CHAPTER-17
NAME: GEET HANDA
AGE: 26 YEARS, 5 MONTHS, AND 20 DAYS
HEIGHT: 5 FEET 5 INCHES
DESCRIPTION: BEAUTIFUL… striking eyes, flawless complexion, charming smile- in short, complete package.
CURRENT OCCUPATION: DIA in Emporium Constructions, but, has recently signed a contract of 6 months with Maan. So, currently, working with Maan.
SIGNS OR MARKS OF RECOGNITION: Is shy to speak out Maan's name to strangers. Calls him a time piece. Sounds and looks fed up of his activities. ( To be continued after four hours, when the dinner is completed)
PLACE OF BIRTH AND DATE OF BIRTH: Mumbai, 4th April. Lives in Delhi alone. Independent, just the way I like it.
RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Will confirm after the dinner, but, the way she shied while taking Maan's name, clearly she is supposed to be single.
Savitri Devi lowered the fountain pen down, staring at the paper in front of her with the utmost concentration. Her eyebrows arched together the same way Maan and Geet's do when they do something important, and Savitri Devi was doing something more than important. She was laying the foundation, for what she hoped would be a very successful project one day. And looking at the information in front of her ( which she had threatened out of Adi earlier that day without the knowledge of Maan) she knew that her raw materials were of extreme good quality and the highest standards.
The 70 old lady sighed loudly, as she got up from her oak wood table, and crossed the length of her room to the wall, where the pictures hung gloriously. She felt her eyes sting the pain of tears as she looked at the pictures. There was her son and beautiful daughter-in-law who were the victims of a tragic road accident. The next one showed Maan and two other kids. Savitri Devi fixed her eyes on Maan. For five years now, her main concern had been undoubtedly, her oldest and 28 year old grandson Maan Singh Khurana. She stared at the most recent picture of his, with keen birdlike eyes. The man was handsome, there was no doubt about it, and so were most of the Khurana men, but there was a haunting feature about him. His introvertness, his rudeness, his anger, his silence- it seemed as if apart from looks there was nothing in him, that females would like. And ofcourse, his money… She shook her head, as she recalled the last few months, where without the knowledge of Maan Singh Khurana, she had embarked on the most dificult journey of shortlisting, if not selecting, atleast a few girls who would even qualify to be close to the soulmate, and eldest bahu of the Khurana household. But, alas, all she found were girls who were ready to throw themselves all over the family, because of the looks and money. That was the main reason, she had taken a dislike to the generation and displayed her abhorrence openly. She was just on her way back from another of the fruitless meetings, when, luckily, the headlights of her car were broken by an unmindful Geet Handa. Savitri Devi couldn't thank the Gods enough for keeping Geet Handa in a trance that day. She shuddered to think what would have happened, if she had not broken the headlights of her expensive Mercedes Car.
A flicker of hope had met her eyes in the form of that girl clad in a simple jeans and top. And, the cherry on top was to know that she belonged to the vicinity. Woh kya kehte hain, Savitri Devi bit her lips, trying to remember the old saying, bagal mein chora sheher mein dhindhora… well, in this case, chori.. and a very beautiful one at that… She chuckled slightly, and made her way out of the room. She had a dinner with Geet Handa, which she had arranged by calling her earlier that day, and using all emotional tactics she could. But, now, as she thought about it while climbing down the huge flight of stairs slowly, Savitri Devi knew that the tactics were unnecessary. Geet was the type of girl, who would have agreed to the dinner just to show her manners, and extremely polish up-bringing.
She was still busy thinking, when the voice came into her ears.
" Aap phirse aagayi?" Maan stood just below the stairs, his hands rigidly on his hips.
" Maan… yeh kaisa taareeka hain aapne aadarniye Daadima se baat karne ka?" Savitri Devi mocked, while hugging her grandson lovingly.
