Memory Intrigues - Chapter 6

Our Team logo done by Ruchita

This is the Sixth chapter of Memory Intrigues , a mystery series in the “Game of Blogs” for the team “ Dynamic Word Weavers” as a part of # CelebrateBlogging campaign by Blogadda.

 You can read the previous chapter here , or check out all the chapters on our FB page here

The story so far:

Tara and Shekhar are diametrically opposite personalities and of late find it very hard to live with each other. Tara has always been a career oriented woman while Shekhar is more laid back and tries to define his own life. The only bond between them is Roohi, their innocent, growing  daughter.

After dinner, Tara is busy replying to her e-mails. She wonders about Shekhar’s low spirits and decides to get to the bottom of his melancholy.

“Shekhar, what’s wrong with you? Is every thing ok? For the past two days, I find you perturbed. Is anything important bothering you?”

Shekhar cannot deal with his anxiety any more. He feels like a small baby in his mother’s lap and does not try to hide it from Tara anymore. He narrates what has happened to Jennifer and how he has been eagerly awaiting the phone call from her for the past two days .

......

Tara spends a restless night, tossing and turning, her mind a haze of thoughts. On one hand she is fuming over the situation at work. She can’t get over the gross injustice that the bosses have done by handing over a plum assignment to a guy 5 years her junior – a greenhorn, an upstart! She fails to understand how people in such responsible positions could be so unprofessional and partisan. What was it the editor threw at her? Oh yes! ““If you prefer to work on certain assignments, create your own leads.” So that was it! Well, she would show him what she could do!

On the other, thoughts about what Shekhar has told her start churning around in her mind. She starts ruminating about the relationship between Shekhar and Jennifer. Why is Shekhar so worried about this photographer? One could understand if he were concerned in an ordinary way, but why is he so excessively worried? Is there more to their relationship than meets the eye?

The mind, they say, is a monkey. One never knows what random thoughts it can string together to create an entirely new train of thoughts. So it is that Tara’s mind suddenly connects her problems at work with Shekhar’s story and violà, she has the very lead she needs to avenge the insult heaped on her by the editor.

Next day starts off as usual and Tara gets back to work after dropping Roohi off at school.  She is tired from lack of sleep, albeit in a slightly better frame of mind, now that she has an idea brewing in her head.

She even manages a nonchalant smile at the editor and the sub-editor as she enters the office. The sub-editor gives her a puzzled look wondering what’s brewing in Tara’s mind.  How can she smile after all that transpired yesterday? The editor walks off to his cabin pretending Tara does not exist.

Tara smiles inwardly and gets down to work. She has to plan her interview with the film director. She jots down a list of questions she wants to ask him. She should not forget to ask about the latest gossip about him and the daughter of a senior actor in the industry. The photographer in her office had managed to get some very juicy photographs last week of the two at an isolated resort.

At lunch time Tara pulls out her lunchbox consisting of a salad and a cheese sandwich.  She eats by herself at her table. At another table there is a group of reporters eating and jabbering nineteen to the dozen. Tara’s sharp ears catch little snippets of gossip .....

“Did you see that news telecast on ‘Jabardast’ channel about that sensational case of the murder of a businessman in Prabhadevi”?

“Yes, I did. But I quite thought they overdid it and kept showing the same clips again and again and yet again ...... It is sad what news telecasts have come to. From BBC’s ‘on the hour every hour’ news telecasts, we have graduated to 24 hours, never ending sagas”.

“What else can they talk about? Topics are limited. They have to compete with other channels by presenting 24X7 news coverage”.

“Talking of which, did you hear about the new show that is going to be telecast on our very own news channel”?

“Yes, I believe they want this programme to be our channel’s premier programme. They plan to have topical discussions with the top notch from various walks of life”.

Tara’s ears perk up at this. She can visualize herself talking to all the ‘who’s who’ from the political arena, filmdom, literati ..... She can see herself asking very incisive questions and putting the politicians in a tough spot. She can hear people discussing her programme and  her popularity as the hostess of a talk show skyrocketing ..... well, well, why ever not? She is after all one of the topmost reporters of her channel and her work record has been nothing short of outstanding to say the least.

The rest of the day passes in a haze. Tara can’t stop daydreaming about the new programme. She is absolutely confident she will be handling it.

The day has gone as usual for Shekhar. He has still not heard anything from Jennifer and has consequently spent the day pacing about the balcony like a caged lion, sitting at his laptop, ruminating, worrying ..... Any productive work has proved to be a peripheral issue and has had to be fitted in those little slots between all the ‘hectic’ activity.

Tara returns home as usual at around 9 pm. She is in a state of irrepressible excitement.  She heads straight to Shekhar’s study. She finds him reclining on his chair, his head resting on the chairback, staring vacantly into space.

“Shekhar, I have something very interesting to tell you today”.

“.........”

“Do you know what, I heard the channel is planning to introduce a new talk show at prime time. It is going to be very interesting and will involve discussions with the top brass from various fields”.

“..........”

“I am absolutely sure this opportunity is going to land into my lap. After all I am one of the senior most reporters they have and my contribution to the channel has not been something to scoff at”.

“..........”

It is a while before Tara notices that she has been soliloquizing all along. She throws a sharp look in Shekhar’s direction. In fact, if looks could kill.....Shekhar would have been reduced to a pile of ashes on the spot!

Read the next part of the story here

Me and my team are participating in ‘Game Of Blogs’ at BlogAdda.com. #CelebrateBlogging with us.