The Morning after

The Interrogation

"Dinner? Do you think we are having a joke here , said Inspector Khan

"I don't know , why don't you tell me! I am being called here again and again to relive the trauma and after all of this you haven't even found a single evidence, what the hell do you want from me!" i screamed. The inspector locked those dreamy golden eyes on me , unbothered about what he was making me go through and said, 

"lets do this again, from the start"

"You already recorded my statement 5 months ago, why again?" i barked.

"I think i missed  a few things , shall we?" he replied calmly. I fidgeted , it felt as if my stomach was facing a liberation movement from all the species i have eaten , there was a heavy feeling in my chest , with tears splitting over and flowing down my face like a river escaping a dam.

"We don't have all day" Inspector said , devoid and unconcerned of human emotions. With all the breathlessness , i started , with every word of mine trying to gain a puff of air.

"My husband and I—"

"I meant from your inception , think as if your statement is being recorded" he interrupted. With sorrow drowning me into it , i started , 

"My name is Simran , i was born in Shimla on 17th June , 1962. I lost my parents when i was 10 years old—"

"Oh yes , they were murdered , and their body was never recovered. Well , except their heads"He said smirking . I continued pretending not to hear him .

"Me and my older brother Nilesh , were raised by our uncle in Delhi . I never went to school , since we didn't even had enough money to fill our stomach-"

"Okay , lets cut to the chase , when did you meet Vijay?  he interrupted.

"October 21,1982 , i was employed in his house for taking care of his mother . His charm was something to die for , he was handsome from depth of his eye to the gentle expression of his voice—"

"Yeah we know , we have his photo in missing person's report , what my question to you is why would a person with so much fortune in his name would marry a maid" he said interrupting my rich imagination.

"Because he was in love with me.  We always use to imagine going back to Shimla , and spending our lives together. He was going to tell his mother about me after he come back from US , but she got to know before he could tell , and she was enraged , she made it abundantly clear that she would never approve our union

"So, you killed her—"

"What , no!"

"—you knew she wouldn't approve , and without her blessings Vijay won't marry , so you killed her"

"No , no , no  , no , no" i shouted

"It was all you , you had taken a leave that day , she went out to do the work you did—"

"No , why-why the hell would i-i do that" i screeched 

"—it was a perfect plan , she went out and never came back , her body is missing till date"

"Please stop , please stop " i said crying out loud. For the first time he seemed to follow what i said . My tear burst out like water spilling out from a dam , i could hear my own sounds , like a distressed child , raw from inside. His words were like theft of my spirit, an injury no other person can see. I calmed myself , it took me whole lot of minutes with inspector staring at me like a child stares at a candy until its given. I soaked my tears and said in collapsing voice , 

"S-She was killed, k-k-killed on 1st November , 1984 , by an angry mob who howled of their own misery and killed anyone who came in front of them. Her body was never recovered just like of those hundreds who were burned alive on the streets"

"okay!"—he seemed convinced

—"So , Vijay married you soon after that?"

"No , it took him 3 years to accept his mother's death , he even started a patrol searching for his mother but didn't found her".

As i was about to continue , door squeaked open , and entered a  very ugly female officer with a dull file in her hand and handed it over to the inspector.  As inspector Khan was busy reading the file , i kept staring at the female officer , thinking who would think of even licking this hideous woman. To keep this nasty creature out my sight i looked for the inspector who had a change of expression from that of a vicious hound to a befuddled man. With that expression on , he looked at me with  those dreamy eyes and stuttered ,

"We-we f-found the dead body of your husband"