[SIZE=7>PART 16: Over the next few weeks, Angad stayed busy with his work and tennis games. He tried not to interfere with Prithvi's new business except sign on papers as needed. Kripa felt bad about what she had said, but she knew someone had to speak the truth. It was high time, Prithvi "grew up," and took responsibility for his actions. Angad had a life too, and he should not feel obliged to 'rescue' Prithvi everytime. Kripa tried to help Prithvi with his start-up, but Prithvi seemed to rely on Kartik more and more. Kripa also thought that Kartik was a big mouth and did not care for him as much. With Prithvi gone for hours or days, Kripa started spending more and more time alone or with her music.
Although, Angad kept his distance from Kripa, he knew she was very lonely-just like he was! One day, when Kripa was listening to some music on the porch while reading a book on the swing, Angad approached her. He sat down on a chair beside her, 'Kripa….tumney fashion design mein course kiya tha na? Uska kya hua?"
"OH…Angad tum? Wo course tho khatam ho gaya…."
"Ab aagey kya karogi?"
"Meri ichcha tho thi ki main apni ek boutique kholoon…..par ab Prithvi ney bhi ek naya business start kar liya hai…..ghar mein do-do naye business kholna…??"
"Soch lo…..I think you should go for it…" He smiled and got up to leave
She called for him from behind, "You really think I should?"
"I am confident Kripa, you will do a great job" he gave her a thumbs up and left.
Kripa thought about what Angad had said, "Main aaj Prithvi sey baat karoongi…"
Kripa asked Prithvi in the evening, "Prithvi…main apni boutique kholna chahti hoon…please meri help karogey….tum tho business ki duniya sey bahut waaqif ho…"
"Kripa…mere paas time nahin hai…waise bhi kuch hi dino mein main itna kamaaunga ki tumhey tho kya kisi ko bhi iss ghar mein naukri nahin karni padhegi….."
"Prithvi, main apney liye kaam karna chahti hoon….sirf paisa hi kamaana tho sab kuch nahin…I want to have an identity of my own…."
"OK…OK…Aisa karo Angad ke paas zyaada time hai….wo help karr dega…."
Kripa knew Angad would never say no, but she had been trying hard to make Prithvi realize his responsibilities as her husband. It seemed, whenever she needed any help, Angad filled in the role of her spouse, rather than Prithvi.
Instead of asking Angad, Kripa decided to start her business on her own. She was talking to someone on the phone about her plans, when Angad came home. He overheard her conversation.
When she hung up, she saw Angad standing next to her.
"Kripa…kis sey baat karr rahi thi?" he smiled at her, as he figured she was talking about her business plans.
"Wo, main ek bank ke loan officer sey baat kar rahi thi…..wo keh rahen ki kal hi business plan dikhaa doon, tho shayad loan approve kar dein…."
Angad sat down on the couch and looked at her pile of papers, "you mind yadi main dekh loon?"
"Sure….tum sey achcha kaun critique kar sakta hai…?." Kripa was in a way relieved that Angad would review her plan. She was still new to the business world and valued Angad's experience in this area.
Angad went over her business plan with her in detail. He helped her modify the plan and worked on her financial details to start the business. They worked late into the night-they had spread sheets, their laptops, papers all over the living room and by early morning, Kripa was ready with her business plan.
"Angad….tumney tho kamaal hi kar diya….it looks so much more convincing now….thanks a lot," she looked at him with a lot of gratitude.
He just smiled, "mention not…waise bhi tumharey liye tho main kuch bhi……" he paused as he just realized what he was about to say.
She knew what he meant to say and just smiled to herself.
"Ab main bank jaakar morning mein hi loan ke liye apply karti hoon…" she changed the topic.
"Main bhi chaloonga tumharey saath…." Angad said, as he got up and stretched. She looked at him in surprise.
"Lekin tumhey tho office jaana hoga?"
"Kuch der ki hi baat hai…..main bank loan officers ko achchi tarah jaanta hoon…ek akeli ladki ko jiskey paas koyi experience nahin ho….bahut pareshaan kar saktey hain…..don't worry, I will be there…." He smiled and got ready to go to bed.
"Angad…did you realize, hum logon ney tho dinner kiya hi nahin!….aur tum kaise reh gaye bhookhey? Tumhein tho bilkul aadat nahin hai…." Kripa was aware that Angad was very fond of food and never missed a meal.
"Pataa nahin…tumharey saath bhookh aur time kaa pataa hi nahin chala…" he said subconsciously, as he was tired and not able to think clearly at this point. As he was walking upstairs, he realized what he had just said. He turned around and saw Kripa collecting all the papers around her but she glanced upwards and saw him staring at her. She just smiled back and thought, 'Angad ke mann ki baat main ek din bulwaa karr hi rahoongi…."
Next morning, Angad accompanied Kripa to the bank and helped her get a small business loan to start her business.
"Humein kisi ki guarantee bhi chahiye …jaise inkey husband ya pita…" the bank accountant said.
