You’re Trending in my Dreams Page 13

  An autorickshaw pulled up to the shop and Yadav, the lab assistant, got off alone this time. ‘Come along with me,’ he ordered.

  Varun started walking towards the lane that Yadav had directed them to the last time. However, Yadav stopped him and told him to just follow. This time, he took them directly to the university gate.

  Is it a different plan altogether? Or does the plan change every time? Varun wondered.

  The giant door was not locked this time. The security guard too was missing. Varun wanted to back out but Malvika, seeing the nervousness on his face, held his hand. She once again assured him that everything would be all right even though she was clueless about what was going to happen.

  The peon on the chair from the last time was missing too. Varun felt there was something odd about it all. If it was so easy this time, why was it so difficult the last time around, he thought. Yadav, like the last time, went upstairs, telling all of them to wait.

  ‘I think we should leave. I feel there is something horribly wrong. I sense something fishy. Let’s go back,’ Varun stammered.

  Ahana kept trying to spot Varun’s dad but she couldn’t. Garima and Malvika didn’t react and stood still. The next moment, Varun got a call from Yadav, asking him to come upstairs alone.

  ‘All of you will wait here?’ Varun asked the girls nervously.

  They nodded in agreement and Varun started walking upstairs. Yadav was waiting for him and as he reached, took him into the office where the exam papers were kept.

  ‘He is inside, doing what he has to. We will wait here,’ Yadav stated.

  Varun stood as ordered by Yadav. Who is this ‘he’? Varun thought. The captain? Are they trying to trap me?

  There was pin-drop silence and not even the slightest sliver of light lit the corridor. All Varun could make out was a dim light inside the office. Varun didn’t dare speak; his heart was in his mouth. He was worried someone was keeping an eye on them. He tried to shrug the thought off.

  For a few minutes, there was no movement. Everything was at a complete standstill. Suddenly, a few people came upstairs with torches in their hands. Varun’s heart skipped a beat and both he and Yadav were completely terrified. Varun closed his eyes for a moment, as he was sure it was over. They had been exposed!

  Varun heard voices in the low light. Suddenly the lights were switched on and there they stood in front of him—the cops.

  ‘Don’t move. There is no escape. You are all under arrest.’

  Varun immediately raised his hands, taking a nervous breath. Yadav tried to run but couldn’t and was held firmly by a couple of policemen. Varun had sensed something fishy and knew he should have backed out at that moment. He pleaded with the cops but in vain. He was worried about the girls who were waiting downstairs. He remembered Malvika telling him to trust her. He couldn’t figure out what she’d been thinking and cursed his fate. They had gambled and lost. When you’re least expecting karma to find you, the sweet bitch installs a GPS!

  Thinking Back, Looking Forward . . .

  There are no shortcuts in life and though he was taught this lesson right from childhood, Varun truly realized the meaning that day. He stood there without speaking a word. He wanted to call Malvika to know if the girls were all right. But the cops were holding him firmly. There were policemen looking into every corner to collect all evidence of the crime. The senior inspector walked towards the office where the lights were still switched off. The person was inside hiding, but he would not remain hidden for long. The senior inspector nabbed him as soon as he opened the door. As the man resisted, the inspector slapped him hard and knocked him down. He pulled him up by his collar and once again gave him a tight slap.

  ‘So you are the captain. People like you have made a business out of our education system. I may not be a professor but I will teach you the lesson of a lifetime,’ the inspector yelled.

  He looked at Varun and asked, ‘Is he a professor in your college?’

  Varun looked at him closely and nodded. ‘Professor Shinde!’ he exclaimed.

  ‘Professor Shinde, your game is now over,’ said the inspector as he handcuffed him.

  The other cops followed, pulling Varun along. Varun felt like a criminal as he was dragged down the stairs forcefully. However, the thing he couldn’t quite understand was how the inspector knew that the professor was the captain and the kingpin of the entire racket. What he saw downstairs gave him the biggest shock of his life. His trust shattered as he saw his dad was standing along with Ahana, Malvika and Garima.

  ‘You have decided to make my life hell, right? I ran away to live but you managed to interfere with my life here too. What is your problem in life? When will you stop running after me?’ Varun screamed at his dad.

