Link to: Table of Contents
Preet was pacing anxiously by the door, when Gaurav knocked. He opened the door immediately.
"Okay Preet, I must have broken all sorts of traffic regulations just to get here", he said. "What's wrong? Who died?"
"No one", said Preet. "But you just might if you don't get me out of this mess".
"What are you talking about?" asked Gaurav.
Preet pointed to the kitchen, from where Meher was bringing a tray with tea and snacks.
"Namaste Gaurav Bhaiya", she said as sweetly as she could. "Would you care for some tea?"
"Bhaiya (Brother)?" said Gaurav in surprise, as he took the tea cup Meher handed him. "Preet what is going on? And why is she still here?"
"That's what I'd like to know", said Preet. He walked up to Meher and tapped her on the shoulder. "Um...Meher would you please be kind enough to tell Gaurav...ke hum aap ke hain kaun?" (What is my relationship to you?)
"Pati Dev", smiled Meher. (Husband)
Gaurav nearly choked on his tea. "Pati Dev?!?" he cried.
"Pati Dev", repeated Preet. "She claims that I'm her husband and that she's my wife. I don't know what the hell is wrong with her. I mean, I paid her money, even bought her a ticket back to Delhi, but she refuses to go home!"
"Ahem...Meher..." said Gaurav, clearing his throat.
"Yes Gaurav Bhaiya?" Meher answered sweetly.
The fact that Meher was calling him bhaiya was throwing Gaurav off, but he tried to focus his concentration on trying to reason with her. "You do know that Preet is immensely grateful for your coming here", he said. "I mean you helped secure his promotion. But now that he's compensated you for your help, don't you think it's time for you to leave?"
"Why should I leave?" Meher asked. "I have just as much a right to live here as he does".
"No no...you seemed to be a little confused", insisted Gaurav.
"What's the confusion?" asked Meher. "He asked me to come to the party, because after all...pati agar patni ke saat party mein nahin jaye ga to kiske saat jaye ga? I refused, because I had other commitments. Then I decided to surprise him and come because after all...agar patni pati ka saat nahi de gi toh kaun de ga? Unfortunately some goons intercepted me along the way. But then Preet came to my rescue, because after all...agar pati patni ko nahin bachaye ga toh kaun bachaye ga?"
(He asked me to come to the party, because after all, if a husband doesn't go to a party with his wife, then who would he go with? I refused, because I had other commitments. Then I decided to surprise him and come, because after all, if a wife doesn't stand by her husband, then who will? Unfortunately some goons intercepted me along the way. But then Preet came to my rescue, because after all, if a husband doesn't save his wife, who will?")
"Will you stop calling me your Pati!" cried Preet.
"But if you are married, then where is your mangal sutar and sindoor?" asked Gaurav.
"Loot gaya (stolen)", Meher stated simply. "The goons took all my stuff. I was lucky to escape alive. And after all I went through, Preet simply handed me one lousy change of clothes. Ek chutki sindoor la deta to aaj meri maang suni na hoti. Per ek chutki sindoor ki keemat woh kya jane Gaurav bhaiya". (If he had brought me a pinch of sindoor, I would not be in this state. Little does he know of the value of a pinch of sindoor).
"Oh please yeh drama bandh karo", Preet said rolling his eyes. (Oh please cut the crap).
"Now I'm all confused", said Gaurav.
"Confused? More like screwed! This is all your fault Gaurav!" cried Preet. "You and your stupid ideas!"
"Preet", said Gaurav, taking his friend to one side, "you don't think she's maybe gone into a state of shock or something and actually started believing that she's your wife, do you?"
"How the hell do I know? I'm not a doctor for crying out loud", said Preet. "What I do know is that she can't stay here. I mean, what if my mother comes by on one of her surprise visits? What would I say to her? You know how she is...she'll kill me first and ask questions later!"
All of a sudden Meher burst into tears. "You're doing this because of that cheap floozy aren't you?" she sobbed. "It was okay to have her here with you but not me".
"What cheap floozy?" asked Gaurav.
"I...uh...had a date with Ash tonight", explained Preet. "I brought her back here and..."
"You brought her here?!?" cried Gaurav. "Preet how could you?"
"Yeah how could you?!" added Meher.
"Hey...I don't owe you any explanations", Preet said to Meher. "Besides...we were just...um...going to discuss some business".
