Marry Me, Stranger

by Novoneel Chakraborty

  ‘Look, Miss Bannerjee, it’s quite clear from the messages that he is in love with you. In fact, he himself has confirmed it in one of the last messages he sent.’

  ‘I know.’

  ‘In these cases it isn’t that difficult to trap the stalker. All you need to do is smooth talk him into revealing himself to you and that’s when we nab him.’ Kamble sounded quite confident.

  ‘I have asked him to meet me several times but he doesn’t.’

  ‘Hmm. The only thing that is confusing me is that if he only wanted to be in a relationship with you, why would he make you teach the kids or encourage you to be the witness in the gangrape case? These aren’t things for which we can charge him but still...’

  ‘Maybe he is a psycho?’ Rivanah suggested.

  ‘Even psychos have a pattern. If he loved you, he would have at least kissed you once the night he attacked you.’

  ‘Maybe he did.’

  ‘But not when you were conscious.’

  ‘No.’

  ‘Hmm,’ Kamble scratched his chin thinking hard. ‘Guess he will answer all our questions only when we nab him,’ she said.

  Another silent pause followed.

  ‘Should I text him now and ask him to meet up?’

  ‘Do it,’ Kamble said instantly.

  Rivanah immediately typed a message: I want to meet you.She sent it to the number from which the last message had come. There was an awkward silence as the two waited for a reply. In between Kamble excused himself to answer some calls on his phone. When Kamble was advancing back toward her, Rivanah’s phone buzzed with a message.

  What’s the hurry?

  She showed the message to him. He frowned reading the message and then said, ‘You keep trying to get him to meet you while I try and get the location details of these phone numbers. Let me know without delay if he agrees to meet you.’

  ‘Okay.’

  ‘I will send couple of plain clothes constables at the place you are staying to get information about the residents there. You told me about the mike inside the cockroaches. Chances are he is living somewhere close by. Maybe in the same building.’

  ‘What?’ Rivanah swallowed a lump.

  ‘I said maybe. I will be going now but don’t be afraid. He won’t harm you. I’ll also need all the white pieces of cloth with the messages on them that you have been getting. Keep them ready with you. Remember this: if he contacts you, just involve him in some talk and don’t enrage him. And most importantly, call me,’ Kamble said.

  ‘Yes, sure sir.’

  Kamble took a start but suddenly stopped and turned to her.

  ‘By the way, is there any opening in this company?’

  For a moment, Rivanah thought Kamble wanted to work in Tech Sky Technologies. Then the obvious occurred to her.

  ‘Please ask your daughter to mail me her resume. I’ll pass it on to my HR team for sure.’

  ‘Thanks,’ Kamble was gone after noting her email id.

  In the evening Rivanah received a message from Danny forsaking if she was free to come to the McDonald’s outlet near the Kora Kendra bus stop in Borivali after his audition around nine where he would be waiting. They would have dinner there and then go home together. Rivanah messaged back in the affirmative. She came to her flat, freshened up, and then went out in. On her way out, she did notice two men talking to the guard of her building. Were they the constables? Could be, she thought and took an autorickshaw to reach the Kora Kendra McDonald’s.

  Rivanah reached before time and bought a Coke and some French Fries for herself to kill time. She opened her Whatsapp chat window. Pooja had surprised her by sending her a picture of her wedding card in the morning. Rivanah checked the card again and sighed. Some people had all the luck. Everything in their life happened at the right time and for the right reason. Rivanah was happy that Pooja was settling down with a guy she had been dating since college. Such life wasn’t for her because the universe had reserved all the life’s lessons exclusively for her. Pooja’s marriage was scheduled for the next month in Kolkata. Though she had promised her she would be there without fail, Rivanah had already decided she wouldn’t be going. In fact she would stay away from home till her parents accepted her relationship with Danny.

  Rivanah put her hand in the paper box and realized the French fries were finished. She tried to sip the coke but nothing came up the straw. She checked the phone clock: 9:15. There was no sign of Danny. She went to the last dial section of her phone and tapped on the dial button. The next moment she took out her ear piece with a frown. She could hear Danny’s phone’s ringtone from somewhere behind her. She turned in a flash but couldn’t see anything. And precisely then there was a power failure. Rivanah immediately heard one of the McDonald’s staff shout out to people to remain where they were and that the power would be back shortly. But Rivanah had a feeling this was no coincidence.

