[ Two days later] [CID Bureau]

Daya entered into the bureau and his pace slowed locking his gaze with

shreya's..He tried to brave it out with a prim smile and straight went towards

the cabin of ACP sir...but as he went passed her, shreya whispered

uneasily,:' good morning ssir...'

Daya stopped, flashed a courteous smile at her and then returned back,:' good

morning...' he then moved ahead and opening the door, he asked,:'may I sir?'

ACP nodded..Daya entered and asked further,:'aapne mujhe bulaya ssir?'

ACP: haa Dayaa...Head quarter se letter aya hai...Ek secret mission pe jana

hai...mission khatarnak hai Dayaa...'

Daya: main taiyar hun ssir...

ACP:(with a little hesitation)...magar Daya...tumhara abhi abhi...shaadi huya

hai...

Daya:(with hardened face) aap hi ne to sikhaya sir...personal life ke

sath...professional life kabhi blend nahi hona chaiye...

ACP stared at him with pride while Daya repeated,:'main taiyar hun ssir...'

ACP then turned to details,:'head qaurter se officers ka naam ka list bheja gaya

hai...jin logo ka naam hain...un ko hi jana parega...aur...is me tumhara naam bhi

hai Daya...

Daya: yes sir...

ACP: abhi dhyan se suno...

[four hours later]

Daya was working in his table with intent attention, while Shreya came along with

a faltering gesture,:' sir..'

Daya raised his eyes and with puckered brows, he tried to be normal,:'haa...'

Shreya's haggard face was indicating that she was reluctant to start the

conversation..She kept trying staring at the top of the table...Daya took the

initiative this time,:'kya baat hai Shreya?'

Shreya now gulped back a lump and answered,:'mere...mmere liye...jja pana

...mushkil...hai ssir...I mean...ghar...se...aur...Siddharth bhi...' She

couldn't continue making the room wreathed with an uncanny silence until Daya

sighed and suggested formally,:'is..is ke bare me...ttum...ACP sir se baat kar

lo Shreya...' Shreya's cringed face suddenly turned upwards with a flummoxed

surprise and she gazed at Daya for sometime, until Daya darting his eyes here and

there,settled his glance on the file, with an uncomfortable gesture...

What she listened to just now! Daya sir carefully yet cruelly fended off

discussing this issue with ACP sir! Would he do the same...if...She hadn't been

engaged to Siddharth? Would he do the same if he himself hand't get married with

that...She swore beneath her breath...Her lips curled with a rueful smile as

she whipped herself for expecting too much from the caring husband of

Anila...Daya sir...who used to be a stout protector of her in the past, ceased to

exist...And truely...why did she expect it from him? what right she possessed to

anticipate that?

Daya casted a questioning glance at her, seeing her staring at him without any

word and it helped her to be businesslike,:'yess sirr...' she spluttered out and

strutted towards ACP's cabin..

[ACP's cabin]

Shreya,with many fumble unwrapped her thoughts,:'ssir...mmain...mission me...ja

nahi sakti hun...'

ACP gave her a withering look and divulged authoritatively,:'main tumhara wish

poochha nahi Shreya...balki order diya hai...aur ye tum ko carry out karna

parega..' Shreya felt as if tears were coming perforating her eyes and at that

very moment she missed terribly the support of Daya..She believed it that if Daya

sir could lay the issue, she wouldn't have to be reprimanded like this...Her

cowered face perhaps did some effect upon ACP and he asked now, with a hardened

face,:'aisa faisla kyu liya tum?'

Shreya muttered helplessly,:'wwoh...kkuchh...personal reasons...tha ssir...'

ACP banged on his table shrieking with displeasure and kept ranting on,:'zara

Daya se kuchh sikhooooo...personal reason ke liye...agar important mission ko

tumhe nazarandaz karna hai...to phir...CID se bahar ja ke karooo...samajh gaye

naa...CID se bahar jaa ke karo...' his face distorted with wrath and he gave her

enough signal to leave his cabin...

Shreya couldn't repress her tears this time, and rushed out of the bureau...