" Daadima, ek toh aap aadarniya nahin hain. And second, I said it, because whenever you come to live with me from the farmhouse, you do something to ruin my life and privacy. Yah to aap ladki ke baaremein poochti hain, ya you get busy trying to get me married." Maan said, shaking his head exasperatedly.
" Well, I have decided to stop trying. Clearly, aapko kisi ladki mein interest nahin hain. No one in your office, or no one working with you, or no one around you, so aapko paareshaan karne ka kya faida, haina?" She said, using the one tool she had, and hoping for the best.
" Yeah.. uumm…no one…uh..no one around..no one on the office, not G..I mean no one." She bit her lips hard, because that was all she could do to stop herself from laughing out hysterically. Savitri Devi was sure, Maan started saying Geet. Atleast kisi ladki ke nam ka first alphabet toh bola yeh ladka… shayed aab mujhe aapni bahu aur pote ka mu dekhne ko mile mar ne se pehle…
" Yeah, see…so, bete, if you don't mind, I have a dinner now. And I have to go." She said, smiling slyly at him and walking past.
" Aaj har koi dinner pe jaa raha hain, except me.. waha Geet aur yahaan Daadima." He muttered to himself, but the sharp ears of his grandmother heard every word clearly, and that caused her to stiffen for a second.
Did Geet tell him, that she is meeting me tonight? Agar Maan ko pata chal gayaa, toh woh sab samajh jayenge.. and I wont be able to make him confess anythingg..her mind darted quickly, trying to think, but then, something else popped in her mind, Geet doesn't know who I am, or anything else about me. Good Job, Savitri..way to go.
She smiled slightly, and left, as fast as she could, leaving a thoughtful Maan behind, who made his way up to the bathroom, still thinking about his day, and of course Geet.
What did I do today? Maan, when was the last time you held a girl like that? Never! But, she didn't protest..toh kya hua? Agar woh kuch nahin kahegi, iss ka matlab yeh thodi na hain ke tu jo chahe woh karega… but, I was so happy to see her today, mujhe khud bhi nahin pata tha, ke main kya kar raha tha, ke maine usse kitna…well, kitna.. miss kiya… The word "MISS" sounded alien to himself, because it had been a long time since he felt like he missed someone. Felt like he wanted someone to be beside him all the time. And, didn't like it when they werent.
Maan, pagal mat ban.. whatever you did today was wrong.. lekin, woh kalse mere saath office mein kaam karegi atleast I made her agree to that, kalse main usse roz dekhunga… but, she didn't say yes.. lekin, she didn't say no tooo… The strong voices in his mind continued to argue, trying to make sense, but, finally gave up.
Nothing made sense anymore, when it concerned Geet Handa, Maan thought sadly.
*****
Satya naash ho iss Maan Singh Khurana namak robot ka… nak mein dam karke rakkha hain… yahaan mein dinner pe aayi hoon, and all I can think about is him.. Get out of my head, Maan Singh Khurana..GET OUT!Geet tried to fight one last time, but her mind as usual was strong. It was strong in hating people, in hurting people, in remembering people, and well, in loving and liking and thinking and everything else about people.
She swallowed the glass of water, as if it was poison. She was sitting the dimly lit posh restaurant waiting for Savitri Devi. It was still 10 minutes to 8, the time they had decided to meet, but Geet had deliberately arrived early. She didn't want to make the elderly lady wait.
Just as her mind was about to delve deeper into Maan, Savitri Devi walked in. She saw Geet, who stood up, and walked to her. The lady hugged her fondly, and though, Geet was a little taken aback, she reciprocated immediately, because she didn't miss the warmth and affection radiating from her. They settled down, and asked for menus.
" I'm sorry, you had to come here at such a short notice. I realise you're a very busy girl." Savitri Devi said, with a smile.
Geet laughed briefly, " Girl? Try woman, Ma'am. And, no, I was not busy at all.. These breaks are the most important things I need…"
" Aap aapne aap ko itna underestimate kyun karti hain?" she said, with an amused smile.
