Part 58
Piya was in her room at the hide out packing the papers still dresed in her lehenga choli she wore for the temple when Abhay and Maithili walked in Abhay furious with worry, "TUM GAYI KAHAAN ACHANAK? HUME KAAFI DHAR GAYE THE! TUMHARI VRATH HAI AAJ!"
"Aaj mera vrath hai muje aache thara yaad hai. Lekin shayad tum donon buul gaye ho ke aaj humare liye ek bahoth zaruri ladayi ladni hai. Press conference hai - vo press conference jo humare liye bahtoh zaruri hai. Abhay Sidharth pehele baath karega jiske baad Dhanish take over karega, daddy aur mummy ghar par rahenge to welcome the other members of the clan hume bahoth saari thaqth ki zaurath hai hume."
"Piya…" Abhay inturupted but she cut him off, placing her I-pad inside her bag along with her collage text books, "Piya please baas do minute mere baath suno. Mere aur Maithili ke beech kuch bhi nahi hai, aur na ho saktha hai kyunki main tumhara hoon, sirf tumhara, please yakeen karo."
"Abhay I know ke tum dhonon saath nahi ho lekin problem tho muje iss baath par hai ke tum mujse ithni badi baath chupaya. I hope tume yaadh hai ke hum ek dusre ke saath iss thara juud chuke hai ke alag hone ka saval hi nahi hotha hai. Issi liye main keherahi hoon please mujse kuch maath chupana, I hate it Abhay you keep hiding so much and I end up feeling so left out and alone. Randeshi aur Ghrahanadh ne vhai kiya mere saath please don't do that to me! Muje apne mauth ke teen din pehele patha chala ke vo mere ma baap hai! Aur Maithili aap ko main apne badi behen ke thara treat kiya aur aap ne bhi mujse ithni badi baath cupadiya? Aap ne mujse juut bola? Apne Sehezadi se? Kyun?"
"Piya bale main tumhari paanch rakvalon main ek hoon Abhaindr tumhari Rakshak hai aur uska aatheeth -" Piya cut her off, "Exactly my point aap Abhay ka aatheeth hai aur yeah baath main jaanthi hoon, aur yeah bhi jaanthi hoon ke Abhay aab mera hai sirf mera hai. Aap please isski chintha maath kijiye - main Abhay ke bagar nahi rehpaungi kabhi nahi."
Maithili smiled releved at Piya's reply, "Mathab tum humse naraz nahi ho?"
"Aap se naaraz hona mere liye na mumkin hai, shayaad aap nahi jaanthe hai lekin main sirf Shehezadi Shayanthini Devi nahi hoon lekin raathon ke andhere muje kuch aur bana dheti hai. Vo Rudhra jo ghareebon aur masoom ko bachane ka jwala muki hojathi hoon, main Rudhra baanjaathi hoon, vo Rudhra jisske dill sirf masoomon ko bachane ke liye jaagthi hai. Vo Rudhra jo jeethi hai sirf unlogon ke aansoon ko bujane ke liye aur unke andheri zindagi main raushni laane ki koshish karthi rehethi hai. Patha hai Abhay? Maine tumhari aur Maithili ki rishta Rudhra ki nazar se dheki thi, ek jhwala muki ki nazariye se aur main samaj gayi thi ke issmain na tumhari galathi nahi hai lekin haan main ek baath main bahoth naraaz hoon. Tumne mujse ithni badi baath chupaye the, kya yehi hai tumhara yakeen apni Shehezadi par? Abhay I accepted you as you are muje tumhari aatheth se mujse koi problem nahi hai. Please aise maath karo!"
"Piya ismain Abaindr ka koi galathi nahi hai, humne hi isse mana kiya." Maithili told her making the girl turn her anger towards her, "Aap ne mana kar dhiya? Mana kar diya? Maine app ko apna behen maankar apna saara feelings share kiya aur aap? Aap aise kiya mere saath?"
"Piya humare paas koi aur raastha nahi tha, maarne se kuch hi dinn pehele humse milne ke liye ek aadhmi aaya tha aur ussne tumhare baare main saab kuch bathaya. Tumhari thaqth, tumhari waada aur sabse badi baath tumhari aandhar ka thaqth aur saath saath yeah bhi bathaya ke tumhari shakal - tumhari hone wali shakal humse milthi hai. Aur uske wajay se hamari jaan ko kathra ho sakta hai, aur aisa hii hua jaise humne Abayndr ke saath baagne ke liye thiyar hogaye the thabi unlogon ne aakar hume uss aag main daal dhiya, hume maarne ke liye. Lekin baagne se pehele humne kuch maanga uss aadhmi se, agar hum uss galath faimi ke wajay se kisi ne hume maar daala tho hume uss shehezadi ka saaya banne ka aadhikar diya jai thaki main usski kyaal raak paaun aur usne bhi haan kaha. Lekin hume uss waqth yeah baath nahi patha tha ke tumhara rakshak Abhandr hai aur na muje patha tha ke tumhare rakwalon main ek Sidharth tha. Hume saach main nahi patha tha Piya humari yakeen karo!"