"Dekhiye mere husband ney khud abhi apna business start kiya hai….unki abhi income shuroo nahin huyi hai…" Kripa said apologetically.
Angad intervened, "I have a stable job….aap meri guarantee le lee jiye…main inka dost hoon and mujhey in par poora bharosa hai…..she will do very well in her business, warna aap meri poori ek saal ki salary rakh lee jiyegaa."
Kripa looked at Angad with surprise, 'Angad….apni saari salary….yeh kya karr rahey ho? Tum aisa nahin kar saktey…."
Angad ignored her concerns, signed the papers and got up, "Chalo..let's go….I know what I am doing," he put on his dark glasses, as they left the building.
Kripa got busy with starting up her boutique, once her loan was approved. Although, she wanted to do it independently, she realized that having Angad on her side made it easier when she dealt with different vendors and distributors. There was something unique about Angad-he could convince anyone with his charm and ideas. She remembered the incident in London, when he had talked the chef in cooking special vegetarian dishes for her, all for free.
Prithvi tried to advise her from time to time, but was usually distracted by his own venture. "Kripa….tum aisa karo ki apni boutique kisi bade mall mein ya 5 star hotel mein kholo….you will get more clients there…."
"Par Prithvi mera overhead kharcha bahut ho jaayega….main choti si jagah se start karna chahti hoon….and then grow big…."
"Whatever you say Kripa…..maine tho apna opinion diya tha….Kartik bhi yahi sochta hai….waise Angad sey help lo naa….he has good ideas too…." Prithvi picked his bag and left for the airport, 'main 2-3 din ke liye bangalore jaa raha hoon….bye" he gave her a quick hug and left.
Kripa knew Angad would think on the same lines as her. He had already said to her, "always climb up…..never the other way round, warna bahut taqleef hoti hai….."
Kripa had a meeting with a landlord to lease a small space in a local shopping complex. She was a little nervous at taking such a big decision on her own. She took all the lease papers and was ready to sign, when Angad came in, "Hi Kripa…main yahan sey guzar raha tha…tho socha dekh loon tumharey boutique ki location….."
He glanced at the lease paperwork, "May I?"
Kripa willingly gave the papers to him, she was relieved that he was there…..
how did he always know where she was and that she needed his advise….. "Hmm…Mr Tripathi….you need to change some of these conditions on the lease…." Angad spoke to the landlord. Angad made sure that the lease terms were favorable to Kripa's business rather than the landlord. Mr Tripathi reluctantly changed the terms, thinking "yeh kahan sey aa gaya…?"
Kripa was very thankful to Angad, as they left, "Angad….what would I do without you…"
Angad seemed to in an unusually obliging mood, "well…itna hi thank karney ka mood hai tho mere saath coffee peeney chalo….."
Kripa agreed in an instant. They both had tried their best to stay apart and aloof for so long, they did not realize, how eager they were to be with each other….even if it was a simple cup of coffee.
Song in background as they drove to the nearest coffee shop- "tere sang" from 'zameen"
http://www.dishant.com/lyrics/song-6644.html Tere Sang Ek Simple Si Coffee Bhi Kick Deti Hai
Tere Sang Ek Simple Si Coffee Bhi Kick Deti Hai
Tere Sang Ye Duniyaa Alag Hi Nazar Aati Hai
Tere Sang Zindagi Jeene Kaa, Lutf Aaye Hamein
O Sanam O Sanam O Sanam..
O
O O O O Ek Tere Sang Ek Tere Sang
Ek Tere Sang Ek Tere Sang
Tere Sang
Ek Tere Sang Ek Tere Sang
Tere Sang
Ek Tere Sang Ek Tere Sang
Tere Sang Ek Simple Si Coffee Bhi Kick Deti Hai
Tere Sang Ek Simple Si Coffee Bhi Kick Deti Hai
Tere Sang Ye Duniyaa Alag Hi Nazar Aati Hai
Tere Sang Zindagi Jeene Kaa Lutf Aaye Hamein
O Sanam O Sanam O Sanam..
