“But how can I believe it! I would’ve sworn she really loved me.
Sonia flashed Mohnish a quick, concerned glance. Jatin’s going into denial was more dangerous than his hurt. Mohnish rose and squeezed Jatin by the shoulders. “Naina was obviously a good actress.”
“Besides, love has its own commerce - too tough to figure out - and many faces,” Sonia added. “Maybe Naina’s is one expression of love we may never recognise? Who knows, perhaps in her own queer way, she really did love you?”
Jatin gazed at his Boss and read the compassion in her eyes. “Who knows? I still can’t believe that she’s gone!”
“Not forever! The Police will find her, sooner or later. We’re still unaware whether she was working entirely on her own or if she was acting on behalf of some big gang. But the Police think that this may have been her own brainchild. Regardless, sooner or later, she’ll try to either sell or pawn the diamonds, and that’s when they will nab her”
“But she was smart, wasn’t she?” Admiration inadvertently crept into Jatin’s voice. “Bold and gutsy! She should team up with The Owl. They’d make a good pair. Handsome and intelligent, but what conniving criminal minds!”
“You’ve got a point there,” Mohnish agreed. “Well, I’ve got to go. I’ve got a Television coverage to attend to. Please watch me on Cable TV, you two. I can tell you it’s not going to be easy shouting into the mike over all that din for more than twenty- four hours and going hoarse!”
“We will. Bye. Thanks for everything.” Sonia smiled.
She watched as the Journalist left. Then she turned to her Assistant. He had extracted the velvet box from his pocket and was staring wistfully at the ring inside.
“She was beautiful, Boss. I really did love her and I’ll never forget her,” he said in a low voice.
“No, you won’t forget her. But she doesn’t deserve to be loved. She was beautiful and charming, but not from the inside. And most important, she misused your innocence and love. I don’t think any self-respecting person would or should forget or forgive that!”
Jatin looked up. “You’re right, of course. I would be a fool to even think about her”
“No, Naina taught you - taught all of us - a very valuable lesson. But she’s more a target of sympathy than real hate. Learn the lesson and move on”
He grimaced. “I guess that’s it. My search for the perfect life- partner begins all over again!”
“The next time, I’ll be the one to make your choice for you,” Sonia stated firmly.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way!” Jatin responded with a cheery smile.
And Sonia heaved a sigh of relief. It was great to have her good old friend back.
Jatin returned to the outer office and switched on the TV, channel-hopping till he paused at a soulful Hindi film number. The melody and the poignant lyrics evoked countless memories and insatiable desires. He stared at the ring for a long moment, fingering the sparkling diamond, regret topping the torment in his mind. Condemned to remain at the intersection of love and pain. Then, brushing away a drop which had appeared at the corner of his eye, he pocketed the box and sighed. A sigh which rose from the bottom of his heart, and which was loaded with the anguish of a lost paradise.
CHAPTER VII
The Last Wish
Jatin swept a fond hand over Nidhi’s silky body. The little cat had settled comfortably on the window seat. Moonlight streamed in through the pane, onto the colourful cushions. What a pampered cat she was. She was so used to demanding attention and getting it, it was no wonder she had left The Owl’s home and found a more loving one! And she couldn’t have chosen a better home than Stellar Investigations. Sonia was not only a perfect Mistress but also a perfect Boss. Just as Naina had said.
Jatin winced. It still hurt. A passing thought. Even a fleeting image. Someone like her on the street raked up a volcano of emotions. It was the end of October, more than a month since that nightmare which had changed his life and the hurt was still raw. The nine-day celebrations of Navaratri - a festival celebrating and worshipping Goddesses Durga, Laxmi, and Saptashringi - had only succeeded in aggravating the memories. Now, he was dreading the approaching Diwali festival.
Day in and day out, he had harboured a hope for some news of Naina. Even secretly dared to imagine that she would attempt to contact him. But as days merged into weeks, the hope had dwindled. Naina was not returning. His heart had accepted it for a fact now. There was absolutely no trace of her. The Police were still on her lookout, but it was as if she had disssolved into thin air.
His Boss had been wonderful these past weeks. Patient, sympathetic, and treating him to festival bonuses to pep up his mood. And he had coped with the situation as best he could. Instead of mooning over his lost love, he had channelled his emotions into serious reading and staying late in the office. He even enjoyed a quiet chat with Nidhi, late in the evening, who lent him a patient ear and rubbed herself against his leg. The ache in his heart felt like a permanent concrete of sadness. It was as if the world had paled from a bright, enjoyable fair to a barren landscape. Only now he looked on the landscape with more compassion and understanding than he used to.
He knew deep in his heart that life would no more be that glorious, merry-go-round to be enjoyed. And he would never be the old Jatin again.
The Stellar Office was bathed in
