Chapter 5: Jamais Vu
Jamais Vu: Simply translated it comes to mean “never seen”. Jamais Vu is the opposite of Déjà vu and it goes on to embody a phenomenon where the one experiences a situation that he recognizes in some fashion, but that nonetheless seems to him, very unfamiliar.
Khushi had barely strapped her seatbelt on, when the car revved for a half-second before zooming forward with incredible speed, prompting her to actually clutch the sides of her seat in panic- and turn towards her very excited looking friend.
“NK!” she exclaimed, slightly breathless, her eyebrows rising at the toothy grin on his face. “What are you, Insane?” Her eyes narrowed to slits, when her best friend chuckled- a delightful sound really, if she wasn’t as pissed off.
“What the fuck is wrong with you, you retarded sonofabitch?” she huffed in irritation, as he let out another laugh, prompting her to smack a hand across his head. “Do you know what a big problem we could be in, right now?”
NK shook his head, still smiling as he glanced at her sideways- and the next words out of her mouth, the especially salty ones that she had no doubt picked up from her days of living in that chawl in Lakshminagar, made his smile widen a bit more.
“Ah. Khushi, such language.” he said, tilting his head as he pursed his lips and glanced at her again, even as he kept his Mercedes going at the same hair-raising speed that he always liked it to be at. Hey, he was a total adrenaline junkie. And why own a beast of a car, when you didn’t have the guts to drive as it was meant to be?
He looked at his Twin, as he liked to call her in his mind, properly for the first time that morning. She looked incredibly pissed and panicked. And that could mean only two things. Either it was Buaji. Or it was them in a chance of getting caught. He raised his eyebrows. Well, he knew Buaji was fit as a fiddle- because just three days back he’d taken her to the clinic for her quarterly checkup. Really, Khushi was a real stickler when it came to her Buaji. But he could sympathize... Buaji was her only living family, and whatever may Khushi like to think- she had the softest heart he’d ever known. So then, it must be the latter. He frowned, however that also was a pretty low possibility.
“What’s got your knickers in a twist today, then?” he asked her- ducking as another smack sailed his way. And then NK sighed as Khushi continued to frown. It really didn’t suit her- all of this serious grown-up crap. He just wished Khushi could lighten up a bit and try to live her life as she pleased- just for the fun of it, and not because she had some or the other responsibility to fulfill. He reached towards her with one hand, as his other stayed on the steering wheel, and he mussed her hair up a bit. “Come on Billu! Lighten up a little! And Listen to what I have found!” He grinned, as she huffed a bit more- but stubbornly shook her head and opened her mouth, no doubt to tell him off, but he cut her off again.
“Abey Billu! Listen!” He said, silencing her, clamping his hand down on her still open mouth, and chuckling as her big sparkling green eyes widened in indignation. “Good. Now, I got hold of another corrupt cuckoo with a golden egg hidden under him!” He smiled, unrestrained glee almost dripping from every pore of his grinning face. He felt her stiffen, and he still carried on- not bothering to take his hand off her mouth, lest she interrupt him. “So, the Golden Egg this time, My Lovely Billu, is the- OW!” He yelled, she had actually bit his hand! The nerve!
Khushi smirked at his disbelieving and slightly hurt expression before launching into her already prepared monologue. Without even waiting to catch a breath. So what NK eventually heard was this- “They’ve our mail! I don’t know how! But those low-life bastard want us to help them in trafficking Drugs. Crystal, NK! We need to get off the grid- Fucking little...” and then followed a barrage of innovative curse words that comprised of all the languages known to mankind which would have made even the toughest of men cringe. Wow, Billu really was pissed, NK thought with a small smile. Of course at the mention of the drug, he had tensed but had calmed once he heard the whole reason for her panic. And then rolled his eyes. Khushi really could be such a worry wart sometimes. Well, it was his duty to ease her panic- like always, he thought with another long suffering sigh. But he needed to stop the car first. She needed his full attention when such things came up- and driving a car while trying to reason with Khushi, was not actually something that would come under safe driving. So, NK Raina let his Twin vent her frustrations out in peace as he concentrated solely on getting them to their adda or his apartment quickly and safely.
