Hi Friends,
Thanks for ur appreciation.. This is another OS.. This is on VeeBa.. Very intensive & entertaining characters. Scene continues after Veera revealed truth about fraud NRI brat.. I find Veera- Baldev quite intensive characters.. I enjoed writing ths OS on them, hope you'll also like it..
Breaking some Prejudice
Veera closed her bedroom door and released a happy sigh. In her mind, she replayed chain of events that happened today. She felt contended and pleased with her heroic act by which she rescued Gunjan di from that "fraud NRI's" trap.. and probably she wouldn't have accomplished it without Beeji... her Beeji.. She grinned blissfully and raised her hand to her right ear, to feel the earring.. Precious gift from her Beeji.. Shockingly, she felt her earlobe only. She checked her right ear, another pair of it was still hanging there. She fiddled with it worriedly.
"Hay Rabji, ae ki kar ditta maine.. Mera ek jhumkha kithhe gaya?" She panicked and ran off outside her bedroom. Her house was silent; she looked all over the places... But there was no sign of her lost earring. She whimpered as she realized that perhaps she had lost it while coming back to home from Balwant tayaji's house with Karan. This earrings were precious and she couldn't afford to lose it.. She looked outside from her window and grabbed a torch lying on a nearby table. Walking on tip toe, she made her way out of the house.. Though it was dark outside, she felt safe.. Because it was her Preetampura Pind.. "Her Pind'.. And shortly she was going to leave this Pind again.. Strangely, that thought saddened her..
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Baldev took a right turn on his bike and kept his eyes focused on the road ahead.. His head felt little dizzy. Despite having alcohol in his system, he wasn't feeling relaxed. He knew that he was jeopardizing his life by driving a bike in such a condition.. But his anger had overtaken his good senses and his brain wasn't thinking straight. His innocent sister's engagement was broken.. His Papaji had slapped him in front of all those people of his Pind.. He felt mortified.. His Papaji was always judgmental whenever he was concerned.. He was already a worthless son in his eyes and now he'd labeled him as a careless brother.. He loved and cared for his sister more than anything and he didn't deserve his father's outburst.. He was neither worthless son nor a careless brother.. He would prove his worth to entire Pind when he will become a Sarpanch.. But before that he needed to teach a lesson to HER... Veera .. He felt furious, unhappy, miserable, helpless.. all at the same time. His head pounded furiously and he felt sick again.. Suddenly, he hit something and his bike abruptly stopped.. But he didn't. He flew over his handlebars and ended up on the ground near a huge tree.. His bike slide beside him, front wheel still spinning.. He groaned in frustration..
"Sab siyapa aaj hi hona hai." With a great effort, he raised his hand to check his injury.. His forehead throbbed where he touched. He hoped his bruise wasn't as bad as he actually felt. He closed his eyes and forced his mind and body to relax for a while..
*********
As Veera walked down on familiar path leading to Balwant ji's house, something in a nearby bush caught her eye. She flickered her torch in that direction, she horrified to see a motionless body of a person lying on his stomach.. and a bike lying beside him.. Baldev's bike..
"Baldev" She revolted in panic and ran to his side. Kneeling down, she turned his body.. It was HIM.. Terrified, she picked up his limp arm, felt for a pulse. In her pure panic, she couldn't find any.. Horrified, she grabbed his shoulder and started shacking him up violently," Baldev, uth.. Uth, Baldev.. Hey Wahe Guruji, madad kara meri.. Baldeva uth.."
Suddenly, he stirred. Veera almost cried with relief. She checked his pulse again. This time unerringly she found his pulse, pounding steadily.. She let out a relieved sigh.. "Rabba tera lakh lakh shukar hai." She looked at heavenward and then at Baldev's face.
Veera noticed a couple of bruises on his forehead, on his left cheek.. Unconsciously, she traced her fingertip on his bruises.. His body felt warm under her fingertip.. Instinctively, she smoothed his hair away from his forehead to have a better look at a cut on his forehead. To her utter surprise, she also noticed that he looked very calm and less intimidated, and a bit innocent with his eyes closed.. u.. She wondered.. Why the heck she was concerned about that.. That though upset her.. Displease with the track of her thought, she jerked her finger away from his face and started shacking his body again.. " Uth Oye.." she shook him more violently..
Baldev didn't need to open his eyes to know who the voice belonged to.. It was undoubtedly her.. He thought he was dreaming until she touched him.. It was so familiar touch.. and then his brain registered smell of her perfume.. It wasn't a dream..But why he heard the raw fear in her voice when he shook him in a frantic way as if he was dying.. And he definitely felt her fingertips gently smoothing his hair off.. He also heard a plea of concern when she called out his name.. It puzzled his senses but he was feeling too sick to deal with it now.. Another shacking and it really annoyed him..
"Oye bas kar oye.. aaah." He winced in pain as he tried to open his eyes. " Mai abhi tak zinda hu aur tu apne hath hata mere upar se." His own voice sounded blurred to his ears. His vision hazed as he opened his eyes. Alcohol was taking a toll in his system and he muttered inaudible under his breath.
"Toh tune pi bhi rakhhi hai" Veera asked incredulously. " Pi kay gaddi chala raha tha?? Fir toh yeh siyapa hona hi tha. Kabhi toh dimag se kaam kar liya kar" Veera chided him more and stood up.
"Oye chup kar aye, maine koi salaah mangi kya terese?" Baldev gritted his teeth and his eyes blazed in pain and anger. "Veera, Mera dimag pehle se hi bohot kharab hai, menu aur gussa mat dila. Tu akela chhod de menu." He rasped words out of his mouth and rubbed his temple and struggled to sit up.
