“Ananya!” It was late at night. Most people had left, except those on duty for night shows. Ananya was in sitting in the canteen still, all alone.

“Ronnie!”

“Kya hua hai? Ro kyon rahi hai?” he asked in his usual manner.

“Ronnie. Tera badla to mujhse Bhagwaan bhi le raha hai. Maine tera dil dukhaya hai na. Apne best friend ka. To woh mujhe punish karne mein koi kasar nahin chhod raha.”

“Oye! Kya bakwaas kar rahi hai? Kaun punish kar raha hai tujhe?”

“Oopar waala mujhe ehsaas dila raha hai ki dil tootna kise kahte hain. Jis insaan se main pyaar kar baithi hoon woh ek compusive flirt hai, ek womanizer hai. Shayad apne kissi purane flame ka saalon se istemaal kar raha hai. Aur itna hi nahin, mujhse nafrat karta hai, kyonki use lagta hai mere Papa ek criminal the.”

“Criminal? Woh ye decide karne waala kaun hota hai?”

“Shayad woh sahi hai ye decide karne mein. Maine aaj hi courthouse se us case ke paper nikalwaye hain. Papa ne suicide kiya tha.”

“Ananya!”

“Woh aisa kaise kar sakte the, Ronnie? Kaise woh hame bhool kar apni jaan le sakte the?”

Ronnie went forward and embraced her. She sobbed uncontrollably.

“Bas kar, Ananya. I am sure kuchh galatfahmi hai. Sach ye nahin hai, Ananya. Tu aise himmat mat haar. Maine hoon na, tere saath. Tera best friend. Phir…” He murmured soothing words to her until she calmed down.

—

“Ananya!” Malvika called her to PCR, “Kabir aaj apna bulletin khud hi padhega. Hospital se. Wahan saara setup kar diya hai. Tum jo footage layi ho, us par use brief kar do.”

“Kar deti hoon,” she replied and made a call to him from outside the room.

“Ms. Kashyap!”

“Aap kaise hain?”

“Aapko kya farq padta hai? Aapka boss, aapka dost hospital mein hai, lekin aap to ek baar dekhne bhi nahin aayi.”

“Main aayi thi–”

“Ananya? Ho gaya? We have to test the setup and go live in ten minutes.”

“Bas do minute, Malvika. Sir. Ye incident aapke hospital ki bagal waali building par hua tha–”

“Tum aayi thi yahan?”

“Ek ladka building ki chhat par chadh gaya tha aur wahan se kood kar suicide karna chahta tha. Main kissi tarah oopar pahunchi aur usse baat karne ki koshish ki. It turned out ki he loved someone, but did not think she loved him back. Itna desperate tha ki usne bina us ladki se baat kiye hue hi suicide karne ka decision le liye tha. I persuaded him to talk to the girl. And to his surprise she also loved him. So, they are together now. Woh log phone par rahenge. Aap live interview kar sakte hain.”

“Meet me, Ananya!”

“Good night, Sir.”

—

“To aa gayi tum, finally?” Kabir opened the door to find Ananya at his doorstep.

“Hospital gayi thi. Pata chala aap discharge ho gaye hain.”

“Andar aao,” he was still walking with the help of a stick.

She walked in gingerly. He noticed her clutching a folder, but decided not to ask.

“Chai, coffee?”

“Nahin Aapko waise bhi abhi aaraam ki zaroorat hai. Please baith jaiye. Mujhe aapse kuchh baat karni thi. Office ke kaam ke baare mein nahin tha. Isliye main yahan aa gayi. I hope aap disturb nahin hue.”

They sat across from each other with a coffee table between them.

“Disturb to main hota hoon, lekin tumhare aane se nahin. Batao. Kya baat karni thi?”

“Kya mere Papa se suicide kiya tha?”

His face paled.

“Ye kyon poochh rahi ho tum?”

She deposited the folder she was carrying on the table between them. “Main itne saalon tak Papa ko wapas laane se obsessed thi. Kabhi ye pata hi nahin kiya ki unke case ka hua kya. Recently koshish ki to pata chala ki woh case supposedly unke suicide ke baad close ho gaya tha. Kya unhone suicide kiya tha?”

“Tumhein kya lagta hai?”

“Suicide ya to kamzor log karte hain, ya gulty. Aap shayad unki guilt se convinced hain, lekin main nahin maan sakti ki woh kamzor ya guilty the. Woh hamare wall the. Rock solid.”

He sat up straight, “Tum ye kyon kah rahi ho ki main unhein guilty maanta hoon? Woh aritcle maine hi likha tha, tumhein pata hai ye.”

“Aur uske baad aapne kuchh nahin likha–”

“Main jab dubara unse milne gaya, unki bail ke baad, to woh appointed jagah par nahin aaye. Baad mein mujhe pata chala ki unki death ho chuki thi. Main aur kuchh kaise likhta? Mujhe kuchh pata hi nahin chala.”

“Kya unhone suicide kiya tha?”

“Mujhe pata nahin hai, Ananya, lekin mujhe nahin lagta. Shayad unki death ek accident thi. Ek pahadi se gire the woh.”

“Unki body?”

“Nahin mili.”

She sat silently for a while, her eyes glued to the floor. Then she looked up.

“Ye office ki baat hai, lekin main abhi hi aapko bata deti hoon. Main resign kar rahi hoon.”

“Kyon?”

“Mera motivation khatam ho gaya hai.”

“Tum pahle doctor banna chahti thi.”

“Papa ne bataya tha aapko? Haan. Main doctor banna chahti thi. Lekin Papa ke jaane ke baad maine reporter banne ka faisla kiya. Kyonki main unka sach pata lagana chahti thi. Aur ek baar hi sahi, lekin sach ek reporter ne bola tha.”

“Ananya!”

“Pata nahin main ye sab kyon bole ja rahi hoon.”

“Tum meri wajah se…”

“Reporter bani.”

“To main to hoon abhi yahan. Tum mere saath kaam nahin karna chahti? Kyon resign karna chahti ho?”

“Aap? Aapne woh article bhale hi likha tha. Lekin tab se… Aapne uske baad kuchh nahin likha, Delhi Kranti chhod di, aur jab se aapko pata chala hai ki main Sudhir Kashyap ki beti hoon, aap mujhse katrate phirte hain, ek criminal ki beti se associate nahin karna chahte, nafrat karte hain–”

“Ananya, nafrat nahin, main tumse hadd se zyada pyaar karta hoon!”

She froze and he realized after speaking what he had spoken. But despite his misgivings, he felt relieved. At least one truth was out in the open.

She spoke after a long time, “Nahin. Ye sach nahin hai. Aap bas… Main shayad ek achchhi employee hoon. Aap ye bol kar bas mujhe rokne ki koshish kar rahe hain. Jo ki aap sabke saath karte hain – kissi se interview lene ke liye, kissie se sting operations karwane ke liye, kissie se–”

—

To be continued