When it all happened – Chase Continues

We had almost reached the Silk Board and as it’s been written in the fate of every Bangalorean, forever, we got stuck at the Silk Board signal. For the first time in my life, I was wishing for a traffic jam and yes there was huge traffic confusion at the signal. All the vehicles had lined up as close as possible, tangling themselves into a knot. There wasn’t any room for any movement until the signal cleared and yet few eunuchs and few street sellers were wandering the in between the vehicles making room for themselves.

Quickly, I saw the position of Qualis. They were professionals and that helped me a lot to maintain a lot of vehicles in between us. There were a lot many vehicles in between us but the person sitting beside the driver had a clear view on me. Then I moved my eyes to look at the second auto and it was queued up just behind a mini pick up van behind the Qualis. It was the right time to make the move but I had to get a cover, the best one possible. It had to be done at Silk Board else there was no where I could keep them behind me.

The time keeps running when someone’s behind our ass, else it always takes its own time to move on.

Looking everywhere I was getting separate to find a cover or an excuse when suddenly a eunuch came to my right side and asked for some money. I just thought how the time was changing and what used to frighten me was now about to help me. I took out a note of 100 and handed it to the eunuch and said what I wanted to say.

“Sir, what are you upto? You are creating all scenes like some movies”

“Firstly, don’t call me Sir. Secondly, call your friend and tell him his passenger is wearing black shirt and will be coming now. Thirdly, I will meet you tomorrow same time and explain you the film, it is better for you to be ignorant of the ongoing scene”

“Sir… Sorry… But my money?” he asked with a surprised tone.

“I will be paying all the money to your friend. Now make the call. Hurry up”

As he started dialing the number, I looked back through the hole and saw two eunuchs standing right beside the front left door of the Qualis. One was beside the window asking money and other was in front on the Qualis blocking the view of the person.

With a wide grin and a pat on my back, I jumped out of the auto from its right opening and ran to the other side of the road. As soon as I was on the divider and started walking behind, the honking started. Damn it! The signal had turned green and every driver waiting there turned craziest ever. Everyone started rushing wishing to get out of the signal before it turned red. The bikers hurried and took up all the space in between the four wheelers. There wasn’t even a single space which I could use to walk up to the second auto. I cursed myself for grinning and patting my back and thought if I could only kick my ass now. The eunuchs had already moved to side of the road and were counting the money they had earned. Hope they earned more money from the desperate passengers of the Qualis.

At last, I found a gap in front of a new Swift which was being driven by a person who was more careful about his new car than desperate to get out of that signal. Jumping onto the road in front of him I quickly started moving towards the auto. The auto I was sitting till now was slowly moving ahead and the Qualis too had picked its speed. The auto I was about to get in too moved a bit and by the time I reached it I made hell of hue and cry at the signal with angry eyes yelling me and loud honks scolding me. Caring for nothing, I kept my eyes glued onto the auto which by now had got a clear road and was moving ahead at a steady speed.

The only surety I had that the auto would move slower until I get into it was the fact that I hadn’t yet paid. Taking one last risk, I held my hand to the driver behind the auto who blew fire at me from his eyes and whispered something into the ears of a girl sitting beside him and quickly moved to the left of the auto and jumped in.

“Aye” shouted the driver in shock.

“I am Ramanna’s passenger” I said.

He took a clean look at me from his rear view mirror and then concentrated on the traffic.

“No speed. Just keep it slow and keep following that Qualis.  Don’t go right behind it; keep a distance of two vehicles. Act as though you are stuck between vehicles and you have no interest in getting ahead.”

“But why follow that? Ramanna said you came from Qualis.”

“Just do what I said”

“But why?”

“Because if you don’t do what I say we both will end up discussing the same thing till tomorrow morning”

“I want to know. Else I am stopping the auto”

“Talk to Ramanna once”

He quickly took out his mobile and started talking to Ramanna and after a long discussion of complete 5 minutes; I saw a satisfied look in his eyes.

