MS.STRESS…
‘October 26th, Thursday morning 10AM’
“sir, I’ve been there yesterday. I investigated many and finally I found someone useful. She came forward voluntarily and she started saying things…
“sir!?”, she approached.
“what is it? Do you have something to tell me?”, Raj asked.
“few minutes, sir!”
“go ahead!”, he accepted.
“sir, am Vaishu! Am working here for the past 3 years. Sarah! She is so reserved and she would open up to me at times. She was hard working and she was passionate. She is really a nice girl and she never had enemies of any kind…”, she was speaking.
“so…you are gonna’ say the same thing. You don’t suspect anyone, right? Fine! And you are…Vaishu, nice name. shall I go now?”, he urged.
“sir, please hear out. I have to say you something. I had to tell you and I was thinking of it from the day she was found dead. And of course, I know I have a cute name!”, she replied with smile.
“well, go on!”
“one day we were in our food court. We were there and we just having some soft drinks. She had been fine everyday but on that day she was violent. She was restless. I was just asking her what had happened by the time, he came. She lost her control and she acted so strange.
Later I realized that she had been often tortured by our manager. He would often call her privately and he would speak out shit, it seems. Obviously on that he had crossed his limits and that is what happened!”, she pointed with anger.
“why don’t you girls complain this earlier? You hide everything…love; lust; desires and everything and finally you end up like this!”, he dragged.
“sir…one minute! We are not scared to express such feelings. We make it to make our lives smooth. Once we open it up, they’ll not hurt him, they’ll just abandon us. Of course, we are in 2020 but still our shawls have no value to bastard’s eyesights!
Women empowerment…dominance…everything is shit. It is still the same. We have just fabricated the society that we are dominant atleast. Hiding emotions is not our habit, sir…it’s our livelihood!”
“where is he, now?”, he yelled.
“he has been off, sir! I could not see him after this incident. I don’t think that he would have killed her but maybe he would be a reason for it”, she concluded.
“I’ll look into it. Anyway thanks for the info mam!”
“just now you’ve said that my name was cute, why don’t you call me that?”, she smiled again.
“ok…Vaishu! I’ll take care of it. Be safe and open up like this wherever needed. I’ll reach you soon. If you have anything else to say just call…100!”, he left in his style wearing his coolers.
Raj reported whetever he had and he was waiting for his reply.
“where is he? That manager?”, Akhil asked.
“he is on leave, sir. It seems that he is on a tour with his family but it’s quite easy to make it up. What to do, sir?”, he asked out of curiosity.
“let’s hope for the best. As she said, he may have something necessary. Go find him!”,he ordered.
Raj was really happy now. He felt like he was on a mission, now! He smiled at everyone and now he wanted to say this to Priyanka. She was not seen from morning. He called her immediately.
“hello, mam!”, he narrated the entire story.
“all the best, man! Go catch him…and call me just Priya!”, she hung up.
“why do all these girls flirt at me!”, he hit mobile with his forehead and he started.
Priyanka was on her way to Harish’s house. She clearly knew that that manager was not so worth of killing people. After all he is just a slag working for daily salary. He would never risk to take such a huge step. All her anger converted her wild and she had it every second in her.
“kling…”, the door bell sounded.
“coming…coming”, Aaryana rushed towards the door. She opened it.
“ah…hello, cutie. Don’t you have school today?”, Priyanka pinched her chins. It was some government holiday, that day. Every five years, the ruling party changes with lots of promises. They would come to power and they’ll change everything…that were not there in the previous period. The only thing good about politics is they shower holidays for their personal activities and they are so called as government holiday!
“no…it’s a holiday aunty! What do you want?”, Aaryana questioned.
“ah…I need some water. Can you get me!”
Aaryana left by the time she entered. She had her next obstacle, Harish!
“what is it, now?”, he asked.
“just a formal call. Why? Shouldn’t I come here?”
“of course, you are always welcome. We are trying to forget all those days with her and we have to start up something new. I don’t need you people around here reminding my daughter about her.”
“however, she’ll know someday!”, she smirked.
“I know…I know that. I’ll tell her and I’ll make her understand and I’ll take care of her. All I have got now, is her! Please don’t make it too complicated by visiting here often!please!”
“don’t you wanna’…”
“I don’t need any revenge, mam! Am tired of it. You have hurted us more and we had much. He killed her and that is all he did but you people hurt us every second in the name of investigation! Am done. You may go, now!”, he yelled.
“calm down…calm down. Am not here to beg for your permission. I have something to deal with and I had to sort it out. That is why I turned up…”, she commented.
“this is not your stinking enquiry room, mam! So do consider your versus and leave!”
“you are no one to question me even if I fuck somebody over here. Just shut up and sit there. No replies!”, she pushed him down and entered into the bedroom.
Harish could not understand what was happening. He yelled shit without minding that his daughter was inside. Priyanka was completely out of her mind. She did not wanna’ hear such things. She entered every room and she started searching something.
