Ok ...parso raat ko josh mein aake maine bol toh diya ki "I'll write" ..but I yet doubt if I really can !! Coz yeah ..I was badly hurt/ affected by that Black Thursday. But yet , I am making an attempt. You never know ..what I might dislike ull may end up liking it ! So here it goes ...
Raghav isn't a businessman over here ! (No ...he's not a scientist as well ! )
Kalpana isn't a chawl girl over here !
This isn't the regular Marushkaa types !! (Sorry for that , the song has been haunting me since a very long time)
The Scientist
He smiled. He could feel her wriggle & giggle at the same time in his embrace. Purposely tightening his clutch onto her he lifted her feet off the ground & twirled her around.
"Raaaggghhhaaavvv !!"
She yelped & he loved it when she called out his name with the sound of those extra A's & the H's. That was all he needed in his life & everything was perfectly perfect. He finally put her down but refused to let go off her hand. Walking on the seashore with Kalpana so close to him, got extreme peace to Raghav. Afterall that was where they had first met ...
It was their START !!
"You are coming tomorrow , aren't you ?" questioned Raghav.
She immediately lifted her head off his chest & looked back at him with her shiny hazel eyes. They had a question mark in them. Raghav tapped her small pug nose with his point finger slightly as he chuckled
"Don't tell me you haven't checked today's newspaper Kalpana !"
Silence. On seeing the retention of her oblivious look he chuckled again
"So ...you haven't !"
He dropped down on the warm sand all of a sudden tugging Kalpana along with him. She resisted initially but Raghav knew exactly what to do. He flashed his dimples flagrantly. She had a weakness for his dimples & he knew it. The dimples never failed as he succeeded to get Kalpana sit close to him. Just 10 seconds & Raghav had begun to pull Kalpana towards him, her back resting on his chest, her legs encased between his as she was engulfed in his body warmth. She further felt him wrap his arms around her as he rested his chin on her shoulder. Yes ..She was immersed in Raghav.
Raghav Raghav all around !
Silence again. This time she broke it.
"Will you tell me what is it Raghav ? I wanna know..." Kalpana muttered with inquisitiveness.
Instead of answering he shut his eyes ,irritating Kalpana even more. He begun to hum a tune as he swayed his & Kalpana's upper body in an impeccable synchrony. He wasn't answering her.
"Raghaav !" she spoke a bit authoritatively this time.
"Shhh...let me just take in the feeling of my wife's ever smart brain not knowing something ...for a change !" That earned him a smack on his hand as he continued humming the tune. Kalpana had opened her mouth to ask him once again , but stopped.
She noticed the tune he was humming. It was different from always & honestly, she was loving it. His voice was something she had always loved. Gazing back at him with all her love, she smiled. Question & answers can happen later thought she as Kalpana closed her eyes as well.
The tune was indeed beautiful as her body now swayed to its rhythm by its ownself.
"Its lovely ! " she said.
A few moments later Kalpana heard Raghav's voice shun for a second as she wondered why. It was instantly followed by a set of words whispered in her ear
"I might get a break tomorrow Kalpi ! I finally got the contract !" Kalpana couldn't believe her ears. Taking some time to allow her mind to assimilate those words she sat still for a second.
& then, as Raghav had expected she turned around & threw her arms around him. Both of them knew how long they had waited & how much they had struggled for this one opportunity. They remained in each other's arms for a quite a long time, on the seashore , under the stars ...
Raghav suddenly felt his body get a heavy jerk as his forehead collided with something. He opened his eyes. It was the front seat of his car. A hand snaked around his neck almost immediately as a hoarse voice questioned
"You ok Raghav ? The driver had to apply immediate breaks ..."
"Yes I am FINE Sammy!" he said with a sigh. His tone doing no justice to his words.
"Well , we are here it seems !"
