23

We walked back after the lunch date and thankfully, Susan’s room was in a better condition. The ‘jugadu’ (street smart solution) labourers did a great job.

“Well I can live with this for a while, but try and get me a better office soon,” said Susan.

“Of course,” I replied.

“I need to know about more about the romance between Karishma and Arjun. Can you ask Arjun to come and meet me today? I would like to meet him straight away and get to understand him.”

“So soon, don’t you want to take a break? I can call him tomorrow.”

“Mr Detective, I am on a break from my main work and need to finish this case soon and go back. I don’t have time to waste.” That was almost an order, if she wasn’t as beautiful as she was, I would have said something aggressive, but I just felt to oblige.

Arjun was in her office within an hour.

“Hi Mr Rahul, can I come in,” Arjun entered while glancing at Susan.

“Come in Arjun. This is Susan, a special detective we have brought in to solve this case. Susan, this is Arjun.” I said as I introduced the two.

Susan offered her hand to Arjun for a handshake and looked directly in his eyes, trying to read something; she held his hand for a bit longer than normal. Guess she was checking the confidence of the man or was just playing a psychological game with Arjun.

“Arjun, I have got a good brief from Rahul about you and Karishma. So I would not like to waste time on pleasantries. I need to hear about you and Karishma in your own words. Give me a few instances to let me understand your love story.” It was again an order from Susan; she loved to order. Was I on her menu list, I wondered.

“Maam…” started Arjun, as Susan interrupted him immediately.

“Call me Susan,” again an order.

“Yes ma’am…I mean Susan,” said Arjun immediately correcting himself as he saw Susan’s expression change. “It’s nice meeting you. I loved Karishma a lot and my life is now incomplete without her. Let me tell you one story which was lovable and funny and which may give you a glimpse of my Karishma.”

“Karishma and I were really made for each other, we had so much in common and time flew so fast whenever I was with her, hours would pass by in minutes. The compatibility between us was so good that at times we felt we were just one soul spliced into two bodies. We both shared a sense of humour which tickled our funny bones at most times. We were also very good in pulling each other’s leg and making fun of each other, but we never felt offended by it. We knew there was lot of love which was making this fun making all the more loving.”

“I remember I played a prank on Karishma once on April 1, the April Fool’s Day. I was supposed to be in Delhi at that time, and was missing her a lot. And since it was April 1, I wanted to have some fun with her. I called her from Delhi and since it was day time, she picked up the phone,

“Hi K, how are you, babe?”

“Hi J, how are you honey. I miss you so much!”

“I miss you too Karishma.”

“It’s always so beautiful to hear my name from your mouth.”

“It will be more beautiful if my mouth could directly speak to your mouth,” I tried to be cheeky.

“That’s the only thing you can think of, you are one track mind.”

“Well, is it my fault that God has endowed you with the most beautiful lips in the world?”

“There you go Mr Flatterer. I am sure half the things you say you don’t mean it.” I am sure she must have blushed at that compliment, but she had to act tough.

“But K, here it is belongs to other half, the true part, and I say it with lot of experience,” I joked.

“Whatever,” she said. Wasn’t I expecting that word again from her, basically to mean shut up and to change the topic?

“I love when you call me J.”

“When are you coming? I miss you.” She changed the topic.

“I will come now if you want me to,” I started laying down my April Fools plot.

“As if.”

“I mean it, just tell me to come and I will be there near you.”

“Arjun, don’t joke with me na, I don’t like it.” I realized she had not figured out that today was an Aprils Fools Day.

“I am not joking, I am serious,” I said, “serious about making you an April Fool,” I said very softly so that she doesn’t hear but I have spoken the truth.

“Okay, come, I want to have lunch with you.” She was taking the bait.

“Honey, guess what, I just landed at the Mumbai airport, and am calling you from here; just waiting to collect my luggage. I came in a day early as I was missing you and wanted to meet you.”

“You are lying, you are just trying to please me, are you sure you are at the airport?”

“Yes Karishma, let’s have lunch together. What’s your plan?”

“I am at home.”

“Ok great, why don’t we meet at the Crossword at the Kemps Corner Junction in an hour’s time, I can pick up a couple of books I want and we can eat there.” I said to make her believe that I am serious.

“I am so happy that you are here, I love you my baby.” Now I felt a little guilty, but what I was planning was also part of love.

“I love you too, get ready and look your best; I want to see my beautiful love.”

“Arjun, even if you didn’t tell me, I would have looked beautiful for you, my handsome prince.”

“Ok, my bag is here, will call you back.” I said, making her believe all was well.

I knew she would go to Crossroads all excited and was going to wait for me and then eventually get disappointed and leave. I was feeling guilty but I wanted to do this, after all it was April Fool’s Day. However, I didn’t want to totally disappoint her, so I made a call to Crossroads and then I kept my Delhi phone off the hook, so in case she tried, she couldn’t reach me.

