Cold Love (4 page)

Whilst Riya is shell-shocked
at the disturbing sight, almost motionless, Arjun notices a goon aiming at him,
although Riya is in the way. Arjun jumps instantly to cover Riya and rolls over
as the bullet hits his back. He immediately shoots in response, hitting the
goon on his chest. Riya is still shrieking at the top of her lungs, thinking
that Arjun has been hit.

 “Riya! Calm down! Riya!”
Arjun holds her face in his hands. Riya continues to shout in her high-pitched
voice before realizing that Arjun is OK. Her shrill shrieks are overshadowed by
the sounds of bullets being shot and exploding grenades. Arjun opens the top
button of his shirt to reveal his black leather vest inside.

“Riya, I have a bullet proof
vest… See.” 

Riya is speechless, and looks
blankly at him. She clasps him tightly around his neck, so tightly that it
almost chokes him for a moment.

“It’s OK, Riya. Everything is
fine!” Both get up gradually, Riya is naturally shaken and absolutely horrified
by the proceedings. Police have gradually seized control over the area, having
subdued the mafia and got them to surrender. A large stock of drugs, perhaps
the largest in Mumbai’s history, is confiscated by the special crime unit. The
police vans are filled with the goons who have laid down their arms.

Arjun walks across to speak
to a few officers and gives further orders inaudibly over a walkie-talkie. A
few female police officers, in the meantime, have been speaking to Riya. Arjun
returns to her eventually. Riya is about to come over to hug him but stops as
she senses a strange angry look on his face.

“Riya, are you crazy? Didn’t
I tell you not to follow me? Why did you come after me?” Arjun shouts at her,
“What if something had happened to you?”

The police Commissioner, a
family friend, is walking towards them. Riya begins to feel self-conscious and
notices that everyone is looking at them, especially Commissioner Pratap, who
halts mid-way awkwardly. Arjun notices the Commissioner.

“Riya, Pratap uncle will drop
you home. Will you please, Sir, if you don’t mind?”

“No, not at all son. I was in
fact about to make that offer to Riya. Beti, are you all right? How did you end
up here?”

Riya responds with a mumble,
not knowing what to say. She gazes awkwardly at Arjun and then at the
Commissioner.

“Go on, Riya; go home and
I’ll see you later. Thanks again, Sir.”

“No problem.” Commissioner
Pratap extends his hand that Arjun shakes vigorously, “Great job son!”

The hubbub of police activity
continues for another couple of hours, as they scavenge the slums, nabbing the
mafia and seizing a massive cache of drugs. It’s been a day of immense
achievement for the special crimes unit.

However, Arjun knows this is
just the beginning!

The Revelation

Later that night, both
families are waiting eagerly for Arjun. He walks into the room with his family
members and friends staring at him with surprise and astonishment. Riya is
seated on the couch next to Kamla—from their reddened eyes, it is obvious both women
have been weeping. Arjun walks into the room, pauses first to look at everyone.
A full house!

They stare back at Arjun,
silently, expecting a good explanation. Arjun walks up and sits next to his
dad.

“
Maa,
Uncle Aunty…I have to share something… that I haven’t told you before. I work
for the Indian government.”

Murmurs and faint queries
crop up but Arjun carries on.

“I cannot reveal the exact
details. Recently, we received an intelligence report about a massive drugs
deal. And all this was happening in the backyard of the most prestigious
management school of the country. Today, the spoilt brats of Mumbai’s
millionaires are using drugs in every party that they throw. So this was our
lead and that’s why I decided to join the MBA school.”

 “
Beta,
why didn’t you tell us earlier?” Mr. Sinha interrupts Arjun, “I don’t know what
to say… (Pauses) What Commissioner Pratap told us…Whatever Riya is saying… is
that true?” 

Riya speaks up passionately,
but in a somber tone of voice, “Yes uncle, you cannot imagine what has been
happening there! So many police officers… bullets flying all around! … And…
Arjun tasted those drugs… he did!” She gets up in despair.

