Karishma was sitting at side alone, when Meera come to her.
"Karishma, Haseena kahan hai?"
"Humari Jeb mein to nahi hai." Karishma replied as she was already in a bad mood.
"Main seriously puch rahi hoon, tune Haseena ko dekha hai, woh apne tent mein nahi hai."
"To kahin aur hogi, itni badi jagah hai."
"Maine pura campsite dekha, woh kahin nahi mili."
"Kya?" Now Karishma started to worry.
"Tum log Haseena ko dhund rahe ho?" A girl came to them and asked."
"Haan."
"Maine use aadhe ghante pahle jungle ki taraf jate dekh, mujhe laga ki yahin kahin aas paas hi gayi hogi lekin agar woh ab tak nahi aayi iska matlab to woh rasta kho gayi."
Karishma's eyes widened in fear as she listened the girl's words. Her mind automatically start imagining the worst scenarios. What if she seriously lost in jungle? What if something had happened to her?
She quickly ran towards the forest area when Meera stopped her.
"Kahan ja rahi ho?"
"Haseena ko dhundne aur kahan?"
"Wahan khatra bhi ho sakta hai, main ma'am ko inform karti hun, hum sab sath mein jayenge."
Meera said but Karishma didn't stop and ran away.
"Karishma!"
.
.
.
"Karishma maddam!" Karishma's memory lane was interrupted by Santu," Kahan kho gayi aap?"
"Nahi kahin nahi. Tum kya bol rahi thi."
Everyone was at Badnam's stall, sipping the morning tea. And the topic was their new SHO.
"Maddam main to kah rahi thi ki mujhe yeh nayi SHO thodi khadus si lagi. Kal sirf kaam ki baat ki, aur to aur jab lunch break hua tab bhi unhone chup chap khana khaya aur phir apne cabin mein chali gayi." Pushpa ji and Cheetah agreed with Santu.
"Are kal hi to aayi hain woh aur ek baar milte hi thodi na pata chalega ki woh kaisi hain. Thoda time to do unhe." Karishma took a stand for Haseena but deep down even she was confused as she didn't expect Haseena to be so calm. The Haseena she knows can't sit silently even for 5 minutes.
Karishma hold herself before she could again drive into past. And thought what she would do today when she will face her. Yesterday, she avoided her somehow but it's not professional to avoid your senior for your personal reasons.
"Maddam sir." Pushpa ji signed them as the jeep stopped there.
Haseena got down from the jeep. Everyone came forward and saluted her.
"Maddam sir aaiye na aap bhi chai pijiye humare sath." Pushpa ji requested.
Haseena glanced at Karishma, who was looking everywhere but her. So avoiding the awkwardness between them, she denied the request saying she had her morning tea with her ammi.
Before they could go into the thana, they saw a couple was coming to them.
"Aaj to hum sara kissa hi khatam kar denge." The man said.
"Are aap kya khatam karenge, aaj to hum bhi chup nahi bethenge." The woman replied in same pitch.
"Shant ho jaiye....shant ho jaiye...kya baat hai?" Haseena asked politely.
"Maddam hume isse talak chahiye, ab hum ise aur bardasht nahi kar sakte." The man said.
"Aap log pahle andar chaliye."
.
.
.
"Ab itminan se bataiye ki hua kya hai? Sabse pahle apna naam bataiye." Haseena leaned forward. Everyone was standing surrounding them.
