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Part 1
Mohammad villa , 6:30
Back to home from office , after a very tiring day with consequent meetings , Bairam khan flumped on the couch rolling his sleeves up . Just a cup of strong Tea was all that he needed to relax his aching nerves .
Ordering the maid for a cup of hot tea , he switched on the tv after loosening his tie when the elderly lady watched him from afar .
He was tired ,no doubt , every inch of his body oozed exhaustion ,feeling bad for her son in law , Hamida walked up to him and took the seat besides him .
Why dont u take leave for a day or two Bairam ...u seem very tired ...your body needs rest beta ...the Mother in law suggested who loved her son in law like a mother.
Falshing a gentle smile towards the concerned lady Bairam replied ...I can't Ammijaan ... i have a meeting with foreign deligates next week...need to work on an important presentation ...and ...he continued mentioning the list of lined up things he had to do finish or do in the coming week when something crossed his mind all of a sudden .
Did i tell u about Zubair Ammijaan ?? He asked uncertain , work pressure certainly took a toll on him thence this short time memory loss .
No !! Why ?? Her reply made him slap his head mentally for forgetting such an important thing .
Im sorry Ammijaan, I dont know how it skipped off my mind , scratching his temple he made a sorry face ...Anyways , Zubair is coming India next week , his eyes sparkled while saying we finally succeeded in launching our company's new branch in Australia too ...so i wanted to organise a small success party he gazed at his listener who was all attentive...Amijaan , u have to take care of everything ...from guests invitations to food and beverages u have to arrange for all ...since i will be hell busy the coming weeks , will u ??
Her lips curved up while looking at her son in law who seemed pretty excited with the news of business expansion and his best friend's come back . .
Of course Beta ,u rest assured ... promising him to take some of his burden on her shoulders ,Hamida smiled affectionately when maid made her way with a tray in her hands .
Aah...my tea ... taking the cup of hot beverage ,Bairam then smelled the aroma of Ginger and Cinnanom , sipping a mouthful of tea which started doing its magic on the consumer , Bairam smiled at his Mil relaxed .
By the way where is Noor and Jalal ?? He asked roaming his eyes around .
Noor will be here soon from her tutions and Jalal ...i have no clue about his whereabouts like always ... she replied downcasting her eyes .
Oh ok...unwitting to hurt the mother Bairam simply nodded his head and shifted his focus on the tv screen sipping on his tea , browing through the channels ,he relished every bit of the hot liquid when a catchy headline caught his eyes .
Starving scars
Increasing the volume Bairam keenly started hearing the news when the name of FMC was mentioned on the scrollings .
Social media spotlights a shocking news of a teenage girl who was forced by an FMC student , who is perceiving his last year in Management course .
A horrified form of a small girl was flashed on the tv screen who sat besides a women hugging her tightly . Just a look at the 14 yrs innocent girl and one would say how scared and tormented she was .
To everyone's surprise ,this small girl wasnt his only victim , many girls/women have been his target before too .
The residents of blueberry apartment caught him red handed while doing the crime , sooner the local police came in sight .
He was charged against Molestation and attempt to rape by the victims and was arrested by the police on spot .
A man in his twenties was being dragged mercilessly by the police , he sreamed claiming innocent , but cops paid no heed to his words and pulled him harshly along with them .
Maha manga who just entered the house with Noor dropped the bag on the ground .
Bairam and Hamida turned their heads in unison on hearing the sound.
Maham's baffled expression proved that she didnt had the inkling of this news . How was she supposed to know , when a mere few hours ago she talked with her cousin and warned him again to be careful.
She always knew he wouldn't change , but then after tasting police batons , Maham was sure he wont get himself into mess any time soon ...but she was proved wrong ...totally wrong .
Angry tears brimmed in her eyes... what all didnt she do to get this shameless cousin of hers out of the prison . Going out of her way ,she requested the members of this house to free him from Jail , but then ...in the end , he again reached ,where she didnt wanted him to be .
Bairam's position was no different from hers ... he, for the first time felt guilty for supporting the wrong person . His eyes fell on the familiar figure who strolled inside the house a second before .
. Jalal came back a while ago and was listening the news when Bairam saw him there .
Bairam lowered his gazes ,not able to meet the eyes of the man who despite of knowing Adham very well agreed to bring him out just for the sake of his request .
Jalal knew what he did was right and he certainly wouldnt regret his decision , however ,he felt bad for his Jiju , for ..he knew his jiju was quite an emotional soul , topping it he was clueless of Adham's wrong deeds ...all he knew was Maid crying bittey in front of him seeking help ...and he did what he felt right at that time .
But now ...he was ashamed of himself for helping a sinner like Adham .
Nevertheless the damage was already done and there was no point in repenting for his previous act .
