"Why did you bring me here Nandu? Sab thik to hai?" Chachi was worried and she had legitimate reasons to be . The persistent changes in Nandini's behaviour had been too obvious for her to not notice. Nandini had grown distant, her daily calls had slowly turned infrequent before drying out altogether. Since her engagement, 5 weeks ago, she hadn't come home even once, till yesterday, when she dropped in suddenly quite late into the night.
Mr. Murthy had casually asked a few times, & so had Rishab albeit with a little more concern, when they both found time from their daily routine life. She, however, had been anxious all the time, only that she didn't have anyone else to turn to & share her worries with. Part of it had to do with Neel. The way Manik left all of a sudden had shattered Nandini inside out and then this Neel, who was litetrally forced first in their house and then on Nandini, by Amms. She hated Neel, his sly demeanour , those catty eyes and his raspy voice. How could Amms possibly approve of that jerk and why on earth did Nandini agree to it. Torn between the need to salvage her position in the family and her concern for Nandini, she had become just a helpless onlooker. She wanted to help Nandini, at any cost, even if that meant she had to stand guilty in front of Amms and Mr. Murthy but then Nandini didn't seek help. She only drifted apart, and every time she enquired, like she did yesterday night, Nandini would shrug her off with one excuse or the other. She so wished she were her mother, at least she could have slapped Nandini into confessing her feelings. But Being her chachi, she could neither be strict enough to do that, nor stop these nagging thoughts from paralyzing her.
"Chachi, apse kuch kehna tha, I couldn't have told you at home." It was the moment of truth for her. She had to take this leap, now. Enough of dilly dallying, enough of lame excuses, enough of running away from home, truth had to be told before the situation turned any more murkier than it already was.
Both their hearts started pacing. One in the fear of the reaction, the other in the apprehension of the revelation.
"Pehle aap promise karo ki aap puri baat sunoge.." She gulped down a glass full of water as if that would relief her of the anxiety induced heartburn.
"Aisi kya baat hai Nandu?" She took Nandini's hands in her palm.
"Pehle aap promise karo na chachi...please"
"promise, ab to bol"
"Chachi, Manik is back" Chachi, to be honest, couldn't make out how to react. Should she thank God for this miracle, should she be happy for Manik, for Nandini, for them, for her, or should she be mad at his audacity. That he had the guts to come back after putting Nandni through hell and beyond, or should she laugh at the irony of life, that he was finally back when Nandini was already engaged. What should she make out of the simple one liner bomb Nandini had just dropped.
But she had promised, she would first hear Nandini out. So she let her speak, let her rewind time and summarize the incidents from the last month and half into 20 tight minutes.
"Chachi aap kuch bol kyun nahi rehe ho?" Nandini had long finished telling her side of the story and chachi hadn't uttered a word. This was bad news, because on average, chachi spoke at least twice as much as Nandini, but on a matter as crucial as this, she had kept mum! What was she supposed to make out of her silence? and if this was the reaction she got with chachi, God help her with the rest of her family, especially Amms.
"Kya bolun Nandini...samajh mein nahi ata, dil ki sunu ya dimag gi. Main teri maa nahi hun par tujhse teri ma jitna hi pyaar karti hun. Maine tujhe pyaar karte hue bhi dekha hai aur tera bharosa bhi apne hi aankhon ke aage tut te huye deka hai. Kaise Manik pe fir se ekbar vishwas kar lun. Kya guarrantee hai ki jo ekbar hua who dobara nahi hoga? " It was so surprising that of all the things Nandini confessed, this was the only thing that bothered Chachi. Why wasn't she furious about Neel or upset about her job? Why was she only concerned about whether Manik was worthy of trust.
"Agar aap sabut mangte ho then I don't have any, wo kyun us din bina bataye chala gaya tha, ye koi nahi janta, yahan tak ki wo khud bhi nahi, par mera dil kehta hai usne jo bhi kiya, jiske bhi kehne pe kiya, jaise bhi halat mein kiya, he didn't do it with the intension of leaving me. Manik kuch bhi kar sakta hai, par he can't hurt me. Aur agar is baar mera dil galat hai, to shayad duniya mein koi bhi sahi nahi hai."
"After all hum larkiyon ka yahi problem hai ki, ekbar kisi se pyaar ho jaye to marte dam tak use bhool nahi pate. Fir wo sahi ho ya galat, dil usi ki tarafdari karta hai zindagi bhar."
"Chachi aapse behtar Manik ko kaun janta hai. Aap hi ka sona munda hai wo. Aap to use tab se pasand karti hain, jab uske aur mere beech sirf nafrat ka rishta tha. Aap khud parakh lo, apne Manik ko, ma ka dil kabhi galat nahi hota."
