"Anjaane se Woah" Chapter 14
Stepping closer he looked down at her with a sense of comfort …. "Ek baar phir se kaho?" gauri had dropped her sight..and how could she face him after speaking to him in such away..
Searching the floor in a certain sadness, if gauri was too look up at her husband she would see immense ease..love..and amusment in those eyes. But she wouldn't look at him. instead turning away to her side…her words were of a more apologetic manner.
" maaf kardijyey..Jaazbaato mein beh kar mein shayad bhul gayi..ke kise baat kar rahin hoon. .."Gauri feels a grab at her rist..and turning to face shiv..she listens silently to what he has to say.
shiv is adamant to here those words again "phir se kaho" the way in which shiv dominates the sourroundings ..gauris..gives in ..softely repeating her words. There was a heavy emotion tied to every word.
"Mein aapse ..pyaar karti hoon.." seeing a certain intensity in gauris eyes..shiv lets gives her way to speak. Watching her turn away..he listens what she has to say ..saddned by her feelings.
"Shayad muje mein hein kuch kaami hogi..aatchi patni..nahin ban paayi..
Agar aap ko meri koi bat atchi nahin lagi..aap keh dete. Aap ek ishaara karte.. " gauri words broke off into tears..and shiv could feel the devotion in her words. Shiv had to comfort gauri for he couldn't see her this way.
Gauri…muje dekho.. hesitantly gauri turns to shiv..lifts her expression and those eyes that were filled in tears searched for comfort from her husband..and shiv provided just that.
Cupping gauris face..softly shiv wiped away gauris tears and looked into her eyes with a comforting ease.
Meri patni muje kitna pyaar karti hai..mein yeh aatchi taara se janta hoon..
Sirf tumari muh se suna chahta tha gauri aur kuch nahin.
Yeh dusri shaadi..yeh sab ek bahana tha.
Tume apne pyaar ka ehsaas dilana chahta tha mein gauri.
Koi dusri shadhi nahin..koi dhusri patni nahin..
Gauri was surprised by what she was hearing..his touch was so comforting and his words were soft. There was sense of love she could feel…but she began to doubt weather this was for real or not. How she longed for her husbands love …and today she was seeing her aspirations come true.
"Mein tumse pyaar karta hoon gauri…"
Gauri looked up at shiv with an overwhelmed question in her eyes.. did he really mean it..and the answer she got was yes. Seeing tears cup shivs eyes..gauri could see love for her in those eyes. Melting with tears..gauris saddned expression turned to a smile..yet she couldn't look at shiv..for it was far to much of a moment for her to face..both speechless ..shivs words bring gauri closer..
Tume woh…taasvir yaad hai gauri.. shiv opens her arms for gauri. reminding her of that painting of hers he had found. the painting in which gauri embraced shiv. Gauris longing to embrace her husband and share her pain..aknowlege her love was on the verge of fulfilment.
As shiv provided way for gauri to rest on his chest..gauri fell into an embrace..shiv comforted her and the feeling of love for one another was mutual.
As both shared a comforting moment together little did they know that they had an audience in the form of dadi and anupam who smiled whole heartedly seeing both of them reunite in such a way.
…………..
having reconnented with the imprortance of relations through gauri..shiv made amends with mehen which added to the traquility of the family. At the same time anupam carried out his important duties..in the haveli and found ipshitta to be behind the hoox letters to shiv and delt with it in his own way. Shiv and gauri were very much In love…yet
Even though both had somewhat declared there love for one another..there was still a sense of distance between the two that made all those little moments special.. shiv went about his daily rouintine..watching gauri where possible..thinking of her.. and taking up any chance in which he could spend time with her. And this was one of those moments… As goes about her tasks in the house…a maid brings a message from shiv.
"Malkin..sahab ne ..aap ko upaar bulayay hai.. purane kamre ke bahar." Gauri makes aknowlegement and then beggins thinking over the signicance of the old store room.
Walking up the staircase of the haveli… gauri couldn't stop thinking of the reason behind this yet all was revealed when she got the entrance of the old store room and shiv awaited her. very in a shiv kapoor persona.. shiv stood in his stance of comfort and watched gauri approach. Like always ..she kept a little distance from him. softly with elms of respect from shiv she spoke..for shiv just seemed to be gazing at her and not saying much..
"Aap ne bulayay.."
breaking from that trance …of falling for his wife shiv..smiles..opening the door to the store room gauri follows shiv into the room..and feels his footsteps stop..wondering why he had stopped her here she doesn't directly question yet shiv was aware of her query and answers it.. putting his hands into his pockets per persona..shivs looks around the room and points out the drastic change to gauri. the room which was filled with gauris paintings…still very much was that but ..difference was that..all the paintings that potrayed pain were removed. More so the wall that gauri had painted with..sorrowfull events of her life was painted over..and now a smile shade of white.
Gauri looked around the room and didn't quite understand the significance of this but shiv explained.
"Meine tumari waoh.. paintings hatadi hai gauri..kyun ke muje unmein sirf dukh aur taklif dikhyay deti thi..aaj se..ham ek nayee zindagi ki shuruat karege aur.. tumare taasvire bhi..ghushyo se bhari hogi."
Gauri was extremely touched by this gesture of shivs..and more so..she felt her self falling more and more in love with him…
She couldn't reply to his gesture in words..yet her smile that sparkle in her eyes was enough for shiv……..
……….
Late in the evening at the dinner table and as Gauri serves food at the table ..headed by shiv.. anupam and dadi watch the way in which shiv couldn't take his eyes off gauri. love was in the air… As shiv finished his dinner getting up from his seat…he excused himself from the table and his words were aimed at gauri who was standing behind him…
"Gauri.. mere kamre mein ek chai..bhejwana.." in turn that ment I want you to bring me tea. Everyone at the dinner table ..execpt gauri knew it was an excuse for shiv to spend time with his wife.