Daya sensed everything and as shreya slipped out of the bureau he almost leapt to

his feet to follow her...but..sat further down with a saturnine face..Covering

his face with the right palm he kept murmuring inside,:'it's better...it's

better not to interact muchh...yeah..it's better...' Jerking himself when he was

about to keep his eyes upon the pages of the file, a queer guilt shot passed

him..With restive eyes,he started ruminating,:'kkya...mmain...Shreya

ka...koi...madad...kar sakta tha? kkya...main...ACP sir ko...convince karne ki

koshish kar sakta tha? kkya...Shreya ka dukh...thori si bhi...kam...kar sakta

tha?' he sensed his breath quickened even conjecturing that tears were rolling

down Shreya's cheeks..The parlance of his eyes turned blank until the pain in his

chest intensified and he fighting with it, moved himself ahead like a driver of a

ship,:'nahi...sach to ye hai ki...main Shreya ko abhi...koi madad...kar nahi

sakta hun...aur phir...is me hi bhala hai..ki...Shreya khud ko...samhal

sake...Use...mera madad ka...jaroorat hi na pare...woh...khud ko...itna majboot

bana sake...ke...ACP sir ka...karva se karva daat bhi...us ko...chot na pahuncha

sake...'A resigned smile came over his face until he could concentrate on the

file...

[At night] [Daya's Residence]

Daya was bundling his clothes into a bag hurriedly while Anila asked her trying

to be poised,:'khana to kha lo...'

Daya answered without looking at her,:'nahi Anila...waqt bohut kam hai...'

A dark layer covered her face but she was quick in her effort to hide

it,:'pehle...kehte to...to...main...bag ko...' she paused with a scared

face and kept gazing at his seeming to be tranquil face...She felt moisture in

her eyes as a terrible pain was shoving her heart badly...

Daya now zipping his heavy weight bag, turned towards his wife and

said,laconacially,:'tum ko...yaha pe...bura lage...to...Kundai...chali

jana...aur...'

:jee...' Anila replied with a trembling voice which made daya awoke from the

rubble of reality..Was he hurting his wife? Anila now forced herself to distant

from the scene and reaching at the window she stood riveted like a statue..Tears

streamed down her dusky cheeks as her face crumpled with pain..Peevishness that

had been visiting in her heart often, beefed up radically listening to his

words...

Daya,on the other hand, kept gazing at his wife,with a mixture of perplexity and

guilt and kept clouding his brain with many questions... "kkya...mmujh se koi

galti ho gaya? kya Kundai wapas jane ki baat se...Anila ko...koi chot

pahuncha?' A lugubrious smile crossed his face as he kept cogitating,:'kyu

nahi...dus din bhi guzar nahi paya uske sath...door jana par raha hai...chahe

main...mmain...kittna bhi patthar dil banu...magar...uske sath...ye ...ye thik

nahi...shawad...woh bohut sara sapna dekhi thi...'Daya seized his emotional self

with much difficulty and slowly advanced to stand beside his wife..As Daya kept

his one palm over her shoulder, she started sobbing...Daya wasn't astonished as

he was making himself prepared for an emotional separation...With a little force

he made her to face him and twined his hands round her neck, trying to be

gentle,:'Aanila...' he spluttered,hesitating,:'ttumhe to...ppata hoga

na...ki...eek...police kka...kkya ...' he was interposed by Anila as she kept

her palm upon somewhat quivering lips of Daya and confessed,:'hha...mujhe...pata

hai Dayaa...ttum apna khayal rakhna...magar please...aise na

kaho...ki...mujhe...mujhe yaha pe...taqleef hoga...' Daya flashed her an

affectionate chuckle before divulging,:'I'm sorry Anila...' he then cupped her

cheeks and resurrected his smile to say in whisper,:'main to bhul hi gaya

tha...ke ...meri nidarr patni to...dat ke sare musibato ka samna akeli hi kar

sakti hain..hmmmm?' his touch seemed caress to Anila and she blushed immediately

giving a shy gesture before snuggling up against his chest...Daya shivered

abruptly as for a moment it seemed to him that Shreya was submitting

herself...but after a very short he started patting her tangled hair with pure

affection..It appeared to him that a tiny child badly needed his warm affection

and he wasn't reluctant to make her felt that warmth...Anila absorbed the warmth

of her husband with every inch of her heart and then very abruptly tugging his

face lower she pecked him on his cheek,making him blushed in russet.

:'waha pahunch ke...please mujhe ekbar call karna...karoge na?'she cooed..

Daya endeavouring to come out of the embarrassment, sighed and then flashed her a

tender smile..Anila didn't utter any more word as his assuring smile could efface

every tension and uneasiness from her heart and mind..