Sameer-Naina SS- Unanticipated Moves (Part-10 Updated)PG-44 - Page 24

"Yaar Munna! Swati Naina ko galat timetable kyun degi?Unka koi jhagda hua tha kya Nagpur jaane se pehle?'' Sameer asked,pacing in his room trying to put all the points together.

"Dekh Sameer!Tujhe ache se pata hai ki Swati aur Naina dost kum behen jyada hein.Mujhe pata hai tu mamla ke teh tak jaana chahta hai lekin mere frock wali Pandat pe aise ilzaam mat lagana.Wo sab kuch kar sakti hai lekin Naina ko kabhi dhoka nahin de sakti.'' Munna concluded before sitting grumpily on the bed.

"Arey main jaanta hun.Lekin main wo kar raha hun jo Sherlock Holmes ne Dr.Watson ko bola hai.''Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains ,no matter however improbable,must be the truth''. Isliye humein bina kuch dosti dushmani dekh sirf sachai ka pata lagana hai.Tu samajh raha hai na.'' Sameer asked placing his hand over Munna's shoulder and Munna hugged him,showing his support.

"Waise Munna! Timetable dekhna aur supervise karna to team leader ka kaam hai na.Humare team ka leader koun tha? Main Naina ko puchna hi bhul gaya.Aur ab to 11.30 baj rahein hein.So bhi gayi hogi wo. ''Sameer sulked when Munna came up with an idea which turned their night brighter than morning.

"Yaar Sameer!Mujhe ek dhartiphad idea aaya hai.Tu wo videshi angrez ko phone laga le.Uska naam to yaad hai na?'' Munna asked and Sameer nodded in response,suddenly excited about the plan.

"Par uska number to pata nahin hai.''Sameer voiced only to see Munna pulling out the 6 inch directory from the shelf.

"Bhai!Uska surname se dhund le.Kya tha uska naam?'' Munna asked to get the reply "Ved Kothari.''

"Haan yeh milgaya.3 Kothari hein.Yeh dono ke address VJN se kaafi dur lagta hai.Aur wo vilayati angrez car se ata hai.Iska matlab uska ghar dur hai.Hmm..to yeh do number try karle.Ek to pakka uska hoga.Ghantiwale baba ke naam leke yeh pehla number laga.''Munna suggested and called the number for dialling.

"Hello!Yeh Ved Kothari ka ghar hai?'' Sameer asked apprehensive.

"Hello!Pata tha mujhe ki tu uss do koudi ke ladki ka bhai phir se mere bte ko pareshan karega.Sun Amir! Agar dobara phone karke mere bte ko patane ki koshish ki to mujhse bura koi nahin hoga..Keh deti hun.''Sameer held the phone while the thunderous voice of a lady broke through.

"Aunty!Main Amir nahin Sameer aur mere behen bahut choti hai aapke bte se rishta rakhne ke liye.Please aap Ved ko bula dijiye .Urgent baat karni hai.''Sameer spoke and felt the lady relax too.

"Hello!Who?'' Ved's English accent flowed and Sameer thanked god for the less trouble now.

"Hi Ved.Sameer here.You remember Sameer Maheshwari.B.Com.Parking conversation.'' Sameer threw the words and Ved recognised well.

"Oh!Just tell Naina Agarwal's classmate.Well what's up chum?All fine?Any help? ''Ved was sporty and helpful ;Sameer could well figure out that.And the mention of Naina definitely brought a smile to his face.

"Ved!I wanted to know who lead your team in Nagpur?Naina Agarwal?She topped in exam.Right?'' Sameer asked feeling a surge of happiness run through him mentioning about her achievement.

"Oh no no Sameer!You are mistaken.Naina did top in exam but we had voting there for Brains Meet Team Leader.Ours was Kartik.He won over Naina by margin of 2 votes.Poor girl,she was very sad.'' Ved sympathized not knowing how a volcano was smouldering at the other end.

"But how could he win?Who voted for him?''Sameer asked still not believing.

"Well! I didn't know any of them before the competition.I was unbiased. But Priyank and Sunaina requested me to vote for Kartik and I found Naina ,as my competitor .So you know the jealousy factor that stems when two brains meet.So I was tilted towards Kartik.Kartik self voted,Sunaina,Priyank and me voted for him.That leaves Naina with two votes.Which she self voted and the other Swati voted.I realise I should have voted for Naina.There was so much mess and this son of a bitch Kartik didn't coordinate anything.Why was he even the leader?I could have done better.''Ved again ended ,this time self-pitying and Sameer by the time knew ..

Each was an Anticipated Move...

"Thanks Ved.Sorry to trouble you at this hour.Good Night.''Sameer greeted.

"Oh no no Sameer.I am glad I could be of some help to you though I do not know how the information is going to benefit you.Good Night.''Ved hung off and Sameer could hear him humming some song of incoherent language.

Next Day At Canteen

"Naina!Kartik tumhare saath Speller mein tha.Right?'' Sameer asked and Naina nodded.To her surprise Sameer immediately placed back the half-eaten samosa back onto the plate.Fishing out a small pocket size notebook,he scribbled something ,which she felt to decipher.

