The Pen Warriors – Post #19

Read the previous chapters here:

Prologue || #1 || #2 || #3 || #4 || #5|| #6 || #7 || #8 || #9 || #10 || #11 || #12 || #13 || #14 || #15 || #16 || #17

Too Late For Atonement – Chapter 18

A soft knock at the glass door brought her out of her trance.
“Yes, come in”
A lady with the petite structure dressed in formal shirt and pencil skirt walked in.
“Sorry to disturb you ma’am. I am.. err.. was your father’s Personal Assistant. Would you like to have something? You had a tiring flight in the morning and then… “, she could bring herself to say the word ‘morgue’, “perhaps you would like to take some rest. I can have you driven to Sir’s house, if you want.”
Dad owned a home here too! Perhaps I should go there too, Jennifer thought to herself.
“Yah sure. Thanks. You call the driver.” The lady left without another word. Perhaps she was in shock too.
As she began to think about the revelations that awaited her in the new house, her head began to hurt. The unanswered questions were trying hard to get out of her mind but with no success. She decided that everything else could wait, she needed peace now. She wanted to be totally alone for some time in the lap of nature. She missed her hometown.
“Ma’am, Car is ready”, the lady again interrupted her thoughts, poking in through the glass door.
“Yah, let’s go.”, saying Jennifer walked out and followed her where Black Jaguar awaited her.
She took the seat and lying back she closed her eyes.
“Everything’s ok ma’am?”
“Yes it is. Can you please take me somewhere quite for now. I just don’t want to go home for now”
“Take us to Juhu Beach”, Jennifer heard her say to the driver.

*******

Unlike her usual nature she closed her eyes and waited to reach her destination, otherwise she would have taken in each of the scene the car passed by.
Few minutes later, the car was pulled up in the parking. She got out of the car and slowly walked towards the beach. The sun has already set. Sea waves made the weather pleasant. It wasn’t a very quiet place at this time of the hour as people after working hours have started to pour in with their families. She could see few couples too, walking hand in hand. She walked aimlessly, just noticed a person here and then a person there.
That’s the problem with the creative people! They can never come out of their observation mode, always looking for the idea of their next masterpiece, she mused and finally a soft smile found its way to her lips after a really long day.
After walking for half an hour or so, she finally felt at peace a bit. Nature always did that to her, took away all her worries in exchange for a peaceful mind. But she knew this peace won’t last long. Wondering how long will the Life take to unfold all the answers, she stared blankly at the some distance. A photoshoot had just got over it seemed. Curiosity got better of her and she walked towards the same, doubling her pace. One of the crew member passed her by.
Raj Enterprises, she noticed. That sounds familiar, she thought. She kept walking and then stopped abruptly where the crew was busy packing up. Clearly they were done for the day. A lady walking here and there shouting last-minute instructions, has clearly ditched her stilettos which were lying where Jennifer was standing now.
A strikingly familiar face started walking towards her and claimed the footwear. She settled down in the nearby fold-able chair and adjusted her heels. She now took out her phone from the Gucci bag kept on another chair and got busy. Jennifer still couldn’t place a name to that familiar face and then suddenly she blurted out- TARA DUTTA!!
“Yes??” replied a passing by crew member in confusion.”
“Oh, I’m sorry to have startled you but is she ‘the Tara Dutta’, the one interviewed in Femina?”, Jennifer spoke in a excited voice mixed with hesitation.
“Yes she is”, he replied, not even trying to feign any interest in the conversation.
“Can I meet her?” asked Jennifer hesitantly.
After staring her for the moment, the crew member went back and spoke something to Tara. Tara looked up from her phone and glanced towards Jennifer. Jennifer gave a shy smile. He returned with a good news for Jennifer, which was surely not reflected on his face.
“Great to meet you! I am Jennifer. Jennifer Joseph.”, Jennifer said, taking a step nearer to Tara.
Jennifer. Jennifer Joseph. Is she the same Jennifer who had turned down the offer to work for us or is it just a co-incidence? Tara wondered.
“Hi, Jennifer. So what brings you here?”
“Umm.. I really can’t explain that.”
“What’s so complex?”
“Everything for now.”
“You would have got better shots if you did this photo-shoot in morning from that angle”, Jennifer blurted out the unrequested advice point to the west of the beach. That was the thing with her, she spotted photography and she would involuntary get involved.
“Thanks for your advice. You seem to be keen when photography is concerned”, said Tara, who was clearly offended by Jennifer’s advice.
“Yes. It is life for me.”, and it was then she realized that the offer she had turned down during the day had come from the same organization.
“I’m sorry for turning down the offer that had come from your organization. I would have loved to join, had it been a normal day for me. But for now Life has decided to have her own way and I’m in no condition to join you”, Jennifer said apologetically.
Something stirred Tara’s emotions and she felt a sudden connection with Jennifer. She is passionate, She wanted to join, May be I can convince her, Tara thought.
“I understand dear. I see you all by yourself here?”, that was more of a question than a statement.
“Yes. I don’t know anyone in Mumbai. I just landed today itself.”,
“You know me now. Don’t you?”, smiled Tara. Her smile was indeed charming.
Jennifer smiled too, but her smile was sad this time, as if she missed someone here she never knew. May be her dad.
“So, Let’s catch up for a coffee tomorrow at my place”, asked Tara.
“That’s so sweet of you, thanks a ton!”, obliged Jennifer.
“Well, I’m being a little selfish here.”
“But why I wonder”, Jennifer asked confused.
“I’m taking half-day tomorrow to plan out my daughter’s birthday this weekend. And meeting you, an idea popped in my mind. How about a photoshoot for my daughter? Please don’t say no to this. We can discuss the details over the coffee.”
And before Jennifer could think of any reply, Tara’s phone rang and she left waving her goodbye after handing her card.