  As Danny’s phone stopped ringing, she could smell the ‘Just Different’ deodorant close to her. Every muscle in her body stiffened. The outside chaos suddenly muted and all she could hear was her own breathing and heartbeat. Soon the fragrance kept getting further away from her. Rivanah slowly relaxed as the power came on. She turned back and found Danny’s mobile phone on the empty table. She looked around. Nobody seemed interested in her. Was Danny playing a prank on her? Suddenly her own phone rang. An unknown number flashed on the screen. Was the stranger calling her finally? As she moved her hand to answer the call, she felt the presence of something. Rivanah shrieked and stood up simultaneously, pushing her chair back. There was silence in McDonald’s. Everyone was looking at her. Around Rivanah’s forearm there was a rope smeared with something red. And the rope was in the form of a noose. The kind she had been having bad dreams about where she saw herself hanging. The buzz returned as one of the staff attended her.

  ‘Any problem madam?’

  ‘No,’ she said and noticed her phone was again ringing with the unknown number. She picked it up.

  ‘Hello,’ she said.

  ‘Hey baby,’ Danny said. ‘I somehow lost my phone this evening. And…’

  ‘I have your phone,’ Rivanah cut him short.

  ‘What?’ Danny was stunned.

  ‘Come down to McDonald’s, Kora Kendra. I’m waiting,’ She said.

  Danny reached a little after ten. The staff there had tried to calm Rivanah down, offering her some water. They wanted to throw the noose away but she didn’t let them. It was a tangible proof. She kept it at a distance from her and kept staring at it, wondering what could be its implication.

  In Danny’s presence Rivanah called Kamble. This time he arrived at McDonald’s in a uniform with couple of constables who confiscated the noose.

  ‘Most of the phone numbers that were used to message you don’t exist anymore and hence it will take more time to spot the last tower they picked for use,’ Kamble said after Rivanah told him what had happened in the last one hour. ‘Except for the last two or three numbers. The SIM was last used from Andheri west area.’

  ‘Andheri west?’ Rivanah mumbled under her breath.

  ‘Do you know anybody living there?’ Kamble asked.

  Rivanah nodded. Prateek used to live there. But how could he be the stranger? He wouldn’t let her record his own compromised self like that. Or would he to shift her suspicion from him? Another person who went to that area often was Danny. Was that a coincidence as well just like the deodorant Danny and the stranger wore was the same? Rivanah was perplexed.

  ‘This is going a bit too far sir,’ Danny said. ‘I hope you catch this guy soon.’

  Rivanah looked at him. He looked genuinely concerned.

  ‘Did he message you or tried to get in touch in any way after I left from your office?’ Kamble said.

  ‘No. Except the one I got from Danny’s number.’

  ‘Hmm. Anything you can make out of the noose?’

  ‘Nothing.’ Rivanah kept her dream a secret.

  Kamble scratched his chin for
some time.

  ‘Tomorrow is Sunday,’ he said looking at Rivanah. ‘Update your Facebook status saying you will be in Infinity Mall, Andheri with your boyfriend. Make it public.’

  ‘What for?’ Danny said.

  ‘If this guy is a genuine stalker, he would be present there for sure.’

  ‘But we don’t know who he is,’ Rivanah chipped in.

  ‘We will. But before you reach the mall tomorrow, Danny needs to be present there with another girl. Ask one of your friends. You go there Rivanah and catch Danny with a girl. An ugly verbal fight ensues, at the end of which you break up with him. Make sure it all seems real. I’m hoping it will be the stalker’s bait for making himself visible.’

  Rivanah understood Kamble’s point. She was anyway experienced about catching a guy with a girl.

  ‘And then?’ Danny said.

  ‘I’ll tell you that later, but first enact this scene properly. My constables will be present in the mall in plain clothes but they will intervene only if need be.’

