ISHRA SS ~Zehnaseeb~ Chapter 18 on Pg 94 - Page 38

Raman's POV

Raman smiled as he observed her from his cabin's window.

Kitna achha lagta hai jab koi muskurata hai... Aur khas kar tab jab uss muskurahat ki wajah aap ho! Ek alag sa sukoon milta hai dil ko jise shayad lafzo mein bayaan karna mushkil hai.. Pehle kabhi kisi ko muskuraata hua dekhkar itni khushi mehsoos nahi ki thi maine.. Shayad yeh he pyaar hai jab aapke liye doosre ki khushi ki ehmiyaat apni khushi se zyada hoti hai.. Jab aap doosre ki ek muskurahat ke liye sab kuch dau par lagane ko tyaar ho!

He wondered smiling to himself as he moved his fingers through his hair, feeling like a teenager once again when his phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and frowned. It was his mom.

Not again..

He picked up the call with a sigh. "Jee mom?" I answered the call, trying to sound as normal as I could.

"Kya kar rahe ho?" She asked from the other side.

"Bas thoda sa kam tha office ka! Aap bataein kaise call kiya?" I asked as I walked back to my desk after glancing at her smiling face once again.

"Abhi tak naraz ho?" She asked softly.

"Nahi.. Main aap se naraz nahi hu.." I lied, partly.

"Mujhe toh naraz lag rahe ho.." She replied as a matter of fact.

"Galat lag raha hai mom aapko!" I said quietly.

"Raman.. Main tumhari dushman nahi hu.. Maa hoon tumhari aur tumhari maa hone ke naate yeh mera farz hai ki main tumhe sahi aur galat ka farak batau... Main bas tumhe khush dekhna chahti hu.." She replied back softly.

"Phir toh koi masla he nahi hona chahiye.. Aap karva dein meri shaadi Ishita ke saath!" I said almost immediately.

"Tum meri baat samjhne ki koshish karo.. It's not as easy as it looks! Shaadi se pehle hazaar tarah ki cheeze sochni padhti hai...family, society..unke tarah tarah ke sawal.." She tried to reason with her already sung points.

"Exactly! Yeh he toh masla hai.. Sab ke liye society kya sochegi yeh apni khushi se zyada importance rakhta hai..log kya sochenge? Log kya kahenge? Baaki parivaar wale kya baatein banayenge? Ek baari ke liye sirf ek baari ke liye kya hum meri khushi, meri life, meri pasand ke baare mein baat kar sakte hai..?" I replied, trying to keep my anger in control but failing miserably at it.

"Raman?!" She said, surprised by his tone.

He took in a deep breath to calm his nerves, "Mom..lets just leave it okay! Hum already iss baare mein bahout behes kar chuke hai which has been as useless as it is right now because aap meri baat samjhne ki koshish nahi kar rahi ho aur main aapka point of view samajh nahi paa raha hu!" I tried to end the topic before things slipped out of their hands and they end up saying something which will hurt both of them afterwards.

"Tum phir.." She spoke up but Raman cuts in.

"Mom please!" I requested.

"Fine! Maine bhi tumse ladne ke liye call nahi kiya tha.. Bas itna batana tha ki Simran ka uski fashion designing internship ke liye selection ho gaya hai and she is all set for a UK trip!" She informed him.

"Really? Yeh toh bahout achhi baat hai.. I'm so proud of her!" I replied, suddenly ecstatic at my little sister's achievement, "Is she there?" I asked further.

"Nahi.. she's off to meet some friends of hers!"

"Okay.. fine main call karunga use!"

"Hmm.. she's willing to visit you before she leaves.."

"Great ! Usse kahe ki aa jaye chand dino ke liye Mumbai mere paas..Mujhe bhi company mil jayegi! " I suggested, enthusiastically. It always feels so good to have some company back at home.

"Haan.. main bhi wahi soch rahi thi.. Aqira aa jayegi kuch dino ke liye tumhare paas!"

"Sirf Simran kyun? Aap aur dad bhi aa jayein.. Bahout waqt ho gaya aap logo se mile hue!" I replied softly this time.

"Are you sure? I mean tum mujhse phone pe baat karke itne irritate ho jaate ho, aamne saamne kya hoga?"

Did she just say that?

He suddenly felt himself at loss of words, "Mom that's not fair! Aap do alag baton ko mix kar rahe ho.. I agree humare beech thodi tension chal rahi hai but that doesn't mean I don't miss you guys!" I responded back, hurt clearly evident in my tone.

"I'm sorry.. Of course tum hume miss karte honge and we miss you too!" She apologised only to be met with silence from his side. He didn't knew what to reply. "Achha chalo upset naa ho.. Hum teeno aayenge tumhare paas! Raman? Tum sunn rahe ho?" She added further.

"Hmm.. Tickets kab ki karvani hai?" I asked in low voice.

"Next week!"

"Okay!"

