Lips Do Lie

Epilogue

I banged the door close and stormed towards the king size window of my room. I was damn pissed.

"Nandini open the door...I said sorry yaa", the jerk shouted thumping on the door loudly.

"Get lost you samaan or whatever", I yelled back closing my arms against my body trying to not explode like a volcano because he had given me every reason for it. I jerked the curtain aside that touched my face in response to the calm breeze blowing outside; it seemed as if the curtains too were contributing in his efforts to pacify me.

(Turns to the readers) If you think I am overreacting then let me tell you that I am not because if I was he wouldn't have been alive today.

I looked at the pair of earrings on the side table in a daze and traveled a month back, to the days I would never want to remember.

My eyes opened in my room. Appa had flown me back to Delhi right away. I had had a nervous breakdown on the spot and after minimal treatment Appa got me admitted in his hospital in Delhi. I was in a critical condition, my case worsened as I was not gaining consciousness. The best of doctors supervised my case and finally succeeded as I responded after a long long sleep. But I wasn't anything more than a dead corpse.  After the Doctors approved I was immediately shifted to my home because medical science had done what it had to do and now it was on time to heal me.

 Appa, Mom and Rishab showered me with all their love and affection. I remember Rishab hugged me tight and cried like a baby, somewhere he had had a cursory brush with the kind of mess I was in. Mom took a break from her University and made sure was around me 24*7. Appa invited Iru over to Delhi for some time to be with me. She was a true friend and stuck by my side without a single question or query. She tried her best to make me smile, took me for shopping and movies and insisted on me to choose which was completely contrary to her character.

***

"Umm..the cops found this from his pocket", Appa spoke softly handing over one of the earring pair almost after 15 days, "They had already sent it to me after the post mortem assuming it belonged to you...I wanted to give this before but I wasn't sure if you would be okay seeing it...", Appa took his time to say what he ought to. I had never seen him so broken and helpless trying to fight along with his daughter.

I picked it up from his palm without a word. I had slid the earrings in Manik's chest pocket when he was consoling me outside the old man's apartment after the shootout and had almost forgotten about them. One of it might have been lost during the fight while the other one found its way to reach me. I kept looking at it with blank eyes. Appa left the room closing the door and I cried the entire night holding it close to my heart.

 I tried to speak to the officer from Goa to know about Manik's body and last rites but I was informed the cremation was already done after the postmortem. Over the days slowly and steadily I was trying to cope myself with the fact that Manik was no more. It was life after all and I had to move on even if it meant dragging myself but I had to do it not only for myself but for my family and loved ones and mostly Manik. I was sure he would have wanted me to be strong and happy. What he got was probably his fate and more than that his deeds maybe.

What surprised me more was there was no news about the chip or the circuit. Even though the circuit was destroyed but the chip was still there. I didn't know if the police had even got it because they were not aware of the main motive behind the whole chase thing. I settled my inquisitions with the fact that maybe they couldn't find it or even if they did it was hardly of any use because the circuit which could make it functional was broken.