PART 4:
RECAP:
"Goodnight"
"Goodnight"
After a few minutes, Mahi was fast asleep from the gentle rocking of the moving train. Shabd lay wide-eyed as he could not get any sleep. Once he heard Mahi's gentle snores, he climbed down the berth and looked out the window. The train was approaching a small no name station.
"I should get off here…..what the hell am I doing with this Bhatinda waali? I can probably catch a train back to Mumbai from here," he turned around to walk but suddenly felt a tug on his finger.
"Jeet….mat jao Jeet…..kahan jaa rahe ho?" a delirious Mahi held on to Shabd's finger and pulled him back.
"Jeet? Yeh Jeet kaun hai?" Shabd wondered and gently removed her hand from his. He made a dash for the door and was off as soon as the train stopped. Mahi woke up with a startle as the train came to a screeching halt.
"Arre….Jeet …..nahin Shabd….shayad wo kahin jaa rahe the," she got up and knew her fears were not unfounded, "Hai rabba! Kahan chale gaye Shabd?"
Mahi forgot her dupatta and ran out bare-footed in her churidaar-kurta. She looked around at the deserted platform and finally spotted Shabd taking the stairs towards the exit.
"Shabd!Shabd!" she ran after him, but the loud roar of an approaching train drowned her screams, "arre baap re…..itni jaldi jaldi bhaag rahe ho…..kahin kuch gadh badh na kar baitho phir!"
As she climbed the stairs, a few hooligans sitting on the steps started hooting and whistling, "aaye hai…..zara hum par bhi tho nazar ghoomao jaaneman……kahan bhaage jaa rahi ho…..aaja…aaja….main hoon pyaar tera…."
Mahi gave the men a dirty look, "arre fitteh mooh tera! Main Bhatinde waali hoon….aur karate mein brown belt bhi hoon…..el laat doongi…..naani kya par-naani bhi yaad aa jaayegi tum saalon ko!"
The men took it as a challenge, and started following her, "hum bhi dekhein teri karate kick! Is baahane humein choo tho legi tu jaaneman!"
Mahi climbed briskly and reached the landing. Shabd was way ahead of her now, "SHABD!" she yelled, but he did not respond, "kaisa munda hai yeh? Kaan mein rui daal rakhi hai kya?"
One of the hooligans tried to hold Mahi's wrist. Mahi turned around and glared at him. Before the paan-chewing gunda could do anything, she gave him a karate kick right on his face.
"AHHHH!" the man held onto his jaw. The other 3 men froze and looked at each other, "ek chokri se darr raha hai?" All three of them growled and approached Mahi in a threatening manner. Mahi ran as fast as she could.
In the meantime, Shabd stopped at the exit door and paused to look back.
He was startled to see Mahi running with her arms in the air and three men following her, "Arre Mahi? Yeh yahan kya kar rahi hai?"
"Shabd!" Mahi ran into his arms as soon as she reached him. Shabd was startled and gave the three men a dirty look. The men stopped and turned around.
Mahi clung onto his shirt tightly. Shabd put his arm around her and patted her back, "It's OK….they have gone now."
Mahi pulled away and looked at him, "kab se awaaz de rahi thi main! Are you deaf too?"
Shabd felt a little ashamed; what if those men had actually harmed her, "Oh…wo…I think I was too lost in my own world…sorry….ab wapas train mein jao….I need to get back to Mumbai."
"Mumbai? Itni raat ko?" Mahi asked.
"I will take a taxi," Shabd said.
Just then the engine of their train whistled.
"Meri train!" Mahi yelled and saw the train leaving the platform, "Hai rabba….meri train! Yeh sab aapki wajah se hua hai…..ab aapko mujhey apne saath le jaana hoga…..and drop me at the next station…..yeh aapki sazaa hai."
"OK..OK…chalo…taxi kar lete hain…main tumhein next station par chhod kar wapas Mumbai chala jaaoonga," Shabd agreed.
They walked out of the station in search of a cab.
"Nahin saheb….kal subah tak koi taxi nahin milegi," they were informed.
"Arre aisa kaise ho sakta hai? Hamari train miss ho gayi hai…..wo kaise pakdenge?" Shabd asked.
"Subah taxi kar lena saheb…..train tak pahuncha degi aapko…..hamare taxi waale bahut fast drive karte hain saheb," the man informed them.
"OK….aaj raat kahan jaayenge phir?" Shabd asked
"Paas mein ek hotel hai saheb," the man glanced at Mahi from head to toe. Her dupatta-less neck revealed a little more than she was comfortable with. Mahi gave a dirty look to the man as he stared at her.
"Masti karna saheb…raat abhi baaki hai," the man made a snide remark as Shabd and Mahi walked off.
"Kya matlab hai iska?" Mahi clenched her teeth, "main abhi isko karate kick dekar aati hoon!"
Shabd put his arm around Mahi, "Mahi….Mahi…..just keep walking…..in logon se panga mat lo…..yeh sadak chaap log hain…..leave them alone…..we are in a strange city…..just walk quietly."
"Aap itne darr pok kyun ho Shabd? Zindagi se tho bhaagte hi ho…..ek gunde se bhi darr kar bhaag te ho?" Mahi asked.
Shabd's pride was hurt, "main darr pok nahin hoon! I just don't want to start a fight here…OK? Aur agar mujhey kuch ho gaya tho?"
"Tho?" Mahi asked, "tho…tho kya hoga?"
Shabd looked away, "phir tumhara kya hoga?" he said softly, "is ajnabee sheher mein kaun tumhara saath dega?"
Mahi lowered her head as they continued to walk.
They saw a sign, 'HOTEL BLUE NIGHT,' and walked in.
…to be contd…
Anupamaa
