Chapter 3

Chapter 2

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[NOCOPY]

He was the perfect example of broken pieces of the wonderful image she had woven of him by her innocent imaginations all her childhood to youth. He has himself made sure to crush under his foot his wonderful image in her mind.

It was a bright sunny winter morning in Hoshiarpur. Ladies were on the terrace drying the whole red chillies and the papadum. They were enjoying the view of long running yellow mustard farmland. It looked mesmerizing. Result of hard work felt so cherished. Soon their eyes went on their ten years old Geet running towards the haveli with her report card in her hand. Rano had a smile on her face seeing her only daughter enjoying life. But soon her twenty one years old, hardliner nephew was standing beside her looking at his happy daughter in anger.

“ No Brij. She just got her results today. That’s the only reason she must be running to show us”

Brij gave her an angry look, completely ignoring that she was his aunt. She was a lady and it was her duty to give explanations to the only male member there. He again looked at Geet who was running shamelessly in the open farmland and shamelessly flying her dupatta in the air.

“Brij this is our own farmland she is running at. You see she is so happy “ Rano tried in vain to explain to him. He rushed down in anger. All women had fear on their face knowing the punishment a ten year will face.

After an hour, her report card with wonderful grades was laying on one corner of the bed, unseen.

HersSoft feet had fresh wounds all over with burnt marks. She had been made to walk on hot coals so that she remembers to not run shamelessly in the open farmland.

She had held their 5 years old picture and cried complaining to him. In the picture, she was 5 and he was 11. That was their first and last meeting so far. But their parents had fixed the marriage and she had been handed that photo frame with their Roka pic and was reminded regularly that she belonged to him.

Little Geet does not even remember their meeting, she was so small. But then she was reminded of their alliance so many times and was by hearted that she belonged to him that she had started believing in the fact that she belonged to him, that her existence only had meaning to be with him. Slowly she got used to talking to him in the picture, believing that he was her only savior. She started building her own perfect image of him and fell in love with him, the perfect man created by her imagination.

The poor girl did not know for ages that the same person is going to mercilessly break this perfect image of his.

“ Did you see what they did to your Geet? They say I belong to you then what right they have to punish me. Can you not grow up and take me away from these people“

Geet grew up in a strictly patriarch and conservative environment. She was being educated because the family that she will go to, were city people and her would-be husband’s father had requested for her good education.

She kept growing up, falling every day more and more for him, as every facility she was getting was in the name of her belonging to him and to be prepared to not shame them when she will be actually married to him.

Rules were there for all girls, but much stricter for Geet. She was someone else’s property and thus no mistake can be done in her upbringing. Geet took it all, first she was not given a choice, second in name of him she was ready to take it all without a word. She has to make herself capable so that he will be proud of her when they get bound.

She has now turned fifteen and he must be 21. She didn’t know how he looked or how he was. She had made a perfect picture of him and that picture became even more perfect by now. He will be hee savior from these people, Brij Veerji and Daarji, who punished her for even the tiniest of her mistakes. Her papaji and Taaya ji felt sad but did not have the guts to speak in front of Daarji.

Today her result of class ten was out. She had topped in her city and fourth rank in the state. If it was any other family, she would have celebrated her success and she would have been fed sweet. Geet, in her happiness, had given pani puri treats to her friends and was thus found talking and laughing shamelessly in front of the Pani Puri seller and worse was even talking to the seller boy. Brij had spotted her and he had pulled her in his jeep. Her punishment was, she was made to eat a whole plate of chillies.

“She likes spicy food, so let her enjoy it.” Said Daarji and Brij forced a spoonful of red chili powder in her mouth.

“Daarji, today her result was out. Small celebration kid was having. She performed brilliant, she deserves appreciation not punishment”

“Mohinder, not performing well is not her option. Don’t you know she will be married to Maan and they are all so brilliant and well educated. How will you answer his family if she becomes mannerless? They will break the alliance and that cannot happen. Whole village knows she belong to him”

“Daarji but…”

“Mohinder, your friend is no more and this is how you will keep your promise, by handing them the defective piece that daughter is becoming”

Mohinder cursed the day he agreed to Rajendra for the alliance. The alliance was great, she would go to his friends house and thus her life was secure. But for that alliance, her own family has been so harsh on her that it hurted him.But he had no power to speak in front of Daarji.

Geet, like other women, was just a property for them. Only difference was Geet was someone else’s property and they added more responsibility to maintain her in a stricter way.