"Chalo phir baad mein baat hoti hai..Simran ko yaad se call kar lena!" She reminded him before hanging up.

"Jee! Bye!"

"Bye !"

He squeezed his eyes shut as he rested his head on the back of his chair. He massaged his temples as his mother's words kept ringing in his ears. They've pinched him.

Life is so complicated at a times... I don't understand mom ne aisa kyu kaha? Sirf isliye kyunki main unki baat se agree nahi karta doesn't mean that I don't respect her Yaa unki meri life mein importance kam ho gayi hai? She is my mother, after all. I love her more than anyone else!

I know she didn't mean it.. But it hurts! And main zyada stressed out iss baat ko lekar hu ki yeh haal tab hai jab unhe sirf yeh pata hai ki Ishita divorced hai.. Jab baaki ka sach pata chalega toh kya hoga?

Author's POV

Meanwhile in Delhi,

She kept the receiver down with a sigh as she sipped her tea. She looked at her husband who was drowned in his newspaper, oblivious to the rest of the world.

"Mr Bhalla, kabhi iss newspaper se dhyaan hatakar apne baccho ko bhi tawajjo de diya karein?" She remarked as she took another sip of her tea.

He looked up from his newspaper with a smile, "Kyu ? Abb kya kar diya mere bachho ne?"

"Kya nahi kiya yeh puchhe?!" She said exasperated.

Mr Bhalla folded the newspaper and kept it aside, "Tum Raman ki baat kar rahi ho?" He asked as he turned his attention towards his wife.

"Jee! Filhal toh meri pareshaani ki wajah woh he hai.."

"Toh mat ho pareshaan! Apne bete par thoda aitbaar karo!"

"Aise kaise naa pareshaan hu.. Maa hu main.. Apni aakhon ke saamne apne bete ko apni zindagi barbad karte hue nahi dekh sakti main!"

"Shaadi se zindagi barbad nahi hoti..balqi abaad hoti hai"

"Lekin shaadi bhi toh kisse?"

"Ek aisi ladki se jise woh pasand karta hai.. Jiske saath woh apna future imagine kar sakta hai.."

"Main nahi maanti.. Mujhe iss shaadi ke successful hone ke chances bahout kam nazar aa rahe hai.."

"Kyu? Kyunki Ishita divorced hai? Come on Toshi ji! Yeh toh sarasar na-insafi hai uss bacchi ke saath! Tum he mujhe batao, kaun apni khushi se talaaq leta hai? Kuch na kuch toh hoga aisa ki use ko itna bada kadam uthana pada.." He tried to knock some sense into his wife's mind.

"Main aap ki baat samajh rahi hu lekin.."

"Lekin ki koi gunjaish he nahi hai.. Tumhe toh garv hona chahiye apne bete par! Bahout himmat chahiye aisa faisla lene ke liye!"

Toshi ji inhaled deeply, "Yeh he toh sara masla hai.. Woh jazbaati hokar yeh faisla le raha hai.. Future consequences ke baare mein nahi soch raha!"

"Really? Tum kya Raman ko nahi jaanti.. Tumhe kya lagta hai Raman itna immature hai ki woh shaadi jaisa ahem faisla jazbaati hokar lega?" Mr Bhalla said as he looked at Toshi ji expectantly while she still looked unconvinced. With a deep breath, Mr Bhalla gently squeezed her hand in assurance, "Dekhiye Toshi ji, yeh uski zindagi hai..woh use kiske saath beetana chahta hai yeh bhi uska he faisla hona chahiye.. Hum parents hone ke naate use advice de sakte hai.. Use force nahi kar sakte aur karna bhi nahi chahiye!"

Toshi ji was about to say something but Mr Bhalla added, "Raman be-wajah zidd nahi karta hai aur yeh tum bhi jaanti ho.. Kuch baat toh hogi Ishita mein jo woh use iss hadd tak pasand karta hai.. Ek mauka dekar dekho! I'm sure he won't let you down!"

Toshi ji nodded thoughtful as she gave him a small smile, "Khair! Maine usse kaha hai hum Simran ke saath uske paas rehne aayenge kuch dino ke liye!"

"Yeh toh tumne bahout achha kiya... Aamne saamne behtar baat ho payegi !" Mr Bhalla replied smiling, as he again reached out for his newspaper.

"Khabardaar!" She said with warning in her tone, as Mr Bhalla kept the newspaper back in surrender.

Raman's POV

He finished typing his email as he hit the send button and glanced at his watch. It was 7 in evening. He stretched his arms above his head as he switched off his laptop and began to gather his stuff when someone knocked on the door.

He looked up to find Ishita standing there, "Come in!" I said as I checked my watch again.

"Tum ghar nahi gayi abhi tak?" I asked her clearly surprised as office timings are from 9:00 to 5:00 and he didn't ask her to stay back for any work as far as he remembered. She handed him the file she was holding, "Aapke sign chahiye!" she replied.