  ‘I’ll ask Nitya,’ Danny said. Rivanah nodded.

  ‘Now you come with me Danny,’ Kamble said. ‘You will have to file a report with us against the stalker. My constables will drop Rivanah home.’

  ‘May I bring my roomie with me tomorrow?’ Rivanah asked.

  ‘If it helps you in any way,’ Kamble said.

  ‘Thank you so much sir.’

  The moment she reached home Rivanah did two things: One, she relayed everything to Ishita and two, she updated her Facebook status.

  Yippe! Can’t wait to watch the first show of my favourite actor’s movie tomorrow @ Infinity, Andheri!

  She checked her Facebook friend list once. There was no suspicious looking profile. Then she checked her followers—a total of 88—out of which she knew nobody.

  The next day, as per Kamble’s plan, Rivanah went to Infinity Mall along with Ishita. She spotted Danny with Nitya in the food court and made a hue and cry over it. She surprised herself with her acting skills. She left the spot making sure everyone present in the food court remembered her well.

  Once home, she was confused about what would happen next. She called Kamble once who asked her to relax and wait for the stalker’s message. His confidence surprised Rivanah. Kamble wasn’t wrong because a message did come late in the evening from the same unknown number that had asked her to forget Danny.

  So, Danny is history.

  Rivanah immediately called Kamble who told her over phone what exactly her reply to the stalker should read like.

  I didn’t know Danny would turn out to be such a dog. Why are men like that? she messaged back.

  Not every man is a dog. The response came. Rivanah shared it with Kamble who again framed her response for her.

  The ones in my life were. And I have lost hope now. She messaged.

  You deserve someone who can give you lifelong loyalty.

  Do loyal men exist in real? If yes then will I get that lucky?

  Of course. A girl like you deserves all the luck.

  Really? Where will I get such a man?

  Right here.

  OMG. I don’t believe this.

  And I promise I won’t leave you mid-way.

  She called Kamble again, asking him what her next response should be. Briefed by Kamble Rivanah messaged:

  Are you saying you will marry me, stranger?

  A smiley came in as a reply. When she told Kamble about it, he assured her the stranger was on the verge of being caught.

  The next message from the unknown number read: how about meeting up tomorrow?

  27

  At around 3 pm the next day, Rivanah was on her way to Infinity Mall in Malad west, the place where the stranger said he would meet her.

  I will be waiting for you inside Starbucks. I will order my coffee in your name, said the last message for the night read.

  Finally, the time had come to meet the stranger and to know why exactly he was so interested in her. Was he someone she knew from before? Or was he really a stranger? Sitting in the autorickshaw all by herself, Rivanah was nervous. It would have helped if Danny had accompanied her, but Kamble had strictly asked him not to.

  ‘This guy now knows that you have broken up with Danny. I don’t want to take a chance. What if he follows you to the mall?’ Kamble had said. He had a point. In fact, this time he didn’t allow Ishita to accompany her as well.

  As the autorickshaw halted itself at a traffic signal, Rivanah peeped out and looked around. There were no familiar faces. Her phone rang. It was Danny. She picked it up immediately.

  ‘Thank you for calling. I’m petrified,’ Rivanah said.

  ‘Just chill sweetheart. I know it is tough for you but it’s a matter of only some more time now. After this, that bugger won’t disturb you ever again,’ Danny said.

  ‘I know. I just hope it all goes off smoothly.’

  ‘It will. I had a talk with Kamble a few minutes back. They are already there in Starbucks in plain clothes. I too shall be there.’

  ‘Oh! Did Kamble ask you to?’

  ‘No but I want to smash the rascal’s face when he approaches you. Don’t worry I shall be incognito.’

  ‘Take care baby. I don’t want you to get hurt.’

  ‘And I don’t want any scoundrel to hurt you.’

  ‘I love you Danny.’

  ‘Love you too Rivanah.’

  The phone call ended.

  ‘Idhar roku?’ The autorickshaw driver asked her looking at her in the rear-view mirror.

  ‘Peeche wale gate par,’ she instructed. He stopped the auto at the mall’s back gate. Rivanah wished the ride had not come to an end. She paid the driver and walked inside the mall.

