The stage was decorated well with flower garlands and lamps. Tarika, Ishita and Purvi had seen to it and were happy that it was all done well. Tarika had chosen to light incense sticks instead of using artificial air fresheners and that created a more pleasant aura. The other junior officers were busy as well. Each had specific duties assigned to them and they were at it, heart and soul and all.

Daya walked in just then. He was amazed at the sight that greeted him. The heavily decorated stage and the neatly arranged seats were a treat to his eyes. The fragrance from the flowers and incense sticks overwhelmed his senses. It was his big day and he was getting nervous with every passing minute.

"Hello Daya! You are looking positively radiant in that new suit," said Abhijeet walking in from behind. "Now wait till Shreya sees you. I'm sure she'll go all ga-ga over her man," he added with a twinkle in his eye.

Everybody in the bureau knew that Shreya was attracted to Daya. And she had, many a times, made it quite evident. Though it did thrill him to know that a female colleague was interested in him, he had never reciprocated it – no, not even in the slightest way. He wasn't really sure whether he should encourage the relationship – knowing their nature of work and all.

"Come on Abhijeet, don't start off again," he replied. "This is neither the time, nor the place for all of this. Just help me with this thank you speech please. I think it's a little too brief"

The speech altered, Daya proceeded to the front of the hall.

He was being felicitated for his outstanding achievement in the CID. He couldn't believe it. ACP won it every year. This year though, he had decided to step down and give someone else a chance. Everyone had assumed that Abhijeet would be the next obvious choice. But no, it wasn't. When the mail came in from the head office, CID, New Delhi, everyone was in for a surprise. It was Daya.

Outstanding achiever! He still couldn't believe it. A decade back, he wouldn't have imagined himself in this situation. Life had been a roller coaster ride for him then. He had gone through periods of depression and had even thought of killing himself many a times. Sometimes he had felt that he had just blindly gone along, almost in a daze….

He caught his reflection in a mirror and was satisfied. A little tight, his suit was. But never mind. He looked a lot younger than his 45 years, and he knew that. He could easily pass off as being just 37.

"Daya sir," he heard someone call out to him.

It was Pankaj, his junior. He waved and indicated to him, his seat, on the front row, towards the left side. "Good luck sir, and congrats again" he beamed excitedly before he left, to find the ACP.

Daya looked at the seat again. It had his name, pinned in clean gold letters. He sat down. The hall was getting slowly filled with the team members, who had come down from all over the country, and a few guests from outside. He kept staring at his watch.

He was waiting - Waiting for the two people whom he had reserved the two seats for, one on either side of him. They were still vacant. His daughter Divya, whom he had adopted after the death of her mother, Morissa, a few years ago, had called in to say that she would only be reaching in another 10 minutes. The seat to his left was for his ex-girlfriend, Sonali.

Yes, 'ex-girlfriend'. He felt odd even thinking about it.

…..

Although 10 years had passed, he could still remember every agonizing detail of that fateful day when Sonali had shamelessly disclosed to him that she was a criminal who worked with a bunch of goons and the underworld. 'I love you Daya,' she had said 'But I love my work more.'

"What?... Why?... Are you serious?..." He had asked, remembering all the times that he insulted Abhijeet when he had tried telling him to check on Sonali's activities. He had only read of these things in books and watched them in a few movies. Surely, they couldn't happen in real.. Could they? And to him? No way!

But this was neither. This was reality. He had to accept the bitter truth. His girlfriend of a year had just broken his dream world with that one heart breaking statement. He had been too numb to show any reaction.

Sonali had started off with giving in some justification… "I am so sorry about this Daya… But this is the truth. Raaka and I had decided to get married, way back before I met you. I pretended to love you so that I could just be with you and learn about the movements of CID. But that I've seriously started knowing you, I am beginning to love you. I don't want to make things more difficult for you than it already is and that's why I'm telling you the truth"

"Sonali… why me?" was all that came out his mouth. "I am truly sorry to do this to you. But this is the truth. Look, I can explain…." she began but he could never hear a word of it. His mind was in a whirl…. Sonali with Raaka, that dreaded criminal wanted for the murder of three top businessmen in the country! He couldn't believe it! He just couldn't!

