Chapter 21
At the Threshold of Heart
(Febuary, 1982...)
(Handa Haveli...)
Arghhh!! Geet slammed her book shut, "I hate Sociology!" Frustrated but determined to learn the definition by heart she picked the book up again. "Social change refers to any significant alteration over time in behavior patterns and cultural values and norms." Her final semester exams were around the corner and she was completely engrossed in her books. So engrossed, that she didn't even hear the doorbell ring.
"Kakku," Rano's voice boomed from the backyard, "jaa dekh kaun aaya hai. Sabziwale hoga taan usnu mana kar di. [If it is the vegetable-vendor then send him back.]"
Uff! Social change refers to any significant alteration over time in behavior patterns and cultural values and norms.
Book in hand; chanting the definition over and over again, she set out to do as her mother had asked. Reaching the door, she pulled the door open and without raising her eyes from the book, addressed the tanned figure standing in front of her, "Ajj koi sabzi nahi laini, tussi jao."
And saying so she slammed the door shut and turned around, only to stop stunned as a deep baritone infiltrated the wooden door from the outside.
"Geet...?"
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Geet!
"Geet...?" Perplexed at her actions he raised his hand again to ring the bell but Geet jerked open the door before he could.
"Tussi?" She almost shrieked at him.
Why is she staring wide-eyed at me? "Haan," Maan frowned at her, "kyun ki hoyya?" [Why? Any issues?]
"Nahi, kuchh vi taan nahi," she fumbled mentally berating herself. Khottiye! Aenade muh te darwaja maarna si? [You fool! Did you have to slam the door on his face?]
"Pherr main andar aa jaun?" [So then, may I come in?]
"Haanji," she made way for him to enter. Babaji, ajj pakka daant payegi! [Oh God! I am going to get scolded for sure.]
Maan took a step in still confounded by her behavior. She was standing with her eyes cast down and mumbling to herself. Her hand had inched down and had brought the end of her dupatta up, which she was now chewing with vicious determination.
Without realizing what he was doing he reached out and the tugged the dupatta away from her lips. "You will tear down a hole in it if you keep up with the chewing."
Eyes wide and bearing shock at what had just transpired, Geet stared at Maan and then at the end of the dupatta that he still held.
Stunned silence gave away to awe-filled tranquility as the man with eyes as deep as the ocean gazed into the eyes of the girl as vibrant as the skies.
Senses revived at a languid pace. Maan finally saw beyond the deep honey hued eyes and registered the amazement behind them. Reluctantly he tore his eyes away from her to his hand that was stilled mid-air. And it was only then he found himself still in possession of the dupatta that he had rescued.
"Your..." He cleared his throat and let the dupatta slide off his grasp. "Umm...why did you slam the door shut after seeing me?" he asked to diffuse the tension and out of curiosity over her earlier behavior.
"Wohh...woh na," Geet fidgeted at her spot, "mainu lageya ki sabziwala si." [I assumed it was the vegetable-vendor.]
Sabziwala?! Seriously! "Do I look like a sabziwala to you too?"
Feeling intimidated under his questioning stare, she took a step back, "No, I thought..."
What?! He took a step towards her "Thought?! You think of me as a sabziwala?"
"Nahi...woh..." she stepped back again.
He took another step at her, "This uniform looks like sabziwala's dress to you?"
She glanced at his worn out army fatigues. "It does look...a little...dirty..." she let out a broken whisper.
"Dirty!" he hissed. "Dirty!!" He stepped even more close, "I have come back from a course so tough you couldn't even imagine just to meet y...y..." Realizing what he was about to utter he shut his mouth without completing the word. "I mean...just to meet Ma and Bauji." The close proximity between them suddenly seemed to overwhelm him and he stepped away from her and averted his eyes away from her flushed form.
As soon as he stepped away, she felt as if air had rushed in a vacuum and she took a deep breath in. I shouldn't have called his uniform dirty. Maybe he didn't get time to wash it. Men are always so careless about such things after all, a chain a mental ramblings shot off in her brain that had turned numb few seconds again when he was towering over her. She looked at his profile that was now set in a harsh glare.