Thus keeping a poise state the man got up from the couch and uttered ... Its good to see Adham locked up again for his crime ...and this time i would myself make sure ,he never comes out ... furiously looking at Maham who failed to keep a check on her insensitive brute cousin ,Bairam left the living area and walked to his room .
A proud smile made its way on Jalal's lips ...for, he respected his jiju's request and also he didnt let any injustice happen to his sister Nafisa .
The decision was tough though ,yet he managed everything with the help of his friends .
And with that he also remembered the special person who ,despite of being warned several times jumped into the fight .
His lips curved up into an endearing smile ,reminicing the beautiful encounter he had with her this evening . Lost in her thoughts he marched up to his room in trance .
Hamida didnt miss noticing the proud smile her son had on his face when Bairam declared to look into Adham's case himself .
She somewhere was sure ,her son's hand behind all this chaos . Not that she was angry or offended by his act , infact she herself wanted Justice for the girl Nafisa , but ...on hearing Bairam Khan's words , she too thought of giving a last chance to Adham .
Then again ,she was sure her son would not accept his defeat just like that and today , Adham's back to prison proved her suspicions right , still she wanted to confirm the same from her son's mouth .
***********
Her closeness , her soft silky hair with the mild fragrance of lavender, her tiny hands cuffing his torso everything was fresh in his mind .
Standing in front of the full length mirror he imagined Jodha in his arms , a broad grin appeared on his lips visualizing her tiny frame in his well built torso .
Unfortunately , he couldnt relish the moment at that time with Adham lurking around but now he wanted to relive the moment , but then he wasnt that lucky , was he ??.
A knock at the door drifted him out of his mischeivious thoughts .
Turning around he gazed at the door only to find his Mother waiting for his invitation to get inside the room .
He looked on puzzeled as his Mother rarely comes to his room .
Yes ?? he asked coldly
No pleasantaries .??.....straightly to the point ...huh!!Hamida sighed and entered in shaking her head ...wasn't she expecting too much from him??
Anyways shrugging on never to be changed attitude of her son , Hamida uttered ...so your plan worked eh ?? keeping a stern demeanour she started the conversation .
Plan ?? Raising his brow he looked back at his mother with the same attitude with a tinge of confusion beneath .
It was u who chalked out all this plan , didn't u ??Crossing her hands across her chest Hamida hinted toward Adham's arrest while looking straight into his eyes .
For a moment he was utterly shocked and why not ...he planned each and everything so cautiously that he was sure no one could ever find his and his team-mates hand in this drama, but again his mother found it.
Yes its me .....knowing very well ,there is no point of lying in front of Hamida he answered calmly and confidently ...for ...sooner or later he knew she will find the truth somehow but the question that racked his mind was ...how did she get to know about this ??.
Ummm...how did u guess ?? He asked ,in between trying to read his mothers eyes .
Divya !! Isnt she the same girl u picked up from the street ?? I saw her on tv when Adham's arrest news was flashing ...clarifying his doubts thereon she stepped closer to him ... waise....she paused , her eyes glinted with a mischeivious look ...lifting her hand up in the air she then brought it near his face ...detaching the fake black mole from his chin Hamida brought in front of his eyes ... u were looking pretty good in that sardarji avatar .
Pursing her lips tightly making sure not to part her lips into a smile Hamida stared at her son keeping a straight face .
Bewildered he stood numb for a moment with an expression of a small child getting caught redhanded by someone while having candies .
Hamida recalled her small three year old Jalal who had the same look whenever she caught him eating his favourite chocolate .
A small smile made its way on her lips which transformed into a small chuckle while looking at Jalal's wide eyes .
He glared at his mother with a serious look whilst she tried hard to control her laugh ... A small smile threatened to escape from his lips too , getting caught that too by his mother sounded totally silly to him .
He couldn't help but join his mother thereafter and the duo broke into laughter together after long long time .
They gazed each other in between their laughs ...awkwardness prevailed between the duo again ,the roar of laughter that filled the room seconds before died slowly , Jalal averted his gaze from his mother and turned around .
It pricked her heart badly ,but when were things good between them , taking his silence as the note to leave Hamida left the room heavy heartedly .
Sharma household
She tossed and turned under the silk duvet unable to get sleep . The whole evening she managed to engage herself in some or the other work to shoo away the painful images of the night when she lost her dearest parents .
No matter how hard she tried , the events of that horrible night bounced back into her thoughts bringing acute pain in her heart .
Jodha knew , she should move on carrying the beautiful memories of her parents inside her heart.She somehow coped up putting upfront a strong attitude too but again the fact of her parents death that too on her birthday disturbed her most of the times ...especially on her birthday .
It was 11:30 ...and she was not getting any sleep yet ...feeling restless ,Jodha jumped out of the bed and stood in the balcony . Taking in the fresh air she gazed up at the sky.
