Chapter 2
~Denying the inevitable~
"Jairaj...are bhai sab kaha ho..." A sharp cry scattered throughout the house, breaking the silence of this soothing morning. Morning always comes in many shades, but for the Shekhawat Mansion it had only come up with a routine and monotonous life. Nani was busy in arranging breakfast, but between all this calm, some thoughts made her sparsely unmindful.
"Good Morning," She raised her face to see Jairaj standing there. The color of aristocracy and warm personality were dripping through his black suit. "Morning," she replied calmly. He sat there with a slight smile. She served him without saying a word, but she was constantly watching him with the corner of her eye. He was in a good mood today, but still she was in a dilemma whether she should share her thought with him or not.
"Mom...aap bhi khana khaiye..." Jairaj's sudden utterance made her startled, she nodded but couldn't eat. "Jairaj...tumse kuch baat karni thi..." she stated looking at her plate. He stopped eating and gazed at her; though she is a calm and compassionate woman, but sometimes her firmness could make anyone and any situation serious. Today might be that day. "Jairaj...woh..." But her words faced an interruption due to another greeting from behind.
"Good Morning dad...morning nani..." It was from Adi, Aditya Singh Shekhawat, Jairaj's younger son; he only borrowed his surname from him, nothing else. If God would give him a percentage of responsibility; Jairaj would be happy. But here Aditya is so much different from them that sometimes Jairaj felt ashamed to give him recognition as his son.
"Tum itni jaldi ready hoke kaha ja rahe ho...?" he asked, while pouring a glass of water.
"Kuch kaam tha..." Adi replied, taking an apple from the fruit bowl. Though Adi is his own son, but now his work gave him a sense of nonchalance rather than irritation.
"Kaam...aur tumhe...?" Jairaj sneered, "Waise jaan sakta hoon ki kaam kya hai?" Nani's eyes were set on him, he had been ill-mannered since his childhood, but now he has become so rude,arrogant and petulant.
"Dad...mein kabhi aapko puchta hoon ki aap kaha jaate ho...kya karte ho...toh phir..." He squinted while giving the answer. Jairaj shook his head in displeasure.
"Yeh kya tarika hai baat karne ka...tumhara baap hai...tumhe puchne ka pura haq hai..." Nani said quite annoyed. Aditya put back the apple in the bowl with a thud.
"Mujhe achha nahi lagta...mein ab bada ho gaya hoon...aur agar aap log hamesha mujhse sawal jawab karte rahenge toh aisa hi reaction aayega nah..." He shrugged his shoulder. Rage and embroilment were adhered to his face. Jairaj got up from his chair. He is a respected personality, the whole Bhopal bowed in front of him, but the saddest part is, his own blood lives with only his trivial surname, only an identity; nothing else. It was his defeat.
"Tum jao beta..." Maya wanted to say something but Jairaj stopped her.
"Thanks." Adi said and put his shades back on and left. Jairaj sat down again hopelessly.
"Jairaj...tum..." Nani was annoyed, not because of Adi but with Jairaj's behaviour too. He said nothing to him and that's why he always did this.
"Mom...chodiye na...mujhe uske bare mein kuch nahi sunna...aap kuch batane wale the...bataiye..." He wiped his hand on the napkin. Nani became serious again.
"Mujhe lagta hai ab tumhe usse baat kar lena chahiye...Akhir kitne dino tak woh aisa rahega..." She stopped to take a breath.
Jairaj frowned for a moment, "Mrityunjay ke bare mein baat kar rahi hai aap...?" he asked astonished.
"Haan...par aapko nahi lagta thoda jaldbazi ho jayega." he asked in a low tone. Nani now heaved a sigh and then said smiling, "Beta...aaj nahi toh kal iss bare mein baat karna hi padega...toh abhi kyun nahi...aur puri zindegi woh aisa toh nahi reh sakta..." Jairaj knew that arguing with her is futile. Sometimes about Mrityunjay she becomes blind.
"Theek hai...mein abhi baat kar leta hoon..." He nodded and smiled.
"Par woh hai kaha..." Jairaj looked at her.
A sharp ray of light enveloped her body at once, when she slowly opened her eyes. She contorted her eyes to adjust to this sudden illumination. She gradually sat on the bed for some time and then went out. This morning was calm, the leaves of the potted plants were sparkling in the warm sun, the front garden seemed like a green velvet sheet. Tara stood in front of the window and cherished this beauty. She was somehow restless last night. At first her dad, then Seher; everyone had become like a paradox, but today's morning helped her forget all those thoughts. She got out of the room and saw her dad there in the kitchen, she smiled quietly. The retention of that conversation of yesterday came vividly in front of her eyes. Dad must be hurt; she thought.
