**sorry for the delay everyone...but i was really busy with school and work...should have more time for updates now...hope you enjoy this part...i made it long to make up some what for my delay in updating...a full 12pgs on word**
Part 6
Smajo Naa
O janiyah veh
O saathiyah veh
O beliyah veh
Samjo naa
Kuch toh samjo naa
Alam betabiyon ka,
Kaise tumko batayein.
Dil ki pechida rahein,
Chahein tumko hi chahein.
Samjo naa,
Kuch toh samjo na.
Yeh hi baath aapni,
Samaj mein naa aayi,
Mohabbat hai, yah hai yeh sazaa?
Tumhe chahane ki,
Saaza humne paayi,
Hui humse aaisi kya khataa?
Teri yadoon mein kat jaye din,
Dua mein saari raath guzrein.
Koi jaane naa, humpe jaane maan,
Kaise kaise haalat guzrein.
O janiyah veh
O saathiyah veh
O beliyah veh
Samjo naa
Kuch toh samjo naa
Alam betabiyon ka,
Kaise tumko batayein.
Dil ki pechidarahein,
Chahein tumko hi chahein.
Samjo naa,
Kuch toh samjo na.
Hollywood CA. Angels Hotel – 12:30pm (Back Employee Service Entrance)
"Answer me Prachi?!" Milind's voice suddenly roared into the silence after what seemed like eons of nothing being said.
Prachi was at a loss, what was she going to tell him? How could she tell him that her 'husband' was no the kind of man that loved and cherished her, but instead he was that kind of man that physically, emotionally and mentally hurt her on a regular basis? How was she going to tell him that her life was a close to hell as you could get in your life? How could she tell him that the bruise on her arm wasn't from running into some door, but instead came from the powerful hands of her own husband?
Forget telling him what was going on, she couldn't even bring herself to look into his eyes. How was she supposed to look into the eyes of the man that she had loved with her whole heart and soul and pretend like everything was okay? Doing that would mean lying to Milind, and that was something that Prachi was not going to do. She loved, respected and trusted him too much to play such a sick game with him. They shared a special bond and she wasn't going to disgrace that bond by lying to him.
She knew that if anyone looked hard enough they could see the sorrow and pain in her eyes. He was Milind, her soul mate, he would see it the minute his eyes met hers. She couldn't do that to him.
One part of her wanted to throw her hands around him and just cling to him as if her life depended on it. She wanted to bury her face in his chest and cry her heart out, let all the pain and tears lose, and tell him everything that had happened to her in the past four years. She wanted to tell him to take her in his arms and take her far away from the wretched reality that she called her life. She wanted to go away to a place where it would be only them, no one else to interrupt them so they could live in peace.
The other part of her knew better then to do that. That part of her knew that Milind loved her as well; she had seen it in his eyes the minute he had turned to face her in the lobby. His eyes shone with light when he had realized who she was; her heart told her that he loved her, and her heart wasn't wrong. She knew what if he found out what had been happening to her these past few years; he wouldn't be able to handle it. Milind would never tolerate anyone laying one hand on her in such a manner, no matter who they were. He would never be able to sustain the shock of the fact that his Pari was living under such dire circumstances.
She couldn't tell him the truth, she couldn't face him at all…what was she going to do?
"God damn it Pari! Tell me what the hell that was all about!" Milind wailed once more.
Hearing him call her Pari, the name he had given out of love and adore, she couldn't take it anymore. She wiped the stray tears with her fingers and she rushed passed him back in to the hotel, leaving him standing behind; she heard his voice trail off as he called out to her.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Milind had to ball his hands into fists to keep from tearing apart the sorry excuse of a man that was apparently supposed to be his Pari's husband...Neev Shergill.
The things that man was saying were barely comprehendible to him. How could someone say such things about his wife, that too in front of a complete stranger? Neev had said things that Milind could never even think about, especially when it came to his Pari.
He may not have been her best friend or boyfriend, but he still knew her. She was his soul mate, the love of his life. He could put his life in her hands and trust her with his eyes closed. Wasn't that something that your husband was also supposed to be able to do?
There were a million and one reasons as to why Prachi had that bruise on her arm. She could have been clumsy, it may have been an accident…there were so many reasons. However, after what happened a few minutes ago, it had him worrying about only one particular reason.
Milind ran into the hotel just seconds behind Prachi. As soon as he was inside the lobby he looked around to try and spot her; which wasn't hard because seeing that it was lunch time the guests were off eating lunch and the staff was doing the same, except for a select few. He spotted Prachi talking to some girl. It looked like the girl was trying to get Prachi to talk to her, but Prachi was adamant not to say anything and kept shaking her head. As Prachi began to walk away her eyes met with Milind's across the room; then she just took off towards the staff area of the hotel. The girl Prachi had been talking to looked at them and then back to Prachi's retreating figure. Milind quickly made is way to the girl.
