"Kya?" she stood there shocked.
"Tujhe yaad hai ek baar tune kaha tha ki Raj apna birthday ab nahi manata bus yahi baat hai." He told n now there was no boundation of her flowing tears.
"Par aaj tak Raj ne is baare me kabhi mujhe kuch kaha kyoun nahi?" she asked in confused way.
"Naina tujhe kya lagta hai ki Vaishali k jaane ka dard kis kis ko hai?" he asked her.
"Alekh Veer ko sab se jyada dukh hai aur shayad mai bhi us k barabar dukh mehsoos karti hoon di k jaane k liye." She said still weeping.
"Bus yahi vajah hai ki Raj ne aaj tak tere se nahi bataya ki vo birthday kyoun nahi manata hai apna." Alekh said taking a deep breath.
Naina started crying hard and she hugged Alekh instantly. He too hugged her back and made her comfort in his arms. Tabhi Appu vahan aayi aur Naina ko rote hue dekh kar pareshaan ho kar boli," Kya hua Alekh?"
He indicated her to be silent for a moment and after sometime Naina detached herself from Alekh.
Saari baat sun kar Appu k bhi aankhon me ansoon aa gaye. "Naina samhaal apne aap ko aur bus kar. Aise rone se kuch nahi hoga samjhi." She tried to console her.
"Mai kya karoon Aparna ye sab humesha mere saath hi kyoun hota hai?" she was still sobbing hard.
"Kuch nahi hota hai tere saath aur jo bhi hoga accha hoga samjhi tu aur ab agar tune rona nahi bund kar diya na to mai tere bhai ko aaj abhi yahan chod kar chali jaaongi." She warned her in a dramatic tone.
"Apun ne kya kiya hai is me?" Alekh asked making a face.
Naina smiled at them to which Aparna also smiled. "Ok, ab tu sun tujhe kya karna hai aur haan ye yaad rakh Raj tujh se hi pyaar karta tha,hai aur aage karega bhi." She said wiping her cheeks.
"Vo to mujhe bhi pata hai." Naina said confidently.
"Waah jab pata hai to itne ansoon kyoun bahati hai?" Alekh gave her a loving slap on her cheeks.
Naina smiled at Alekh.
"To aap yahan se jaaiye mujhe kuch personal baatein karni hain Naina se." Aparna ordered.
"Lo mai hi help kar raha hoon aur aap mujhe yahan se out karne ko ready hain." He made a said face.
"E nautanki chal yahan se teri behan tere saamne aisa kuch nahi bol paayegi na mai us ko apna plan samjha paaongi."
Aparna requested him.
"Oye mera dialogue churati hai, theek hai tum dono baat karo mai tere ko baad me dekh loonga." He said n left the room.
After half a hour Naina's face was showing a different kind of grace. "Theek hai mai aaj koshish karti hoon is ki." She smiled.
"Ye hue na meri Naina waali baat." Aparna also gave a big grin.
They both left the room and Aparna went in search of Alekh.
Here in Raj's office:-
Poore din Raj ek hi baat sochta raha office me ki kyoun vo kal raat me itna kamjor pad gaya ki apne aap par kaboo na rakh saka aur us ne Naina ko kisss kiya. Par Naina ne us ko ye ehsaas dila hi diya ki us k pyaar k liye vo intezaar kar sakti hai jab tak us ka Veer poori tarah se Naina ko apna lene k liye ready na ho jaaye.
Tabhi Raj ne kuch ajeeb se mehsoos kiya apne saamne. Us ki antaraatma khadi thi us k saamne.
"Kyoun Raj kaisa laga jab itne saalon baad bubara tumne Naina ko kiss kiya?"
"Kya matlab? Mai kuch samjha nahi?" Raj asked in a confused way.
"Jo tum samajh rahe ho vo tum samajhna nahi chahte ho Rajveer. Sach ye hai ki tum ne Vaishali se kabhi pyaar hi nahi kiya. Tum us ko bus us ki acchai ka badla de rahe the. Tum dono ka dil aur man kabhi nahi mile to tan k milne ka sawaal hi nahi uthta tha."
"Ye sach nahi hai." Raj protested.
"Mano ya nahi mano par ye sach hai ki jab Naina ko tum ne kiss kiya to teen saal pehle ka vahi ehsaas fir se vapas aa gaya isiliye tum nashe me aage bhi bahut kuch karna chahte the us k saath par vo to Naina ne tum ko roka varna na jaane?????????????.."
