[ 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..
