Raman and Ishita entered their room after a long night at the party and the sumptuous Paratha dinner. He said while unbuttoning his shirt, "We shouldn't have gone to the party! I guess I enjoyed more in the Paratha waali galli than at that lavish party!", he winked.
She was removing her earings, she turned towards him, "Haan! Bahut mazaa aaya! It was a sight to see you wash your face!", she laughed out loud. "What was funny in that? Do you want me to punch you again now?", he showed his closed fist. "Nahi baba! Please, I'm still feeling the pain of your previous punch!". He smirked, looked for his night suit and went into the bathroom to change. She had changed to her green colored kurti!
Ishita, however she tried, the conversation they had on that bench continued to resonate in loop in her ears. She looked lost and stared at a random point on the floor sitting on the bed. Raman entered the room in his whites and realized she wasn't in the best of her moods, though he tried his best using the Paratha street and few funny one liners on the way back home. He sat near her, by half a feet, just enough not to touch her on the bed and peeked down to look into her face. "Kya hua?", he asked.
"I'm still thinking about your words at Shagun!", she said.
"Like? Which part of it? The earrings?"
"No Raman, not earrings. It was nice of you to give them back to her when she had actually asked you to give them to me!", she smiled sarcastically.
"Kyun? You don't want to have things used by her?", he supported his chin by his knuckles.
Ishita miffed, "What kind of a question is that? I have 2 things that she gave me and I own them with all my heart! Her pair of earrings doesn't introduce me to anything new!"
"Phir kya baat hai?", he asked.
"Aapne kaha tha na...ki koi bhi aapko woh khushi nahi de sakte, jo Shagun ne diya! Aap kis sense mein kahe the?", she looked at him.
"Ishita, tum jaisa soch rahi ho, waisa kuch bhi nahi hai! Main Adi ki baat kar raha tha! Jisne pehli baar mujhe papa banaya! The happiness of becoming a father for the first time is just once in a lifetime feeling! It won't happen again! Of course, Ruhi was born, but I had already experienced the feeling of holding a new born in my arms! That wasn't the first time! A first time is always breathtaking when it comes to becoming a father! That's what I meant! Woh khushi ab mujhe koi bhi nahi de sakte, Shagun bhi nahi, with Ruhi's birth! First time is over!", he faced her eyes.
She smiled, "Accha? Wasn't that an out of the world feeling? Aap bahut khush hogaye honge na! Jab usne aapko pehli baar papa bulaya?"
"Bahut!", he smiled and looked down. She followed his looks at the floor.
"Hmm..Par mujhe yeh pehli baar maa banne ki khushi kabhi nahi milegi! To hold a baby in my arms who is born just minutes ago! Bhagwan ne woh khushi cheen li mujhse, but I'm Ok, I have accepted that fact!", she folded her lips to hide the tears that escaped.
"Ishita, ek baat poochoon?". She responded with a nod.
"Yeh kya tum maa banne ki khushi ke bare main baat kar rahi ho? Ruhi is your child! Tumhe mil chuki hai...that happiness of being called a mother! Kal maine dekha...Ruhi apni school calendar mein Father's name column mein mera naam likh rahi thi, aur mother's column mein tumhara! She made you a mother! Nahi?", he asked her softly.
"Really? Did she write my name? I didn't see the calendar yet!", she smiled. "Well that is not what I was talking about Raman. Of course, Ruhi meri pehli bacchi hai!"
He interrupted, "Then what did you mean? Devaki se zyada Yashoda ka haq hai! Tum ho uski maa..uski Yashoda! She has completed you!"
"Sab sahi hai Raman! You are absolutely right! Shayad...main agar ek bacche ko paida bhi karoon...tab bhi Ruhi is my life..she is my soul!"
"Wait a minute", Raman raised his hand. "Agar ek bacche ko paida karoon? Samjha nahi!"
Ishita realized that she had let out words out of her mouth that has the complete potential to embarrass both of them if they think about "how?".
She built composure and said, "Matlab... I mean, Ruhi is still my first child and the biological child would only be my second. That's what I meant!"
"Right Ishita, Biological child kahan se aayega? Internet se download karogi?"
"Raman, maine bola...agar...agar baccha ho...stress is on agar...IF!", she explained.
"Wahi toh! Tum aise bol rahi ho, jaise ek baccha paida karne ka saare prerequisites set hai!", he dumb folded her.
She remained silent for a few seconds and Raman waited for her reply.
"Raman! I meant, abhi nahi...baad mein...Shayad kuch time baad...Kuch miracle ho, tab!", she knew that she was cooking up words for damage control. He looked at her quizzically, baffled at her reply. She knew that he knows that she was covering things up. She was struggling to find ways to end this conversation. He was not the one to leave.
"Kaisa miracle?", he questioned.
"Chammatkar!", she replied.
"Of course, mujhe english hindi donon aati hai!", he said, "You mean a miracle that will make you conceive?", he asked.
"No! Another chammatkar!", she said and looked away.
"Main samajh raha hoon tumhara matlab! Itna embarrass mat ho! Waise I like that you took things for granted!", he sneered meaningfully.
"I can't believe I discussed these things with you...baccha, maa banne ki khushi..blah blah!", she shrugged.
He smiled, "Kyun? Main yeh sab discuss karne ki layak nahi hoon?"
"No, of course not! Aap se hi to discuss karna hai! Baap jo ho..!"
He was baffled again, "Kiska?", he asked.
"Of course...Ruhi ka...what did you think?", she bite her tongue inside.
"Accha hai!", he said, "Itna comfortable hogayi ho tum mere saat ki tum aage ki soch rahi ho?", he smiled.
"Raman aap ko pata hai? Aap bahut zyada smart ho! Bhaavnaon ko samajhte ho!", she gave an appreciating smile.
"Hmm! Waise, Ishita, tumhe nahi lagta humhe thoda aur time leni chahiye...?", he looked at her.
"Kiss baat keliye?", she centered her brows.
"Matlab...hmm...tum jo bhi keh rahi thi...humhare beech", he faltered, "yeh chamatkaar...etc..". Ishita understood his quandary when he was stammering.
She decided to help him. "Raman! Aap ek cheez batatiye...Aap seedhe paisa dekhe MBA ki degree kareede?"
"Yeh kya sawaal hai! McD Drive inn mein nahi milti degree...paisa do aur lelo! 2 saal padayi ki hai ..!"
"Do saal sirf class gaye aur degree mil gayi?", she asked.
"Nahi! Yeh kya question hai? 4 semesters the...exams the..one after the other..phir case study ki...got evaluated...and then got my degree...it's a long process! Step by step but very rewarding though! Par yeh kyun pooch rahi ho tum?"
"This is my reply to you! Mera bhi wahi outlook hai iss situation mein jo aapka hai! Seedhe final exams nahi likh sakte! Time lagega! Bahut saare phases hai! Aam ped mein bhi pakta hai, chemicals se bhi! It takes time in the former but gets to your plate sooner in the latter! Which one do you prefer?", she winked. He understood the simile.
He thought for a split second and said, "Hmm...Ped wala! Guess we can endure each other till it gets sweeter! Tum bhagi thodi jaa rahi ho!", he winked.
She had just removed her makeup, but he noticed her blush tiptoed up naturally on her cheeks and adorned her face again! When she blushed, she was the most beautiful sight to him as much as he loved the sight of his children smiling!
--End
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