocked...

"Arrey Dada ami Vaibhavi na... ei toh..." she smiled and signaled me to girl sitting on the chair...

Veer looked confused...

Because Vaibhavi was on a wheelchair!

PRECAP : "Jao yaha se!" Vaibhavi screeched... throwing glasses...

In that fit she fell from her wheelchair...

I held her up while she slapped me and hit me... and then... lost consciousness...