He looked at the file and then her. Nodding slightly he settled down on the couch as he went through the file while Ishita seated herself on the chair. She looked at his messed up table and sighed, "Aap itne mess mein kaise kaam karte hai? Mujhe toh dekh kar he confusion hone lagti hai!" She exclaimed as she turned around to clean up his table.

"Tumne yeh file do din mein khatam kar di?" I asked again, as I flipped through the pages unbelievingly.

"Hmm.." she replied as she continued with her table-cleanup mission- arranging the files in stacks, keeping the pens lying on the table carelessly back in pen stand and more stuff like that!

"Insaan ko itna workaholic nahi hona chahiye!" I said looking at her. She stopped immediately, looking back at him with raised eyebrows, "You know yeh line aapko suit nahi karti !" She replied.

He chuckled, "Yeah right!" and turned his attention back to the file. Although he was looking at the file, he wasn't oblivious to her eyes which seemed to be stuck at him. He cleared his throat, "Kya dekh rahi ho itne dhyaan se?"

She shrugged her shoulders a little, "Kuch nahi.." she replied in a low voice but continued to look at him unabated. It felt as if she was trying to read something from his face. He smiled briefly looking at her and extended his hand, asking for a pen. She passed him one.

"Kuch hua hai kya?" she asked out of the blue. His head flicked up, looking confused, as he tried to comprehend her sudden question.

"Nahi.. Kya matlab?" I asked.

"Pareshaan ho kisi baat se?" She asked concerned all of a sudden.

"Nahi.. Main pareshaan nahi hu!" I replied looking straight in her eyes.

She nodded still doubtful, "Mujhe laga!"

"Pareshaan nahi hoon thak gaya hu.." I assured her smiling and she smiled back.

Kya baat hai? I'm impressed..

Ishita's POV

She didn't ask him that question for no reason. He was looking tensed with furrowed forehead and was responding in low and tired voice. His eyes missed that usual sparkle, and his smile seemed different.

He killed the engine in front of a restaurant, "I'm hungry!" he said as he turned looked at her.

She smiled, "Let's go then!"

Both of them made their way inside the restaurant. It was a cosy set-up and gave home like feeling. They secured themselves a spot in corner. She looked around amazed.

"Nice place!" I said to which he smiled.

A waiter came up for order, "The usual?" He asked looking at Raman.

"Yup! The usual.." He replied, and then turned to look at her, "Tum kya logi?"

"Whatever is best!" I replied, smiling.

"In that case.." He said as he turned towards waiter again, "We'll have my usual order!"

As the waiter left nodding, "So.. Usual order? Huh! Quite regular here?" I asked, trying to initiate a conversation.

"Not regular but whenever I get bored of my own cooking!" He replied casually.

"Cooking?! Don't tell me, you can cook as well?" I asked surprised.

"Well.." He chuckled, "Not really! But little bit of course.. You can't depend on restaurant food all the time.." He said as our orders came in.

"Interesting!" I complimented as waiter placed the dishes on the table. One look at the dishes lying in front of them and her face gleamed with happiness. "This looks delicious!" I said looking at him with a wide grin.

"It tastes delicious as well! Shall we?" He said as she nodded and they helped themselves for a fulfilling dinner. The food was indeed delicious especially the paneer dish. She couldn't help but refill her plate again and again. She looked at Raman who was smiling on her antics.

She looked down embarrassed, "Don't look at me like that! I know I'm a foodie.." I confessed with a sheepish smile.

He laughed, "I can see that! No obsession for dieting and stuff?" He asked.

"Not my thing!" I replied as I ate another spoonful of the biryani. He laughed again, as his eyes twinkled.

Now that's his laugh which I love... genuine and hearty!

Raman's POV

A few days later,

He was sitting on his comfy armchair reading a book when Toshi ji and Mr Bhalla joined him. They settled down on sofa. They had arrived a day before with Aqira as promised and were looking for an appropriate time to talk about Ishita.

Toshi ji cleared her throat, "Raman hum baat kar sakte hai?" She asked.

Raman looked at her as he closed his book and straighten up a bit, "Baat toh mujhe bhi karni hai aapse! Pehle aap bolo!" I said.

With a deep breath, she began, "Maine aur tumhare dad ne kafi socha tumhare aur Ishita ke rishte ke baare mein and.."

"And?"

"Aur hume koi problem nahi hai tumhari choice se! Your happiness matters the most for us..and since you are so adamant on marrying her. I'm sure tumne apni life ka itna bada faisla bahout soch samajh ke liya hoga!" She finished with a smile.

Mr Bhalla agreed on the same, "In fact hum jald se jald Ishita aur uski family se milna chahte hai.. Tum dono ke rishte ke baare mein baat karne ke liye!" he added to which Toshi ji nodded.

All the best Raman!

He looked at them, "Things are bit complicated!" I began slowly.

-o0o-

This would be it.. I hope you like the update.

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