Karishma did try to call my phone a number of times, especially before she left home, but since it was not reachable, she thought I must have been speaking the truth. She reached Crossroads on time and waited there for me, for half an hour beyond the agreed time between us. She kept trying my phone, but of course couldn’t reach it. She did feel at one point of time hoping that I had not met with an accident as I was late in reaching Crossroads. It couldn’t take me so long to reach there. After 45 minutes of wait, the Crossroads staff approached her with a bouquet of flowers and a beautiful cute teddy with a card which read, ‘Happy April Fool’s Day, I love you, Arjun.

What I thought would be romantic really upset her; she stormed out of Crossroads and went home. I put my phone receiver back on the hook 5 minutes after she was given the bouquet and the teddy, as I had agreed the time with the staff. I called her at her residence number. No one picked up, I called again, and again no response. I called Crossroads to check if she had come and whether they had given her the gifts, and they informed that K had walked out of there very furious. I tried again to call her, and again the phone just beeped in return, in revenge. Well, it didn’t go exactly the way I had planned it, I thought she will take it sportingly and we will laugh over it, moreover she will be very pleased to receive the flowers and the teddy, but it was not so. She had not taken it well; she was missing me, wanted to meet me and was excited about it. She felt her feelings had been played with and this is what made her furious. She kept her phone off the hook the entire day and finally someone put it back in place in the evening. I called, it rang and she picked up,

“Hi K, where are you all day?”

“You are asking me? I was the one waiting like a fool in front of fifty people. Do you even realize how embarrassing is it to be fooled in front of so many people, staring at me, having fun at my expense? They were laughing Arjun, on me, because of you.” She started sobbing as she said it.

“Don’t cry honey, I didn’t mean to do that, you know I will never do it.”

“But you did exactly that,” she sobbed a little.

“Don’t cry na, I just wanted to share some fun moments with you, followed by a bit of romantic gesture.”

“I waited for you Arjun, I wanted to be with you, and all you were only interested in making fun of me.”

“Not making fun of you, it was just an April Fool prank. Haven’t you ever played a prank on anyone?”

“I have but not with someone who I love and I care for!”

“Ok dear, I am sorry, I really am. I didn’t mean to hurt you. And stop crying, please!”

“Give me a tight hug first, and say you love me fifteen times.”

I couldn’t help but smile at her innocence, I replied saying, “Mmmmmmmmmm. Tight hug for my love, and I love you fifteen times!”

“Not fifteen times like this, say it fifteen times.”

“K, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you.”

“I love you too, and promise me you will never play such a prank on me!”

“I promise I will never play such a prank on you, will play some other prank.” We both started laughing on that.

“You try, and see what I will do.” The sobbing had stopped, thankfully.

“What will you do my love?”

“I will make you say I love you a thousand times.”

“Well that will be my pleasure, I intend to love you all my life, and I intend to love you FOREVER.”

“That’s so sweet J; I love you too, FOREVER.”

“Ok you need to do one more thing for me for making me cry.”

“Name it baby.”

“You know how much I love my Diet Pepsi and I need it every night before I sleep.”

“Yes honey.”

“Promise me that for one year from now, you will take care of my Diet Pepsi requirements delivered to my house.”

“That’s it, done my dear K, I hereby vow that for one year, Diet Pepsi shall be delivered to you at your doorsteps.”

“Thanks honey, but listen J, before you hang up. I wasn’t angry or upset. I was just playing a prank on you and making you feel miserable the way you made me feel. It was all part of the plan,” she said and started laughing. I was dumbfounded. The entire day I was waiting to talk to her and she just decided to play a prank on me. But I wasn’t in a position to get upset, was I, considering that I played a prank on her as well.

“Helloo… Where are you Mr Prankster,” she said as there was silence on my side.

“I am right here, still trying to digest what you just said. You are an amazing prankster yourself. The entire day I was so worried about you and you just didn’t care,” I said visibly upset.

“Don’t be upset na, I just wanted to share some fun moments with you, followed by a bit of romantic gesture,” she said repeating my words. I had to give up my being upset and just love her for who she was.

“K, can’t tell you how much I love you. Though I was upset but your humour and presence of mind is just out of the world and has brought a smile to my face. No wonder you are my life and I ….I just love you baby, Mrs Prankster.”

“I love you too J and thanks for creating special memories on this April Fool’s Day. I will never forget this day.”

“Same here K, I will never forget this too, and I am sure I will repeat this story many times to many people.”

“I need to hang up now. I think it is dad at the door.”

“OK, just tell him that I have bought a book for him, I think he will love to read it.”

“Ya right, bye love.”

“Bye, love you K!”

“Bye, love you J.”

There was a big smile on Arjun’s face as he said, “Love You, K!” and within moments he got philosophical. “Little did I know that I will have to repeat this story to people in such circumstances, without my Karishma?” A tear rolled down the cheeks of Arjun.

Arjun’s stories made me emotional always, and as I turned towards Susan, for the first time I saw moist in her eyes. For the first time I realized Susan had a softer side to her. She was moved and if she had spoken, I am sure her voice would have cracked. She just got up and walked out of the door, probably wanting to hide a weak tear from the strong face.