Cold Love by Amieya Prabhaker Page A

noticing the drift between the two friends. On another dull
dreary wet day, Arjun’s car comes down the road to the MBA school. He gets off
to walk to class, chatting with a few friends on the way, when another large
car stops nearby. Mr. Banerjee gets down. He asks a student for some directions
and walks up to Arjun when he spots him from a distance.
    “Mr. Arjun! How are you?”
    Arjun doesn’t respond.
    “Look I don’t believe in idle
chat, so let me come directly to the point. However, let me clarify something:
the world should not think that I’m a traitor because I’m defending the ISI
lieutenant-general in this case. You know that, in the course of my career,
I’ve brought so many terrorists and criminals to justice. However, you and
R&AW are following a course of action that you think will serve the
country, although you seem to forget that Pakistan is our neighbor and we need
to rise above petty skirmishes to create a strategic and diplomatic
relationship. Such baseless allegations will only degrade our relationship and
encourage such terrorist acts rather than reducing them. Do you understand, Mr.
Arjun?”
    “Have you said what you
wanted to say?” Arjun responds in a cold tone of voice. “Mr. Banerjee, you can
leave now if you’ve made your speech.”
    Banerjee is infuriated at
Arjun’s attitude. “I will go, Arjun; I was only trying to reason with you
because I thought you are a logical person. But if you cannot understand simple
logic then let me put it bluntly instead: I’ve not lost a single case in my
career. And I know the system very well indeed. I know how to twist it to get
my way around it. In court, I barely spoke a few words and you can already see
the outcome; just imagine if I had really stooped to it, I can create such
arguments and get such witnesses into court that your friend Riya will be
unable to face anyone in this world. And once her testimony falls apart, this
case has nothing left to stand on.”
    Arjun retreats; he is about
to leave with his head hanging down, but instead suddenly turns back and slams
Banerjee’s face with one forceful swing of his fist. The sudden blow flings
Banerjee on the road.
    “What did you say?” Arjun
picks him up by the collar of his shirt. “Riya won’t be able to show her face
to anyone?”
    Arjun’s friends, who are
standing aghast nearby, rush in to grab him and separate them but Arjun still
kicks Banerjee. Meanwhile, the news of the hubbub on the road has reached the
classroom; one of the girls rushes back to Riya to tell her what’s happening.
Riya leaves the classroom immediately. Outside, Arjun manages to escape his
fellow students, who are holding him back, and grabs Banerjee again; in the
scuffle, Banerjee falls on the road. Arjun is about to punch him really hard
this time when Riya appears.
     “Arjun!”
    Arjun stops in his stance,
with his fist shaking with vigor and power right on top of Banerjee’s face,
ready to thrash Banerjee this time. He pauses for a moment upon seeing Riya,
although he continues to hold Banerjee by the collar of his shirt with his
other hand. Riya rushes in and forces herself to try to pull Arjun’s arm away.
     “What are you doing Arjun?
Who do you think you are? For God’s sake, will you stop? Just let it go, will
you?”
    Arjun lets go off Banerjee’s
collar. 
    Banerjee is completely shaken
and hastily retreats to his car, “Arjun, you will pay dearly for this! I won’t
let you go!”
    “Get lost, Banerjee!” Arjun
yells at him scornfully.
    Riya pushes at Arjun in
disgust, “Will you go about hitting everyone? Waah! You are some Rambo, Arjun!
Will you just do me a favor and spare me from all this? Just stop all this will
you?” She folds her hands in a derisive manner. Arjun doesn’t respond and
continues to simply stare at her. Expecting a response but not getting any,
Riya walks away immediately, feeling extremely disgusted and disappointed.
Arjun stands there for a moment, his fists