"Chal toh rahi hoon, aur kitni jaldi chalu? Actually tu kuch jyada hi jaldi nahi chal rahi hai?"
Tara stopped and looked at her at once, "Agar tere speed se chalte rahe toh hum kal subah Rashi Di ke ghar pahuchenge"She shook her head in disgrace.
"Nahi, kya bas thoda sa dheere nahi chal sakte hai hum?" Seher said, looking at her, accented on the word 'thoda'. Tara gazed at her with an annoying glance, Seher hawked instantly seeing her cold eyes;
"Theek hai, yeh speed sahi hai" She tried to conceal the damage. But Tara, who was already in a state of irritation, smiled mockingly and said, "Tujhe dheere chalna hai na, chal, par agar teri wajah se Rashi Di naraz ho jaye tab mujhe mat kehna, Tara, Rashidi naraz ho gayi hai kya?' " She replied mimicking her voice. Seher definitely wanted to pronounce something in her defence, but Tara's mood gave her a hint that being quiet was the best thing, at least at this moment. Walking in a calm silence for some time, Tara again started grumbling, "Mujhe kal jana tha, teri wajah se nahi ja payi." She fixed her bag on her shoulder, while looking at her watch once.
"Maine tujhe kaha tha nahi jaane keliye?"Seher at last found something to counter her.
"Nahi nahi aap kyun mana karengi, main hi hoon, socha tha tujhe chodke jayungi toh tujhe bura lagega."
She stopped a bit, then with a serious expression she went on,"Waise kya hua tha tujhe?"
Seher felt an uneasiness at once, she rubbed her tensed fingers on her temple, "Kuch nahi...tabiyaat...thodi kharab thi."
She mumbled and tried to smile. But nothing could escape from Tara's sharp eyes,
"Tu kuch chupa rahi hai?" She heaved a sigh, though mockingly as she knew that something was there with which she was fighting inside her brain. Seeing Tara in silence, she went to say something, but before she could allege, a strong noise occurred there, everybody from the road turned to the source of the sound. They both exchanged a quick glance at once, and at the next moment went in that direction from where a sense of turbulence was coming.
When Mrityunjay reached the dining hall, Jairaj was gone by that time. He never pressured him and never told him what he should do and shouldn't do, but the conversation held between them sometime before, that was something he couldn't get over till now. His face showed how much he wanted a 'yes' from him. He poured the juice in the glass, sipped it once and put it back on the table with a slight bang. Maya turned back from the sofa, where she was sitting and watching a daily soap. "Arre breakfast toh karke ja." She shouted while reducing the sound of the television. "Nahi nani, I'm already late," he replied while fastening the lace of his shoes. "Aur yeh kya aap subah subah TV ke samne baith gayi?" He shook his head, making a weird look.
"Ab tu mat shuru ho ja, waise bhi tera nana aur baap pure din mera dimaag khate hai." Nana was sitting on another couch, reading a newspaper. Hearing Maya's marvellous statement, he raised his face from the paper, "Tumhare pass abhi bhi dimaag bacha hai?" he said goggling his eyes.
"Kya matlab?" Nani frowned at him.
"Nahi mujhe lagta tha tumhare dimaag ki jagah ye sare shows, saas-bahu ka jagda, kisne kitne baar shaadi ki aur plastic surgery kiya, yeh sab rehta hoga." He winked at Mrityunjay who was standing there, witnessing their banter. Maya was a total couch potato, her world only wandering within the idiot box, sometimes, rarely when she forsook from her universe that only because of Mrityunjay.
"Tum nah bas paper hi padho, main kya thoda sa TV dekhti hoon usmein bhi tum mujhe sunate ho." She folded her hands and made a sullen face."Sahi baat hai," Mrityunjay replied, while going towards her, "Nana aap hamesha kyun aisa karte ho? Kaha nani jyada TV dekhti hai? Subah, shaam aur raat ko thoda sa...yeh jyada thodi hoti hai." He said looking at nana with some pseudo anger, nana smiled under his paper. Nani looked at him and then at Nana, "Tu bhi mera mazak udha raha hai," she turned her face aside. Nana beckoned at him through the gap of the paper, Mrityunjay assured him with a sign that he could manage her. He sat beside Nani, "Arre kaha main toh aapko support kar raha hoon." A serious expression was there on his face, Nani caressed him, "Acha main ab chalta hun, aaj office mein ek bahot important presentation hai. Dad mere liye wait kar rahe honge." He got up and took all his files from the table. "Sambhal ke jana," Nani shouted from the lounge, "Haan...aur aap nana ka dimaag mat khana." And he left smiling."Lo ab dimaag bhi main hi khati hoon," Nani gestured with her hand and shook her head. Nana gradually submerged himself in the paper, "Arre waah yeh toh kafiya se kafiya milake gaya." Nani glared at him. "Tum toh kuch hi mat bolo, jaisa nana waisa pota," she replied fiercely. Nana unrolled the paper in front of his face and concentrated on it. Nani enhanced the sound of the television while muttering.
The one side of the road was shrouded with a crowd. An overheating imbroglio anybody could hear distinctly. The mob encased the place in a circle. an agitated woman's voice was raised repeatedly piercing all other surrounding voices. Seher and Tara stopped there.
"Kya chal raha hai?" Seher said peeking curiously. Tara didn't give a reply, she shrugged her shoulders and went to the front, sweeping out the crowd.
Mrityunjay was sitting in the car, the car was running very slowly due to the traffic. A restless Mrityunjay was constantly gazing at his watch. In the morning, due to that sudden conversation, he was so much immersed in his thoughts that he didn't realize he had become late. He felt disgusted; he doesn't like being late. Suddenly the car stopped, he conjured up his eyes from the file which he was checking for the presentation. There were innumerous cars standing motionless.