"Yakeen tho aap ne thood dhiya hai didi bahoth bure thara, aur aap ne saab ko bhi mujse saach cupnane main majboor kar dhiya?" she demanded, "How could you do this didi? Aap jaanthe the na mere baare main? Mere aatheeth ke baare main? Amritha ke baare main?"
"Piya hum sirf tumhari iss zindagi ke kabhar hai, tumhari piche zindagi ke baare main mujse sirf vohi patha hai jo humse uss aadmi ne kaha isse aage hum kuch nahi patha hai." Maithili replied making Piya's eyes fliker with an anger and curiosuity, "Aadhmi? Dhikne main kaise tha?"
"Bahoth ajeeb, pure waqth apne chehere ko chupa kar raka tha… dhikne main senik ke thara, lamba aur aajeeb si aanken, neeli, geheri aanken. Isse zyada hume nahi patha hai, lekin haan hume ithna tho patha hai ke usse humare ma ke saath ek gehera ristha tha. Lekin isse zyad patha nahi tha hume Piya."
"Didi aap -" she was cut off by her I-phone suddenly beeped, "Oh no! Hume dheer hojayega Abhay, hume jaana hoga dada ka message hai. We need to pick him up from his place before we leave!"
"Teek hai - Piya kapde tho badhal dho thab thaak main apna baag bhi pack kar gunga." Abhay replied going out as Piya quickly changed into a purpile sleaveless tshirt and a cream knee lenght skirth and formal jacket along with it. She applied light make up with a light shaded lip gloss with a simple gold earings and a bracelet on one hand, a wrist watch on the other. "Didi hume kuch kaam hai hum chalthe hai."
"Piya?" she turned around, "Apna khyal rakna…."
"Ji didi." she smiled leaving behind her protector and closing the door unaware of the kind of challenges she would have to face after the press conference, sending an SMS to Sidharth saying I am on the way to our student office thak jaathi hoon aur uske baad press conference. Aap ka kaam kaisa chal raha hai? Are they getting convinced? A message that caused a beeping in Dhoprial's brakefast table where Sidharth was desperately convincing the Dhoprials that he was a good match for Panchi, "… jiske baad main Harvard chalagaya gaya tha, aur jab main wapas aaya apna dad a bussiness take over kar diya. Saath saath Piya ko dundne laga, it took me nearly three years to trace her out and when I finally did I learned she was in Deheradum too! Then she came asking me for a job in the internship program. It was such a wonderful co-incidence, mail main muje Piya ka photo aur details aathe hai aur shaam vo mujse uss job ka interview ke liye aathi hai jo maine usse dene ke liye decide kar dhiya tha. So we met and had a long chat, thodi si roi thi aur jiske baad maine Piya ko apne ghar par shift kar dhiya aur apne company main kneench liya."
"Jiske wajay se aap ko ghar par ek pyari si ladli behen aur office main ek effective assistant mil gayi hai right Sidharth?" Panchi asked making almost everyone in the table smile except for Misha, "So thats it? Vo umhari choti behen hai? Tum donon ke beech kuch bhi nahi hai?"
"Nahi sir humare beech kuch bhi nahi - excuse me, Piya ka message hai. Panchi she's started Dhanish ko pick up karke aayegi. Misha tumhare haath main yeah mark kaise?"
Misha looked at her arm right under the sleave of her blue tshirt, where a strange birth marked shaped like a flame that was a littile darker than the rest of the skin. "Yeah mark bachpan se hai, why is everyone asking me about this?"
"Agar tume iss baath se ithna hi thakleef hai tho hum uske baare main baath nahi karenge. Why don't we discuss something else, Mrs. Dhoprial kya main aap ka future pad saktha hoon? Shayad muje aap ke haathon se apna thaqthdeer ka bhi patha chal jaayega."
"Aare vaah beta tum astrology bhi jaanthe ho? Yeah lo dhek kar bathaiye meri zindagi kaisi hogi?" Sidharth smiled and took her hand concentrating on the lines as he chewed the paratha, "Hmm… aap kai samundar ke pass paida hogaye the kya?"
"Haan main tho goa main paida hui thi!" Madhu laughed, "Aur aap ke zindhagi main kaafi changes aaye the, you were traveling a lot. Away from your faimly at times, shayad issi liye aap ghar ki ladli thi?"
"Score - aur kya kya jaanthe ho tum?" after hesitating a moment he went on, "Aap ke saath ek aise haadsa hui thi jo aap ki zindagi badal dala."
Madhu paled and pulled her hand away, Arnap instantly stepped in, "Panchi beta press conference ke liye dheer hojayega, tum jaao aur thiyar hojay. Sidharth tum kuch aurloge beta? Fruits, parathas?"
"Oh no thank you sir I am done with brakefast." he added getting up, "How about some coffee? Ram Sing paanch coffee's lekar anana!"
"Muje nahi chahiye - I am getting late!" Misha snapped walking out the house and right into Samrat's waiting red Mustang, the red of shirt shirt relfecting the danger on his mind but a tip Misha did not pick up, "Hi babby!"
"Hi Sam!" she smiled allowing him to press his lips against her and suck a little of her life out of her!
Krishi