66. Chandini meets Prutvi

CHAPTER 66

Chandini meets Prutvi

It was 6:45 in the evening. Arvind and Chandini were waiting on the beach for Don to arrive. The waves were coming at high speed. It was becoming dark.

Chandini looked at the time. She thought, “Only 5 minutes to 7. Prutvi has not yet arrived. I wonder whether Don will keep his word.”

Arvind looked towards the road. “I will tell you one thing. Don will never forget his words even if he loses his life. I know that very well.”

Chandini had the gift which she purchased in the bazaar for Prutvi in her hand. Suddenly, they saw the lights of many cars. The cars appeared at high speed.

Arvind pointed to the cars. “Don is coming.”

Chandini was excited. “So many cars.”

“What do you think of Don?”

“Prutvi will come now.”

Arvind said, “I told you no, Don will keep his words. See it is exactly 7 o’clock.”

All the cars came and stopped at a little distance. Men got down and stood in a line holding AK-47 guns. Chandini was surprised to see them. From the middle blue car, Don got down. He was wearing a long coat and a cap. He walked slowly towards them.

Arvind said, “I think it is Don.”

“That is not Don. Don has lost his legs.”

Arvind tried to convince her. “Maybe he got his legs treated in the US.”

Chandini was worried. “But he is coming alone. Where is Prutvi?”

She held Arvind tightly. “He is cheating us. He has killed Prutvi. He is now coming to take me away.”

 

Arvind was shocked. “What have you thought of Don? You just wait and watch. Let us see what he is going to say.”

Don approached them and stopped near them. Chandini watched him in fear. He removed his cap.

Chandini looked at him in the moonlight and then at Arvind. She was excited. “It is Prutvi.”

“Yes it is Prutvi.”

Chandini ran towards Prutvi. She stared at his face. “Prutvi.”

Prutvi smiled. “Yes. I am Prutvi.”

Chandini hugged him tight. She put her face on his chest. Arvind stood there only and watched them. Chandini cooled down. She held his hand and pulled him towards the cars. “I must thank Don. He has kept his word. He has found you and given you as a gift to me. “

They reached the car. Chandini looked inside the car. The car was empty. She looked around. “Where is Don?”

Arvind pointed to Prutvi. “He is Don. Don Daga.”

Prutvi smiled. “Yes I am Don Daga.” He told Chandini all about what had happened to him after he left the compound. Chandini was shocked.

Chandini said lovingly, “I want to be with you only.”

She opened the car door. She saw the gift inside. She opened her gift and his also. Both the gifts were same. She removed the cards. Both the cards read the same. ‘U My Heartbeat’

Prutvi said, “See, both of our thoughts are the same. U my heartbeat. How can I be away from you?”

Chandini pulled him inside. Both sat inside and waved to Arvind. The car moved away. All the cars moved. Arvind stood on the road and watched them go.

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THE END

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65. Arvind goes to Daga’s house

CHAPTER 65

Arvind goes to Daga’s house

Arvind went directly to Prutvi’s house.

Lala welcomed him. “Come in. Sit down.”

Arvind said seriously, “I did not come to sit down. Tell your boss, if he wants Chandini to live, he should phone to me. Or if he wants to talk to her ever in this life, he should phone to me. Otherwise he can forget me.”

He left.

Lala observed him leave.

As Arvind was going on his bike, his cell rang. It was Prutvi.

Prutvi said on phone, “Hallo, Arvind. What happened to Chandini?”

Arvind said seriously, “If you give value to friendship, you would not keep phone switched off like this. I have been trying to catch you since 3 days.”

Prutvi was shocked. “Why? What happened?”

“Prutvi. Chandini is fasting…” He told Prutvi all that had happened. Prutvi was shocked.

Arvind said sadly, “Prutvi, she is dying. Do whatever you like. You can phone to her and tell her you are Prutvi. But if you want her to live, you have to bring her love to her.”

Prutvi cried. “Eh!  I want her. I want her to live. Please connect to her. I will tell her.”

“Ok. I am tired of being between both of you. I will give her the phone and go away.”

Prutvi pleaded, “Please don’t say like that. I want both of you.”

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Arvind went to Chandini’s house. All the compound people were there. She was in depression. Arvind phoned to Prutvi and gave her the cell.