As the gravity of her confession started sinking in, he realized that it was all over between them. How come he hadn't seen any sign of this? Abhijeet, obviously had, which was why he had asked him to keep an eye on her. Then why didn't he? Had he been so dumb? Suddenly the woman standing in front of him looked like a complete stranger to him. She was a criminal and he could see only the evil side to her. All he wanted to do was to get her before the law and away from her as far as possible. He wanted to end their relationship at the earliest - And that's just what he had done.

….

The vibrating mobile in his hands brought him out of his reverie. It was Sonali.

She had reached the venue entrance and was waiting for him. He rushed out and greeted her with a smile. "Hi Sonali," he said. "Thanks for coming at such a short notice."

"Its no big deal. It's the least I can do for you. If it weren't for you and your team, I would have still been the old criminal Sonali. Thank you for talking me out of sin.," she replied in her usual sweet voice.

Daya found himself staring at her. She was the same old sweet beautiful girl he had met 10 years ago. Years had only added a quiet dignity to her face. That could be more because she has come out of jail to live a fully modest and respectable life. Not many who go to jail repent for their errors and make up for their wrong doings. Anyways, he couldn't help but let these thoughts run though his head as he continued to stare at her. It was a face he had loved so much once… but all of it seemed so surreal now.

"Heartiest Congratulations! Its great to know that all your efforts here, at CID has finally paid off.," she continued.

"Did she really mean it?" he thought to himself. He couldn't tell, and frankly, after so many years, he really didn't care.

As they walked back into the hall, his mind had once again wandered off to his years of struggle…

…

….. after the initial shock had settled down, he composed himself and vowed not to shy away from his responsibilities as a CID officer, but face the consequences with a brave face. It was a slow, but sure process he followed to put his life back on track – if not for the others, at least for Divya whom he had adopted a few months back.

"I am going to move on in life Abhijeet," he remembered saying " With or without a wife. This isn't the end of my life, only the end of a chapter and I have li'l Divya with me. So don't worry man. I wouldn't do anything foolish."

Thankfully for him, the trial was a short one. Team CID had all the evidences in place and the forensics supported their theory with necessary tests and samples. The verdict was out. 5 years each for Sonali and another aide Jagga while Raaka gets life imprisonment for the murders.

His only concern was his daughter. Divya, who had already started calling Daya papa, was told that Sonali was going to be her mother. How could he tell her about the new developments?

ACP and the doctor had taken on the responsibility of making the little girl understand and they had done a marvelous job at that. Divya, who was only 8 years old then, after asking a few questions to Daya, had shown a lot of maturity in accepting the situation.

"Kids are probably more aware of things and understood them a lot more clearly than what we adults give them credit for," Fredrick had said and Daya had to accept that it was true.

Now the question was looking after Divya. How was he to that with a job in CID. "Boarding school sir," Sachin was quick to reply. And before he could say anything further, Nikhil and Vivek had a list of the best residential schools in India, printed for him.

It was Daya's turn to make his mind up. Letting her go away from him, he knew was going to be a dauntingly difficult task. But keeping her with him, and having no one to look after her at home wasn't making any sense either. So boarding school it is, he had decided.

With moral support from all of his colleagues, he began his arduous struggle of juggling between being a CID officer and a part-time father. Who would have imagined that his perfect (or so he thought) love would end so suddenly?

His journey of self discovery since then had proved to be both spiritual and fruitful as he began to shine more and more in his chosen field of work.

…..

And today was the day that his 10 year struggle was getting recognized.

Yet again, his vibrating mobile was what brought him back to reality. It was Divya this time. "Sorry papa," she said walking towards him and almost flinging herself on the 6 foot something man. "I was held up in traffic and that's why I am late."

"Its ok darling" was all Daya could say before the lights were dimmed and the function began.

...to be continued.