Tears pooled in her eyes as she remembered the last time she spent happily with her parents .
Flash back
Jodha ...Jodha. ...Mainavati's shrill scream peirced into Jodha's ears like a needle .
Maasa...covering her delicate eardrums with her fluffy pillow Jodha frowned in irritation.
U spoiled girl , if it's not ur birthday today then i would have given u nicely , now get up pulling the duvet that covered her body Mainavati exclaimed .
Maasa ...pls ...five minutes more ...then i will get up for sure ...trying to shoo away her mother Jodha requested with her eyes still closed .
R u mad ...u r already getting late for college and u have to go to temple too .when will u learn good manners Jodha , what will ur inlaws say when u go to their house ...Ranting her everyday mantra Mainavati dramatically hit her forehead with her palm.
Maasa...whats the need for me to go temple when u r there to pray for me ..and regarding my in laws...dont u worry about them ...i m there na...Jodha countered still lying on the bed .
Fine !! No temple...no gifts ok?? Using her last weapon to get her daughter out of the bed Maina smiled inwardly as she knew this would definetly work on her .
Gifts ...wow...opening her eyes widely just like her mother expected Jodha dashed into the washroom and dressed into a plain white anarkali suit which was gifted by her brother last night .
Now gifts ...
Nope ...first temple
Accha ok...will go to temple while going to college ...now gifts plsss.
Ohk...come out ...ur Bapusa is waiting for u outside .
And the duo went out of the room .
Maina stood besides her husband while Jodha quickly finished her prayers in the small temple inside their house .
With a wide smile ,she then stood in front of her parents with her hands stuck out for the gifts .
Maina gave her a small box which was neatly packed with a glitter paper
Jodha excitedly unwrapped the box and and was floored by the content inside it ... a shining bracelet ...without wasting any second she quickly pinned it around her wrist and hugged her kissed her Mother's cheek .
Now she waited for her Bapusa's gift ... where's my gift ?? She asked wiggling her brows .
He scratched the back of his head...My wishes...will they work ?? Bharmal asked sheepishly and earned a glare from his daughter .
Bapusa ...i have ur best wishes with me always ...so there is nothing new in that ...ok ?? No dont act , i know u have my gift , show me.. plsss... knowing very well about her Bapusa and his unique gifts Jodha excitedly chirped .
I really didnt get anything for u beta ...getting a pout from his daughter he again said ... ok tell me what do u want and i will get u while coming back to home from office ...ok . He tried to cheer his daughter with the brilliant idea that popped in his mind .
Umm promise ?? A devilish smile danced on her lips ...Maina and Sujamal knew Jodha would defiently ask something weird . They even warned Bharmal , but he already made his promise and he decided not to back off now .
Day out with family ...she put forth her wish , clasping her hands like a small kid , urging to be fulfilled at any cost .
No ...i cant ...i have my college ...sujamal objected
Neither can i ...i have my kitty party Mainavati added .
And i have an important meeting . Bharmal sighed
Her face fell down hearing their excuses ... and turned around on her heels to get going with her boring routine when the trio bursted into fits of laugter.
Jodha looked on confused when Bharmal came to her and caressed her head lovingly .
Her wish was granted ...they agreed to go out but before that Mainavati served the hot kesar badaam kheer which she made specially for Jodha .
The whole family had a gala time together ...they went to temple as per mainavatis wish ,then watched a movie , spending sometime on the beach thereafter , they decided to end the birthday celebration with dinner in a posh restaurant .
And then while coming back from there ...
Flash back ends...
Tears made its way down her cheeks ... The horrible images of accident reeled in front of her eyes .
I wish i never requested to go out Bapusa , i wish i never celebrated my birthday . I wish we stayed back at home ... wiping the tears that flowed down her cheeks uncontrollably Jodha looked up at the sky again.
I hope u r resting in peace Maasa ... today im the girl u wished to see me always ... im no more lazy .. i do pray everyday ...just like u did Maasa ...i even visit kanha's temple whenever possible ...u r happy now ,arent u Maasa ??
Fresh stream of tears rolled down her eyes while uttering the words .
A knock at the door drew a full stop to her thoughts .
She checked the time in the clock...it showed 12 :00 am and she knew who could be at this hour of time .
Bhaisa ...Bhabhi ...pls come in wiping the traces of tears from her cheeks Jodha called them inside.
Moti and Sujamal stepped in and casted a quick glance at the birthday girl.
Her greif stricken face with red puffed eyes pricked their heart deep inside the core .
Happy Birthday Jodha ...the wife and husband wished the Birthday girl in unison with a small smile on their lips .
Thanks Bhaisa ,Thanks Bhabhi ....she uttered meekly without any excitement .
And then there was silence in the room ...which was kind of routine since past 4 years.