She was searching for something and she believed that it would fetch her some information! She searched everyone, she could and she was throwing things out of frustration. She did not even know what she was doing. All her dreams made her do it. She was completely stressed.
“hello, sir! Your department is making fuss out of my house. Please do something. You have shown up you contact number to people if they are in trouble, what if we are in trouble because of you people?”, Harish yelled at Akhil.
“put down your phone!”, she slammed.
Akhil realized that she was there and something was wrong over there. He just stood up and he rushed there. It took a little time for him to reach there after lot of directions.
“Harish?...Priya…!?”, he entered with a doubt. The house was bit strange. All the things over there were scattered on the floor.
“children rhymes…Vicky and Vethal…Tom and jerry…everyone has a love story…”, he could see a lot of books, cassettes and accessories over the floor. And finally at a corner, Harish was tied up to a chair. Akhil rushed there and untied him.
“where is Aaryana?”, he asked.
“what is happening here, sir? Have she gone mad?”, Harish yelled.
“sorry”, he had nothing else to say. Aaryana was hiding somewhere under the bed and at the other end Priyanka was throwing things.
“it’s ok…it’s ok!”, Akhil comforted Aaryana and pushed her out.
“Priya…what’s all this? What’s wrong with you? Stop it!”, he yelled.
“sir, please. I have to do this. Stay away!”
“we’ll sort it out. Just cool down. We’ll get him. I assure you that. Just stop”, he started softly.
“we’ve been in the same track, sir! Did we get him? No…we are just passing our time. Atleast now let us do something, useful!”, she yelled and she never considered her.
“stop it…stop it”, he pleaded and after a point of time he lost his contol.
“Priya…”, he slapped her…


PAST TENSE!
‘October 26th, Thursday evening 4PM’
“everyone has a bitter past. There is no one in this world without a bad memory. We have to come over it. Just understand, they are memories and not your present life. Don’t let them ruin your life. Worrying about the past will not fetch you anything other than stress. You are cool and so do I…what are you lacking?
You have wide fanbase over here. You have your lovely mom around you and see now, you have got a lot of friends in our circle. Never loose someone thinking about your past. Just move on!
See am not psychiatrist to treat you, I have got a lot to deal with but I can’t take that you are going wild at some stranger’s house. I know how much you love your job and don’t loose it.
Today morning, you were not that Priyanka…”, Akhil continued.
“sir! Am…”
“don’t ever interrupt. I am so weird than you at times. Just hear out! Today you were not the Priyanka, I saw earlier. You were completely different. You slammed everything in that house and you did not think of anything. People do things out of control at times and they regret it for their lifetime…
Your act…it shows how weak you are. Strong people will never express their feelings or pain, they burry it deep into their minds and they convert it into their key to success! I know everything, what had happened to you…it’s, it’ just an incident. Try to come out of it! You have a lot to see and you have your age. You’ll do better, I know! He is just…”
By the time she cried. Tears rushed out and she tried controlling it. Suddenly he had a call. It was Raj. He answered.
“sir, that manager! He is not so worthy, sir! He has a family and he have come here with his daughters. Shall I take him over. Am near him but still I wanna’ get cleared. Something in me says that he might have not done that…”, Raj said.
“leave now!”, Akhil hung up.
“Priya…enough, it’s enough. I have seen enough tears. Understand one thing, tears of you people have some value at times. Don’t waste it like this! Calm down. Just feel free!”, Akhil appeared as Kindergarden staff for her. He was trying hard to convince her for a long time.
“what’s his name?”, he asked.
“Jagan!”
“yeah! Jagan, will he like all this. You loved him madly right? If it’s true, you have to live happily even without him. That makes him happy. Not even him but… everyone around you. See we’ve been in the same point from the beginning of this case. Focus on it and don’t let the case consume you! Move on champ!”, he left scrubbing her head with a smile.
Priyanka felt something soft in her. She was feeling better now and she loved the way he handled her. She had fallen for him this time and she never regretted. She wanted to finish up this case with clear evidences atleast for his sake…
“Akhil…he is very positive; brave; easygoing; kind; psycho at times; flirt and so on. What is he? Something I could not understand in him. He is such a character…”, she wanted to know more about him.
“anna! Our ACP… he is something, some different species. Nobody can know what he’ll do the next second. He is so adventurous but why is he still single?”, she tried get something out of Akhil’s driver.
“yes, he is different. I’ve been working for higher officials but he is something different. He had never disrespected me till date. He sees me as his brother. He had been brought up in such a way. He’ll be kind but at times he’ll turn wild. That’s his way of dealing things but other than that he is something precious!”, he replied.
“marriage!?”
“yup, his mother is continuously forcing him to marry for years but he never considers her. He is not so interested.”
“ok, anna!”, she tried leaving.
“one minute, ma! Since you are very much concerned. I’ll tell you something. My work is to drive and which means I’ll be with him all the time. Of course, it’s his secret and secrets are to be reserved to be revealed some day!