"Oye Baldeva, pehle check kar le dimaag bhi kahi tere bike kay sath kahin gir toh nahi gaya hai? Ek toh mai teri madad kar riya si aur tu menu hi attitude dikha raha hai.. Tu na kabhi nahin..."
Baldev grunted again. Veera stopped her nagging as she heard him groaning in pain. He struggled to gather the strength to stand up.. It did help.. With a hurricane effect, he grabbed tree trunk for support and stood up on his feet. His head swayed again and he gripped tree trunk tightly.
Veera saw him struggle to stand and she softened. "Oye, tera cell phone kithhe hai?" She asked softly.
Baldev nodded in disbelief. "Yahan mera sir dard se phata ja rah hai aur tenu phone di padi hai.. Kya karna hai mere phone de naal tenu? aahhh.." He let out another anguished screech.
Veera heard undeniable pain in his voice. Dirt hovered over his face and bruises. He looked absolute mess and miserable... But her nature prevented her to let any opportunity of getting even with him. And before she could think, the words were out of her mouth.
"Arey tenu nahi pata, Baldev" She asked innocently. "Tere photo di pappiya shapiya jo leni hai." Sarcastically, she threw back those words at him that he had uttered to provoke her just a few days ago.
He looked at her incredulously and openmouthed..He closed and opened his mouth again.. but nothing came out.. Irritated, he shook his head in annoyance..
"Oye Baldev, kabhi toh apna dimag chala liya kar.. Tere phone se Balwant taya ji ko teri madad kay wastey bulaugi.. Aur ki karagi.." She finished flately.
"Kyo ek thappad khilwane se abhi tak tera jee nahi bhara?" He spoke with gritted teeth, eyes burning red.
It irked Veera. He had no right to blame her for that slap'.. Though she was very angry with him when he kidnapped her and tied her with a rope in the morning.. And she had also sworn to get even with him on that... But she wasn't responsible for Balwant Tayaji's outburst towards his son..
"Dekh Baldev" She started fumingly " Maine jo bhi kiya hai na who Gunjan didi ki bhalai wastey kiya hai.. Actually, jo Gunjan didi kay Veerji nu karna chahiye woh menu karna..."
"Aaah Mera sir.." Baldev massaged his forehead violently and grunted.
Again, his panicky screech stopped Veera's angry outburst. Sympathetically, she decided to put all their indifferences aside for a while. She stepped forward, took his left arm and draped it over her shoulder and put her right hand around his waist.. She could feel his body tensed up as she helped him to stand up properly..
"Aey ki kar rahi hai tu?" Baldev appalled, still struggling to keep his eyes open.
"Shut up oye! Dekh Baldev, tera cell tere dimag kay sath kahi gir gaya hai.. Aur mera cell mai ghar wich chhod aayi hu.. toh kisi ko madad wastey bhi bula nahi sakti... Aur tuje iss halat mai akela chhad kay madad lene wastey bhi nahi ja sakti.. Toh chup chap dhire se mere sath chalne ki koshish kar.. Bas aankh bandh na kariyo apni." She commanded.
He stared her blankly for a second as if he was making up his mind.. He was exhausted and was in pain too.. Besides, he neither had strength to argue with her.. nor he had any sensible option other than letting her take a charge of this weird situation.. He nodded his head in agreement and carefully tightened hold of his arm around her shoulder for support.. Oblivious to both of them, her loose & only pair of earring got stuck on sleeve of his shirt..
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To keep him awake and alert, Veera kept provoking him, instigating him throughout their way to his home... He stumbled but she caught him on time.. She reminded him the cause of a continuous series of childhood pranks that they played on each other. This was known territory for her and she knew he would never give up or surrender to her in such conversation.. In the midst of the conversation, she noticed that despite his kind of' unconscious state, he still remembered every tiny details of their pranks.. and so as she.. It astonished and unsettled her..
When theyt were just a few steps away from his home, Veera felt his body slipping away from her firm grip.. She grabbed his waist tightly and shook him, "Baldev, bas hum pohoch gaye hai.. aankh khuli rakh.. Uth oye."
Baldev jerked open his ees but his bone ached, his head whirled, his flesh burned. Veera noticed the heat coming from his body and she prayed to God to give him some more strength till they reach his house..
To her good luck, she found Baldev's two "imprudent" boyfriends outside his house.. They saw Veera and ran to her.
"Ki hoya chhota sarpanch' nu?"
"Veera, ki kar ditta tune iske sath?" Worriedly, both asked in unison.
"Oye chup karo,.. Bakwas na karna mere naal.. Baldev ka chhota sa accident ho gaya tha.. Rastey wich gira pada mila menu.. ab Sambhalo ise." Both exchanged surprised look with each other and nodded.
She handed over Baldev to them. "Aur suno oye.. isse na sambhal kay andar le ke jana.. Aur dawayi bhi de dena.. Bukhar bhi chad raha hai ise.. Aur zarurat lagey toh doctor ko bhi bula lena.." She finished exhaustedly.
As they started walking towards Baldev's house, Baldev opened his heavy eyelids dreamily and blurred softly, "Ruko oye.". He looked over his shoulder and spoke vaguely, "Sun Veera, tu na inni bhi buri nahi hai." His lips twitched in a smile and he closed his eyes again.
His friends exchanged a puzzled look.. again.. They coughed.. and walked back to Baldev's house taking him along with them..
Stunned, Veera stood there for a moment. He had spoken those last words with such a concern that it took her precisely three long minutes to recall the reason that why she shouldn't believe what Baldev said.. Nervously, she raised her hand to fiddle with her ear.. To her utter horror, she notices that now she has lost another earring as well.. Feeble tears welled up her eyes and she looked at heavenward, "Rab ji, aaj toh hadd hi kar di aapne.. Ab kahan dhundhu mere jhumkhe.. Madad kara meri.."
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Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
Anupamaa
