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Angad: Aur aap ka?
Gayatri: Gayatri Sharma. Aur meri beti ka nam hai, Kripa, Kripa Sharma.
Angad looked at Kripa looking at him with ice cold eyes from the rear-view mirror and said (to Kripa in the mirror) 'Kripa. Umm nice name.' He smiled at her only to see her ignore him again.
'What the hell is wrong with this girl, can't she smile for once. I'm being polite enough, why can she? God she's a girl! Isn't she supposed to be polite and shy? But instead this girl in shalwar kameez (actually it's pajama kameez not those kinds of pajamas in English but the ones which are like trousers but not shalwars-he's a guy, he can barely find the difference between the two) is actually throwing daggers at me!' He thought to himself.
Angad: Aunty kya wakey hi Kripa aapki beti hai?
Kripa was confused and this time she looked at him at his back (his head's back, probably his hair then) and not through any mirrors. Not only Kripa but Gayatri was confused and of course surprise by the question as well.
Gayatri (in a confused tone): Kyun?
Angad: Aap kaafi young lag thi hai aur Kripa itni baari (old-meaning older than what he was expecting her to be, he doesn't mean in any kind of rude/ negative way) hai.
Gayatri gave a hearty laugh. Kripa rolled her eyes at that one which he saw her doing from his rear-view mirror.
Gayatri: Of course meri beti hai.
Gayatri turned her head to look at Kripa with the expression Dekha-Woh-Acha-Ladka-Hai written on her face to which Kripa just gave a dull look.
Gayatri turned back front. Gayatri and Angad had just begun to talk when Gayatri received an SMS from someone on her mobile.
Mom dekha na,
woh hume kisi
aur raaste leja
raha hai. I'm
sure he's up to
no good. Please
do something!!!
Gayatri smiled at that. Kripa could be a 5 years old girl sometimes she wondered.
Gayatri looked around and noticed they were indeed somewhere new.
Gayatri: Angad beta yeh raasta galat nahin?
Angad confused: Kyun? Yeh sahi nahin hai kya?
Gayatri: Hum kabhi bhi is raaste se nahin gaye.
Angad understood the case and replied in a knowing tone.
Angad: Oh. Aunty yeh ek thora chota raasta hai. Aur yahan se ek shortcut bhi le sakh the hai. Mom sirf is raaste se jati hai, un hone kabhi shortcut nahin use kiya. Mujhe lag tha hai aap us lamb-he (long) raaste se jate ho ge. I think at least teen (three) raaste toh hai yahan se us Plaza mein jane kille. Aap ne kaunse raaste se jana hai, us lambhe raaste se ya phir us chote raaste se ya shortcut se.
Gayatri thought about it.
Gayatri: Shortcut se hi theek hai.
Angad: Okay.
Angad kept driving and in between Gayatri and Angad talked.
Kripa was tired of their talking and laughing.
Angad looked at his rear-view mirror when Kripa wasn't looking at him through it. He looked at her through it for a while when suddenly he asked (still looking at the mirror) 'Aunty kya Kripa baat (he looked away from the rear-view mirror and looked at Gayatri and just before he looked away from the rear-view mirror he saw Kripa look at him through the rear-view mirror with annoyed-angry eyes because he had just mentioned her name out of no where to which he chuckled inside) nahin karti hai kya?'
Gayatri smiled: Of course karti hain lekin pata nahin aaj itni chup kyun hai. Kyun Kripa? Baat karte hai na. Angad humari itni help kar raha hai.
Kripa was annoyed by her mother's response. She looked at the rear-view mirror where he was glancing a few times while driving to look at her and her expression where he now saw annoyance and angriness more than before as well. He chuckled inside again because of the expressions in her eyes.
There was no use hiding her anger and annoyance from this guy she concluded since he couldn't be that dumb that he doesn't get the hint that she wants nothing to do with this guy.
Kripa (in a calm tone) through gritted teeth asked with a plastered smile, which was not plastered according to her mother, asked 'How are you?'
Gayatri just felt a little weird with Kripa's odd question but smiled since at least she was not quiet anymore all was normal according to her but Angad got the hint of the sarcasm in her voice with another ingredient: anger, too. He chuckled again inside. He decided to play along and he casually replied.
Angad: Oh I'm great. Haven't been feeling this great in days! And you?
He smirked now looking at Kripa through the rear-view mirror.
Kripa was now more than sure that he was doing this on purpose and this time she glared at him (though the rear-view mirror) and replied through gritted teeth again 'I'm fine!' With that she looked away. He smirked and thought to himself 'This girl must be something.'
