Opposite Poles..Part 22

Part 22

Khushi came home with swollen eyes.

“Khushi..?What happened?” asked Payal holding her hand.  Khushi did not answer.  She went straight to her room.  Payal followed.

“Jiji… bhookh lagi hai! I am hungry!” she said avoiding Payal’s questioning looks.  Payal went away.  Khushi changed and went into the kitchen

“Khushi? What are you doing?” asked Payal bewildered. 

“Making Jilabees!” came an answer.  Payal shook her head hopelessly.  Khushi engrossed herself in making jilebees thinking hard.  “Why did I take up this job?” she was not sure about the answer.  

“Aree, Babua? Hi re NindKishore…What happened?” Buwaji went up to the door hurriedly.  Payal too got up from the chair.

“Umm.. Nothing Buwaji… just a minor accident..!” came in sham with plastered right hand.

“What happened?” Buwaji asked.

“Umm.. Nothing much!  Just a minor accident!” he didn’t give details.  He looked around.

“Khushi….!” called out Buwaji.  “Get some water for Sham Babuwa!” she held his hand looking worried.  He smiled at her faintly gaining all her sympathy.

Khushi came out and looked at the sling.  “Sham ji? What happened?” she asked concerned.  He smiled.

“This has become a big botheration…!” he blurted.

“Why? What’s the matter?” asked Buwaji. 

“I mean.. my right hand is impaired… I stay alone…!” he clarified.  Buwaji looked lost in thoughts.

“Aree, Khushi ji? You look upset..!” Sham observed Khushi closely.  She refrained from answering.

“Sham ji… Khushi is very upset today. Go and see the pile of jilebees to know the magnitude..!” said payal looking at Khushi.  Khushi looked away.  Sham did not react. 

“Sham babua, you can stay with us … till you get better!” offered Buwaji.  Sham shook his head, looking at Payal and Khushi.

“No Buwaji… it may not look good! I will manage..!” he refused politely.

“No Sham ji, really! You can shift here for the time being…!” said payal looking at Buwaji for confirmation.  Sham still was looking at Khushi.  Khushi nodded unknowingly.

“Yes, Sham ji.  How will you manage with your right hand in the sling?” she asked.  Sham had a smile on his face. 

“umm… if you all insist.. I will!” he agreed.

“Ok! Then, done! Go get your luggage and I will keep your room ready!” Buwaji was more than excited. 

“But, Buwaji, I don’t want to be a burden on you!” Sham said getting up. 

“Aree, please don’t say this.  You already have done so much for us…! We are indebted to you!” Buwaji said with overwhelming emotions.  

*********    ********

“Khushi ji!” Sham sat next to her on the steps in the courtyard of her house. 

“you can tell me!” he said softly, assuring her his support.  She glanced at him.  She felt awkward with his proximity.  She shrunk but stayed there.  He had an assuring smile.  She felt better.

“Actually….!” She started telling him everything.  He listened to her carefully responding sympathetically.

“I don’t understand! What is important? Process or Material safety?” she looked at him with tearful eyes. 

“Hmm!” he said with a sigh.  “Khushi ji! Don’t worry.  I will see what can be done…!” he said placing his hand on her shoulder.  She gazed unfocused. 

“I don’t know! May be, I will end up in a lock up tomorrow!” she said defeated.  “On top of it… that monster will create more problems for me!” she said with a disgust.

“Monster?” he asked confused.

“Arnav Singh Raizada!” she blurted.  He took back his hand with a jerk.

“What? Did you meet him?” he asked getting up.  She looked at him in surprise.

“Why are you so upset?” she asked shocked.  He came back to his senses.

“No! I mean… he did create problems for your family, earlier… and now… by the way where did you meet him?” he asked with bated breath.

“Oh! I told you… He was there to help me bringing in the material..!” she said matter of factly.  He looked shocked.

“You said.. the intruder…!” he blurted with a drained out face.

“Yeah! That was Arnav Singh Raizada!” she said frowning.  He wiped his forehead.  He clearly looked nervous.

“What happened? Do you know him?” she asked getting up and staring at Sham.  He looked away..

“No! I mean… “ he turned his face.  His eyes flashed … he knew what to do.

“Why did I take up this job?” she blurted in frustration.

“Ok! Go and have some rest now.  I think I will be able to help!” he said turning his back on her.

***********    *********   *********

“ASR! Where are you?” He heard morose Lavanya over the phone.  “Lavanya.. I am busy!” he disconnected the phone.

