Part - B
Now both of them sat into Shiv's jeep. Shiv had put his shades on but anandi could sense what he was trying to hide. Anandi had noticed some moisture building up in his eyes. Something was surely bugging him too much. During most of the journey, Shiv didn't speak much. Anandi felt amused as this was so against his normal behavior. Since the day of that misunderstanding, he had been constantly trying to somehow try and talk with her and bring things back to normal between them. Just like he brought those jalebis for her. But today he didn't even once try to talk to her and change her mood. He seemed pre-occupied with his own thoughts. For the next two hours silence fell between the two of them. What all could be heard was the rhythm of the soft sufi music that played in the jeep. Though the beats were slow but it perfectly added to the romanticism and fluidity of the moment. Both of them looked away except the occasional glances they stole at each other. While Shiv was still worried about her health and the fact that her fever may not pop up again due to the excessive heat, she was curious to know the reason behind his gloomy conduct.
After two hours of a smooth drive, Shiv's jeep suddenly came to a halt with a jolt. Both of them jerked forward and then backward due to inertia. Shiv twisted the key, turned the ignition on and once again tried to restart the jeep. This time it jerked in a bumpy fashion and again came to a halt. Shiv moved out to check what had happened. As he moved out, he saw a line of some oil like fluid following the route of his jeep. He realized that his jeep had drained all the coolant. In the same time Anandi too stepped out and moved towards him.
A:Kya hua collector sahib?
Sh: Woh jeep ka sara coolant bah gaya hai…isiliye jeep ka engine bahut garam ho gaya hai. I don't know aisi jagah pe humein coolant kahan se milega. Aur humare paas to thanda paani bhi nahin hai jis se temporary kaam chal jaaye.
Hearing to his words Anandi felt a bit tensed. She was all alone with him at such a desolate place. No she didn't doubt his intentions. She could never! She was as safe with him as she would be with bapusa or her own father. She knew that surely. But what made her tensed was the awkwardness of the situation. There was simply no one to be seen around. It was a hot and quiet afternoon. Probably even the birds had hibernated into some secret spaces-with only one difference that this was a summer hibernation rather than winter. Anandi suddenly felt a drop of cold sweat running below her neck. She carefully stole a glance at shiv who was busy trying some number on his phone. He was all sweaty with his shirt drenched enough to reveal his well-toned muscles. Anandi looked away in a trice and at the same moment felt totally embarrassed. Why? She didn't know! She felt relieved at least Shiv didn't notice it. She started looking here and there in order to avoid looking at him when she unexpectedly noticed a well just a few metres away from the spot at which the jeep had broken down.
"collector sahib woh dekhiye" Anandi exclaimed pointing towards the well.
Shiv removed his glares to have a better view of what Anandi tried to show him. A smile hit the corner of his lips as he realized what they didn't even notice since the few minutes they had been at the place. It was a small well and had two huts beside it. Shiv couldn't believe that people lived in such deserted places too!
Sh: anandi ji aap yahin rukiye main abhi paani lekar aata hoon.
Anandi nodded to Shiv as she saw him walk away. As Shiv moved closer to the well Anandi noticed him bending to an old man who sat near the well. Anandi constricted her brows to have a closer look of what was happening at the other side of the road. She saw that Shiv held that old man's hand and walked him to the verandah of one of the huts. He then moved near the well and pulled out two buckets of water. As he did so, anandi saw his biceps bulging in and out. Anandi probably had never seen a man as muscular as him. Surely no one in jetsar gave so much importance to exercising and body building.
Finally Shiv could pull out two buckets full of water from the well. He took up one and kept it close to that old man. The old man filled a bottle from the bucket and squashed the contents into his mouth in a go. A feeling of an unearthly satisfaction occupied Shiv's face and his features. Anandi looked at his face in amusement. He smiled innocently looking at that old thirsty man drinking water so religiously. Something warm touched Anandi's heart. She felt as if a vibe of innocence and freshness had suddenly filled the air around her. Some things in life could be so pure and beautiful that they make you realize the beauty of nature. Anandi suddenly felt so good about Shiv. This was no attraction or liking. She just felt good about him. Simply good.
Bidding farewell to the old man Shiv took his bucket of water and moved towards Anandi. As their proximity attained the reasonable degree necessary for a discourse, they exchanged smiles.