"Where did she go?" he demanded.
"What's it to you?" the girl shot back.
"Excuse me?" Milind said, in his confused state.
"Just who do think you are mister?!" the girl fumed.
"I'm sorry." Milind stood rooted on the spot not knowing why some two bit hotel employee was harassing him.
"Look, I know that you are Mr. Milind Mishra, top hotelier, bug business man, one fo the worlds richest people, and yeah, you are one of the sexiest men alive…blah blah blah. Frankly, I don't give a rats ass about all that. You could be the Prince of England for all I care, but that still doesn't give you the right to harass people to the point of tears. What ever she may have done that you didn't like, there was no reason for you to do what ever you did that has her in tears. Prachi is a quiet, innocent and sweet person, but I am not; I will not tolerate anyone hurting her, who ever he may be." The girl finally stopped speaking and took a deep breath, it seemed that her entire speech was uttered in a single breath.
"Who are you to care?! What is your name?!" Milind roared.
"Why, do you want to complain to my boss? Well be my guest, you cant threaten me to keep me from defending Prachi. My name is Nancy Rose Garcia. I am her best friend, and will do what ever it takes to protect her from jerks like you who think people can be bought along with everything else under the sun."
"Ms. Garcia, huh? Well Ms. Garcia all I can say is…" Milind paused for a second and watched the girl in front of him take a deep breath bracing herself for his rage, "…Prachi is lucky to have a friend like you by her side."
"Well…huh?" The look on the girls face changed so fast, Milind had to bite his tongue from laughing. At first she was ready to fight him tooth and nail, but then shock and confusion replaced the anger and warrior-lady mode she was in. "Come again?" she asked.
"She really needs a friend like you in her life to support her and be there for her. You don't know how happy I am knowing that she has a person in her life like you. Please promise that you won't leave her alone, no matter what."
"I…ok…I promise."
"You have a good day Ms. Garcia."
Saying that, Milind turned and left to his room. He knew that the girl still stood on her spot and watched him walk away. She probably was still wrap her mind around the fact that a person like Milind Mishra was wishing her friend well, a person who she believed was a stranger that was harassing her friend. What she didn't know was that Milind felt and immense sense of relief knowing that his Pari has someone she could count on.
Just by that one encounter with Prachi's husband, Milind could tell that something was definitely wrong. His blood boiled and limbs went cold all that the same time just at the thought of that scumbag Neev doing anything to hurt Prachi. Milind's hands itched to grab the weasel by his collar and throw him clear across the Golden Gate Bridge. He had so much hate and anger towards that man just at the thought of him hurting Prachi; what would happen if his fears were confirmed?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Panorama City: Neev and Prachi's Apartment 11:40pm
Prachi trudged herself up the stairs that led to her one bedroom apartment she shared with her husband. Her feet were killing her because after her shift at the Angels Hotel she had to rush off to her shift at the Denny's for the evening shift. She had been on her feet for hours, running back and forth from the tables to the kitchen to the bar, she was all over the place. All she wanted to do was get into the house, take off her shoes and have a nice hot bath to sooth all the aches and pains out of her muscle; however she knew better then to expect any sort of peace.
Prachi took the keys out of her purse and tried to unlock the door but failed. Prachi took a deep breath and tried to stop her hands from shaking. The efforts went down the drain because her entire body began to shake. She dreaded going inside because she knew that Neev was waiting for her. She wished and prayed that he would be passed out drunk in the bedroom, but she knew that wasn't going to happen; she had wished for the same thing for the past few years but no one ever heard her prayers.
Finally she managed to get the door open and walked in. The apartment was quiet and dark like it usually was but there was a sense of foreboding that chilled her down to her bones. She took on step inside when Neev's voice cut through the silence.
"So the whore finally decided to come home after a day with her lover."
His voice was shaking and his speech was slurred, it was clearly evident that he was drunk. Prachi knew better then to say anything. She stood rooted on her spot not knowing what she should do next.
"You two-timing little b*tch!" Neev roared.
Then next thing she knew a bottle came flying at her. She gasped and ducked just in time as the glass bottle of liquor shattered against the wall. A shard of glass bounced off the wall and ran against her cheek before finding its place on the floor next to other pieces. She could feel the blood oozing out and the pain from the cut but she paid no attention.
"Neev please, listen…" Prachi tried to get him to stop, but failed. Neev advanced towards her with hate and anger shooting out of his eyes. She tried to get away before he caught her but failed and before she knew it he had grabbed her by her hair and yanked her down.
