Love Thy Enemy - 23

23

[The Plan]
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Through out the next part of the ride Shakthi was not actively conscious. The effect of anesthetic made her drowsy. Other than the occasional blinding headlights of the oncoming vehicles and the loud horn noises, nothing disturbed her.

She came out of the dopiness when someone shook her shoulders. Her face shrunk when she tried to open her eyes. Jo stood near her and mildly patting her cheeks to wake her up. Suddenly Shakthi realized where is she now and the events of the last hour struck as a lightning. She jumped out of the van and glanced around cautiously.

Jo threw her arm around her shoulders and rubbed the hand as she said, 'Don't worry Didi... We are going to my hostel. But we have to be careful that nobody finds you. I can't have you here if anybody does', she said in a lower voice and turned back to Sachin who was in the driver seat and was ready to move any minute now.

'Ok girls. Be careful', and gazing at Jo he said, 'Remember the things I said... I will call you!' and without waiting for a response he drove away.

They walked at the side of the road silently till they reached the hostel building. It was beige coloured building, or a dirty white colour one- Shakthi couldn't make out the difference in the Sodium vapor lights. Jo hushed, 'The security is not here. We shall go quickly'.

They ran towards the stairs and stopped abruptly and retreated when they saw the security on the top landing area fixing a broken lamp.

Shakthi got all geared up and spoke furiously, 'We will run behind the building. There should be a fire escape. We will open the door. If it won't open, we would kick it open, go to the floor and try to break in through the window...', she stopped and looked at Jo for acknowledgement.

Jo raised her hand and pointed towards the corner and said, 'Or.... we could use the lift!'.

Jo could realize how everything was too much to Shakthi, and how relieved she would be now to be ranting like that.

They got out of the lift, walked the hallway and stopped in front of the door marked '12'. Jo opened the door and Shakthi saw a very small hall with an unmade bed and a small area with a coffee maker and few other utensils. Her clothes were strewn everywhere.

'Sorry the room is a mess', Jo said and cleared the bed for Shakthi to sit.

'That's fine', she said and kept looking around. She didn't knew that in less than half a day her life would shift from the bungalow to this 10*10 room.

'Do you need coffee to get rid of the drugs or you want to have a good sleep, Didi?', Jo asked as she removed the duppatta and tied her hair in a knot.

Shakthi looked the bed and she so badly wanted to sleep now. But not as bad as wanting to talk to Jo and find out answers for so many questions she had in her mind.

'We'll have coffee and let's talk', she said.

Shakthi came refreshing and she too had her hair tied into a knot. After the face wash the ghastly look has diminished. Jo met her near the bed with a cup of coffee and they both sat down in the floor near the bed.

Then Jo searched in the nearby small cabinet and found a biscuit packet which has been left opened for days. Shakthi realized that she didn't eat anything since morning and grabbed the biscuits.

'It all seems like a dream Jo. I never imagined I would escape from there so easily like this. Tell me Jo, how did you know we will be coming to the restaurant? How did you arrange the operation? How did you... You know... tell me everything from the beginning', she said and looked curiously at her face.

Jo reached to the switch board nearby and hit a switch. The fan overhead started running, squeaking every now and then.

Then she calmly explained her discussion with Sachin about the bio-chips. Noticing the astounded face of Shakthi's she continued.

'Then I understood that removing the chip off you is the first and foremost thing we have to do. We assumed that we are correct and planned how to get you out for the procedure. I never saw you coming out of the house and sometimes I saw you in the terrace, but you were not in the reachable distance', she stopped.

'You came to the house?', she asked surprised.

'Yes Didi. I came with the 2 other surgical interns I am friends with in the hospital. On seeing the isolated house and the fact that you were in always, raised my concern. We came twice. Then I realized that its almost impossible to reach you unless and otherwise you come out of the house', she paused.

So, all this time I was thinking about you, you were there outside the house looking for me?, Shakthi thought incredibly.

'Then it was Sachin who again helped me to plot the plan. We followed the same route bhaiya took. Yes, we bugged his car'

'You bugged his car?'

'Yes Didi, Sachin has access to lots of high tech devices. We fixed one of the spy mikes in the car. We can hear everything from there, live.'

