Hi guys..
Thank you for your brilliant responses.. :) Keep the interest going:)
Romantic moments on the way.. :)
<Chapter 6>
Omkaara was in his room looking outside the window. Images of his marriage was flashing through his mind. Her fearful trembling expression disturbed him again and again. He felt guilty whether they had gotten her unnecessarily into trouble. There was a knock at the door.
Jhanvi came inside and Omkaara hugged her.
"Om, pata hai.. aaj main bahut khush hoon..
Her smile reverberated in his lips. Finally his mother is happy. He can do anything for this. But Gauri.. his face again became guilt-ridden
"What is disturbing you Om?
"Mom, Gauri.. " he stopped
"Hmm..
Wo..i felt bad whether we have landed her in soup because of our problem with Svetlana. Svetlana is dangerous and she shouldn't try to harm her. Gauri had no clue that we will do this to her when she came to work here. She believed in us but I feel guilty if we have used her for our problems.
Jhanvi became thoughtful. "Tum sahi keh rahe ho Om. Poor girl she accepted all this because of the bond she shares with me. I know I have asked her way too much. She has accepted everything without complaints. She believes me Omkaara. I have to live up to her belief. I can only do it if you accept"
"Mom.. I don't understand He looked confused
"Omkaara please I know you are not comfortable with this marriage either. I know your concept about marriage. But this is the reality. Kya tum isse accept karne ke liye koshish karoge. Please give it some time with open mind. Agar tumhe phir bhi sahi nahi laga, to bata dena. I want best for you and her. Even she deserves much better life so do you
HE fell silent and looked elsewhere. Jhanvi continued
"Ab Gauri yahan aayegi. Please be good to her. You need not be friends also. But please understand her situation and act accordingly. Please take it easy on both of you.
"Mom.. Omkaara was shocked@
"Kya hua.. tum nahi chahthe ho.. Gauri yahan aaye?"
"Wo.. mom main.. " He didn't know what to say.
"Omkaara she is your wife and this is the reality. I am not forcing you to take this relationship serious. But give it some time and a try. Its easier to break something but takes years to make something. Tumse behtar aur kaun jaanta om " Jhanvihad a bitter smile.
"Tumhaari papa shaadi ko ek mazaak banakar rakhe hain.. tum to aise mat karo. Please give it a try. Agar nahi hua to.. I wont blame you or Gauri. Its ok. sirf ek try to kar sakthe ho naa? I don't know what are your expectations about the girl you want to marry and if Gauri fits in that. Par ab yehi sach hai Om. Maan na hai to mano.. ya phir its ok."
"Fine mom.. Omkaara tried to smile.
Jhanvi kissed him on his forehead and smiled. "Khush raho
After she went, Omkaara was walking nervously across the room up and down until he heard the tinkling anklets near the door. He saw in the direction of the sound, he found his newly wedded wife standing with the gesture which is epitome of uncomfortableness.
"Gauri.. please come in He moved near the door.
She looked at him and tried looking away at the room. Her eyes widened at the statues and paints, she saw. He is an artist?
"Sorry my room has paints and statues all over.. It's how I work He looked at her face .
"Oh.. good. Mujhe pata nahi aap artist hain
"Mom ne kuch kaha nahin
"Shayaad ek baar kaha tha abhi yaad aayi.. I din't listen properly I guess
Omkaara felt something not nice. She was disinterested in a conversation about him?
She was looking at all the statues while he was looking at his decked up wife. She was looking so different today, since he never saw her more than the normal sober dressing. The saree that she was wearing, her shining mangalsutra gleaming dark across her pearl white neck and red sindoor all made her look very different. The smell of the flowers pinned up in her hair was emanating fresh sweet scent. Omkaara was feeling his space was changing when she stood in his room. He remotely liked the scent of flowers filling his otherwise still space. He broke his trail of thoughts.
"Gauri
"Hmm
"Please come and sit here" He guided her to the couch.
She carefully moved to a corner opposite to where he sat. He slightly turned towards her.
"Mujhe tumse kuch poochna hai"
"Poochiye Sir" She let out her words asusual
Omkaara's face changed at the sir. "First thing. Mujhe Sir mat bulao. Its not sounding so good"
"Par main aise hi bulati hoon na aapko?" She looked confused.