Arvind said, “”Chandini, Don wants to talk to you. I tried for 3 days. Today I went to his house. Now he will talk. Take the phone.”

He gave her the phone.

Chandini took the phone and said weakly, “Sir, please give me my Prutvi. Otherwise I will die.”

Prutvi was shocked to hear Chandini’s weak voice. “First you eat something. Please.”

“Till Prutvi comes, I will not touch even a drop of water. I will die for him. Please don’t do anything to him.”

Prutvi was shocked. “What are you talking about? I am not a murderer to kill Prutvi.”

“I may not live anymore. Just once, sir. Just let me talk to him.”

Prutvi had tears in his eyes. “Day after tomorrow is V-day. On that day, come to the beach at 2 pm, I will bring Prutvi to you.”

Chandini was excited. “Really, sir?”

“Promise. Once I give my word, I never go back even if I lose my life.”

Chandini was excited. “Thank you sir.”

“Please you believe in me, isn’t it?  You will eat. I will gift him to you on that special day. Now you eat something.”

Chandini agreed. “Yes sir. I will eat.”

She gave the phone back to Arvind. “Arvind, he is going to give me Prutvi back.”

Prutvi said to Arvind on phone, “Arvind, day after tomorrow, you bring Chandini to the beach at 2pm. I will bring Prutvi.”

The phone cut off.

Chandini was very happy. “Don is really a nice person. He has found Prutvi. He is going to gift him to me on V-day. I misunderstood him and scolded him so much.”

64. Chandini suspects Don has found Prutvi

CHAPTER 64

Chandini suspects Don has found Prutvi

Prutvi sat in his easy chair at 9:30 pm waiting for Chandini's call. He thought, “She has touched my heart again. I have started waiting for her call. I have started thinking of her all the time. Now she is filling my mind. I am waiting for her call everyday. She asks only for me. She cries for me. What shall I do I am helpless.”

He went to the tape recorder and wiped it. He put the cassette with Chandini’s song. He closed his eyes and started dreaming. Suddenly the phone rang. Prutvi immediately put a kerchief on the receiver.

Chandini said, “Hall, sir.”

Prutvi was very happy. He thought, “My Chandini.”

He forgot the song and started talking with kerchief on the phone.

Chandini asked, “Sir, have you found Prutvi?”

Prutvi said sadly, “No, my dear. I am trying my best.”

Suddenly Chandini heard the song which was going on in the tape recorder. She was shocked. She thought, “My song. I gave the cassette to Prutvi.”

She said on phone happily, “Sir, I think you have found Prutvi.”

Prutvi was shocked. “No, my dear.”

“Why are you lying, sir. That song. I gave the cassette only to him.”

Prutvi was shocked. He switched off the tape recorder.

Chandini got very angry. “Sir, I know Prutvi is with you. I knew you will find him. Thank you so much sir.”

Prutvi was silent.

Chandini asked, “Sir, why are you silent? I want to talk to him. Sir, give him the phone.”

“Sorry, I did not find him.”

Prutvi cut off the phone. Chandini tried to call again and again. The cell was switched off. She phoned to Arvind. “Arvind, came here urgently.”

Then she tried to phone to Prutvi. The cell was still switched off.

Arvind arrived. He was shocked to see Chandini crying.

Seeta said, “See that girl. She behaves like a mad girl.”

Arvind approached Chandini. “What happened, Chandini?”

Chandini said angrily, “That Daga. He helped me for so long. You know why? Because he liked me. He wants to trap me.”

Arvind was shocked. “What are you saying?”

“He said he would find Prutvi. I gave him the address. Now he has found him and is keeping him in his house.”

Arvind was shocked. “Are you joking?”

“I am not joking. Remember the cassette I gave to Prutvi? He was listening to that song. I have not given that cassette to anyone. He is Daga. He has caught Prutvi. He will kill him.”

Arvind was shocked. “What are you talking? Why should he kill Prutvi? Is it so easy to kill Prutvi?”

Chandini was not sure. “But he is Don. It is like drinking water for him. When my boss called me to the guesthouse, he murdered him. He did the same to that Jabbar. He hanged 5 men in public.”

Arvind said, “They touched you and that is why he murdered them. True.”

Chandini said, “See, you saw that? Now will he leave Prutvi who loves me? He will definitely kill him. Now he has even switched off his cell.”

