Barbados, Thursday 17^th May 2012

He sat back on the lounger and picked up his iPad and opened the browser to The Delhi Times. He chuckled at the headlines, "Industry Magnate, Arnav Singh Raizada: Missing." He took a long sip of his martini swirling the smooth liquid in his mouth for a couple of seconds savouring the crisp taste. He read a few lines of the article and then put the iPad away, slipped on his aviators and put his hands behind his head and looked out to the serene horizon. Azure seas lapping lazily at the white sands, a petite girl in an even more petite bikini smiled at him, her eyes offering him a lot more than just the smile. He gave her half a smile and shook his head signalling his disinterest, although her physique reminded him of another girl half way across the world. He closed his eyes and thought about her.

Delhi, Thursday 17^th May 2012

"Di, aap bilkul chinta mat kijiye. Arnavji ko kuch nahi hoga." Khushi tried her best to calm her sister-in-law down, even though she felt anything but calm herself. Her feelings would have to wait; a pregnant woman did not need this stress. In her mind she called out to him, "where are you Arnav-ji," and sent out a prayer for his safety.

She looked around the room and everyone was forlorn. Mami was panicking and had collapsed on the floor, Buaji was consoling the woman while muttering prayers to Nandkishore for the safe return of her son-in-law. She had grown very fond of him ever since his brief stay with them at Lakshminagar. Garima sat nervously with Payal and watched Akash who was busy trying to manage matters at AR. Havoc had ensued within the ranks of management as news of his missing brother had spread like wildfire. Akash was just getting his foot into the business and wasn't anywhere near the revered leader Arnav Singh Raizada had been. He was floundering, but was just keeping afloat. Mamaji paced the room, thinking back to the last few months, wracking his brain for any mention of possible threats to Arnav. His nephew was too arrogant to voice any concerns he may have had, the brainstorm was futile, he knew that already, but as an Uncle who loved the boy as his own son, he had little else to do.

Nani tried her best to calm an inconsolable Anjali, tears streaming down her own face. She was too frail to deal with this. She felt scared, but knew that she couldn't show it. Khushi took in the new worry lines that had appeared on the older woman's face just in these last 4 days. It had taken them that long to figure out that Arnav was indeed missing. The first 2 were spent in oblivion and the next 2 in frantic efforts to contact him. And today was pure dread. Her heart lurched and her lungs constricted. Fresh tears threatened to spill over. She blinked furiously and scolded herself, 'you have to be strong Khushi. For him.' "Naniji, chaliye aap thakey huye lag rahe, thoda let jaiye." She supported Nani to her room, she knew sleep would not come, but rest was important. They all had to be strong, for him.

Khushi waited for a few hours and helped everyone to their rooms, she had given a mild relaxant to Di as suggested by the doctor to calm her nerves and her put her to sleep. Khushi picked up her wallet quietly slipped outside the house. She flagged down an auto. "AR office chaliye."

Barbados, Thursday 17^th May 2012

He had spent the first 2 days completely shattered. Tormented. Mangled. Even though it had taken him 2 months to plan this, the execution was harder than he had imagined. Letting go of her at the airport was harder than he had thought. And he had thought a lot. In the end he figured it was the only way. He did what he had to, changed his will to ensure his sister got everything. He knew that she was strong, just a little sensitive and emotional, but she was not weak. He also knew that Mami, for all her follies, would still look after her as her own daughter. He smiled at the thought, his mind briefly wondering back to the day he had come into the Raizada house to live. Mami had enveloped him in a huge bear-hug and told him "Not the worry Arnav bitwa. Mami and Mummy same to same." She had wiped the tears from his sisters face and that's when he decided to include the loud woman in his world. Anyone who cared about his Di, he cared about.

"Mister Raichand, you called?" A young man interrupted his thoughts.

"Yes Kai, I need you to get my diving gear together and the boat ready. I will be ready to leave in a couple of hours. Have a few sandwiches packed, I will have lunch on the boat. Oh and also call Mr. Marshall and let him know I will pick him up in a couple of hours from his jetty."

