Forever Is True

by Novoneel Chakraborty

  Of course, the person isn’t of my bloodline, Saveer thought as the man left and he settled down on his couch, frowning. But what if the test is positive? What would I do then? Everything, from Ishanvi to his birth certificate to his past memories of everyone in his family to Prisha, started playing on his mind. He held his head in his hands in distress and was about to lie down when he heard his phone ringing in the bedroom.

  It was his assistant.

  ‘Yeah, Krishna.’

  ‘Sir, just wanted to inform you that the meeting with the Dubai-based sponsors scheduled for today has been postponed to tomorrow.’

  ‘Okay.’

  Saveer cut the call. A few seconds later, he called back Krishna.

  ‘Krishna, please push the sponsor meeting to day after tomorrow. And arrange for the phone number of Jamuna Das Nursing Home in Udaipur.’

  ‘Sure, sir.’ Saveer wanted to check the authenticity of the birth certificate. It was a premonition—he felt something major could be hidden in the time difference. One minute and thirty-seven seconds, he murmured. Krishna called him after half an hour. He gave him the landline number of the nursing home in Udaipur. Saveer noted it down and immediately called up.

  ‘Hello,’ a middle-aged man, sounding a tad bit cross, answered.

  ‘Is this Jamuna Das Nursing Home?’ Saveer asked.

  ‘Yes. How may I help you?’

  ‘I was born in the nursing home years ago. I wanted to ask a few questions,’ Saveer said and instantly realized that he had put across the query suspiciously.

  ‘Are you a policeman or someone?’ The man sounded worried.

  ‘No. I was born in Jamuna Das Nursing Home.’

  ‘When?’

  ‘9 November 1982.’

  ‘So?’ The man sounded clueless.

  ‘I wanted some information regarding my birth certificate.’

  ‘Achha, achha.’ The man sounded as if he had understood whatever Saveer was talking about. ‘Come to the nursing home. We’ll see what we can do for you.’

  ‘I can ask this over the phone also.’

  ‘But I can’t answer this over the phone. You come here and then we’ll see what we can do,’ the man repeated. Saveer understood that he would not find out anything unless he bribed him. But for that he would have to visit Udaipur. He thought for a few minutes before calling up Krishna again.

  ‘Yes, sir.’

  ‘Krishna, please book a round trip for me to Udaipur. Push all meetings for day after tomorrow.’

  ‘Right, sir. When do you want to leave?’

  ‘Today, at the earliest,’ Saveer said.

  ‘Sure, sir.’

  Saveer opened the photo gallery of his phone and tapped on the picture of his birth certificate. He zoomed in and kept staring at the time.

  * * *

  In the house next door, the woman kept her ear piece down on the dressing table. She had tested it several times. Her microphones were working fine until last evening when she could no longer hear any of Saveer’s conversations. She knew it could mean only one thing—that her microphones in the cufflinks and some of the buttons had been discovered.

  She went to the mirror and while looking at her reflection switched on the hair dryer. It took you so many years to even sniff my presence, she thought while drying her hair, and now you want to find me so fast. I only hope you are ready for what it may trigger. She switched off the dryer. She’d heard something. Hurrying to the window, she parted the curtain a little and noticed an Ola cab waiting in front of Saveer’s house. Seconds later, Saveer came out, and got into the cab. The woman frowned. He never takes cabs, she thought. The woman wore her favourite printed floral dress, matching pumps and pearl earrings and a pearl necklace. She chose a deep red lipstick. She left after wearing a pair of big dark shades. She worked as an office supervisor in one of the outlets of Red Dart Courier Service. Close to her office, she stopped a man on the road and asked, ‘Excuse me, I forgot my phone back home. I need to make an urgent call.’

  ‘Yeah, sure,’ the man said and gave his phone to her. She thanked him and dialled a landline number. She moved a few paces in front so that the man couldn’t hear her. ‘Hi, I’m talking from St Teresa High School. I wanted to talk to Mr Saveer Rathod. This is regarding a project involving the girls of our school,’ she said over the phone.

  ‘Sir is out of station from today.’

  ‘Till?’

