WHO IS PRATEEKSHA KASHYAP? (PART-2)

PART-II

“I suggest that you accept your mistake and bring the girl and the baby back home” Lau’s mother suggested him one day.   “You can never get the same respect back from people but at least you will be happier” Lau’s mother hoped her suggestion will bear sweeter fruits in her son’s bitter life.

Lau called up Prateeksha in the evening.

“I am ready to accept you” Lau said after initial greetings. He was hearing her voice for the first time after that unfortunate night. Prateeksha had not appeared in any sort of media all this while. This also guaranteed Lau and his family that Prateeksha was not doing all this for fame or money. She was genuine.

“I think we should start with getting to know each other personally especially after whatever happened between us” she was polite in her response. She apologised Lau for using bad words for him that night.

“Lau it was purely out of frustration... I have been staying alone from past two years. Even my own parents estranged me when I refused their demand to abort the child”   

“Would you like to have dinner with me tonight?” Lau asked feeling sorry for her. He had never thought that an irresponsible act of his can give so much sufferings to a person. He wanted to make up for the lost time as soon as was possible.

Prateeksha agreed that dinner was a good idea. Moreover Lau wanted to meet the baby so they mutually agreed to meet up for dinner at Prateeksha’s place.

Lau was on time at her residence. He felt uneasy at first. Being alone in a house with a girl  made him uncomfortable. But he didn’t want that his uneasiness should reflect on his face, for it might hurt Prateeksha in some way. He was already guilty of whatever he had done with her.

“Where is the baby?” Lau started the conversation.

“He slept. He generally sleeps by this time” Prateeksha replied with a smile. “And for your knowledge his name is Pakan”

“Oh I am sorry. I meant Pakan only” Lau said regretting calling him “baby” instead of Pakan.

“What does Pakan mean?”

“Purity”

There was an uncomfortable silence in the room. Both of them kept thinking what to say and how to strike a conversation. It was an awkward moment for both of them who were sitting on the two extremes of the same sofa.

“Listen” Prateeksha paused for a while, bending her neck down in shame and continued again “I am really sorry for whatever I did with you and your family. I shouldn’t have gone public about all these things” she said with the same innocence which attracted Lau towards her in that party when he saw her for the first time.

Lau remembered that night when he first saw her for the first time. He had fallen in love with her virginity. She looked equally angelic today. He noticed her white tee, it defined her curves; and the loose pyjama she wore under it. Her wet, sluggish hair suggested she had bathed only few minutes back. He could smell the fragrance of her shampoo in the air.

“You know had I been in your place, probably I would have done the same.... or maybe worse. After all it was my mistake and you alone had to bear the result of it” said Lau.

“Don’t you feel bad? People who once loved you, worshiped you, they are hating you so much today just because of me”

“I think that is why they say drinking leads you to evil” he said with a smile trying to ease the moment with his humour.

“So you think I am an evil haan?”

“No... I think you are beautiful.... beautiful as an angel” Lau was getting smitten all over again by her beauty, her charm. She looked fresh like an early morning flower, absolutely refreshing. Some accidents are bad, but this one was good, he thought.

He dragged himself to come closer to Prateeksha, close enough so that he could take her hands in his.

“I am really very sorry for whatever I did to you” Lau said kissing her forehead. He felt guilty of being harsh on a woman so beautiful like her. He realised that he was falling in love with her all over again and this time more strongly. He bent forward to kiss her lips. She closed her eyes; he went ahead and implanted his lips on hers.

They kissed and kissed more. Lau just wanted to get lost in this beautiful moment but Prateeksha interrupted him in between.

“Wait the baby is crying” she protested as he began to undress her.

“I can’t hear anyone crying” Lau continued pulling out her top out. He didn’t want to stop, at least not for now.

“Move yaar” she shoved Lau away.  “The baby is crying inside” she got up and went inside a room. Lau still couldn’t hear any sound of baby crying. Maybe he was too lost in the romance, he thought.

“What happened?” he asked in a raise voice still lying on the sofa with his shirt half open.

“Nothing he has wetted his diapers. Your son just can’t wait like you” Prateeksha replied back teasing Lau from inside the room.

“You know next time when anyone asks me who is Prateeksha Kashyap, I will tell them that she is my love... my wife”

“Good boy” answer came from inside.

Suddenly it came to Lau’s mind that he has never seen his own son. A different kind of an excitement filled in him. He got up at once, buttoned himself and walked to the same room in which he saw Prateeksha entering.