“
Riya,
I had to!” Arjun responds in a frustrated tone, “You don’t need to make a big
fuss about it.” He raises his voice, to defend himself. “Why did you follow me
in the first instance? I had asked you not to! Do you realize the entire
mission could have fallen apart because of your foolishness?” He carries on
shouting at Riya, “And what if something had happened to you, did you ever
think about that?”

This unexpected response from
Arjun gets Riya defensive.

“Right, so it’s all my fault
now!” She mumbles in a hoarse voice, “I know I shouldn’t have gone there but
how would I know… I mean…”

Riya grinds her teeth…tears
are now right at the edge of her eyes. She continues in an inaudible, feeble
tone that only Kamla could hear, sitting next to her. “And you tasted drugs,
that means nothing?... And scolding me instead!”

She is now right on the verge
of crying but Kamla intervenes and hugs her.

 “No, my beti! … Arjun, what
is all this?” Kamla chides Arjun.

Arjun walks across to Kamla
to sit beside her and Riya.

“
I’m
sorry mama… Riya I didn’t mean to…” Arjun is not able to complete his sentence
as Riya continues in her inaudible voice, still dazed, and confused.
“
I saw people kill each
other! My God! A head ripped apart… as if I was in a zombie movie!”

Arjun is suddenly intrigued.

“Did you see the person who
shot the victim Riya? There has been only one casualty so far, a RAW agent. But
he was not part of the operation and so was not wearing a vest. So we are still
investigating how he got there. Several goons of the mafia were shot, and are
now being treated at the hospital.”

Riya continues, speaking to
herself in a mumble, “Huh… Don’t know what he thinks of himself!”

Now, Arjun walks past Kamla
and kneels in front of Riya to talk to her directly.

“
Riya,
I am asking you something!” Arjun says loudly.

“Arjun!” Kamla responds,
looking angrily at him, and very offended now.

“Mama, please this is
important!” Arjun continues in a softer and more appeasing tone, “Riya please,
listen. I am sorry! I know I have been harsh to you… I am really sorry! But
please listen to me. Tell me, did you see who took the shot?” He holds her hand
to try to calm her down.

Riya regains her composure
eventually and responds with a deep sigh. “There was a guy wearing a black
suit… he came out of a long black car….”

“Are you sure…? A long black
car?”

“
Yes,
it was a long black Jaguar. I saw it with my own eyes. A guy got out of the car
and the one inside the car shot at him, right on the back of his head!”

Riya hides her face in her
hands as she recalls the scene of the gruesome killing and the skull opening up
like a melon in front of her eyes. Arjun waits patiently, as do the others in
the room. Everyone is completely shocked.

Puja is about to get up and
ask a question but Arjun gestures with his hand for her to wait. He waits
himself, looking intently at Riya, until she lifts her face and drops her hands
into her lap. Arjun continues in a more compassionate tone.

“Did you see the person who
shot the bullet? Did you see him clearly?… Tell me Riya. Can you identify him?”

“Yes, I can recognise his
face in millions.”

Arjun springs to his feet,
excited.

“
Wait…
Stay here… I’ll be right back.”

He immediately dashes out to
his room. The family members continue to talk quietly, most of them consoling
and sympathizing with Riya. Arjun returns in a minute with a printout. He
brings it to Riya and shows her pictures of five people.

“Is he among any one of
these?”

“
Yes.
There he is”. She points
at one of them, “That is the man who shot from the car… that black Jaguar.”

“
Are
you sure?”

“Yes, absolutely sure.” Riya
nods, looking at Arjun.

“Riya, will you be able to be
a witness to the incident? Don’t worry; you will only need to identify him in
the court. You cannot imagine what a big favour you will do to us… to this
country… Will you be able to provide evidence? Please.”

“Yes I will.” Riya says
firmly, looking back at her parents as if seeking their support and also their
permission. “Who is he?” 

“He is a very senior
diplomat. I’m sorry I cannot reveal his identity yet. But I can definitely tell
you that if we get this guy it will be a big victory against terrorism for our
country!”