  Once the security let her pass through, she literally stared at every male that her eyes could spot. She took the escalator to the left of the entrance. Nobody in particular seemed to be looking at her. The guys who were indeed looking at her were actually checking her out; she knew that look well. Soon she reached Starbucks. She took a deep breath and went inside.

  The order and payment counter was inside, so she slowly ambled towards it. She wanted to look around but her neck felt stiff. She removed her shades once reaching the order counter.

  ‘Good evening ma’am,’ the boy at the counter said.

  ‘Hi,’ she replied back.

  ‘What would you like to order today? Anything hot or cold?’

  For a moment she felt tongue-tied.

  ‘Ma’am?’

  ‘A simple cappuccino.’

  ‘Certainly ma’am.’ As the boy busied himself punching the amount on his machine, Rivanah turned her head. She spotted Kamble and immediately turned her face away. A sweat drop trickled down her scruff. When the boy handed her the bill, she took out her wallet from her purse and handed him the amount. As she kept the change back in her wallet, she noticed the boy write ‘Rivanah 2’ on a plastic glass.

  ‘I ordered only one coffee,’ she said.

  ‘I know ma’am but coincidentally someone else also has ordered with the same name.’

  It meant the stranger was already in Starbucks. She felt the stiffness in the neck now travel to her back. Somehow she managed a stupid smile at the boy behind the counter. She went ahead and took a seat by a table for two from where she could see Kamble from the corner of her eyes. She put on her shades to look around without being watched. She nervously started toying with her phone. Seconds turned into minutes. Then someone shouted, ‘Rivanah 1’. She wanted to turn and see who approached the counter but was too nervous and shaky to do so. She dropped her phone on the table as her hands began to tremble. By now the coffee must have been taken, she thought, because there wasn’t a second announcement. Slowly she turned her head toward the counter and her jaws dropped immediately.

  By the payment counter, Kamble and his men had pinned a guy by his collar. The guy was trying hard to free himself but in vain. Rivanah focussed on the guy’s face and identified him soon enough.

&
nbsp; What the fuck is Abhiraj doing here? was her first thought. Her muscles instantly relaxed. She suddenly felt energetic. Rivanah stood up and went to him.

  ‘Abhiraj? Don’t tell me you are the one who...’

  ‘Rivanah, please I can explain. Please ask these men to leave me,’ Abhiraj was fidgeting helplessly.

  ‘Let’s take this mister-secret-lover to the real love den.’ said Kamble to his men. They almost dragged Abhiraj out. Rivanah too followed but slowed down when she met Danny by the entrance.

  ‘Do you know him?’ Danny asked.

  ‘Yes,’ she said and briefed him about Abhiraj as they followed the police team out.

  Abhiraj was taken straight to the police station.

  ‘You will be charged with section 354, d, for stalking, section 354 for assaulting a woman with intent to outrage her modesty, 506 for making an indecent video of hers, and also 509 for having gestured intending to outrage the modesty of a woman,’ Kamble said thrashing him hard.

  Abhiraj was given a chance to clarify only when Rivanah told Kamble that she knew him and his family well. By then his nose was bleeding, his lips were bruised, his face had a red texture from thrashing, and his left eye was somewhat swollen.

  ‘I give you five minutes to clarify whatever you have to say and then willingly accept whatever you have done. After which I want the clip you recorded of Rivanah,’ Kamble said in a threatening voice.

  ‘Clip?’ Abhiraj looked at everyone present there one by one with an expression as if someone had told him that he didn’t have a dick.

  ‘Abhiraj, why are you making things difficult for you? Just tell me why were you after me since I came to Mumbai? I promise I won’t let them punish you severely,’ Rivanah said politely.

  ‘I don’t know what you are talking about Rivanah. I didn’t follow you.’ Abhiraj was weeping like a kid. ‘When we met in February I didn’t tell you that the new company I joined had its headquarters in Mumbai. So I had to come here anyway. I had your phone number and honestly after I met you at the marriage I couldn’t forget you. I wanted to pursue you since I knew your marriage with Danny had a big “if” in it.’