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 (13)

Monsoon Affair (13)

It's been raining for several nights. Ayush has been doing the round of Huma's apartment and kept pressing the bell much to the irritation of her neighbors. A lady in her late 50s stormed out of her house and scolded Ayush, "Why don't you people realize that there are people who live here? I have a small child who gets disturbed with you pressing the bell so furiously."

He apologized and asked, "Aunty! Is she around?" The lady rudely called him off! "Baba! How would I know? She keeps coming at night, disturbing people's sleep with her heavy footsteps and disappears for days and nights only to re-appear again. She was such a nice girl but behaves very weird nowadays."

He has been waiting to see Huma for several days, lingering near her apartment till the early morning and slipped some notes to the security guard, to get shelter in the box sized office at the gate's entrance. He saw her scampered past the gate and trailed her till her apartment. He called her name, 'Huma' and she was shaken on seeing him. Huma was aghast, "What are you doing here?" He stood still and threatened, "Let me in or else, I am going to create a scene here," forcing his way inside the apartment.

Ayush started shouting, "What is your problem? Why the fuck are being so weird? I just don't get that!!! You just disappear like that and no response from you. I love you damn it."
She ignored him, "It's over between us and was just a passing affair. As it is, I don't believe in this love crap. Why don't you go with that bitch Sonali with whom you were having a good time?"
He sarcastically smiled, "Of course you love me. I got my answer. But, there is something that you are hiding and I will find out."
"No, I don't love you. You better get that and stop making our lives hell. Move on and get a life," she protested.
"Of course you do. Stop hurting yourself. Freaking out and staying for the whole night at the hospital and now, getting jealous about me and Sonali. I don't know what you are into but I have the feeling that you are screwing your life."
She shouted, "Yes! I am harming myself and it's not your problem. Stop bothering me, will you? I have no feeling and used you for my own advantage. Can't you see that? It's my life and you have no right to interfere."
Ayush was getting crazy but maintained his calm. "I got your answer and it's time for me to leave and go. I just don't understand the hows but the way you are reacting shows that you've have been hurt in your life, rejected by people and the frustration is showing. You are trying to seek revenge by inflicting the same on me. It must be your parents not giving you attention or some lover rejecting you."
She raised her voice and sobbed, "I dare you don't get into my parents. You don't have the right to pass comment on me without understanding what I've been through."
He persisted, "What you've been through? Tell! If you got some guts rather than running away like a coward."
She shrieked, "Get out of my house." Ayush turned around and banged the door.

**************************************
Ayush  stopped at the tapdi and ordered a cutting on the busy afternoon. He lit a cigarette when someone touched him on his shoulder. "You love her, don't you?" he was taken aback by the feminine voice. He was startled when he saw Huma's best friend, Niharika. She dragged him away from the tea stall, flung ten rupee note on the tea seller.
As they walked past the crowded street and traffic signal, Niharika coldly said, "Huma is in deep shit and we gotta save her. She loves you but is on a destruction spree. My best friend has only one thing on her mind and it's vengeance."
He was confused and too shocked to say anything. "Let's barge into her apartment. I need to show you something. Don't think. Let's do it for her sake and preventing her to do something very stupid. It's a question of life-and-death. I just found out."

Monsoon Affair (8)

Monsoon Affair (8)

The ambulance siren blew louder on the busy and chaotic streets of Mumbai, asking to make way and swerved towards Fortis Hospital. Varun was wrestled on the wheel chair and nurses held Huma who was crying loudly.

The doctors pumped oxygen on his face as he breathed heavily. Huma followed the trolley and held her hand to it, as the mobile bed was pushed inside the operation theater. She waited outside, losing her sanity and yelling at nurses. The doctor came out and patted her on the back, "I won't ask who you are in relation to the patient and he is one lucky man to have a lady like you in his life. They don't make women like you anymore who love selflessly. He is out of danger and you can meet him any time soon."

Huma was at a loss of words and couldn't believe that she freaked out for Varun. She rested her head on the hospital wall when someone gently caressed her hair. Turning around, Huma saw her best friend, Niharika who hugged her tightly, "Babe! If this is not love, what is it then?

Huma was going to protest but Niharika told her to shut up and urged to meet Varun inside the room before dragging her home to rest. He was lying on the bed when Huma hugged him. She smiled, "How are you?"

Varun looks towards the ceiling, "Rolling like the fan..it's just tiredness and stress, nothing else. But, you go home and take rest. Thanks for everything." She was fumbling for words to break the silence but was only able to mumble, "You'll be okay, right. We'll catch up tomorrow."

She rushed out of the room and Niharika drove her home. As they were driving Niharika said, "Huma, you know whatever happens in life, happens for the best. Look at you, you are still pretending that you don't love Varun and all it took him to crash, that you freaked out and acted like a devoted wife. You spend your nights in the hospital, crying and cursing fate. I know you will protest but just one thing that I want to tell you that you are paying a heavy price for the not-so-stormy-nights. It's your decision and only you who can take a plunge."

Huma didn't say anything during the entire trip and remained silent at home, tears stopped in her eyes. She was in a shock and Niharika understood what she is going through but secretly hopes, that she will be strong to face her inner demons. She knew that one day the secret will come out one day and needs to be strong to face it. "I must conquer my fear but, at the same time, I cannot allow the thought of Varun to distract my mind," she thought.

Niharika pulls out the cigarette leaves, neatly arranging the ganja and rolled it back in the filter, took a drag, her head perched towards the ceiling fan. Oh!! Huma! Huma! What a life we have! Complexity of love and relationships..let's burn everything tonight with the ganja and vodka." She passed the ganja to Huma, who asked 'who brought it? It's awesome stuff..totally hardcore.' Niharika winked, "Babe! My ex-husband, he is town. Now forget him" and pulls Huma's personal diary, flitting the pages and found something on the back page, written with black gel pen. "That's some secret," she wickedly said.

Huma protested, trying to snatch the diary away from Niharika but the latter held the diary with all the strength as her best friend wrestled with her. Finally, Huma abandoned and withdrew on the bed. Niharika started laughing loud and rolled on the floor, reading the words scribbled:

"Love doesn't work wonders for everyone. I'm no Cinderella who will be rescued by the Prince charming. Just an ordinary gal with flaws, love to have fun sometimes...."

Niharika laugh got more louder than the house could have exploded and said, "Babe! You are hilarious, sometimes, know what do you want in life." Huma froze like a statue, totally expressionless.