*****************

She rung the bell outside the black wooden door.
No response.
I am probably a fool to come here. Who invites a commoner like me to coffee in just one meeting! The place seemed to be just perfect for ‘The Tara Dutta’ types. Big apartment. A luxury sedan waiting downstairs. Coming from affluent background herself she wasn’t surprised but she was surely impressed by the ambiance of the house. Weird thoughts crossed her mind while waiting for the door to open. She was about to ring the bell twice when the door opened.
“Oh hi Jennifer! I’m glad you could make it. I hope my Secretary gave you the right direction for the address and you had no problems”, Tara said jovially as she ushered her inside.
“No, There wasn’t any problem”, said Jennifer as she followed Tara inside.
Taking few steps inside they turned right to enter the living room.
“Have a seat and make yourself comfortable. I’ll get you something”, said Tara.
“Oh no need. I don’t want anything”, said Jennifer seating herself on the couch and glancing around the room.
“That’s your daughter I suppose”, asked Jennifer pointing to the photoframe hanging on the wall opposite her, when Tara re-entered the room with the glass of water.
“Yes she is. You won’t find my husband in much of these photographs. He is camera-shy.”
“Nice photograph”, said Jennifer, it could have been had it been… Stop it Jennifer.. she chided herself.
An hour passed in regular chit-chats.
“So where do you want the photoshoot to be done? I would suggest in the home itself, it would give a personal touch and feel”, spoke Jennifer suddenly going out of context. Family was a topic, she always hated to talk about.
“Whatever you suggest! You are the lead here!”, chuckled Tara.
“Come, Let me show you Roohi’s room”, spoke Tara as she got up and Jennifer followed.
Roohi’s room was just like any other girl’s room of her age. One side of the room was filled her trophies and medal which made her parents proud, and the bedside wall showcased her life through the pictures. For a moment, Jennifer was lost in her own thoughts remembering her childhood room in Kochi. The train of thoughts was broken when the bell rang.
“I’ll see who it is. I’ll just back. You can look around till then”, saying this Tara walked out of the room, leaving Jennifer alone with Roohi.
Roohi sat there in the corner of the room on the bean bag diligently sketching something. She was so lost in her creative pursuit that she hadn’t even acknowledged Jennifer’s presence there. Jennifer walked near her and stood by her, observing the beautiful scenery sketched by Roohi.
She is indeed ahead of her years, Jennifer thought.
“That’s a nice sketch you made”, said Jennifer initiating a talk with the little girl, her future model, rather her first model.
“Err..Thank you… I didn’t notice anyone walking inside”, said Roohi, startled by Jennifer’s sudden presence.
“Hi, I’m Jennifer”
“Hi, I am Roohi”, introducing herself, Roohi flashed her best smile.

“Oh Hi Mrs. Dutta”, meanwhile in the background, Jennifer heard someone at front door. She could hear their footsteps towards the living room.
“Hello Mr. Ahuja. Come in”
“I just came to give you the sweets for my new car.”
“Thankyou for the sweets Mr. Ahuja”

Jennifer came out of Roohi’s room to see Tara standing with a man with his back towards Jennifer, at the kitchen door in front of the living room. Tara noticed Jennifer and decided to introduce them to each other.
“Come Jennifer, He is our neighbor Mr. Aryan Ahuja and works in IT sector; and Mr. Ahuja she is Jennifer, a very talented photographer”
“Hi!” said Aryan as he mouthed the words saying I-am-a-hacker-too with a wink.
He extended his hand expecting a handshake but Jennifer was too shocked to react after listening the name. This was the man who surely held some answers to her questions.

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Wondering what will happen next??