Raghav lowered his car's window. He could see humongous amount of people cheering for him, yelling out his name while the media flashes increased as his car neared the venue. The intensity of the noise also elevated as he heard the crowd yell in unison
Raghav-Raghav- Raghav-Raghav- Raghav-Raghav- Raghav-Raghav- Raghav-Raghav ...
"Raghaavv !!" Kalpana had shrieked, her eyes wide with shock on seeing her husband in an inebriated condition. His tipsy body leaning across the door's threshold as he smiled like an absolute idiot.
"Oh God ! Not again Raghav ! You had promised me you would stop drinking."
He raised his arms up in the air & then hooked them around Kalpana's neck. "Aise bade bade shehron mein choti choti baatein hoti rehti hai senorita ! "
Kalpana let out a labored breath. It was almost 8 months later that Raghav had returned to her, to India ...& was found in this condition? The sight of her husband in that state got tears to her eyes. They threatened to roll down, but she was not going to be weak. Sammy had given her an idea about a changed Raghav, but she had always denied to believe it. Afterall she trusted her husband. But what her eyes discerned had shocked her to the core !! Things had indeed changed a lot now.
Anyways now that he was back , she was not going to leave him without a nice brainwash. She had to get her old Raghav back...& she was determined to do so ! Raghav nuzzled in Kalpana's neck before passing out as his entire dead weight fell on her.
Kalpana had just raised her palms to steady Raghav when she felt an interruption. A set of perfectly manicured hands had grasped her hand, long red nails digging in her skin ruthlessly. She was now standing face-to-face with Paakhi Kapoor , the super model with her extra botoxed lips. Kalpana had seen her on covers of magazines, in page 3 type party news but never in personal. She was an apple of every eye, especially the paparazzi. But, the question remains what was she doing there ...at 3 in the night ? Kalpana's eyebrows further arched with confusion as she heard her speak
"So ! You are THE MRS SINGHANIYA. Er...Rags was so right , mistakes do happen !!" Paakhi was now revolving around Kalpana & an unconscious Raghav who was clinging onto his wife for support.
Paakhi crossed her arms across her chest as she let out a bitchy witchy laugh "You better leave him on your own before he kicks you out of his life. I love him & can do anything to get him in my life. So you better start worrying about your future. He's mine ! He's just mine !! "
Kalpana let out a hysteric laugh as she snapped back at her "Ok , we haven't met before ..but just a piece of knowledge for you miss. You cannot hold someone back slash claim your right in love. If things are meant to be , they will happen. As for Raghav , he loves & trusts me a lot, so I don't have to worry ever ! "
& thud , Kalpana shut the door on Paakhi's face. Kalpana carried Raghav to bed as she lay beside him. Playing with his fingers she mumbled close to his face "I trust you. I trust you Raghav ...I trust you more than anybody else !!"
"Who doesn't trust you Raghav ? You are the best !" Raghav smiled meekly at that statement as he saw a plump well-dressed man leave the green room with a set of papers. He was one of his sponserers for the night.
TRUST ...the word hurt him boundlessly.
"Get out !" yelled Raghav as he literally dragged Kalpana out of their room. His hands which had always handled Kalpana delicately were today piercing deep within her skin, his words murdering her heart. An ever-strong Kalpana was pleading to Raghav to let her explain things. She was crying & wailing , but that didn't seem to affect Raghav by any ways.
"How much did the other party pay you Kalpana ? For selling my best work , for selling my dream, god damn...for selling yourself ..." (not going in details ...you'll can do up with the assumptions) He paused when he saw Kalpana's vulnerable eyes shut tightly. The sort of expression on her face, Raghav had never seen before made him uneasy for a flash second. She opened her eyes & looked back at him with disgust as her pleas stopped.
Tears dried as she stood like a lifeless statue. Raghav was continuously accusing for doing something she hadn't. She finally spoke
"You are right Raghav ! UR dream ..I was never a part of it , was I ?" her voice so monotonously dead.