He winked at the watchman as he drove into the Parking lot, and turned to a still talking Billu- her nose and cheeks red with all the talking she had been doing, and smirked. Well, this one was going to be a bit difficult- but he knew one thing. He was not sitting peacefully until and unless he got his hands on that new baby sitting out there. It would go really well with his Golden Lady, he thought with another wide smirk. A gift from her ardent worshiper to her. He thought, his eyes twinkling. And then, turned to Khushi Kumari Gupta again. She would just have to postpone the disappearing plans for now.
Khushi stopped talking when she saw that NK had not listened to a word of her tirade- and was now smirking at her in that I-want-it-and-I’m-gonna-get-it way he had, when he wanted to get something that had caught his fancy, and sighed, shaking her head wearily. He was not going to listen, was he?
She had just started with a soft and worried sounding “NK...” when he took her hand firmly and led her to their apartment. “No Billu. Listen me out, first. Then we’ll discuss this little complication that you seem to be blowing so out of proportion.” She opened her mouth, her eyes widening in indignant protest, when he shook his head- and almost dragged her into the Apartment.
“Okay, atleast let me show you what has caught my eye first- and then- let’s discuss like the team we are. Okay Billu?” he said, pushing her down on the Living Room couch, as he sank beside her and pulled his half open Dell Laptop on the center table towards himself. She crossed her arms across her chest and flared her nose, her lips pursing- showing him her reluctance. But as usual NK was not paying attention- instead he was typing away on that dratted machine of his. After about 30 seconds of drumming his fingers on the keyboard- fast as lightning, as only NK could be- he turned the Laptop so that the screen faced her. “Look at this.” he said, quite unnecessarily, as her eyes had widened even more at the picture that he had wanted to show her, already. Her jaw dropped, as her eyes glistened. The Gemologist in her- and also the woman- was struggling with that pesky rational- albeit now a very small- part of her mind, which still wanted to play safe. Finally, the Gemologist won- and a half-choked gasp left her mouth. “Tha-that’s the... Kamalsambhava Harivallabhi Yashaswini Necklace... from the-” she gasped again- “The Kulasekhara Dynasty... owned by their most beautiful and successful courtesan, Yashasvi, gifted to her... said to be lost after she took it off to bestow it upon her Daughter...” she looked up at him- her eyes glistening with unbridled passion and glee, now matching his twinkling Mocha orbs. “Its been... it’s been here all along?” she asked him, “How did you find out? And where is it?”
NK chuckled darkly as he turned the laptop again, his eyes training on the beauty before him. It was... there was no other word for it. It was Beauty at it’s best. It was... Extravagant in its beauty. Glistening Reds, Pale Yellows, Cobalt Blues, Glittering Blacks interspersed with the occasional Sky Blues and Shimmering purple; There were hardly any Gems that he recognized and having been around Khushi - he knew his share. The jewels were arranged to resemble the Goddess Lakshmi- The Goddess of Wealth in Hindu Mythology, perfectly formed face and body of golden topaz, Eyes of some glittering black stone, brows of etched black metal, lips of red stones, the glitter of the black which repeated in her braided hair. Saree drapes encrusted with polki and coloured rocks, Even the gold jewellery she had worn were perfectly detailed. Tiny filigreed necklace, bangles, headpiece, anklets were there as she stood on her own pink tinged gem (he was sure those weren’t tourmaline) encrusted lotus- on a Red Gold Medallion. It hung from a Thick Red Gold chain, which in itself was another piece of exquisite art. The inch thick flat chain itself had intricately designed Lotuses on it- all made up of tiny pink gems with polki cut diamonds in the middle, of that he was sure. It was intriguing that the only jewels he had recognized were the polki. What were the other ones then, he thought, eyes glittering. He looked back at his Partner- sure from the expression in her eyes that she was in on this one.
Khushi reached a hand out as she caressed the screen almost reverently. Almost as if she would break it if she applied even the slightest bit more pressure. But he could sympathize. It was that beautiful. “930 AD...” she murmured softly, her eyes trained unblinkingly on their new target. “ Polki, Topaz, Lapis Lazuli, Red Beryl Emerald, Vermillion Red Diamond, Black Opal....” her fingers caressed each Gem in the picture as she named them. “Some of the rarest gemstones in the world are encrusted in it. Stuffs of legend. Indu Kotha Varma had sent his courtiers all over the world to trade and track them down. The rarer, the better!” She drew in a sharp breath, suddenly dizzy. “The Kamalsambhava Harivallabhi Yashaswini... supposedly lost in the annals of time...” her eyes roved over the picture of the Woman around whose neck the Necklace was supposed to have been, till her last breath- “The Necklace that brings Wealth, Prosperity and Success.” She looked up at him- and as Emerald Green Locked with Mocha Brown, they whispered together, out loud. “Worth Billions.” And in their minds- Ours.
