the MLA Residence...
As soon as they reached the MLA residence, Anay and Shrey went inside with Tiwari ji. Before the meeting, it was important to meet a few people and win them over.
"I hope this time the head of the mandi (market committee) is chosen from our party too…"
Tiwari ji said, rubbing his palms together.
Anay just nodded.
Shrey looked at his face carefully — beads of sweat were glistening on his forehead despite the cold air conditioning, and his breathing was heavy.
"Are you okay?"
Shrey leaned in and asked softly.
"Hmm... just feeling a little uneasy…"
Anay replied, lightly pressing his chest.
"If you don't feel well, we can leave..."
"It's just a matter of half an hour… let's stay."
Anay shook his head.
Shrey stayed quiet too. The work was important—Nayan was already poisoning people's minds against them. If they kept skipping such events, people would start taking his words more seriously.
During the meeting...
Even during the meeting, Anay was restless. His lips kept drying, and he moistened them with his tongue again and again.
Shrey had his eyes fixed on his every move.
A little later, the announcement of the mandi president was made, and Tiwari ji beamed with joy.
A member from their own party had secured the position.
Becoming president of the mandi meant control over grains, taxes—everything now rested in the party's hands.
"Congratulations, Mr. MLA…"
Tiwari ji said, shaking Anay's hand.
"Congratulations to you too, Tiwari ji…"
Anay smiled and replied.
"I'm so pleased today... I've arranged some entertainment as well… after all, we can't let any lack show in our hospitality..."
He patted Anay's hand and went off to meet others.
Stepping outside...
"Shall we leave now?"
Shrey asked.
Anay walked out without answering.
"What's going on with you...? Is it pain somewhere?"
"No... just feeling a little anxious. I'm fine now."
"Doctor—"
Shrey was about to say something when Anay cut him off—
"No need..."
he said and walked out.
Shrey followed him.
On the way...
Instead of heading toward Tiwari residence, Anay turned the car somewhere else.
"Where are you going?"
"Just… for a drive…"
He stopped the car at a turn and got out.
"Hey! If you have a car, why walk?"
Shrey yelled from behind, but Anay kept walking silently.
Shrey followed him.
"Anay…"
He finally asked.
"Hmm…"
"Is there something going on? You… seem different lately…"
"There's nothing."
"Anay…"
"Hmm…"
"Do you seriously not remember anything?"
Anay stopped for a moment, then looked at Shrey.
"What are you trying to say?"
"Nothing…"
Shrey said and walked ahead, while Anay slowly followed behind.
A year ago...
"Doctor!"
Shrey rushed to the doctor, who had just exited the ward.
"The patient is in critical condition. We're doing everything we can… you need to arrange blood, he's lost a lot already."
Wiping away his tears, Shrey nodded and peeked through the glass outside the ICU.
Inside, Anay...
surrounded by machines, was struggling for every breath.
Shrey's heart sank.
He stepped inside, but the nurse stopped him—
"Sir, please don't touch... there's risk of infection."
Shrey pulled his hands back and knelt down, pleading—
"Please wake up, brother… look what state I'm in...
You never could stand tears in my eyes...
Then why are you making me cry today...?
Please get up… I can't see you like this…"
Just then, Anay's body twitched slightly.
Shrey immediately called the nurse and doctor...
---
Anay had regained consciousness.
Shrey felt like hugging him tight, but the situation didn't allow it.
"Ahh…"
Anay groaned. He'd been trying to sit up for a while, and finally managed.
"What are you doing? Just lie down…"
Shrey scolded him.
"What happened to me…?"
Anay asked, holding his head.
Shrey just stared at him.
"Are you going to say something…? Or has your tongue gone numb?"
Anay snapped, annoyed by the silence.
Shrey clenched his lips.
---
Without saying anything, Shrey walked out of the room and went straight to the doctor.
After some tests, the doctor spoke in a serious tone—
"Look, it seems due to the head injury, part of his memory has been erased. Our brain functions just like a processor. When a certain memory or event becomes too traumatic, the brain tends to delete it—to protect itself."
"In simple words, he's lost his memory!"
Shrey snapped.
"Yes, you're right…"
The doctor nodded.
"How much memory has he lost?"
"It's hard to say… It could be a few days, weeks, months—or even years."
"There's no way to know?"
The doctor took a deep breath and said—
"… You'll have to talk to him... Discuss little things from his life. That way you'll get a better idea of what he remembers and what he's forgotten. The more he speaks, the clearer the picture of his memory will become."
---
Shrey came back to Anay.
Anay was lying silently with his eyes closed. As soon as he sensed Shrey's presence, he slowly opened them.
"Anay…" Shrey called gently.
Anay frowned — "Talking makes my head hurt…"
There was silence between them for a while.
Then Anay slowly asked —
"Where's Amma…?"
"At the Sarpanch's…"
"What happened to her?"
Shrey looked at him again —
"A minor accident. The car hit a tree. She's fine now."
"Hmm…" Anay fell silent.
A few moments later he spoke again —
"We were in London, weren't we…? How did we end up here?"
Shrey's face stiffened instantly —
"London…?"
"Yeah… we were in London just yesterday evening… There was that bald guy's assignment too today... I hadn't finished it, so I thought I'd copy someone's… but now…"
Shrey froze. He said quietly —
"We're in Delhi, Anay…"
"Delhi…? In India…?"
"Yes…"
"But last night…"
"Go to sleep now... I'll explain everything later…" Shrey cut him off.
"Life here is a mess, and you want me to rest…"
Anay was about to say something when Shrey held his shoulder and gently laid him down —
"You need rest right now… nothing else…"
Anay fidgeted for a while but eventually dozed off.
Outside the door, across the ward, Thakuraiin stood quietly.
Tears were streaming down her face, but she didn't have the courage to go in.
Too be Continued.....