Posted:
Doorie...
Why is it that whenever happiness comes for me, it is always a dream? A shattered, broken, torn dream that leaves nothing but angst, saddness and tears? This always happened to him. He got married to her but couldn't give her love, cus he was afraid he didn't have much time remaining. Everything seemed alright but yet, everything was wrong. His little sister died, his wife started hiding things from him and he started doubting her. It was devasating for him to watch her break down infront of him, just because he had committed a mistake. 6 years later, destiny had brought them together yet again. Was it for happiness or saddness, he didn't know, but they both were still there, standing infront of each other, after all those years. He had held himself back from going to her, but how could he resist meeting his 5 year old daughter? His own blood?
It hurt him to think that he couldn't even tell his own daughter that he was her father, until now. Until this exact moment. The challenge. She had tried her very best to find him a bride, but was unsucessful, why? Because thier love had been so strong, it had trespassed every boundary but still was overshadowed but the mistake he had committed by loosing faith. She had always said he hadn't had any faith in her, that he had acted as such, but why hadn't she trusted him? Why had she took everything on her shoulders and think of him as some different? She cared about him, but why didn't she think Prem also wanted a chance to care about her. Support her.
And today, when everything seemed alright, with his Chahat back with him, His Heer was gone. Left him. Left her own daughter, just because, she didn't want to forget what he had done earlier. His moist eyes had tears rolling down them and he didn't bother to wipe them away. It was his saddness, and it was his choice about what to do about his saddness. Prem folded the letter by Heer in his hands, crunching it up.
Heer was being unfair with him. She couldn't just do this to him, and after all that time, he had thought that today would be the day when he would get his Heer back. Why had she left? Hadn't she not want to come to him? If she wanted to stay away from him, he didn't mind that, since it was her choice and he wasn't going to force her, but why had she done this to Chahat? Her own daughter, the very daughter who she had told Prem not to meet and today, she herself has gone away from her, leaving her precious princess in the man she had stopped loving long ago. Why?
A bitter memory ran down Prem's mind as he recalled Heer's harsh words she had used against him, to tell him she didn't care about him, but she still did. Even within those awful words, Prem had picked the best and just passed it on as a she is just mad say.
Prem stands up from his bed, on which Chahat is lying down on her side and moves towards the window. He slides it open so he could see the moon, clear in the sky.
The moon. The symbol of Prem and Heer's love that had connected them in the first place. The exact moon with him, Prem had taken the vows to always stand beside Heer and protect her and today, when she was gone, Prem was helpless on what to do. He didn't know where she was, how she was, or even, what she was doing. All he knew was, she had left Chahat for him. His Chahat, which he had spent nights, awake to just catch of glimpse of, remembering her words, her attitude, her face, her smile. Now, when his own daughter was sleeping on his bed, he didn't feel good about it. He felt as if HE was the one responsible for taking a daughter away from her mother.
"Heer, tum kahan ho Heer?" Prem asked to himself, leaning against the open window, looking out towards the moon, his eyes moist.
~*~
6 Months Later...
~*~
"Jiju...." Meher says, bringing a tired Prem coffee who was leaning against his chair, gliding.
"Huh? Oh, thank you Meher." Prem replies, rubbing his eyes. "Meher...Chahat jaag gayi kya?" Prem asks, to Meher, who was just about to leave.
"Ji jiju, aur woh school bhi jaane ke liye tayaar ho gayi hai." Meher replies, giving Prem a slight smile, who nods his head in agreement.
"Thanks Meher..." Prem replies.
"Kiske liye?" Meher asks, surprised.
"For taking care of Chahat..." Prem replies, staring at his coffee, not being able to meet Meher's eyes, who he knew, yearned for the same answer as him. Where was Heer?
"Jiju, aap aisa kyun keh rahe hai? Chahat ka sabse ziyaada khayal toh aapne hi rakah hai." Meher replies, not trying to gain any praises. She honestly and truely respected her jiju for being so fair and so nice and taking care of Chahat. "Aur haan, Chahat ke zubaan mein, aap world ke best papa ho." Meher says, smiling.
Prem shakes his head, and starts mocking himself. "Meher, tumhe pata hai, agar main world ka best papa hota, toh phir Heer yahan hoti, apni beti ke saath. Mere saath aur mujhe is baat ka dukh toh nahin rehta ki maine ek beti ko apni ma se door kar diya hai." Prem says, disgusted with himself.
Meher feels it was best not to argue back with Prem and therefore, she left quietly, her face depressed with how bitterely, Heer's decission to leave Chahat to Prem had shaped up. She was not angry at her sister for doing this, cus maybe she had a reason but there was no way, she was going to let Chahat suffer because of this.
~*~
Prem stood up from his chair, after being deprived from his thoughts and walks towards his bedroom window, just to cool his mind up. Like every single day, even this was another 'To-Do thing' in his daily secedule. Prem moved the curtains away from his window, and gave a little yawn, when he say Heer sitting there, in a light yellow saari, with her suitcases surrounding her. She was sitting on the bench that was located right outside Prem's window, lost in deep thought.
Prem smiled to himself, unable to control his happiness. She was back and he wasn't going to let go! Prem quickly ran out of his room, tumbling and fumbling his way downstairs, bumping into every little thing he could, much to everyone's surprise who were watching this live act of Prem's smile, which had been lost somewhere, within the years.
Panting, Prem reached outside, all ready to meet his Heer. Not question her, no nothing but just hug her. He had waited a long time for this, and when this moment, the moment when his Heer herself came walking back to him, he didn't want to ruin this special moment.
Heer stood up just as she saw Prem walking towards her. She was nervous. He could just see. She was placing her hair behind her ear, numerous times, which was just another indication towards his blunt statement.
"Pp..Prem...mai..n...main woh..." Heer says, stuttering, but not waiting for her to complete anything she had started, Prem pulls Heer into a tight hug, thanking god for this exact moment, where as Heer, had the same reactions. She had waited a long time for this hug to come and so had he. They both had waited until this Doorie became nasdikiyaan and when it was finally possible, they didn't want anything else, except themselves.
"Prem...I love you. I am sooo sorry for leaving lekin...." Heer tries to say what Gayatri had told her and why she was forced to leave, but Prem cut her out, placing his finger on her lips, staring right into her moist eyes. He didn't want any explainations. He just wanted her and she wanted him.
~*~
Meher, who had come outside to drop Chahat off for her school bus, witnesses the scene which she had always prayed for. Her jiju and sister coming together. She smiles, wiping away her instant tears, while Chahat, goes up towards Prem and Heer and gives them a tight hug. Heer and Prem notice Chahat, and get into a group hug.
"I am sorry bache...Mama bahut sorry hai." Heer says, wiping her tears, while Chahat gives her a hug.
"Chahat apni mama ko forgive karti hai." Chahat replies back, saying. What else could any of the 3 want? A perfect family picture. Who was worried about the rest anyways?
Music Corner
Geet - Hui Sabse Parayee
Advocate Anjali Awasthi