"Tara aise khadi kyun hai?" she restrained her thoughts and entered slowly, and stood beside her dad. She tried to smile. Everything was normal, but yet there was a weird awkwardness in the environment which constantly made her uneasy.
"Dad, kal jo hua uske liye I'm sorry." she said breaking the quiet.
"Mujhe aapko woh sab nahi bolna chahiye tha," she added some more. Govind stopped and looked at her, each and every line, which were depicted on her face were examples of her pain. Govind smiled and put his hand on her shoulder, they started walking slowly towards the garden.
"Beta...agar beeti baatein bhoolane mein itna waqt logi toh nayi baatein kaha rakhogi? Aur waise bhi itni si baaton ke liye maafi mangne ki jarurat nahi hai..." Tara knew that her dad hated to think of the past, and for small things in life he always said to embrace them but never got attracted by them. Then why did only one thing or a particular memory haunt him till now...that's another matter.
"Par dad purani har baton ko bhoolana kya itna asan hota hai?" They stopped and sat there.
"Tara baat bhoolane ka nahi hai baat hai asar ki, tumpe har baat ka kitna asar hoga aur hona chahiye ye tumhare haathon mein hai. Agar tum ek hi lamhe ke yaadon mein qaid ho jaogi toh uss baat ki yaadein, dard ki zanjeer banke tumhe jakad lenge...usse nikalna namumkin ho jayega, zinda rehne ki tarha..." Tara noticed her dad's utmost effort to hide the pain actually went on in vain. He saw Tara's steadfast gaze upon him and restrained himself, "Yeh sab chodo...Rashi ne phone kiya tha, tum kal janewali thi par gayi nahi...aaj jarur jana..." She nodded.
The almost black and white room was covered with elegance, soberness and with some sprinkle of simplicity. Though the room was huge, but a king-sized bed, a rack full of books with a small table, a recliner and a walk-in-closet were all there in that room and remaining corners were full of unworldly silence. Like the solemnity of the room, the possessor too is a calm and compassionate individual. The doorway of the washroom opened with a bang, a steady step went towards the shelves of the closet. A swift-moving hand brought out a brown suit at once. A six foot frame of a well-maintained physique stood in front of the mirror, his water dripped hairs were slovenly scattered which he wiped quickly when a mechanical sound sprouted out from the bedside table. He held the phone in his hand and said in a warm tone, "Yes...it's almost done, I'll check it twice...don't worry." And threw the phone on the bed. His habituated hand opened the laptop and he became submerged in it. Mrityunjay Singh Shekhawat, the elder son and a huge support of Jairaj. To be turned out as a Thakur, is obviously a fortunate thing; and so he never disrespected this position, this faith, and his dad, who is the embodiment of God for him. And this sense of responsibility and maturity has given him a name, 'Mr.Perfect'; he smiled slightly on thought of this epithet, when he heard a subtle knock at the door.
"Andar aao..." An intense voice evoked from inside.
"Aapko Thakur saab neeche bula rahe hai..." The swift motion of his fingers stopped for a bit, he raised his eyes from the laptop, Joseph their servant was standing there.
"Tum chalo...mein aa raha hoon..." he replied in a frigid tone.
"Uski koi jarurat nahi hai beta..." Joseph left at once, Mrityunjay got up from the bed,
"Baba...aap...main jane hi wala tha... " He closed his laptop. But couldn't understand why his dad was here.
"Beta, mein aur tumhari nani chahte the ki tum..." But Jairaj's words faced a strong refusal at once.
"Nahi dad...jo aap chahte hai woh main nahi kar sakta...main abhi itna kabil nahi hun ki..." He turned back without completing his words.
"Dekho beta...Aditya ke saath iss bare mein baat toh nahi kar sakte...use thoda akal mil jaye yehi bahot hai...Ab agar tum bhi na bologe...toh mere liye kaam bahot mushkil ho jayega...agar koi aisa hai jiske upar mein bharosa kar sakta hoon woh sirf tum ho...meri baat thande dimaag se sochna..." He patted his back and left. Standing in the middle of that huge infirmity, he felt a pang of loneliness, uneasiness and an uncertainty about the future; he couldn't disobey his father, but what he wants from him is nothing but impossible. He shook his head in disgrace.
TO BE CONTINUED. . .
Anupamaa