5 seconds after Kripa's reply when no one talked anything Angad spoke up 'Kripa you have a beautiful voice.' This time before she could glare at him, Gayatri with a smile turned to look behind at Kripa who forced a smile to just show her mother. After Gayatri turned to look back front again. Kripa looked at him though the car side mirror where she gave him a hard stare to which he smirked. Gayatri's phone started to ring and she attended her call. Angad mouthed Kripa 'My Pleasure.' while looking at her through the car side mirror then smirked when she rolled her eyes again. She thought to herself 'Weirdo. Why on earth does he even bother?'
After about 10 minutes, Kripa began to notice her scary surroundings, they were traveling off the road into the trees, woods it almost looked like a forest or a jungle, but they weren't in either but they were surrounded by tall thick trees which made it all look like they were in a dark forest! She called out 'Mummy!' Gayatri turned to look back at Kripa 'Kya hua?'
Kripa: Mummy yeh….yeh bohut ajeeb jaga hai…hum….
Kripa stopped when she saw a cottage in the woods and she noticed they were heading towards it. Kripa couldn't be any kinder now, this was it.
Kripa began shouting: Mummy, dekha na maine aap ko kaha tha. Strangers aren't to be trusted…
Angad started to feel anger build inside him 'What the hell is wrong with this girl? First she doesn't talk! What talk? She doesn't even smile! Then I'm trying my best to make Gayatri aunty and her comfortable and now this girl says strangers, meaning ME here, are not to be trusted!! What the hell? This girl seriously needs something!' he thought to himself.
Kripa hadn't stopped:…dekha abhi isne hume kidnap karliya hai…
Angad wondered 'Kidnap? Oh god, someone send this girl to a mental asylum.'
Gayatri wondered aloud confused 'Kidnap?'
Kripa went on:……..Mummy please kuch karo na, dekho woh hume us cottage mein lekar jar aha hai phir hume lock karde ga. Mummy please…
Angad saw the cottage and began to laugh as if someone had just told him the funniest joke ever. He now understood the problem, HER problem from the beginning and his anger subsided. He pointed out the cottage for Gayatri to see to which she was a little surprised to see there.
Angad told Gayatri, Kripa didn't hear since she was to busy being terrified, 'Aunty yeh bas ek chota cottage hai. No one lives there. Jo log yahan se guzar the hai kabhi woh is cottage mein thori daer rest karne chale jate hai.'
Gayatri nodded understandingly. She turned to look back at a restless Kripa and wondered 'Yeh ladki bhi na, too much novels and movies have given her silly imaginations.'
Gayatri (in a calm-realistic tone): Kripa, Angad kuch nahin aisa kar raha. Yeh cottage bas raaste mein agaya hai us ka yeh to nahin matlab Angad kidnap kar raha hai.
Kripa: Mummy lekin dekho toh….
Gayatri cut her calmly: Kripa, Angad humari kitni madat kar raha hai aur tum kaise uske baare (about him) mein soch rahi ho. Kripa, aaj se horror movies or novels bun (close/ no more).
Gayatri made her final statement but Kripa was still getting ideas.
They were nearing the cottage which Angad was purposely doing to scare Kripa now. He looked at her through his car side mirror and chuckled to himself inside.
They neared the cottage; Kripa was getting more ideas, near…..near…..near……WHAT???
They passed the cottage right beside them. Angad looked at Kripa, in the car side mirror, who looked more disappointed than relieved. But slowly she relaxed and sat back in her seat quietly, Gayatri turned to look at Kripa 'Dekha Kripa. Tum bhi na.'
Kripa mumbled to herself but all heard it 'Mujhe kya pata tha.'
Gayatri and Angad engaged in a conversation. Angad sometimes looked at Kripa through his rear-view mirror and sometimes through the car side mirror. She hadn't once looked up or glare at him. He smiled a few times when looking at her. Soon enough they were on one of the main roads where there was too much traffic.
They stopped at a traffic light. Angad began to adjust his rear-view mirror. Which brought up Kripa's attention again. She was angry with him for purposely making her scared. She glared at him though his rear-view mirror. He adjusted the rear-view mirror so that he could see her eyes only. When she noticed that she made a mental note not to look at him from there any more.
Angad started driving the car when the light was green but soon enough there was another traffic light. Before they knew it, they were stuck in a traffic jam.
Gayatri announced: Traffic jam!
