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Note: Not proof-read
Amber Eyed Girl
He watched her twirl as the lights blinkered around her. The skimpy material hardly left anything to imagination. He observed men lustfully hooting as she shimmied around, the bells of the delicate chain tinkling on her waist. Omkara Singh Oberoi had never been more captivated until now, that too by a woman. Even though her face was veiled, and her eyes were the only part of her body that he focused on, he felt a strong attraction towards her. He watched one of the men trying to crawl up to her and hold her in his arms, and an unknown rage rushed through his veins. He shouldn't have even been bothered this way. The woman, however, waved a finger in front of the man indicating a no, and the other men whistled and teased the guy. And soon, once the music stopped, the woman bowed gracefully in front of them as her performance came to an end.
While the men continued to cat call, she focused on picking the notes of money that was thrown on the stage. Just when she looked up at the crowd, her eyes spotted this long-haired man staring at her. What took her by surprise was the look in his eyes. While she wasn't new to the sight of lust in the eyes of men, this look was different. It was... intriguing. And in seconds, she found herself staring back at him, almost drowning in those mahogany eyes that shone in the dim lights of the dance bar. A flip of his hair, and she knew she was lost. Unfortunately for her, her world did not permit such feelings; at least not while she was still a part of the world. Irony laughed at her; had anyone ever been able to get out of this world so easily? She was stuck here forever! A reason for her helplessness had become a reason for her to stay. And she knew that she could only do as much as admiring this long-haired man from far, and nothing else. The moth did not deserve to be engulfed by her burning flames. As quickly as the though entered her mind, she collected the money and left the stage.
"Woh ladki kaun thi?" Omkara asked the bartender, who refused to answer. Placing a bundle of notes in his hand, Omkara repeated the question. The bartender saw the money that was placed in his hands and looked at him, "Laila..." While Omkara watched the direction in which she disappeared behind the screens, he heard the man chuckle. "Hass kyun raha hai?" Om enquired, to which the bartender replied with a smile, "Kuch nahi Sahab..." Pausing for a while, he continued, "Waise Laila kisi ko zyada ghaas nahi daalthi. Par first time apun ne usko kisi ko taadthe hue dekha... Aapko..." he said, to which Omkara did not react. He still kept watching the screen of the tiny door that led to the backstage, hoping that she would come again anytime soon. "Laila sirf Saturday ko dance karti hai. Issi time pe..." the bartender said.
"Tum mujhe yeh sab kyun bata rahe ho?" Omkara asked as he sipped the whiskey. "Sahab, apun paanch saal se yahan pe kaam kar raha hai. Bahut mard se mila apun jo ladkiyon ke bare mein poochte rehte hain. Unn sab logon ke aankhon mein apun ne bass hawas dekha. Woh saale ladkiyon ko aise ghoorte hain jaise koi bhookha sher apne shikaar ko dekh raha ho. Bass aap thode se different lage apun ko." Omkara smiled lazily, "Woh kaise?" The bartender simply smiled, "Kyunki aapke aankhon mein apun ne Laila liye koi hawas nahi dekha, izzat dekhi, jo apun ne kisi aur ke aankhon mein yahan ke ladkiyon ke liye kabhi nahi dekha. Jahan baaki log Laila ke jism ko taadte rehte hain, aap sirf uski aankhon ko dekh rahe the..." Omkara was shocked at the observation skills of this man. He chose not to respond, but simply gulped down his drink, while still looking at the screen.
Seven days later, Omkara found himself at the same bar, seated at the same seat. His eyes followed every move of the amber-eyed dancer- Laila. He could so imagine his entire family chorusing an "Oh My Matha" if they learnt that he, of all the people, was sitting at a local bar, watching this unknown girl twirling and dancing to some music. This time, the bartender, whose name was Dandi, grinned proudly at him. Again, Omkara saw the girl watch him, like she did last week. And a few seconds later, she bowed to the crowd, picked up the money thrown on the stage, and walked away.
This continued and six weeks passed by. Omkara would visit the bar, drink his whiskey while watching her move on stage and would leave as soon as her performance was done. But on the seventh Saturday, he found himself getting restless. It was fifteen minutes past her time of performance, and she wasn't to be seen. He wished to enquire about her, but Dandi wasn't on his shift that evening; Dandi hadn't been there since the previous three weeks, and Omkara did not want to ask another bartender about the latest obsession that he developed about the amber-eyed woman. After waiting for an indefinite time, and just when he was about to leave, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to see a girl standing in front of him, dressed in a powder-blue salwar. She had covered her face with the dupatta and only her eyes were seen. It did not take Omkara another second to recognize her. "Laila?" he asked and she nodded. Without another word, she took his hand and led him outside the smoke-filled room.