Prachi's prayed that Neev would pass out soon, and that the darkness of the room gave her some form of escape from her raging husband. Those were her last thoughts as the night turned into a blur.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Santa Monica Pier – 1:45am
Milind ran his hand through his hair for the hundredth time as he walked along the inside of the pier pillars. He couldn't get Prachi out of his mind. She had been on his mind for years but only as the woman he loved, now she was making him sick with worry as the woman he loved who was possibly being abused by her so-called husband.
He let out a groan of frustration, but then he saw someone walking along the bike path. They looked lost and aimless and a little under dressed for the crisp weather that night. As the figure got closer he could tell that it was that of a female. Milind inched his way towards the person because it was not a time of night that you saw women out. As he got close enough to see who it was, his blood ran cold.
"Oh My God!" he yelled as he ran towards her, "Pari."
There she was, the love of his life, in a state of loss and confusion. Her eyes were not focusing on him; they were just staring off into space. Milind was hit with pain, anger and guilt as he took in her image. Her hair was tousled into a mess, her eye liner had streaks down her face, her lipstick was smeared across her face, a cut and dried blood stood out against the pale skin of her cheek, her Denny's shirt was un-tucked from the pants, the sleeves were torn and the buttons on the neck were undone, her arms seemed to have scratch marks on them, the zipper on her pants were done but the buttons were lost, and she was barefoot.
"Pari! What happened? Who did this to you?" Milind yelled.
Prachi said nothing, just kept still.
"Prachi tell me who did this, and I swear to you I will kill him." Milind was beside himself with anger now. "Prachi, say something…how did you get here?"
Milind looked around and saw no cars except his, no taxies or buses, nothing. He couldn't fathom how she could have gotten here. He knew that Neev had forced himself on her, and Milind would get him for that. Right now he had to worry about his Pari.
"Prachi, you need to go to the hospital. Come on, let me take you."
He took Prachi by her ice cold hands and took a step forward, but Prachi didn't budge.
"Prachi you have to let a doctor check you out, let's go."
Still Prachi made no move. Milind didn't know what to do when an idea struck him. He gently felt around her pockets for her phone, and let out a silent thank you to God when he came across it.
He looked through her phone to see if he could find a number for her parents or the sister she had said she had. He couldn't find anything that looked like her parents home number and he couldn't for the life of him remember the name of her sister. A light bulb clicked and then he searched for Nancy's number.
A groggy Nancy picked up. "Hello, Prachi?"
"No, it's Milind Mishra."
"What? Why do you have her phone?" Nancy asked, her sleep totally gone now.
"Look I don't have time to explain, I need your address."
"What, why? I'm not giving you my address!" Nancy said, totally appalled at the thought that he thought he could waltz into her home at early morning hours.
"It's about Prachi, she needs you now! I don't know where else to take her."
At hearing Prachi's name Nancy was overcome with worry, "What happened to Prachi? Is she ok?"
"I cant explain now, just tell me how to get to your house from the Santa Monica Pier."
A minute later Milind had directions to Nancy's house. Milind shrugged out of his coat and wrapped Prachi in it to warm her up.
"Come on Pari, let me take you to Nancy."
At first Prachi heisted a bit, but after one more tug she followed. Milind turned back to see Prachi, it was then that he noticed that she left bloody foot prints behind her trail. He muttered a curse under his breath as he proceeded to take her up into his arms and walked to his car.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Encino Ca. – Nancy's Residence 2:05am
Milind pulled his can into Nancy's neighbor hood nearly fifteen minutes later; he had sped so fast on the free way that he cut the travel time in half. He looked for parking near her apartment, when he found a spot directly in front of the building he thanked his lucky stars. He moved around to the passenger side door and quickly, but gently lifted Prachi into his arms. He found Nancy's apartment, rang the door bell and waited for her to open; he didn't have to wait long because Nancy had been expecting them and opened a few seconds later.
"Oh my God." Nancy whispered when she saw a bleary eyes Prachi in Milind's arms. She quickly moved aside and allowed Milind to enter. Milind looked around the apartment and placed Prachi on the only bed available. Nancy lived in a studio apartment that just had the living room-cum-bedroom, a kitchen and bathroom.
Nancy stood for a minute and looked over Prachi, trying to think of what to do next. When she finally spoke she asked Milind to step out while she cleaned Prachi up and got her changed into something else. Milind just nodded his head as he went out. From outside the door he heard the water run, then stop; he could hear Nancy moving around in the room. After another 15 minutes she stepped out to notify Milind that she was done, but say him on the phone.
