1985. The City of dreams. Red double decker buses, khali-peeli taxis, radios, Doordarshan, video cassettes and rotary dial phones.
DCP Amarnath arrives in Bombay with a mission, straight and clear: To tackle the notorious Crime Syndicates.
As the c...
Amarnath leans against his white Ambassador in Ballard estate's Laxman Chowk and watches keenly as Gauri reverse parks her Premiere Padmini. He suddenly straightens up as she gets out, remembering the strange way she spoke on the phone yesterday. But he has to wait another five minutes as she adjusts her hair in the rearview mirror.
She pulls her hair back and holds it in place like a ponytail, shaking the few strands framing her face. Then, she sets her hair free, pushing and pulling it several times until Amarnath loses track of what she is trying to do. He looks at his wristwatch and sighs.
'Hi,' she walks up to him five minutes later, brightening up a little. All the way here, her grandmother's words had been ringing incessantly in her ears; about how good girls should dress and behave.
'What happened?' Amarnath asks.
'Nothing happened. Why?'
'You are late.'
She glances at her wristwatch. It is quarter to one. They had agreed to meet at half past twelve. She is fifteen minutes late.
'Oh good god, did we miss the flight?' she asks worriedly, trying to hide her smile.
'You shouldn't waste time,' he says.
He's being serious, she thinks amusedly.
'Yes, Sir,' she tries to sound serious too, but there is laughter in her voice and extends her hand for a handshake. 'Hi, again.'
Amarnath looks at her hand, back at her and at her hand again. He fidgets his fingers and raises his hand to hers, wondering how her skin would feel against his. Gauri retracts her hand back and folds her hand into a namaste, practically grinning.
Amarnath finally breaks into a soft smile at her antic. Gauri notices how the skin beside his eyes creases when he does. How different he looks, with his usual grim, serious look momentarily eased away.
'Chale?' he says, trying not to look at her skirt and her thin, peanut-buttery legs on display. Why can't she wear normal clothes and stop messing with my head?
Gauri purses her lips looking at his empty hands. She bends to glance at the back seat of his Ambassador.
'Ki hoia ji?' he asks.
'Uh? No... nothing,' she straightens up, realizing there are no flowers in there either. 'Are you sure you didn't forget anything?'
He looks thoughtful for a moment before realising something.
'Thanks. I almost forgot,' he opens the car door and picks up his walkie-talkie.
Gauri stares at it. 'No, I mean, I ... Never mind. Do you really need this for a lunch date?'
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Amarnath looks at it and blinks. She blinks back. He puts it back into the car.
They walk along the pedestrian path of Moraji Street, passing by a flock of pigeons which throng the Khali Peeli taxi stand. The sky is bright, it's milky blue colour complimenting the colonial elegance of Ballard estate. The line handsome buildings with rich Neoclassical and Renaissance facades stretch far and wide, creating the mirage of walking along a quiant London street.
