An Imperial Affliction

Chapter 32 - The art of living

All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on.

- Henry Ellis

People says morning is the best part of a day. The pure air to breathe, soft sunlight before it goes up and start glaring, soft hum of city before it starts to get on your nerves with the traffic and pollution and general yelling of people, the whole package makes it more alluring. Those who manage to get up early in morning swores it made their lives far better than normal people.

But one morning, the city woke up not only to general goodness associated with it, but triple amount of breaking news.

Fed up with uselessness of Delhi Police, Home ministry had intervened in the serial killer case and handed it over CBI after a late night meeting in the house of the said Minister. That's an embarrassment the Department won't forget for years to come. Not to forget they will be subjected to bunch of fresh ridicules from media and public alike.

As if one embarrassment to a state run Police department was not enough, the news papers of Mumbai section printed a page 3-ish headlines regarding ETF Director Aisha Kapoor, who was photographed with a senior male of her department last night, which naturally suggested she might have used her 'Feminine charm' to get her position as she was secretly having an affair with the Man whose face was, suspiciously, hidden even though her face was stark clear in the night vision picture in the report. After all, there is a reason for scarcity of female employees, they are useless anyway. The few managed to get on top, they have to use some wicked charm.

If someone was fed up with the headlines where Police dominated, they had Royal scandal to look up to. The crown prince of Jodhpur was in town with his wife for a business meeting. They were staying in a bunglow, on the outskirts of city. She was murdered last night, making the husband the prime suspect in a cliched and obvious way.

Riya was sitting in the cabin of the Director as the latter reads through each line of the report submitted by the ACP, her brows furrowed in deep concentration. The ACP is always late in submission her share of reports, and even as she does there are bunch of mistakes which the Director corrects, always suspecting if it's not her way to rile her up. She side eyed the ACP, who is leaning back casually on her chair and playing on her phone, one feet crossed on others, the picture of utter relaxation. Total opposite of Aisha, who was restless the moment she noticed the stupid headlines this morning.

Annoyed at the reminder of the headlines, she shook her head, ready to head back to the file. She barely noticed one line, when the anchor in the TV started a discussion, the topic being 'Sexism and working woman'. Glaring at the offending TV which none ever switch off, she wondered maybe the topic should have been 'Media and there limitless stupidity'. It disgusted her that these were the same people who were praising her not a week ago due to that joint Drug case.

Rascals.

The sound of 'Game Over' playing on a loop snapped her neck to look at the ACP, who was also observing the news with casual interest, the ever present mirth lurking in her eyes. Some other time, she might have humored her, but now? She was not in the damn mood.

"Having fun?" She sneered. The ACP looked at her, blinked once, then smirked, taking in her irritated expression.

"I am now." She flipped the phone shut, suddenly interested in the woman in front of her. Aisha glared, not sure on whom she is more angry, at Riya or the stupid reporters.

"One party." Putting the pen calmly down, she pinched the bridge of her nose, "One party and these fuc*ing vultures." She hissed, "My Mother called and asked me why I went for older Man, that too in my own department. Can you believe her?"