"Yes sir. Can I get you something to drink?" Kai left after his boss shook his head in the negative and dismissed him.

Arnav Raichand lay back into the chair again and closed his eyes, dozing in the late morning sun.

Delhi, Thursday 17^th May 2012

Everyone stilled as she walked into the office. Some stood up, unsure what to say. A young man who looked like he hadn't slept in a week came running to her, "M'am, kuch khabar?"

"Nahi Aman, abhi tak kuch nahi. Aman, mujhe unke office mein jana hai. Aap ke paas chaabi?" Khushi looked up towards the glass office. Her heart sank again as the emptiness crept in. Everything looked the same, yet everything had changed. She closed her eyes strengthening her resolve.

She looked around, not sure where to start. There had to be something. Shyam was in office. Maybe he had something to do with his disappearance. She systematically checked all the drawers and then the files on the desk. She went through all the filing cabinets unaware of what she was looking for, but knew she would go to the end of the world to bring him back to his family. To her.

Her mind went over their last meeting, an immense guilt came over her as she recalled the way she tricked him into signing whatever those papers were. How that trick bore no fruit for that vile man Shyam didn't even bother showing up at the airport. She decided she would first need to find out what those papers held. She picked up the phone, "Mr. Rao? Aap Arnavji ki vakeel hai na?"

"theek hai, hum apse ek ghante mein milte hai vaha." Khushi picked up her bag and made to rush out, she had to first go home and dig up the papers. Just as she got up she felt her dupatta yank back. She clicked irritably at the nuisance and turned to see it stuck in the side of the chair. She pulled it out and noticed a bright yellow paper poking out. She pulled it out. It was a post-it. A single phone number was scrawled on it. She recognised his writing. No one else had such bad handwriting.

Barbados, Thursday 17^th May 2012

"So, you come here, change your name, swear me to secrecy, say no to a million sexy babes that would dance naked at your command, you wanna talk about it?"

"Not today buddy. I just wanna take a break." He laughed at his friend taking a swig from the chilled local beer and then set it back down again by the table by him. "Well, this looks to be it." Arnav killed the engine and made his way to the back and pulled on his wetsuit.

"So how rusty are you Arnav ' how long since the last time?"

"Sean Marshall, the ladies didn't throw themselves at me in college for my looks alone you know. I can outlast you down there as sure as there are sharks in the Atlantic," he broke into a devilish grin and earned himself an expletive from his friend.

They checked their pressure tanks and airflow and signalled an ok and jumped in.

Arnav revelled in the stillness around him. Diving had been a passion back in his younger days. He had gotten his scuba licence back in university and Sean had been his diving partner even back then. They had travelled the world picking out dive sites and had spent many hours on a deck with a beer.

Arnav picked up a discarded conch shell, its inhabitant either dead or had left its shell for a better, larger home. He decided to keep it, she would have liked it he thought.

Delhi, Thursday 17^th May 2012

"Mrs Raizada, this doesn't make any sense! Just a month ago he had me change his will and he had explicitly asked to exclude Shyam Manohar Jha from the will. Why then, would he make another change? It just doesn't add up!" The lawyer took of his glasses studying the face of the young girl in front of him. She looked shocked. "Kya matlab will, yani vasiyat?" Tears threatened to spill over again, she felt a shiver creep up at the thought of will, that was something one had use of only after death. And she would be damned if there was a need to execute the last will and testament of Arnav Singh Raizada before his time.

"Mr. Rao, yeh kagaaz apne dekhi nahi. Kyu ki main janti hoon ki yeh unhone hastakshar padhkar nahi kiya hoga." She gently took the papers from the lawyer and swiftly ripped it apart. The lawyer offered his best wishes for the safe return of her husband and walked away. Khushi then took out the yellow post it and dialled the number.

The next call she made was to an English class.

Let me know what you think :)

Part 2 - Scroll Down

Part 3 - Page 4

Part 4 - Page 10

Part 5 - Page 13

Part 6 - Page 18

Part 7 - Page 23

Part 8 - Page 31

ashna272012-05-22 05:30:23