"Oh please stop playing with words Kalpana. Paakhi was so right about you ! You just don't deserve me. What are you in front of me today ...nothing ...absolutely nothing ! & that's what irked you ..amn't I right ? I was lucky that Paakhi showed me your true face before you could make any more damages to my career. My career matters the most to me ...& if you stand as an obstacle , I shall not think twice before removing you off from my life. We are over Kalpana ...we are OVER ! Get that thing cleared in your head & get lost from my life. You shall get our divorce papers soon ...sign them & send them to me asap. & dare you try to meet me ever! "
Kalpana was dead long back ! She herself was surprised as to how bad her heart ached , do dead people feel pain ...no , this can't be her Raghav ! He just can't be!! He was filled with so much of hatred ...
" If that's what you want Raghav ..then ok ! I promise I shall be out of your life completely. You will have not even a slight hint of my existence ..." those words of Kalpana proved to be extremely painful for Raghav. Sadly , he was too lost in his stardom to notice anything.
"But , I shall not sign the divorce papers...not until ..."
Raghav saw the door being pushed open as Sammy stood huffing & puffing, both of his hands resting on the door frame. The only word he managed to utter between his breaths had Raghav sprung upto his feet
"Kalpana -(huff huff)- Kalpana - she isn't dead like we thought !"
"I always knew it .I know she can't leave me...anyways " Quickly rushing to him he literally shook Sammy hard by his shoulders.
"Where is she ? Have you found her ?" the need' in his voice reflecting clearly as his dark brown eyes shone as bright as the sun for the 1st time in the past 3 years.
Sammy nodded in negation , Raghav's expression faltered as he turned around.
"But I found this !" said Sammy as he forwarded a brown envelope in Raghav's direction. Raghav immediately snatched it from his hand as he tore it apart & emptied its contents on the table. His hands shivered as he opened the first set of documents. Stamp papers ? Flipping through its pages his gaze stopped at the last page ... the paper slipped off his hand as he dropped down to his knees with dejection. He stared at the sprawls of 2 words keenly. One was his signature ..the one he had done 3 years back & beside that was hers.
Her words
"I shall not sign the divorce papers...not until ...i have lost hope on us !! " hammering in his ears. Seconds later he grabbed the paper off the floor & tore it into thousand pieces as if trying to replicate his shattered condition.
"I lost her Sammy ...I have finally lost her! This is worser than death..."
Tears streamed down his cheeks as he yelled in pain & loss. Why had he ever become so blind & had fallen prey to his stardom & most importantly Paakhi. Clasping his hair with frustration he asked
"When Sammy ? When did you find this ?"
"It was in your today's mailbox Raghav."
"Sammy I need to be alone ...would you mind ?" Understanding what he meant Sammy was about to leave when the manager came rushing in.
"What is this ? You aren't ready yet ? The crowds are going wild Raghav Sir ! They want to listen to your ... "
Raghav's ears heard nothing further as his heart fluttered back to a memory. Their first wedding anniversary.
As always they were on the beach sitting side-by-side gazing at the stars.
"Kalpana, don't you feel like killing me this very moment for not having money in my god damn pocket? I mean today's our first wedding anniversary & we are here sitting like any other day. I can't even take you out for dinner to some expensive restaurant or gift you something really immemorable or make you feel special !"
Against all his expectations / predictions Kalpana let out a laughter as she planted a quick kiss on his cheek.
"Oh Raghav ...being with you is what matters the most to me. I don't want anything else in life." she probably sensed Raghav's doubt on those words of hers as she continued
"Ok , lemme tell you a secret ...just between you & me , don't tell anyone !" he smiled at the kiddish accent spoke in. She indeed knew him well.