She continued, 'After nearly 3 weeks, we found that we were in luck today morning. We heard Prakash calling the restaurant and booking a table. As we had very less time we had to make the arrangements pretty fast. Unfortunately my intern friends were not available, so I had to get the other guys. I couldn't explain the things completely to them, fearing they might leak out. But for good money, they agreed to do it. Sachin had voice over the hotel people as he is a Navy person, he could enter the hotel and let himself play a waiter. That way we could reach you. Today afternoon he was in the hotel looking around the way to reach the van from behind the hotel. Anyway everything worked for good'.

Shakthi was too engrossed to interrupt.

'So, what are we going to do next?', Jo asked sipping the coffee.

Shakthi was glad that she said "we".

'I don't know Jo. It all happened so fast. But I do know I have to go to Cochin to my home. But I understand I can't do that any time in the near future. So till then I have to find a place to stay, a job to feed myself', she said leaning into her thoughts.

'I can't believe Bhaiya hasn't changed a bit', she said scornfully.

'What do you mean? I have been meaning to ask you about his past', Shakthi gained sudden newly found interest in their conversation.

'He was over protective of me too when we were growing together'

'In foster home?'

'Yes. I had nobody but him. Still I liked when he took rights over me. He was very strict at the same time he was very much loving and affectionate. After we grew up, he tried to stop me from going for higher studies. But I wanted to go so badly. So he hit me. Hit me bad. But I covered him from the wardens. I can't see him getting punished. I knew he did that because he was thinking that he was protecting me. So I temporarily dropped myself from school. I was 15. So that seemed a good idea. But when I was picked for adoption by then famous movie star, I couldn't refuse the prospect just because of him. So I had to pretend that nothing is happening until the final moment when I had to go. He was furious and constantly warned me that they will deceive me or kill me etc. I was so determined to go, so he finally had to give up. Then I left him. I saw him next last month with you! '.

'Hmm. Did you know what happened to his parents?'

'How do you know anything happened to his parents?'

'He used to tell that. "I cant let what happened to our parents happen to us", So I thought he had horrible childhood, you know bad parents... something like that?'

'No Didi, They are good parents, in fact they are the best parents from what he told me. He had a very beautiful and happy childhood, until his mom wanted to start working. Then she had her own friends, slowly his parents had misunderstandings between them. In the name of standing on her own grounds as a working woman, his mom failed to adjust and they started fighting a lot. In few weeks, they both grew resentment over each other. On his 11th birthday, oh that was very sad Didi, their parents were driving to his school to pick him up for his birthday party. On the way they had an argument, which attracted his father's full concentration who failed to notice a big truck on the nearby lane, nor that their car was sliding towards that lane, directly running into the truck. They both died on the spot. The cleaner of the truck told the police that he saw the couple fighting from the distance, but not until the final moment did he realize that the man would lose the control. Bhaiya waited in the closed school, waiting for his dead parents to the birthday party somewhere. It was after the city went dark, when a security found him. After long failed attempts to catch his parents over phone, he was handed over to the police at that night. He said he was left in the police station for 2 days till they figure out what to do with him. Then he was taken by a foster home temporarily, which became his home after a while. It was on his birthday morning he saw his home the last time. Then somebody bought the home, then soon it was demolished. Bhaiya has nothing left with him from his past other than the memories...', finished Jo staring at nothing.

Shakthi felt so heavy and felt incredible that there was such a sad history behind that once charming, then brutal man.

'So he believes that it all happened because of his mom? ', Shakthi asked.

'Exactly. He developed this doubtless opinion that a family would be happy as long as nobody interferes in. And that will not be possible if the woman gets out. Sounds silly, but based on what happened to him, I don't blame his belief. Do you Didi?'

Shakthi didn't answer, for her thoughts were clinging around the charming Prakash she met in Cochin.

'Also you should be happy to know that he is not a Psycho.'

'I know that', Shakthi replied.

'You do?'

'He wasn't happy to hurt me. He cried with me every time I suffered with pain. He just couldn't control his anger. '

There was a momentary silence which was disturbed when Jo said, 'We had a hearty talk the week I saw you both'

'When?'

