Chapter 33

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Later that night, I called Tyrese and explained the whole situation to him. He listened intently. He was the least perfidious person I knew and I trusted him. Copious ideas conceptualized in our minds as we talked. Tyrese was shocked, and so was I. It was utterly the antithesis of our anticipations. But I couldn't let the shock dominate.
We talked for quite a long time, conceptualizing ways if bringing Sophia back and eradicating the evil which repelled, as well as distorted all peace from her and our lives. Consulting with Tyrese proved much beneficial. We came up with an idea. And that night, I prayed to God that our idea would get its way through, because it was the only ostensible source of finding her and bringing her back. All I needed to do was to find her, because I knew that once I would find her, there would be no way I would not bring her.
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The plan
The next day, at dinner, all of us were sitting at the dining table, and obviously, in silence. Tyrese's idea was the only abundant and possible thing in my mind. My phone was cold in my thin pajamas. I should have worn something with a better insulation, I thought. I took a glance at my watch. Just about time, I thought and nervously tapped my fingers on my thigh.

Finally, my phone rang, the unceasing vibration left a profound tickling sensation. I struggled the phone out of my pocket, knowing that it was Tyrese.
"Hello", I said, in front of everyone present at the dining table (obviously, Sophia was absent). Tyrese replied at the other end, while I kept my thumb presses on the power button.
"What!" I yelled, even though Tyrese said nothing. After all, it was all deliberate. The phone resultantly went off and I looked at it miserably. I shook the phone as if it was an energy drink and it would burst to life, vigorously.

"Can I use your phone?" I pleaded, with a sharp glance at uncle Qurashi.
"It's an emergency call", I exaggerated. Uncle Qurashi looked at dad for a brief moment, but said nothing. He torpidly slipped his hand into his pocket, reaching for his phone. He unwillingly gave me his phone.
"Thank you", I said and managed to construct a faux smile on my face. In result, he gave me a look of hatred, oblivious that his brother (my dad) and auntie Shama (his wife), were sitting by. I fake punched Tyrese's number in his phone and brought the phone to my ear.
(I did call him just to make it clear to uncle Qurashi that we really did have a conversation, but we didn't really talk)
"Excuse me", I said and slowly walked towards the kitchen. Auntie Shama looked at me, addled. She was yet unaware of the plan. That's because she had quite a hectic schedule at the hospital.
When I entered the kitchen, I went straight into uncle Qurashi's recent calls, in pursuit of a number with a twenty seven as a tail. My thumb shivered as I strolled down the call log. The most recent calls were just dad and another contact, which was saved as Waseem Shyster. Despite the heavy tension in my body, I grinned at that contact...

TWENTY SEVEN. Finally! I found the number with twenty seven at the end. As soon as I founded the number, I brought my phone to life and saved it hastily. After I saved the number, a feeling of partial accomplishment hit my mind and my belief of finding Sophia suddenly grew.

"Thank you", I said, as I handed his phone back to him. He looked at the phone as if it was the filthiest thing he'd ever touched. I guess he just wasn't aware of his own intentions and acts.

We ate dinner in silence. I looked over at auntie Shama, who already had my gaze. Curiosity reflected from her eyes. I nodded in reply to her question, which had been asked by her eyes.
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After dinner, the first thing that I did was definitely the first thing that I should have done. I called Tyrese and informed him that our plan hit success. But the main thing was to find that guy. For the further process of pursuit, I gave Tyrese his number. He told me that he would try his best to catch as much as information about his as possible. The ebb and flow, as well as the pivot of our conversation revolved around that man. Tyrese told me to get some rest, while he searched for that barbaric bastard on his advanced global network system.

Later that night, I thought of Sophia and a few tears tripped from the corner of my eyes. I tried my best to think of something else, but it's a universal law that a spontaneous process is nearly impossible to stop. For instance, the conversion of weathers will never stop. The process of pollination will never stop. Rivers will never flow opposite. Moon-soon winds will never cease.
And inevitably, lovers will never stop loving.
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The next morning, I woke up early along with the sun. The sun was just partially out, leaving a faint orange shade in the everlasting skies. The faint light of the sun was just reaching the town, for I had received a call from Tyrese. I had to straighten my clothes a bit. I really slept like a disaster that night. But that wasn't much of a concern.
"Hello", I said and lined my trousers so that the cloth would equally get distributed to each leg (it still didn't).
"You there?" I asked, since there was no reply.
"Yeah yeah, right here", replied Tyrese, in a rusty voice, as if he hadn't had water for an entire week.
"What did you get?" I asked.
"Sufficient data", he replied
"I reckon it's all you need", he added.
"So what did...you basically get?" I asked, extremely curious.
"Name, number, most significantly, address and criminal record", he said, and it really mesmerized me, how he got so much information in just a night.
"How did you get all of this?" I asked, astonished.
"Um...just...a minute", he said, slowly. By the way he was talking, I knew that he was still on his computer or laptop.
"Just to let you know, I've been up for like nine consecutive hours", he said and coughed.
"I appreciate that, but you could have done it in fragment, or later", I said, a bit embarrassed that I gave him such a complicated task.
"No problem, you know I owe you one", he said. I heard the ticking of a keyboard.
"By the ways, we have to find this son of a bitch", said Tyrese and laughed, but not profusely.
"Don't forget Sophia", I reminded, just a bit defensively.
"Yeah, can't forget her", he added.

"Hey, are you going to stop loving me once you get her?",asked Tyrese and laughed a bit. But there was actually a seriousness in his voice which I just wasn't anticipating.
"I don't love you", I said.
"Oh yes you do. You're in love with me. But I'm so sorry that I'm not homosexual", he added and laughed.
"When there's no one there for you, keep mind that Tyrese is there for you", he said, poetically.
"Yeah, that proves that you are the one who is in love with me", I corrected. I realized that it was a good plan to consult with Tyrese.

After our brief asinine conversation, the conversation found its way to some maturity and the crux of our quest. Tyrese, somehow, miraculously, informed me about that man, Latif Bagri. He lived in a town, an hour away from where we lived. Tyrese didn't come to know of his profession. However, he gave me his picture and much more. His criminal record wasn't impeccable. And neither one of us were anticipating a clean record for a man like him.

Our conversation lasted for a while. I thanked Tyrese multiple times for his help and generosity. But he said that it was no problem at all. He told me to keep him aware of every detail and I promised to do so. I never even thought that he would be so worried about the whole thing. His anxiousness provoked a response of responsibility and confidence in me. And that's exactly what I needed.

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