"There's just one thing in this world that makes me feel special Raghav...that one thing which makes me feel I am the only one for you ... that one thing that can bridge any distance between us...that one thing which is beyond comparison to any expensive gift in the world...that one thing which doesn't allow me to stay angry on you ,on biggest of your mistakes ...that one thing which connects my soul to yours ... that one thing which made me fall in love with you ...that one thing is ... "
"I know -" as he dipped his face to kiss Kalpana.
"I know" Raghav hopped onto his feet & ran darted out of the room. Too surprised with that action of Raghav's Sammy & his manager followed him.
(I suggest you'll to take a break over here. Ull might be tired by now.)
Raghav was running with all his might. He had to apologize. So long he was living with the dread of she being no more, after searching the entire world for her...he had himself begun to believe that. But today !! He knew he had done wrong to her. And he was not gonna let go off things without trying.
The noises of people chanting his name like some mantra amplified as he neared the crowd. He reached the stage as he heard the announcement
"And finally guys , the singing pop sensation of the century is here. Your ooo-www-nnn RAGHAV !! "
The drums rolled for his entry as the electric guitar buzzed as always to welcome him. He heard his crazy fans cheer for him with excitement.
"Are you sure you can sing tonight Raghav ? I mean if you want we can cancel the concert."
"No Sammy , I cannot lose this last chance !" saying so he got a fake smile plastered on his face as he made an entry on the stage hopping & jumping as always like an energetic bunny. The audience went crazy as he sang a couple of his hit songs.
Sammy was looking at his friend confusedly , yet pondering on his words. A moment back he was shattered & now he is on the stage like nothing happened ? What did he mean by last chance ? What is he upto ? He got his answers the very next second when he saw Raghav suddenly quiten after the last song scheduled for the day ...
The announcer started off "So that was all for toda..." He was cut short by Raghav as he questioned the crowd
"Do u think its over ? Beeeccauuusseee ...it is not !" The crowd like any other crowd yelled at the top of their voices. He gestured the spotlight person to dim all lights & have just one on himself.
Now , that was something totally unexpected for the crowd as Raghav was a rockstar who always stayed under a range of colourful lights & not focus lights. But they yet cheered.
"Ok guys , the last song for tonight is for someone really special ..."
Ooo...that was an obvious reaction from the audience. He sportingly chuckled as he continued to speak
"She was my life & I myself discarded her ... & I am sorry for it...I really am !" There was pin-drop silence in the auditorium now.
"Can I have a piano please ? " he demanded it on the microphone in his hand.
While here in the backstage Raghav's sponserers , the event heads & his manager were going nuts. Not being able to control any longer the manager questioned Sammy
"What is Sir doing ? He is ruining his image ...his career can be destroyed entirely by this one act of his." Sammy looked back at him
"You won't understand ! Tonight is his last chance & nothing can stop him now ...not even his career for which he debarred her from his life."
A piano was got on the stage. Getting himself to sit in front of it he said "This one's for you Kalpi !! The one thing that connects you to me ...my singing , my singing for you ! " as he kept the crumbled pieces of divorce papers on top of the black piano. He looked down at the keys for a second.
He got the piano ,but what next ? He has no song in his head ..not even a tune !
Or wait! Maybe he has one ! The one he never used ...the one he was humming for her when she was in his arms the last time before he had set off on his tour & then ...he didn't wanna recall any further. He had been living with those nightmares for the last 3 years.
"I will not let you lose hope on us !" thought he as he raised his hands. His fingers touched the keys as he shut his eyes in order to recall the tune he had almost forgotten.
(play it in the bg ...its absolute divine !! Trust me , you'll won't regret listening to this one. Click on the link below
Her words "Its lovely !" got a smile to his face as he pressed the first key. Yes ! the memory was so afresh. With his eyes yet close his fingers roamed over the keys artistically, his mind recollecting all his memories with Kalpi. He now felt her presence all around him. Melodious words obliviously left his mouth as he started singing
Come up to meet you, tell you I'm sorry
You don't know how lovely you are
I had to find you, tell you I need you
Tell you I'll set you apart
It wasn't a pre-composed song. He was making it on the spot.