“Can I come in?” Lau asked standing at the door.

“Ahahaha... you didn’t ask me even once when you tried to undress me on that sofa and now you want my permission to enter inside the room”

Lau stepped inside and observed Prateeksha had decorated that room with lots of teddy bears and toys. There were posters of cute kids on a wall. Toys were spilled all over the floor suggesting someone was playing with them sometime back. And there in the center of the room was a cradle. Standing next to it, Prateeksha was changing diapers of Pakan.

Lau walked towards the cradle. His heart beat fast and loud, so loud that he could almost hear it. For a moment he thought if his son knew that his father was world’s best tennis player. He remembered Pakan's eyes from that photograph which looked exactly like his own eyes.

Lau bent to see inside the cradle, he found a stuff toy of a baby. 

Prateeksha was changing diapers for a stuff-toy. Lau found it unusual.

“What are you doing sweetheart? Where is Pakan?” he asked her making sure he doesn’t do the same mistake of calling him ‘baby’ again.

“Can’t you see honey I am changing his diapers?” Prateeksha carried out with her chores.

“Hey don’t joke with me, this is not our baby. Where is Pakan?”

“What is wrong with you? Can’t you see I am changing his diapers?” She was done with changing the diapers. She carefully laid the baby inside the cradle.

“Where is Pakan?” Lau asked once again completely baffled by the circumstances he was in yet again. The tone of his voice was different. It was a bit harsh.

“See this is what I don’t like about you” Prateeksha complained looking straight into Lau’s eyes.

“Dammit this is a stuff toy not a baby” Lau shouted back unable to keep his calm anymore. “Are you are a psycho? I mean... why are you behaving like this with me? Where is Pakan?” the pitch of his voice had found a new high.

“Don’t shout. Even I can shout.... See because of you he has started crying” Prateeksha bent down to caress the baby inside the cradle.

“I can’t believe it...  I... just can’t believe it... You are a bloody PSYCHOOOO” Lau vented out his frustration shouting the last word as loud as he could.

“Don’t you dare you call me that bastard” The ghost of that night was back in her.

Lau was in a state of shock. He couldn’t understand why she was treating a stuff toy like a real baby. He was going mad. He knew it was surely not a joke either, but then what is it? He didn’t know what to do, how to react.

He had fallen in love with Prateeksha twice, more profoundly for the second time. He had loved her, kissed her, and caressed her. He could still feel the taste of her lips on his lips and smell her fragrance on his clothes. He picked up his car key and left her house.

“You are one fucking dickless asshole who doesn’t even have courage to accept his own blood. He is your son dammit!!!” Prateeksha shouted from behind.

Lau suffered nightmares following this incident. He could not sleep for weeks as dreams related to Prateeksha continued to bother him. She wore the same white tee and lose pyjama in his dreams. He saw her holding the same stuff toy and telling lau

“This is your own flesh and blood. How can you ignore it?”

She messaged him every day asking him to come back in her life. She called him on his mobile and landline. In her messages she reminded him of the kiss that they shared. She promised him infinite love. She said she would never ever find a man like him again in her life. She swore on Pakan.

For three continuous months Lau suffered this trauma. He could neither sleep properly nor could he remain awake. He had shed his weight because of weakness. Darkness encircled his eyes. He was scared to be left alone in the house. He said he saw Prateeksha and that stuff toy everywhere around him whenever he was alone. He panicked every time his phone rang or there was an SMS.

The news had spread in the media that Lau Kashyap had become mental. Most of them opined that it served him right.

“After all he had spoilt life of a young girl for his own fun. What you sow, so shall you reap”

He didn’t pick up his tennis racquet for the next 5 months. His rank dropped out of top 100, primarily because of his long absence from the tournaments.

*******

It was a month of July, more than 1 year had passed since he had attended that fateful party. He had recovered from his mental illness and started playing tennis again. Lau was supposed to leave for London in a few days to play his first Grand Slam after a long hiatus.

Prateeksha had stopped calling and messaging Lau some months back. No one from Lau's family really bothered to check up what happened with her. She was gone from their lives. They were happy and so was Lau. He was normal and healthy again. The media had forgotten the question, who is Prateeksha Kashyap? They had better things to gossip about.

One afternoon Lau was having lunch at home when there was a ring on the door. There was a parcel for Lau. His mother handed it over to Lau. He cleaned his hand with the napkin and unwrap the parcel. It contained a box. Lau opened the box.

