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His words boost me and remind me of Dad and the way he would have supported me in a mission. I thank Bhaskar uncle and kiss Dad’s hand before leaving the hospital. There is one place I need to be right now and take care of the situation there.
********************
An hour later, I’m taken aback as Meher’s call lights up my phone screen. Surprisingly, she is using the very phone I had given her. Excusing myself, I swiftly exit the confines of the small house in Laxmi Nagar Chawl. Outside, the vibrant sounds of teenage kids engrossed in a game of gully cricket fill the air, their energy and enthusiasm palpable. Tuning out their energetic shouts, I answer the incoming call.
“If I knew that threatening you with waging war against your family would make you call me, I would have done it sooner,” I mock, a hint of sarcasm in my voice.
As I await her response, I can hear her sharp breath and a flurry of commotion in the background.
“When the truth is on your side, you don’t fear a war, Ayaan,” she retorts with conviction.
“You should fear it, Meher,” I respond through clenched teeth. “Because it’s me who will wage it.”
Her silence follows, but the cacophony of sounds in the background captures my attention.
“Where the hell are you? Why is there so much noise around you?”
“Well, under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t disclose my location, but since I want to meet you in person, I’m compelled to share it. I’m at Arya Bhavan, on the 2nd floor in the administrative department, the last cabin. I want to return some of the things that belong to you,” Meher explains.
Arya Bhavan?That’s a government building frequently visited by numerous ministers to oversee the functioning and implementation of policies within their respective departments.
Curiosity gets the better of me, and I can’t help but ask, “What are you doing there?”
Meher lets out a chuckle before replying, “Now, that’s none of your business. Just make sure you’re here before 3:00 pm, or else I’ll leave.”
As I’m about to probe further, the sounds of the boys playing cricket intensify, their excitement evident as the batsman hits a six. Meher, still on the line, also hears the commotion.
“And... where are you, by the way?” Her curiosity seeps through in her question.
I swallow hard, feeling a pang of pain as I turn towards the young boy, only eight years old, standing beside me, watching the boys play cricket.
“I am at a place I wouldn’t have been if your father hadn’t caused that accident,” I mutter, my anger restrained. “My driver, Ramesh, who lost his life in that accident, I am here to meet his family, trying to make amends for your father’s wrongdoing.”
I hear a sorrowful gasp from Meher on the other end as if she is equally hurt by knowing my whereabouts. Ramesh had been my father’s trusted driver for nearly a decade. No amount of money can compensate for his absence, but I want to do something for his wife and son. I am arranging for them to move to a better place to live and will be sponsoring the child’s education until he reaches adulthood and can support himself. If my father were conscious, he would have done the same for them.
“You are not that heartless, Meher, to turn a blind eye to the pain inflicted by your father. Open your eyes and face the truth. You are living with a murderer.”
“Stop it!” she screams. “Just...just stop it.”
She takes a few moments to collect herself, battling with her anger and confusion before she continues speaking in an even tone.
“Be there by 3:00 pm. Don’t be late.”
With that, she abruptly ends the call. I clench my phone tightly, pull it away from my ear, and gently stroke the young boy’s head. He gives me a toothy smile before returning his attention to the gully boys playing cricket. He is far too young to have lost a parent. But I promise him that I will bring his father’s killers to justice, exposing them to the world so that they face the consequences for their sins.
*******************
I make my way to Arya Bhavan, a typical government building bustling with people, files and an overwhelming sense of chaos. Of course, I’d messaged and informed Krish about driving here on Meher’s call. As soon as I entered the building and searched for the stairs to the upper levels, Krish calls me on my phone.
“Hello,” I greet, searching for the stairs. “Have you found out why Meher is here?”
“Maybe it’s about some paperwork.”
“What paperwork?” I ask, striding towards the stairs.
“According to my sources, there are rumours that Meher is planning to assist Pratap Walia in the upcoming elections. She has shown a sudden interest in her father’s political work.”
Has she?I don’t know why she wants to do the things that piss me off. I had explicitly warned her to distance herself from supporting her father, yet here she is, willingly becoming his shadow in his political career. What the hell is she up to? Is she doing this solely to prove her unwavering loyalty to him and challenge me?
