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Here goes the next part... hope you like all like it... do leave your generous comments😃
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Part 20
Mohinder sat with Suri, his elder brother and Brij's father in the backyard of the Handa Haveli, reminiscing their happy childhood days together as a family. "Mujhe maaf karde Mohinder... Daarji ke khilaf khade hone ki kabhi himmat hi nahi hui meri... nahi toh aaj shayad humari Simi humare saath hoti" Suri said regretfully. Mohinder placed his hand on Suri's shoulder comfortingly as Suri wiped his tears. "Jo ho gaya hum usse nahi badal sakte Veerji" he said with remorse. "Main haar gaya hoon Mohinder... I couldn't imbibe my son with the virtue of righteousness. I failed as a brother first and then as a father" he broke down. Pained at his brother's grief, Mohinder hugged him as he silently sobbed.
Mohinder and Rano had met and got married in Delhi despite Darji's wishes while Suri looked after the farm work with Daarji. Wary of Daarji's staunch ways of life, Mohinder had settled with a job in Delhi. It was during this period when Simi, the youngest child and the only daughter of Daarji, fell in love and got married to a local boy much against Daarji's wishes and he disowned her. Her husband was a farmer and owned a big piece of land in the village. His only living relative, his mother passed away a year after his marriage to Simi. The first two years of marriage was bliss for both her and her husband. The much in love couple, stood by and loved each other unconditionally. Life seemed to be getting better when Simi got pregnant. But just 4 months into her pregnancy, misfortune struck when her husband contracted a fatal disease and passed away in two months. Life turned upside down for Simi with no one to her aid. At that moment, she seeked for her family's help but Daar ji threw her out despite her vulnerable condition. She was seven months of pregnant! She tried to get in touch with Mohinder but tracing him took some more time. By the time, Mohinder received Simi's letter and rushed back to his hometown... things had got worse. With no proper care and medical help Simi was on her death bed. Finally that fateful day, she lost the battle of her life and passed away minutes after giving birth to a beautiful daughter.
Brij was 15 by then and was a precise caricature of his grandfather. Even then he had believed that his aunt had no right to live after the disgrace she brought upon the family and it was God's way of punishing her. If it would have been in his control, he might have just strangled the new born but he was young and had received a stinging slap right on his face from Mohinder on suggesting the same when Mohinder came to confront his father carrying along the little baby.
Mohinder, always saw her sister in the little baby. When he got her home, Rano cried taking the baby girl in her arms. She considered her to be an answer to her prayers to Babaji to grant her the joy of motherhood. She accepted the little angel wholeheartedly and gave her all the maternal love and care, naming her, Geet... the music of Rano's and Mohinder's life. Mohinder, however continued to loathe his father for his cruel behavior towards Simi. He considered him responsible for his beloved sister's death.
As Brij grew so did his hatred, and his much deceptive principles of the male-dominated patronizing culture flared. He was fine as far as Geet was away from Handa haveli. As a kid he was happy when his Chacha-chachi came for the annual ritual on his grandmother's death anniversary minus Geet. But then, the huge chunk of Geet's father's land, which now rightfully belonged to Geet, caught his fancy and greed got better of him as he started desiring it all for himself. But Mohinder was adamant and stood in his way fighting for Geet's rights. Mohinder was appalled when even Dar ji supported Brij for this was the same person who had disowned Simi in the first place.
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Anu was mad at him and so to placate her he had grudgingly agreed to let the two girls be by themselves for sometime by the time he thought of catching up with his friends for a game of squash at the club. He also promised to take them out for a nice Sunday lunch. And so he was here to drop Anu at Geet's place but could he possibly leave without meeting her once. May be he could join in for a cup of coffee stealing in a few moments before he headed for the club. Strange, when they were kids, they never fought over for anything... infact he would readily give her anything she demanded in his possession. But now with Geet in picture, they were fighting like small kids, each eager to claim her before the other. Nevertheless, the weird situation amused him as much as it annoyed him.