"I thought you said it was a date", frowned Gaurav.
"Dekha (see) Gaurav Bhaiya", sobbed Meher. "He thought he had the place to himself so he brought another woman up here, and within minutes she was all over him. The situation was totally out of control".
"Excuse me!" protested Preet. "I was very much in control".
"Yeah right", said Meher. "Main 5 minute dair karti toh iski izzat ka toh faluda ban jata. But I didn't let anything happen, mind you. Apne suhaag ko bachane ke khatir main kuch bhi karoon gi!" (Yeah right, if I had waited 5 minutes, he would have lost his reputation, but I didn't let anything happen mind you. I'd do anything to save my marriage).
"Oh really? Kuch bhi karo gi? (You'd do anything?)" asked Preet. He had been trying to reason with Meher for some time, but he was losing his patience now. He grabbed Meher's hand roughly, and began to walk off with her.
"Hey Preet...what are you doing man?" cried Gaurav.
Preet motioned to Gaurav to stay where he was, then dragged Meher into the bedroom. Once there he locked the door behind him.
"Ye...ye kya kar rahe ho tum?" Meher stammered. (Wha...what are you doing?)
"So...you're my wife?" Preet said. He gritted his teeth, as he began to slowly walk towards Meher.
"Yes", gulped Meher, as she started to back away.
"And we were married when?" asked Preet.
"Um...at Veera's wedding...which uh...sort of wound up being our wedding too...heh heh", replied Meher.
"Then why can't I remember a thing?" asked Preet as he continued to walk towards her.
"I...I...don't know...but...", said Meher.
"But that's not a problem because you apparently remember enough for the both of us!" Preet said. He continued to force Meher to backup until she had reached the bed and had fallen back onto it. "And if we got married then you must remember our suhaag raat too".
"Suhaag raat?" gasped Meher. (Wedding night?)
"Yes suhaag raat", grinned Preet. "You know...mia biwi akaile akaile main. Aur mia biwi akaile mein kya karte hain tumhe pata hi hoga". He let himself fall on the bed alongside Meher and pinned her down. She'll be begging for mercy in 2 minutes, he gloated to himself.
(Yes. You know...husband and wife all alone. I'm sure you know what a husband and wife do when they're all alone).
Meher bit her lower lip, and her eyes darted here and there as if she was deciding what to do next. She wiggled her arms free from Preet's grip and to his surprise threw them around his neck. "Han han Jaan! Kyun nahin tume toh pura haq hai!" she smiled. (Of course sweetheart...you have every right!)
"Kya?!" cried Preet as he struggled to sit up and unlock her arms from around his neck. "Chodo mujhe! (What?! Let me go!)
"Chodo mujhe? Preet you sound like a girl!" laughed Meher. "Aw! You're so cute! She grabbed a hold of Preet's cheeks and started pulling them really hard.
"Ow! Don't do that...it hurts!" cried Preet, as he pushed her away. "Dekho...mujhe haat na lagana! Warna...warna main shor macha doon ga! Need I remind you...my friend is standing just outside this room". (Listen...don't you dare touch me. Or else...or else I'll make some noise).
"Toh machao", laughed Meher, as she locked her arms around Preet's neck again. "That's what always happens during a suhag raat anyway. Mia biwi andar shor macha te hain aur bahar log khade ho ke sunte hain". (Go ahead. That's what always happens on a wedding night anyway. Husband and wife make noise inside, and people standing outside like to listen in).
"Ba...ba...badi besharam ladki ho (What a shameless girl you are)", said Preet, as he managed to push Meher away from him once again. He quickly walked out of the room and back to where Gaurav was waiting for him.
"What happened to you?" Garuav asked looking at his friend's disheveled appearance.
"Don't ask!" cried Preet as he straightened out his shirt and hair. "That day on the window ledge...kaisi mazloom bani hui thi. Aur aaj! Badi mushkil se apni izzat bacha ke aya hoon".
(Don't ask! That day on the window ledge...she was behaving all meek and terrified. And today! I almost lost my reputation inside there).
"Apparently that makes for twice in one night", chuckled Gaurav.
Just then Meher walked into the room as if nothing had happened. She went to the kitchen and returned with a bowl. "Gaurav Bhaiya, will you be staying for dinner?" she asked sweetly.
