How are you all doing? Here comes another update.
Disclaimer: if you are not in a mood to read long and boring something, save it for other time. And if you still want to go ahead, all.the best to you.
Chapter 5
Where the storm has passed
"You know, main na panipuri wale se shaadi karna chahti thi." Suman proudly announced, while putting a big golgappa in her mouth, nearly choking me to death with laughter.
"Suman...please...aisi baat kehne se pehele na warning diya karo!" Spitting and coughing out the remaining golgappa from my mouth.
"Hainnn!!! Are sach mein..." Suman continued, oblivious to the fact, the golgappe wala is literally gawking at her.
"Please ..."
"Areyyy there's a reason too na..."
"And what was that?"
"Simple, I thought, panipuri wale k ghar pe sirf panipuri khane ko milte hai, like breakfast, lunch and dinner."
Another wave of laughter attacked me, "Suman, please yaar, stop it..."
"Areyy bachchi thi na main, main to chocolate, pastry, cold drink in sabke shops k owners se bhi shaadi krna chahti thi, reason obviously was same."
"This is the first time I have heard something like this. Too much too much..." I couldn't take it anymore, my eyes teared up, stomach and chest hurt with short of breath. Till now, I never could have imagined, me, Shravan Malhotra, was sitting on a wooden bench, drenched in rain,with the wet cobbles under our feet which were now puddled., the speedy cars passing by, splashing waters in every possible directions.
"Suman, you should hurry up. Look there, the sky has become more darker, abhi barish rukne wali nahin." I warned her, as much as I was enjoying the rain with her, the way, her wet kurti had clung to her body, making her figure more prominent to others, was really something I was getting irritated at.
"Hmmm chalo chalo, I am done."
"Ab???" She asked, while my car refused to start after umpteen try.
"Let me call the mechanic."
"The mechanic? You have your personal mechanic?" She wiggled her eyebrows.
"Jis garage mein humari saari gariyan servicing k liye jaati hai. I am very partcular i don't like my things to be touched by any random one."
"Possessive..." She chuckled.
If she knew...huhhh!
We had to wait for an hour, for the mechanic to arrive. But to our bad luck, the car had to be taken to the garage. And the day turned more interesting, when me and suman took a DTC bus, on her insistence.
"You, know, jab main choti thi na, mujhe kya lagta tha..." She whisper in my left ear.
" Ohh hold that...hold that, I am not in a mood to be in an another laughter spree, not again" sitting uncomfortably, in the bus, caging my legs in a very small area.
"Arey listen na..." She continued.
She kept talking and I kept looking,, water drops running silver over her forehead from her gleaming wet hair, and her eyes...sparkled with every words she spoke.
Dekheya main chaand dekheya
Nooran waale sitaare dekheya
Par tere jaisa na koi dekheya main
Lagta hai nigaahon mein teri
Bin doobe rehna hi nahi
Mujhe ishq yeh karne se
Ab koi bhi na rok sakeya
O haareya main dil haareya
O haareya main dil haareya
O haareya main dil haareya
Main haara tujhpe o..
O hareya main dil hareya
O hareya main dil hareya
O hareya main dil hareya
Main haara tujhpe
Main haara tujhpe o...
mmm.. o o.. oo..
mmm.. o oo..
It was just like a dream, me sitting close to her, and the wet muddy scent mingling with her own, dazing me all while.
Khuli aankhon se dekha woh
Haseen khwab hai tu
Dil mein jo utar jaaye woh
Pyaari baat hai tu
"Tum meri baat sun bhi rahe ho kya?" She pouted.
I smiled and nodded.
Tere naam ka nasha nasha hai
Zubaan pe chhaa gayaa
Iss bekhudi mein doobne se
Main khud ko na rok sakeya
Dekheya main phool dekheya
Khushboo ke nazare dekheya
Par tere jaisa na koi dekheya main
Lagta hai baahon mein teri
Bikhre bin rehna hi nahi
Mujhe ishq yeh karne se
Ab koi bhi na rok sakeya
O haareya main dil haareya
O haareya main dil haareya
O haareya main dil haareya
Main haara tujhpe o..
Main hareya main dil hareya
Ke hareya main dil hareya
Lo hareya main dil hareya
Main haara tujhpe
Main haara tujhpe o...
Mmm... o o.. oo...
"Mera bag!!!!" She screamed, " woh to gadi mein hi reh gaya!"
"Bag?"