The box contained a photograph of Prateeksha on the top. Along with it there was a letter and a gun.

I want you to take this gun and kill yourself on 7th July, exactly at 10 AM. Even I would do the same once I have killed Pakan.

The world will not let us live peacefully in this life. But don’t worry we will find each other again and live together happily in our next life.

Yours and only yours...

Prateeksha Kashyap

“Where are you going?” Lau’s mother shouted as she saw her son leaving his lunch unfinished and rushing to pick up the car keys. But the son was not interested in her mother’s protest.

“It is just another trick to trap you... You know she is mad” Lau's mother tried to stop him, but Lau Kashyap was just not ready to listen. He took the car and drove straight to Prateeksha’s house.

He knocked at the door. No one opened it. He knocked it harder suspecting if she did anything with herself. But there was no response again. He pushed the door, kicked it, and tried his best to break open it. Neither the door opened nor did anyone come from inside.

He tried to look out for a window. He found one and it was luckily not latched. He tried to see through it. There was no one there inside. He noticed everything was in order as it is. Then where did Prateeksha go?

A watchman passing by saw a person peeping into a house.

“Who are you looking for sahib?”

“There was a girl staying here. Do you know anything about her?”

“Are you talking about that mad female? Doctors took her away”

*******

Lau was sitting inside a doctor's cabin in a mental asylum listening to the doctor like a good student.

“One of her neighbour complained us about her mysterious behaviour. They told us that she treats a stuff toy like a real baby. Neighbors had often found her talking to it, even breast feeding it”

The doctor got up from his seat, went and stood next to a chart on a wall which listed out different types of mental illness. He started speaking again

“She is a patient of psychosis”

“What is that?”

“It is a generic psychiatric term for a mental state often described as involving a loss of contact with reality”

Coming back to his seat the doctor explained Lau further

“She hallucinates. She sees a stuff toy as a real baby. When I asked her she said you are that baby’s father. She also told us that you both are married. But she can’t understand why you are trying to hide this truth from the world. It baffles her. And she came to that party to seek an answer from you”

Lau fell short of words. He started a sentence couple of time but could not say more than “I”. There was too much on his mind and too less on his tongue. In his third attempt he could put the words together.

“I... don’t understand why she is behaving like this”

“Obsession” came the pat reply from the doctor. “She is obsessed with you. Probably she was seeing you, reading about you, thinking about you, all day all night, she just can’t take you out of her head. And she must have been in this condition for a long time and so long that she actually started hallucinating that you are her husband, and a toy your baby"

“How can anyone be so mad about me? I am just a normal human being. I am not God... Why does she like me so much? How can anyone like me so much? I am nobody” 

“Sir” the doctor said after a pause “you know my son is your biggest fan he always told me that you were innocent. He...”

“Please stop” Lau interrupted the doctor in between, he wasn’t worried about proving his innocence to anyone. There was something more important running through his mind and it was the welfare of Prateeksha. He had felt her love, not once but twice. She was suffering because of him. May be he could have saved her had he been a bit gentle on her. He felt disgusted about himself. He hated himself.

“Can you do me one favour doctor?”

*******

Within 8 months Lau was back on top of the ranking charts. He won French Open for the 3^rd time. His fans had again started loving him and comparing him to the Master Blaster. Every company wanted him to endorse their brand. The media had forgotten about Prateeksha Kashyap, no one really knew where she disappeared. There was no information about her anywhere. There was just one photo available on internet which showed Lau and Prateeksha kissing each other, but Prateeksha was hardly visible in that photograph.

An expensive watch brand had organised a contest to find out the biggest female fan of Lau Kashyap. Girls from all over India participated in the contest and displayed how much they love Lau Kashyap. Finally a woman from Delhi won the contest. She had as many tattoos of Lau’s name on her body as many times he had won grand slams. And she claimed that she will continue to tattoo his name, till he keeps winning those grand slams.

Everyone in the room where the winner was being facilitated agreed that she was ‘the biggest fan of Lau Kashyap’. They were all convinced that there could not be a crazier fan of Lau Kashyap any where in the world. But only Lau Kashyap knew that his biggest fan was not in this room.

***END****

WHO IS PRATEEKSHA KASHYAP? (PART-1)

PART-I

“The heart of a true champion is immutable” announced the commentator on mike as Lau Kashyap started winning every point of this historic game being played at Roland Garros. It had been only 7 months since Lau, 20, had turned pro; he was already playing his first Grand Slam final that too against none other than The King of Clay, himself. He, who had remained invincible for years in the French Open.