Sh: I am sorry anandi ji aapko wait karma padha..main abhi jeep mein paani daal deta hoon.
Shiv put himself at work almost instantly. While he poured the cool water in the jeep anandi walked towards him. He looked even more sweaty this time.
A:collector sahib woh wahan jo kaka baithe hain…unhein kuch chahiye tha kya?
Sh(lost inside the engine):arey woh..kuch bhi nahin anandiji woh bas unhein pani chahiye tha but unke ghar mein paani khatam ho gaya aur ghar pe koi tha bhi nahin isliye woh wahan baithe the par unse paani nikaala nahin gaya.Isliye maine unhein paani ki ek baalti nikaal kar de di.Ab unka parivaar der se bhi aaye to unhein paani kam nahin hoga.
Anandi smiled as she heard of his warm gesture. Her heart had already appreciated it earlier.
"Done" Shiv declared as he came out of the engine smiling at anandi.
Anandi blurted out a giggle seeing his face. It was so natural and ethereal that it left Shiv spellbound for a moment. The next second Shiv constricted his brows unable to understand the reason of her sudden burst of laughter. He looked at her confusedly. Anandi too couldn't understand what made her smile like that. Actually it was funny. Shiv's face had become all black due to lying in that engine that made him look hilarious. But still what amused anandi was the depth till which she had felt that giggle within her. She felt herself revisiting the anandi she once used to be. The Anandi who was carefree and buoyant. Today, after ages, she had felt such a vibe of innocent happiness explode her inners like this. Probably bcoz the laughter was so unplanned. It came as naturally to her as her breath. Anandi felt a sudden jab of pain overwhelming her heart. Some moisture had build up in her eyes. The tears were neither the result of pain nor happiness…they were some where in between. They connoted the fact that how much Anandi missed her true self. How much she missed that innocent and unscratched self she had left behind herself years from now.
"I am sorry collector sahib…woh aapke chehre pe.." anandi spoke hiding a smile.
Amused by the thought of what so funny had happened with his face, Shiv looked himself into the rear view mirror of the jeep. He frowned seeing the filthy state of his face. He looked at Anandi who now tried hard to suppress her smile. He smirked at her but himself broke into a giggle. Anandi too smiled at him…this time more openly. Shiv felt her smile tear through his heart and touch the deepest spot there. A sigh of relief and an adrenaline rush hit him simultaneously. Love can be such a biologically disturbing emotion, he never had thought even in his dreams.
In order to clean his face, Shiv walked towards the front of the jeep where he had kept the bottle of water near the engine. He lifted the bottle up in the air and poured all its contents on his face. For a spur of the moment, Anandi skipped a heartbeat! Again it was no attraction or pull towards him. She just felt an undercurrent passing beneath her spine. The way the sparkling droplets of water poured down his silky tresses and his beautifully carved face, her senses felt awed by the beauty of the panorama. All this she felt, was totally out her control. It all just happened to her in a trance. Anandi felt an unexplained irritation dawning upon her."What was it I just felt a second ago??Gosh am I fine? Did I just got attracted to.."?she couldn't even complete within herself. She looked down in bafflement trying to figure out the nuance of the magnanimity she just felt. She tried hard to figure out, but there wasn't even an inch of impurity she could pick out in that emotion. It just felt pure and unadulterated.
Once he had emptied the bottle, Shiv wiped his face with his handkerchief and once again checked himself into the mirror to ensure whether his face looked fine or not. He looked towards Anandi who seemed lost in her thoughts.
Sh: anandi ji chalein…
His words brought her back to her senses. She nodded to him and quietly walked back to her seat. Now she tried to look as away from him as possible. Shiv too climbed back to his driver's seat and hit the road once again.
After a few hours of drive they finally reached Jaipur. The meeting was organised in one of the hotels in jaipur. As they were about to get down the jeep, Shiv's cell begun to ring and simultaneously dance to the vibration effect. But this time it flashed a different name. The name on the screen transformed his expressions from the usual calm one to hurt and bruised. Anandi certainly noticed the change. She moved her gaze from his face to the screen of the cell. The screen read…"DAD"….!!
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Guys I will be waiting for ur feedback.Will reply 2 all individually tomorrow.Its really late now.Hope u guys like my effort.😊
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