"Teek hain. Abhi se tum mujhe sir nahi bulaogi. Call me by my name"
Gauri looked down.
"I wanted to ask you. Are you feeling bad that you have taken this decision in this haste or you shouldn't have
taken this decision no matter what?"
"Nahi.. aise kuch nahi socha maine"
"Phir ceremonies ki waqt itna scared aur nervous kyun thi. Kahin tumhe shak hai ki we will land you up in trouble?"
"Aisa kuch nahi socha maine. Haan main nervous thi. kyunki expect nahi kiya madam aise arrangements karenge" she carefully addressed Jhanvi as "Madam" to him. Omkaara's face again turned sore.
"Madam nahi Gauri. Aur koi naam se bulao jo mom ko pasand hain"
"Ok
"Gauri. I don't know how to tell this. We don't know each other. So it will be tough for you to believe me. Par I swear main tumpar koi problem nahi aane doonga. You have helped me in a very tough situation and mujhe ehsaas hai iss madat ki. So please don't have any fear or restlessness in heart, ki tumhe aise karna pada. Yeh shaadi sirf ek temporary arrangement hain aur in ceremonies ki koi matlab nahi hai. Tum jaisi thi waise hi ho. Tumhe koi taqleef nahi hone chahiye. Agar kuch hai, tum mujhse bata sakthi ho. We can share a cordial relation as much to face this reality.What do you think? Omkaara somehow conveyed what he had to.
Gauri's face cleared up a little "Main sirf mada.. Maa ko help karne ke liye iss arrangement se haan keh rahi thi. Main generally apni patients ki personal lives mein attach nahi hoti, par phir bhi pata nahi maa ki saath bahut attached hogayi hoon. Par main khush hoon ki meri madat uski aur aapki zindagi mein itna khushi laayi. Haan yeh shaadi sirf ek dikhawa hain problems ko handle karne ke liye. Issliye aap aisa mat feel kijiye ki main aapki responsibility ban gayi hoon. Main bachpan se ab tak khud ko sambhalke aayi hoon. Aura age bhi aise hi karna chahthi hoon. Jab tak poori problems sorted out nahi hothe, main yahan rahoongi aur hothe hi main chali jaaongi. Waise bhi main 3 mahine ki contract pe aayi hoon, wo kal khatam hone wala hain. Mujhe Dr sir se poochni hain,aage kya karna hain. Agar sir doosri assignment denge main usse continue karoongi. Ya phir hospital join karoongi wapas She expressed what's there in her heart and told her decisions clearly.
Omkaara was taken aback literally. He is totally against a concept of marriage like this but she was way more unattached than him. As if it's some sort of a practical help offered to a person in need. As if caring for a sick person. Is it that easy for her? But why was she so nervous then?
The way she talked projected this marriage as yet another assignment which she can readily complete whenever time is right, and walk away carrying no baggage. Is she that easy going? He thought she might have more sentiments to this marriage than he did. May be she doesn't hold any. Good for him.. but ..
Omkaara got all the more confused at her very disinterested take on this marriage and at the remotely stranger gesture. He wasn't sure why disappointment cropped up a little inside him and he didn't wanted to know. He was exhausted too.
"Ok Gauri. Can we sleep now. I think its late and humhe rest karna chahiye
Gauri looked around and his room didn't have anyother furniture which she could sleep on. The couch which they were sitting had partition in between.
"Tum bed ki uss taraf so jao. Main iss taraf so jaatha hoon
Gauri looked at him. It would look awkward now if she made any fuss. She kept a casual face and went and separated pillows and stacked up hers. Within seconds she lied down without fussing and covered her up with blanket. She did find it tough to sleep with saree and flowers but she needs to rest now period.
Omkaara came out of the washroom to find her comfortably sleeping on the other side of the bed. The bed which was only his, until up to yesterday. He was getting confused by her behavior and he was confused about what he expected her to behave. He silently lied down on the other side and covered up with blanket. The smell of flowers was still emanating from her hair and he found few flowers scattered on his pillow. Might have fallen when she lied down, he thought. He smelled it and was enjoying the fragrance. He turned to see the woman who had heaps of it in her hair. She was sleeping peacefully. Omkaara kept looking at her...
<to be cont>
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