Update 15:
Part 15: A Day In Courthouse
Bhalla House
Morning, 7.45 AM
Court Hearing Day
Raman woke up a little late. Ishita saw him and ran towards him quickly.
Ishita- Raman, jaldi se yahan sign kar do.
Raman-What is this?
Ishita- Ye samjhane ka time nahi hai! I promise I will explain everything later.
Raman frowned but signed. She hurriedly left the house .
Toshi ji- Puttar, gaadi toh leti ja.
Ishita(while descending downstairs)- Mummy Ji, my friend is coming to pick me.
Raman- What is this Maa? Yeh Rajdhani express subah subah kahan chal di?
Toshi ji- Kya bataun puttar. Subah 4 baje ki uthi hui hai. Mere room ka darwaza knock karke mujhe aur tere Papa ji ko bhi utha diya. Phr Adi, tere aur Ruhi ke bare main saari purani baatein poochne lagi. Shagun kaisi thi jab yahan rehti thhi, bachhon ko kaise treat karti thhi, hum log kya karte thhe, hamare aur Shagun ke relations kaise thhe, tera aur Shagun ka relation kaisa thha....aisi bohot saari baatien pooch rahi thhi. Maine jo kuch yaad thha ...sab sach sach bata diya.
Raman- Mere aur Shagun ke bare main bhi?
Toshi ji- Haan puttar! Ushne kaha, Mummy Ji, jo bhi kuch hai sach sach bataiyega. Aaj court main Ishita ko nahi balki Bhalla family ki Daughter-in-law, Ruhi ki Mother aur Raman ki Wife ko jawab dena hai. Agar mujhe apne pariwar ko bahar walon se bachana hai toh mere liye unke bare main sab janna jaroori hai!
Raman raised his eyebrows in an expression of amazed concern. "What she up-to now?" He thought.
It was almost 8 am. He headed towards his bedroom to get ready for the day.
The Courthouse
11 AM
Raman and his entire family was sitting in the courtroom except Ishita. She hadn't shown up or talked to anybody since she left this morning. They tried calling her but she didn't pick the call.
Shagun arrived with Ashok and her lawyer.
The judge arrived. The court proceedings began.
Shagun's Lawyer- Your Honor, this case is a complete waste of court's precious time. There are millions of important cases which needs to be looked into. But we are here today to argue on a case which has no merit left. We have already established in the court that Mr. Raman Kumar Bhalla is an unfit parent. He is a highly irresponsible father. His family is equally careless. Their house is not a suitable environment for raising a child. So I request you to provide the custody of Ruhi Bhalla to her mother Shagun Arora and close this matter once and for all.
Neil who was anxiously waiting for Ishita got a text message on his phone. He smiled and got up to give his opening statement.
Neil- Your Honor, I somewhat agree with my fellow lawyer. Our court system indeed has millions of cases pending. So they shouldn't be entertaining some false accusations brought into court by anyone. With your permission I would like to reestablish some facts in the court today. The first fact is that Bhalla family is completely capable of providing the right nurturing environment to Ruhi Bhalla. She has been living with my client since her birth and thats where she belongs. She has a house full of lovely people who love her beyond words. And to ensure that Ruhi gets the love of both Mom and Dad, she also has a mother now. Another fact is that Ruhi Bhalla's birth mother is absolutely incapable of raising kids. So some baseless custody claim from her should be dismissed immediately.
Allow me to Introduce Ruhi's new mother- Mrs. Ishita Raman Kumar Bhalla.
As he spoke, Ishita made a grand entrance in the courthouse. She was wearing a simple south Indian saree and didn't get time to tidy up her appearance. But she was beaming with confidence as if she was prepared to seize the day!
Everyone in the courthouse turned their heads to see her as she walked gracefully towards Raman and took a seat next to him. Raman looked at her and then looked at Shagun.
Shagun gave him a sarcastic look.
Raman(talking quietly)- Tumhe kaha thha aaj ka din bohot important hai mere liye aur tum abhi aayi ho. Kahan thhi ab tak?
Ishita- Sorry. Ek bohot jaroori kaam nipta rahi thhi. But aap tension mat lo. We will be fine.
Raman- Ok. Whatever...ab aage theek se baat karna..soch samajh ke! Koi gadbad nahi. Samjhi?