"Dinner!" cried Preet. "Oh no you don't! Whether Gaurav stays or not remains to be seen, but for the time being you're getting out of here...and I mean right now!"
He walked over to the sofa where the blanket he used last night was lying folded neatly. He picked it up, walked over to Meher, took her by the hand again and led her to the door. "Thank you for all your help Ms. Maan", said Preet as he pushed Meher out the door. "But you've more than over stayed your welcome. Don't think I'm being ungrateful. No no...not at all. I'm very grateful. So much so that I'm letting you take this blanket with you as a souveneir". He shoved the blanket into Meher's hands. "Kisi park ke bench pe sone mein kaam aye ga". (It'll come in handy when you're sleeping on some park bench tonight).
And with that he slammed the door on Meher's face. Preet waitied a few minutes, sure that Meher would knock on the door and beg to return, but to his surprise she didn't. He finally breathed a sigh of relief and walked back over to Gaurav.
"Thank God that's over with", he said.
"That was pretty mean Preet", Gaurav said quietly.
"What? Oh come on Gaurav", cried Preet. "Don't tell me you're sympathizing with her. I know...it's her calling you bhaiya and all that got to you right? Very devious of her wasn't it? Five more minutes and I bet she would have had you eating out of her hands. But not me...Huhn! Pata nahin kya chahti thi". (Who knows what she wanted).
"Exactly" said Gaurav. "We don't know what she wanted?"
"Who cares?" said Preet.
"What if she doesn't want to go home because of some family problem?" asked Gaurav.
"That's not my headache", said Preet.
"But Preet, did you ever stop to think that maybe she was in some sort of trouble?" asked Gaurav.
"So what!" cried Preet. "I still couldn't keep her. I'm not some social worker you know. And this is my home not some dharamshala (shelter). I can't just let whoever wants to move in here do so".
Preet saw Gaurav frowning at him.
"Okay...if she did need help, wouldn't she have told me instead of pretending to be Mrs. Preet Juneja?" asked Preet.
"Did you even give her a chance?" asked Gaurav. "Nahin na? You just threw her out".
"But..." began Preet.
"What if she goes to the police and files a complaint against you?" said Gaurav. "You claimed she was your wife in front of them the other night. And when she was out on the ledge, their first instinct was to suspect that you 2 had had a fight. What if they think you were in cahoots with those goons who had kidnapped her? Or worse...what if something happens to her? Just think Preet...a young girl, wandering the streets alone at night, in a big city like Mumbai. What if someone kidnaps her again? What if she gets hurt? Would you be able to live with yourself? She came down here because of you, so now it's up to you to make sure she gets back home safely".
"And that's why I bought her a return ticket", said Preet. "I don't know why she didn't use it.
"There's only one way to find out", said Gaurav. "We have to bring her back".
Preet thought about what his friend just said. He certainly didn't want Meher to get hurt. But why did he have the feeling that he was getting into something much more than he had bargained for? "Okay fine", he said, giving in. "But only because I don't want anything to happen to her...and only for tonight".
Preet and Gaurav checked the hallway and stairs, but there was no sign of Meher. Preet remembered his neighbor Kuljeet telling Meher to come to her should they have a fight and decided to check with her next.
"Hi Kuljeet Ji", said Preet, as his neighbor answered her door. "I was wondering if you've seen the girl I came home with...".
"Tonight or Saturday night?" Kuljeet asked with a frown.
"Saturday", grumbled Preet.
"You 2 have a fight again?" scoffed Kuljeet.
"No, actually she said she was going to borrow a cup of sugar from our sweet neighbor, and I just assumed she was talking about you", Preet said sarcastically.
"Come on Preet", said Gaurav. "We're wasting our time, she's obviously not here".
Next the guys checked the lobby and then outside the building. They learned from Happy Ji, that Meher had walked out of the premises, carrying a blanket and looking quite upset. Preet and Gaurav decided to split up in hopes of finding her sooner. Both agreed to call the each other as soon as they located her.
A short while later...