He is not ready for marriage and that’s not because of his attitude. You would have seen him recently and all his charms. It seems that he had loved someone in his college times. I think she would have been married by now! He had been weird for months several years ago. His mother had told me.”
“love?!”, she exclaimed.
“every man has a heart and that says every life has a love to keep up. Life is incomplete without love, ma. Even I have my story of love!”, he left with this comment.
That day night, she went to his house. She did not care about anything and the only thing she wanted to do was knowing him more. She reached there.
“who are you, ma?”, Akhil’s mom enquired.
“amma! Am Priyanka! I’ve come to meet him.”
“it’s too late. He would be in his room, maybe he would be drunk. So see him, tomorrow.”
“I’ll see to it, ma”, she tried convincing.
“hmm”, something in her let her in, hoping for something good.
“Priya…call me if anything goes wrong!”, she extended.
“go rest, ma. I’ll take care”, she went upstairs.
Akhil was completely drunk and he was out of his control. He could not resist him from drinking it. He was really high. It was only the driving force which was moving him around cases. He had a lot of feelings within but he never expressed. He was dancing like something and he hates people entering into his room late night. It was already 9PM…
“sir…sir? Am I bothering you?”, she tried entering.
…
She entered into the room. It was completely dark and the room spray pulled her in. It appeared like a freak’s room and things were dancing over the floor like him. Although it was disgusting enter into a bachelor’s room, she did. She entered with hesitation.
“who is she…I could’ make all the tables turn…”, Taylor Shift was yelling over there and he heard nothing other than that.
“sir…”, she called again.
“…”
“Akhil!”, she yelled.
“hey, Priya. What are you doing here? Get lost!”
“sir…”
“I said get lost, you ***”, he yelled and threw Rum bottles over her.
“am not gonna’ go Akhil. I need to know you. Tell me what happened. You had been visiting Psychatrist for months. What was your problem, then?”
“it’s none of your business, just leave when I am cool. I’ll kick you out then!”
“it’s not duty time ACP. We are done for today. Now tell me, what happened?”
“ah…just leave me alone! No…no…no!”
SIX YEARS BACK, AT SOME MEETING PLACE…
“no…Akhil. This is not gonna’ happen. Things are different, now. We have to look into it”, she said.
“what’s wrong? We’ll sort it out”, I said.
“terms are not so smooth, AK! My parents are already in a hurry to marry me to some random guy. I can’t oppose that and my mom is not in the situation to deal with things. I have stand by her side. I can’t hurt her anymore by my love. I have to do it. Please understand me. I know you will…”
“but, why?”
“baby, we loved each other madly and we had no limits but we can’t make it anymore. Maybe our love ends here. Lets…breakup! You know something, I still love you and nobody can replace you!”, she kissed me at my forehead.
“every love is not meant to be happy, AK. Try to look up for something. Work hard, I wanna’ see you going to a top position. Am scared that my presence may affect your future. So let’s not do it anymore. I will miss your naughty hands, baby! Even now, only I know how controlled I am… bye!”, she buried me with words and she started walking away with tears.
“I had never been responsible in my life throughout my life. I had no interest on anything. I just lived my life as everyone. I got my seat in my college on management and I was used to arrears. The only thing, I did whole heartedly was my love. I saw her; liked her and I proposed her. We loved each other and we were really happy! But now, even that is moving away from me. She is leaving me, now but she doesn’t know that she is taking half of me with her. I did not stop her and that is all I can do. Atleast she’ll be happy without me. I have no job to convince her but she is already placed…yup she had made a good decision, dear. Atleast now!
You never let me talk when you kiss me, but this time you did the same, I was speechless. You were clear and you did not wanna’ say me the reason. You’ve left me long before and still…why am I having your aroma around me. Are you kidding me? Is it a prank? No, it can’t be…still something in me says that a little point far away is you approaching me…ah! Love sucks!”, I sniffed.
“She left me…yeah she left me. I was totally shattered but I had some hope. The next day she got married. That was something, I did not expect. I gone mad and all her memories hurted me. I turned towards a wrong side…drugs! Treatments…psycho therapies…nothing changed me but my mom’s tears did.
“all these days, I had never done anything for her and now I am hurting her more and more. Am no longer gonna’ let her down!”, I thought.
I thought…I hid my pain and I started… I failed my way of love but I did not wanna’ loose in my life too. I wanna’ make her feel that she had missed me. I studied hard. I tried and tried and made my psychotic approach towards the exams. I nailed in my second attempt and here I am…”, Akhil finished wiping his tears.
“so, now you are recovered. Am I right, sir?”,Priyanka asked.
“am not yet recovered, Priya…I have the pain in me till date. That love is pushing me to make things and everything I do are only for my love…”
“leave her, sir! She is unlucky!”
“mmm…she had always been lucky. It’s me that unlucky guy making things out of control and I keep on regretting it!”, he cried again.
“it’s ok, sir. I…we’ll there for you!”, she went near him.
“I miss her, Priya!”, he hugged her crying.
Of course, she did not resist it…

TO BE CONTINUED...





© arvind