The Legend from Runisia by Vishal Kadiri (the best ebook reader for android TXT) 📕

blue gown. I saw no one around. Maybe she was alone. Otherwise, no blood relations leave others alone especially in emergency situations like this. It was a pleasing smile, when she saw me and it felt soothing and I smiled back at her.

‘Hi, Aditi. Hope you are doing good now.’

‘Hi,’ she greeted with hesitation and blank face ‘Thank you for asking; Sorry, do I know you?’

‘Myself Meghana Saxena; Senior Journalist at Times of Mumbai.’

‘I’m tired of talking to media about the incident,’ she blurted and joined her hands, ‘Can we skip it. I’m getting discharged from here in few minutes.’

‘I’m not here to talk about the bombing,’ I paused and she stopped ‘I need some info about your husband.’

‘Sorry? My husband?’ she exclaimed in disbelief.

‘Yes, Rahim - Rahim Razak.’

She jolted. ‘I don’t know, what are you talking about?’ folds her hands again.

‘He needs your help. He is in trouble. I know your story and everything about you both.’

She stormed, ‘What do you know? What lies that bastard had fed you about me.’

My ears widely opened; eyes joggled with muted tone.

She grunted. ‘Did he kill anyone? I have no connections with him’

‘What made you say that?’ Me totally clueless at the moment.

She had painted a completely different perspective of the story that I heard from Rahim. I should have guessed; Her caffeine dozed eyes spoke the truth of Rahim Razak as a person who she hates in tons, while I was sipping my coffee in utter surprise.

She said, ‘I ran away from him and left Iran.’

‘Wait, sorry? Iran?’ Reassuring myself.

‘He is from Runisia right?’

‘Sorry what?’

‘Runisia, his country.’

‘I never heard about it, we met in Iran.’ This caught me, off track, my head is spinning, even I had this strong coffee and this became too much for me. So, I ignored the mystery around Runisia for a while and trying to concentrate on what Aditi had to say.

She continued to explain ‘I ran away from him, after our marriage.’

‘What happened?’ As this seems like a new story altogether.

‘He used to visit my Art Gallery frequently, one day he approached me for a painting that I drew with my hand.’

‘I know you paint with your bare hands.’

‘How do you know?’

‘That isn’t important now, please continue.’

‘We talked about Art and culture. We started meeting more often. I loved those buttery conversations. We got married to each other. Those are the best moments of my life.’

‘Then?’ Seeing it in person is different from hearing stories about it. Now, I have varied perspectives about the same person, even though story sounds similar.

‘He lost his job after four months of our marriage, and he didn’t attend to many interviews after that, because no one is giving him a job. He started drinking regularly and fell into the wrong influence in those weak times’

‘Wrong influence?’

‘Yes, He joined a group of people, who go against the system, Rahim became a great asset to them. Because he was the only well-educated among them.’

‘Then, you ran away from him?’

‘No, I tried to convince him to come along with me. I’ve got a world tour contract and asked him to leave the city. But he refused and started dominating me as he felt I was showing pity on him after he lost his job.’

I pressed my fingers against my eyes, wanting to push hard enough to expunge the headache. I never understand the ego of men, why cannot they live on their wife’s salary. What is so wrong about it? ‘Dominating? As in?’ I continued to ask,

‘Sole purpose of our marriage became the motive to satisfy his hunger, fulfilling his intimacy on my lifeless skin. I’ve just became a doll to fulfil his desires.’ breathing heavily she continued,

‘There itself my love for him has died. Closed windows and dumb walls stood as witnesses for the pain that he caused in the name of affection, started to torture my skin in every possible way leaving scars for the rest of my life.’

That’s what I was talking about. They don’t use their power at right place. My Gut-wrenched with faded images of her dreadful story. He never patted time for her, he used to meet her only at nights of sexual need, blinded his love with alcohol. Her legs stretched wide open taking the pain she never deserved. Escaping from the monster was the only option she had.

Held her hand and gave her a gentle hug, nuzzled her back, asking her the favour she could do, for greater good.

‘Can you come with me to the police station?’

‘For?’

‘Rahim is under police inspection; they don’t have any witness or proof.’

‘Why would my words matter?’

‘Don’t know, but after hearing your story and learning the truth about Rahim, I’m afraid, he is dangerous. He might have come here to execute the next blast in the series.’

‘What, we cannot let this happen. Many people like me have already suffered enough.’

We have to stop him. I thought ‘We have to stop him.’ she followed my thought.

Something is still off about Rahim. If he did, whatever Aditi says, why would she ever help him? She will instead become the witness for his cruel plans. There is only one way to find out, to interrogate Rahim, in front of Aditi. It was hard to choose either of them, while both were convincing at their individual versions. I’m unsure now, who to believe in.

Ashok was back from the meeting ‘Did I miss anything?’

‘Yes, a lot. But we don’t have time for that. We need to hurry’ I said dumping coffee cup into the dustbin. His story is becoming more mysterious and moving beyond our ordinary understanding.

‘Where?’

‘Police station at the Airport.’ To meet Rahim Razak. I thought within myself.

.

Chapter IV

On our way to airport, passing by the huge buildings and tiny chawls of Mumbai. I introduced Ashok to Aditi as my old friend. It is awkward to have introduced him as my ex, so friend was a better choice. Ashok is driving, I asked Aditi to rest for some time as she