'How I met your mother?'
'Yes, tell me dad!' insisted Omkara's son, Rishi.
'It's a long story, why do you want to know?' Omkara smiled and asked his son.
'I just want to know.' Rishi replied in a small voice, stammering a bit.
'You liar! Tell me the truth or else you are not getting anything out of me, Rishi!' Omkara laughed as he threatened Rishi lovingly.
'But dad.. no, now I don't stammer only when I lie, it happens a lot.' Rishi whined.
'No but dad.. tell me?' Omkara asked again.
'Okay. All my friends were sharing their parent's stories with each other and quiet a lot of those were rather romantic! I was horrified! Ewe! I told them I will ask my mom dad and tell them all about it and I bet my parents were not the 'ewe' kind? Now tell me quickly. I will write it down and tell all of my friends.' Rishi spoke so loudly and quickly as he was excited but he turned beetroot red as he finished speaking.
Rishi was the shy and introvert kind of child, Om and Ishana both love him to the moon and back but their love never spoiled him.
'Rishi?' There came the thundering voice of his mother as she finally found her naughty son, suddenly hidden behind his Om's study chair.
Omkara quietly asked her to let him has his fun. Ishana sighed, peaked behind the chair and saw his little feet in black Puma shoes and gave Omkara 'The look'.
Omkara passed flying kiss towards her and motioned her to go back. It was his secret time with his son. Ishana raised her arms in surrender and went back.
'Come out, Champ! Hitler is gone.' Omkara said as he chuckled.
Rishi started jumping with excitement as he was finally going to hear his parents 'Ewe-less' story.
'Are you sure you really want to know?' Omkara asked he held his son's hand gently.
'Yes, dad. I know it will be the best story I will ever get to know!' Rishi exclaimed and jumped in Omkara's lap.
'Okay, you see I met mom 10 years.'
I remember the date, it was Shivaay uncle's engagement, 17th July. Everything was a chaos that morning. Mom just couldn't console Pinky chachi as she kept crying, she was really happy on Shivaay's engagement. I had to look the decor and performances, it was the grand event for Oberoi family. Everyone was invited.
'Dad, I am not enjoying. Make it sound good, tell me everything. It's easy, close your eyes and just remember everything in your mind and speak as you see everything again, then I will enjoy it because right now it sounds a story which starts from 'Thousand years back' and ends with 'And the King and Queen lived happily ever after with a new born prince'..' Rishi complained but his complain was so funny that Om couldn't help but laugh at him.
'Okay, I am closing my eyes.' Omkara said and closed his eyes, trying to remember everything if that day but in vain.
"Oh damn! Decor is incomplete, performance are not ready. Anika is going to kill me. Where is the stupid choreographer?" He shouted as he started panicking.
Dadi came to him and asked, 'What happened Om? Why are you shouting at everybody?"
"Dadi, look! Everything is a mess. Decor is not done yet and its 6:30 already. Performances are still clumsy and I can't find the choreographer!" He told dadi and turned towards the dancers and shouted again. 'Where is he, where is the choreographer?'
'Sir, she got a call so she left for few minutes. Ishana ma'am will be just any minute.' Someone answered among the group of dancers standing there.
'Call her now and ask her to get back here. I am coming in 10 minutes!' He said and stormed away from there in anger.
He checked the decor and it was almost complete except few ending touches so he relaxed but he will still in tension as he himself asked to handle performance since even though he knew nothing about dance, dancers or the choreographer. Damn, it was a girl? He didn't even know that. He should have checked everything before.
He saw the time, it was 7:00 and went to check out the performances now. As he got close to hall where all the dancers were practicing, he noticed another body in that hall which he was almost sure, wasn't there half an hour ago. She must be a the choreographer.
He quickly walked towards her, but before he could talk to her, he noticed everyone stood in front of her and the music started playing. 'Okay, so this is the final rehearsal. Front dancer is taking a rest so I am taking her place now. Start!' She shouted hut Om couldn't see her face but he saw that was wearing a green Indian attire with open hairs and may be payal or ghungru as he could hear the sound of them.
He took aside as they all started moving on the rhythm but that girl was hidden beneath all the other female dancers.
'Chan chan'
They stepped aside and he saw that girl stepped in front with her face covered with green dupatta of net. He could see the outline of her face and nothing more.
She jumped and made a sound from her ghungru and twirled around. She was damn graceful, that he could see. It means the performance were in good hands, excellent. He relaxed but suddenly he heard Rudra calling his name, though he wanted to watch the entire dance but he turned around to go back.
He was half way turned when matching the rhythm of the music, she disclosed her face and threw her dupatta aside a d twirled around again, flipping her open hair around with her and suddenly Omkara couldn't move.
He could clearly hear his name being shouted but the music was louder and the call of the girl dancing on the music was even louder. He was stuck at the place and kept staring at her.
He have seen lots of beautiful girls before but she was different, he wasn't exactly looking at her beauty.
Her aura
Her smile
Her movements
Her happiness radiating through dancing,
All of that was awestruck.
Without realizing, he started walking towards her.
Slowly.
Steadily.
As if even a slightest movement can break her essence.
He didn't realize he was standing just a feet away from her, when the music stopped and she looked at him, confused and Om felt as if someone suddenly started blowing chilled wind around or maybe it was her eyes which sent chill down his spine and may be in his.. heart?
