T2: Ek Aur Zindagi..(Epilogue:page 130) - Page 89

Epilogue:

Hey buddy,

I know I am late as usual. Jaisa dad kehthe hai, ye daily dairy note is not going to happen to me. You know na, dairy thab kaam athi hai, jab kisise kuch keh nahi pathe. But I have no such issues.Yaha sab hai bath karne keliye. Arre mere yaar, bura math manna... at least not today. Its my bday. Or rather its over. 12 baje ke baad bday khatam na? Still I don't feel the night is over. I am damn too happy. Mumma 1 bar already room me ake keh diya hai ke so jao. but neend hi nahi hai yaar. So its me, you, hamare table lamp aur tanhayi. Tanhayi?? Na... its happiness. Just happiness.

Aaj ka din bohot mast tha. I knew it, ke dad hi pehle wish karega. So door ke bahar wo and ander mien. We were waiting. Mumma bhi thi.

Patha nahi ye sab aise kaise hogaya. Ek time pe hostel se aane ki wait tha. Thaki bday dad ke sath manau. Fir wo bday, jab Dadi ayi. Patha nahi uske baad kya kya hua. Fir Dadaji, pura ETF team, unke family, unke bache, aur Mumma.

Shayad pehli bar mumma ko beach pe dekha tha. Kuch teekh se yaad nahi. Par uske baad sab yaad hai. jiss din Mumma ghar pe ayi, shayad hi kabhi bhool paungi. Kahi na kahi dar lag raha tha, kahi wo bhi Roshni Maa ke tharah chodke chala na jaye. Shayad isiliye Dad ko bhi doubt tha. Ya fir wo unhe kabhi bhula hi nahi tha.

Uss samay mere samajh me kuch nahi tha. Bas sab paas ho, khush ho. yahi kafi thi. Lekin ab kafi kuch samajh me atha hai.

Dad. unhe mien shayad kabhi samajh hi nahi paunga. No.. I know tum mujhe galath sabit karne me tuli ho. yahi kehke ke tum hi dad ko samajh sakthe ho. But trust me. Even I couldn't.

Maa jab guzar gayi, thab unke paas kuch bhi nahi tha. Na support karne ko Dada-Dadi. Na koi aur relatives. Aur mien tho bohot chota. Haan, Sameer uncle tha. Par unhone bhi mujhse kaha hai, ke dad kisike help nahi liya tha. He was alone with me. Hope I was not much trouble those days. Fir jab schooling suru hua, thab Sam uncle ne hi zid kiya tha. Warna dad mujhe kabhi hostel nahi chodthe.

Acha hua, uss vaccation me dadi ko mila. Warna... Shayad aaj bhi hum do hi hothe.

Not that I don't like it. Par Dad, wo waise nahi hotha jaise aaj hai. Par thab shayab Mumma bhi nahi hothi.

Mumma ke aane ke bad sabkuch badal gaya. Aise laga ye firse ghar ban gayi hai. aur dad firse wo ban gaya jo shayad pehle tha. I am sure Maa will be happy to see him so.

Agar wo hothi tho kaise hotha, ye patha nahi. I never got a chance to know her. bas pictures dekhi hai. Achi hi hogi. Dad ne kaha hai. Even Mumma bhi unke bare me puchti hai. Par dad never gets upset. Par jab bathein khatam hothe hai, I have seen something very unique. Mumma unke hath pakadthe hai. They will be silent. Aur fir dad smile karthe hai. jaise mumma ne silently kuch kaha ho, jo sirf dad ne suna hai.

They know each other so well. Sare unkahi bathein bhi samajh athe hai. Even Mumma knows me too. par wo bath alag hai. Dad aur Mumma ke relation bohot ajeeb hai. patha nahi koi kisiko kabhi aise pyaar kar payega. Kya mien kabhi unke tharah... Pari se...?

He looked aside to his bed. And there it was on his bed; the gift that was earlier wrapped by Pari.

Sometime back he had retired to the room and was eager to look below the bed. He smiled remembering Pari's shocked face when he had pulled her legs.

He took a somewhat heavy gift that was neatly wrapped with silver shining wrapper finished with a pink ribbon and bows. Obviously it is done by her. "Girls" he muttered and sat down on the floor leaning to the bed and carefully opening the cover. His gut said that this was going to be special. And it was too.

Inside was a huge... really huge.. umm.. scrap book? Ya Album... he couldn't name it. On the cover was a familiar beautiful cursive writing.

"Yadein..."

