The Day The State Split Asunder - 39

Inspector Imtiaz received an email from the mobile network service provider, containing the call list of Rajath. He analyzed the call data, took the print out on ten A4 size sheets and approached Arjun's desk.

"Sir, I got the call data," Imtiaz handed over the call list to Arjun. "Most of the numbers that were dialled to him were made from a mobile. But, on December 1st, a day before Suresh's death, he received two phone calls from a landline telephone. The duration of the first call was for thirty-three minutes and another call was for forty minutes. And that number was from a coin box telephone, sir. They are not from any banks, clubs or real estate agents."

"Did you trace the locations?" Inspector Arjun asked. 

"I traced it, sir. One call is made from L. B Nagar and another is made from Secunderabad."

"I think there will be no use in going to these locations. Wait! I got an idea," Inspector Arjun said, "Imtiaz! Whenever a cell phone sends or receives data over a cellular network, it connects to one of the nearby towers. The network providers continually track which phones are connected to which sites and sectors at any given time. If Rajath was present at the crime spot, then definitely there would be a change in the circle tower and his mobile signal receiver will get synched to it. Find it out!" 

"Ok Sir," Imtiaz shook his head. "I will enquire it from the mobile network company." 

"And also bring this Rajath's driver to the station once. I believe he knows better about his movements than anyone else."

"Sir, I forgot to tell you, this Rajath's driver Veeresh is the brother-in-law of Mallesh."

"I see… And also, this Radha-Krishna told me that Dhyaneshwar was once accused in the murder of some person Akella Raghavendra. Can you check in our database whether any FIR was previously filed against Dhyaneshwar and his company?"

"Yes, sir."

"And also, we need to meet this Satyanarayana Goswami alias Swamiji. Radha-Krishna said that Swamiji can provide us with all the information about Raghavendra. Somewhere I feel, this Swamiji is having a rivalry with Dhyaneshwar."

On the flip side, as the minutes ticked past, Karthik gazed absently out the office window back of his cubicle and wondered where the day would lead him. Wherever it was, he had no doubt that by the end of this week, his world would look a lot different. He tried to calculate what all of this meant. The path still didn't appear clear. 

What if she doesn't accept me? he thought. I'm damaged.

Karthik then closed the heavy glass door, blocking out the outside world and returned to his cubicle. He sat down on his chair and remained silent for a very long time. Moments later he unlocked his laptop and kept himself busy going through the thousands of unread emails, marking the important, deleting the unwanted. 

"Karthik," Sanjana alerted him as she dragged the chair from the cubicle beside and sat next to him. "Roshni called me. Actually, today is a special day for her. Exactly a year ago on this same day, she met Adarsh sir for the first time."

"I see!" Karthik shook his head, "so today is their first love Anniversary. I wasn't aware of it." 

The morning arguments with Adarsh started replaying in his mind. He bewailed for his improper conduct with Adarsh.

"Karthik," she alerted him, "what are you thinking?"

"Nothing much! You don't have any client meetings today?" he squinted at the time on his laptop. "It's already twelve and you're still in the office?" 

"This week we don't have any meetings," She then pursed her lips, looking uncomfortable. "Karthik, honestly, I feel like sharing this with you." 

As if a switch has been flipped inside her, the expression on her face transformed before his eyes. Karthik raised his eyes, reacting to the gravity in her tone. "Sanjana! Are you alright?" 

"Karthik, I don't know. I feel something missing in my life!" She exhaled audibly and turned her eyes sadly towards the window before turning back to Karthik in bewilderment. 

"Sanjana, just make yourself comfortable," he tapped gently on her wrist, "tell me what is missing in your life?"

"Karthik, there's no fun left in my life. I am sick and tired of the same old routine every day: waking up in the morning, wait for the bus, come to the office and then go to the client's office site, wait for their appointment and answering with a smile even for the most stupid questions, then go home, sleep and wake up the next day, and repeat the same as before. I need a big change in my life soon..."

They sat in silence for a full minute, the air between them growing heavy as if they both wanted to speak, and yet had nothing to say.

"Sanjana, in life we face such situations when a person gets tired of doing the same job." Karthik broke the silence. "My father always used to say, 'create a zeal in life if you don't get it'. If you feel bored, stop what you do every day and do whatever you like to do and turn the day into a festival. Better go for an adventure. In life, we must take adventures in order to know where we truly belong."

"I always love going on adventures. But, what kind of adventures can we have in a city like Hyderabad?"

"It doesn't matter where you are, all it matters is your willpower. I just want to tell you one of the adventurous incidents that happened in my childhood. My friend once went on a vacation to the United States and he bought an Ouija board from there. I hope you know what it is?"

"Ouija board! What is that? I never listened to that kind of name anytime before," Sanjana said, narrowing her eyes towards him with a puzzled look. 

