Author's note: It was around 2003 when Pradhan first appeared in CID as a part time forensic expert and at the first meeting began a childish row with Inspector Daya. From that time I thought to write something for the two..The story time was around 2005-06, just before entered into CID, though this time as a full time forensic expert….Sometimes some incidents left imprinting a permanent effect upon someone…and I have only tried to show it…

Part 1

The city was flooded with continuous rain since the last three days. Not a single moment passed when the rain had stopped and though people had relieved getting the rain after the scorching heat of the summer but the respite turned as their headache as the seething flood distracted the daily life of the people... was entrapped badly in a lane filled with waving water...She was hissing with despair and rapped out, angrily,:'kya driver...tumhe is lane se hi nikalna tha? abhi...' driver answered being scared,:'kya kare madam...socha tha ki yaha pe pani kam hai...jaldi nikal jayenge...kya maloom tha ki...aise halat hai yaha pe..'

niyati snapped still now churning with annoyance,:'agar maloom nahi tha to idhar se laya hi kyu? Gosh...abhi kaise ghar pauchu main?'

driver came out of the car and said,:'aap rukiye madam...main dekh ke ata hun age kya halat hai...driver waded across the lane and niyati stared outside vaguely with despair...but suddenly her glance fell upon a barren ground beside that lane...someone lifting up children into the both sides of his lap, helping them to land at an under-construction building...who was the man? because his feature was seeming to be known...The man now coming back to rescue more children from the water logged one room huts of their...Niyati was grunted with exclamation...Is that the man with whom she had a row some years back..Is that the man who turned his face away in disgust listening to her words? Is that the man who had been quarrelling like a child with her? it was the case of poison; two sisters were slowly poisoned...hmmm perhaps their names were ursila and neha...yes her brain recalled their name very quickly because she hadn't forgotten the case because of the unwanted bitter yet childish row with that man!She gritted her teeth and grumbled inside,:'ab ye akkdu yaha pe kya kar raha hai? social work bhi kar leta hai ye...' unknowingly she alighted from the car and waded towards the underconstruction building...The man now got to see her and with a staggered expression over his face advanced towards her,:" aap? yaha?' niyati taking out her specs sighed and said,:'Haa...Inspector Daya...magar ye sawal to main bhi aap ko poochh sakti hun...aap yaha pe kya kar rahe hain?'Daya sighed with tiredness and before he could reply back niyati hastened,:'ab aap ye keh ke jhagra shuru na kar dena ki aap ne pehle poochha tha isliye mujhe pehle jawab dena parega..' daya flashed an embarrassing smile and said,:'main BEWAJE se kisi se nahi jhagarta hun,' niyati stared at him with astonishment because indeed there wasn't a tint of annoyance over his face and rather it was covered with a serene smile...her absent mind awakened as daya said,:'main pas ka colony me hi rehta hun...paani bar raha hai...aur in bachcho kaa...' he flung his hands and stopped as their condition was perceivable to niyati...Niyati wearing her specs back said after much thought,:' hmmm...to kya aur koi bachcha reh gaya ground me?'

daya answered,suavely,:'nahi...sab ko building me ghusa diya gaya hai...magar in logo ka khane peene ka kuch bandobast karna parega...main...' he stopped and asked, inquiringly,:'waise ...aap...yaha...koi kaam tha...?'

niyati smirked and answered averting her glance,:'ghar wapas ja rahi thi...magar paani me atak gayi hun...'

daya said sympathetically,:'haa...yaha se age bar ke aur bhi zada paani hai...' both waded towards the road as daya added,:'ye jagah comparatively nicha hai...kya aap car leke ayi hai?'

niyati answered confidently,:'haaa..waha khara hai car..'

A man now came wading with hurry,:'daya sir...daya sir...bachcho ka khana...'

daya: haa wohi lane ja raha hun...

man: hum khichdi bana lenge sir..sath me sabzi bhi...chawal dal tel ye sab khareedna hogaa...

daya took out his money bag and handed over a bundle of 500 rs notes saying,:'main wapas ata hun...khana thik se banana...aur ek bhi bachcha mujhe complain kiya...to...to achcha nahi hoga...'

man: nahi saab...hum thik se hi banayenge...

daya: aap intezam karo...main araha hun wapas...

man: okay okay saab...