15 minutes later, they were waiting at her doorsteps for her to answer the door. However, after several moments, when her door was answered, Maan's eyes narrowed. "Hi Rohan" Anu greeted Rohan whose eyes were fixated on Maan and his hands over his hips. Maan turned his attention to Anu, "you know this little irritable monster?" Anu smiled, "Haan. He stays just next door." Anu said pointing towards the house next to Geet's.
"That's beside the point... Aap yahan kya kar rahe ho?" Rohan asked Maan curtly recognizing him to be the person, whom Geet had asked to join them on their 'date'... Amused, Anu asked Maan, "Aap isse jaante ho Veerji?" Maan who had not missed the curt tone of Rohan's voice said, "Haan..." but before he could continue, another woman's voice cut him in between as she called out to Rohan, "Who's it Rohan?" Not letting go Maan's gaze even once, Rohan replied, "Anu didi hai mumma... Geet's friend" Maan's eyebrow shot up... a lady appeared on the door and slightly smacked Rohan's head as she chided him, "Rohan... Geet didi... badi hai woh tumse" Rohan puckered his brows cutely while Maan grinned. "Mumma... Geet is my girlfriend not didi" Rohan stubbornly replied as he crossed his arms. His mom rolled his eyes and turned her attention towards Maan and Anu. "I'm sorry... yeh Rohan bhi na... please andar aaiye" she said courteously.
Anu who was attuned to the coldness between Maan and Rohan by now was highly amused with the whole interaction. Before stepping in she whispered to Maan, "All the best Veerji. You have a competition here... sorry I forgot to mention about it before" Anu giggled while Maan glared at her. Rohan who allowed Anu to enter, blocked Maan's way once again once Anu stepped inside. Placing his hands on his waist, Maan towered over the little kid and in another instant swiftly picked him up and placed him back on his feet away from the door clearing his way. Rohan gaped dangerously at Maan and tugging on his pants, said, "you can't take advantage of being big... main bada ho jaunga na toh main bhi aise hi karunga" he huffed. Maan narrowed his eyes at him again, "feel free" and without paying any heed to the seething kid went to stand by Anu who was trying hard to stifle her laughter. Rohan ran over to his mother's side and tugged on her saree.
"Aunty Geet kahan hai?" Anu finally asked. It wasn't a rare sight for her to find Rohan here. The kid was fond of Geet and would often come over to play. But, what were they doing here on a Sunday morning. "Woh upar hai... main bas usse dekhne aayi thi" Rohan's mom replied. Anu frowned and so did Maan. Check on her? Why? "Aunty, us ki tabiyat theek hai na?" Anu asked frowning a little. "Haan... bas thoda ghabra gayi thi raat ko" Rohan's mom answered, telling them about the intruder at the night. How the security guys had seen someone descending from the pipe and had raised an alarm... Rohan's parents, who knew that Geet was alone had immediately, came in to check on her. Apparently, the thief had knocked down a glass picture frame that broke Geet's slumber and when she rushed to her window, a broken glass piece had pierced her foot.
Maan's breath caught in his throat at the horrifying thought that someone had sneaked into her room when she was all alone in the house. And all he wanted to do at that moment was to go and see for himself that she was fine... To hold her close to himself and never to let go. But he held himself back for he knew that it would make a very wrong impression if he just ran to her room. He was thankful when the lady spoke again, "Anu, I'm going home. Let me know if you need anything" Anu nodded and the lady left. No sooner than the lady left the house, Maan was running up the stairs taking two steps at a time. He was close to her door when he heard her musical laughter and felt the air around him. Turning inside, he saw her sitting on the bed tickling Rohan, making him laugh and joining in the mirth herself. It was only then that he let out his breath. He hadn't seen Rohan going upstairs but he was glad that he was here to make her laugh like that. His eyes, carefully roamed over her to ensure that she was fine. He noticed her bandaged foot and shut his eyes. Next moment, he heard Anu calling for her, "Geet..." it was then that she saw Maan standing by her door as Anu rushed to her side. Rohan had stiffened and clung to her. "Tu theek hai na?" Anu asked concerned. Geet smiled. "Haan baba... main bilkul theek hu" she looked over to Maan as she finished her sentence and blinked her eyes to assure him the same.