Arnav sat in his Cabin, his eyes fixed to the file in his hand, his brow furrowed as he read the file on one Anahita Segal formerly known as Anahita Chawri. Born on the 16th of September 1986, she had been brought up in a small and poor neighbourhood located on the outskirts of Yamunanagar, near Ambala. She had filed for an affidavit, changing her last name from Chawri to Segal- although she had kept her First- in 2005. She had moved quickly from being a small-town girl with dreams of making it big in the modelling industry who lived in the Vijaynagar Chawl, to the whore who worked at the most famous brothel of G.B Road, to a beautiful and stylish looking mysterious woman living in a spacious Apartment in Nizamuddin East. The change of locations clearly showed her quick promotion from cheap and low-paid to rich and greedy Lovers. And she seemed to have gained the riches from them. But what had caught his eye was the information given to his officers by Rasili Bai- the Madame at the Brothel in G.B. Road. Yes, Anahita used to work in here. But... she left the brothel in only two years. I won’t forget how she had stolen my Man from me. Ashfaq Rehman! Ha! Look where it got her though, Sahib. Ashfaq Miyaan told her he would show her what real money was... I guess what he really meant was Death.
Ashfaq Rehman. Arnav ran a hand through his hair. This case was getting more interesting by the minute. It wasn’t a case of Murder anymore now. No. This case was much more interesting now. It had almost every little bit of what could be called crime stirred in it. Illegal Drug Trafficking being one of them. Arnav smiled wryly as he looked at the photo of the pretty looking girl who had ended up dead. The fool. Blackmailing someone like Ashfaq Miyaan tended to get you there. But now... He leaned back in his chair and fingered the gun strapped to his belt, the puzzle was finally falling into place- and Arnav Singh Raizada was determined to see it through. “Ashfaq Abdul Rehman...” he murmured, his voice silky smooth, his eyes glittering maliciously, his lips stretched in a predatory smirk, “I have you, now.”
He looked up as someone knocked on his door, and frowned as a timid looking Ranjan Dwivedi pushed the door open. The boy was jumpy around him, Arnav noted with quiet amusement, frown firmly in place. “What?” he barked and was impressed that the shaken looking Junior Agent didn’t flinch- but clenched his fists and looked straight at him, trying to look brave with a bit of his apprehension still shining through. He marched forward, and Arnav almost raised his eyebrows, as the march was quite stable- not a shake seemed to seep through- and placed a thick green folder on the desk. “The information you asked for... Sir. On Madhumati Chaurasiya.” he said, and looked a bit flustered as Arnav almost snatched the folder off the desk.
Arnav however was blind to all this. He had eyes only for the folder- the folder that would open a door into the life of his Mysterious Madame Butterfly. That would take him to her. That would help him claim her. His.
A hand waved the now curious Ranjan out, as Molten Chocolate eyes trained on the file of Madhumati Chaurasiya- greedily roving over each and every detail- mundane as they were- of the Lakshminagar Resident. Married to Chandrakant Chaurasiya... widowed in 1990... no children to call her own... His eyes went back to the picture of the rather beefy woman, no kids? then he remembered what he had heard just that morning... KAL AAJAYENGE BUAJI! APNA KHAYAL RAKHIYEGA! BYE!
Buaji.
Arnav flipped through the file, as his eyes read through the contents, looking for that form which should have been in here. And there it was. The application for adoption of a minor. And he scanned the whole thing before he found what he had wanted to know from the very start. The name... the real name... for that firecracker of a woman who was called Billu Rani.
And Arnav Singh Raizada leaned back in his chair again, his eyes sparkling with satisfaction and excitement. Only one name echoing through his mind... smiling as he accomplished the first step towards the Mysterious woman who was responsible for that unfamiliar knotted feeling he had in his guts, constantly nowadays... and his face broke into a smile, as he whispered “Khushi Kumari Gupta.”
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