“Sir you could have told me”

“There is no time for all that and please don’t call me sir”

As we cleared the Silk Board signal and were safe behind the Qualis, I moved and rested my back. I closed my eyes for a second and the first thing that came in front of my eyes was the horrified and frightened face of Sonali. I knew exactly how her face would be looking now. The eyes would have been swollen with tears rolling down without any break. Her eyes normally turned complete expressionless whenever she was sad and by now they would have completely lost life in them except for to allow the tears to flow out. The face would have lost all its glow and the chubby cheeks would have come down. The lips that had been smiling whole noon would have been sealed into a zip by now curving down, just like a crying baby. Her eyebrows knotted whenever she got angry or got tensed and now was the perfect time for them to be knotted clearly portraying all the mental suffering and torture she was undergoing presently. I felt my heart shrink for a while imagining her face. Having no courage to imagine more about her situation at present, I quickly opened my eyes.

Quickly I asked the driver to call Ramanna and took his mobile.

“Ramanna please stop near the Udupi Garden stop and just stand there for 30 minutes without any passenger. Then you are free to go. Thanks Ramanna. I will definitely meet you tomorrow.”

“No problem Sir… Sorry… I will do that. But please pay.”

“Trust me. You will make no loss today.”

Keeping the call and returning the mobile to the driver I just waited to reach Udupi Gardens. In minutes we were at Udupi Gardens when I told the driver to slow back and keep more distance.

I saw Ramanna’s auto pullover after the signal and he made a stop. The Qualis too stopped and pulled over to the side.

“Do you smoke?”

“Yes Sir”

“Stop the auto here and go have a smoke”

He was much happy and suddenly moving the auto to the side pulled out a cigarette and lighted it stepping out of the auto.  The Qualis waited for a long time before it made any move. Then suddenly I saw the Qualis startup and slowly move ahead.

“Start the auto. That Qualis is moving”

“No problem Sir. Let it go wherever it wants. I will follow it. Let me finish my cigarette.”

“Just shut up and start the auto. I will buy you a new cigarette.”

He looked at me in disgust and sat back in his seat throwing away the cigarette which still had life in it. As he started the auto, I asked him to wait.

“Sir this is wrong. By now I would have completed my cigarette”

“Just keep the auto ready” I said, losing the patience by now.

The Qualis by now moved ahead beside Ramanna’s auto and then drove a bit more and stopped again pulling over to the side. My grin was back but this time I dint pat my back but waited silently for the Qualis to make its final movement.

It was a long wait after which, finally, the Qualis started and moved ahead. Without my guidance, my driver too moved keeping a safe distance from the Qualis. Finally there was some treaty between us.

I was damn sure the Qualis would either go into its hiding or to the place where Sonali was being held hostage. In both ways I would reach somewhere. Now the only thing I needed was a backup. I dint even had my gun with me and entering their place unarmed was nothing more than an open invitation for me being captured and then tortured for the data.

At that level of professionalism and that number of men in its team, the place would be heavily guarded with men and arms and backups and an easy escape plan in place. Also, getting into the that kind of place would be near to impossible and with this new news of knowing they lost track on me would have sent alarms ringing all over their team. By now they would have doubled their caution. The game was being played by an expert! I was sure of that. Breaking into secret life, tracking my public life and tearing apart my whole day was not something easy.

“Just few more hours! Keep pumping the blood that I need” I consoled my heart keeping my hand on it. 

I remembered how Sonali used to keep her hand on my chest and look into my eyes with her cute smile whenever I turned serious or whenever I started thinking about something and got lost in my own imagination world.

Blinking hard breaking the chain of my thoughts, I said to the driver, “Please don’t lose track of that Qualis and please give me your mobile”

“But Sir I don’t have any balance in my mobile”

“Man! Please give me your mobile I will recharge it. And make sure you won’t lose track of that Qualis.”

“Sir. You don’t worry. Just sit back and relax. See how I will follow it. Let it go to Mumbai or Chennai or wherever I will follow it.”

At first I wanted to advise him to keep quiet and drive carefully keeping a safer distance but then forcing more patience into myself I smiled being amused by his talks and calming down my nerves I said, “You are awesome Sir. Just follow those rascals” and dialed the number of my Chief.

The chase ends next Sunday…

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Vishal…

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