" Nahin, aisi baat nahin hain. Main bas… meri baat choriye. Aap boliye, I never got the bills.." she said, with a smile.
" What bills?" Savitri Devi gave her an innocent look. Geet laughed again, and shook her head slightly.
" Aap akeli rehti hain?"
Okay, careful now. " Nahin, main yahaan actually rehti nahin hoon. Humara pushteni farmhouse hain Lonavala mein. Main wahaan rehti hoon. Yahaan mere pote rehte hain. I come to visit them sometimes." She said, emphasizing on them a little more than required.
" So, how long are you going to stay this time?" Geet said, sipping her soda.
Savitri Devi looked at her with a twinkle in her eyes, and said softly, " Main 5 ya 6 din se zyada nahin rehti. Lekin, iss baar, shayed mujhe kuch zyada dino ke liye rehna pare.. kuch kaam hain, jo mujhe pura karna hain, and that cant happen without my push."
" I see." Geet said, nonchalantly, staring at the menu." Toh, order kare, Ma'am?"
" Stop calling me that. Aisa lag raha hain, ke main aapne employee ke saath official dinner pe aayi hoon. Aap mujhe Daadima bulayi yein, agar aapko aitraaz na ho. Main aapki daadi ke umar ki ho hoon, haina?" she said, holding Geet's hand gingerly.
Gee felt a tug at her heart at those words. For the last few days in her life, she had not seen kindness or love. Well, she had seen Mk. Geet, stop it.. She surprised herself, and Savitri Devi with her next words.
" Main 16 years ki thi, jab meri Naanima guzar gayii. Aur meri Daadi ko toh maine kabhi dekha hi nahin. Humare family mein ek rewaz hain. There is a necklace passed on to the eldest daughter of our family. Meri Naanima ne meri Mumma ko diya tha, and Mumma gave it to me. Lekin, ekdin shopping mall mein, maine galti se woh necklace todh diya." Geet said in a low voice, then looking up she continued, " I'm sorry, main aapko bore nahin karna chahti thi, lekin aapne Daadima kehne ko bola, and I couldn't control myself."
Savitri Devi felt an unexplicable softness in her heart fr the girl sitting in front of her. She puts up such a tough exterior, but, ander se, she is so vulnerable. Just like Maan.
" Nahin bete, bilkul nahin. Tell me, how did you tear the necklace?" she said, genuinely concerned, but Geet's answer shocked her to her core.
" Maine nahin todha tha," she said, in a loud voice, as if remembering something, and then continued in a fiery rage, " Aapko yaad hain, I told you about the time piece robot I work with?" Savitri Devi stiffened with the sudden mention of her grandson, but quickly covered it up, and nodded her head slightly, her eyes and every bit of concentration completely on Geet.
*****
The girl jerked herself, trying to stand up straight, and ended up ripping the first two buttons of his shirt against her necklace. The beads of her thin necklace scattered on the floor, while Maan glared at the torn shirt, which now exposed almost half of his toned chest. The girl gasped, and when Maan grabbed her arms, twisting them painfully, she winced, but still looked at the destructed necklace on the ground.
" Cant you see what you're doing or where you're going, girl?" he looked at her angrily, still holding both her arms tight.
" Sorry!!".The girl muttered almost inaudibly, still staring down at the broken beads of the necklace on the ground as if looking at ir fot the first time. As Maan looked at her in disgust, her eyes, fixed on the ground filled up with tears, and threatened to trickle down. Her nose turned red immediately, and Maan let go of her arms brutally, causing her to almost lose balance again.
" Is that the best you girls can do? Cry? Are all your nerve endings wired to your tear-ducts? Whatever happens, you start crying, thinking you can get away with everything… Well, not with me certainly, do you know how much this shirt costs?? Have you ever seen anything like this in your life?" he sneered at her, throwing her a dirty look, " you're busy lamenting over this cheap, useless piece of chain."