How could she say such a profound thing so casually? But Nandini was right...it was a mother's heart that had led her to see the gem in him, much before anyone else could, even Nandini for that matter. And that's why even after so many years, a part of her still loved him silently. He hadn't just broken Nandini's heart, he had broken hers too...both her trust and pride. And that mattered much much more than all the other crap Nandini had just told her about Neel.
"Manik ko yaha bula sakti ho, abhi?"
"Abhi?" Nandini was in a fix. Where was this leading. Calling Manik like this, here in a mall. What if it took a bad turn and Chachi ended up saying something hurtful to Manik? He wouldn't retaliate, he respected her chachi enough to silently swallow whatever blames she were to vent at him, but her heart knew, he didn't deserve any of it. Nervous to the point of losing it, she called Manik, her hands trembling, her voice shaky.
'Manik can you come right now to Infiniti Malad?' She watsapped him.
'Abhi? Like abhi? Why are your plans be so last minute, Nandini. Kal raat ko nahi bata sakti thi ki 1 baje milna hai...do one thing, you do some shopping, I will freshen up and come in 40 minutes.'
'Don't time hv time for chitchat. CHACHI is here, wnts to talk to u, cm ASAP!!!!! URGENT!!!!!!'
'Be there in 10. Bye' On any other day she would have rolled on the floor laughing at his sudden change of mind and words.
*********
9 minutes, 45 seconds and there he was, gasping for breath and bathed in sweat. His hair was a mess, he had somehow managed to put a white jacket over a pair of jeans and his shoes..well, he was still in his house slippers. There is something about meeting the mother of your bride, that can turn dudes into duds within seconds. Well,
Neither was she the bride, nor chachi her mother, and this wasn't even the first time they were meeting. They had a whole culinary history to them and yet, Manik looked nervous and perplexed, his usual charisma gone for a toss.
"Hi Chachi! How r u? " Manik grinned like an idiot, completely ignoring Nandini's presence.
"Main thik hun, tum kaise ho?" Chachi replied with an equally awkward smile. Nandini looked, first at Manik and then at Chachi and then back at Manik.
"I am ok chachi, hows Rishab and how's chacha?"
First time since Manik had come, Chachi turned to Nandini "Nandu, main thori der ke liye Manik se akele mein baat karna chahti hun... tu tab tak list mein se samaan leke aa." List? Shopping? Did chachi just shoo her away? What was she supposed to do now, bite her nails off or pull her silky strands down, imagining what kind of fireworks might be happening here. But then she didn't have a choice either. The last thing she wanted to do was to irk chachi with her stubbornness. She gave one last look at Manik before leaving and he was visibly petrified.
Chachi, despite being angry at him, couldn't help laughing at his condition. "Baitho idhar, and itna nervous hone ki zaroorat nahi hai, chaba nahi jaungi tumhe zinda."
Point, why was he even nervous? He wasn't guilty for anything, he hadn't done any wrong, he hadn't broken anyone's trust, the only thing he at failed at, was preventing Neel. But then he was sick and in hospital. How could he have possibly known what was going on here. He settled down in the chair facing her and wiped the sweat off his temple. 'This is your favourite chole wali chachi, common, you can do better man' He silently pepped himself up.
"Wo itne dino baad mil raha hun na apse, to thora sa nervousness to banta hai." He said, biting his lips.
"Nandini ne mujhe sab bataya, so main dobara wahi batein nahi puchungi, bas ek hi baat poochni hai tumse, sach sach jawab doge?" She was serious, damn serious. The initial awkwardness between them gone and now she was having a one to one with him, looking straight into his eyes. He nodded in agreement, bracing himself for whatever was to come next.
"Can I trust you with Nandini?" What sort of a question was this, he failed to understand. He had always been worth her trust, then why this reaffirmation. Even Nandini kept on asking him from time to time, if he would leave her again. When had he ever left her or them?
"Of course you can... kya aapko lagta hai ki main apke bharose ke layak nahi hun?"
She wasn't looking for an answer on his lips. Nandini had already told her he didn't have an answer himself. He believed what she had told him because he himself didn't remember a thing. She was searching for the truth in his mellowed eyes, because you can lie to the entire world but not to a mother for a mother doesn't see through her eyes or listen through her ears. She feels through her heart and cahchi's heart was telling her that this boy was worth every inch of the trust Nandini had on him.
"Tum jante ho nandini ke parents... " She stopped, clearing her chocked throat. "choti si umar se usne bohot kuch dekha aur jhela hai. She is strong, but she is weak too. Hum bohot simple log hain...tum, tumhari family..." she stopped again "zindagi bhar uska sath de paoge? Life mein age bhi problems ayengi..har haal mein khussh rakh paoge?"