Geet was in her room, again her report card in the corner and his same old pic in her hand

“I know you don’t think like them. But if I acted not good and if that would lower your head, I was rightly punished. I don’t want your head lower due to me.”

******

The same day, Savitri Devi had arranged a birthday party for Maan

“Dadima, bro will get mad seeing the arrangement” said eighteen year old Dev, who was helping Dadima in decoration after he returned from his classes.

“Dev, I know he will be angry but he has filled himself with soureness after your parents left. At the age of Ninteen one he took up the responsibility of the empire and education of all his sibling. I cannot let him drift into the world of darkness and sourness. Today he has turned twenty one and like all young boys he deserves to celebrate “

“Yes, Dev Bhai, Dadima is right. He didn’t even celebrate his graduation. All his friends at Harvard had a great celebration of their graduation but Bhai simply came here and joined Dadima in business and since then just does two things, Aggressively learning business and doing his MBA. We need to bring him out of this darkness he is drifting into”

Now fifteen year old, Annie was a pampered sister of her eldest brother. In what all happened Maan had drank all the sourness to protect his siblings. Annie was seeing change in her once happy to go Bhai and it made her sad. Though he was very protective of her, he was becoming stricter in desipline each day.

All her friend’s siblings who were same age were so much fun. They partied and went to movies but her Bhai was only working apart from his study.

Maan returned to Mansion after a hectic day. He had first attended his MBA classes and then left for office to learn their business. He was getting a good grip already of it as he had dipped himself into it.

That was the only way to get out of the sour thoughts. ‘Females- He hated them’. A woman had trapped her father in a wrong allegation and his mother had not trusted his Dad. They all knew how dedicated a family man he was, a perfect example of the best husband and father. And his mother had given up on that man due to some false framed allegations.

She had not thought of her kids and gave her life feeling cheated. How sixteen year Maan had been broken. Two women, one by her forgery and one by not trusting her own husband has ruined the happiness of family.

His father could not bear how his wife had given up on him and gave her life, leaving him and their kids stranded. He somehow dragged himself for one year for his kids but could not take the pain longer, got sick and left the kids alone in the world with their Grandma.

His sourness for females has only grown. He knew that it was best to keep away from women and if needed just use them. No need to bring them into life and make them an important part of life. Never put them before yourself or your family. With the scenarios that he had been thrown into, marriage was the last thing that would ever cross his mind.

He was even unaware of the fact that his marriage had been fixed. He was just eleven when he had visited Hoshiarpur. Elders had fixed the marriage when they saw the two kids gelling so well. Raj had suggested that he wanted to make his friend’s daughter his daughter in law, binding them in relation forever. Roka was done which the little kids did not understand.

Unlike Geet, Maan was never mentioned about the relation. Raj wanted his son to grow up and then let him know. He did not want to stuff little brain with such things. And when his parents left, it never crossed Dadima’s brain to mention it to Maan. Raj had informed her of the alliance once when he was back from Hoshiarpur. And as it was again never mentioned, for the right time to come, it went out of her mind. And after her son and Daughter in law left, her focus had been on handling the kids and their delicate situations than to even remember something done long back behind her, which further had faded in events of happenings.No one here was having and inch idea that this relation was the only truth of one girl’s life at far land.

Maan saw the decoration in the hall. He didn’t even remember things like birthdays. Money was affluent, but sorrows were even bigger.

Maan handed his bag to Nakul and asked “Why is the house decorated”

Forty years old Nakul was scared of twenty one years old master “Baba, you Dadima has got it done”

“For what? What is so good in life to have the party?”

Dadima came by then saving Nakul “Happy Birthday dear”

“Happy Birthday?” he asked with dryness

“Bete, we should celebrate these days. Happiness will only come if we let it come”

“I don’t want anything to come here for them to go away. Get everything off”

“But I want to celebrate the birthday of my grandson.”

“You have two others, fulfill your wishes on them. Get them off now or I will do the honor” and he left for his room. Maan had already started becoming the man of the house, ruler, decision maker, protector of his family and making himself strong enough to bring anyone in front of him to bow to him.

He will use people, use females for his needs rather than them using him for their benefit.

Misty looked at the clock, it was already 7:30 am. She fed Advay along with having her breakfast. Got ready and was checking herself in the mirror. She looked like the perfect business woman of London. A-Line knee length black skirt, a baby pink fine cotton striped shirt and a blazer on top of it. Her hair was done in neat ponytail and a diamond stud in ears, light makeup and pink gloss on lips, four inches pointed belly heels.

