Bhagya - Sree

Chapter 1 

THEY MEET

Sreenadh’s boots clanked on the marble floor, the sound resonating even in a crowded hospital lobby, as he walked towards the emergency.  His grim face and tightened jaw did little to conceal his anger.  Today was not exactly a good day. None of his days were, actually. Crime free days would probably put him out of work but it was the gruesomeness with which crimes were constantly being committed that surprised him even after almost 5 years in his line of duty. How can people be so casual about the things they do to harm other people.

The call about his mother meeting with an accident was the last straw drawn in his already darkened mood. The accident itself did not worry him to the extent that he thought it should have. He somehow sensed that things were probably not that bad. His feelings got affirmed after he met his mother. She had hurt her right elbow and wrist and complained about some pain in the hip. The doctors wanted her to stay so that they could perform some additional tests just to check that her other systems did not get jarred by the accident. His mother was quite vocal about wanting to leav , not understanding the fuss about a bruise and a scratch. She wanted to leave the hospital as soon as possible, which was not surprising given that she hated hospitals and always believed that she would never get so sick as to visit one. It took some effort and patience on his part to convince her to cooperate for some additional test ,just so that they were sure that everything was fine.

The fact that the girl who actually struck his mother in the accident, refused to be taken to the police station was what set the steam off from his ears. Having learnt that the girl was also injured in the accident he asked for a lady constable to come to the hospital so that the girl can be taken to the police station after having her wounds attended to. Shankar, Sreenadh’s constable who drove him around, informed him that the girl’s injuries were not severe and that she only needed first aid and a tetanus shot. Sreenadh had asked him to stay in the emergency and get back to him once the girl was ready to be taken to the station.  After almost two hours his constable came back to him informing him that the girl refused to even speak to him without her father being present. What the hell was she thinking?!! That she would hit a police inspector’s mother and get away with it?

Sreenadh stomped into the emergency department and looked around as if searching for a prey that had just escaped. He saw a lady constable standing in a small sitting area on to the right of the entrance. Beside her a young woman was standing with a mobile to her ear. She was dressed in jeans and a black T-shirt with a red and white image of what looked like a sandwich. Her hair was disarrayed and let loose to fall around her shoulders. There were mud stains along the sides and front of her jeans. She either fell onto her right and rolled onto her front or it could be the other way round too. She had a yellow tinted wound on the backside of her right forearm, so she probably fell forwards onto her forearms, Sreenadh thought. The yellow tinted betadine stain on her wound meant that her wounds had been attended to.  The girl spoke exasperatedly into the phone and was loud enough for him to hear what she was saying.

“No. He is not here as yet!! I don’t know how much time he will take.” She looked down at the chair and kicked its leg lightly and sighed “I am almost done here. I’ll come as soon as he gets here. Ok? Tell amma I am fine.” She fell into the chair and rested her head in her hands. For a puny looking girl she spoke very firmly and her voice was firm and strong.

Sreenadh’s jaw tightened. She is going to leave , is she? Not an ounce of guilt for what she has done.  Obviously the pampered and spoilt child of a rich somebody. Living carelessly off their parents’ money and influence. He walked up to her and spoke in a very stern voice “Show me your Driver’s licence”

Bhagya hated it when people spoke to her in that tone of voice. It almost made her to want to slap them. Even before she lifted her head to look at who it was she decided that the guy was bloody arrogant. She noticed his tanned boots first, looking up his tall frame her eyes finally rested on his dark, brooding face. His kakhi uniform made it quite clear who he was.  He was young. Not the pot bellied, mustachioed, 40-something men, she imagined a police officer to be. He was older than her for sure but not more than five years, tops. His physique suggested that he was the working-out types. Barring the fact that he was looking down at her with dark, intimidating eyes, Bhagya  thought that he looked like a neatly-trimmed- mustachioed hero from a cop movie.  

“Are you deaf?” Sreenadh questioned impatiently,irritated at her unresponsiveness. Bhagya narrowed her eyes. Being a smart looking police officer was not an excuse to speak to anybody in that tone. Much less her. She was not the kind to get scared at the sight of a policeman. Nor was she going to take that kind of crap from anybody. She leaned back against the chair and questioned him with an arrogance that she thought matched his “My licence? Why?”  

What the hell!!! How dare she shows him attitude? Who does she think she is? No matter who her father is Sreenadh was not going to let her off so easily. His experience in the service so far had helped him school his emotions and not display them as he would like to. He controlled his temper.  The lady constable came forward to speak to him but Sreenadh raised his hand to stop her. He looked straight at Bhagya “You don’t have a license?” he asked, his voice laced in sarcasm

“I have. But why do you need to see my licence?” she asked him as if not understanding what the fuss was all about.

“Show me your licence woman!!” His voice boomed across the entire emergency. The big room fell into pin drop silence.  Nobody moved. A duty doctor leaned around the corner “I am sorry sir, but there are other patients in the department and I would really appreciate it if you could keep it low or take it outside.”

Sreenadh apologized to the doctor and the doctor left. When he turned back to Bhagya, she was standing with her with her hands crossed across her chest and was staring at him with such anger in her eyes he could almost feel the heat in them. Before he could say anything the lady constable spoke hurriedly “Sir, she is not the girl who hit madam. Actually she was the one who got madam to the hospital. She pulled madam out of the way of the bike and both of them fell down sir.”

Sreenadh was stumped for words. He felt his  face warm up with embarrassment “Why din’t you tell me before?” he hissed at the constable.