Geet looked up, her eyes already red, but this time with anger and pain. She glanced down at the torn part of his shirt, and said, " Woh.. main.. I am extremely sorry, maine dekha nahin ke aap…" stopping halfway, when Maan sneered at her and said, " Is that all you've got as an explanation, woman?"
Geet wiped her tears, placed her hands on her hips, and gave him a long deliberate look. Then slowly, she smiled cheekily, and said, " Sorry, I didn't recognize you earlier. But now, since I know who you are, I wont apologise anymore!!".Maan stared at her, a thin film of confusion lining his otherwise angry eyes, when Geet raised her eyebrows and continued, " What?"
" Tum kehna kya chahti ho, do you know who I am?" Maan gritted his teeth, and spat out angrily. His nerves were already blazing with sheer loathing, as he looked at the cheerful and happy girl in front of him, and they threatened to burst as soon as heard her next answer, " Yes, I know. You are a male chauvinist.. Aap woh ho, jo khud ko koi devta ya maha purush manta hain.. lekin, unfortunately, they are the only ones who think like that, No one else agrees with them!!".
She started laughing, throwing her head back, and for a moment, the enchanting sound of her sweet laughter, caused a softness to appear on Maan's rough face, something, which none of them were aware of. He looked at the girl, who was literally vibrating positiveness, energy, and hope- things he had long broken his relationship with. But when her eyes fell on the broken remains of her chain on the ground, she stopped laughing, and bent down hastily. Cupping the remains of the beads, broken pendent, and tattered string in her hand, the hazel eyes again filled with tears. She looked at the chain, and softly whispered, " I am sorry, Mamma..I am sorry Naani…", something, which didn't go unheard by Maan. He scowled at her, and muttered, " Useless Creature", when Geet got up on her feet, and almost stubbing her index finger into his rock hard and half exposed chest, yelled out," You broke my chain!!"
*****
" Aab aap hi bolo Daadima, was it my fault?" Geet said, sucking in a deep breath, as she finished relating the story of her first meeting with Maan to his grandmother.
Savitri Devi drank the water in front of her to steady her nerves. She had the sudden urge of getting up, and dragging Geet back to the Mansion, and get them married immediately. She looked at Geet who was staring at her, with her eyes wide open, still waiting for her opinion, as if lives depended on it.
She coughed slightly, and said, " Uhh.. nahin bete, bilkul nahin. Yeh insaan toh bohut zyada battameese hain. Aap inke saath kaam kaise karti hain?" she retorted, in fake anger.
Geet shifted in her chair uncomfortably, and started talking with great difficulty, " Nahin, woh actually, main dekhke nahin chal rahi thi, and come to think of it, Ma'am, I mean Daadima, maine bhi unki shirt phaar di na? And, he is very good in his work." Geet stopped talking abruptly, as she caught Savitri Devi stare at her with an amused glint in her eyes.
Nothing could make the old lady more happier. She is perfect. She thought, for the millionth time, no, she is more than perfect. Maan ke baaremein khud bura bolti hain, lekin can't take it when someone else agrees with her.
" Are you single?" she blurted out, and then smiled sheepishly, as Geet stared at her stunned beyond words, " Sorry, bete, I shouldn't have asked you such a personal question. Actually, I wanted to know, ke do you live alone here, or with a husband, maybe?" she quickly covered up, ashamed at her own bluntness.
Geet smiled slightly, and said," No, it's okay. I live alone, Daadima. I, well, don't have a husband. She felt the word "now" on her tongue, but quickly pushed it behind. My family lives in Mumbai."
They talked for a few more minutes, and after Savitri Devi insisted on paying the bill, inspite of all Geet's requests, they parted ways.
PRECAP: Tum phir kabhi mujhse dur nahin jaogi, Geet, samjhi tum?
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The green part was in Chapter 2.
P.S. Pms will be later tonight!
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