He felt a lump in his throat with the very first picture. It was him with Roshni and Arjun. The very beautiful memory that only existed in the albums and in the heart of Arjun. Adi brushed his hand over that picc ever so gently as if to feel the ccurly locks of Roshni, her cheeks, her warmth. And below was a simple line, again by Pari.

"Shuru yahi se hua... Is pal ko apne aapse kabhi juda math karna..."

He smilled with a twinkling ways. He knew the coming pages would be the same too, filled with memories. But how did she get these pics? Then he noticed a small slip peeping behind the pis that was glued at the four edges.

"Haan, ye sare pics tumhare lap se hi chori ki hai. I know you never kept backups. Rakhlo. Ye yadein kabhi mithna nahi chahiye. So here it goes. Tomorrow tell me, how many boxes of tissue you used. Don't worry, I wont tell CB... Pari"

He now remembered how she had pleaded to use his lap as her's had some problem. He never guessed this was her plan. And when was it actually? Maybe 2 months back. Was she planning this all this time??

He smiled thinking her concentrating face while sticking these pics and decorating with color pens and glitters. And these words.

His eyes went back to the pic and it again caught his attention. He kept back the slip and then turned the pages one by one. There were pics that were taken by Sam uncle when he played with Arjun. And below were the words that matched to the emotions shown up. He was smiling all the way along with wiping lil tears. And then came the day when Dadi came. Everyone was there. Everyone from ETF. But his eyes went to his dad. The lost look that he was trying to mask behind the smile.

Adi could remember bits of Dad's awkwardness that day. And his happiness when he woke up next morning to see Dadi bringing tea and milk for them. Later pics showed another addition. Dadaji.

Pages went ahead to the one that was on Aisha's shaadi where the lil Pari also peeped in. Adi smiled at the figure of the chubby cheeked girl who was playing with her duppatta.

Then came the naughty pics of himself with Pari. Later with lil Shivani. And then the pages had more and more people.

And of course his Mumma. His sweet heart.

Almost reaching the ends he found a few pages empty. He turned to the last page.

"in pages me yadien abhi bhi bharna hai... Kya un yadon me mujhe jagah milega??"

He smiled. Was she actually proposing? Was his long plan of proposing her one day overtaken by her? He smiled and tried to ring her. He saw a message that had popped in sometime back.

"Abhi call math karna. Jawab ab nahi chahiye. Pehle apni dreams ko pura karo. Uske baad... And once again, Happy day Adi. Hope you liked the gift. Pari."

He sighed and leaned back. "yes... Tumhare har sawal ke jawab yahi hai... yes..."

He returned back to the dairy.

I know mien kabhi bhi dad ke tharah Pari ko pyaar nahi kar paunga. I know mien kabhi bhi wo nahi ban paunga. Par ithna tho patha hai, ke dad ko kabhi mujhe shikayath nahi hoga. kyunki jithna mien unse seekha hai... usse mien kabhi bhi Pari ko dukh nahi dega. I will be there for her, just like dad stood for Mumma. And yes, we are there for each other.

Patha hai life aise khush nahi hoga. Patha hai isme dukh keliye bhi jagah hai. Par mujhe koi dar nahi hai.

Yaha sirf hum 3 nahi hai. sab hai. aur sabke sath unke bada pariwar. Aur unke bache. Didi hai. Sam uncle aur CB. Sree bhaiya aur Liza di ke team of terror. Aunty and Rish bhai ke Ashi. Aur ek aur naye mehman. Chotu bhai ka bada sa chota family. Dada-dadi. Sab hai.

Mumma ko bura laga tha ke mere koi bhai behen nahi hai. par yaha wo kami bhi nahi hai. Aur CB hai na... my devil. Kisine kaha hai... ke gaali se bhi pyaar bhadthi hai.

I am really happy buddy. Ane wale din jaise bhi ho, I am welcoming it. Jab thak yadein hai, hum akele kaha hai?

See you later,

Adi.

He kept back the dairy and went back to the bed with the slam book back in his hand. It was indeed a precious gift.

As he reached the last page again, he knew it well. He should speak to Pari soon. She should know what she already knew.

And in the next room was Arjun and Jhanvi who were sleeping well, waiting for another new day.

***

The story moved ahead. The life went on. But the journey of Ek Aur Zindagi ends here. Leaving the future left for your imagination.

I thank all my readers till date. Thank you for being with me till now. I know I am gonna loose a few of my readers from now on, as some followed only this FF. I will be going ahead with the other 2 FFs from now on.

Do let me know how you you liked this journey. And thanks a lot for making this story special for me.

So bidding adieu,

With love from me and Adi and his family.