Monsoon Affair (15)

Monsoon Affair (15):

"Huma is in deep shit. We must save her from murdering Shankar. Revenge is raging high in her mind and she is obsessed with baying with the blood of the man who destroyed her family," Niharika almost shouted.
Varun couldn't believe his eyes after reading the letter, repeating the fuck word thrice. Niharika pleaded with him, "Now, get out of this mode, will you? Say something, do something."
"I am calling the police," he flipped the phone out of his pocket.
Niharika snatched the phone from his hand, "Man! Are you crazy? She will get arrested. You will destroy her life. Let's save Shankar's life first. What are you thinking? But, how......"
"How?", Varun repeated.
He lit a cigarette and took a drag, inhaled deeply. "We need to track her," he said.
"Wait," Niharika jumped on her feet. She took Varun phone and called someone, "Yeah! Where are you? Just come to the flat, I told you."
Minutes later, there is a knock on the door and a tall and well-built fellow opened the door. walked towards Niharika and hugged her tightly. She said, "Meet Varun, this is Aniket. He is from the army.
Aniket took a tour of the flat and fixed some wires to the landline and switched on the grey laptop. He asked in a grave tone, "Niharika, what's her mobile number." He entered a code and said, "She is travelling in the local and is past Panvel. Let's rush in my jeep, guys."
The jeep zoomed in the traffic and the red bulb is activated, siren blowing to signal vehicles to make way for the army guys. They reached Panvel in less than 30 minutes. Niharika asked, "Where are we going?"
"Obviously, we are following your friend, Huma. She has just got down from the train at Borivali and is boarding a cab, swerving towards the outskirt. I think they are veering to a nearby and obscure village."
Aniket called from the telecom in the jeep. "Hello! New Operation! Trail blazer!! 1,2,3, activate GPS."
Voices in unison dutifully replies in Haryanvi accent, "New Operation! Trail blazer. GPS activated."
"Good! Trail blazer! Cordon the area. Follow Chameli and do a chamak challo in Navi Mumbai."
"Chamak Challo, Chameli dressed in jeans, leather jacket and boots, all black. She is on a mission. Over and Out, 1,2,3."
Aniket ordered, "Good job, guys. No firing. Behave like villagers and loafers. 1,2,3. Over and Out."
The jeep slowed down in a dusty area, surrounded by a dirty lake where there is no sign of life and wearing a completely deserted, faraway from the slightest activity. Aniket ordered, "Boys! Take position."
He urged Niharika and Varun to follow him, creeping on the muddy terrain. They could see the soldiers, dressed as ordinary citizens in torn jeans approaching the wooden door of the small, dingy room in decrepit state. The soldiers barged inside with guns and rifles, Aniket ran towards the room in shamble, followed by Niharika and Varun. The boys in arms, carried a lamp in their hand that was cupped to the face of Huma, suddenly lightened in the dark. She was taken aback and fired a shot which was averted by the saviors of Shankar. Huma was flabbergasted to see Varun, Niharika and the unknown men.
She threatened with a gun, "Don't dare approach me. I will kill him today. He has to die for destroying my life, No, you cannot deny me the pleasure of seeing him dying," she yelled.
Huma's voice cracked. The area where Shankar was tied on a wooden chair and petrol was thrown around, forming a circle. It took them a while to realize that Huma planned to burn Shankar alive and was deprived of her desire to kill him in a matter of seconds. The perfect timing.
Aniket tried to distract her, "Huma, don't take law in your hands. The court will deal with his crime."
"No," she shouted. "I waited for this time to savor my vengeance."
Varun inched slowly towards her, "Huma! My love. You are the only one that matters to me. It's a beautiful world. Don't soil your hand."
"Varun," Huma says. "I am warning you. Don't move."
She incidentally slipped on her sneakers and the gun was pushed away from her hand by the army man and incidentally landed straight on Shankar. Aniket and his guys mightily pushed all of them past the door and they flew in the air to land on the muddy terrain.
A loud explosion was heard and bang, it felt like gun shots in a war torn area. Fire ravaged the dingy room which took no time to turn into ashes. Shankar met his end and his body was charred to death. It suddenly started raining furiously and they walked with utmost difficulty towards the jeep. The team went into separate directions. Huma, Niharika and Varun would never see those men but, perhaps, will hear of them defending the country from invasion across the border.