"Maine kaha tha na that you should stay with us" Anu said. "Anu... since I was home, the thief ran away na... nahi toh kuch chori ho jata toh?" she aksed ingenuously. Maan sighed and made his way towards her bed. Slapping her forehead, "Idiot... chori ho jata toh (Anu mimicked her) tujhe kuch ho jata toh?" she said impatiently. "Hua toh nahi na? Geet said with a pout. Maan looked at her incredulously and his jaws tightened. Geet sank back in the bed when she caught his look. And she held on to Rohan tightly. "Anu would you mind, giving me a few minutes alone with her" Maan told Anu in clear words but kept looking at Geet. Geet gulped. Anu simply nodded her head and urged Rohan to join her. When he didn't budge, Anu bribed him with a chocolate and took him along.
The moment they left, Geet started in her defense, "Maan... raat bohut ho gayi thi... main phir bhi phone karne wali thi lekin Rohan ke mumma aur papa ghar pe aa gaye the... Aunty mere paas hi the saari raat... phir main phone kaise..." he shut her monologue by placing his finger on her lips. He then lightly touched her bandaged foot, "does it hurt?" She shook her head, "not much"... bending down a little he placed a soft kiss on the foot and then moving over to her side, he pulled her in his lap and hugged her tightly. "Main theek hoon Maan" he heard her whisper. "I shouldn't have let you stay by yourself" he whispered back in her hair as his arms tightened around her back. Drawing back a little, she cupped his jaw as she said, "Maan... calm down. Aur phir Maa aur Bauji bhi aaj aa jayenge na." Maan kissed her forehead and brushed his lips against hers, "I can't let anything happen to you Geet." he whispered.
Just then she heard some footsteps outside the room and pulled herself away from Maan and sat on the bed. "Geet... Mumma bula rahi hai... main baad main aaunga" Rohan said as soon as he entered. Geet smiled. "Theek hai... Mumma ko thank you bolna" she replied in the same kiddish tone. Rohan then turned to leave but when his eyes caught Maan's, thinking something he came running forward and jumped on the bed. He then kissed Geet on her cheek and ran away. Maan's jaws fell as he caught on the intentions of the little brat. As Geet saw Maan's facial expressions, she remembered their previous meet at the ice-cream parlour and started laughing and so did Anu who had followed Rohan while Maan sulked. Looking at his expressions, Geet pleaded with Anu, in gestures to leave them for two more minutes. Anu rolled her eyes and left.
Geet tried to turn his face towards herself but he shrugged her hand off. Obsessively, protective that he was, she knew he wasn't annoyed but was still worrying about her. The fear of the incident still lurked in his consciousness. And no one else, but she could pacify him and put him to peace. Thinking something, a little reluctant at first, she climbed back in his lap and encircling her arms around his neck, she leaned in and pressed her lips on his neck and then bit him just as she remembered him doing so. Her finger trailed from his cheek... to his neck... to his throat. He groaned when her lips touched his earlobe. He held her hand that was moving to his chest and forcing her down he pinned her to the bed. She gasped. He smiled darkly at her nervous expressions and whispered in her ears, "Mishti... you have a perilous affinity towards troubles... (lifting his head he looked in her eyes with a glint in his own) don't blame me... you called for it" saying he slammed his lips on hers. This kiss wasn't as gentle as their first kiss. His fingers played in her hair while hers held his back firmly. Very lightly, he bit her lower lip and then continued to kiss her softly yet firmly. When he drew back panting, she was flushed. Hitting him playfully on his chest, she said, "I was right in my judgment". Looking at her with admiration and love, he asked, "kaunsi judgment?" She smiled, "Phantom! That's exactly what you are!" He leaned in and whispered, "You still have a lot more to know about your phantom mishti. (lifting his head, he traced her lower lip with his thumb as he added) yeh toh sirf shuruwat hai" her eyes widened as she looked at him incredulously at his blatant pronouncement of his thoughts. She turned crimson as he winked at her and sliding down further, she smiled and hid her face in his chest. Holding her close, he rolled on his back pulling her alongside and laughed in sheer enchantment.
