"Oye madam...Please move from the way..."
Nisha snapped out of her reverie and turned to find an angry man scolding her for blocking the way. She was standing between buses lost in thoughts and was causing hindrance to travelers. She quickly moved to the side to let him pass muttering a sorry. The man stared at her with
a sign of recognition.
"Hey... aren't you the girl from the press..."
Nisha quickly moved away before he could complete his sentence. A tear threatened to escape. But Nisha held on to the promise she gave herself. That she would not cry again. She held back the tear with all her might. But she was unable to ignore the memories. The press conference ...Velvet lounge...her family...Viraj sir. The memories refused to leave her. She walked towards the wash room. Her phone rang. Not again she thought but she picked up the call.
"Hello, is this Ms Nisha Gangwal?" came a woman's voice.
Nisha hesitated but answered. "Yes"
"Madam, about you and Viraj Singh Rathore-
"Sorry I do not have any relation with Viraj Singh Rathore so I do not have anything to say on the topic." She boiled in anger as she cut the call. She couldn't take this anymore. She entered the wash room and stood in front of the mirror. She opened the tap and splashed her face with water.
"How could you do this Ms Nisha?"
Nisha closed her eyes as Viraj's words came rushing to her mind.
"Ms Nisha, do you have an affair with Viraj Singh Rathore?..."
The words of the reporters and the look Viraj Sir gave her ate her heart.
"The truth is that this girl is mentally unstable..."
The words of Gayathri Chauhan echoed in her mind.
"Are you out of your mind Mr Gangwal?"
Her father's defeated and broken look flashed before her eyes. Dadaji's state as he witnessed his family getting humiliated in front of the media. Her family and the trouble they had to go through.
"You are a brilliant actor Ms Nisha.."
Nisha stared at her reflection in the mirror. She was unaware of her surroundings.
"Get lost..."
"I hate you..."
"You do not know what love is..."
She broke. The tears flowed freely. She could not take it anymore. She clutched the wash basin for support. She broke the promise she gave herself. "Why?" She screamed at the mirror. "Why do I have to suffer always? Why me? What wrong have I done?"She cried her heart out. Her screams slowly turned into sobs. The tears refused to stop. Her phone rang. She let it ring, she was not going to pick up another call or answer another question about her relation with Viraj Singh Rathore. But the phone rang again. She grabbed it to switch it off when she noticed the caller id.
"Papa..." She quickly wiped her tears; trying to suppress her sobs she answered the
phone.
"Hello, beta...Are you all right? Did you reach the bus station? Did you find the bus?
Why didn't you pick up the phone?"
Nisha's eyes filled with tears but she caught hold of herself.
"Husband of Laxmi...relax me all right. " She made her voice sound as cheerful as possible. "I am perfectly fine... I just reached the bus station. It's not yet time for the bus to leave. And I didn't hear the phone ringing in all the noise."
"I am perfectly relaxed now." Ramesh said laughing lightly. Nisha heard a sigh of relief from the other side and a lone tear slid down her cheek.
"Papa...where is Maa? Has she come? Did you tell her about-" Nisha asked with difficulty.
"Relax...She is on the way beta...She knows that you are leaving for the trip..." Ramesh said nervously. He sensed something was amiss in Nisha's voice. She sounded as if her voice was cracking. Ramesh felt uneasiness settle in his heart.
"Papa...Dadaji-"
"Just leave it all to papa and enjoy the trip all right" Ramesh said cutting her off.
"But papa ...dadaji , is he ok with me going away?" Nisha was not feeling well about the trip. Yes she wanted to go more than anything but she suspected Dadaji's reaction at the news of her leaving alone. She wondered if her father would be all right if she left. She was worried if he would have to face the consequences of her trip.
"Leave it all to me beta...just enjoy this trip, you wished to go alone...get away from ...things for a while...give yourself a break...you wished to find yourself, to find happiness...go and find it...Papa is here to handle the rest...just come back happy." Ramesh said with a sad smile.
Nisha had the urge to cry out loud. Her papa wanted nothing more than her to be happy and her...she was still caught up with the past. How can she tell her father that she is unable to move on...that her past is following her...even when she is ready to leave it behind? Nisha closed her eyes and answered.
"I will papa...I will...take care of yourself and maa...tell everyone bye from my part." Nisha said, her voice cracking. She understood that if she talked to her father for another minute she will break.
Ramesh was now certain that Nisha was sad. Her voice cracked and she was finding it difficult to speak. Ramesh's heart fluttered thinking of Nisha's state. His daughter was trying hard to conceal her sorrow from him, he understood that much. He was about to ask her what was bothering her when Nisha's voice sounded
"Papa ... I think the bus is about to leave...I will call you when I reach all right...bye." She said
"Ok-" Ramesh began but the line went dead. He didn't know what to do. He felt helpless as ever as he stood there with his phone on his ear. Nisha was beyond his help now. He hoped to God for Nisha to be fine as he whispered "Bye beta. Take care." He was sad and weary. He looked towards the house and sighed as he got a whiff of the impending disaster waiting for him beyond the walls. Then he moved slowly towards the house.
Nisha let the tears flow. She silently cried for a while, leaning on to the wall. Then she slowly washed her face and moved out of the wash room. She was going on this trip; like her father said it might be her only chance at moving on, at finding happiness, at finding herself.
Anupamaa
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