"Galat hai ye galat hai mai Naina ko us ka hak dene ki koshish kar raha tha bus." Raj was on a verge or crying.
"Accha, aur yahi hak tum ek baar shayad Vaishali ko bhi dene ki koshish ki thi par dene se pehle hi ya youn kahein us par ehsaan jatane se pehle hi bhagwaan ne us ko tum se alag kar diya."
"Mai ehsaan nahi kar raha tha Vaishali par vo meri biwi thi vo us ka hak tha." His eyes moistened now.
"Hak Naina ka bhi hai na. Sach me tum bade he selfish aur gire hue insaan ho kabhi tum ek behan k saath kabhi doosri behan k saath aisa karte ho sharam nahi aati tum ko."
"Maine kuch nahi kiya, maine kuch bhi jaan moojh kar nahi kiya hai." He was sobbing now.
"Tum itne selfish ho gaye Rajveer ki tum ko na Vaishali ka pyaar dikha aur na hi ab Naina ka pyaar, ya shayad dekhte hue bhi andekha kar rahe ho. Tum na to khud pyaar de paaye kisi ko bhi na hi tum ne Naina ya Vaishali k pyaar ko samjha."
Raj was crying hard.
"Tum Naina se hi pyaar karte the. Ek pal k liye bhi tum us ko bhool nahi paaye, khaas kar k jab Vaishali tumhare saamne thi to pal pal tum bus Naina ko hi yaad karte the. Aur aaj jab Alekh us ko fir se khsuh rakh raha hai to tum ko accha nahi lag raha hai kyoun?"
"Haan, haan mai pyaar karta hoon us se abhi bhi bahut pyaar karta hoon par mai apne aap ko Vaishali ki maut k liye bhi zimmedaar maanta hoon aur is liye mai apne aap ko kabhi bhi maaf nahi kar paaonga.
"Mujhe aaj bhi yaad hai vo raat jab hum dono ki shaadi ki pehle anniversary thi tab tak hum dono me kaafi kareebi aa gayi thi bus us raat shayad hum dono k beech ke baaki doori bhi khatam ho jaati agar vo bhayanak haadsa nahi hua hota to."
15th October 2006.
Shaam k kareeb 7 baje:-
"Mujhe jaldi ready ho jaana chahiye varna Raj aa kar wait karenge to accha nahi lagega." Vishu was making herself ready as fast as she could.
Suddenly when she took out a jewelry box from the almirah a diary dropped down .It was placed in such a way as if someone take's out it regularly and uses it often.
"Ye kya hai?" she picked it up n started looking it.
When she started reading it, her eyes widened. She was unable to hold her tears flowing constantly from her eyes. She was shocked to read that Raj hided a big fact of his life to her. Now she understood the main reason y was Raj behaving like that with her in initial stages of their marriage.
"Nahi Raj, tum ko koi hak nahi tha mere jasbaaton k saath aise khelne ka." She screamed a loud in pain and almost scattered each and every thing in her room.
"Kyoun hua??? mere saath aisa? Kyoun bhagwaan tum ne aisa kiya mere saath ? Raj ne itna bada sach mujh se chipaya ki vo kisi aur se???..nahi. Mai nahi seh sakti ye." She was unable to hold her tears and anger more so she ran outside.
After sometime she took a car from garage and stormed out of the house. Raj came back after sometime and when he found another car missing he smiled. 'Ye Vishu bhi na jaroor kuch bhool gayi hogi bus vahi lene gayi hogi.' He thought but when he reached in their room his smile vanished and he became shocked.
"Hey Bhagwaan ye sab kya hai?" he screamed.
Farsh par poore kamre ki cheejin tuti footi padi thi aur charon taraf kewal ek aisa toofan gujra hua lag raha tha jo apne saath sab kuch uda le gaya ho. Sab kuch shaant tha tufaan k gujar jaane k baad par Raj k jehan me hulchul machi hue thi ki kaise hua ye sab.
"Vishu kahan gayi?" he asked himself and started searching in whole house. Aaj raj ke ye kaam akele hi karna tha koi nahi tha vahan us ki help k liye kyounki Vaishali ne aaj sab ko chutti de rakhi thi to vo kisi se kuch pooch bhi nahi sakta tha.
Udne Ki Aasha
Kumkum Bhagya
63