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Back to present
"Kya baat hai Geet. akele baithe baithe kyun muskura rahi hai?" Pinky's voice pulled Geet out of her trance. Distantly, she felt she could still hear him laugh. Regaining her composure, she shook her head "kuch nahi Bhabhi kuch yaad aa gaya tha" Pinky gave her a small smile before wishing her goodnight and going back to her own room. She knew, somewhere she was angry at him for letting his faith in her slip away so soon. He saw her getting married and went and got engaged with Sameera! She knew he acted on impulses and his anger always got the better of him. It had been two months that she had seen him now. Though she was trying to cope up... trying to move on... but her insides were still bleeding for him. She ached to be held by him. When she couldn't take it anymore, she removed his picture from the confines of her drawer and hugged it tight. His memories could get her to smile and could make her cry.
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It had been over a week now with Geet working in the hotel. Sasha was guiding Geet over some campaign when Vicky walked in. "Hello beautiful ladies" he said engulfing Sasha in a side hug.
Sasha and Vicky had been dating each other since their graduation days. Smart and intelligent, Sasha was a traditional Indian girl with modern aspirations. She was ambitious and hard-working and had a practical approach towards life. Nonetheless she was a good human being at heart. Since Vicky wanted to pursue further education along with helping Maan with his overseas business, he stayed back while Sasha wanted to start working and so she came back to her hometown, Mumbai. On Vicky's insistence she joined the hotel and from there on worked hard to achieve her professional goals.
"Vicky... we are working here" Sasha said a little annoyed at the interruption. "People! Yeh mere baap ka hotel hai aur tum mujhe attitude de rahi ho" Vicky said dramatizing a bit. Sasha rolled her eyes. "Haan... yeh tumhare dad ka hotel hai... lekin yahan ki marketing incharge main hoon... and you know MK doesn't approve of trespassers!" Geet looked up instantly wondering who's this MK, Sasha keep referring to. As Sasha feigned arrogance, Vicky squinted his eyes, "mere bro ka naam leke mujhe darao mat... play fair... hai na Geet?" he said turning over to face Geet. Geet smiled a little and then turned to Sasha, "Excuse me. Ma'am main banner ke locations check kar ke aati hoon" said that she picked her notepad and stepped out of Sasha's cabin without looking back.
"Yeh ladki thodi ajeeb nahi hai?" Vicky asked as the door shut behind Geet. He wrapped her in his arms from behind as she said, "ajeeb nahi... she's quite drawn into her shell... I tried talking to her but she never speaks a word other than work. Maine Pinky se bhi baat ki thi... she said that Geet is still reeling under the shock of her parent's sudden demise aur phir Delhi se Mumbai aana... According to Pinky she doesn't even have friends here... (Remembering something) did I mention she has worked with MK before?" Vicky instantly turned Sasha around to face him, "Veer ji ke saath?"... Sasha nodded in confirmation, "yes... she was a trainee with Khurana Group a year back and her mentor and guide was none other than MK! No wonder she's so proficient at what she does" She said admiring Geet's work. "Hmm... that explains... why you appointed her even though she didn't complete her MBA" Vicky added thoughtfully. "Indeed... her record says high recommendations from Khurana Group... (Thinking something) Vicky, why don't you try to speak to her? She's a nice girl and I really feel for her" she said genuinely. "Does she know East-Villas ke proprietors are Khuranas?" he asked. Sasha shrugged her shoulders, "I don't think so. Since hospitality arm of the business has been a sister-concern we hardly have anything to do with the parent company. And you know with Dev Sir handling the reins independently, the decision-making happens separately with the consent of the board" Sasha explained.