"Kya likh rahe ho? "She asked and he nodded "Nothing.

"Tum bol rahi thi ki tum Speller ke liye late ho gaye the..Kartik bhi late ho gaya tha kya? ''He asked after studying his notes for sometime.

"Haan..Hum dono late hogaye.Isliye to koi bhi nahin jeeta usmein. Shukr hai dusre events mein jeet gaye nahin to pata nahin Principal Ma'am ko kya muh dikhate.'' Naina spoke,sadness laced in tone on remembering how she could not give her the best where so many expectations were at stake.

"Tum dukhi mat ho.Agle saal sab mein top karlogi.Haan team leader ke liye votes mangni padti hai Topper Madam.Aise nahin miljaate.''Sameer said and Naina was surprised.

"Oh ho Jasoos Sahab.Kya investigation hai apki. Mujhe bada garv ho raha hai.Waise tumhe kaise pata ki main Team Leader nahin thi aur Voting hui thi.Maine to nahin baataya.''She asked and he raised his collar at the appreciation.

"Detectives ke kuch secret hote hein.Unke apne agencies hote hein.Kisiko yeh sab bataya nahin jaata...'' He said and leaning further added "apne girlfriend ko bhi nahin.''

"Thik hai ab samosa khao..bhav nahin.Main Swati ke pass jaa rahin hun.Library mein''.Naina said as she got up to leave.Sameer could see that faint shy smile lingering on her lips with his mention of the word 'girlfriend'.

"Acha suno. Swati Sunaina se gussa kyun hai?'' Sameer asked and Naina felt she would hit her head against the adjacent pillar.Gone was the flirty ,romantic Sameer ,now replaced by 'All-I-Care-About Brains meet-Investigation-" Sameer.

"Jhagda ho gaya hai dono ke beech.Brainstorming ki treasure hunt event mein.Ab main jaoon ya aur puchtach baki hai?Mr.Sherlock Maheshwari? ''Naina wiggled her eyebrows and Sameer could not help breaking into laughter.

"Naina!He is Mr.Holmes.Sherlock Holmes.Haan ab jao.Zaroorat padega to phir kuch puchunga.Ab tum jao.''He said and Naina stamped her foot.

"Koi zaroorat nahin hai mujhe puchne ki.Khud investigation karo.Sameer Jasoos Holmes.''Naina went away and Sameer looked at her retreating figure.She could be mad at him,but have always answered his doubts. She would never leave him hanging with a question..never.

As he sat for few seconds more,waiting for Munna and Pandit to bring the bike from mechanic s place,that was found punctured ; his eyes travelled to his half-closed notebook.

Looking and studying the notes for a few more minutes,all involved and with rapt attention,he opened a fresh new page to jot down few points.

BRAINS MEET SCAM

Participants--Naina,Swati,Ved,Sunaina,Priyank ,Kartik.

Events---Speller,Crossword,Brainstorming,Public Speaking,English Aptitude,Chess.

Partners in events-

Speller-Naina and Kartik (saala yahan bhi yeh hai.Par late ho gaya tha.Kyun?Iska bhi timetable galat tha kya?Lekin isko galat timetable koun dega?)

Result--No one wins.

Crossword-Naina and Ved.(Ved ka study material kho gaya aur uska room mate Kartik tha.Naina ko galat time table but event attend kar li.)

Result--Naina wins 3^rd.(My topper)

Brainstorming-Swati and Sunaina .(Dono ke beech jhagda.Kyun? Kartik ki wajah se to nahin?)

Result-No One Wins.

Public Speaking-Swati and Sunaina.(Sunaina date pe chali gayi aur Swati jeet nahin paayi.Par Swati ka interest topic tha shayad phir ...??)

Result-No One wins.

English Aptitude-Priyank and Ved. (Ved ka study material kho gaya tha par Priyank ka kya hua.Mujhse top karke event mein gaya tha.Phir kya ho gaya ki 3^rd prize tak nahin mila.Karma.)

Result-No one wins.

Chess-Kartik and Priyank (Dono dost ek dusre ke khilaf khel rahe the...Draw bhi kar sakte the lekin Priyank haar gaya.Kartik aise hone kaise diya?Kartik khiladi acha lagta hai.)

Result-Kartik wins it.

Hmmm..Itne saare sawal...

Some important points.

Kartik-Team leader.

Ved-Roommate-Kartik

Naina-Wrong Timtable-Swati/Sunaina/Can it be Kartik?

Priyank-Fight-Kartik (Why?)

Sunaina-Boyfriend s friend-Kartik.

SwatiKartik? (NEVER..something is missing.)

Kartik-Kartik-Kartik

-----x-x-x-----

He outlined the points and felt satisfied with his findings.So he needs to talk to two more people.Swati and Priyank.First Priyank because it was his fighting that had triggered all the investigations and background research.

Where shall he find him?

"Yaar Sameer!Chal Cricket practice ke liye chalte hein.Bahut din hog aye saath khele''.Pandit called and Sameer agreed.He had been enough busy with exams first and then with his own interest in this scam to forget that he missed playing his favourite sports.