  ‘My problem is that . . . you are my son. And I love you,’ Varun’s dad said in a heavy voice.

  Varun gave a sarcastic smile and said, ‘Son . . . love . . . do you even know the meaning of these words? Please go away. You wanted to see me behind bars, your wish has been granted. Now go away.’

  ‘Inspector, let him go,’ Varun’s dad ordered.

  Varun was surprised and kept staring at his dad. He couldn’t understand what was going on. He couldn’t figure out whether his dad was here to arrest him or to save him from this mess. His doubts were cleared when Ahana broke the silence.

  ‘Varun, we are sorry,’ she said. ‘We called your dad to Mumbai. Despite your objections, we revealed the entire truth to him. That was the only way we could have been saved. Nobody would have believed us otherwise.’

  Malvika held Varun’s hand and explained that his dad was here to help them and not to stand against them.

  ‘Remember, I told you, your dad loves you.’

  She looked in his eyes and her expression told him that she was not wrong at all. She told him of their entire plan that they’d kept hidden from him.

  She revealed that when Varun thought of backing out the first time, Singh had introduced him to the captain but, as the transaction happened in the dark, he couldn’t figure out who he was. The captain sought an opportunity to earn some money and told him he had to leak the papers or else he would expose everyone. He forced them to circulate the papers against their will so he could get paid.

  ‘When we told your dad everything that had actually happened, he suggested repeating this entire act as it was the only way to get hold of the professor since we didn’t have any strong proof against him. We didn’t even know for sure if the captain was Professor Shinde. He would have escaped very easily. Hence we convinced you to do it one more time. We didn’t do it for money.’ Garima smiled.

  The senior inspector slapped the professor again and asked him what made him do such an unethical thing. The professor, ashamed of his act, sobbed and revealed his side of the story.

  ‘I got carried away. The day Yadav told me that a student wanted to leak a question paper I thought I could earn some money. I had done it before and had contacts in the university. I am so sorry. I am a senior professor. I see so many professors who take private tuitions and then pass their students in the exams. I never took private tuitions and hence thought of this method to earn an extra income. Yes, I was at fault. I may be a criminal but I have two daughters. They are yet to get married. I wanted to find them suitable matches and host grand weddings for them, which was not possible with my salary. Thus, I grabbed the opportunity to make a quick buck.

  ‘I told Yadav to bring the student to the university. My accomplices were the Xerox shop owner Sharma, Yadav’s partner Rao, the university peon Kamble and Singh who was the examinations department peon. We thought nobody would doubt the Xerox shop owner who brought us many clients. The students knew that he was the man to contact. Singh and Kamble used to help us open the sealed university papers. I thought, even if the police found out, Varun would be caught and no one would reach me. The next day I got the entire amount and that was that. Today when, Yadav told me that Varun was willing to pay three times the amount,
I couldn’t resist. How was I to know it was a trap?’

  The senior inspector handcuffed him and said, ‘You underestimate the police. Instead of thinking about a grand wedding for your daughter and spending lakhs of rupees on it, it would have been better if you had spent money on their education. They would have taught you what’s wrong and what’s right. Our education system doesn’t need a professor like you who traps students and seeks to profit off them. You are under arrest.’

  The police told Malvika, Varun, and Ahana that they needed to come to the police station to make a statement.

  ‘Thank you, inspector, for your cooperation,’ said Varun’s dad, shaking his hand.

  ‘I should thank you, sir. Indeed, the Indian army never retires. Thank you for your cooperation. But yes, your son and his friends are involved in this scandal. We are not arresting them as they have helped us and are our witnesses in this case. I won’t file a case against them but only on the promise that they won’t ever repeat this. Varun, you should thank your dad. Not everyone is lucky to get such a cooperative father.’

  The police left the spot with Yadav and Professor Shinde in tow. Varun was speechless and couldn’t make eye contact with anyone. The best feeling in the world is knowing that your family and friends love you just the way you are and wouldn’t have you any other way. Varun’s dad loved him and had supported him when he needed it the most. Malvika was his pillar of strength. Things were finally going to come to a close.