Chandini continued to cry.

Arvind tried to console her. “Cool down. Don’t talk like a mad person. I will talk to him.”

“He can convert men into corpses in minutes.”

“Don’t get confused. I will went and talk to him.”

“You don’t tell me anything now. I think you are working as a broker to that Don. What do you know about love? If you are Prutvi’s true friend, you will join with me to save him.”

 Arvind got angry. “You are talking all rubbish. Daga is such a nice person. You don’t say anything against him.”

Chandini was shocked to see Arvind’s anger. “Now I am confident. You are working as a broker for Daga. You want the dead body of Prutvi.”

Arvind closed his ears with his hands.

Chandini said, “From today, I will not touch even a drop of water till Prutvi comes. If he kills Prutvi, I will also die.”

Chandini sat on the bed and cried.

Arvind went out and tried his best to phone to Prutvi. The cell was switched off. He tried other numbers. Prutvi cut off his phone whenever he tried other numbers. Arvind became desperate. On one side Chandini was fasting and on the other side Prutvi was not picking up his phone. He decided to go directly to Prutvi’s house.

63. Chandini asks Don to find Prutvi

CHAPTER 63

Chandini asks Don to find Prutvi

At night, Prutvi was sitting in his easy chair, with his eyes closed. The cell rang. It was Arvind.

Arvind asked, “Sir, Chandini wants to talk to you. Do you have time?”

He laughed and looked at his watch. It was 10 pm. He put a kerchief to the cell.

Chandini said, “Hallo.”

“How were you, my dear?”

“I am fine. Have you had your dinner?”

Prutvi’s body shivered with excitement. “Yes my dear. What about you? Are you going to your job?”

“Yes sir.”

“Very good. Tell me one thing. Why don’t you get married?”

Chandini was sad. “I think I will never get married in this life.”

Prutvi thought for a while. “A lady should get settled in life. If we find a good boy, we will see. I will get you married in a grand way.”

Chandini started crying.

Prutvi closed his eyes. “Why are you crying? You should be happy to talk about your marriage.”

“Forgive me sir. I had decided not to get married.”

“Why are you talking like that? Have you planned to become a sanyasini or a nun?”

Chandini shook her head. “No not like that. I love a boy called Prutvi.”

Prutvi closed his eyes in shock.

“I love him so much. He is everything to me. I don’t want anyone else other than him in my life.”

Prutvi asked, “What happened to him, my dear?”

“He told me that I am everything to him. He created a song in my heart. It is one year since he left. He went saying that he would return in 15 days time. But he never returned.”

Chandini cried.

Prutvi was shocked. He felt his heart bleed. “Cool down, my dear. If you cry, I cannot bear it. Nobody can change the fate. We are all dolls in the hands of god. For some wounds there is no medicine. The nature is the healer.”

“Yes sir. I can’t forget him. If I marry it will be with him only. I am waiting for him every minute.”

Prutvi said coolly, “True, my dear. But you don’t know what must have happened to him. Why was he not able to come back? I wonder whether he is a real lover. Maybe he is not fit for your love.”

Chandini was shocked. “Please sir. Don’t say anything about him. He is a gem.”

Prutvi put his hand on his chest. Tears arose in his eyes.

Chandini said sadly, “He laughed and made everyone laugh. He is such a man. He is like a pearl.”

Prutvi said with doubt, “Is love so powerful? Is it so deep? I am surprised.”

“Can you promise me something, sir?”

Prutvi was surprised. “What? Tell me.”

“You are Don. You have saved me so many times. I will tell you if you promise to help.”

“Yes. Tell me.”

“Only you can find him. Because you are Don. Please find him for me. I will give you his address also.”

“Tell me where he is. I will get him for you.”

“He grew up in Nityananda Ashram but his parents are in Paris. They are NRI. He went there when his father died and did not return. I don’t know the address in Paris.”

“Without address how can we find him?”

“That is why I said that only you have the power. I know you can do it. I am very confident.”

“Ok my dear. I will try.”

Prutvi had tears in his eyes.

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From that day, Chandini phoned to Don (Prutvi) regularly. Prutvi started waiting eagerly for her call. He always put a kerchief on the phone while talking so that Chandini did not recognize his voice.