Her lashes were wet with tears and those tears made marks on her cheeks as they dried there... She soon drifted off to sleep, without realizing that this was not the end, it was a new beginning... or was it????
"ummm Niru.." chandu opened the door causing her to wake up with a start.. "woh main kehne aaya tha ke main ja raha..."
"chandu please, mujhe iss waqt akela chodo... waise bhi tumhari wajah se aaj bahut kuch dekhne aur sunne ko mila."
"main toh sirf yeh batane aaya..."
"ke tum ja rahe ho? Haan toh jaao na... kahin bhi jaao. Mujhe koi farak nahi padtha, infact mujhe bahut khushi hai ke kuch waqt tak tumhara chehra toh dekhna nahi padega. Chale jaao chandu. Aur ho sakey, toh meri zindagi main kabhi wapas mat aana..."
Chandu was really hurt when she said these words. He said nothing; instead he picked up a packed suitcase, shut the door and went from there.
Niru woke up pretty late, she could tell since the room was dark. She locked the bedroom door, went to the washroom and freshened up. Once she was done, she searched for her clothes. She opened the cupboard, only to see that her clothes, along with some additional sarees were neatly folded and kept in. She changed into a simple churidaar and went downstairs. She was yet to see and explore her husband's home.
The house was quite big, yet simple. Their bedroom and prem's bedroom was upstairs. The kitchen, and A guest bedoom along with a common washroom was downstairs. She descended down the stairs and reached the hall only to see a large picture of shagun on the wall with a garland round it.
It did hurt her, since it brought back all those events she witnessed that day since morning. prem playing video games on the sofa in the hall. He was so engrossed in his games, that he did not notice her coming downstairs. She heard some noise in the kitchen and went to see who it was.
She expected chandu to be there. But n elderly woman was busy preparing food for dinner. Niru coughed on purpose to seek attention.
"Arrey Niru, uth gayi tum? Chalo ab dining hall mein baitho. Main khana lagati hoon..." and shouting from the kitchen "prem, bahut khel liya. Chalo khana khane aao"
"aap kaun hain?"
she smiled at Niru and said "main shilpa hoon... chandu ki maasi"
"oh toh aap uski maasi ho" Niru touched shilpa's feet for blessings. she remembered chandu once telling her that his mom had expired when he was small. Since then, his maasi had taken care of him like her own son.
Niru thought about chandu. He had so many problems, but never showed it on his face, he was ever-smiling. Snapping her out of her thoughts, shilpa said"chalo, khana khane baitho..." and went to the dining hall.
Niru helped her set the table. Prem had absolutely no intention of leaving his video games.
"Main baad mein kha loongi. Woh... chandu ko aa jaane dijiye..." not that she wasn't hungry, or she had forgiven chandu, but like the typical newly wed bride, she wanted to wait for her husband. She guessed that he had gone out since he was no where in sight.
"Arrey mama, woh nahi aa rahe hain" prem said as he continued to fix his eyes onto the screen, busy shooting monsters.
"kyun? Kyun nahi aayenge" Niru spoke to him.
"woh kisi kaam ke silsile mein delhi gaya hai. Dus din baad lautega" said maasi, as she served food for them. "Jaane se pehle, chandu mujhe bata kar gaya tha. Usey tumhe akele chodkar jaane ka mann nahi karr raha tha, usey pata tha ke tumhe yahan akelapann mehsoos hoga. Isiliye maine kaha ke jab main yahan pe hoon, toh fikar kis baat ki?" then she went upto prem "tu khana khane aata hai ya mein papa se teri shikayat karoon?"
"chill DM... aa raha hoon" prem spoke in his kiddish voice.
"yeh kya DM, DM laga rakha hai.. Daadi Maasi bol..." she spoke firmly, yet with lot of love. but kids are kids. Prem troubled her more by running around the house, searching for excuses as to not eat his food and shilpa was running behind him with the plate.
Niru ate her food, but without any appetite. No doubt the food was good, but she dint have the mood to savour it. She cleaned up the kitchen and went to the room. She felt so tired that she went and lied on the bed again. She recollected how she spoke to chandu just before he went from hime. She felt guilty and nervous too... "Chale jaao chandu. Aur ho sakey, toh meri zindagi main kabhi wapas mat aana..."
"bhagwan na kare, agar meri baat sach mein..." she brushed away such thoughts. "nahi, kuch nahi hoga, woh sahi salamat wapas aayenge"
She had just shut her eyes when the phone rang. She picked it up and was about to speak when shilpa picked the call and spoke from the hall... she could bet it was chandu's call. She listened to the conversation quietly.
"hello, maasi, main delhi pahunch gaya. Prem kaisa hai? Zyada pareshan toh nahi kar raha?"
"arrey nahi, bacha hai na.. agar woh shararat nahi karega, toh kya main shararat karungi?" shilpa giggled on the phone.
"kya maasi, aap bhi... ummm Niru kaisi hai?" Niru sensed concern and love in his voice when she heard him, making her feel more guilty.
"thik hai... kuch dair pehle hi uthi thi. Tumhare bare mein pooch rahi thi. Maine bata diya ke tum dus din ke liye gaye. Yeh sunthe hi uska chehra uthar gaya..." she said plainly.
"nahi maasi, uska chehra mere jaane ke wajah se nahi uthra hoga. Subah se jo kuch bhi hua, shayad uski wajah se woh udaas hai. Woh mujhe zara bhi maiss nahi karegi... aap dekhna"
chandu spoke with a heavy heart. How he wished that his words were not true. Niru felt hurt when she hurt this. She was upset with him, but that dint mean that she wouldn't miss him? But chandu felt that way because she spoke to him that way, earlier in the day.