Monsoon Affair (11)

Monsoon Affair (11)

The room was dark and he slowly opened his eyes, gaped for breath. The man with a protruded belly tried to move but couldn't. His vision became blurred and the only thing he could hear was the pitter-patter of rain outside. He almost fainted and was drained of energy. The voice became weak as he tried to speak, 'Is anyone here? Please save me and have mercy on this old man. What crime have I committed?' Sobs!
He finally knocked passed out on the wooden chair where some unknown people tied him. It' been two days where he has  been lying like that and was only fed with water to keep him alive.
Splash of water woke him up when he heard loud foot steps and could make out that the shadow that emerged was dressed completely in black trousers, jacked and boot. He slowly perched his head towards the shadow when a torch flashed on his eyes. He mumbled something but his weak voice failed him and wished that he could die at this moment, to be relieved of his helplessness. A voice greeted him, 'Namaste, Sirjee! I know that you are praying for someone to save you but nobody will ever hear your voice in this dim room.'
The voice became sarcastic, 'Don't worry, you will not die so easily. I am making sure that you will be kept alive to make this Monsoon memorable. It's the last stage in your life. Chill! Ah! How can you?
The footsteps moved away from the old man, who started coughing and wished someone would hear him in this place, cut off from the city where only pigeons roamed and the innocent laugh of small  children dancing to music played faraway and at a looming distance. He passed out a second time, losing his identity and thought about his wife and children, who died five years back. Perhaps, they have come to take him with them.
He could hear a voice calling him, 'Oye! Shankar! What a glorious name you have! Yet! You are a sinner and you will have to atone for the crimes committed. ' Shankar was unconscious and no power on earth could make him hear the voice, determined to torment him and make his life hell. He shall beg for death yet it would elude him. After all, the mystery person will make old Shankar pay for a sin he has forgotten.

****************************************
Huma jumped of the bed and was visibly shaken by the nightmare where the vision of the old and helpless man kept popping in her dreams. She walked to the bathroom and washed her face. She tried to shrug off the nightmare and walked out of her apartment, hailed a rickshaw towards the railway station. The thought of Varun kept coming in her mind and grinned, "I hope he will understand why I am doing all that." The train slowly rattled at platform No.2 and Huma pushed her way towards the women compartment to find herself an empty berth. She didn't want to be disturbed at this moment and pushed all thoughts of Varun away. Love is such a big lie and illusion in life. The ruthless emotions can make someone weak and wander aimlessly. She forcefully smiled.

Monsoon Affair (5)

Monsoon Affair (5)