  ‘I am sorry . . . for running away like that,’ said Varun to his father. ‘I don’t really know where to start. I have so much to say but I don’t know where to begin. You knew I was in trouble and I needed you. You knew that your presence could help me get out of this trouble.’ He was very emotional.

  ‘You are not bad,’ said his dad. ‘You are just too young to understand what’s right and what’s wrong. They are nice . . . your friends . . . well-mannered and they respect elders. I know I am bad . . . I couldn’t be a good father…I am arrogant as you say . . . not as “cool” as you wanted me to be . . . but I am your dad. A dad who doesn’t want to lose his son in the second innings of his life. I never managed to say it but . . . I love you and I missed you…I am proud to have a son like you. Yes, you did commit this mistake . . . but I am still proud of you,’ he said, wiping away Varun’s tears.

  Varun’s dad asked the girls why they took the risk of leaking a university paper. He was sure that Varun would not have wanted to cheat in an exam. It was then that Garima revealed the truth about her uncle who had blackmailed her. Varun’s dad was completely taken aback by her uncle’s villainy and assured Garima that she would get justice and that he would take proper action against her uncle. Garima thanked him for his concern.

  Varun wanted to hug his dad. He had never seen him like this. Malvika understood that Varun wanted to be alone with his father, so she gestured to the others that they should leave. The three of them started walking towards the parking lot, leaving Varun and his dad alone. For a short span, neither spoke until Varun broke the ice.

  ‘You commanded so much respect from those around you, but little did they know you had a poor, alcoholic upbringing. There is no doubt that you managed to build a life and a family even though the odds were stacked against you. You battled your own demons of depression and alcoholism but at times you got violent. Each violent step you took, took me away from you. I needed you when I took admission in Mumbai. Even I had no one but you,’ said Varun.

  ‘My greatest hope is for you to forgive me,’ said his dad. ‘Yes, I wanted you to join the army so that you would learn discipline. Trust me, you were the greatest gift God ever gave me. But I was frustrated. The loneliness killed me. You love to write poems, right? Today, I have written something for you. I don’t know if it makes sense. But I am a bit shy to express my emotions verbally. Hence, I have written them down for you.’

  Varun’s dad handed him a letter. Varun glanced at his dad and opened it.

  When you went away from me, I spent the entire morning, like so many mornings before, cursing myself for being distracted from my most sacred role by my need for perfection and my sense of duty and fear of rejection and desire for affirmation. And something inside me cracked.

  I think it was my ego—the voice inside that told me that if I want to be good enough I had to look perfect, take care of everyone, win everybody over and be right all the time.

  I want to apologize for behaving the way I did. I want to apologize for all of the ways I let my ego prevent me from being the kind of father you deserve. Every time you needed an embrace I responded with a slap. Every time, I demanded respect instead of earning it. Then I realized that even a father could take a son for granted which I shouldn’t have. I’m sorry for every time I told you to be humble and then turned around and acted like losing was the end of the world. And I’m sorry for every time I didn’t say “I’m sorry”. I just want to give one piece of advice to you. Don’t let anyone—including me—convince you that your worth is rooted in anything as short term as another person’s opinion of you. Forgive me, if possible. Your dad needs you, as he is alone and lost.

  Varun couldn’t hold his tears back and without thinking for a second, he embraced his father like there was no tomorrow. His dad too wrapped his arms around him tightly.

  ‘I just want to say one thing, Dad. The Indian army is not for the weak. Army people are not losers. They are winners and they protect us just like you protected me.’ Varun saluted his dad proudly.

  The fact is, anybody can be a father but it takes someone special to be a ‘dad’.

  Varun saw his dad off at the airport but not before telling him about his relationship with Malvika. For a change, his dad accepted it without asking too many questions and even blessed Malvika before leaving. Malvika was on cloud nine; blessings from her guy’s father . . . what more could a girl ask for? If a guy is not comfortable holding his girl’s hand in front of his parents, the girl should not let him hold her when they are alone. Varun was comfortable disclosing his relationship to his dad and thus taking it to the next level. Love is not always convenient, but if it is true love, it will outlast any strain, overcome any obstacle and grow consistently and exponentially for all eternity.