Arjun puts the picture back
into the envelope in his hand. This man had, for a long time, been the key
senior representative orchestrating ISI’s notorious covert operations on Indian
soil. ISI has been sponsoring terrorism in the country for over two decades
now, and in recent years it has also supported internal separatist groups,
mafia, and smugglers supplying arms and narcotics. All these operations
continue unabated and Indian officials find it difficult to stop Pakistan’s
cold war through diplomatic means. However, an arrest for murder on Indian soil
is a different ball game. The diplomats will go berserk of such an exposure of
direct ISI linkage to such operations.

Arjun is lost in these
thoughts as his dad walks over to sit next to him.

“Arjun, what is all this? Is
everything OK?”

“Papa, I know this has come
as a big shock and surprise to all of you. But I need to make some phone calls
urgently. All I would say to you Papa … Your son is not doing anything wrong,
trust me.”

Arjun’s dad is about to say
something but Arjun does not wait; he mumbles an excuse and walks out. Outside
the room, he stops and calls the Head of RAW on the phone.

“Sir, my friend Riya has
witnessed the killing. … She has seen the killer. She was with me at site of
the operation. She is ready to testify.  (Pause) Right Sir, I will go ahead and
make arrangements for the arrest; you handle all the diplomatic channels
please! …OK, Sir that will be very useful. Yes, Sir, Commissioner Pratap can
handle that. Thanks!”

Arjun immediately rushes back
to Riya, and sits next to her on the sofa as everyone watches him with curious
eyes.

“Riya, Commissioner Pratap
uncle will be here very soon and he will take your statement in private. Is
that OK? You won’t need to go to the police station… not yet.”

Riya nods gently, nervously
looking around. Arjun springs back on his feet.

“Papa, I have to go. We need
to arrest this guy as soon as possible!”

Kamla gets up from the sofa
and walks up to Arjun, hugging him and caressing his hair.

“Go ahead, beta. Do what you
have to do. We are all with you and trust you.”

“Thanks mama. I may be late
getting back in.” Kamla nods reassuringly. Arjun looks across at everyone, and
pauses to gaze at his dad. Mr. Sinha smiles and gently nods at his son to
indicate his confidence.

Without much ado, Arjun walks
out of the door. There’s still a lot to be done and it will likely be a long
night out.

A New Morning

Arjun has stayed out all
night as a swift stealth operation was mounted to capture the ISI lieutenant
general. Indian agents had been tracking his activities for a while and had
already made plans to nab the man on grounds of suspicion before Arjun
initiated the warrant. 

Back home, both families
waited for Arjun’s return in the morning. They are breakfasting at Riya’s
house. Puja’s mobile on the breakfast table rings. Amit, sitting next to Puja,
picks it up immediately.

“Yes beta…OK, come over
quickly son. We are waiting for you.”

He puts down the phone to the
curious gazes of the others seated around the table.

“Arjun said that the
operation was successful. They have captured the killer… Kamla, your son is a
hero!”

“A son is always a hero to
his mother. But I don’t know… I feel very scared.”

“Don’t be, dear; everything’s
fine. He’s a big boy now!” He hugs Kamla, who nods, even though still unsure.
The wall-mounted TV behind the breakfast table is tuned to a local news
channel. Amit increases the volume of the TV as something catches his
attention. The TV reporter is telecasting from the scene of yesterday’s
operation.

“Yesterday, during a special
operation carried out by the Mumbai Narcotics Department, several key players
of the drugs cartel have been put behind bars. Officials state that as much as
two tons worth of heroin has been captured. It is the largest cache of drugs
seized by the Mumbai police in recent days.”

There is no mention of a
killing. Nor of the official that was arrested by RAW overnight in the stealth
operation. Riya excuses herself and walks out to get to her room and get ready
for school. While looking into the mirror and brushing her hair, she gets lost
for a moment, recollecting the events of last evening. It has been a crazy 24
hours! At that very instant, Arjun knocks at the door and enters.

“Arjun! Where have you been
all night?” Riya shrieks in an ecstatic tone.

 “Hi!” Arjun is more composed
in his greeting.

Riya responds with a gentler
“Hi”, but again, almost with a tone of enquiry.

“Listen I wanted to… thank
you.”

“Really?…. For what?”