Meher wandered aimlessly down an unfamiliar street. Her eyes were filled with tears and her mind was racing. Maya had told her to do whatever it takes to stay where she was, but was this the best she could come up with?! Pretending to be Mrs. Preet Juneja! She had behaved like a fool, and completely out of character, and gotten the door slammed in her face. Perhaps she should have just told Preet the truth, but seeing him with that girl had made her lose her cool instead. Learning the truth probably wouldn't have a made a difference to him anyway. He had used her to meet his purpose and that's all he cared about. Uff!! How he had gone on and on about being afraid of the neighbor and his mom knowing she had spent the night at his place, but as soon as he thought she was gone, he brought another girl home! What a lying jerk! A jerk that had been her only hope. And to think she had actually begun to like him. What was she going to do now? She had no money, no phone, and no where to go in a borrowed set of clothes.
As she continued to walk, lost in her thoughts, Meher passed by a man, who was talking to 2 ladies. When he saw her, he quickly left the women, and started to follow her on his bike.
"Hey sweetheart, how about you and me for tonight?" he asked her.
"What?" Meher asked in confusion.
"I said how about we go for a ride...just you and me", said the man. He got off his bike and patted the seat, and winked at Meher. "We can make good use of that blanket you're holding onto".
Meher looked at the women standing at a distance. They were clearly street ladies on the look out for some customers. "Look you're mistaken", she stammered. "I'm not one of them".
"Look if it's about money, I'm reliable", the man said. He opened his coat and showed her some notes concealed in his inside pocket. "Now come on while the night's still young".
"No", said Meher, shaking her head as she started to walk away quickly. When she heard him start his bike, she dropped her blanket and made a run for it. She had just turned into an alley way when she ran into someone.
"Gottcha!" he said, taking her hand. "Come on let's go".
"Let go of me! Let me go!" Meher cried in a panic.
"Meher what's wrong with you? It's me Preet", he said, as he pulled her into the light of a street lamp.
"Preet...", Meher whispered in relief.
"Do you have any idea how long Gaurav and I have been looking for you? And this isn't exactly the best part of town, you know", Preet lectured her. Just then the man who had been following Meher appeared. "Now who's the joker on the bike?"
"Preet!" Meher cried happily. To his surprise, she suddenly put her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. "Thank God you found me! I've never been so happy to see anyone in my life".
Just then Gaurav arrived at the scene. Seeing more than one person there with Meher, the man on the bike decided to avoid trouble and flee.
"Ahem...I hope I'm not interrupting anything", chuckled Gaurav, when he saw Preet locked in Meher's arms.
"Huhn?" said Preet, as he quickly pulled Meher away from himself, and glared at her. "Will you please stop doing that?"
"Come on", laughed Gaurav. "Let's take her home. You can give her those tough looks on the way".
Later...
Gaurav, Preet and Meher, walked back into the apartment.
Gaurav went to the kitchen and brought back a glass of water for Meher. She gratefully accepted it and gulped it down immediately.
"You've had quite a night", said Gaurav. "You know you could have gotten into a lot of trouble tonight if Preet hadn't found you in time".
Meher nodded quietly.
"Would you like to tell us what's really going on?" asked Gaurav.
"Gaurav! I already told you that was irrelevant", interrupted Preet. "I've got enough stress trying to prove myself at work, I'm not interested in solving her personal problems". Preet took a deep breath and turned towards Meher. "Look, I don't want you to get the wrong idea in my bringing you back here. I only did so at your Gaurav Bhaiya's insistence. You can spend one more night here, but that's it. I'll get a new ticket for you for tomorrow afternoon, and you'll have to go then".
"Lekin...", began Meher. (But...)
"Lekin waykin kuch nahin (No buts)", insisted Preet. "You can sleep out here on the sofa tonight, but I want my clothes, my keys, and my life back tomorrow. And don't even think about hugging me, calling me Pati, coming into my room or anything else again. Gaurav, it's getting late. Sam's probably wondering where you've disappeared to, so you had better go home too".
Gaurav nodded, placed his hand on Meher's head and offered her a brotherly smile. He shook his head at Preet and frowned when he saw him rolling his eyes, but there was nothing he could do at the moment to change his friend's mind, so he left.
Meher silently watched Preet as he walked Gaurav out, and then went to his room and closed the door behind him, leaving her all alone.
He didn't even care to listen to my problem, sighed Meher. What am I going to do for the next few weeks? She pulled her legs up close to her chest, put her head down on her knees and quietly began to cry. She felt very alone and wished she could some how turn back time, and be with her mother on their farm in Ambala again.
Book Talk
Cricket
