KAREENA: A Love Story

5. Jaise banjaare ko ghar..

Tera guroor laazmi hain...
Tu pasand uski hain jise koi pasand nahi aati

SHO Haseena Mallik entered the Mahila Police Thana and found the whole team standing together, the air was tensed. But today she was in no mood to participate in their daily chatter. Instead she gravely addressed her SI.

'Karishma Singh woh sharaabi wale case ka kuch solution hua?'

'Nahi Madam Sir.'

Haseena nodded gravely. 'Humein pata tha zor zabardasti karke kuch nahi hoga. Humein kuch aur sochna hoga. 5 minute baad humare cabin mein aiye aap sab. Discuss karke dekhte hain kya idea nikalta hain.'

As she moved towards her cabin, Pushpa ji couldn't help but ask eagerly. 'Bag mein kya hain Madam Sir?'

Haseena did not even crack a smile. 'Humara neeji samaan hain Pushpa Ji.'

And that's when they knew that their usually mild mannered SHO was not to be messed with today.

...

Karishma Singh came to her desk and slumped down on her chair. Madam Sir had, for the past half an hour, explained her very elaborate plan to teach the drunkard a lesson. As usual Karishma didn't quite agree that it would work. Also as usual, Karishma was still going to participate in the plan because Madam Sir had asked her to.

She put her head in her hands hoping to sort out the ongoing battle inside her head. She didn't know why she was feeling irritated and hurt.

Well, she could take a guess.

It was no secret that she was extremely protective of Madam Sir. So she was most probably worried that Haseena was still being soft towards Anu Bhaiya and setting herself up for even more heartbreak.
And Karishma didn't quite know how to stop her without overstepping boundaries.

That would explain the irritation.

It didn't explain the hurting.

— 'Do minute hum bahar ka gaye Madam chal di... haan thik hain senior ne bulaya tha, jaana hi tha. Humein bata sakti thi. Cheetah ya Santu ko saath le ja sakti thi. Akele gupshup kya karna tha. Aur woh gift... jaahir baat hain Anu Bhaiya ne hi diya... kyun diya? "Sorry gift"? Aur unhone le liya? Itni asaani se?

Ka ho sakta hain gift bag mein? Hum galti se dhakka marke gira de toh? Tut jayega?

Toh phir ab? Ab kya? Dono sach mein saath hona chahte hain kya? ... huye toh tum kya karogi Karishma Singh?

Hum... hum ka kar sakte hain? Hum kuch nahi kar sakte...
Achha woh itne sade huye mood mein kyun hain? Anu Bhaiya ne phirse koi garbad toh nahi ki? Sach mein mood kharab hain ya sawal avoid karne ke liye naatak kar rahi hain'—

Karishma was engaged in a furious debate with herself, staring unseeingly into the space, when suddenly the hair on the back of her neck prickled and she had a feeling that she was being watched. Instinctively she turned towards Madam Sir's cabin. And found Haseena staring straight back at her. When their eyes met, Haseena held her gaze.
Somehow she wasn't looking as moody as earlier.

— Ka? Ka dekh rahi hain?
Karishma asked in her mind.

—Aapko dekh rahe hain.
Haseena answered back in her thoughts.

Neither of them were actually speaking the words aloud. They didn't have to. The other could understand perfectly.

—Haan haan kyun nahi. Jab chahe taad lijiye; jab chahe andekha kar dijiye. Hum toh yehi padhe rahte hain aapke khunte se bandhe huye.