Raman acted as if he is tutoring a school girl.
Ishita(in a chirpy voice)- Ok, Your Highness! Do not worry. Main toh aapki bolti band karwa deti hoon! Phr ish lawyer ki kya mazaal ki Mrs. Raman Kumar Bhalla ko challenge kare? You just wait and watch!
Raman rolled his eyes and sent a silent prayer "Help me God! Please pour some sense into her head!"
On the other side, Shagun talking to Ashok.
Shagun- Ashok, toh ye hai Raman ki new wife. Kapdon se toh bilkul behenji lagti hai. Aur dhang se teyyar hona bhi nahi aata. Maine kaha thha na, ushe aisi hi koi middle-class, low-profile jaahil aurat milegi. I am now feeling sooo good. We will surely win. She won't survive 5 minutes. Ushe to shayad english main baat karna bhi nahi aata hoga.
Ashok- Jaan, kapdon see bhale hi behenji lagti ho but kya figure hai uski! She is very pretty and sexy as hell! Raman ne bhi kya kismat payi hai. Biwiyan ushe hamesha super hot milti hain. Ye alag baat hai ki woh unhe sambhal nahi pata! He just can't satisfy a beautiful women! I am sure ishe bhi koi raees mil jayega jaise tumeh mil gaya. She will leave him soon!
Shagun- Ashok, enough! Tumhe ush behenji main aisa kya accha dikh gaya? Typical south indian aunty lagti hai!
Ashok- Jealous!
He winked at her with a smirk.
Shagun turned to her lawyer.
Shagun- Mr. Verma, ask all questions in English only. I want to embarrass Raman and his wife. I doubt ye jayda padhi likhi hai. Try to confuse her!
Mr. Verma- As you like Shagun. But I doubt she is what she looks likes. I deal with people everyday. She is not the weak type. But don't worry. I have prepared well.
Then Mr. Verma turned to the Judge.
Mr. Verma- Your Honor, I see that Mr. Bhalla and his lawyer are trying to fool the court with this new move. Mother's are not something that you pick up one day and force on your kids. It's a lifetime bonding. A random person just cannot be someone's mother overnight. Now if you allow me, I would like to ask Mrs. Bhalla some questions.
Ishita walked into the witness box.
Mr. Verma - So Mrs....(he started to look for Ishita's name on the paper Neil provided him.)
Ishita- Mrs. Ishita Raman Kumar Bhalla.
She glanced at Raman and he didn't fail to notice the pride on her face as she announced her full name!
Mr. Verma- Yes, Thank You. So Mrs. Ishita Bhalla, How long have you been married to Mr. Raman Bhalla?
Ishita- 3 days.
Mr. Verma- Wow. 3 days. And how long have you know the Bhalla Family?
Ishita- 2 weeks.
Mr. Verma- Interesting. So Mrs. Bhalla, what is your background? Education? Qualifications I mean? Or you are just a housewife?
Ishita- I am a Cardiologist.
BOOM!!!
It appeared as if she dropped a bomb in the courtroom!
Raman and Shagun both almost jumped from their chairs. They felt as if there was a earthquake under their feet.
Raman's eyes widened as he stared at Ishita in disbelief!
Ramans internal monologue- Ye kya bol rahi Madrasan? Ye aur Cardiologist? Not possible! Kahin jhooth toh nahi bol rahi. Pakka Neil ne sikhaya hoga! Usko kaha thha I want to win at any cost. Aur yeh hai iska win-at-any-cost plan! Making Ishita lie in open court! I will kill this guy. She could go to jail for this! But ye ladki kyun man gayi? Sach main paagal hai. Bohot badi paagal.
Shagun's internal monologue- Ye Madrasan behenji, doctor hai??? Impossible! Aisa nahi ho sakta!
Mr. Verma- Okkaayy!! So Mrs. Bhalla, Aap keh rahi hain ki aap ek doctor hain?
Ishita- How intelligent Mr. Verma! You quickly figured out that Cardiologist are Doctors.
Raman softly laughed, impressed with her quick wit!
"Ye Jhansi Ki Rani aaj full form main hai!" He told himself!
Mr. Verma(annoyed tone)- I like your sense of humor Mrs. Bhalla . Now lets get to some serious business. Shall we? Which medical school you attended?