Sujamal and Moti come to wish Jodha , try to cheer up her mood and then goes back tasting failure .
But this time the couple was determined to get a smile on her face .
Choti ...u know ... u r very lucky .... sujamal exclaimed impishly .
Why ?? Jodha mumbled in a very low voice wondering whats up with her brother.
Ur bhabhi ...tried her hand in cooking today and guess what ...she made the birthday cake for u ,all by herself ... how lucky is u to taste the first bite of that delicious ??? cake . His eyes slided to see the person who was glaring at him with angry eyes .
Moti knew she sucks at cooking , but this cake she made with utmost care and attention for her SIL and she knew it will taste scrumptious .
A forced smile made its way on Jodha's lips , she adored her Bhaisa and Bhabhi a lot ...if it was any other day she would have enjoyed their cute banter but today she was not at all in a mood .
Suja ...i know u r very scared of my cooking ,that's why i never made anytging special for you and trust me ,u wont get any share in this cake either ...stucking out her tongue Moti exited the room and came back with a cake in her hands .
But Bhabhi ...i....
Choti ..... his heart ached to see his always smiling sister in such condition . pls ,now dont say ,u dont celebrate ur birthday , i know u miss maasa bapusa a lot ,but how many more years u will sit and mourn at their loss ??
Side hugging her brother she let go off the tears which remained back in her eyes.
Caressing her back Sujamal wiped the lone tear that escaped his eye .
Sujamal , Jodha ...i know u guys r purposely being melodramatic to escape from eating my cake eh...Moti interrupted pouting ... but i wont let u go off so easily ...facing her sister in law Moti pointed the knife towards her ...Jodha r u going to cut or should i do it myself ?? It seemed like a cute threaten to the brother and sister duo ...a small smile adored her lips looking at her bhabhi's antics .
Ofcourse she will cut the cake herself ...atleast for the sake of the people who were trying their best to see just a small smile on her face .
****************
Morning
Like every year Sujamal ,Moti and Jodha went to temple and offered their prayers with devotion . The preist performed the pinda daan ritual .
After the proceedings sujamal and Moti stayed back for Ann daan while Jodha left for college as she wanted to keep her thoughts busy today and undoubtedly college would serve best for this purpose.
She attended all her lectures and now had a free hour after all the back to back classes , with nothing else to do in her hands Jodha went to canteen alone to feed her grumbling stomach .
***************************
His heart yearned to see her , just to make sure she was alright . He remembered Reva saying it was her birthday today and he knew she was least interested in celebrating her special day reason well known to everyone.
Last night after his Mother's departure ,he urged to call Jodha and convey his birthday wishes for her , but then her gloomy face in cafeteria whipped his mind.
It was 12: 15 , he was pretty sure Jodha would be greiving that time and thus he brushed the idea for later and decided to meet her in person the next day and wish her .
Since then he was desperately waiting to get a glimpse of her , he checked all the places where she could be seen , college grounds , library he searched for her everywhere but could'nt see her face even once ...dissapointed he then trekked towards canteen to try his luck and thats where he found her .
She was dressed in a plain white anarkali which didnt seem new to him from any angle .
Allah , sitting in a corner seat she was playing with her food looking lost ,her sad gloomy face cringed his heart ... she was like one of those brightest stars who loved to shine for others . She was the light through which spirit's born , she had that natural glow in her which can never fade away .
But today she looked different , totally opposite to her self . Her face were deprived of any emotions , her gloomy face proved she was in pain which twisted his heart .
Slowly ,he walked to Jodha and stood right in front of her , surprisingly she didnt react , she was looking somewhere with nothing in particular . He could see the tears in her eyes .
Uh huh uh uhhh......clearing his throat he announced his arrival only to be welcomed by her silence .
Hi......he uttered , trying to get her attention , she saw him ,but was in no mood to respond .
Ummm...Happy Birthday ...a bit skeptical whether to wish or not he finally muttered winning over his mind .
Thanks she meekly reciprocated lowering her gazes
Jodha...calling out her name gently he asked ...umm i dont know if its right or wrong , but ...umm..can i take u out ??
Surprised , she looked on with no reply to his answer .
I know what u r going through Jodha , but u know , once noor told me , our dear ones do watch us from the sky ,and they want us to see happy and smiling always , we shouldnt make them sad by sulking at their loss , should we ???
He saw her tears rolling down her cheeks , which she quickly wiped them before anyone could see . she remebered the words said by herself to Noor and she actually beleived in them ...but somehow today her heart didnt betrayed her .
Come with me , u will feel better Jodha ....Daring to take her hand in his ,he got up from his seat while she though shocked momentarily but followed him silently .
The entire Journey in car was silent , neither Jodha talked with him nor Jalal tried speaking with her ,but he was sure ,she will like the place where he was taking her .
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