"Ouija board is a kind of spirit board. People have always tried to contact the supernatural forces, but it was only with the invention of the spirit board, this became practical for many thousands of spirit communication enthusiasts."

"Wow! Interesting! Does it really work? Can we really contact the spirits?" The statuesque smile reappeared on her face again. 

"The Ouija board actually had been proven to work and today, even psychologists believe that it may offer a link between the known and the unknown."

"Did you succeed in contacting the spirits?" Her interest in the topic heightened.

"As soon as we started playing it, we heard knocking coming from inside one of the lockers in the room. We opened it but we couldn't find anyone inside. "

"What! Are you serious?" She leaned forward while running a strand through her hair.

"Absolutely Sanjana! This is not a joke. Spirits do exist. We even asked it to confirm whether it is present in the room."

"What did it do?"

"At once, a strong wind gushed in from the windows and a porcelain vase fell down from the shelf and broke into pieces."

"Come on Karthik, it might have fallen down because of the force of the wind. And moreover, we're living in the twenty-first century and do you still believe in that nonsense of spirits?"

"If the wind made it fall then it should extinguish the candle also. But, it didn't happen. The candle was as still as a statue."

Sanjana fell silent for a moment trying to register the fact in her mind. Then with a twinkle in her eyes, she said, "Karthik, I am always interested in the supernatural things. Can we play that game now?"

"Sanjana, we need to play that game at midnight and that too in a dark room. The game is dangerous! Better to refrain from it."

"Karthik, despite anything that may happen, hell or high water, better or worse, I am someone who is not going to accept no as an answer. By all means, I want to play that game today!" 

"Sanjana, but it's incredibly risky!"

"I want to play the game! I want to play the game! Please! Please!" She began tapping on his shoulder. "I am not going to leave you until you accept!"

"It's ok! It's ok! But where can we play?"

Sanjana stopped tapping. "What about playing it at your home?"

"No! It's not possible. I have parents at my home."

"Can you come to my home? My cousin is on night shift today. Come at midnight so that no one will identify you," she said coolly, without any hesitation.

Karthik was surprised by her invitation. "Are you sure? I am telling it one more time, the game is really dangerous."

"That's why I want to play it! I can't say how excited I am!" She said rubbing her palms in excitement while maintaining a taut smile on her face. She looked amazing in that posture.

"Maktub!" Karthik said.

"Maktub? What is that?"

Karthik unzipped his bag and retrieved a new copy of the book The Alchemist. "You can find the meaning for Maktub in this book."

Sanjana took the book into her hands. "Looks like this is a new book."

"Yes, I love giving books. I bought this for you only," Karthik said.

"What's the need of this Karthik?" Sanjana stared down at the cover page. 

"Accept this book as a token of our friendship. Every gift from a friend is a wish for your happiness and moreover, this is just a small gift."

"It isn't the size of the gift that matters, but the size of the heart that gives."

"Maktub!" Karthik said.

"Why don't you tell me the meaning? You've already read the book."

"No! Read and find the answer yourself."

"Ok! I will start reading it now. And also don't forget about the spirit game. We have to play it tonight! Don't forget!" 

"I will count on you to remind me in case I forget it!"

"Karthik, once again thank you for this gift."

"Sanjana, if you say thank you again, you need to give me a party."

"Maktub! I will go and start reading," Sanjana smiled sweetly, gave a pat on his shoulder and went back to her cubicle, and immersed herself in the book. 

Karthik, on the other hand, did nothing afterwards. From Sanjana's smile and her positive reaction, it was evident that she will accept him, but he is afraid to take the first step of expressing his love for her.

Minutes later after sorting out a few issues raised by the clients, he walked into Adrash's cabin. 

"Arnold!" Karthik walked in, pulled the chair and settled in.

"Hey! What's up, man!" Adarsh said.

Karthik took a deep breath and spoke as calmly and clearly as possible. "Arnold, I am so sorry for the mess that I created in the morning. Please forgive me!"

"Karthik, I already told you before there should be no sorry and no thank you in friendship. From next time, for every sorry and thank you I will deduct hundred rupees from your salary," Adarsh broke into a broad smile and laughed out loud.

"Happy anniversary Arnold!" Karthik said.

"O Thank you, dear! How did you come to know? I thought of informing you at lunch."

"Roshni told Sanjana and Sanjana told it to me."

"Hmm… Anyways I placed an order for four of us. Myself, you, Sanjana and Roshni. I ordered Veg Manchuria as a starter, 5 Rumali Roti along with Paneer Butter Masala and Gulab Jamun for you and Sanjana. Roshni and I ordered non-vegetarian food."

"Amazing Arnold!"