Five minutes later when Milind returned he saw Nancy staring down at her now sleeping friend. She hadn't sensed his presence.
"Neev what have you done?" she whispered.
"So it was her husband?" Milind said, his voice startling her.
"I'm sorry, I didn't hear you come in."
"You said Neev, that is her husband right? He did this to her?"
Nancy stayed silent, not knowing what to say. Milind sensed her hesitation and her disposition.
He raked his hands through his hair as he said, "If you knew that this was happening to her why didn't you do anything? You are supposed to be her best friend, how could you let this happen?"
"You think I didn't try? You think I am happy to see her like this?" Nancy asked Milind, as tears formed in her eyes. "I have known something is wrong for a while. Soon after she started working at Angels Hotel we became friends. That is when I began noticing bruises, scars and other signs of physical abuse on her. First I trusted her when she said she was just clumsy, but then it got worse and more frequent. I knew what was going on, and I even called her on it. To this day she hasn't admitted to being abused. I can scream from the roof tops that Neev Shergill is an abuser, but until she comes out herself, nothing will change." After a moments pause she continued, "This is the worst it has ever been. God save her."
"I am Milind Mishra, by the way."
"Yes, I know. I am Nancy…"
"Nancy Rose Garcia, I know." Milind but in, reminding Nancy about their encounter this afternoon.
"How did you find her at this time of night at the pier?" Nancy questioned.
"I go to the pier to think and relax, it is one of my favorite places. I have only the best memories from my time there."
"Oh my God…" Nancy said, her face showing signs of realization, "…you are Mr. Pier." Everything was making sense now. She now knew why Prachi left crying this afternoon, why Milind Mishra was looking for her, and why he had shown only concern for her.
"Huh?" Milind asked in confusion.
"You are the man she met four years ago. You are the one she spent that night with. You are the one she keeps locked away in her dreams and in her heart. You are the one she fell in love with, aren't you?"
Milind didn't say anything because there was nothing to say. She was right, he was that man; she was his Pari and he was her Mr. Pier.
"She told me about you a while ago, but then didn't mention you again. She cherished that memory, and fears that if she tells people then it wont be just her memory any more."
Milind still kept silent.
"She still thinks about you, you know?"
"Really?" Milind asked his mind racing with questions.
"Yeah. I will catch her humming sometimes or smiling at no one, that is when I know she is thinking about you. Your memory is all she has to bring a smile to her face."
"Her memory is all I have too. When I close my eyes I see her face and hear her laugh; it is the only thing that has kept me going for all these years." Finally Milind let his emotions show themselves. "She is supposed to be happy, not lying in a bed like that."
After a few more minutes of silence Nancy spoke again. "Umm, I think you should go."
"No way! I am not leaving her like this."
"I know you don't want to, but I will watch her. She wouldn't want you to see her like this. She knew that if you saw her like this…that it would kill you."
"She was right."
"I know, but she will be heart broken if she knows you have seen her like this."
"Fine, I'll go, just promise that you will call if anything happens."
"I promise."
Nancy walked with Milind to the door as he left.
"If it weren't for you, Prachi may not be here today; she would have given up a long time ago. She keeps you locked in her memories, but those memories are what keeps her alive."
Milind gave Nancy a curt nod as he left and walked to his car.
-----------
What neither of them realized was that even in her half passed-out state Prachi heard bits and pieces of the conversation; and in her heart, she knew that Nancy was right.
Memories of Milind gave her live, kept her breath going. If it wasn't for those memories, she would have died from her pain and anguish long ago.
Ankhee
Aankhon mein anjaane rehte manzar kayi,
Seene mein chubhti hain koi bebasi nayi.
Yaadon mein saaji kuchh batein ankahee,
Unn baaton mein kahin, khoyi hain zindagi.
Aankhon mein anjaane rehte manzar kai
Seene mein chubhti hain koi bebasi nai
Dil bhule nahi kyon beete pal,
Koi yahaan kare bhi toh kya?
Toote hain armaan, sapane bhi,
Kaise inhe savaru main
Yaadon mein saaji kuchh batein ankahee,
Unn baaton mein kahin, khoyi hain zindagi.
Aankhon mein anjaane rehte manzar kai
Seene mein chubhti hain koi bebasi nai
Kya zindagi hain poocho na
Leti sada naye intehaan
Yeh ishq bhi hain ek sajaa
Kaise tujhe bataaun main
Yaadon mein saaji kuchh batein ankahee
Inn baaton mein kahi khoi hyain zindagi.
Aankhon mein anjaane rehte manzar kai
Seene mein chubhti hain koi bebasi nai.
JAZ
Current Affairs
CID
Web Series