'I think its couple of days you finished your sessions! He came to the hospital. He was so happy that I am a professional now. He was glad that his bad luck didn't affect me, you know? '

'Ahem'

'I had to just listen keeping the conversation we had the previous day in mind. He said he loves you so much than anything in the world! That's the day I realized that he is not mentally affected. He was just adamant about his principles. And that's the time I understood his real problem. He is trying to rebuild the family he once lost; He is trying to bring back the happiness; And he had to make everything right, that's why he was so hard on you. '

'Was he not mad at you for leaving him years ago, against his words?', Shakthi asked hoping something.

'He was at that time. But when we met recently, he was very happy. I didn't see old Bhaiya.'

Shakthi thought that that meeting with Jo made the change in him. His belief of arresting woman for a happy life would have shattered after seeing Jo. That's why he popped in the question about kid. Oh what have I done? The moment he realized that he was wrong, I ran away and proved that his silly stupid belief was true! What will be the result?, she thought.

After seeing the confused and tired face of Shakthi, Jo asked, 'but his past doesn't give him rights to do everything he had done to you! Implanting a monitoring device into his wife's body? How cruel is that?'.

'Jo, do you think if a normal husband has access to these chips, he wont use it on his wife? The husbands who go to office and come back in midway to spy on their wives?'

That's true, Jo thought. But what made Shakthi to say that? Is she developing Stockholm syndrome** after knowing his past?

[**In psychology, Stockholm syndrome is a term used to describe a paradoxical psychological phenomenon wherein hostages express empathy and have positive feelings towards their captors. These feelings are generally considered irrational in light of the danger or risk endured by the victims, who essentially mistake a lack of abuse from their captors as an act of kindness. Courtesy: - Wikipedia]

For the split second, her discussion with Sachin about the induced heart attack struck her. Should she say that to Shakthi now? But the newly acquired calmness in her face didn't give her heart to break that discussion now.

'Would you like to sleep Didi, its over 11 now', she asked.

Shakthi was wondering what would Prakash be doing now?

They laid down next to each other on the bed and Shakthi asked, 'So you are all alone now?'

'Ahem. All alone',

Shakthi turned to her sensing the contempt in her voice. Jo scoffed and said, 'You see Sachin?'

'Hmm'

'I thought he was going to be everything for me when I fell in love with him. But he has no intention of restricting his life to one woman. So we had to part our ways. I am alone since then. How hard is to get a man nowadays who loves you, isn't it?'. Jo looked at her and thought, that was not the correct thing to say now. This woman is trying to free herself from a man is madly in love with her.

Shakthi being in the transformation from the old life to the new life contemplated her situation: There's a man who loves her more than anything in the world, to him she can't go back; And there is this single lonely life, which she will not be interested in ever!

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It took few minutes for Prakash to realize where was he. The series of beds, a tiny tube running near him to the stand, from where a bottle was hung downwards, glucose dripping into him - multiplied his confusions.

How did I come here?, he cringed because of which his face contorted. Suddenly the incident happened in the restaurant scooted in front of his eyes.

He pulled himself up and sat leaning his back on the cot. Seeing this a nurse ran towards him.

'Sir, are you alright?'

'How did I come here? '

'You were unconscious in the restaurant. And the management called for ambulance.'

'How long I have been here?'

'For 2 hours Sir'

2 Hours?? , he was stunned.

'Was I unconscious all these time?', he demanded for the answer.

'Yes Sir. Our devices recorded existence of chloroform in your breath. So I am really surprised that you are up now'

He shook his head and hovered his hand over the chest for the monitor. But then realized that he was not wearing his suit, but a hospital gown.

'You people undress a person as soon as you saw him in the hospital?', he shouted at the nurse, who stood there silently, head bowed as if taking all the blame.

'Go get my things... Now!', he cried.

Next minute she came rushing with his suit and the devices. With juddering hands he switched on the device, wishing for a blinking green light. But it never blinked.

She's gone, he hit his fist hardly on the bed.

(To be continued...)
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Dear Shashi, MeenaRamki, Swaran, Iniya, Sipanneer, SM,
So now you all down with Stockholm syndrome, huh? Haha... You wouldn't if I have used the original history I planned for Prakash. Anyway its done now..
Thanks a lot for your comments dears..

ILT