Ishita- Oxford University Medical School. My family moved to India less than a year ago and then I took admission in AIIMS to wrap up my last semester.
Mr. Verma- I see. Oxford! So you studied in London?
Ishita- Well, last I checked, Oxford was still in London unless something changed overnight!
Mr. Verma- I see. I would request Mr. Neil to submit all your educational credential certificates. Just for a routine inquiry!
Neil- I already have. I knew you would ask and I didn't want to delay this case any further.
Mr. Verma- Excellent Mr. Neil. Now your Honor, I would like to draw your attention to the fact that Mr. and Mrs. Bhalla got married just 3 days ago and it appears that they hardly know each other . This clearly shows that this is a marriage of convenience. Mr. Bhalla and his family lost footing in this case. Hence this marriage just to prove in court that Ruhi has a new caretaker in the house.
Ishita- Correction Mr. Verma. Ruhi has a new Mother. And this time a genuine one unlike the last one!
Mr. Verma- That is for the court to decide, whether or not you are fit to be Ruhi's mother. Just being a high profile doctor doesn't automatically qualifies you for motherhood.
So Mrs. Bhalla, what is your experience with kids? Can you prove that you are qualified to raise a child?
Ishita- Mr. Verma, any women before she gives birth, doesn't necessarily have experience with kids. But she learns to be a mother over time due to the love of her child. You do not need a certificate to prove if you can be mother figure or not. All you need is love for a child. And I love my daughter.
Mr. Verma - What you said sounds good in charity fundraiser speeches but this is courthouse and you are not Ruhi's biological mother. How can you prove you love kids?
Ishita- Well, if the court needs evidence then so be it! I am proud to declare that I am the founder and trustee of an NGO named Little Hearts.
Judge- Little Hearts NGO? Are you the same Ishita Iyer?
Ishita- Yes your Honor. Ishita Iyer is my maiden name. How do you know?
Judge- I am a regular donor in that NGO. And I heard a lot about the founder. It's good to finally put a face to the name. You guys are doing a fabulous job. Am glad to meet you in person.
Ishita- Thank you Sir for your donations. Support from People like you means a lot.
The Judge(with a smile)- You are being very polite Mrs. Bhalla. Both of us know, money is the last thing that you need help with.
She smiled back. Shagun, Ashok and her lawyer were stunned and angry at the Judge for praising Ishita.
Mr. Verma- Your Honor, it's a noble thing that Mrs. Bhalla runs a NGO. But rich people often run such NGO's for the sake of publicity. So just being a NGO founder doesn't prove that she is personally involved with kids.
Neil- I was expecting that line of questioning from you Mr. Verma. How much Mrs. Bhalla is involved with the kids can be easily proven with these pictures. Please remember that these pictures are not taken by any staff of NGO or professional photographers. These photos are taken by the visitors of NGO who love to post it online to spread awareness. Basically fans of Mrs. Bhalla.
Mr. Verma- We will review everything Mr. Neil. Now Mrs. Bhalla, why do you think you will be able to take better care of Ruhi as compared to my client Ms. Shagun Arora who happens to be her biological mother! They are related by blood and you hardly know the child.
Ishita- A great women once said and I quote "Every child deserves a guardian; an adult who will love them, who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection and insists that they become the best they can possibly be."
For a healthy upbringing, all a child needs is a concerned individual who knows how to love and care. That individual need not be his/her biological parent. As long as one can provide a safe, secure, loving and nurturing environment they qualify to be the child's guardian. You are a lawyer in a family court. You must have come across cases where biological parents are not always the best choice for kids. My NGO work also connects me to child services agency. I have seen cases where children are abused by their own parents. So just because someone is biologically connected to a child doesn't guarantee that they are emotionally connected as well. My daughter is a great kid and I have known her long enough to fall in love with her. I am proud to be her mother. As far as experience with kids goes, I am sure you can do the math. I have spent more time with more kids in my life then the biological mother of Ruhi. So if you go by number of years of experience with children, I will never fall short.
Mr. Verma- I think that will be all for now. Your Honor, I will resume later.
Judge- Ok, Mr. Verma. Now Mr. Neil can present his arguments.
Neil- Your honor, I would like to call Ms. Shagun for questioning and I would request Mrs. Bhalla to stay in witness box a little longer as she is the one who helped me prepare this entire case. I may need to consult her.