  ‘Day after, but that day is full. Could you please call on Thursday? I shall fix up a meeting,’ Krishna said.

  ‘Sure. Where is he travelling to?’ she asked, and then realized it sounded intrusive. ‘Actually we have representatives in a lot of places so just in case . . .’ she quickly added.

  ‘He is flying to Udaipur for personal reasons. He won’t be free for business till he is back. What did you tell your name was, ma’am?’

  The mere mention of Udaipur made her heart skip a beat. She knew what he was heading for.

  ‘Hello?’ Krishna said, but the woman cut the call and gave the phone back to the man on the street.

  ‘Thanks,’ she said and walked to her office.

  * * *

  The flight to Udaipur was on time. He didn’t have any luggage. He had booked a room at Radisson Blu but when he got into the cab sent by the hotel, he asked the driver to take him to Jamuna Das Nursing Home. The driver told him it was in Sadarpura. Though he was born in Udaipur, Saveer hadn’t really lived there for a long time. His only memory of that place was playing in the lane where he used to live with his parents and brother. His father had set up his business in Jaipur and later in Delhi so they shifted early. He looked at his watch. There was a sense of restlessness in him. Saveer took a deep breath to calm his nerves.

  * * *

  Her job profile was simple. She had to cater to customers, accept their couriers, give them the receipts after accepting the payments and later hand the packages over to the pick-up guy. The office was a small space on MG Road. Except for the guard outside, she was the only one working in the office for the last four years. But six months ago, another man had joined her, dividing her workload. And increasing her problems. Sarthak, a middle-aged, married man, would relentlessly lech at her. She was the most gorgeous woman he had ever seen in his life. The woman knew about his intentions but didn’t want to make any noise till he crossed a line. Every now and then, he would find a reason to come close to her. Sometimes, he would deliberately drop the stapler and while picking it up, brush his hands against her body; or at times it would be the office landline on which if he got any call he would deliberately stand close to her and talk. Making her uncomfortable gave him a kick.

  The guard had gone for a quick smoke when she entered the office. Sarthak smiled at her. She didn’t. She had just sat down when Sarthak approached her and suddenly grabbed hold of her hand.

  ‘I know you like this,’ he said. The woman looked at his hand and then at him. She had a problem with men. Especially when they touched her. If she was allowed, she would have killed all the men in this world at one go. She removed his hand. He was surprised by her strength. But his lecherous smile was back when he heard her say, ‘Come inside the store.’

  The woman stood up and walked into the store room, which was a small space behind the front office and beside the washroom. Sarthak immediately had a hard on. This was the moment he had been jerking off to for a long time. He stood up and followed her inside. The moment he entered, he felt someone push him roughly. Sarthak stumbled towards the wall. The woman grabbed his neck, pinning him against the wall, and with her other hand, she held his balls in a vice-like grip. She glared at him and said, ‘I’ve tolerated you ever since you joined. But let me tell you, I’ll be in a very bad mood from now on. If you touch me again, even if it is accidentally,’ she gripped his balls harder, ‘I will squash these sorry nuts with my bare hands.’ She released him and went out. Sarthak’s heart was in his mouth. His balls were aching. It took him a couple of minutes to register wha
t had just happened.

  * * *

  Saveer’s cab stopped right outside Jamuna Das Nursing Home. He had no memory of the place. It looked like the small building had been recently painted. The hospital was buzzing with activity. Saveer made his way to the small reception counter, where a man was sitting.

  ‘Hi, I’m Saveer Rathod and I needed some information about my birth certificate.’

  The man looked up at him. He squinted his eyes for a moment and then his face cracked into a smile.

  ‘You are the one who called me this morning?’ he asked.

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘So, what can I do for you?’

  After giving him a Rs 2000 note, the man took Saveer to a room upstairs where all their documents were kept inside an old steel almirah. Amid cobwebs and covered with a thick blanket of dust was a huge heap of files. The man dusted as much as he could and while coughing found a file which was marked 1982. Saveer waited anxiously. His request was straight and simple—he just wanted to see their copy of his birth certificate. Especially the time on it. He didn’t know what the answer could be but . . . I’ll see after I check the certificate, he told himself.