Kripa became excited but when she remembered where she was she cursed mentally.
Gayatri told Angad: Kripa ko traffic jam bohut pasand hai. Hamesha woh upset ho jati hai jab kisi din woh kisi traffic jam mein phas (stuck) na gayi ho.
Gayatri turned to look at Kripa: Tum khush toh ho gayi ho gi na ab. Traffic jam mein phas gaye hai.
Kripa gave a small smile to her mother.
Gayatri's phone rang and she attended the call. This time it was her husband, Surya.
Angad looked at his rear-view mirror where he saw Kripa looking out the window. 'Weird girl's got weird taste. Nice combination-unique that is!' he thought to himself 'But sweet.' he added.
Angad honked twice just like almost everyone was doing. At the sudden loud noise Kripa jerked, kind of scared at the weird loud noise from the car in which she was sitting. Angad laughed silently at making Kripa scared again but unknowingly this time. Kripa caught him doing that through the car side mirror where he had seen her get scared, she ignored him. He laughed to himself silently then asked Kripa looking at her through his rear-view mirror this time 'You like long drives?' Kripa looked at him though the rear-view mirror with a questioning look. He then said 'You like traffic jams so I thought maybe you like long drives too, do you?' Kripa turned away to look outside and said in a completely annoyed tone but not loud enough for her mother to catch the rudeness 'Yah!'
Gayatri had just ended her call and joined in the almost silent conversation 'Angad tum soch bhi nahin sakh the isse kis tarha ki long drives pasand hai. Long drives ka matlab at least do (two) ghante gari mein bethe ke drive karte jao, chaye koi apne ghar ke hazar (thousand) chakar kyun na laga le.'
Both Gayatri and Angad laughed at that. Angad looked up at his rear-view mirror to see Kripa's expressions but she wasn't bothered.
Gayatri turned a little business-like: Kripa?
Kripa turned to look at her mother: Hhmmm……kya?
Gayatri: Kripa tumhare papa ka phone aya tha aur unho ne kaha tha ke mujhe office jana hai do (two) ghatoon (hours) mein. Toh mein tumhare saath thori daer shopping karloon gi baki ki tum khood kar lena aur ek aur baat, shopping ke baad tum taxi lekar ghar chali jana, theek hai?
Kripa: Okay.
Angad: Aunty aap office kaise jao ge. Mein chordoon? Agar aap chati hai.
Gayatri smiled at Angad: Nahin, main theek ho. Kripa ke papa mujhe pick up karle ge.
Angad: Oh okay, aur Kripa? Mein usse ghar chord sakh tha hoon. If you want.
Gayatri thought about it for a while but before she could come to a conclusion Kripa spoke up 'Mummy mein taxi le kar chali jao gi…' she looked at him through his rear-view mirror but he wasn't all that visible there after the adjustment he did to it, it had been hard to see him I the mirror the previous time too. She went on in an innocent, caring and kind tone in which in between she hinted him that she didn't totally enjoyed his idea with her bits of sarcasm '…inhe koi takleef karne ki koi zaroorat nahin hai. Inhe bhi koi kaam hoga kyun nahin?' She ended with a smile while glaring at him through his rear-view mirror. He smirked. Gayatri then spoke 'Haan beta tumhe koi takleef karne ki koi zaroorat nahin hai. Tumhe bhi toh koi kam hoga na, nahin?' Kripa gave a triumph smile indicating she won this battle. Angad blinked his eyes innocently at her through the rear-view mirror when he knew that Gayatri wasn't looking his way 'Actually I'm free today. Mujhe aaj aur koi kam nahin. Toh main soch raha tha ke mein kisi ke aaj kam kyun na ajao.'
Gayatri thought deeply for a while whereas Angad and Kripa were playing battles with their eyes, she glared at him while he blinked his eyes innocently 'Haan toh phir theek hai, Kripa tum Angad ke saath ghar chali jana.' Gayatri began to write the address for Angad on a piece of paper. Angad winked at Kripa through the rear-view mirror, she looked away and cursed her day. This traffic jam was lasting more than it should have. Kripa couldn't even protest to let her just go by taxi back home after shopping.
Gayatri gave the address to Angad. He kept it in his shirt pocket.
Gayatri: Lekin beta tum itni daer tak kya karo ge.
Kripa began to have hope; he sensed that too without looking at the mirrors, it was pretty obvious to him. He smirked and replied shattering her hopes again 'Aap dono ke sath shopping. If you don't mind?'
Love Friendship Dating and Relationships
Bindi
193