Adarsh and Karthik chit-chatted for the next half an hour and at around 01:30 Adarsh received a call from the delivery boy. Karthik collected the parcels and summoned Roshni and Sanjana to come to Adarsh's cabin. Adarsh cleaned his desk and spread newspaper across on the table to prevent any accidental spillings of food items on the desk. He then placed four ceramic plates along with the water glasses. Sanjana, Roshni, Adarsh and Karthik sat around the desk. 

The veg and non-veg items have been segregated. Karthik opened the parcel containing onions and cucumber. He squeezed the lemon juice onto it and placed it on Adarsh's plate. "Arnold! You love onions a lot."

"Thanks, buddy! And Sanjana," Adarsh said, turning his face towards Sanjana, "we are going to hire four marketing interns so that the workload gets reduced upon your shoulders."

"Thank you, sir!" Sanjana said.

"Don't mention," Adarsh placed two rumali roti on to her plate. "Add some curry."

Sanjana added some gravy of paneer butter masala onto her plate. "Sir, if you don't mind, can I ask you a question?"

"Of course!" Adarsh replied, tossing a chicken manchurian ball into his mouth. 

"Can you tell me how you met Roshni?"

"Yes, Arnold! You didn't tell me at that time. Now you have to tell me," Karthik demanded.

"Ok! Ok!" Adarsh said, "I met Roshni at one of the toastmasters' meetings in Bangalore. Roshni was the first speaker and I was the second. When I looked at her for the first time, it became obvious that she was going to be my soulmate. After the meeting, I approached her and gave feedback on her speech. Then I requested her out for a coffee. She accepted my invitation and we came to know a lot about each other's personal lives. I was cheated by Aarti, she was cheated by her boyfriend. We both shared common interests. And moreover, we both had the common dream of establishing a company of our own. And, one fine day I proposed and she accepted." 

Karthik added four paneer cubes onto his plate. "Now that the company took off when are you going to get married?" 

Roshni blushed. "My parents are already on the hunt for an auspicious day and time to get us married. Most probably it will be in the month of February."

"Arnold, in the first meeting itself how you came to the conclusion that Roshni is going to be your life-partner? You might have felt the same kind of feeling with Aarti also. And not only that, Aarti was the first to knock your heart. She didn't stay inside for a long time but Roshni got a life sentence. What was missing in Aarti that you found in Roshni? "

"It was the factor of trust that was absent in Aarti, but abundant in Roshni. You see, Aarti also had a dream of starting a company. But she didn't trust me as I was struggling to make my ends meet with the salary I received at that time, she thought she could never accomplish her dreams through me." 

"So, it is all about trust?"

"Trust is everything. There is no love without trust," Adarsh paused for an instant to have a glance at Roshni and then turned his face towards Karthik. "Unlike Aarti, Roshni believed in me and in my abilities. She stood by my side for two years waiting patiently until my business took off. She believed in me when I had nothing, and now I have everything to give her."

"And also Karthik," Roshni pitched in, "the most powerful few words in any relationship isn't always 'I LOVE YOU' or 'I MISS YOU'. A lot of times, the most powerful words are 'I BELIEVE IN YOU'. You, I and everyone have dreams, but dreams take time to build. A right partner will not only give up on you, they won't allow you to give up on yourself. They're patient and have a hundred percent confidence in you. A good partner will always show a keen interest in sharing your troubles. They can't see you suffering."

Karthik remembered Sanjana's compassionate gesture of sharing the medical expenses of Swamiji. 

"Roshni saw the good in me when Aarti could only see the bad," Adarsh said to Karthik. "Love is not something to be embarrassed about, not something to be done away from the watching eyes of society. Open and express it. You will have a better chance to win a heart. Do it in hiding and the girl will disappear one day. I expressed my love without thinking about the consequences, and today I have her on my side."

Karthik smiled and shook his head. He understood what Adarsh was referring to. It was time for him to express his love without making any delay and without worrying about the outcome. 

The conversations went on for around half-an-hour and after finishing their lunch everyone dispersed to their respective workstations.

The day progressed peacefully and the time struck 07:30 PM. Sanjana placed the book in her handbag and went to Karthik's desk.

"Karthik, I texted my address and flat number. Come sharp by twelve," Sanjana said to Karthik.

"You still didn't forget it?" Karthik said. 

"No! At any cost we should play that game today," Sanjana said.

"Hmm… Ok! But-"

"I don't want to listen to anything about but and butter. We are going to play the game and that's final!" After having said that she turned away and stormed out of the office.

"This girl is very adamant! I wonder what this night will bring into my life," Karthik thought and smiled to himself. "I think I should not delay any more. By the end of this week, I will propose to her!"

In our life there comes that one moment, where we realize that 'this is what we have been waiting for'. It is that perfect moment where we just feel as if everything in the world is conspiring to make us believe that true love does exist and we are a part of it...

To be continued...