“So! The stock taking and security check will start from tomorrow.  I want all the staff to be present!” ASR concluded the meeting.  He came out of the conference room with a victorious smirk. 

“Let me see where do you land Ms. Khushi Kumari Gupta!” he thought.  His eyes flashed imagining her frightful face.

*********   ******   ********

“Hey Devi Mayya… Raksha Karana!” she prayed her devi  mayya in the temple. 

“You know.. I have not stolen anything.  I am not a thief!”  Tears dropped through her closed eyes.  She came out of the temple to catch the bus to her office.  She counted the days.  Next week her two months would complete.

“I don’t want this job.  I will go back to my Amma Babuji..! I don’t want to stay in Delhi…!” she muttered resolving to tell Mishra Sir not to recommend her for the employment.

“But why would a person recommend a girl like me, who is in deep shit? Why would he recommend a thief?..” she thought. 

“But why should I be called a thief? I have not stolen anything… In fact I should be rewarded for saving the material…!” she thought loudly.  The passenger sitting next to her looked at her in surprise.  She ignored.

“No.. I will not back out! I will fight.  I am not wrong..!” she said getting up in excitement and sat down immediately seeing that it was not her stop.  She looked around sheepishly. 

She entered the office to see everyone sitting idle looking confused.  She went to her place without wishing anyone. 

“Ms Gupta!” came a stern voice and she knew the arrival of Police.  She looked up in apprehension and to her shock a stranger was glaring at her. 

“You are asked to be present for a closed door meeting with other officials at 3 in the afternoon, in the meeting room upstairs” he said maintaining his stern tone.  She nodded.  He handed over the notice and she signed on the acknowledgement.  She sensed, everyone was staring at her.

Mishra came to her table.  “Ms Gupta.  Have courage. Everything will be alright!” he gave her false hope.  She nodded knowingly. 

“Beti, do you remember? You had pointed out some discrepancies in the entries.  Can you elaborate on those, in writing?” he asked her leaning forward, in a bear whisper.  She looked around, not knowing what to do.

“Beti, I need to talk to you in private.  Go out for some time, I will come later!” he said and hurriedly went back to his seat.

She got up and went out.  She ordered tea at the roadside tea stall and waited for her sir.  He came in a hurry looking around.

“Beit, I know, you are innocent.  You had pointed out some very serious loopholes in our system, unknowingly.  This is your chance to prove your good intentions.  You had pointed out to me, a few times.   There is an insider dealing, I suspect.  Do you remember the dates and the entries?” he asked her hopefully.  He genuinely wanted to save her from this mess.  After all she was a trainee and if she disappears completing her tenure, he would be held responsible for the scam.  He wanted to save his skin too.

“Do you?” he asked her looking at her lost condition.

“Haan? Ye.. yes.  I had written down in my note book.  She took out her 200 pages notebook and started flipping through pages.

“See? I have noted down all the entries ..!” she showed him the dates and the record keys.  He took a sigh of relief. 

“Ok.  Note down these entries datewise on different papers and give it to me, as if you have given me on those days.  Do you understand what I mean to say?” he tried his level best.

“Back dated notes?” she asked him.  “Yeah! Exactly!” he said with a sigh.  She did not know what to do, who to ask! She kept gaping at him. 

“Trust me, beti.  I want to pull you out of this mess!” he said genuinely.  She nodded and he took out blank papers from his bag.

“Ok. I will go now.  You complete it and give it to me later!” he said and vanished.  She sat there all lost.

“Hey Devi Mayya! Raksha Karana!” she prayed hard and started writing.

**********  *********   *********

“Aakash, you are going to handle this!” instructed ASR.  Aakash nodded. 

“Remember to keep it confidential.  No one, should know about this investigation!” he warned.  Aakash knew the seriousness of the problem. 

ASR gazed unfocused.  “ASR!” Lavanya was in front of him wearing a broad smile on her face.  He closed his eyes.  He didn’t want anyone to disturb him at this point of time.

“Leave me alone, Lavanya!” he said irritably.

“ASR? What happened?” she asked closing the gap between them.

“Lavanya please..!” he took a step back. 

“Ok! I have something to cheer you up!” she said importunately.

“Stop it, Lavanya!” he snapped back.

“ASR!” she was hurt.  “I will talk to you later, Lavanya!” he said mildly.  She went away. 

“The interim report of stock investigation was bothering him.  The company had been robbed off for several lacs and they just couldn’t find out who was doing it…”