daya and niyati stepped ahead with difficulty while daya said,:'aap gari se utra ki kyu?' niyati trying to hide the glinting mischief in her eyes, answered,:'rasta dhoond ne ke liye..dekhiye naa..driver kab gaya...abhi bhi nahi aya..is liye..' she shrugged and added,:' mujhe utarna para...' inside her heart though she had the knowledge that she had alighted to satiate her curiosity to know what that bad tempered man doing in this slum like area...but it appeared that he wasn't that bad tempered which she had thought about him...daya with a demure smile asked again,: aap ka ghar to shawad yaha se bohut door...'

niyati answered trying to maintain a secluded attitude,:'haaa...'

daya suggested earnestly,:'agar aap chahte hai..to mera apartment me ruk sakti hai...kyuki thori si door me hi hai..'

niyati looked at him sharply and refused back defiantly,:'koi jaroorat nahi ...main apni rasta dekh sakti hun...' she then abruptly went ahead leaving daya behind and slipped inside the car with an angry face..

daya getting baffled by her irrational behaviour went ahead and reaching at the car he said again,:'age paani zada hai...car chal hi na payega ...'

niyati clipped brusquely,:'maine aap ko kaha naa...ki meri rasta main khud dekh sakti hun..aap ko pareshan hone ka jaroorat nahi hai..' colour rushed into the cheeks of daya as niyati almost insulted him behaving so badly..but he didn't talk anymore and waded through the waving water, in order to reach at his apartment...Sitting within the car...niyati gazed at the man angrily contorting her face and she swore beneath her breath,:'jitna bhola dikhte ho aap Mr daya...utna bhola ho nahi...ek ladki ko madad karne ki jee bara jaldi ho gaya aap ko...kya soch ke rakha hai aap mujhe? ki main aap ka madad ki lalchi hun?' meanwhile driver came in and jabbered in a panic stricken voice,:'madam age ka halat achchha nahi...bohut zada paani...car ka engine na chalega...aur pichhe jane ka bhi halat hai nahi...' niyati groaned ,:'age chalao...gari kharab hoga to main dekhungi...chalao age..'

driver was reluctant,:'magar madam...'

niyati insisted with dangerous coerciveness,:' maine kaha age chalao to age chalao...ek labs na bolna aur...' driver was stupefied and tried to take the car ahead...but it stopped coming near ..from where daya was passing then...

driver:madam engine band ho gaya...maine kaha tha naa..

niyati gritted her teeth in despair as daya's presence made her feeling discomfort...she alighted further from the car...but within the waves and current of the water she couldn't maintain the balance but was about to fall..but at the right moment daya clutched her..the uncomfortable churning anger that was disturbing her since she met daya got burgeoned and she tried to yell at him,:'suniye...mr..' but stopped as the moment daya left her hand, she was once again on the verge of falling into the water...daya clutched her again and then a little angrily suggested,:'dekhiye ...aap chahe to yaha se nikalne ki koshish kar sakti hai...magar ye mushkil hai...upar se phir se barish bhi shuru huya hai...' niyati this time remained silent getting entangled in a strange world where she could only sniff a enticing yet irritating fragrance that was making her dizzy, and incoherent...daya cautiously left her hand this time, and asked her further,:'samne hi mera ghar...aap...chahe to...'

niyati stared at him as if to judge his worth, as if to judge whether this man could be relied upon or not...but at that moment she had nothing to do but to accept the proposal of this stupid man. The situation had entrapped her here with this fellow with whom she had heated arguments in the past...Trying to show poise, she replied after a thought,:'all right..I will stay...hoping that you are a gentleman...' daya promptly looked at her listening to her remark when niyati scoffed and turned her face away..Daya raised his eyebrows amusingly and then nodded with a repressed chuckle thinking that this lady indeed was funnily supercilious...The level of water reached almost at the waist of niyati..daya helped her to step ahead and reaching at the stair of the apartment niyati summoned,:'driver, car ko yehi rakh ke tum apna ghar chale jao..' she then gave some notes of rs. to him...The driver disappeared slowly...Daya ushered her the way,:'aaiye...'

niyati showed displeasure,:'aapka apartment me lift nahi hai kya?'

daya ignored the tint of sarcasm that was present within her words and answered smiling,:'kal rat se electricity nahi hai...'

niyati smirked again saying,:'sab log...aap jaise taqatdar thori hai...ki itni sari stairs aise hi uth jaye...' daya this time didn't make any reply but chuckled lightly guessing that the lady might be complaining about every tiny matter and perhaps that was her nature...but she was badly in need of a shelter and as a human being it was his duty to help her..Reaching at his flat he unlocked the door and then entered into a pallor of darkness,:'aaiye...dr. niyati..'