Shagun walked into the witness box.
Neil - Ms. Shagun, in the last hearing you mentioned that your ex-MIL is an alcoholic and so she is not fit to take care of her granddaughter. You also provided evidence in the form of pictures of her kitty party where she was enjoying a glass of wine. Today, I want to show you some similar pictures. Can you please identify who is this lady in pink in these pictures?
Your Honor here is a copy of these pictures for your references. I would like to display these pictures on the big screen so that we all are on the same page.
First pic on the screen: Shagun is wearing a off-the-shoulder pink dress. She is holding a bottle of champagne with her 2 female and 3 male friends in a party.
Neil- Ms. Shagun, please pay close attention to the time-stamp on this pic. Its says 3.45 am, Date 05/06/2015. So have you been drinking in this pic or this bottle is just for show off?
Shagun looked angrily at the pictures.
Neil- Please take a look at the next picture. Here you are splashing wine on your friends. So did you just play Holi with Alcohol at 4 am in a party? Or did you drink it too? And how about this third pic where you are holding this bottle upside down in your mouth.So are you actually drinking here or its just a pose?
Shagun- So what? Am I not allowed to party with my friends? I bet Ishita also parties with her friends.
Ishita- You are allowed and every women is allowed to party. But since you and your lawyer deemed my MIL as unfit guardian just because she was drinking in a kitty party. So measuring by the same yardstick, we should label you too as an unfit parent. Give me one reason why we shouldn't ?
Shagun was dumbfounded.
Neil- So Ms. Shagun, if you are drinking in a party, it is for fun. And If others are drinking in their home party, they are addicts. How convenient, Your Honor!
Shagun- These are my private pics. You are not supposed to access these.
Neil- No.. No.. Ms. Shagun . We will never break the law. These are from your Instagram account. Since your account is public, anyone is allowed to follow you and see your pics. We never invaded your private virtual space as there was none. There was no statutory warning. I recommend you putting it there next time.
Just then Ishita noticed her friend arrived in the courtroom with an envelope.
Ishita- But this is nothing. Lets make it a little more interesting. Take a look at this pic.
Your Honor, if you please allow, we would like to present another evidence to describe the character of the biological mother of Ruhi Bhalla. I was waiting for some docs which just arrived.
Judge- Please submit it to the court.
Ishita- Here is a pic of Ms. Shagun from another party night. And here is a copy of medical report of Aditya's hospitalization. On this date her son Aditya got hurt in school and was admitted in the hospital. On this same day, instead of staying with her kid, Ms. Shagun chose to attend this high profile party and click selfies. I got these pictures from page 3 of next day's newspaper. This pic is also available on social media. The time of upload of the pics is around 1 in the morning.
So Ms. Shagun, what kind of mother leaves for a party ignoring her hospitalized kid?
Back in the court room's defendants seating area, Raman was unable to contain his happiness. He was super impressed by his wife's sharp intellect. The way she was connecting dots, it was splendid.
His thoughts:
"That day in the bar, when I saw your face, it stopped me dead in my tracks. And now I see that that face that blew me away is your second best asset!"
Neil- Your Honor, if this is how biological mothers care then Ruhi is better off with her new Mother. Also let me tell the court that Ms. Shagun took the custody of Aditya 2 years ago and sent him off to boarding school. She may do the same to Ruhi when she comes of age. If Ms. Shagun is not interested in spending time with her kids then I am not sure why she is asking for Ruhi's Custody. Can she give an answer?
Mr. Verma- Objection. Badgering! The opponent lawyer is testifying.
Judge - Objection overruled. Yes Ms. Shagun, please answer the question.
Shagun- I wanted Aditya to stay away from the city because of his father. As the court knows, Raman Bhalla is a dangerous man. He can do anything when drunk. I was afraid he may harm my kid. He tortures me. I can tolerate him somehow but I want to keep my son safe. Raman has always been like this. I had to leave my house just because of all his tortures. I was a loving, loyal wife but he had many extra-marital affairs. When I protested, he tortured me. I had no choice but to run away.
Neil- Your Honor, about that, we looked again into the video Ms. Shagun presented in the court in the last hearing. She very cleverly managed to submit a muted video. So we didn't know what was the conversation between Ms. Shagun and my client Raman Bhalla. This time on advice of Mrs. Bhalla, we worked with an IT expert to retrieve the audio in this video. Now lets hear it.