"I know... that explains why the hotel is in such a mess" he muttered. "What?" Sasha frowned. "nahi... I was saying ki I'll try to speak to her... ab khush?" he asked her. "hmm" she responded and started going back to her desk... "oh hello... I'm not yet done" Vicky held her wrist and pulled her back. "Vicky... I'm on duty right now" Sasha reminded him. "so what? Lunch ka kya plan hai?" he asked... Sasha shook her head, "don't make any plans... I've a lunch meeting" Vicky's shoulder slumped in disappointment. Sasha tiptoed, slid her arms around his neck and whispered in his ears, "May be dinner" Vicky smiled playfully and buried his face in her neck.
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Naintara was having agitated conversations over the phone. "Ab tak pata nahi chala? Agar Maan Veerji ko pata chal gaya ki Geet ke saath kya hua tha toh woh kya karenge iska toh aap andaza bhi nahi laga sakte... if you wouldn't have been so careless Geet would have never been able to escape... Sab aapki galati hai... (pause) shut up and act soon now... find Geet or do whatever you can think of" Nainatara added the last bit in desperation. She was scared for her own self now. What if anyone got to know that she knew everything right from the beginning?
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"Maan... Vicky is in Mumbai?" asked Viren entering Maan's cabin. "Yes dad" he replied getting up from his seat. He knew this was coming. Viren had specifically asked him to let Dev be and he would have if Dev wouldn't have been messing around. So as Viren took the chair opposite Maan's, Maan went over to get the hotel transaction file and handed it to Viren. Maan waited patiently till Viren looked at the contents of the file. Once done, Viren slammed the file on the table and closed his eyes for a moment. Dev has once again landed them in jeopardy. "Dad?" Maan called him. Viren sighed as he opened his eyes, "Maan... I should have listened to you. Agar yehi chalta raha toh I fear we'll lose our investors and our expansion plans in the hospitality industry would go down the drain" Maan offered Viren a glass of water and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, "nothing of the sort will happen. Dad... main do din baad Mumbai ja raha hoon..." Keeping his hand on Maan's he simply nodded and left the room.
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"Hey Geet" Vicky called catching up with her near the hotel entrance. "Hi" Geet greeted back with a small smile and started to walk towards her working area. "Oh! Hello... yaar... yahan main tumse baat kar raha hoon aur tum ho ki bhaag rahi ho" he rushed in front of her and said. "I don't want to be late for my work" she replied. "LATE? Madam aapke work hours shuru hone main abhi poora aadha ghanta baaki hai... Ab tak toh Sasha bhi nahi aayi hogi... Is Sasha in?" he asked the receptionist who shook her head in no. Sighing, "What do you want?" Geet asked. "Yaar subah se koi mila nahi" he said placing his hand over Geet's shoulder. "Ji?" Geet asked puzzled as she politely removed his hand off her shoulder. "Arre coffee peene ke liye... come let's have some coffee" without waiting for her reply he dragged her to the coffee shop.