Tere Sang Ek Simple Si Coffee Bhi Kick Deti Hai
Tere Sang Ye Duniyaa Alag Hi Nazar Aati Hai
Tere Sang Zindagi Jeene Kaa Lutf Aaye Hamein
O Sanam O Sanam O Sanam
Tere Sang
O O O O O O O O
Rabbaa Mujhe Tu Bataa De Bataa De
Bataa Bataa Bataa De Bataa Bataa Bataa
Rabbaa Mujhe Tu Bataa De Kaise Koi Dil Sambhaale
Aaj Bahak Jaane De Mastiyaan Churaane De
Aaj Bahak Jaane De Mastiyaan Churaane De
Paas Aane Paas Aane De
Tere Sang
Tere Sang Meri Tanhaaiyon Ko Sukoon Aataa Hai
Tere Sang Har Lamhaa Mere Kvaab Mahkaataa Hai
Zindagi Jeene Kaa Lutf Aaye Hamein
O Sanam O Sanam O Sanam Tere Sang
O O O O O O O O
Koi Bhi Tujhsaa Nahin Hai Nahin Hai
Nahin Nahin Nahin Hai Nahin Nahin Nahin
Koi Bhi Tujhsaa Nahin Hai Tu Har Hasin Se Hasin Hai
He: O Mere Sone Dilbar Aanaa Meri Taarifein Kar
He: O Mere Sone Dilbar Aanaa Meri Taarifein Kar
Lagtaa Hai Lagtaa Hai Dar
Tere Sang
Tere Sang Chaandni Bhi Zamin Pe Nazar Aati Hai
Tere Sang Meri Deevaanagi Had Se Badh Jaati Hai
Zindagi Jeene Kaa Lutf Aaye Hamein
O Sanam O Sanam O Sanam
Tere Sang Ek Simple Si Coffee Bhi Kick Deti Hai
Tere Sang Ek Simple Si Coffee Bhi Kick Deti Hai
Tere Sang Ek Simple Si Coffee Bhi Kick Deti Hai
Tere Sang Ek Simple Si Coffee Bhi Kick Deti Hai
Tere Sang Over the next few weeks, without their realization, Angad and Kripa started spending more and more time together. Angad accompanied her for all her meetings and dealings with various vendors, marketing personnel, distributors, etc…
Kripa became so dependent on Angad, that she scheduled all her meetings according to Angad's schedule. She ended up spending a lot of time in his room at home, as a lot of her files ended up on his desk or his file cabinets.
One day, she was desperately looking for an important file. Angad was downstairs in the living room, finishing up some work. She yelled from upstairs, "Angad….meri red waali file kahan hai…jismein saarey vendors ke contacts hain?"
"KRIPA…OOPAR MERE DESK YA FILE CABINET MEIN HOGI…" he yelled back
She searched everywhere but could not find it. She finally went to his clothes closet, "kahin galthi sey apney kapdon ke saath tho nahin….?"
She opened his closet and started searching in each shelf.
She came across a plastc bag with the initials, 'Hilton Hotel, London"
She remembered that Angad and Prithvi had stayed at the Hilton when they were all in London, "yeh bag abhi bhi iskey closet mein/ Aakhi ismein aisa kya hai?"
She opened the bag and took out a wrinkled shirt with what looked like a red lipstick mark on one sleeve; she then put her hand in and took out a scarf….that was her scarf…the one she had tied on his hand when he had saved her from the goons at the club in London…..she looked at the shirt again…..she remembered the rainy day when she had clutched his arm tightly and her face was buried in his arm as the thunder had scared her. She was stunned and stood there frozen….aaj mujhey wo cheez mil gayi hai jiska mujhey kab sey intezaar tha….
Angad tumney mujhey aaj tak I love you nahin kaha….par ab tumhey zaroorat bhi nahin hai kuch kehney ki…..is bag ney mujhey wo sab keh diya jo tum kabhi naa keh sakey……
She had tears of joy rolling down her cheeks…..she knew he had always loved her since they met in London, but had never acknowledged it, but today….she was sure….Angad tumney kaise chupa ke rakha itney din……she was sobbing loudly as she held his shirt and scarf close to her cheeks.
She hurriedly put the contents of the bag inside when she heard some footsteps near the room. She wiped her tears and locked the closet.
"Kripa….kya dhoond rahi ho mere closet mein?" Angad asked curiously
She tried to laugh, 'just checking to see if there are any skeletons in your closet!" she could not hold herself and ran to her room.
Angad was puzzled; he opened the closet and saw a bag fall on the ground- it said 'Hiliton Hotels, London"
He understood what had happened. He felt embarrassed, "Oh God…Kripa tumney yeh kyon dekh liya?"
Kripa shut her door and stood with her back resting on the door. She slid down on the floor, still unable to stop her sobs.
It was clear to her now….Angad and she had no name for their relationship….it was just "love"….true unspoken love…a love which had no expectation, no destination…..it was just a "ehsaas"….something that only the two of them could feel….sirf ek ehsaas jisey sirf mahsoos kiya ja sakta hai….. Listen to this beautiful song from "khamoshi" which expresses Angad and Kripa's love for each other in these beautiful lyrics sung by Lata "humney dekhi hai"
http://ww.smashits.com/music/oldies/songs/...amoshi-old.html
hum ne dekhee hai, un aakhon kee mahakatee khushaboo
haath se chhuke ise, rishto kaa iljaam naa do
sirf yehasaas hain ye, ruh se mahasoos karo
pyaar ko pyaar hee rahane do koee naam naa do
pyaar koee bol nahee, pyaar aawaaj naheen
yek khaamoshee hain sunatee hain kahaa karatee hain
n ye buzatee hai, n rukatee hai, n thhaharee hain kahee
noor kee boond hai, sadiyon se bahaa karatee hain
muskuraahat see khilee rahatee hain aankho mein kahee
aaur palako pe ujaale se zuke rahate hain
hothh kuchh kahate nahee, kaapate hothhon pe magar
kitane khaamosh se afasaane ruke rahate hain ….to be continued….
Edited by bheegi - 18 years ago