Chapter 34

The eerie silence pervaded my entire being when I entered home. Bua and fufaji were wide awake, waiting for me, but they didn't make any attempt to talk or confront me. I took it as a sign to escape it without ever mentioning a word. I quickly changed into my nightwear and slept at my designated place. However, I assured bua that we can talk tomorrow.

My last night's sojourn, an all-night I had pulled at work drugged and the tiresome events of today had taken a toll on me. I drifted into a deep sleep in a matter of seconds. The next morning, I had a difficult time convincing my body to get up and go to work. I was tempted to call in sick but I knew staying at home with bua and fufaji after last night's stunt was a terrible idea. I gave myself fifteen minutes to snooze a little extra.

I scrubbed well and opted for leggings and a short kurta considering the heavy rains. Breakfast was eaten in complete silence, everyone avoiding the inevitable topic. I contemplated an excuse for yesterday but couldn't come up with anything that would sound genuine. Any emergency at work would look orchestrated so laying down the basics felt like a better option.

"About last night, I am sorry I forgot to inform you..." but before I could explain much, the ringing of my phone diverted my attention. The caller name made me groan inwardly as I prepared myself for the whiplashing rebuke.

"Hi, Mom!" I whispered guiltily.

"Act like you are being reprimanded and feel very sorry." She spoke softly. I was about to curve my lips upward but controlled the urge and turned it into a scowl. I was in the mood for some drama.

"But mom listen to me, I know I forgot to call bua and inform her last night about my whereabouts..." My bua feigned interest in our conversation which I totally wanted to last long to avoid speaking to her.

The next words that I heard made me wonder why I was quick in acting on my thoughts.

"How late did you turn up?" The sternness in my mother's voice made me uncomfortable. Before I could put two and two together to conclude that bua had not given away anything to my mom, I could do no damage control.

"Where were you last night? Abhliasha?" The rising volume with her rising anger was making me worried.

If I could have totally spilt the beans about meeting Shash and Nandi, going for dinner, minus the Agam and Raj Arora part, I would. That was the truth, albeit half but I wasn't lying, I was just withholding information that was of no benefit to me or my mom.

"Umm...mom for the past two days I have been working on a very crucial story and had to stay in till late at office working. I emphasized the office to make her see the reason clearly and not get lost in anger. I forgot to tell Jivy bua I would be late last night. She and fufaji were up till late worrying." I said with as much remorse I could inject in my voice.

"Shame on you... wait... wait a minute..." She understood the gravity of the situation.

"So you thought Jivy bua complained and so I called. Abhilaashhaaa...." And she shouted at a high pitch turning me near me deaf. I smiled half-heartedly at the worried face of my bua to keep up the pretences.

"Give the phone to Jivy didi." I was shaken

"Umm...mom listen, I need to hurry for office. We can have this conversation later and I will explain in detail everything." I didn't wait for her reply but quickly said my goodbye and ended the call.

The grey clouds and the downpour were an apt description of my situation with my mom at the moment.

"Who was the guy who came to drop you home last night?" And now the interrogation started in real-time.

"Bua, you are taking it wrong." I started to explain but was cut short by another of her remarks.

"He wasn't the same guy who came to drop you the last time."

"Yes. It was Sujoy, the guy who has been dropping me home is Agam. They are friends. Agam was tired after working two nights at a stretch, he was in no condition to drive. Sujoy helped us both to get home." Bua seemed puzzled. She twisted her eyebrows to show her amusement at my very believable, true story."

"I need to report at work, we will talk later. Please." I beseeched. She nodded and I didn't have to wait for more explanations.

The office was running smoothly when I made an entry. Pooja had been already assigned a story and she was hurrying to it while Prashant was busy with some research. They acknowledged my presence with a smile and got back to work. After Pooja had left, Prashant came to me to know about the SOS call last night.

" Sorry, I couldn't pick up. Anything important?"

"I had called..." and before I could complete explaining, I was called by Mansi. She asked me to go to the library and find some footage for her.

"Later Prashant," I told him and hurried out.