  The next day, the two of them were sitting in Malvika’s room, talking about everything they had faced in the past few days.

  ‘I love it when I catch you looking at me, then you smile and look away,’ Malvika said, pulling Varun’s cheeks.

  ‘I may not express this much but when I am with you, time is my biggest enemy.’ As Varun lay on the bed, Malvika rested her head on his chest. Varun embraced her and kissed her forehead. A relationship should only be between two people and not include the world. Varun never cared about what others thought, he just loved her unconditionally. When he was shattered, disturbed or feeling lost, Malvika was the one to heal his deeply rooted wounds, and you never really forget the ones who touch your heart, regardless of whether they broke it or healed it.

  ‘I want to make hard-core love to you right now,’ Varun demanded.

  ‘Now?’

  Varun sealed her lips with a kiss. Soon their clothes were off. With each touch, Malvika’s moans grew louder and Varun tried to shush her but couldn’t. Soon she moved downwards, giving Varun the ultimate pleasure.

  ‘The person who said there are no shortcuts to bliss surely didn’t know the potential of a blow job.’ Varun winked.

  They continued their wild play until Ahana and Garima pushed the door open. Varun and Malvika grabbed a sheet to cover themselves up.

  ‘At least lock your room. If you can’t, then moan at a lower decibel level. Your voice is audible in the next block,’ Ahana teased.

  ‘You bitch, get lost. I will kill you,’ Malvika yelled, throwing a pillow at her.

  Varun simply shrunk under the blanket in embarrassment.

  ‘Can I at least get into my boxers?’ Varun asked shyly.

  ‘Of course, dude. But we hav
e already seen it all,’ Ahana teased once again and went out with Garima.

  Varun and Malvika looked at each other and couldn’t stop smiling. After putting on their clothes, they went out to the living room. Both of them continued to blush until everyone burst out in peals of laughter.

  ‘It’s better to be caught red-handed by your friends than by the cops.’ Varun smiled.

  They fought like married couples, flirted like teenage lovers and behaved like best friends. Obviously they were meant to be! Love doesn’t need to be perfect; it just needs to be true. Well, if your love is true then it’s perfect.

  ‘I am going to order a healthy breakfast today. I seriously need to eat healthy,’ Malvika said.

  ‘Bitch, please!’ Ahana exclaimed.

  ‘What? I am fucking serious, babe,’ Malvika declared.

  ‘Oh . . . fine. Varun and Ahana, you can join me in eating the BBQ chicken pizza that I just bought,’ Garima whispered and immediately went inside Ahana’s room to fetch it.

  ‘What the . . .’ Malvika began and before she completed her sentence, everyone ran inside Ahana’s bedroom.

  ‘Now don’t change your words. I am not going to share it with you,’ Ahana added.

  ‘Calories don’t count when it’s your roommate’s food.’ Malvika winked.

  ‘Such an ass you are.’ Ahana threw a pillow at Malvika.

  ‘You should not say no to pizza. Even they have “fillings”.’ Varun winked.

  They had a huge fight over the last slice of pizza, but Varun snatched it first. Everyone looked at him with a sad face with the hope of getting a bite. Varun smiled and fed a bite to all the three girls. Friendship is about going out of your way to make the other person feel special. Some people get that, others don’t. Varun, Malvika, Ahana and Garima didn’t know each other a year ago but now they were the thickest of friends. The girls had brought Varun closer to his dad and Varun couldn’t have asked for anything more in his life. Malvika too had found her true love who didn’t want her to get married just after college but wanted her to be an independent girl who would make him proud. That was exactly what Malvika wanted from her life. Garima’s demons wouldn’t have been killed had she not met Varun, the guy with whom she was reluctant to share the apartment in the beginning. Ahana had learnt something about herself in the process. She had always thought that she was a complete socialite, going through life superficially with large groups of ‘friends’, never dreaming she could share such a strong bond with anyone. She had started believing in relationships and never wanted to be separated from these guys. She jokingly suggested that Garima and she should date each other so that all four of them could stay under one roof forever. They were friends ‘four’ever. Whatever, whenever, wherever and however.