"Hi Friends!Can we join in?'' A similar voice flowed in as Sameer was preparing to bat.

"Ved! '' He saw Ved approaching and he was not alone.Ved's approach while made Munna and Pandit scrounge their nose,Sameer had a winning smile.

"Matlab yeh vilayat angrez khud kaanta hai upar se uss Priyank ko bhi leke aaya hai.Saara mazza kharab ho jayega.''Pandit quipped and Munna agreed.Sameer knew this was the golden opportunity to warm up to Priyank and find the answers.

"Hi Ved.Sure you can join.Batting or Fielding.? ''Sameer asked while Ved picked up the ball asking Priyank to partner with Sameer for batting.

After few minutes of playing,a swing ball from Ved hit Priyank's stomach.He writhed in pain while all surrounded him,nervous and panicked.

"Priyank!You fine enough?Hope you recover soon.I am sorry.It was miscalculated.Your stomach is fine now than before?''Ved went on while Sameer's mind caught few expressions?

Was Priyank hurt in stomach before?How does Ved know if it was in VJN,Ahmedabad? Ved himself informed the previous night that he didn't know anyone and seen logically he didn't belong to their stream even.

So,was Priyank hurt in stomach in Nagpur? HOW?

"Ved!Was Priyank hurt before in stomach?You looked so worried?'' Sameer asked as Priyank was taken to health room.

"O Sameer!You don't know?He had diarrhoea on the first day itself.He missed English Aptitude event even.He was nearly on verge of getting hospitalized.Thank the Lord,it didn't go that worse.'' Ved said and Sameer was surprised with the new found information.

Diarrhoea? Going all the way to Nagpur and suffering from diarrhoea,missing the event.Can that be called backlash of Karma? The result of deceiving a deserving person? Sameer chuckled and noted the point in his notebook.

Now the only person he needed to talk was Swati.

"Swati!Sunona .Please batao na Public Speaking event mein kya hua tha?'' Sameer ran behind Swati pleading ,as the class got over.Sameer had asked Naina but Naina was clueless about what transpired at the event because Swati did n't want to discuss it.

"Sameer!Agar tum Naina ke boyfriend aur Munna ke dost nahin hote,toh meri 7 no.ki yeh sandal tumhare gaal pe pad chuki hoti.Kaha na mujhe nahin baat karni hai uss competition ke bare mein.Kya kar loge jaan ke?Wapas competition karaoge?'' Swati was miffed with Sameer's constant pesterings.

"Swati Please.I promise main tumhe aur pareshan nahin karunga.Please bata do na?'' Sameer folded his hands and Swati seemed mellowed down a bit.

"Kya karoge jaanke?Iss ka dhokla banaoge ya achar?Main dar gayi itne logon ke saamne.Bas itni si baat hai.Khush?'' Swati said and tried walking away ;only to be blocked by Sameer.

"Tum dar gayi thi?Screening test mein tum itna acha performance di thi phir..''Sameer trailed and regretted soon his questions.Swati' s eyes had tears and he hated this.

"Mujhse nahin ho paya.Main ek labz bhi nahi bol payi.Pata nahin kaise stage fright aa gaya.Aise audience the ki Sunaina ki bhi himmat nahin hui event mein ane ki.Wo English Medium ka hoke agar usmein himmat nahin aayi to phir main to Hindi Medium se hun.Main bol nahin paayi kuch.''Swati said as she wiped her tears.

"Sorry Swati.Please mat ro.Mujhe acha nahin lag raha.Tum logon ne itni mehnat ki thi aur ...'' Sameer trailed as Swati walked away wiping the tears and calming her hiccups.

As Sameer paced in the corridor waiting for Munna and Pandit to join him...his mind echoed words of Swati and Sunaina.

Sunaina ki bhi himmat nahin hui event mein ane ki..

Jis din hum date pe gaye usi din Public Speaking ka event tha.Aur main event skip karliya.

"Agar Sunaina date pe gayi thi to Swati ko yeh kyun laga ki Sunaina stage fright ke wajah se event mein nahin hai?'' He tried finding answer ,failing miserably.

Priyank's diarrhoea and Swati's stage fright obviously had no links and no Kartik but Priyank beat Kartik and Sunaina went on date with Kartik's friend.

The more closer he felt unfolding the mystery, more tangled the strings were getting.

He realised he was back to square again.He needed to talk to Priyank and Swati..again.

Sameer walked mindlessly to the Canteen,the next day.He had to order sandwiches for the group who had decided to spend their time in their secret place i.e.the basketball court.Thinking on how to initiate conversation with Priyank and trigger conversation with an already upset Swati,he dashed against someone.The coins fell off ,hitting the floor and making a jingling noise.

As he turned ,he saw Kartik with inquisitive eyes before reminding himself that no body should doubt him.Sorry Sameer said and started picking up the coins that had fallen off Kartik's money purse.Muttering a curse Kartik quickly picked up the contents and darted out not before saying ''Dekh ke kadam badha.''

Sameer smiled and replied-''Zaroor''

(To Be Continued)

P.S.:Thank you for reading.Would love to read all your feedback.😳