The streets were dark, except for a tiny neon streetlamp that kept flickering every second. "Kyun aap baar baar chale aate hain yahan?" she said, fully aware that he was there every Saturday just to watch her perform. Dandi had mentioned to her about the interest he had begun to take in her. "Tumhe dekhne ke liye..." he said looking into her eyes, and she was sure that if she didn't look away from the deep abyss of mahogany shade, she would drown in them. "Kya chahte hain aap?" she questioned, and he shrugged his shoulders, "Kuch bhi nahi..." That was a first. Omkara Singh Oberoi never lied. Never. Yet he could not speak the truth; he could not tell her that he was obsessed by her; he could not explain the reason what was drawing him here every Saturday.
He stood uncomfortably in front of her, shifting from one foot to another. "Humne yahan naachna bandh kar diya." She explained to him, without him asking her. Somehow she felt, for some odd reasons, she owed him an explanation. Lines of worry etched on his forehead, "Kyun?" She smiled at him, and he could see the broken spirit reflected in her eyes gathering itself, "Hamari zaroorat yahan par khatam ho gayi..." "Matlab?" he enquired. She laughed as she shook her head, and an unknown pain coursed through him, "Aap nahin samjhenge, Saheb. Aapko kahan inn sab baaton se farak padega?" He shifted a step closer to her, causing her to be overwhelmed due to his proximity. "Farak nahi padta, toh poochta nahi. Koshish toh kar lo; shayad samajh jaun?" She would be lying if she as much as tried to convince herself that she wasn't affected with his closeness. She smelt the tempting fragrance of his aftershave, despite having spent hours inside the smoke-filled room. He smelt of elegance and of richness. She almost laughed with pain, "Rehne deejiye, Saheb. Bass yun samajh lijiye ke humein uss jahannum se chutkara toh mila, lekin aisi keemat pe jisko hum kabhi chuka nahi payenge."
Omkara was tempted to ask more, but realized he couldn't really interfere in her problems. After all, what right did he have? "Chalte hain..." she whispered with her hands joined in front of him, and he felt restless at the thought of parting from her. "Phir kab milogi?" he asked her retreating figure, unable to contain himself. Without turning around, she replied, "Agar qismat ne likh diya aur qaynaat ne saath diya, toh kabhi na kabhi milenge. Aur agar nahi miley, toh ise hamara aakhri alvida samajh lijiye..." He sighed, "Kam se kam, jaane se pehle, mujhe apni shakal toh dikhati jao, taaki uss khoobsoorti ko main apni aankhon mein tasveer bana ke utaar sakoon..." She shook her head at his poetic words, "Khoobsoorti ek tohfa nahi hai Saheb; ek shraap hai... Iss shraap ko aap hamara hi rehne dijiye." and with those words, she walked hurriedly into the darkness, away from him, leaving him all alone under the dim neon street lamp.
***
"Don't worry, O..." Rudra said as he patted his brothers back, "Aapka art workshop, as always, super hit hogi." Omkara smiled half-heartedly and resumed staring at the crowd. This was yet another one of his innumerous workshops; each at different cities, and it had been three years, five months and twelve days since he had last met Laila. "By the way," Shivaay said as he cleared his throat over the video call, causing Omkara to look at the phone, "Yeh tumhari, Princess Laila, agar tumhe mil bhi jaayegi, which I really hope you do, tum usey pehchanoge kaise? And of all the people, why do you think she would even bother to attend a workshop on art?" Omkara, honestly had no answer; he did not even know if he would ever meet Laila. But he had a strange and a strong conviction, telling him that he was destined to meet her soon; and that was why he didn't stop trying. He knew, each disappointment of not meeting her, only meant another day closer to meeting her. "I don't know Shivaay..." Omkara responded after what seemed like ages, "but mujhe lagta hai ke mujhe meri manzil bahut jaldh milegi..." Rudra and Shivaay chorused, "We really hope so..."
At the same time, there was a small commotion at the registration desk, which drew Omkara's attention; he walked briskly to see what the confusion was. "Arey hum keh rahein hain na, humne online register kiya tha aur payment bhi kiya tha. Aise kaise hamara naam nahi hai aapki list mein?" The voice sounded familiar to him, yet he simply couldn't recall where he had heard the young woman's voice. "Any problem?" he said, and noticed the woman stiffen at his voice. The manager at the counter smiled awkwardly at him, "Arey Mr. Oberoi, aapne aane ki taqleef kyun ki; hum manage kar lenge..." Omkara narrowed his eyes and asked again, "Aap batayenge ke kya problem hai?" The receptionist spoke, "Woh... Omkara sir, yeh ladki keh rahi hai ke usne online register kiya tha aur workshop ki fees bhi pay ki thi, lekin iska naam yahan list pe nahin hai. Toh we cannot allow her inside..." Omkara looked at the girl who stood with her back towards him, and then said, "It's okay. Let her in. Agar inhe art seekhna hai, toh fees mustn't be a problem..."
