Irresistible

19. Posters

By the time Haseena returned from HQ, it was evening and she was hopefully searching for Karishma for she had promised her a date, but she couldn't find her. A lady had come to file an FIR and she got busy.
After some time Haseena heard Karishma's bike and she remained seated not wanting to seem desperate before Pushpaji and the others.
Karishma came inside dragging a badly beaten up man behind her. He was barely able to walk. His face was bloody and he was limping badly.

"Cheetey gate kholo. Iski toh jaan le lengey hum aaj." Karishma said angrily, still gripping the man's collar.

Haseena heard the commotion and came outside her cabin. She looked at an angry Karishma and the man she was dragging.

"Karishma.. Singh yeh kya kiya hai aapne. Yeh koi tareeka hai kisi se bhi pesh aane ki?" She reminded herself to be more watchful of not referring to Karishma on her first name basis within the thaana.

Haseena instructed Cheetah to give some water to the man but Karishma took the glass of water from Cheetah and smashed it on the wall.
"Koi paani waani nai pilayega isse. Chalo andar chalo." She dragged the man inside and before she could enter inside herself, Haseena stopped her by gripping her upper arm and Karishma shook her hand off in anger.
"Chodiye humme." She said and opened the gate.
"Karishma Singh rukhiye and that's and ORDER." Haseena shouted.

"Karishma Singh humme abhi ke abhi batayiye ke kya koi inpar FIR darj kiya hai?"
"Par humari baa-" Haseena cut her off
"Humare sawaal ka jawab."
"Nahi."
"Kya sabooth hai inke khilaaf ki aap inki halaat aise bigaad kar rakh diya hai?"
Karishma fisted her hands. She glared at Haseena with red eyes.
"Koi sabooth nahi hai." She said in a low voice.
"Toh phir kis kanoonan haq se aapne yeh sab kiya hai?" Haseena asked her in a higher tone. The entire station was on a stand still. It was rare to see their SHO lose her cool but when she did, it was terrifying.
"Maddam sir ka hum akele mein-"
"Nahi aap humein yaheen batayengi ki aapne aisa kyun kiya."
Karishma didn't have any response to her question. She just stood there. Haseena exhaled deeply closing her eyes. She turned towards others.

"Cheetah inko paani pilaao. Pushpa ji insey statement likhwa lijiye, aur request kijiye ki koi charges na press karein."

"Maddam sir hum-" Karishma started saying something but was again cut by an angry Haseena.

"Aapse kab sudharengi Karishma Singh." She said in a disappointed manner and left for her cabin. Karishma had had enough of it. She stormed off from the thaana but was followed by Pushpa ji.

"Rukhiye. Rukhiye humme toh batayiye kya hua?" Pushpa ji stopped Karishma and placed a caring hand on Karishma's face looking at her state.

Karishma hugged Pushpa ji for being patient with her unlike her superior who had just misunderstood her anger without knowing the reason. Pushpa ji patted her head.

"Shaanth ho jayiye Karishma."

Karishma collected herself and parted from Pushpa ji. She explained how she had caught the man in the sides of the very busy market sticking posters of Haseena from when she had danced as Urmila near her tela. The caption on the poster was degrading in all senses and when she had seen this, she had torn the posters, as many she had seen there and had seized the rest from the man.

"Aap batayiye ka humara gussa jayaj nahi hai?" Karishma asked and Pushpa ji shook her head with tears.

"Aapne joh kiya sahi kiya. Par aap unse bataya kyun nahi?"

"Uuh humme baat karne kahaan diya amma aapne toh dekha na." She said wiping her tears.

"Sab theek ho jayega. Aap baat kijiye unse. Ek hi chat ke neechey rehte hai aap dono."

"Amma woh hum unke saat kaam ke baare mein ghar mein baat nahi kartey." Karishma said with an innocent expression and Pushpa ji smiled at Karishma.

"Toh bahar le jayiye unko." Pushpa ji said caressing Karishma's face and walked back inside the thaana.

"Hum nikhal rahe hai." Haseena said and left the thaana in her jeep without even glancing at Karishma.

Haseena was on her way to her home lost in her thoughts. On one hand she was not proud of how she had reacted but then the man was beaten up so brutally. This was not the first time Karishma's anger had exceeded its limits.

Kab tak aise chalega inka. She thought.

Just then she was crossing the market which was empty now, when she saw Billu tearing some posters in a corner.
She was intrigued and she stopped the jeep near him.

"Billu." She called out but he was busily tearing the posters.

She got out of the jeep and tapped him on his shoulder and he jumped. Scared.

"Maddam sir." He said in his accent and suddenly remembered what he was doing.

"MADDAM SIR." He shouted again.

"Ji hai hum maddam sir. Tum iss waqt yahaan kya kar rahe ho aur yeh poster." She said and bent down picking one up and the content baffled her.

The caption was written with an intention to slut-shame her and questioned how a "slut" like her could be a SHO.

"Maddam sir woh, ek aadmi yeh sab chipka raha tha tab Karishma maddam ne usse dekh liya tha aur khoob maara tha usse. Unhone hi humme yahaan bhula liye yeh sab hatane ke liye." He confessed. Haseena could now see why Karishma was THAT angry.

"Yeh humney kya kar diya."

Haseena made it home after minutes and she parked her jeep. Without entering her home she dialled Karishma's number but she wasn't picking up. Her guilt was increasing with every passing second.
Yeh humney kya kardiya she thought to herself again.

She again dialled Karishma's number. Thrice more and then threw her phone away in anger. Anger at herself for not being patient at that time.

She rushed to her now useless phone because she wanted to call Pushpa ji or Cheetah to ask about Karishma.
..
On the other hand Karishma was roaming the entire Janpat to see if she had missed any poster. She had locked the man despite Haseena's order. He was unconscious and when he gained consciousness she wanted to interrogate him. Itna maara ki behosh hogaya. No wonder Haseena was that angry she thought. When she was sure that she hadn't missed any spot she turned towards her home. They were to go on a date, she thought to herself bitterly.

Haseena heard Karishma's bike approaching her compound and she came out of the kitchen and headed towards the door. Karishma parked her bike near the jeep and got down. She looked at Haseena for a brief second. Her eyes were still red but they were also sad and that broke Haseena's heart. Karishma didn't utter a word. She just opened the door, walked inside closing the door behind her.