  After a thorough search, the man found Saveer’s birth certificate. He took it out from among a bunch of other documents and gave it to him. There was another certificate along with it. Saveer tried to give it back to the man when he realized that the two certificates were stapled together. He read the one above. The name on it said Saveer Rathod. The date and time: 9 November, 09.10.01. The second certificate was that of Veer Rathod’s. The date and time read: 9 November, 09.11.38. Saveer frowned. He never knew his brother was his twin. And also that he was the elder one. His parents had always told him that he was the younger one. But the certificate clearly stated that Veer was the younger one.

  ‘Sir, can we leave now? I’ve other things to do as well,’ the man said.

  ‘Yes. Thank you for this,’ Saveer said. He photographed both the certificates, handed him another Rs 500 and left the nursing home.

  On the way to the hotel, Saveer felt his head reeling. How could he have not known that his brother was his twin? Why was he told that he was the younger one? Saveer ran his fingers through his hair, feeling nervous. Why would he be fed lies about his own brother? Saveer simply didn’t know what to think about. The only person possibly alive in his family was his uncle. Raghu uncle. But the last time he’d met him was with his mother. They had gone to Vaishno Devi a year after his father’s death and had accidentally ran into him. His disciples had brought him there for blessings as he was still paralysed. Raghu uncle, however, failed to recognize his sister-in-law and his nephew. And right now, Saveer didn’t even know if he was still alive or, if so, where he could be. Had he been in touch, he could’ve thrown some light on the problem. But reaching his uncle was a dead end as well.

  * * *

  The woman left her office on time. She’d been thinking about Saveer’s move, sipping coffee in a cafe on MG Road. She paid the bill and left. She walked till the metro station. She approached a man walking out of the station and borrowed his phone, citing the same excuse as before. She called up Saveer’s number. A moment later, the phone was picked up.

  ‘Hello?’ Saveer said. It was the first time that the woman had directly talked to him.

  ‘Hello?’ he said again.

  ‘Hello, Mr Smarty Pants. You have come a little too close to me for your own good. Now, I’ll have to do something so you keep your distance.’

  ‘Who is this?’ Saveer sounded tensed.

  ‘Sshhh, just listen. From now onwards, Prisha will stay with me. Don’t worry, I’ll keep her alive. You will see her a few months from now. On your thirty-sixth birthday to be precise. But she won’t talk to you then. She won’t hear you. She won’t even see you. Do I need to tell you why? Because I’ll kill her on your thirty-sixth birthday.’

  Before Saveer could utter another word, the woman had cut the call.

  26

  Terrified, Saveer called back the number. After a few rings, a man picked up the phone.

  ‘Who was the woman who spoke to me right now?’ Saveer asked. There was an urgency in his voice.

  ‘She just walked inside the metro station.’

  ‘Who are you?’ Saveer asked.

  ‘I’m Ranjan. Who are you?’

  ‘Could you please call her?’ Saveer almost pleaded.

  ‘She just entered the metro station. And I’ve to rush home. I’m sorry.’ He cut the line.

  ‘Fuck shit!’ Saveer threw the phone on the bed. He knew talking to the man was useless. He was so close to unmasking the woman. In the last twenty-five years, not once had the woman approached him, but now she had. The call had proved that she was involved in all the killings, including Diggy’s. But Prisha’s life was in danger. He immediately called her up. Unfortunately, the call didn’t get through.

  Where the hell are you, Prisha! he muttered under his breath and dialled again. This time an automated voice said, ‘The number you are trying to reach is unavailable.’

  Since he didn’t have Gauri’s number, Saveer instead texted: Call the moment you read this. He sent it to Prisha. He was scheduled to fly back the next morning. He called up Krishna to check if an earlier flight back to Bengaluru was available. Krishna took ten minutes to revert, only to say there was none. Saveer knew he was losing his grip on things. He took a few deep breaths and told himself that he couldn’t do anything now. Except pray that the woman didn’t get to Prisha before he reached her. His phone rang. It was Shetty. As he stared at the name, he had a gut feeling that it was bad news. He picked up the call.