"Nahi nahi..." Omkara heard the young woman talk, "humein nahi seekhna art. Hum toh bass..." she paused, confusing Omkara, the manager and the receptionist. "Hum chalte hain..." she said and walked away. Omkara frowned at the way she tried to walk away as fast as possible, and followed her outside. Quickly catching up to her, he said, "Ruko..." She stopped abruptly. "Tum kuch dair pehle wahan pe lad rahi thi ke tumhe workshop mein hissa lena hai. Aur ab, jab ki main keh raha hoon ke tum ismein hissa le sakti ho, toh tum bhaag rahi ho? Kyun?" She turned her head to her side, and it was then that he noticed she had covered her face with her shawl. "Hum yahan aapko dekhne aaye the. Aapko dekh liya, bass hamare liye yehi kaafi hai..." she said in a soft tone.
That voice! "Kaun ho tum?" he asked, almost knowing who she was. She turned around with her face still covered, and he found himself looking into the same pair of amber hued eyes that he had be besotted since the day he first saw her in that smoke-filled room. "Laila?" he said in a whisper, and she shook her head. "Laila ko toh hum usi dance bar mein chodkar aaye the jiss din humne wahan wapis na jaane ka nirnay liya tha..." Omkara couldn't believe his ears. He was still stuck on the part where he wasn't able to believe that he had finally found her. "Aapne uss raat poocha tha, ke humne wahan pe naachna bandh kyun kiya tha, na?" He nodded, blankly. "Hamare bhaiyya bahut beemaar the. Unhi ke operation ke liya paise ikhatta kar rahe the. Lekin isse pehle unka operation ho pata, woh hamesha ke liye chale gaye..." Omkara noted the pain in her voice, which was reflected in her eyes. Then she looked at him. "Aap toh mil bhi chuke unse..." Omkara frowned wondering when had he met Laila's brother? "Woh bar counter pe Dandi bhaiyya the na, wohi hamare bhai hain... matlab... bhai the..."
Omkara felt a slight bout of sadness. He had really been friendly towards Dandi during the time he used to visit the bar to see her. "I'm sorry..." he said, offering his condolences, and she nodded in acceptance. "Kahan ja rahi ho?" he said as she turned around to walk away. She looked at him again, "Humne aapko teen saal, paanch mahine aur barah din pehle alvida kaha tha. Uss din se lekar aaj tak hamein hamesha aisa laga ke kuch adhura sa reh gaya; jaise ki woh kisse ka panna kabhi poora hua hi nahi. Uss din se lekar aaj tak hum isi umeed mein the ke kab aapse milein aur uss adhure panne ko poora kar dein. Aaj aapko dekh liya, bass hamare liye yahi kaafi hai..." Omkara smiled weakly, "Toh tumhara who adhura panna poora ho gaya?" She shook her head, "Aaj samajh aaya ke kuch panno ki khoobsoorti unke adhurepan mein hi hoti hain..."
Omkara stepped ahead, and before she could escape, he held her arms. "Lekin uss adhure kisse ka kya, jisko main bhi teen saal, paanch mahine aur barah dinon se poora karne ki koshish mein hoon?" Her eyes blinked furiously at him, "Hum samjhe nahi..." she said, with confusion reflected in her eyes. "Matlab yeh, ke jiss tarah tum mujhe doondh rahi thi, main bhi tumhe doondh raha tha. Farak sirf itna hai ke tum apne adhure panne ko poora karne ke liye mujhe doondh rahi thi, aur main tumhe isliye doondh raha tha taaki main tumhare saath apni zindagi ki ek nayi shuruwat karke, ek naya kissa likhna shuru karoon..." She looked at him, blankly, for a few seconds, and then giggled. "Mazak acchi kar lete hain aap..." "Aur agar main yeh kahoon ke main mazaak nahi kar raha hoon, toh?"
She took some time to ponder, and then said in a soft amused tone, "Toh hum yehi kahenge ke aap pehle hamari shakal se toh humein pehchaan jaayein?" She uncovered her face by moving the shawl away. If Omkara thought he was mesmerized back then, he was spellbound right now; for the amber-eyed woman had the face of an angel. A gift, a curse. He realized why she had said that to him. Her beauty was her gift to the world; but this tainted world would never allow her to live in peace, trying to taint her too. She chuckled, as he looked adorably lost. He was brought out of his train of thoughts and looking at her, he said, "Ab yahan tak aayi ho, toh mere saath thoda sa time toh spend kar hi sakti ho, agar tumhe manzoor ho toh..." She nodded as she giggled and accompanied Omkara, placing her hand in his extended hand, into the hall where the workshop was to be conducted. "Waise tumhara naam Laila hi hai, ya...?" She grinned at him as he watched her with a small smile, "Hamara naam Gauri hai..." He pursed his lips together, "Hmm... Gauri..." He loved the taste of her name on his lips, and then said in an amused tone, "Meri Daadi tumse milkar bahut khush hogi..." When she frowned in confusion, he said with a mischievous smirk, "Haan, woh kahengi ke hamari jodi khud unke Shankar ji ne banaya... After all, Omkara ko uski Gauri mil hi gayi." She smiled shyly as he took her inside the hall, with her hand tightly clasped in his.
***
An extremely random take, and i don't even know why this thought popped up in my mind... Chappals are welcome 😕
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Anupamaa
