Birthday Present!! (Part 2)

Monday morning came with a lot of surprises my father gifted me an iPad, my mother showered my face with her lovely kisses and my little brother bought me Lindt chocolates. Everything felt flawless like near perfect. I was happy, it was the last semester of college, I had a job letter, my joining was in six weeks. I was going to shift to Chandigarh, Chandigarh is just 3 hours away from my hometown and my family decided to have weekends planned with me. Things were falling into the right place, it was immaculate. That morning I felt like I had lived all the happiness and had received love, care, success, I could die in peace. But it was not the end, it was the beginning of a new chapter.

I opened the front gate of my door and saw Mr. Singh standing there, I knew this was it. I was done living a happy life and everything that happened afterward still feels like a movie scene. The incident is captured in my mind in slow motion. His words crushed my brain and my eyes got wider, tears came out to my cheeks and I was blushing red with the terror of his voice. I turned to see my father and he was as shocked as I was, but I knew the reason, my father did not. They took me to the police station and my family followed me, I didn’t turn back to look at my family, because I couldn’t face them. I knew in my heart, what was going to happen.

‘How did you know Mr. Gill?’ I knew he would ask me this question.

‘He was my friend’

He stood from his seat and looked at me, I didn't look up, but I could tell he was staring directly at my face. I just wanted to cry.

‘Lady, I don’t want to force you because that’s not how I work. I want the truth. Either you tell me straight or I will find out in a couple of days.’

I knew he would, I decided to tell him everything:

‘I met Anirudh Gill six years ago, at his nephew’s birthday party. Like a good neighbor they invited all of us, they had a big celebration. I was 15 years old then and he was a young man. Very handsome and charming, a successful businessman. He was standing in the corner with his eyes glued to me, I looked up to him and waved my hand. He smiled back and the story of my distortion started’ Mr. Singh rested his back on the chair.

I continued:

‘He came to stand near me, and we started talking and I did the same thing that was expected from me as a teenager, showering in his charm. From tip to toe I was dancing inside. In two months, we were dating, he had a limo, he used to take me for rides, including surprise visits at my tuitions with flowers. He took me to wine tasting which I know was wrong considering my age, but I was just a kid and everything he was doing for me was everything I wanted.’

‘Anybody knew about this affair?’

‘My friend Neha.’ I said while looking down to the floor and continued:

‘Six years passed, and we had a lot of ups and downs. He was never committed to me and that always hurt me, but his intentions were clear from the start. He was not looking for anything serious. Neither was I, but it’s been years and I thought I would change him. I knew he was dating other girls from time to time, some for a month, a week, or just dates. But he was never loyal and on the other hand, I was exclusive for him. He had no problem though, but that’s not the kind of person I am. And we had a complicated relation, I loved him and he loved me too, but his love had some conditions. It's not like that we never had our time, we had. We spent beautiful days in paris, we went to Rome for dinner and stayed there a week, we went missing on an island called Santorini. We were happy or I was happy until I realized he was having someone else in his life too. He left her and came back to me and took me to Disneyland. And then it became a habit. But, in the end, I knew he would come back to me.' I sighed and said:

‘We were not on talking terms recently, but I did saw his murder.’ It was hard for me to accept this, but Mr. Singh didn’t react to it at all instead he said: ‘From your window, I know. Please continue’ That was a surprise to me, I cleared my throat and started:

‘Yes, I saw his murder through the window, and it was my brother’s birthday party. I went down and at 12:15 am I went outside for a walk, I had to absorb the whole situation and I didn’t call the police because I was not in my senses, Anu just died in front of my eyes I did nothing, I was angry with him for destroying me, but I loved him, although I knew eventually this day would come. And I have no idea who the murderer was.’

Mr. Singh stood from his chair and turned towards the wall, 'You know who the girl was, the murderer.'

His words made me nervous and I spit it out:

‘She was Aisha Khanna. Mahira Khanna’s younger sister. Anirudh and Mahira used to date and he murdered her, although in media it was an accident, but it was a planned murder. I heard one of his conversations after the accident, he said over call: “She was getting to my nerves. And with our family’s involvement, I had to find a way to get rid of her without destroying my image.” But I don’t know why Aisha killed him.’

‘Thank you for your cooperation.’ Mr. Singh pointed me towards the door. I came out and went home with my family, for days nobody talked. Police tried to find Aisha and two weeks later they put a price on her information. But she was gone as she died too. Or maybe disappeared into the world’.

**Three weeks later**

‘So, this is it. You are going to be living here from this moment onwards’ my brother said and sighed. I knew it was hard for my whole family. My move out and the whole murder scene, but it’s a good start. Everything that happened was behind me now and in some newspapers.

‘But let’s go for lunch first, my treat.’ It was an overwhelming time for me. My family left me in this strange but beautiful city, Chandigarh.

‘But I still wonder what happened to Aisha’ Oh I forgot to mention, Neha shifted with me. She wanted to complete her post-graduation.

‘I killed her’

‘I am serious. I mean she is nowhere’

‘I am serious too’ Neha laughed, and we went to sleep.