"Areee usme flat ki chaabi thi!!!" She screamed louder.
"Don't shout! Let's think ab kya kar sakte hai!"
"Kuch nahin, abhi andar kaise jaungi!!!!"
"Ohh Suman, caretaker!! I am sure he has the duplicate one." I patted on her shoulder.
But seemed our fate was ill and the caretaker wasn't home, and his wife didn't know where he had kept all the keys.
"Ab? It's already late. Puri raat to nahin khade reh sakte na!"
There was only one option remaining, "Suman, if you are okay, you can come ...with me,I mean mere ghar pe."
This was the first time, when she would accompany me to my house, but...but...was she comfortable? Did she trust me?
She processed the proposal long enough to make me agitated, "Okay...I guess I don't have much choice." She mumbled.
"Suman, one thing, my parents are out of town. I should have thought about that before...I mean if you don't want to come with me, we can arrange a room for you, in any hotel nearby."
She looked at me, and I realised, I was holding my breath, waiting and praying silently, for what I didnt know.
"Don't worry Mr Malhotra, aapki izzat safe hai, you don't have to worry about it." She giggled, and sighed, "I trust you."
I gave her Mom''s night gown to change. She happily obliged. I told kamal to bring us dinner. Meanwhile I changed my clothes too.
"So ab kya karein?" She asked.
"What do you want to do?" It was really a surprise how she could even manage to look fresh and pepped up."aren't you tired? I mean, subah se ghum rahi ho, pehele helicopter ride, then Delhibhraman."
"Nope not at all..." She got up and started to scrutinize my study.
"What's behind this door?" She pointed suddenly. I was so engrossed in looking at her, I didn't even notice that she was going towards it.
"N-Nothing...it's kinda s-storeroom" I stammered.
"Kya baat hai? Aisa Kya hai? " She smiled, mischief in her eyes were very much prominent.
I chuckled, "It's nothing Suman, let it be."That room was only for me to go. I had locked my heart out there. No one was allowed to enter in that place of mine. No one.
But Suman?
The debate started again, my heart versus my brain, brain screamed at me, don't you dare to let her in; where as my heart soothed me, let her be there, you want this.
"Stop arguing. Listen to your heart. It's easier to follow."
"Haan?"
She pointed at my head, "there... where the world war 3 is on"
"No, it's just..."
"It's okay Mr Malhotra, I understand, you don't need to. I won't intrude." She smiled, and moved towards the books cabinet.
"You want to see?" My voice sounded so different to my own ears. The voice that was coming from my chore. It was buried long ago. I buried it, wishing at least there would be someone, who would come and peep in.
"You don't have to...if you aren't comfortable." Her smile assured me, now the time had come. I had to open the door, door to my desire. Door to my dreams.
All I could see was her, standing in the middle of the room, eyeing every corner of the room. He small mouth had formed a round O.
"This...this...is just... just..." She turned at me, "Yeh chupa rahe the? Are you out of your mind? It's just mesmerizing."
I sighed. Now she could see, how weak I was, how vulnerable I was, how spineless I was.
"Yes..."
"But why? Yeh chupane wali baat to nahin hai...I mean..." She laughed. "Why? It's such a stupid thing to do..."
"I am stupid Suman." I mumbled.
" Mr Malhotra...mujhe sach mein samajh nahin aa rahi hai, isme chupane wali kya baat hai. Look at this, your drawings, you are just amazing. Such bold strokes, such bold colours, you are actually...I mean I have no words."
"You like it?"
"Whats not to like! C'mon..."
"You want to know? Why?"
"Sure..."
"I was...was five years old. But I still remember, Papa came and told to dadi, unko London jana hai, woh bhi for five years, and of course Maa will accompany him. I can still see her face Suman, she was so disheartened.
But I was happy you know, London kahan hai, Kya hai, samajh to nahin aya, bass dadi and Papa k baaton se laga bahut dur hai.
Phir jaane k kuch din pehele pata chala, Maa was pregnant, and again, I was happy, ek bhai yaa behen milne wali hai. Bahut planning ki thi maine. Bhai hoga to yeh karunga, behen hogi to yeh karunga.
Ekto London then yeh khabar, I was on cloud nine. But soon, I was brought back to earth. Papa announced, I have to live here with dadi. Maa is expecting, and she can't take the pressure of me right now. I still wonder Suman, aisa kya kar sakta tha main, kya pressure?