"Kya hua...?" he asked from the back seat.
"Pata nahi sir, shayad samne kuch hua hai," the driver replied in a guileless tone."Main aaj hi late hoon aur aaj hi yeh sab hona hai." His irritated utterance came from the back. The driver lowered the glass and peeped outside."Kya hua hai samne?" he called a passerby."Accident," the man replied nonchalantly and went away.
"Sir samne accident hua hai," the driver stated without turning back."Damn...abhi hona tha yeh." Mrityunjay buffeted the seat in rage.
An old man was sitting there in a clunky way, his one side of the temple bore some scars, and a woman was there imbuing him water. Tara slowly went and stood there.
"Kya hua?" she asked in a whisper to a man beside her.
"Accident...aajkal ke ladke, andhe jaisa bike chalate hai, bas lag gaya bechare ko." He replied indicating that man. Tara now looked at the other side, two boys, one was sitting on the bike, and one was standing there, both holding their head down. Everybody was blaming them; undertoned talks were flying over the mob."Koi ek taxi bula dijiye please." That sharp and steady voice was raised again, stopping all the whispers. Some man from the crowd went to execute the work; Tara understood through their demeanor how much reluctant they were, really, who would want to get involved in such matters, they were doing that only for the sake of debonair.
His mobile started vibrating, Dad' was flashed across the screen. He received the call. "Dad main almost pahuch gaya hoon; yahaan road pe ek accident hua hai toh traffic kuch jyada hai." he replied, staring at his watch again, which showed the time 10:30.
"Beta main meeting thode der ke liye postponed kar deta hoon...waise bhi Mrs.Raichand abhi bhi nahi aayi hai." he said from the other side of the phone.
"Nahi baba , postponed karne ki koi jarurat nahi hai, main pahoch jayunga..." They both hung up.
"Aap mein se koi madat karenge inhe uthane mein?" The woman turned back where Tara was standing. Tara was taken aback and her lips uttered, "Aunty" in an astonishing surprise. She was Rashi's mother-in-law. Tara always knew that she was a conscious and responsible woman, though she had met her merely twice but her resolute personality made an impact on her. She was a widow and that was not her weakness. After her husband's demise she handled everything perfectly.
"Arre koi toh madat kijiye." That firm yet delicate voice sprouted once again. Nobody went ahead, Tara looked around, and sat beside her at once, the woman stared at her and after a bit she said smiling, "Tum Tara ho na?" She nodded with a slight smile.
"Madam taxi aa gayi." Such an interruption made them both startled. They looked at the man at once. Aunty and Tara made the man stand and gradually took him near the taxi. The man boarded it and blessed them both.
"What the hell is going on?" said an agitated Mrityunjay, the formation of innumerable motionless cars made him annoyed.
"Tum baitho main dekh ke aata hoon..." he almost opened the car door when the traffic started going at a slow pace.
"Tara, kaisi ho..." After the whole incident ended, Gauri asked her smilingly. "Tumhe shayad Rashi ki shaadi mein akhri baar dekha tha." Tara nodded. "Rashi jabse aayi hai, tum logon ko milne ke liye bekarar hai." Gauri said while looking at Seher.
Seher smiled. "Aunty hum Rashi Di se milne hi ja rahe hai," she added.
"Thik hai, tum log jao, mein bhi office hi ja rahi thi...achanak ye saab." Gauri smiled."Aaj kal koi kisiko itni madat karta kaha hai Aunty," Tara answered.
"Tum ne bhi toh ki na madat." She placed her hand on her head affectionately. "Chalo...mein chalti hoon." She boarded the car and went away.
Tara was smiling till now, Seher looked at her from the nook of her eyes and said, "Ab der nahi ho rahi." Tara glared at her and started walking at a fast pace.
"Bahot der ho gayi hai, tum yahaan see shortcut le lo." Mrityunjay said while setting his eyes on the files again.
"Tara thoda dheere chal..." shouted Seher from behind.
"Tune mujhe taunt mara na, ab dekh main tere liye wait bhi nahi karungi..." Tara said, turning towards Seher. Seher was smiling, but her eyes widened in fear and her voice was raised in a high pitch, "TARA." A car stopped an inch from her with a screech of brakes. Mrityunjay collided with the front seat and his files fell down.
"Arre dekh ke chalao...itna jor se koi break marta hai kya?" he hollered from the back while rubbing his arms. He crouched down and started picking up the fallen papers.
A furious Tara came towards the car. "Dekh ke nahi chala sakte, maar dalte mujhe toh?" she started grumbling, knocking on the driver's window.
Meanwhile, Seher came running towards her, "Tara tu theek hai na?" But Tara was not in the state to hear anything.
"Seher, driver ko bol ke kuch nahi hoga..." An enraged Tara said and got to that side where Mrityunjay was sitting.
"Tara chhod na..." she requested her, but Tara had already started knocking on Mrityunjay's window. Mrityunjay looked in that direction from below and Tara turned to Seher at once.
"Tara kyun kar rahi hai itna gussa?"
Tara didn't listen, Mrityunjay placed all his papers on the seat and pressed the switch to open the window when Seher held her hand in a tight grasp and dragged her from there. At that moment Mrityunjay opened the window and he found no one there.
He frowned and shook his head.
"Chalo." He raised the window glass again and the car proceeded on.
TO BE CONTINUED. . .
Shiv Shakti
Anupamaa
Hindi TV Shows
Love Friendship Dating and Relationships