"kyun bol raha hai aisa. Beta, apne pyar par itna hi yakeen hai?"
"pyar par yakeen hai maasi, kismat par nahi. Aur waise bhi, shayad Niru ko lagta hai ke humne shadi karke bahut badi galti ki, aur ab mujhe bhi yahi lagta hai." Niru was shattered when she heard this. She never felt it that way. She was happy that she married the man she loved. But how could he think it that way? Dint he know and understand her? She so wanted to clear the misunderstanding between them.
"nahi chandu, usey bas thoda waqt do... subah se jo kuch bhi usne dekha aur suna, uski wajah se woh thodi upset hai. Dekhna tere wapas aane ke baad sab thik hoga. Tu haan karde, toh main ussey baat..."
"aap ussey kuch bhi nahi kahengi... usey iss baat ki sachai kabhi maaloom nahi padni chahiye. Woh mujhse nafrat karti hai maasi. Maine uski aankhon mein dekha hai... woh mujhe sirf bardaasht kar rahi hai, aur main aisa nahi chahta... accha hoga ki main uski zindagi se chala jaun."
Niru was in tears now. She held the mouth-piece of the phone so that no one heard her sobs. She feared what if chandu actually left her? She wanted to hold him and tell him what she felt. She did not want to remain angry with him. She was ready to accept and live the fact that he was a widower who had a son, but she just could not bear the mere thought that chandu would leave her.
"chandu, aaj hi tune shadi ki aur aaj hi tu chodne ki baat kar raha hai? niru ko pata chalega toh woh kya sochegi?"
"kya sochegi? kuch bhi nai maasi. Niru bhi shayad wohi chahti hai. Woh mujhe deserve nahi karti. She deserves better"
"and you are the best for her chandu..."
Niru smiled inwardly at this. Shilpa said the same words what she would have wanted to tell chandu.
"i dont know maasi... lekin kuch bhi ho, aap usey mere aur shagun ki shadi ki sachai bilkul nahi batayengi. Aapne wada kiya hai maasi..."
"sacchai? Ab aur kya chupa rahe ho chandu? Aisi kaunsi sachai hai jo main nai jaanthi" she thought to herself.
"thik hai nahi bataugi. Khush?"
"hmm, accha main chalta hoon. Bye..."
"rukk, Niru se baat nahi karega? ek minute main ussey abhi bulati hoon..." before chandu could say anything, shilpa called Niru from the room. Niru kept the phone in her room and went running down to the hall. Shilpa handed over the phone to Niru and went to prem's room...
"hello?" Niru spoke... chandu shut his eyes as he heard her voice. She sounded so low. He did not say anything, as he had a lump in his throat as tears welled up his eyes. He knew that this marriage was only going to be a burden on Niru, it was clear in her voice. He decided what he had to do when he was back to Mumbai.
"hello? Chandu? Main jaanthi hoon ke tum mujhe sunn sakte ho... jaane se pehle humare beech jo baat huyi, uske..." chandu had already cut the call. Niru was upset, he nver behaved this way. She was hurt when he dropped the call, but when she recollected her words she spoke in the morning, it had justified his anger.
She then recollected his conversation with maasi.
"kuch bhi ho, aap usey mere aur shagun ki shadi ki sachai bilkul nahi batayengi. Aapne wada kiya hai maasi..."
"Aisi kya sacchai hai jiske bare mein abhi bhi nahi jaanti hoon? Mujhe maasi se baat karni hogi." She thought to herself.
While she was still thinking, she felt tiny arms round her waist from behind. She instantly recognised who it could be. She turned to face him.
"prem? Abhi tak soye nahi?" shilpa asked him smiling.
"nahi, aaj main apni mama ke paas soounga.. kyun thik hai na mama..." prem chuckled...
She felt some stange feeling within her when he asked her that. Her heart melted at his sight.
"arrey nahi" maasi said "woh thak gayi hogi na, tu mere paas soja..."
"nahi main mama ke paas hi soounga..." he protested.
"rehne dijiye na? Itna hi mann kar raha hai, toh isey mere paas sone dijiye." She told shilpa, to which she only smiled in response. Niru took prem upstairs and tucked him in bed.
A little while later, shilpa came to the bedroom to check whether prem was sleeping or not. What she saw, made her extremely glad. Prem was hugging Niru and sleeping peacefully with a smile on his face. Niru too was smiling as she brushed his hair off his forehead and patted his back as she put him to sleep. Niru noticed shilpa peeking into the room.
She got up slowly, without disturbing prem and went outside the room and shut the door, so that she could speak to her.
"beta sorry, main tumhe disturb nahi karna chahti thi. Main toh bass yeh dekhne aayi thi ke prem tumhe pareshan toh nahi kar raha hai.."
"nahi maasi, aapne disturb nahi kiya. Main toh waise bhi jag rahi thi. Woh mujhe aapse kuch poochna tha. Aap sach batayengi?"
"kaisi baat Niru?"
"shagun aur chandu ke rishte ki sacchai ke bare mein..." niru stated firmly.
Shilpa was stunned. She avoided looking at Niru. "kya keh rahi ho Niru... mujhe samajh nahi aa raha hai.."
Niru looked at her "maasi, aapki aur chandu ki jo phone pe bat hui thi, maine sunn li"
Shilpa took a deep breath... "chalo mere kamre mein, batati hoon"
A big thank you to all my friends who have encouraged me to write!!! Thanks for the comments, likes and pm's. Do ask questions if in any doubt. N silent readers, do press the like tab.
Edited by dezma - 14 years ago
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