“I tried sir, but you…” the constable’s small voice trailed off. Sreenadh gave her a sharp look and turned to Bhagya. She was looking back at him with her eyes narrowed and he noticed that her chin twitched. That was unusual, he thought. He had never quite seen anybody’s chin twitch like that before. A young nurse walked cautiously over to Bhagya “Madam you need to pay this at the billing counter” she said handing over a slip to Bhagya and stealing a glance at Sreenadh.

Bhagya took the paper from the nurse and almost yelled in disbelief “Four hundred rupees?!!!” Sreenadh was mildly surprised that her tiny eyes could get that big “Four hundred for a bandage and an injection?!!” Bhagya questioned the nurse “If I knew it was going to cost me so much I would have gone home and applied turmeric.” The nurse just smiled hesitantly and walked away.

“What the hell!!!” Bhagya looked up to find Sreenadh looking at her blankly. Before he could say anything she reached for her bag that was lying on a chair beside her. Sreenadh took the slip from her hand “I’ll pay that” he said without looking at her face. How in hell did he bungle up like that? He knew he should apologize and actually thank her but he was just feeling so awkward that he could not quite look her in the eye.

Bhangra snatched the slip from him “No thanks” Her words were a bit harsh “I can pay it myself” she spoke and walked around him towards the exit. Sreenadh pointed at Bhagya and spoke to his constable “Ask her if she needs a ride home”

“No need” Bhagya replied without looking back and walked out. 

What does that girl think of herself? Here Sreenadh was trying to be nice to her and she was behaving so…so…Sreenadh sighed. He was never good in dealing with women anyway. So what happened now was not surprising. “So where is the other lady?” he asked the constable. As soon as he said that he heard loud sobs and watery words from one cubicle “I did not do it on purpose. I swear!! I want my father here!!” A girl wailed.

He walked over to the cubicle and after asking the nurse pulled the curtain aside. A young girl with sat on the bed with her arm in a sling and a bruised chin. She winced in pain trying to bring her  hands together “I am so sorry sir!!” she cried “I did not know she was your mother”

Sreenadh raised his eyebrows and questioned sarcastically  “Ante? it is ok if she wasn’t my mother?”

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“Stop it akka. You are making me dizzy.” Bhuvana tried to stop elder sister from wearing out the new shoes that she got just last week. Bhagya had been in such a fit since she got back from the hospital. She was clam for the most part except for the sudden bursts of curses and the constant limping back and forth. “I am not understanding what you are getting so upset about. It is only 400 rupees?”

“Only 400!!” Bhagya burst out, unable to believe that her sister made it sound like 5 rupees “for that ONLY 400 I had to stand in the sun , wearing this stupid T-shirt and talking to every damn person who dint care a dime for what I was saying” She pointed at her t-shirt “Hello sir , why don’t you come and try our new chicken patties and kheema sandwich” she imitated in an excited sales person kind of voice and suddenly narrowed her eyes at Bhuvana “And your stupid lover boy would not even pay me more than that for that embarrassing show”

Bhuvana made a face at her sister “Who asked you to do it. And stop calling him my lover boy” 

“Cha!”

“Chi!. Ayna if you were going to feel that bad you should have let that guy pay the bill” Bhuvana smilingly pointed at the bed inviting her sister over.

“Let him pay? You have no idea how bloody arrogant that guy was da. Idiot fellow. I take his mother to the hospital and he screams at me!! In front of everybody!!” Bhagya emphasized animatedly. Her chin started to twitch again “Bloody jerk!. Who does he thinks he is?”

“A police officer” Bhuvana sighed. This was going to take time. It was quite unusual of her sister to get riled about anything or anybody. She saw a little glimpse of what her sister was during her school days. Bhagya had come a long way from being that very emotional, short tempered rebel kind of girl to the calm, matter of fact , practically speaking lady that she now was.  She learnt to brush of things quite instantly. This guy must have really pissed  her off. 

"I was planning to buy that white top that I saw in Shilparamam "she pouted like a small girl "Try to do good for people and this is what happens " 

Bhuvana smiled .At times her sister was such a kid. May be she needed to be. From when Bhuvana could remember it was Bhagya who was always trying to make home feel home. Whether it was constantly trying to protect her and their mother from their father or working multiple jobs so she can earn money for the house. She never spoke about it but Bhuvana knew that they were the only reason that she even chose to come back to the house. 

"Anyways forget that. I got a new movie " Bhagya rubbed her hands excitedly , jumping of the bed to get a CD from her bag." 

"Which one?" 

"This one" Bhagya winked pushing the CD into her face 

"Ammo no! I don't want to watch it. I get such bad dreams when I watch them"

"This is a good one Una ! Where are you going?" Bhuvana picked up a few books from the table and walked towards the bedroom door.

"I will sit outside and study. One last exam and I will be done” she smiled excitedly.

Bhagya sighed giving up. She could never get Bhuvana to watch these movies "Ok. Come back fast eh. I have to leave early tomorrow" 

Bhuvna smiled and left. 

Having all the essentials ready for the movie, Bhagya plopped down on the edge of the bed lying down flat on her stomach , switched on the laptop and put it down beside the bed and started digging into the popcorn even before she placed the CD in the laptop.

When Bhuvana came back after a couple of hours she was not surprised at what she saw. That was the usual. Bhagya was wrapped head to toe in her blanket. The laptop was playing illayaraja songs and an empty crumpled popcorn bag lay beside it. The light in the room was not turned off. Why, Oh why does she have to watch those movies?