CHAPTER 10. BEHAVING NORMAL
As all four sat down in the truck, all breathing a sigh of relief, Geet decided to move on. Yes! Arnav' broke her heart but it was not his fault. He did not lead her on. She was the one who misconstrued his actions. She was a bit sad by her unrequited feelings but she was not the type of girl to wallow in self pity. She gathered herself and decided to get to know the man her family actually chose for him. Maan Singh Khurana'!
"So Mr. Khurana!", Geet spoke up from where she sat beside Khushi, "I hope aap theek hain!"
Both Maan and Arnav, who were sitting across the girls, looked up at her call but before Maan opened his mouth, both men remembered that they have taken each other's identity.
"I am fine!", Arnav replied.
Geet smiled, "Good to know that!"
Again silence descended on them.
"Mr. Khurana! Kya main aapka phone use kar sakti hun? Ma aur Pappaji ko call karna hai! Woh dono pareshaan ho rahe honge! Mera phone damage hogaya lagta hai yeh sab mein! Aur Khushi apna mobile ghar pe rakh ke aayi thi!", Geet spoke and Maan looked at her surprised. She surprised him once again. Where had the stammering girl gone? This girl spoke with so much confidence and poise!
Arnav nodded and handed over the phone. Geet called her parents and told them what happened to them. Her father asked to speak with Maan' and Geet handed over the phone. Arnav assured her father that he and his friend will keep the girls safe. Then Arnav's eyes widened in shock. Other three looked at him curiously. Arnav kept on agreeing to whatever Mohinder was saying and then cut the call.
"Kya hua?", Khushi asked in shock.
Arnav took a deep breath, "Kuch gaao ke log baat kar rahe the aur Uncle ne unki baat sunli!"
"Kaisi baat?", Maan asked in worry.
"Woh Daaku phir se aaye kyunki unka ek maqsad tha! Kuch gaao ke logon ne unki baatein suni! Woh keh rahe the ki do ladkiyaan unke haath se bach gayi! Woh un ladkiyon ko dhoondhne aaye hain!"
Geet turned pale and Khushi gasped.
Arnav continued, "Aur jis insaan ne unhein roka tha ek ladki ko uthwaane se, use bhi maarne aaye hain!"
"That's you!", Maan spoke in shock.
"Ab kya hoga?", Khushi blurted out, "Hum teeno ki jaan khatre mein hai!"
Arnav nodded, "Uncle keh rahe the ki Chandigarh se hum sabko Dilli jaana chaahiye! Uncle aur Aunty abhi packing hi kar rahe hain! Humaare saamaan, Khushi ke cheezein, Geet ke kapde, documents aur Uncle Aunty ke kapde aur documents, sab leke raat ka bus pakad rahe hain Dilli ke liye! Daaku abhi chale gaye lekin kal waapis aane ke chances hain! Uncleji ko darr hai ki agar Geet ya Khushi gaao mein rahi aur woh logon ne ghar ghar aake dhoondhna shuru kiya toh dono bach nahi paayengi!"
Geet and Khushi grabbed each other's hands in shock.
"Toh Uncle Aunty kuch mahino ke liye Dilli aa rahe hain! Kisi Manchanda ke ghar rahenge! Unse baat bhi ho gayi hai! Hum sabse wahin unse milenge! And one of your neighbors are going to bring my car and Maan I mean Arnav''s jeep to Dilli in few days!", Arnav finished his monologue in flat tone.
Geet smiled, "Manchanda Uncle Pappaji ke dost the! Main College Days mein unke ghar hi rahi! Abhi unke ghar koi nahi hai!", Geet turned to Khushi, "Pinky ko Mumbai mein job mila hai toh woh wahin shift ho rahi hai Uncleji ke saath! Toh unka ghar khaali hoga! Hum teeno wahaan reh sakte hain!"
Maan was once again surprised. Geet studied in Dilli? I did not know that!
"Yaani ki hum dono phir se saath mein waqt bita paayenge!", Khushi squealed in excitement. Geet smiled and nodded. Khushi continued to chatter, "Phir humaara woh sapna bhi poora hoga!"
"Kaun sa sapna?", Arnav asked curiously and was surprised to see Khushi grin at him, "Geet aur humne sapna dekha tha ki khud ka jewelry showroom kholenge! Aur uske liye humne toh Jewelry Designing Course ke brochures tak khareed liye!" Then her smile dimmed and she pouted, "Phir Geet ke amma ne manaa kar diya! Woh kya haina ki College days mein Geet unse dur rahi aur unhonein ise bahut miss kiya! Isliye ise ghar bula liya! Phir aapka rishta aaya aur Geet ne apne course karne ka sapna postpone kar diya!"