In the video,
Raman- Shagun, please don't send my son away. He is only 5. Please wait until he turns 12. He needs you now. How he will survive on his own? Don't be so cruel.
Shagun- He is in my custody and I will do whatever I like. I don't have time to look after him. Now you get lost or I will have you thrown away.
Raman held Shagun's hand.
Raman- I beg you to reconsider my proposal. If you don't have time, me and my family will take care of him. But don't send my little boy so far away.
Shagun tried to pull away her hands forcefully.
Shagun- Get out!
Neil paused the video.
Neil- So your Honor, this is what happened that day which Ms. Shagun very cleverly managed to portray as a molestation video. Raman Bhalla was not molesting her or abusing her. He was pleading her so that his 5 year old boy is not sent away.
Shagun's lawyer smashed his papers on the desk in desperation.
Neil- That will be all from our side your Honor. Now I leave it to your discretion to make the right decision.
Ishita- There is one last thing. Now that we have brought so many facts to light, lets set the record straight for one more thing.
She handed few papers over to Neil. Neil took a look and passed on half of it to the judge. He then turned to Shagun.
Neil- Ms. Shagun, lets get back to an old question. Why did you leave Bhalla house 2 years ago? That too leaving behind your 6-month old daughter.
Shagun- Like I said earlier, I didn't have a choice. My ex-husband Raman had extra-marital affairs. When I questioned him, he hit me. I was a very loving and loyal wife. I loved him very much. But no women can tolerate her husband's extra marital affairs. So I had to leave.
Neil- Very interesting Ms Shagun. For the sake of argument lets believe everything you said. You were the loving, loyal partner and Mr. Bhalla cheated on you. Now I have just one question.
Why did you get the DNA test done for your daughter Ruhi?
BOOM!!!
Pin-drop silence in the courtroom as Ishita drops another bomb!
Raman's bewildered expressions clearly indicated that he wasn't aware of this.
Shagun- How can you access that? That was confidential medical record.
Neil- I will let Mrs. Bhalla answer that.
Ishita- It is confidential for outsider's not for the parties involved in the case. It wasn't too difficult for me to obtain a copy of this report after I received Mr. Bhalla's authorization. Moreover, one of the person on this report is my daughter and other one is my husband.
Raman recalled the papers he signed this morning.
Shagun- DNA test can be done for other reasons too. Like health reasons.
Ishita- Of course it can be done for numerous other reasons but in the application, you exclusively requested for paternity check. And the report also indicates the same. So I am wondering, if you were such a loyal and loving wife, why you wanted to find out who is the father of the child? Were you cheating on your husband?
Shagun- I .... I...don't know.
Ishita- Of course you don't know! I think I can help you refresh your memory. You not only wanted to check Ruhi's DNA against Raman Bhalla, you also wanted to check it against Mr. Ashok. That means you were having relations with other men as well. Because if you were involved with only 2 men then either Raman or Ashok's DNA test was enough to determine the paternity. But you were not sure if either of them is the father. You gave samples of both men. You wanted to know who to exploit when the time comes.
I am not a Rocket Scientist but I can tell that it was you who was having an extra-marital affair, not Mr. Raman Bhalla. Apparently you were cheating both your husband and boyfriend.
Shagun was furious but didn't know what to say. Ishita gave her a sarcastic smile and winked at her.
Judge- Mr. Verma, would you like to add anything.
Mr. Verma(frustrated tone)- No, your Honor.
Judge- The court will take a 1 hour recesses. Then I will announce my decision.
The judge banged his gavel.
Raman who almost froze in his place, got up from his seat. He looked at Shagun first and then walked to Ishita and took her hand in his.
Raman(in low voice)- Come with me.
He took her outside the courtroom away from the crowd.
Raman- That was not necessary. It had nothing to do with the case.
Ishita- May be it was not. And yes it had nothing to do with the case but I did it anyway.
Raman- Why?
Ishita didn't say anything for few seconds. She kept looking into Raman's eyes thinking "I'm not sure if I'll be able to explain! And even if I try, I am sure you won't understand!"
Ishita- Leave it. Its not important. Tell me this...how was I in court today? Koi gadbad toh nai ki na?