  ‘Yes, officer,’ Saveer said.

  ‘Thanks for all your cooperation, Mr Rathod. I got the medical report.’

  Saveer had a sinking feeling as he heard Shetty say, ‘My hunch was right. The person who attacked Digambar is indeed related to you. It is the same bloodline.’

  There was no response from Saveer.

  ‘I’m back in Bengaluru,’ the officer continued, ‘It would be great if you could come see me immediately. Mr Rathod? Hello?’

  Saveer went cold.

  ‘Mr Rathod, you there?’

  ‘Yes . . . Yes, officer. I’m actually in Udaipur for some work. Let me come meet you tomorrow when I reach Bengaluru,’ he managed to mumble.

  ‘Great.’

  ‘I received a phone call from the woman who had broken into my house.’

  ‘What? When?’

  ‘Few minutes before you called.’

  ‘What did she say?’

  ‘Prisha’s life is in danger.’ Saveer could feel himself breaking down while uttering the words. ‘I tried calling her but her phone is out of reach.’

  ‘Don’t worry. Just text me her address. I’ll send my men immediately. She will be safe. Just don’t worry. Also, send me the number from which the woman had called up.’ Shetty cut the call.

  With trembling hands, Saveer typed out Prisha’s address and the phone number from which he had got the call and sent it to Shetty. He sat down on the bed with a thud. He’d never felt so weak before. First, the birth certificate confusion, then finding out for the first time in his life about his twin brother, and now, that this woman was related to him. Could all these pieces be put together to get the real story that had remained a mystery so far? But before all that, Prisha had to be warned. Her life was in danger. Saveer checked his phone. The message was yet to be delivered to her.

  * * *

  Prisha was in two minds. Whether to plunge her hand into the water and pull out the phone or let it be. She was in one of the ladies’ washrooms at Forum Mall. She had been peeing while talking to her mother. When she had stood up to flush, the phone balanced precariously between her ear and her shoulder had slipped into the commode. Prisha wanted to retrieve it but couldn’t bring herself to plunging her hand into the water and pulling the phone out. She thought of calling the housekeeping staff. She went out. Gauri and Karthik were sta
nding outside, talking. She spotted a housekeeping staffer standing nearby. Prisha approached the woman and took her to the washroom only to realize that some other girl had flushed the toilet. The phone was gone. Irritated, she went out. She told Gauri and Karthik what had happened. They were supposed to catch a movie together and had been in the mall since early evening.

  ‘It’s okay. You guys go. I’ll just make a call to Mumma,’ Prisha said, taking Gauri’s phone. Better explain the situation before she begins to panic, she thought. After promising to buy another phone the first thing next morning, Prisha hung up.

  ‘I’ll push off. Need to complete an assignment. You guys carry on with the movie,’ she said, handing the phone back to Gauri.

  Prisha asked the cab driver to drop her off at a garden close to her apartment. She wanted to sit in the open, alone, for some time before going inside. Prisha sat on one of the empty benches in a corner of the garden. In the distance a few boys were playing football. It was the same bench on which Diggy and she were sitting on the night they were attacked by the hooligans. A lot had happened since then. Diggy was no more, Gauri was busy with Karthik, and she was back to being single. Like she was on that night. She wondered what Saveer must be up to at that moment. She would feel a strong urge to reconnect with him at times, but would hold herself back. There was no point unless . . . Prisha’s train of thoughts was interrupted by a woman who came and sat beside her.

  ‘Pretty lonely here,’ she said. Prisha glanced at her.

  ‘Yeah,’ she responded.

  ‘I like it this way. Few humans, more peace. What say?’

  Prisha noticed that the woman wasn’t looking at her while talking. Her hair fell on her face in such a way that she couldn’t see her properly. Her voice was not exactly sweet, but it had a certain warmth.

  ‘I love people. It’s good to be with the one you love,’ Prisha said.

  ‘I hate people. And I hate love,’ the woman replied almost instantly. There was a hint of hostility in her voice, which Prisha found inexplicable.

  ‘I hope you understand the meaning of Complete Love one day. Then you would stop hating it.’