Tell me your secrets and ask me your questions
Oh, let's go back to the start
Running in circles, coming up tails
Heads on a science apart
Every mistake of his flashed in front of his eyes as his voice deepened with intensity.
Nobody said it was easy
It's such a shame for us to part
Nobody said it was easy
No one ever said it would be this hard
Oh, take me back to the start.
Yes , he wanted to start of all over again. How he wished he could simply erase off all his mistakes.
I was just guessing at numbers and figures
Pulling your puzzles apart
Questions of science, science and progress
Do not speak as loud as my heart
He wanted her back in his life. He just did !!
Tell me you love me, come back and haunt me
Oh, and I rush to the start
Running in circles, chasing our tails
Coming back as we are
Nobody said it was easy
Oh, it's such a shame for us to part
Nobody said it was easy
No one ever said it would be so hard
I'm going back to the start ...
He finally opened his eyes. The silence was suddenly replaced by a thunderous echo of applause. Raghav bowed with humility as he left the stage & the auditorium. Hoping Kalpana had somehow witnessed the live telecast of the show he drove off to the beach ...
The moment he was there he looked around , his gaze searching for her desperately. How he wished ...how he wished ..how he wished bad ... But was met with despair. The beach was remote.
He sank down on his knees on the white sand as he clutched some of it in both of his fists. "She didn't come ...she has lost hope on us !!" he muttered to himself as he gaped at the earth below blankly.
Oh I came back to the STAAARRRTTT !'
His ears perked up at those sweet words that hit his ears. He immediately turned around. Yes ! she was there ...she was really there. He stared at her, she stared back. Raghav took in her presence. She had become all pale & skinny. Her face was yet the same beauteous , but was expressionless. Guilt killed him from within as he knew he was the sole reason for all of it.
"Raaaggghhhaaavv !" she said & he came back to reality. He had waited for her so long ..& now that she was there he had no idea what was to be done. He begun to walk in her direction. His heart undergoing mixed emotions as the distance between them lessened.
"Kalpi ! " He finally managed to croak. "You are here ?" that sounded like a whisper , but she heard it.
Taking a deep breath in Kalpana murmured
"that one thing that can bridge any distance between us...that one thing which is beyond comparison to any expensive gift in the world...that one thing which doesn't allow me to stay angry on you ,on biggest of your mistakes ...that one thing which connects my soul to yours..." she said those last words stepping closer to him.
"I wasn't lieing when I said that Raghav ..I wasn't !"
Tears let themselves loose as they made their way down Raghav's cheeks. & like I said before , she knew him well as the next instant she hugged him tight.
That was the best day in Raghav's life as he wrapped his huge arms around her as he lowered his head to rest it on her shoulder. He cried ...he had been strong for a long while. He wondered as to how she managed to remain that strong ? That's when he felt the front of his shirt slightly soaked ...she was crying as well ! The stars that were liberally decorating the heavens witnessed this union.
They let the tears flow that night ...as henceforth they will be having no place in their respective lives ..actually just 1 life ...a life which will be spent together till eternity.
Phew ! I am done ...See rishu , tere liye maine 2 pappiyan daali ek hi story mein. Ab itni saari toh maine mere saare ffs/ss' mein milaake bhi nahi daali hogi. Was supposed to put 1 in the climax as well but wo kuch zyaada ho raha tha.
So , guys ...now I need honest reviews. Did ull like it ? Or ull too felt that something is lacking. Atleast, I was personally feeling so for shots. Please tell me honestly as I promise to not run away like last time...pakka ! I shall definitely continue my bakwaasgiri (writing) on forums , but the duration of my break depends on your reviews.
Feel free to criticize ...I promise to take it positively !
LOVE, TUM LOG KI DUFFER MARUSHKAA š¤
---Sealed---
Debate Mansion
