Check Mate

This is Part IV of the story. There are in all 5 parts of the story; each of them is about Saturday meetups with friends. All 5 parts are connected. Here is link to earlier parts: Part I , Part II and Part III

Saturday｜Set your day

Check Mate

23^rd July, 2016(Saturday)[FOURTH SET YOUR DAY]

10 am
I went to Tanya’s place. His 10 year old brother(Pankaj) greeted me.
Me: Panku, kidar ja raha hai ?
Pankaj: Cricket khelne, aaj hamara final hai. Agar jeeta toh ek season ball milega aur hara toh do tennis ball milega
Me: All the best, Tanya kaha hai ?
Pankaj: Upar Naveen ke saath baithi hai
(Naveen is our college friend and he know everyone)

I went upstairs
Me: Hi Naveen
Tanya: Shut up Mohit. Pata nai tum logo ko yeh formality ka hi-bye karne mein kya maza aata hai
Naveen: Relax, abhi isse kuch pata nai hai
Me: ek min, mujhe kya pata nai hai ?
Tanya: Tujhe pata hai aaj Adi ne kyun bulaya hai
Me: Woh keh raha tha ki aise hi milna hai. I think ab fir koi ladki pasand aayi hogi usse
Tanya: Nahi, woh aaj hi Chetna ko propose karne wala hai
Me(Shocked): Kya ? kisne kaaha ? and usko tune waise bhi yeh kaha tha na ki Chetna ki shadi ho chuki hai
Tanya: Usko sab malum pad gaya. Yeh ki maine jooth kaha. Yeh bhi ki hum last week usse mile the. Everything. Last week, ek viva mein dono saath the and un dino mein hi, Chetna ne usse bataya ki hum mile the. Aaj Chetna bhi aane wali and Adi usse propose karne wala hai. Adi ne Naveen ko sab bata diya hai and usse bhi bulaya hai support ke liye
Mohit: But Adi ne mujhe Chetna ke bare mein kuch nai bataya. Iska matlab usne kuch bada plan kiya hai. Ab kya hoga ? Mujhe tension ho raha hai
Naveen: Ab kuch nai. Tu darr kyun raha hai uss selfish aadmi se. Maine toh usse muh pe keh diya ki main nai aauga aaj
Tanya: I think tu usse propose kar de, aaj hi kar de, Adi se pehle
Me: Pagal hai kya, majak chal raha hai. Propose karna koi majak hai kya. Mujhe kuch samaj nai aa raha kya karu
Tanya: Ek kaam karte hai. Agar Pankaj match jeet ke aaya aur Season ball mila toh tu usse propose karega.
I didn’t agreed nor I refused

6 30 pm
We(Me, Tanya and Naveen) were on terrace silent and all thinking about what will happen today. I saw Pankaj coming with tennis balls.
Me: Dekh woh match haar gaya, Its decided now. I will not propose. Mujhe waise hi yeh sab propose wropose nai samajta.
Tanya was looking at me with anger. Soon Pankaj also came up on terrace.
Tanya: Tu haar kaise gaya, subah toh bahot confident tha
Pankaj:  Didi, maine hara nai hu, jeet ke aaya hu
Tanya: Toh yeh tennis balls kyun ? jeetne wale ko season ball milna tha na ?
Pankaj: Didi, season ball ka kya karuga, woh itna heavy hota hai, hamare pads helmet bhi nai hai. Mujhe toh sirf tennis balls hi chahiye the. Season ball kitna bhi mehenga ho, mujhe zarurat toh tennis ball ki hi hai na.
Tanya(looking at me): Ab ?
Me(Ignoring eye contact): Ab kuch nai. Tune kaha tha match jeetega “aur” season balls layega toh woh sab…………… (pause)…… Chal 6 40 hue hai. 7 baje waha pahuchna bhi hai.

