Siblings - God's idea of best friends
The day had turned out to be a very pleasant one for Adarsh. He had enjoyed interacting with the students and was greatly pleased with his meeting Mr. Gilani and Asad. Dinner had been a pleasant affair too. Simmi had joined everyone at the table after 2 days. Unlike the last 2 days, everyone could relax and enjoy dinner without having to walk on egg shells. Everyone retired to their rooms after some small talk. At around 9 PM, after ensuring that Simmi was asleep, Abhay went out to find Jaidev. Jaidev was alone in the room with Jaya still finishing off the remaining chores for the day. Abhay pulled Jaidev along and walked towards Adarsh's room. Adarsh had just showered and was settling in with a book to read. He was glad when Abhay and Jaidev walked in. The brothers were very close to each other and enjoyed each others company. However, with responsibilities towards work and family, they seldom got time for themselves, and cherished every opportunity made available.
Abhay, the most fun loving of them all had a goofy smile playing on his lips. Jaidev and Adarsh noticed it and nodded their heads smiling...
Chotu, tu bhi na, ghar ke andar hi? Mom ya kisi aur ko pata chala, toh mare hum.
Kya Jaidev bhaiya, aap na, bahut darte ho. 2 IPS officers aur ek IAS office jab saath ho, toh mom ya kisi aur se kya darna?
Adarsh suddenly looked behind Abhay's back - Mom, aap yaha
Mom, main toh mazaak kar raha tha..sorry quipped Abhay being caught red-handed
Adarsh and Jaidev started laughing at having scared Abhay out of his wits. When Abhay realized that he had been fooled, he scratched his head with the same goofy smile
Acha, tu mom se nahi darta?
Adarsh bhaiya, aap bhi na. Dara diya mujhe. Ab nikaaliye.
Chotu..
Sirf ek smoke bhaiya. Kya aap bhi. Chaliye, bahaar lawn mein jaate hai. Iss waqt mom waha pe toh nahi aayegi?
Chal, bahaar chalte hai
The 3 brothers took a pack of cigarettes and walked out for a smoke. Once they were in the garden, with a smoke in their hands and relaxing over casual chat, Abhay looked at Adarsh and teased
Bhai, woh aapki Swadheenta aaj ghar aayi thi
Swadheenta? Yaha?
Abhay smiled now and looked at Jaidev and wriggled his eye brows. Dheka aapne Jaidev bhaiya, meri "aapki" pe unhone react that nahi kiya... Maan chuke hai ki "unki" hai.
Adarsh suddenly realized his lapse and immediately his cheeks flooded with color. Abhay and Jaidev were quick to notice it and teased him to no end. Once they were done, Abhay continued
Woh aaj yaha Simmi se milne aur usse baat karne aayi thi. Bhai, jokes apart, mujhe nahi pata ki aapka uske saath kya equation hai, lekin bahut pyaari hai. Irrespective of whether you consider moms proposal or not, I hope ki she will stay connected with our family somehow. He then went on to narrate the entire context of Swadheenta's chat with Simmi. While Jaidev was very pleased with Swadheenta's thoughtfulness, Adarsh could not help but feel a sense of pride. This girl was something else.
*******
Dinner was a noisy and jovial affair as usual at Swadheenta's place. Asad and her were constantly fighting about one thing or the other, and maamu and maani were only too happy to enjoy it all. Swadheenta and Asad usually went for walks at the end of the day where they discussed their days with each other, spoke of plans for weekends etc. Asad was 3 years younger than Swadheenta and was an impulsive and immature kid. But he was very sweet and Swadheenta loved him to bits.
This evening, as they walked, Swadheenta recounted her visit to the Sinha's place to him. She told him of how she had continued to feel guilty about Simmi's health and knew she could only feel better if she sorted things out with her. Asad listened to her quietly and added once she was done
Woh aaya tha aaj college... tumhara Adarsh.
Adarsh? Woh tumhare college mein kya kar raha tha?
Acha, toh tu maanti hai ki woh "tera" hai?
Kya? Pagal hai kya? Uski mom meri boss hai... boss. Dimaak kharaab hai mera ki mein uske saath... nahi nahi...Mein toh iss baat pe concentrate kar rahi thi ki woh tere college aaya tha... kyon?
Young achiever hai, toh college ne usko invite kiya tha, students ke saath interact karne ke liye. Banda acha hai.
Acha, aise kya kardiya usne? Tu toh classes hi attend nahi karta. Ab yeh mat kehna ki tumne uski speech sunli?
Haan sunli, toh?
Asad, teri tabeeyat toh teek hai na? Tu aa, bait yaha pe. Thuje aaraam ki zaroorth hai. Ghar tak wapas chal sakta hai? Mein Jaake scooty le aaoo?
Freedom, mazaak mat karna yaar. Sun toh le pehle... Speech se pehle woh mila tha mujhse. Principal ka office doond raha tha, aur help maangne aa gaya. Mujhe dheka, aur poora impressed tha banda. Mere dressing sense ke baare mein itne compliments diye usne, pata hai? Huh. Itni achi achi cheezain boldi usne ki mujhe laga agar mein nahi jaaoonga uski speech sun ne, toh bura maan jaayega bechara. Isi liye gaya tha. Kya samjhi?
Adarsh ne teri dressing ki tareef ki? Sachi?
Poori duniya mein ek tu hi hai jisko apne bhai ki talents dikti nahi. Itna intelligent banda hai, atleast uski toh baat maan le... Speech ke baad abbu se bhi baat kar raha tha. Aur bahut saare students ke saath bhi interact ki. Radhika toh poori ki poori impressed hai usse. Mujhe suna rahi thi, ki mein uski tarah kyon nahi ban jaata. Pata hai, pehli baar bura nahi laga. Sach mein laga ki mujhe bhi kuch karna chahiye.
Swadheenta could neither comprehend Adarsh's actions towards Asad, nor her own reaction to the fact that she felt happy about Asad's approval of Adarsh. She was already happy about Simmi forgiving her. She had also met with Abhay and Jaya who seemed very warm and lovable. Now she felt truly joyful to know that maamu and Asad had met Adarsh, and that Asad drew inspiration from him. This day had turned out to be a memorable one in more ways than one.
Pati Patni Aur Panga
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
