realized just how little he had understood about the way the world worked. If there was to be any redemption, it lay in foiling whatever attack was planned on the day of the match.
It struck Arnab that he had stopped worrying about what would happen afterwards. He had almost forgotten about joining the bank, which at one time had been his dream job. He saw the suitcase filled with more money than he could ever imagine, but didn't really think about what he would do with it. Perhaps he was just so focused on the day of the match, or perhaps, he didn't really think he would live to see what lay beyond, since he would be in the markedly unenviable position of being in the sights of both the police and the terrorists.
As a result, he spent that last week trying to close the open loops in his life. He went to work every morning for three days, working at express speed to complete the project he had promised to finish before leaving. When he finally unveiled it to Jayantada, the old man told Arnab, his voice cracking with emotion.
'My boy, this will always remind me of you when you're gone.'
'I hope this does as well, Jayantada. Thank you for everything.'
Arnab handed over a bulky package to Jayantada, and when he opened it, he found a leather bound edition of
Jayantada chuckled and then hugged Arnab, not even trying to hold back the tears. To his surprise, Arnab found his own eyes fill with tears. He knew he would miss the old man, and as he wished him goodbye, he was glad he could at least restore Tolstoy to his rightful pride of place on the library's shelves. After all, it had been the unplanned demonstration of Tolstoy's boxing skills that had set him on this path to begin with.
Next on Arnab's list was a call to Mishti. She seemed to be very surprised to receive his call, but he felt none of the nervousness he had felt when he had spoken to her earlier.
'Hi Mishti. Jayantada told me about your upcoming engagement, and I wanted to wish you all the best.'
That broke the ice.
'Why, thanks Arnab! That's really sweet of you. What happened to your own plans?'
'Just a few days more and I'll know for sure.' He said, only half lying.
'Listen, Mishti, I am sorry if I hurt you in any way. I was just stupid, I guess. Perhaps I should have given some indication earlier of where I stood.'
He could almost hear Mishti's voice catch, and he cautioned himself. He just wanted to part on a happy note, not dig up past memories, so he changed his tone to a more cheery one.
'But all's well that ends well, right? You've got your knight in shining armour and I've got my own plans. Just be happy and all the best again.'
'Hey, Arnab, I will let you know when the marriage gets fixed, but do try and come.'
'Mishti, all depends on where my plans take me. But if I'm around, I'll be there.'
As he hung up, he realized that no matter how much he had tried to convince himself that he had forgotten about Mishti, he was wrong. Talking to her again brought back memories, and regrets, and he almost wished he had not called her at all. Well, there was no point in thinking about the past, was there? He certainly didn't have the time for it.
Finally, the day before the match, he went to meet Khan.
'Arnab, where the hell have you been? What are you up to?'
Arnab walked into Khan's house, lugging the suitcase Aggarwal had given him.
'Khan chacha, I am off on the mission and I came to say goodbye.'
Khan exploded in anger.
'Goodbye, my ass! I am going with you, wherever you're headed to. We are a team, remember?'
When Arnab looked at Khan, he surprised both of them with the tears that had welled up in his eyes.
'More than a team, Khan chacha. You're the closest thing to a family I've had.'
The old man's face softened, as he held Arnab's hand.
'My boy, take me along. You don't have to do this alone.'
'No, Khan chacha. This is something I have to do alone. I can't have you get hurt.'
'Then, my boy, I'll follow you.'
'I can run faster than you', said Arnab with a grin.
Khan laughed and as Arnab sat down, Khan disappeared, reappearing with a bottle of rum and two glasses.
'Then at least, you can get drunk with me.'
As he filled the glasses, Khan said that Arnab was making him feel old and useless.
'Not at all, Khan chacha. In case I don't make it back, I want you to carry on the fight. If I do, then, well, our team is back in business.'
The two drank till late, and Arnab went to sleep in Khan's living room. The next morning, Khan woke up to find Arnab gone and a large suitcase near his bed. A small note on the suitcase said.
'I trust you'll put this to good use in case I don't come back.'
***
The day of the match was more pleasant than any summer day in recent memory. The temperature threatened to get unbearable by noon, but by evening had settled at a comfortable level, helped along with by a brisk breeze blowing from the Yamuna river. The sky was clear, and commentators were already proclaiming that it was a perfect day for the match. A day-night affair, the match was to begin at six in the evening, and by the time it ended at about eleven, it was estimated that close to a hundred thousand fans would be crammed into the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium in Delhi, and several hundred million others would be watching the action on television.
Arnab had reached the stadium well before most spectators had arrived. Armed with a VIP Pass as he had asked of Aggarwal, he could access areas of the stadium where only a few others, the organizers and security personnel, could go. He had demanded this so that he could have freedom of movement, and Aggarwal had instantly agreed. His sweatshirt was tied around his waist, and his gloves were in his pocket. Aggarwal had asked him when he would make his grand entry, but he had given a counter-proposal that the tycoon seemed to love. Instead of one grand unveiling, they would wring as much entertainment as possible out of it to keep the media and crowds interested. Aggarwal would announce that the Guardian Angel would be present as his brand ambassador and in the break between each over would reveal himself in unexpected places. The grand reveal would come in the presentation ceremony at the end of the match, when he would hand over the cup to the winning captain and formally announce his partnership with Woodpecker Industries. That was still hours away, but what the arrangement meant was that Arnab had a free reign to reconnoitre every corner of the stadium, watching for where, and if, trouble struck.
As Arnab watched the first spectators file in, he was sure of one thing. No terrorist would be coming in disguised as a spectator. With the Prime Minister in attendance, there were rigid security procedures in place. Spectators couldn't bring in any bags or even bottles of water, and every one was subject to an x-ray and frisking. It made the task of getting the thousands of spectators into the stadium a painfully slow process, but the Cricket- crazy fans didn't seem to mind, as they waited their turn to watch their sporting icons in action. Not knowing where the attack may come from was frustrating, but Arnab tried to still his mind as he took in the stadium and where he would start his patrol. On his request, Aggarwal had procured for him detailed plans for the stadium, including where the security posts were going to be. Arnab had studied it till his eyes glazed over, and by now, he knew by heart where each access point was and the nature of security there. Some of the gates were to be guarded by the elite National Security Guard commandos, brought in given the number of VIPs in attendance. However, most of them were to be manned by the local police, and Arnab guessed that if the terrorists had done their homework, they would attack one of these gates.
As more of the spectators came in, Arnab made his way to the VIP box. From a distance, he could already see Aggarwal and Mishti there, but he did not go closer since he did not want to risk being seen by Mishti and being asked why he was there with a VIP Pass. As he watched, Balwant Singh, Sharma and Upadhyay arrived followed by at least a dozen policemen. Upadhyay was in uniform and instead of joining Balwant and Sharma in the VIP box, exited and was soon on his walkie-talkie, presumably going over the security arrangements for the day. Suddenly Arnab heard a loud roar, and turned to see both teams on the field, doing their warm-ups. When he saw Jayantada walking into the box, to be greeted warmly by Mishti, he walked away, losing himself in the milling crowd. The giant screens situated at either end of the stadium were now flashing footage of the toss being conducted on the pitch. Both captains were out in the middle, and as India won the toss and elected to bat, the crowd erupted in another