At 7 10 pm
We were late. As soon as we enter I saw Chetna sitting right next to Aditya. I wanted to go back home but I cannot go back now. Chetna gave us smile and greeted us.
Chetna: Haan, Prem tum kuch keh rahe the. Kaho na
Prem: Arey haan, toh batao “Work is worship” yeh quote sabse zyada kiske upar suit hota hai
*All silent*
Prem: Mandir ke Pandit par sabse zyada suit hota hai…. Hai na
Chetna and Prem were laughing in full energy. Everyone else was silent. Aditya was continuously giving me one evil look.
Aditya: Chalo ab yeh jokes chodo lets play Fish-Pond now. Ab toh Mohit aur Tanya bhi aa gaye.
Prem: Kuch khate hai na pehle ?
Aditya(looking towards me): Nai, baad mein. Fish-Pond ke baad shayad kisi ko bhook na lage

About Fish-Pond
Fish-Pond is a game in which a Jar represents Pond and Chits/Messages represent Fish. Everyone writes message about someone without writing their own name and put them in the jar. Names are never revealed, not even after finishing the game. Messages are then read one by one. However, option is given to avoid reading any message.

Game started
Aditya: Pehle hum sab Prem ke liye messages likhte hai.
Everyone wrote something. I was not in mood. So I just wrote “You are good at heart”. He started reading them one by one. There were no special messages for him.

Tanya: Ab Chetna ke liye
Aditya: Nai woh nai. Usko last mein . Ab Mohit ke liye
Kiran and Prem were not writing anything. Tanya completed writing first followed by Chetna. Aditya was writing something big. They gave jar to me. I opened chits one by one and started reading out.
I: Blank – (In mind: This must be from Kiran/Prem)
II: “Be confident, I am with you” – (In mind:This must be Tanya)
III: I didn’t read this one to everyone. “Yeh Saturday aur next Saturday, dono tere liye yaadgar rahege. Iss Saturday ko main relationship mein aauga and next Saturday ko teri pol kholuga, sabko batauga tu dosto ko cheat karta hai” – I understood its Aditya and passed the chit to Tanya to read.
IV: Blank again – (In mind: This must be from Kiran/Prem)
V: Happy to be you friend. I understood its from Chetna. I smiled at her and read it loud.

This gave Aditya some tension

Aditya: I think ab Chetna ke liye hi likhte hai
Everyone agreed.
Chetna: Mujhse ek ek kar ke padhne ko nai hota. Main sab ek saath padugi
Chetna opened first chit, read it in her mind. Her smile vanished. She opened second and third. Now she was looking angry
Chetna: Yeh kya bakwaas hai !! maine teen chits kholi hai. Ek mein “I love you” without name. Second mein “I love you from Mohit” and Third mein “I love you from Adi”. Yeh sab baato ki wajah se main uss time pe kisi se baat nai karti thi. I am going. Mujhe yeh sab nai pasand.
She threw the jar with remaining chits in it and started walking. Aditya went after her to apologise. 

I was still sitting in shock and confuse. Prem, Kiran and Tanya were also sitting, looking at each other.

Tanya: Mujhe laga tu propose nai karega. Isi liye maine tere naam se I love you likha.
Me: Kya Zarurat thi. And maine koi propose nai kiya
Tanya: kya ? Ek maine likha tere naam se aur Adi ne likha toh teesra kisne likha ?
Prem(with fear): Maine
Tanya: Bewakoof hai kya tu ? Tu beech mein kaha se aaya . Tu toh Adi ke support mein hai na.
Prem: Woh bahut achi lag rahi thi. Woh mere jokes pe hass bhi rahi thi and usne mujhe Fish-Pond mein likha bhi “You are good at heart”
Tanya: Arey pagal. Tujhe toh har ladki achi lagti hai aur
Me(stopping Tanya): Woh “You are good at heart” maine likha tha
Prem: Oh Shit

That night, Chetna left without talking to anyone. Aditya tried to apologise but Chetna was not ready to listen and left the place. Rest of us also left soon.

29^th July, 2016(Friday before last Saturday of the month)

Chetna missed the college all that week. Also, she kept her phone switched off. She was disturbed and sad. Suddenly, something clicked into her mind and she dialed a number.
Automated message started on other side of phone : “Hello friends, main hoon apka dost aur host RJ Mickey. Aap humse relationship advice le sakte hai jiska jawab apko Saturday morning subah 6 aur 7 ke bech diya jayega. Rules yaad rakhiye 1) gaaliya dena not allowed 2) aap kisika naam nai use kar sakkte, aap sirf intial alphabet use kar sakte hai. Yaad rakhiye yeh call live radio pe sab log sunn rahe hai. Apna msg record kijiye is beep ke baad”

Beeeeeeeeeeeeeepppppppppppppppp

Biggest co-incidence was that everyone of us were listening to radio that time.

***End of Part IV***

Part V : Judgement Day 

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