What, heart? He asked himself and felt a heavy push to his chest like someone was pushing him and he came to his senses.
He saw her, pushing him. What? But why?, he asked himself but before he could do anything, he felt a small and light slap on his cheek.
'Move, move! Mera dupatta! Kon ho tum? Behre ho? Sunai nahi deta? Pagal ho kya?' She was talking to him!
'Huh, what?' Omkara asked in confusion.
'Hatu dupattai par se! Kab se chilla rahi hoon! Dimagh kharab hai kya?' She shouted in anger.
She looked down and made a face, 'Mera favorite dupatta hai, phath jayega.' Om felt like she can start crying over her dupatta.
Om bend down and picked her dupatta, handing it over to her. She quickly took it and hugged her close.
'Thank you, bohat expensive hai. Purai 300 main lia tha mene Dehli bazaar se last year!' She told him while smiling towards him.
Dehli bazaar?
Expensive?
300?
He couldn't understand anything so he simply smiled, 'Acha. You are the choreographer?' He asked to Ishana.
'Oh han. Ishana, Ishana Mathur. Performance dekha? Did you like it?' Ishana asked happily.
'Han? Han, dekha. You were fabulous. Green suits you, ghungru was nice. Ending step bohat acha tha!' Omkara told her but he was in his own world right now and it felt like his was world was changing.
'Huh? Mene performance ka poocha! Anyways, ab main ja rahi hoon. Abhi mere dancers ko practice karni baki hai and time is short. Go please..' She said and turned around.
Omkara quickly called her, 'Ms.Ishana?' and she immediately turn around.
'Hm?' She smiled and asked him.
'Performances ki timing kya hai?' He asked.
'Woh tu aapko pata hogi, actually even I wanted to ask the same question.' Ishana walked closer to him and looked in his eyes and he felt his soul moving within his body.
'Last! Aaj raat ceremony khatam honai se pehle, last main tum perform karna.' Om told her.
'Kya? Lekin main tu sirf choreograph karrahi hoon na? Performance tu dancers ki hai?' Ishana asked getting worried.
'Yes, but now you have to perform to.' Om told her, 'And its final. I will double the payment.'
'Baat paisoon ki nahi hai but last moment par main karungi kya aur pehle se batana chaiye tha na? No I can't perform.' He could see that Ishana was getting angry.
'You see the bride saw your performance, and she was spell bound. She is saying this day and the rest of them will be incomplete without you.. I mean your performance. It's for her happiness please? Omkara wanted to mentally shower his cheeks with tight slaps as he started slightly stammering. Tia's happiness or rather his?
'Bride's ki happiness? Phir tu karna hi paragon.' Ishana was talking to herself. 'Karungi kya lekin and what will I wear?'
Omkara heard her, 'Kuch bhi karna, bohat acha hi hoga, I am sure aur dress? Green suits you so I think you shouldn't change anything. You are wearing the perfect dress aur dupatta bhi nahi phata!' Omkara joked in the end.
Ishana made a straight face but cracked a smile after listening to his joke. 'Okay, I will do it. Main dulhan se mill sakhti hoon?' Ishana asked innocently.
'What? Konsi dulhan? I mean dulhan tu gai.' Omkara stammered a bit.
'Gai? Kahan? Abhi tu yehi thi?' Ishana asking will looking behind Omkara.
'I mean performance dekh kar chali gai thi. Salon! Salon gai hai. Ab ready bhi tu hona hota hai na?' Omkara tried to convince her.
'Oh, okay. Acha. Oh shit, its 7:30 already. I have to go. Ab apni performance ke liye bhi kuch plan karna hai.' Ishana said and quickly away from his side.
She swept her dupatta but it flung away and lend on his face, running on his face and his hair. She kept walking, dragging it with her.
This broadened his smile and after that one thing was sure for him.
'Aaj ki raat ka start acha ho yak na ho lekin ending best hogi!' He said softly, turned around and looked at her walking figure.
He couldn't help but say the name which was stuck to his brain and his maybe.. heart.
'Ishana'
Omkara opened his eyes, looked around and found his Rishi sleeping on the floor. Mouth opened and snoring loudly. Was it that boring?
'Bilkul boring nahi thi.' He heard Ishana's voice as she sat on his lap.
She smiled seeing him and encircled her arms around her neck.
'Rishi ki Ewe-less story!' Ishana said and both of them chuckled at the stupidity.
Suddenly Ishana looked seriously, 'Jhoot kyun bola? That I cheated you, that I was a con?' She asked and Omkara saw shame and guilt in her eyes as she lowered her gaze.
Omkara held her face and tilted her it upwards with his fingers. 'Rishi apni maa se bohat pyaar karta hai aur main uski maa se.. iss liye. Tumse milna meri life ka best part tha, Ishana. Tumse related harr achi yak buri memory par sirf mera right hai. Meri existence ka sab se acha part ho tum, Ish.' He spoke gently and kissed his lips softly.
'Mera urooj tum, mera zawaal tum..
Bus tum hi tum, tum hi tum..' He recite ka poetry for her.
Ishana laughed and rested her forehead on his shoulder, laughing with him.
"Aur Dehli bazaar and 300rs! What was that?" Ishana asked while glaring at him.
He couldn't help but say the name which was the reason of his existence.
'Ishana'
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