“I wanted to say… the
testimony that you have provided… we arrested our man! Actually even before that
I wanted to…” he hesitates and continues in a gentler tone, “…apologize for my
behavior yesterday.”

Arjun stammers a bit, his
manner an obvious acknowledgement that he had been really harsh on Riya last
night. Riya flaunts a gentle mischievous smile as if enjoying the moment, eager
to get back at Arjun and to bell the rebellious cat.

“Excuse me, I didn’t hear
clearly. Would you please mind speaking up a bit?”

“I know I’ve been harsh on
you, so please don’t rub it in!” he repeats the words slowly but loudly. “Riya,
I am really, really sorry. You know I am.”

“OK! OK! Apologies accepted!”
she smiles gladly. 

“You don’t realize how much
you’ve helped… so I really wanted to thank you…”

Riya interrupts Arjun
mid-way. “Excuse me Mr. Arjun. Are you the only one who’s taken ownership of
our country? What do you think? You have become a super cop overnight? I don’t
need your thanks, because I’m also a citizen of this country and am very well
aware of my duties,” she continues loudly, “And I can lay down my life for this
country just like you, if necessary! So please spare me the thanks and keep it
to yourself.”

She immediately realizes that
her harsh statements have made Arjun a bit defensive, judging by his body
language. Riya in turn softens upon realizing this. 

“Listen. In friendship
there’s no sorry, no thank you! Right?”

“Right! Sounds like a line
stolen from a flop Bollywood movie!” Arjun responds with half a smile,
realizing that she is only playing around with him. 

“A Bollywood movie, yes…but
not a flop one! So just chill, OK! … Friends?” Riya offers her hand as Arjun
shakes it vigorously with a smile. “OK listen, come down now; everyone is so
eagerly waiting for you.”

Just then Shanti enters the
room. Following her is a little kid, who jumps on to Riya for a big hug.

“Mausi!”

“Hello my lion! How are you
my dear?”

 “Arjun, this is Rohan,
Priya’s son! He has grown up, hasn’t he?” Shanti introduces the kid to Arjun,
smiling with motherly love. “Beta, is everything all right now? We were so
worried about you throughout the night!”

“Aunty, everything is fine
now. We have captured a dangerous gang and the entire operation has been a big
success.”

Priya, Riya’s elder sister,
enters the room too, “On that note should we have some breakfast together
Arjun!”

Arjun moves forward to greet
Priya, “Hey didi! How are you?” they hug each other, “So nice to see you after
such a long time!”

“How are you dear? You have
been in India barely two months and already started creating a bang! …God… I am
seeing you after … ummm…seven years!”

“Arjun, have you had anything
to eat?” Shanti enquires. Arjun shakes his head gently, “Oh, come on then. Have
you seen Kamla?”

“Not yet. I’ve come straight
from headquarters. I wanted to apologize to Riya for my harsh behavior last
night. I suppose all of you might have been upset as well with me after last
night.”

“Oh my dear! No, not at all
my son. Come on, just forget everything. Come, I’ll prepare a nice breakfast
for you. Come, Riya; you didn’t eat anything either.” 

“Mama, I am not hungry, and
anyway, I am getting late for school.”

“Uff, my little school girl! 
If you go late one day, no one will scold you… Arjun you tell her; she should
eat her food properly!”

Arjun spots an opportunity to
get even with Riya. He mischievously scans Riya from her toe to head, “Aunty!
What can I say… these girls nowadays! Dieting and fashion is all they care
about. If they can spare some time from this, only then can they focus on
health and food. … But Riya, what’s the use of all this … I mean no guy in
school gives you a lift anyway!”

“Hey! Listen!” Riya snaps her
finger at Arjun, eager to respond to Arjun’s banter. Shanti rightly intervenes.

“OK kids! Will you please
stop fighting and sit down?! Come beta.” She takes Arjun’s head on her
shoulders tapping his cheeks. “Come!”

Everyone goes down to the
dining room. Both the families have decided subconsciously to leave all their
questions for another day. Shanti stuffs a full poori as Arjun gobbles it in
one lot from her hand! The two families wholeheartedly express their solidarity
towards Arjun for his just cause. A status quo has been restored… for now!