Oye jhalli! kithe challi gayi [Silly girl, why have you gone off on a tangent?] Next time think twice before saying something stupid about a uniform. Papaji would be so disappointed if he came to know about it. And he seems hurt too, she glanced back at Maan. We are meeting after a whole year and this is how you have welcomed him. By slamming the door at his face. Phitte muhh tere Geet! [Shame on you Geet]
He kept looking away. She kept looking his way.
"I am sorry about all this," she let out suddenly gesturing towards the door and him, "I was not thinking. Actually I was thinking! About Sociology," she held up her book as evidence, "I have my exams soon and wasn't thinking." Making sense of what she said, she hurried to clarify again, "I mean I wasn't thinking about anything else but Sociology. Then Ma said go see if it is the sabziwala'and I didn't see...and..."
"Kakku," Rano came towards the door, "what has taken you this long? Who is it?"
"Ma," Geet rushed to her bringing her towards the door, "it's him," she stressed the word and pointed towards Maan.
"Ohh puttarji," Rano gushed as Maan bent forward to take her blessings. She caressed his head and blessed him, "tussi kadd aaye? [When did you come?] Why didn't you bring him in Kakku?"
In?!! On the contrary, she was throwing me out, Maan mentally scoffed and followed Rano in.
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"Nalayak ho tussi sab! Bilkul nalayak" Mohinder addressed his three daughters.
That Mohinder Lal Handa was proud to have a son-in-law as Maan was never more evident than at this particular moment.
"See how capable Maan is? Best student award!! And that too for a weapon as heavy as the RCL!! Have you ever won anything?"
It was amusing for the girls to see their father fawning over Maan. Not only was Mohinder in his element of being jovial and overexcited with Maan; all the attention from him was causing Maan to redden with embarrassment at being the centre of attention.
"And see," Mohinder continued, "he has gone and climbed a mountain too. You three get scared at climbing a simple ladder."
As soon as Mohinder had met Maan he had asked him for the reason behind his absence for a whole year. Thus, Maan had to give him a complete account of his activities. From the RSO course for which he had left, to the BSW Weapons course that he was coming from and the Indian Army expedition to the Eastern Karakorum range in the middle of both the courses, for which he had volunteered.
Mohinder himself being a man from Army sat and enjoyed extracting word by word account from Maan, specially the stories from the mountain expedition and the weapon course.
And his happiness did not merely stem from the fact that Maan had achieved so much in the past one year. It was also from the fact that he had come back safe from there. The soldier in Mohinder knew how dangerous mountaineering expeditions were. And he also knew how fatal minute mistakes in handling weapons could be*. After all, he had lost his leg while on a covert mission to hijack the enemy ammunition train bogey during the WWII.
That Maan was safe, alive and all limbs intact were too overwhelming for him.
"Ajj khaana Maan puttar di pasand da banega," he declared. [Today, we shall have food of Maan's choice.] "Kee banaiye puttar jee?" [What shall you have Son?]
"Anything that Ma makes," Maan insisted, "I would cherish any dish made by her."
"No! I have asked you your favorite and you must answer your Bauji truthfully," Mohinder dismissed Maan's answer.
"Umm...well then...if it's not much trouble," Maan hesitated, "would everyone like to have makki di roti?"
"Waah ji waah!" Mohinder beamed at Maan, "Infact Kakku has just learned to make them. How about you make them today Kakku?"
She stood up immediately and bounded off to the kitchen, "Achaji, Papaji!"
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(Five minutes later...)
I should not have made fun of his uniform. Sarre payye ne, nahi taan ek vaar taan mere val vekh de jiddan pehle vekh de si. [He has been in a sour mood since then, or he would look at me atleast once like he always did earlier.] I will make nice makki di rotis for him and then say sorry without anyone knowing anything. Perfect plan!
You are so smart Kakku!!
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(Fifteen minutes later...)
"Meera Diii! Please come here," Geet's voice came from the kitchen.
"What happened to Kakku?" Sameera wondered.
"Pata nahi Di," Meera answered, "I will go see."
"Jaa Meera," Mohinder spoke, "and hurry up. Me and Maan puttar are waiting eagerly."
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(Twenty minutes later...)
"Sammy Diii!"
"Oh God! What has happened to these girls?" Sameera got up and went after them.
"Munde kar ki rahe ne?" Mohinder asked his wife, looking at Maan a little apologetically.
"Koi nahi Jee," Rano assured him, "Sameera gayi hai na. It will be fine now."