Dadi argued, but Papa didnt care. Maa bhi khush thi, kisine mere bare mein nahin socha Suman, kisine nahin. You know, usdin main apne hone wale bhai ya behen se bahut naraz tha. And I prayed, hope jo bhi aane wala ya wali ho, aye hi na...and I still feel guilty you know, I shouldn't have..." I sighed.
"It's okay...it's not your fault. You were just a baby. Then...what happened then?" Her voice was surprisingly soothing.
"I didn't cry Suman... the day they left me with dadi, I didn't cry in front of them. I showed them, that I don't care, I am not hurt." I whispered, "but...you know that feeling, when you want to cry, but your eyes they just refused to shed any water, that hollow feeling." My words weren't sufficient to describe how I felt, I looked at her, sitting there, listening to me, with earnest interest. No one ever listened to me like that.
"My dadi used to draw, I learnt everything about drawing from her, for me, it was my only way to express my feelings, my wishes...my pain...
I was good in studies too. You know I wanted to show my parents, I don't need them to be the best. Actually I was better off them. I was surprisingly happy, yes I did mop around initially, but then slowly Dadi became my world, she was a very well read woman. So many things Suman, so many things I have learned from her. School, studies, friends, and most importantly drawing, my life was perfect. I didn't miss my parents anymore, I didn't think about them anymore. Those were the most beautiful moments of my life.
But as usual, the problem with the good times is they don't stay longer. Mine too didn't last longer.
After five years they came back. Lot more had happened to them, the child Maa was carrying, died even before seeing the lights of this world,, because of her carelessness, her over fondness of drinking and partying. My father had risen to be one of the most successful lawyers. Mr Ramnath Malhotra's name was every where. The budding handsome lawyer they used to say about him."
"Then?"
"Then...to maintain status, my parents decided that I shouldn't be staying at home, I should be in Woodstock international school. After all I am Mr Ramnath Malhotra's son. I had to get the best.
Dadi declared war, first she fought, then begged to let me be with her. But Papa didn't listen. And I was sent to the boarding school. Dadi couldn't take this too well, and she died of a broken heart. That day I cried, and you know, that moment when you burst into tears in your room and suddenly you realise there is no one knows how unhappy you are, is the worst feeling anyone could have. I cried my heart out that day.
Then as days passed, I became more and more aloof, I didn't have any friends there, I never talked to my parents properly, me and my studies, me and my drawings. That was my life.
Then one day of one of my vacations, Papa came to know about my drawings, by then I have become pretty good at it. He organized an exhibition. I was happy with him you know, after a very long time, but of course, I could not see the reason behind his behavior. Press was there, he told them, his son drew these, of course, he had given me all the facilities, and blah blah.
One of the leading magazines, wanted to publish my drawings, but of course Papa had to intervene. He told them, he would allow only if the magazine was interested to publish his interview as well. But they refused." I chuckled.
" He wasn't proud of me, my talent. He wanted use that to be on news. To add another feather on his status hat. And I decided, I won't let him take my advantage, not of my talents."
"Was this the reason you didn't tell your parents that you can fly helicopter?"
"Hmm..."
"That's why you became a lawyer?" She asked again.
"I wanted to be better than him."
"Hmmm" she sighed.
"This is me Suman. I lead two lives, In one,I am the lawyer Shravan Malhotra, who the world know and in another this...who no one knows."
And it was a night to remember, I never had talked this much, not even in my court room hearings. She kept on asking about me, and and was happily sitting there answering all of her questions, from my favorite colour, to favorite film, to favorite book, to favorite song, my first crush, first motorbike riding, first helicopter riding... everything. About London, about the firm I worked there, the most difficult case, I ended up telling her every aspect of my life.
"Your favorite drawing?" She asked. I could show her, now that she knew me, I had to show her my favorite drawing.
"Here..." I got up, and turned a canvas which was put at the corner of this room behind another drawing of mine.
It was a drawing of a girl, setting free a bird from it's cage. Her eyes sparkling, wind playing with her hair, and her smile...
"It's ...it's me...yeh main hoon..." She whispered, looking into my eyes.
With her voice, birds started to chirp, sunrays filled in my room, it was a new dawn, a new life.
And the storm had passed.
So a long long one. The longest i have ever written. Who ever have managed to read, please comment, will be waiting to hear your views.
PS as usual zyada ho gaya, so sorry. Inamorata is all about zyada.
Edited by Itssanjh - 8 years ago
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