"pata hai apna hotel hone ka sabse bada fayda kya hai?" he asked taking a seat across her. "kya?" she asked him eager to get over with this conversation and this coffee. "coffee ke paise nahi dene padte" he grinned, but she maintained a straight face. "tumhe hasne ya muskurane se allergy hai kya?" he asked perturbed by her attitude. "nahi. Lekin main bina kisi wajah ke nahi hasti" she replied as the waiter served them their coffee. He sighed, "Geet... har baar hasne ke liye wajah ka hona zaroori nahi hai... sometime you should just let your guards down and enjoy" he said upbeat. "Everyone is not that privileged Vicky." She answered him solemnly. "Geet... I have been observing you since day one... you speak only when someone addresses you or its inevitable to avoid... you hardly smile... you hardly mingle around... bas apna kaam karti ho and then you leave" he said... "is that a bad thing?" she asked a little annoyed. What has he got to do with what she does and whom she speaks with if she's efficient at her work. Vicky shook his head, "I didn't mean that. It's just that agar tumhe koi problem hai... toh mujhe batao... as a friend I'll do what I can" he stated. "Friend?" she questioned. He rolled his eyes, "ok lets be friends first..." he said and extended his hand. She looked at it thoughtfully. He sighed yet again, "don't worry... iske badle main tumhe aadhi salary pe kaam nahi karvaonga" he said spectacularly... finally she chuckled smiled at him genuinely before taking his hand. "Ok... friends then" she said. Vicky smiled and so did Sasha and Adi who looked at the two from a distance. When Vicky looked up at them, Sasha gave him a thumbs up while Adi mouthed him a thanks.
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"Aunty Geet aayi thi?" Anu asked Rohan's mom. After pleading and persisting with Arjun, she had come over to Geet's neighborhood with him to try to gauge any information if possible. She knew Rohan's mom always had a spare key to Geet's house and their families were pretty close. "Haan Anu... its been over a month now... woh aayi thi... mujhse ghar ki spare keys li... and within an hour she packed her bags and left" she told Anu. "Left? Lekin kahan?" Anu asked sitting over the edge of the sofa. "yeh toh nahi pata... I asked her but she didn't say anything... maine Mohinder bhaiya aur Rano Bhabhi ke bare main bhi poocha but she didn't reply... bohut udaas lag rahi thi... all lost... Maine usse rokne ki koshish bhi ki but she was in hurry... uske baad na uska koi message aaya na uske Ma-Bauji ka" Rohan's mom shook her head. "Aunty... uske saath koi aur tha?' Anu asked biting her lips anticipating to know about her husband. "Nahi... koi nahi tha..." Rohan's mon shook her head. Thanking her, Anu and Arjun left from there.
Once back in the car, "maine tumhe kaha tha na Arjun... kuch toh galat hai... agar uski shaadi hui hoti toh woh yahan akeli kyun aati... and what with aunty saying that she looked all lost" Anu was trying to reason out. Arjun placed a hand on Anu's shoulder, "hum pata laga rahe hai na Anu... don't worry... we'll find her" and then he kept looking straight on the road as he drove his car.
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Geet was at the reception when her eyes fell on the newspaper bringing a small smile on her lips. Carrying the paper to with her she slipped inside a secluded corridor near the laundry room, she read the headline, a hundredth times now, Maan Singh Khurana acclaimed internationally for his London project. She smiled as tears brimmed in her eyes. This was his dream project. She knew he would excel and she was right. He had excelled at it.
"Mishti, you won't congratulate me?" he whispered in her ears as his hands wrapped around her waist and he pulled her close. She smiled and turned around to see the happiness in his eyes as she would congratulate him. She found it peculiar, but whenever she would applaud for him, his eyes would lit up with pure joy and pride. He said he took pride when she felt proud of him. He gave her the credit of his success saying she was his lucky charm. But when she turned around, he wasn't there. She was standing by herself in the middle of corridor. And then suddenly the need to hear him, surpassed all her reasoning. Her ears ached to listen to his voice, if only for once.
With trembling hands she fished for her cell phone in her bag and punched in his number. Her eyes fixated on his picture in the newspaper. As she pressed the call button and pressed the phone to her ear, she waited with baited breath and her heartbeats rose. His phone rang, once... twice... thrice... and then "Maan Singh Khurana here..." she heard and her other hand flew to her throat as she felt choked.
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Ok. Now your turn... let me know how it was... Hope it lives upto your expectations😃
Sonia
Edited by euphoric - 14 years ago
Bade Achhe Lagte Hain
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
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