Manik took her hands in his and lowering his eyes, said "Chachi apne kabhi pucha nahi, aur maine kabhi bataya nahi, but I know ki aap janti hain that main Nandini se bohot pyaar karta hun, hamesha se karta tha aur hamesha se karta rahunga. Har insaan ki tarah mujhme bhi khamiyan hai, I am not perfect. But I promise you, I will try, to the best of my ability and beyond. Ek galti ho gayi mujhse, that I wasn't there when she needed me, jab aap logon ko meri zaroorat thi. But trust me, main apni jaan pe bhi khelkar use khush rakhunga."
He saw a hint of a smile on her lips.
"Chachi, ek baat aur hai, jo shayad maine kisi se kabhi nahi ki, Nandini se bhi nahi. I was nervous because I don't kno aap mere bare mein kya sochti hongi but I don't want to disappoint you. Aapne pehle din se mujhe ek bete ki tarah pyaar kiya, apne family mein, apne dil mein jagah di. Jitna trust aapne mujhpar kiya, utna to shayad kabhi meri khud ki mom ne bhi nahi kiya hoga. Aapne sahi kaha, mera ghar bara hai, bohot bara, par wahan rehne wale logon ke dil bohot chote hain chachi. Bimar parta hun to mannat bhi aap mangti hain aur khichri bhi aap hi bhejti hain. "
"Acha chal ab bas kar, dialogues to tere shahrukh se bhi better hain.."
10 minutes had turned into 20 and 20 into 30 and they were still talking. Nandini, having bought none of the stuff she had been asked to, was standing one floor above, keeping an eye on them. And from their body language she was sure, this wasn't going too bad, not atleast the kind of bad she was expecting with Amms.
They were still talking when Chachi's phone rang and the moment she saw Neel's name, her blood literally boiled. She put it on speaker for Manik to hear the conversation as well.
After the bare minimum of greetings neel dived straight into the point. "Chachi, aap logon ko kuch pata hai, Nandini kahan hai, kya kar rahi. Use school se nikal diya because of her unprofessional attitude. I have told you earlier also, aise nahi chalega, sara din us Manik ke sath ghumti rehti hai. Chii..chiii...Mujhe to kehne mein bhi saram aati hai ki meri fiancee hai." Manik stared at chachi, flabbergasted. He had balled his hand into a fist and if the guy had been anywhere near, he would have smashed his face against a wall. Last night, he had done some primary research on him, he had his professional details, from linked in, his college and the places he had worked till now. But the m*********r had no presence on any social networking site.
"I am so sorry Neel beta, and I am so ashamed of nandini" What the hell was chachi speaking, Manik thought. The look on his face must have given away his feelings because chachi gestured him to stay calm. "Waise I think ki tum jaise sona munda Nandini jaisi larki nahi deserve kata. Main to kehti hun, use bhool jao, aur koi soni si mundi se shaadi karlo. Bolo to main dhund deti hun." That was something! Chachi high fived Manik.
"Aap bhi ajeeb ho, problem ko solve kane ke badle use aur kharab kar rahe ho. Waise main India jakar hi Amms se milne wala hun, And isbar main shaadi karke hi wapas aunga." before Chachi could say anything more, Neel abruptly cut the call.
"Chachi aap to mujhse bhi tez nikleen." Manik loved the witty tone in which she answered that psycho. Nandini s chachi was just as catty as her.
"haan par ap tak to tum jan hi chuke ho ki Neel Dixit kafi pahuncha hua hai. And Amms ki guarantee main nahi le sakti. Wo kisi ki nahi sunti."
"Wo sab aap mujhpe chor do, bas Neel ka adress and uske family details aap mujhe dedo and Please nandini ko kuch mat batana. Uska BP bekar mein high ho jayega."
***************
In another part of the world, someone was fuming with anger. How dare she ask him to move ahead with someone else. Things in general were going bad for him. The tables had literally turned around for Neel since that attack on Manik. Those goons he had appointed for killing Manik had started blackmailing him for more and more money. In desperation, he had to go underground and leave for switzerland. Even the tapping on Nandini's phone wasn't yielding results. For whatever reason, there were hardly any phone calls between her and Manik, or for that matter to anyone. Same with texts. May be she was using watsapp, because those chats are encrypted and the app he set up couldn't record encrypted conversations. It was only last night's lovey-dovey chat that had unsettled him again and now he was on the brink of taking of something massive. He wanted to use chachi as the first line of defense to complain about Nandini. But if that didn't work as it clearly hadnt, he would have to go to Amms and get done with the marriage business.
Indias Got Talent 11
Cricket
Anupamaa