Lau played the game aggressively. His speedy footwork and tenacious court coverage made him a destructive counterpuncher.  The Spaniard was in complete awe of his shots. So much so that his uncle, who was also his coach, had to remind him repeatedly from the stand that he was on the court to defeat the Indian and not to applaud him.

After 5 hours and 45 minutes into the finals Indians had found their first grand slam winner.

The Master Blaster had taken retirement from cricket and the Indian Cricket fans had no one else whom they could look up to. Indian cricket was going through a rough phase. Fans were fed up of the inconsistency shown by the players, scandals, allegations and the commercialization of the sport which was considered as a religion in this part of the world.

In the mean time Lau Kashyap became a household name. Indians started idolising him for his courage and determination to succeed; his winning streak reminded them of their own God of Cricket. Lau attained divinity in the eyes of Indians when Master Blaster himself spoke about the Lau when he won his first Wimbledon title.

“I was a big fan of tennis legend John McEnroe during my formative years. I remember asking my parents to get a similar headband and wristband like McEnroe. Now I buy blue US Polo Caps and wrist band like Lau’s”

Probably for the first time since the time of Dhyaanchand, people in India had started watching a sport other than cricket. When Lau came out on the tennis court, people in India switched on their TV sets and switched off their lives” acknowledged an International sports magazine.

Another magazine summed it up all “In India, if you are in the same flight in which Lau is travelling, nothing can ever happen to you”

*******

Two years later, in the month of March, an event was organised by a major promoter of sports in India to honour players across different games for their contribution to the Indian sports. The event was followed by a party in which even Bollywood stars were invited.

Lau Kashyap wasn’t a party-person like others. Sitting alone in one corner, while he was enjoying his drink, he noticed a girl dressed up in a white saree constantly staring at him. He couldn't recognize her. She looked like a movie star. Lau was curious to know who she was. He decided to go and speak to her.

“May I have a pleasure of dancing with you ma’am?” he asked her chivalrously.

He noticed her white saree had prints of mustard and turquoise coloured flowers randomly painted all over it, something he had missed from the distance. Her long flowing hair, light skin and the matching red earrings made her look archangelic.

She accepted his offer and in a gesture of agreement offered her right hand to Lau. Lau held it. He felt the softness of her hand in his hand. Her hands were equally fair with no visible body hair. Alternate turquoise and red bangles complimented her attire to the perfection. He was infatuated.

They stepped on to the dance floor. He was aware that there were gossip-hungry photographers around in that party, but for some reason he felt least bothered. He was experiencing something, which he had never experienced before. Santana’s music was a catalyst in the romance that was brewing in his head.

The tennis champion was a novice on the dance floor. The girl quickly realised that. She took Lau’s hands and gently kept it on either side of her waist.

“What’s your name?” Lau asked the girl trying to be in sync with the tune.

The girl came closer to Lau, bent a little to reach his left ear and whispered in his ears

“Prateeksha Kashyap” her lips brushed against his ear lobe.

“Hey that is my surname” Lau stopped moving, gave her a sceptic look, then smiling, nodding his head in disbelief he started grooving again.

“I know that. You only gave me that name” she again bent forward to say it in an undertone. She kissed his cheek softly while retreating back.

Lau liked her kiss. They were close enough to feel each other’s breath now. The air around her was invigorating; her demeanour was so consuming that Lau couldn’t help controlling himself from falling in love with her. He couldn’t stop noticing her pink lips. He made the first move. They closed their eyes. Inhaling her air he asked one last question to her

“When did I give you that name?”

“When you married me, I am your wife.”

“Excuse me” Lau stopped where he was and opened his eyes to check if he heard the damsel right. But Prateeksha went ahead with the original plan. She gave a peck on Lau’s lips.

“I am your wife” she repeated opening her eyes after the kiss.

“I am sorry, I didn’t understand. I mean what are talking about?” Lau took away his hands from her waist and stepped back. Prateeksha kept quite.

“Excuse me... I am talking to you. When did I marry you?” Lau felt a bit irritated by her silence. He realised he have just had his first kiss ‘forcibly’.

“Will you please first behave yourself? Only then I will tell you everything” Prateeksha replied.

“You don’t tell me how to behave myself, crazy women” the romance had completely disappeared from his head. Lau was back in reality. In his 2 years of fame, Lau had seen many such fans who claimed Lau was their boyfriend, husband or son and then they did all kind of crazy stuffs to prove their claim. But none of them had ever dared to kiss him, the way she did. He suddenly felt disgusted about the kiss.