Varun speaks

Varun's head was perched towards the ceiling fan, observing its oscillating movement, eyeing the dust on the end of the device, in the wooden classroom. He was bored to death and simply not interested in the parrot words of the Economics lecture, a petite lady draped in a blue sari and hair tied in knots, explaining how India was the most industrialized nation in the world during the Angrez era and how the latter pilfered the machines, sending them to United Kingdom.
He tried to kill time, biting his nails and peered outside the window. The last thing he wanted to do was to sit through and try to make sense of what the lecturer is blurting out. It was raining outside. He thought, 'How I wish I could roam the street and catch butterflies. It's better than sitting through the hellish Economic lesson!' He flipped through his notebook and turned the last page. Started playing flame, scripting Huma and his name, scribbling the gateway of India, the former holding his hand and kissing by the water, walking inside Taj.
The hottest girl in college, Sonali, dressed in a white shirt and blue torn short, was eyeing him and smiling. He thought, 'The hottest chick in Xavier's looks equally bored.' Sonali was making advances to him, through the corner of her eyes scouting his movements, making sensual advance, biting her sensual lip, winked at him and caressing her long legs. Varun was distracted and turned his gaze away from her. Sonali made a naughty smile, a la Madhuri Dixit, aha, expression. He could have been jostled from the wooden bench.
Varun felt sleepy and was shaken by the roaring voice of Sangke Madam, 'You! Stand up, Varun!'
"Yes! Ma'am," he muttered.
The lecturer, spoke in a grave voice and expression of menace which almost shook Varun, "I have been observing you for a while. You have not been following my class at all, looking outside the window, scribbling in the empty note book and analyzing the ceiling fan.'
The whole class laughed and was stopped by a loud, "Silence, everybody. No laugh or whispering in my class."
She turned towards her favorite student, "Sonali! I am very disappointed with you. I've seen you and Varun exchanging eye candy expressions. This will not happen in my classroom. You come from a good family, your father and mother are respected judges in Mumbai and at least, don't fall sway to this useless guy."
Varun wanted to protest and tell that it was Sonali who was shamelessly flirting with him and he's is just  bored in the classroom. The angry Sangke Madam flipped her fingers and ordered, 'Ok both of you out.'
Varun felt like prancing, 'At least, I am getting chutkara from this boring lecture' but didn't realize  Sonali's worlds would give him a blow. "Ma'am! I have not done anything. It was Varun who was staring at me and winking at me every now and then, signalling me that we go outside, with his eyes expression," Sonali confidently lied.
He felt like strangling her to death and as he walked past Sonali, gave her a dreaded expression, 'You bitch. We have scores to settle.'
Sangke Madam continued her class and as Varun slowly walked out, she gave him a contemptuous look.
He forgot about Sonali's lies and advances, once he was out on the crowded street of Mumbai, enjoying the honking of cars, crowd and hawkers selling fake perfumes, belt, candies outside VT Station. He was enjoying standing outside the station, watching hordes of passengers, the rattling of trains and whistles of the station master when the image of Huma reached his soul and mind, struck him  like magic and sword pierced into his heart.
Varun knew that he was falling in love with the 'stranger' whom he met one fateful monsoon night and after two meeting, they indulged in passionate intimacy and sex. Deep inside, he was convinced that it was not just plain attraction or one night stand, and that he would feel incomplete without her.
It started raining heavily. Varun fearlessly walked in the rain, to experience every drop, seeping inside his white shirt, falling violently like grain drop on his face and he was suddenly feeling the beauty of falling in love.
He was carried away by the passion of love, falling in love every second by the presence of Huma, who was faraway from him yet he felt close to her. Varun longed for the presence of Huma and her perfect beauty. Nothing mattered to him. He was enjoying the divine feeling of walking, drenched in the heavy gush of water flowing till his knees and relishing the solitude of falling in love. Suddenly everything felt so romantic, divine and flawless.
Varun didn't realize that his steps took him as far as Colaba where he walked miles and back to Rajabhai Tower, Fort, surrounded by trees and flowers. He spotted a butterfly and like an innocent child, he held the butterfly in the palm of his hand. The blue butterfly suddenly sprang to life and out of the blue, transmitted its thoughts to him, "Dude! Huma is hiding something and will never fall in love with you. You are being carried away, captivated by her beauty. It's not love but lust. You are  being carried away by the moment where everything seems so beautiful. It's Maya and you are trapped by the fire of ignorance. You will burn in hell. Huma will never leave you in a lurch and is a ruthless woman."
"No," he protested. "It cannot happen to me. I am a strong person yet why I feel so gloomy when Huma is not around. But, what she has to hide? Nothing. Yet! Why I feel she is a mystery?"
As he looked for the butterfly to respond, it has has already disappeared out of thin air and in the flick of seconds. Varun is hallucinating and it's his inner voice speaking to him where it came this time in the form of the beautiful butterfly.
Varun finds himself plodding his steps inside the gate of the University and sat on the bench. He opened his bag and flipped open his notebook:

Butterfly moment adorning my life,
suddenly everything seems so beautiful and divine;
Strumming of guitar and drums beat inside my heart.
Everything comes to life like tinkling of bells inside the heart.
Is it love?

He didn't realized that the gel ink flowed on the blank pages of the note book and he gently closed it,  slipping inside the bag. Stroke of panic encapsulated him and he suddenly felt dizzy, 'No, it can't be happening to me. It was just plain attraction and sex.'

(To be continued in next chapter.....)

Love
Vishal