She took her bags and checked her calendar when Jenny arrived.

“Sorry Mishty, am running late today”

“It’s okay” Mishty grabbed her car keys and rushed out.

Mishty parked her car and was racing to her cabin “Tasha, to my cabin, now”

“Yes Ma’am” Tasha rushed behind her boss in her six inches high heels and super skinny and sortest dress possible on her skinny body

Mishty looked at her and shook her head “Does these earns you boyfriend every next day”

Tasha blushed like silly

“Okay, let’s get back to work. Run over my schedule for today”

“Ma’am, you have a demo for Hartings and Chips inc at 10, then there is a kick off meeting for Ad designing for Jerkings Pen Groups at 2 and at 4 our team leaves for the third round final Demo for Geetanjali Dreams of Khurana Enterprise.

“Who set me for Geetanjali Dreams. Merul is looking into it, right?”

“Ma’am Chetan sir. It’s the final round and they expect the best from all the pichers”

“You leave” Tasha left. Mishty was on fire, how dare Chetan set her time without asking her and that too with Khurana Enterprise project.

“Mr. Chetan Puri, What made you book my time without my permission”

“Mishty, it was needed and your time slot was free for 4. They readjusted time especially to accommodate your calendar. Such a big company and adjusting to get your time. Don’t you understand this Mishty, it means they are very interested to go with us. It’s our biggest client so far and chances are high, we will be the winner. They love your work. In the last round, their marketing head wanted to meet our extremely talented head creative, what wrong did I do”

“But Chetan, Merul have pulled it so far..”

“Yes, she has pulled it so far, but it was all your work. Mishty, this is the final round of selection and you are okay with us not bringing our best, especially when our chances are high.”

“But..” Chetan looked at her in surprise “Is there any personal issue Mishty? Because this is not you. This is the biggest client we will have and we have chances of winning it and you are running away from it. What’s the matter”

She was mum. What could she say?

“So you are coming?”

“Hmm .. So it's the final bid? Will top management be there?”

“I don’t think so. Mostly it’s their marketing team. I have an idea that head of their marketing for this project will be there”

********

“Meera, you did not need to take trouble to come here. This is just one project and our team is doing good selecting the vendor for Ads”

“Had it only been Ads for our regular venture, I would have not come. But this is our first venture in London. I know Veerji, you have big collaborations with companies here but now that you want to expand your own set up here, we cannot take this lightly. On top, Veerji, this will not be just an Ad campaign vendor but they will be partnering with us in our marketing. Both team will work together and I don’t want to take any chance.”

She could see he was still worried “Veerji, you have given me responsibility to make this campaign successful, let me do it, please”

“But Meera, Dev will not like it, you know. He was already against you joining this project and your coming here…”

“Veerji, Dev and Annie are uselessly too rude with you. Arjun and I, cannot support them in their weird behavior towards their own elder brother who has and is doing all for them”

“Meera, they are completely right in their thoughts and ways with me. I deserve their hatred. You should not spoil your relationship with Dev for supporting me.”

“Don’t worry about that Veerji.Your brother loves this crazy girl a little too much. I can get my ways with him” she laughed

Meera looked at her Veerji, The Maan Singh Khurana, who stood tall and high in the success, name, fame and monetary strength. He ruled the business world but his own family simply hated the sight of him. Knowing their discomfort in his presence he has decided to move to London permanently.

It’s not that Meera has not heard of the incident which has turned the dynamic upside down but since she has been married to Dev and became the member of the family, she has only seen Veer ji repenting and in pain. He was a man of few words, who only worked and worked and sometimes would disappear for a few days, weeks or even months. At home, he would again be in either his Gym, study or his room. He came down to the hall only for breakfast and even then would leave as soon as Dev or even Annie, when she was there from her husband’s place, hated his mere presence near them.

Veerji has given her more care and pampering than her own brother, how could she leave him in pain and regret.

Meera has seen the big wall size poster of his wife in his bedroom since she has become part of this house, 3 years back. Meers had been astounded by her beauty and innocent smile. And no girl, however beautiful she was, will be able to take her place in his life, though Meera would never stop trying.

“Okay Veerji, you go to the finance meeting. I have meetings with the finalist vendors for Ad campaign”

She went and hugged Dadima “Everything will be sorted Dadima, don’t worry. I will do anything and everything to bring happiness in my Veerji’s life”

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