Raman knew she evaded his question and was trying to change the topic but he played along. May be he didn't want to know! Once you hear it, you can't unhear it!
Raman- Gadbad se yaad aaya...tumhara dimag kharab hai? Kya bakwas kar rahi thi court main? Jhooth bolne ki kya jaroorat thhi? Tumhe pata hai ish jhooth ki saza jail ho sakti hai. Main nahi aaunga tumhari bail karane. Bewakkoofi ki bhi hadd hoti hai.
Ishita(with wide eyes)- Maine kya jhooth bola?
Raman- Yahi ki tum doctor ho? Wo bhi Cardiologist. Neil ne tumhe ye sab bolne ke liye kaha na?
Ishita laughed as she realized Raman didn't know about her background. But that was hardly a surprise for her. By now she learnt that he has no clue about her or their marriage.
But she decided not to reveal the truth right-away. Her playful mind was slushy again.
"Raavan Kumar ko tease karne ka mauka nahi chor sakti! He looks too cute when he is angry at me! " She thought.
Ishita- Koi baat nahi! Thoda sa jhooth chlata hai. Kisi ko kuchh pata nahi chalega.
Raman- Kisi ko pata nahi chalega? Ye hai tumhara excuse? Aur pata chal gaya toh? Mere paas itna faltu time nahi ki tumhari bail karata firoon. Rehna jail main tum!
Ishita- Phr kya hua, accha hi hai na! Aap to chhate hi ho ki main aap se door chali jaun. Toh ye achha mauka hai na. Agar aap ki kismat achhi rahi to main jail main aur aap aaram se ghar main!
Raman's facial expression suddenly changed! He felt as if someone had just kicked him in the gut. He looked at her angrily.
Raman- Bakwas band karo apni. Door jane ko kaha thha, jail jane ko nahi!
Aur apna na sahi meri izzat ka toh khayal karo. Naam ke liye hi sahi , duniya ke samne tum Mrs. Raman Bhalla ho. Meri ek reputation hai. Aur ye Neil, isko toh abhi dektha hoon! Ushi ne sikhaya na tumhe ye sab? Aur tum bhi itni badi bewakoof ho ki uski baaton main aa gayi! Ridiculous! Ab tum yahin ruko, main ush se baat karke aata hoon.
Ishita laughed softly as she saw Raman walking towards Neil who was standing at some distance talking to Bhalla family.
Raman- Neil, side main aa.
Neil- Yes, Bhai?
Raman- Tune Ishita ko kya patti padhayi? She is openly lying in the court. Tujhe pata hai na, lying in court is an offense. She might end up in jail. I know I told you to win this case by hook or by crook but that doesn't mean you convince her to lie. We can't do this to her.
Neil- Bhai ye kya baat kar rahe ho? Main aur bhabhi ko jhooth bolne ke liye kahoonga? Kabhi nahi! Aur wo kyun jail jayengi jab unhone koi jhooth bola hi nahi!
Raman- She is claiming to be a doctor. Isn't that a lie?
Neil- No! No Bhai. It's not. She is what she said she is.
Raman was stunned to discover that she was not lying.
Neil - Kya Bhai? Aap bhi na? Aapko bhabhi ke bare main itna bhi nahi pata? Bhabi is a Cardiologist by profession. Oxford educated. Living in London since she was 5 and is a British citizen. In fact she holds dual citizenship.
I am surprised that you don't know all this!
Raman- Aur wo NGO? How she manages that?
Neil- Wo baat bhi sach hai! Bhabhi ke 2 NGO hain. Bhai, Viswanathan Iyer ki beti ko funds ki kya problem? He is a billionaire Venture Capitalist.
Raman's eyes widened with surprise. He was dumbstruck!
Raman- Neil, so you are telling me that my wife is a British-Indian who lived in London all her life, studied in Oxford , is a Cardiologist by profession and also happens to be the daughter of a billionaire!
Neil- Yes Bhai! That's exactly what I am saying.
Raman stood rooted to his place. He pounded his fist against the nearby pillar. "Dammit!"
A series of memories flashed through his mind! Starting from the day he first met her...
_______________________________________________________________________________
PS: He knows he can't love! He also knows she is a hopeless romantic!
According to him, they couldn't be more wrong for each other!
But little did he know that one day, their romance will set the world on fire...
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