“Hello mister you better behave yourself or...”

“Or what?”

“Or else I will reveal our truth to the world”

“Really?” he said in a mocking way. “Go ahead, tell the truth” he turned and started walking away.

“Lau” Prateeksha called out from behind but Lau continued walking.

“Lau” she shouted louder, a few people in the party noticed a young pretty girl shouting Lau’s name, but Lau didn’t stop.

“Bloody fucker... COME BACK YOU BASTARD!!!”

Prateeksha’s cuss silenced every possible sound in the party. Heads turned towards her to see what had happened all of a sudden. Why was this woman screaming? And whom is she abusing so harshly? ­They saw her staring at one person constantly who was simply walking away unaffected.

Lau had no choice now, but he had to stop. As he turned back he felt as if all eyes in the party were blaming him for misbehaving with the girl, first kissing her and then leaving her just like that. After all he was the one who walked up to her and asked her for a dance!!! For the man who was worshipped by millions, to get abused by a woman in a party like this was the scariest thing he could ever think of. Lau was filled with embarrassment.

He looked at Prateeksha from his distance. He desired to be in her arms just a few minutes back.... what happened all of a sudden, he wondered. What conspired between them which lead to an embarrassment of this order? It was all going fine just like a fairy tale, wasn’t it?

“What are you looking at? Come here bastard” Prateeksha indicated him to come and stand at one particular spot near her.

As he walked towards her, Lau’s mind was still trying to analyse of what had just happened. He had fallen in love with her only minutes back. The beautiful girl who had smitten him with her beauty was now in an absolute rage. She was a different picture all together. Her eyes had turned red.

He kept walking towards her and though about the tender lady, whose soft hands were in his, was blurting out cuss words for him, throwing pellets of saliva out of her mouth as she shrieked. It looked like some ghost had taken a complete control of her.

As the crowd witnessed the scene, she dug her hand inside her purse and took out a photograph of a baby and displayed it to everyone present there.

Lau could not believe it. The baby’s eyes were just like Lau’s.

“Lau have balls to tell the world that he is your son?” Prateeksha yelled from behind as Lau walked out of the venue.

Next morning as soon as he came out of his room, his mother slapped him. Lau’s eyes fell on the newspaper which carried a big, bold headline on the front page which said:

“WHO IS PRATEEKSHA KASHYAP?”

The paper also carried a photograph of his alleged child and another photograph from last night’s party showing Prateeksha and Lau kissing each other. He noticed Prateeksha’s face was hardly visible in the photo, while it exposed Lau completely.

“The entire country is spitting on you for what you have done” Lau’s mother said in abhorrence.

For the next few days the same photo of the two of them kissing was in circulation and on display everywhere. Internet, newspaper, Radio, TV talked about a man who disguised himself as a saint all these days when he actually was a mischievous sprite. They compared him to the God of Cricket who never ever in his 24 years of career had given anyone a single reason to dishonour him. Lau was declared ‘a cheat’ in media. People took on to the streets and burnt effigies of Lau. They tore his road side advertising banners.

One of Lau’s ex-physio revealed that the baby could have been an outcome of the night in Paris when he first won his French Open two years back. He remembered that the entire team was so drunk after the match that they didn’t even remember where they had kept the prized trophy when they woke up next morning. Later they found it floating in the hotel’s swimming pool.

He alleged that he had seen Lau going to his room with a young lady, though he could not confirm if it was Prateeksha Kashyap or not because he, himself was very drunk.

Within a week all the brands associated with Lau started terminating their contracts with him. They stopped airing his advertisements. They removed all his pictures from the cyberspace to make sure their brand value remains intact.

Journalist crowded outside Lau’s house every morning waiting to catch someone from his family and question them just one thing: Who is Prateeksha Kashyap? The phones never stopped ringing, even after mid-night. Frantic SMSs forced Lau to keep his phone switched off all the time. Everyone had just one question on their lips, who is Prateeksha Kashyap?

NGOs working for women rights sent legal notices to Lau for estranging his wife and son. And when all of this wasn’t enough a few upcoming models seeking publicity alleged Lau had also fathered their child.

With all this around, Lau could no longer focus on his game. Mental stress and lack of practice made him cancel his participations in the tournaments. He lost his number one ranking soon. Critics wrote him off forever.

(To be continued on Friday, 13th July 2012.....)