"Lekin ab...", Khushi turned towards Geet and spoke with excitement, "Lekin ab tumhaare Amma Bauji agar idhar aa rahe hain toh phir hum dono aage padh sakte hain. Haina?"
Geet then smiled and as her smile bloomed Maan was unable to look away from her. He had misunderstood her, Maan realised. The girl did have ambitions! Then why did she not tell me when I asked her? And I thought she was typical village girl with no ambitions and no dreams! But she is different!
"Par...", Khushi mumbled as her pout came back on her face, "Tum toh Maanji' se shaadi kar rahi ho! Phir kaise apne sapna poora karogi?"
Geet huffed, "Shaadi or no shaadi! Assi toh apna sapna poora karke rahenge! Dekhiye Maanji'!", she turned to Arnav and glared at him, "Mujhe nahi pata ki aap mujhse shaadi ke liye haan kahenge ya nahi! Lekin yeh samajh lijiye ki shaadi ke baad main apne sapne ko nahi chodne waali! Mujhe Jewelry Designer banna hai aur main apna sapna nahi chodungi! Khushi aur main Course khatam hone ke baad ek Jewelry Boutique kholenge! Aur aap mujhe yeh karne se nahi rokenge, pati or not! Samjhe?"
Arnav nodded with amused look. I am not marrying you dear! I am not your Maan! You carry on! Do whatever you want!
Maan blinked at the girl in front of him. Kal jo ladki mili thi aur yeh kitne alag hain! Kal woh haqlaati rahi thi aur yeh bindaas bejhijhak baat kar rahi hai! Kal kitna sharma rahi thi aur aaj sar uthaake baat kar rahi hai! Kahaan gayi woh dull and boring si ladki aur kahaan se aagayi yeh bold and confident ladki! Maan was confused by the girl in front of him.
The journey continued and after half hour, both girls fell asleep, tired after the sudden upheaval they had been through. Maan and Arnav silently decided to keep vigil and both remained alert till they reached Chandigarh. It was 1 in the morning when the truck reached Chandigarh. Maan and Arnav woke the girls up and got down at a red signal. Walking around they soon found a Lodge to stay. But the Lodge had only one room so Maan and Arnav decided to stay awake and let Geet and Khushi have the big bed inside the room.
As Maan and Arnav waited outside the room for the sunrise so that they could catch a bus home right away, Arnav looked at Maan in confusion, "What is wrong with you? You seem to be lost in your thoughts!"
"Its Geet!", Maan shrugged. Arnav raised an eyebrow as Maan continued, "She seem so different! Kal kuch aur, aaj kuch aur! Where is the blushing, stammering girl? This one seems so confident, so determined, so ambitious! I wonder if I misunderstood her yesterday!"
"Don't tell me you changed your decision!", Arnav looked at him amused.
"Matlab?", Maan looked at him.
Arnav shrugged, "You know... Your decision to reject Geet! Don't tell me it has changed!"
"What?", Maan growled, "NO!" But as Maan looked through the window into the room and noticed a sleeping Geet, Maan thought to himself. May be! I don't know!
Soon the morning came and all four were on the way to Dilli. In few hours they reached Dilli and Maan and Arnav headed to their houses. Geet went with Khushi to Khushi's Buaji's house where she would stay till her parents arrived in Dilli.
As Maan entered his home and started to climb the stairs to his room, he heard Daadima call out for him. He turned around to see Daadima standing near the stairs. He went and hugged her. After they greeted each other, Daadima asked the one question that was bubbling inside her, "Geet kaise lagi? Pasand aayi ki nahi?" Maan rolled his eyes at Daadima's question and opened his mouth to say No. But just then he saw the Geet from the truck in his mind's eye, the determined girl with fire in her eyes refusing to let go of her dreams and he blurted out, "I don't know!" As his eyes widened at what he said, Daadima's eyes widened too. Seedha no nahi bola! Seedha reject nahi kiya! Hey Babaji! Yeh kya achchi khush khabri di aapne! Ab bas haan bhi bul waado! Humein aur kuch nahi chaahiye!
Now how is this twist?
Don't think the twists are over though!
Ek aur jhatka baaki hai!
See you tomorrow! Don't give me bad comments, my birthday is coming up!
Thank you, take care and have fun,
Kalpana
Jhanak
Hindi TV Shows
Ye Hai Mohabbatein
Writers Corner: Books, Stories & Poems
132