In the comfort of there bedroom ..shiv looks over some official documents..flicking through a certain file while walking the room.. gauri stops at the door carrying shivs tea. With a knock at the door.
Knowing full well that ..its gauri.. shiv invites her into the room without looking.
Gauri..steps into the room silently..leaving the tea..on the criuclar table that sits in the middle of the room she turns away to leave the room yet putting down the file to hand shiv stops her.
"Chai ke aalava…mein apni patni se …kuch vakt mangsakta hoon kya.?"
Gauri stops in her steps..a little unsettled by the way in which her husbands words seem a l ittle flirtatious.. gauri turns..diverting her sight from looking into shivs eyes out of respect..
Aap ko kuch chahiyey tha..
Shiv nodds…closing the distance between them..shiv walks a few steps closer to gauri..smiles at gauri innconcence.. and to get her attention… calls her name..
Gauri looks up at shiv..for an intstance..and notices the way in which his expression eyes..the rose pettled bed…
Feeling a rush of embarrassment gauris expression turns a crimson red which shiv is amused by…yet the moment wast then interrupted ..by a knock at the door of the room.
A little irritated by it ..shiv turns to the door..and invites who ever it is..in and the the man is the haveli house keeper who refers to shiv as Thakur sahab..something shiv hates. His expression..creases with annoyce at the reference and before dealing with the matter shiv taunts the man ..demanding that he not refer to him in this way. As soon as the man leaves…shiv turns to gauri…yet there is another knock at the door..and this time a maid brings water…she also refers to shiv as thakur which irritates shiv further and he also taunts her….
Gauri notices the way in which shiv seems to be irritated by this reference…she says nothing.
Finally left in there own space shiv turns away about to approach the door of the room.in order to close it yet he turns his back to gauri..and feeling him walk away gauri..calls out to shiv..yet she refers to him as thakur sahab.. forgetting that he hates that reffereal…gauri begins to search the floor In worry. Maybe it would provoke annoyance on his part yet..quite the oppersite
…Shiv approches gauri..softly..his eyes trial her figure..and he steps closer antipating a harsh comment like the last to incidents where shiv had expressed his dislike for this custome…gauri was surprised when..shiv stopped close to her..and his words played with her heartbeat.."tumare mhun se aatcha lagta hai..phir se kaho.."
……..Morning sunlight shines through the bedroom balcony as both shiv and gauri lay in the comfort of one another .last nights intermacy breaks all barrier between the two.. gauri opens her eyes ..as she is rested is in shivs arms. Shiv watches her expression and smiles…kissing her head..gently shivs eyes are filled with immense love.
"Tum kush toe ho naa gauri.?." gauri nodds..and her eyes give of a certain.. bliss that had been lost for years. She had finally gained what she longed for. A loving husband…and her status as a wife.
Closing her eyes in comfort…gauri cherished this moment….
……
Gauri opens her eyes amongst the cold surroundings of the haveli..seating ..sitting up in on the cushioned chairs ..she looks down at herself ..her red saari… the surroundings. A well lit room..on a cold night..and the clock struck 11pm on the big big.. on the far wall of the room. Outside the sound of heavy rain…empty surroundings'.. she was on her own. The lavish surroundings of the haveli floor was lit by a candle light..and a fire there was simply silence.
She wasn't lying beside shiv..nor was she in the comfort of his presence..she had walken up to reality. This was her reality..11 pm in on a cold night and she was awaiting for shivs presence was the reality..looking around insecure and unsure of what was real and what wasn't. gauri rushed off this possion of sleep over the seating…and searching the floor there was no shiv there was no dadi..no anupam..nothing. she walked …arcoss the floor towards mehens room ..and stopping at the partially open door of the room she saw mehen sitting in his chair.in front of that chess table in wait of his son..
Her face..creased in distress..was everything simply a mere dream?. Running up the staircase of the haveli…gauri rushed through corridors..opened the door to shivs room…to there bedroom In the hope of finding her husband yet he was not there.
Thinking of all things..she had seen before..all things she had felt gauri..rushes to that store room…for it was something that would confirm reality from imagination and to her horror… her heart sank..and tears cupped her eyes..as looking into the room there was simply the reality before her. her paintings…that painful lifetime she had painted in the form of wall art…it was all present this was her reality.
Her husbands presence…his love, his commitment was a dream. It was a night similar to all other nights. As gauri wiped her tears she walked down the corridors of the haveli in sorrow ..for nothing had changed. All was a dream.
Walking down the staircase of the haveli in grief..gauri heard those familiar footsteps approach. She paused a second..yet for her it was routine..
Covering her face with the material of her red saari..gauri stood with a hidden expression simply awaiting his presence..
As he walked into the haveli floor and stopped looking aound the haveli..loosting his tie...gauri could feel his presence..could smell that certain strong musky aftershave. The type of influence he carried was always immense… like always gauri..silenlty..walked behind him..touched apon his shoulder lightly..helped him out of his black blazer…taking it in her hands she folded it neatly..and stood passively, silently careful not to lift her sight. Shiv unbuttoning the sleeves of his shirt..takes no glance to her ..yet his question is very much for her. it wasn't acknowledgment of her..just awareness of her presence and that was the norm
"Dad kaha hai..?" ..she replied..silenlty
"ji ..Unke kamre mein.."….hearing his footsteps desend gauri lifts her expression..and her eyes carry a shadow of grief but an glow of optimism..
maybe her dream would one day come true.
……….-Aajane se waoh.. conclude 28th april 2011…
-note for readers..ok guys and girls thank you very much for all your patience with this ff ..i know ive been dead slow with it but I do hope you enjoyed it .. thank you for all your comments and views.
Thanks!