I asked the library guy to help me with the tapes on waterlogging in Mumbai. He handed me a box full of them. When I was going back I looked for Agam. He wasn't and I wondered if he was nursing a bad hangover. I mentally chided myself for thinking about him while at work. I sifted through the footage but there was nothing that was of help. Mihir had his eyes on the footage and sided with me.

"Why?" Mansi wasn't convinced.

"Because you can see a billboard in all the footages which speak of a brand that is non-existent this year." I offered my explanation.

"Fine, let Prashant go to get the footage and byte." She spoke hurriedly.

Mihir countered her suggestion and batted for me. "Let her go. She is the one who worked on it."

"I don't trust her to do things well. Besides, I am comfortable with Prashant." She spoke contemptuously and shrugged her shoulders carelessly.

"That's harsh Mansi. It's no big deal. We need to give equal opportunities to everyone to learn." I secretly thanked Mihir with my eyes and he brushed it off as nothing.

After much deliberation, Mansi agreed, but not without Prashant as the one leading this. I was okay and Mihir did not argue. I went to inform Prashant and later Mansi briefed us about our work. Prabhadevi was the chosen spot and Prashant and I had to also manage bytes from the passerby on BMC's failure to make proper roads before monsoon every year. Arjun Sir was assigned as the cameraman.

I met Manto walking listlessly while going out of the office. She looked haggard and different. Troubled would be the correct word. "Hey, Manto," I called out cheerfully. However, my enthusiasm did not rub on her. She looked up, then caught my wrist and yanked me to a corner.

"I need to tell you something urgent." She spoke distraughtly.

"Uh..huh."

Prashant called.

"Can you spare two minutes? Please?" She pleaded.

"Sure Manto. I am going out for a story and would be back in an hour. How about we catch up at the canteen for lunch?"

She agreed but not wholeheartedly. I mentally made a note to talk to her before leaving home. She had become extremely aloof and lonely over the last few days and had stopped communicating with even with me.

Prashant, Arjun Sir and I reached Prabhadevi to find things moving at a smooth pace despite waterlogging. This was bizarre. Kolkattans wouldn't step out in heavy rains, let alone on a waterlogged street like this. Mumbai however was functioning normally like always.

The area where our office was situated was pretty good despite the heavy rains, but Prabhadevi was a different scene. Arjun sir got busy setting up the camera while Prashant and I approached the people on the road for comments. No one was excited about being in front of the camera. People in Kolkata would have, however, clamoured for the two minutes of fame. Arjun Sir was ready we hadn't managed to convince anyone to speak against the BMC on camera. Arjun sir took the umbrella and asked me to walk while Prashant approached me to speak on camera. I agreed reluctantly.

Arjun Sir informed us this was the most common hack. If we cannot convince people, newbies with gusto were the preferred choice. I enquired about the people's resistance to speak. "Prabhadevi, Malad causeway gets flooded every monsoon. They are in a low lying area and BMC has a tough time managing sewage issues. It is common for channels to talk about these sore spots. There will never be a solution unless there is widespread clearance of buildings around."

Despite being fully aware of the situation, news channels talked regularly about the same thing again and again. It, therefore, dawned on me why I was asked to scan the earlier footage. I did my two bits of the role and headed back to the office. It was lunchtime and it had stopped raining too.

I looked up at the sky to figure out the next stint pulled by the clouds. A black dot encircling the top floor of the building caught my attention. For a second, I mistook it to be a bird but soon realized it was a person. Prashant who had finished helping Arjun Sir came to me with the suggestion of going for lunch directly. I was starving and took the offer immediately.

Before entering the office gate, I looked up again to find the black dot persistently circling at the edge. An uncanny feeling crept up my spine, spiking my heart rate. I ignored the unnecessary fear. Just as I was about to enter, the black dot started descending towards us and before I could make sense of what happened, it dropped to the ground with a loud thud.

The next thing my eyes saw was blood oozing all around and the pale face of Manto on the floor, with her skull, crack open and the red flesh visible as a gory sight. I was too shocked to move or make a sound. I slowly made my way towards the still body. The only thing I heard was the croaking sound coming out from my mouth, and a faint keening noise which soon turned into loud sobs of agony, pain and anger drowned around in the commotion of people around me.