Meghana - 4

Smartly dressed in denim jeans and T-shirt with ray ban glass Vijay stepped off his Royal Enfield, along with Sunil into the PES Institute of Technology.

They didn't want to scare the students off by going in uniform.

Seeing Vijay getting off his bike, girls smiled seeing Vijay's attire and his crew cut hair style and physic.

“Who is the handsome guy”, asked a girl dressed in jeans to her friend and whispered themselves looking at Vijay, wondered who he might be.

Vijay went straight to the principal room to meet him and informed him that he had come to meet Vikas as he wanted to question him on Meghana's case. Principal asked the peon to take them to Vikas class room.

The peon said,“Please follow me, sir”.

When they were turning around the corner, Vijay accidentally bumped into a girl and her books fell on the floor.

Vijay said, “Sorry, I didn’t notice”. She said, “It’s all right even I didn't notice you coming”.

Her voice sounded musical to his ears. He wondered is it like this to him or for everyone who talks with her. He causally stole a glance to look the name on her books.“Abighnya”, he muttered.

He helped her to get the books and while giving it to her, he saw her face and stared at the vibrant glow that dominated the face and the way she had taken care to dress herself amidst jeans and skirts, impressed him.

He felt strange pleasure and calmness seeing her face, an unknown bond with invisible strings hold-ed his gaze and he totally forgot that he was in college and staring at her.

Impatiently Sunil gave a squeaking noise, “Shall we go sir”.

“Ya, we can go”, Vijay wondered what had happened to him.

Vikas was not in his class room and someone suggested to check in canteen.In the canteen they noticed him and he appeared drowsy. Except his sleepy gesture he looked handsome and casually dressed. Vijay told him why he had come to meet him.

“l loved her so much. She was my life and I was ready to even die for her. Though she insulted and despised me many times, still I loved her so much. But she left me”, Vikas was moaning.

Sunil never expected to see vikas mourn over the death of Meghana but rather assumed that he would be seeing a happy face.

Vijay keenly observed him and said, “She died becoz of poison in her food”, and noted his reactions. It was clearly evident that he didn't expect this and he was shell shocked.

“Poison!!!!”.

“We are checking on her friends and others who know her. And we came to know that she insulted you in-front of your friends. So u got a motive to kill her for insulting you right Mr. Vikas?” , Vijay said.

“Are you nuts? Are you suspecting me…? I would rather die for her than kill her. In fact, I met her Friday night and pleaded her to marry me”. Vijay frowned hearing that, “What are you saying?”

"I followed Meghana from Pub on that day. I waited until Meghana dropped her friend at her home then I stopped her on the road. I pleaded her to marry me. I tried to convince that I would take good care of her after marriage". We argued for some time and finally she said I was younger to her, so she wouldn’t consider my proposal and asked me to forget her.

I was unable to do anything. It’s so frustrating when the one you loved never realize your true feelings, but just ignores it because of some stupid reason that they think is so strong and valid.

I returned home with so much pain in heart and then… then … I came to know in newspaper that she was no more”, He burst into tears.

“How long did you argue with her?”

“Around 20 mins I think”, He said.

“Hmmm… that answers the question of why she reached home late that day”.He thought ,”who had access to put poison in her food?”

Sunil was disgusted to see a man cry and said “Sir, don’t believe him. My father always used to say, we should not believe the words of a sobbing man. We have to take him and give third degree treatment”.

Vijay stared at Sunil asked him to keep his thoughts to himself and wanted him to observe what's happening.

“Vikas, I can understand your feelings. I will contact you if I need any more details or you can contact me if you would like to share anything with me, here is my contact number”, He gave his visiting card and left the canteen.

“Sir, we should not have left him simply like that”, Sunil grumbled.

Vijay didn’t say anything. Vijay slept late thinking about the case. He got a dream where he was studying engineering in PES Institute of technology, and his classmates were Abhignya, Meghana and Vikas. Meghana and Vikas were lovers. And he and Abhignya were also lovers…And before he could further enhance his dream world …..He got a call from Sunil early morning,

“Sir, I have good news, we arrested the murderer”, Sunil said vigorously.

“Who?” Vijay exclaimed.

“Vikas. He had come to police station and surrendered saying he indeed killed her”.

Vijay sprang up and sat upright, he couldn't believe his ears hearing the name.“What are you blabbering? Is it really the college student Vikas that we spoke yesterday?”

“Yes, sir”

“Something is so wrong”, Vijay muttered.

“I’m coming immediately”, Vijay cut the call and got down from bed to get ready.

( To be continued ... )