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(Forty minutes later...)
"Rano ji, tussi jao. Mainu nahi lagda Maan nu makki di roti khaan nu milegi," he signaled her to go the kitchen dejectedly. [Rano ji, you go. At this rate, I don't think Maan will get to eat makki di roti today.]
"Jee," saying so Rano went to the kitchen.
It took just ten minutes for Rano to go and sort out the difficulties the girls were having. Soon Maan was being fed and fussed over by Rano and Mohinder. And after enjoying the delicious meal by Rano, they had all moved to the Shantiniketan for tea, after which Maan was to leave for Chandigarh.
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"Che! Kitni sharam di gall hai. Geet Handa couldn't even make one makki di roti for her fianc," Sameera pulled Geet's leg as all the girls were busy making tea.
Geet retorted back, "As if you both had made it. Eventually Ma only had to come."
"Hey! How was it our fault if you had made liquid dough," Meera quipped.
Geet only pouted in response. Because if she told them that she was so distracted with her plans to say sorry to Maan that she added extra water, she would be ribbed mercilessly by her sisters, who were already having fun teasing her.
"Chaddo!" She tried to change the topic, "Roti gayi tiddh vich, hun cha ate dhyaan do." [The rotis have gone in the stomach; now let's concentrate on the tea.]
I must find a way to apologize to him.
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Maan was enjoying himself with the Handas, albeit being very conscious of himself.
He wasn't used to such open emotions. In his Army circles, one conducted themselves by a strict code of honor. In his home, such open environment was something he could only dream of. So despite being happy sitting with them, he felt a little out of place.
And apart from that, he was still a rattled from losing his control infront of Geet earlier. How could I let a girl affect me so? Not only the notion that he was here to meet her was corrupting his mind, the fact that he was about to blurt it out appalled him. He strived on control and a scenario where he fund that control slipping away made him withdraw into his shell and chose to avoid looking at the one whose thoughts were plaguing his mind.
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"I think I left my wallet inside," Maan spoke up while checking his pockets. He was standing in the porch with his rucksack in on his shoulders about to leave, when he realized his wallet was missing. He had been playing a magic tricks with Lucky and had taken a note out from his wallet to show a trick, later forgetting to put it back again.
"Where did you leave it puttar?"
"In Shantiniketan, Bauji."
"Acha," seeing that Lucky had run off to play with his friends, he looked at the girls, "go and help him find it."
"Jee..." Sammy began, but an enthusiastic Geet beat her too. "Jee Papaji!"
While Maan had started towards the room, she hurried at a faster pace ahead of her sisters.
At seeing her sisters confounded looks, she just pleaded them to stay quiet and let her go ahead.
Sameera held Meera back and let Geet go alone with Maan. As soon as she saw Geet enter after Maan, she winked at Meera and both went and hid behind the door.
On entering the room, Geet immediately went upto Maan who was picking his wallet, "I am sorry. For slamming the door at your face and then that uniform comment..."
"It is fine," Maan hurried to assure her, "It's alright. I understand you were distracted. I was just weary from travel I guess," he looked away from her.
"Oh!"
Damn! I made her feel guilty for nothing. "Did you like the book?"
Book?! Ohh! Hayye rabba, I can't tell the truth. Warna phirr sarr jayenge! "Haan! Bilkul. I loved it! See it is lying right there on my part of the shelf," she pointed in its direction, "and I often read it into the night. It is a beautiful book."
"Glad you liked it," he replied looking away again, "I must leave now."
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"It was good to have you here puttar," Mohinder embraced Maan before he could bend and touch his feet. "Keep coming whenever you get time."
"Ji Bauji I will," Maan smiled warmly at Rano, "Specially after having the best makki di rotti. How do you make such delicious food Ma?"
"The ingredient is Love puttar," she caressed his face and blessed him when he touched her feet.
Love?! The word resonated in Geet's head as she stood watching Maan cross the threshold of their house.
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*Even during the 1980s the Army was very raw when it came to safety and safeguards of the soldiers while handling weapons. It is only now that soldiers are ensured of safer weapon ranges, better equipment and protection gear.
I hope the chapter is not too mushy🤢🤢 This is the longest Maaneet scene so far!! LOLzz!
PMs later :)
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