Sequel FF: Sameer 'sang' Naina (Section V Part 2 updated- Pg 107) - Page 55

"Ramdhari! Yeh mithai ke packets gaadi me rakh do! Sameer...kya kar rahe ho beta tabse...jaldi se tayyar ho!

"Mumma...shirt-pant pehnu ya kurta samajh nahi aa raha...wo log bade purane khayalaat ke hain! Sameer whined.

"Wo tumhara Diwali wala kurta kahan hai...orange wala jo maine gift kiya tha...wo pehen lo na...Ramdhari...Sameer baba ka kurta press kar do!

"Lekin kurta pehna to sochenge impression jamane aaya hai! Sameer protested.

And then Sameer's eyes lit up. "Idea! Kurta pehen leta hun sanskari type...aur saath mein jeans...modern type!

"Kurta aur jeans...paagal ho gaya hai tu...sasural wale reject kar denge ek nazar mein ki kaisa joker hai...dhang ke kapde pehen...! Vishakha snapped. Little did she know that the weird combination that her son had suggested, would be a fad fast-forward some twenty odd years.

"Fir kya pehnun? Sameer groaned.

"Ohho! Ye le...ye wali shirt aur pant pehen le..., Vishakha fumbled through his clothes and took out a formal white shirt with blue and purple narrow vertical stripes, paired with charcoal grey trousers.

"Deepika! Kya kar rahe ho beta? Jaldi se jaao nahane! Bhaiya ko late hua to sab gussa honge! Vishakha went over to address Deepika.

"Hum jaa kahan rahe hain lekin? Deepika enquired groggily, annoyed at having had to wake up early on a Sunday morning.

"Hum kuch uncle aunty se milne ja rahe hain...aapke Sameer bhaiya ki shaadi ke liye okay! Vishakha explained as she ushered her inside the bathroom.

"Vishakha...arey wo meri red wali tie kahan rakh di hai tumne? Mr. Somani called out.

"Ji laayi!... Rohan! Beta tayyar ho gaye?

"Ji mumma! Main ready hun! Rohan smiled at her. And then returned to fixing the strap of his watch. His mother had gone berserk with all the preparations for just going to meet Sameer's bride-to-be! What would happen when they actually got married?

***

At the Agarwal house, a similar chaotic situation was underway albeit since a week, from dusting the house, to sweeping the floors, to changing the sofa and the dining table covers. Taiji had even brought in her expensive crockery set reserved for occasions like these. The last time Bela had the chance to see them was when Puja's in-laws had come to see her for the first time. The living room now looked brand new. The Television was locked inside the cabinet on Taiji's insistence, for she did not want the Somanis to harbor the impression that their daughter-in-law was interested in films. The curtains had been washed the day before and now hung sparkling clean on the balcony windows, complementing the green of the dcor. Preeti had brought in two beautiful copper vases from Shefali's house, and placed one each on the corner tables next to the sofa. The kitchen was filled with aroma of freshly brought in samosas, khakhra, jalebis from the famous Maniram. In addition, ingredients for making poha were kept ready in the kitchen.

Two hours later, the Somanis were seated inside Anand Agarwal's house and both families were indulging in introductions and the usual small talk.

"Ji lijiye chai lijiye! Taiji forwarded freshly brewed Red Label packet tea in her special porcelain tea set. The Somanis accepted the tea cups passed on, while Sameer's eyes were fixed at the hallway of Anand Agarwal's house. Apprehension was building inside him. Today he knew, he wasn't here just as Naina's classmate Sameer, like he'd once come into this house long back for Puja didi's wedding; but as the prospective husband for Naina and the son-in-law of this family. He hoped that his family was satisfied with the spick and span condition of Naina's house, even if not mighty impressed with the modest size and lack of luxuries. Not that it mattered to him anyway. The place smelled like home to him, well apart from the obnoxious person he'd have to call his father-in-law sitting at the far end from him, his eyes carefully averted from his.

"Sameer! Vishakha nudged him and pointed her eyes to the tea cup handed out by Taiji. Sameer flashed his ever charming smile at Naina's aunt as he took the tea cup, and then he surreptiously turned his gaze towards the hallway again. "Nainaa...aa bhi jaa, he thought, eager to see her look today, for she'd deliberately kept it a secret.

"Kal dekhoge to batana ki ladki pasand aayi ke nahi..., she'd giggled over the phone last night.

"Kahan reh gayi hai...Preeti bhi nahi hai! he mumbled under his breath, as he checked the time in his watch yet again.

Rakesh sat sullen in a corner, his arms folded across his chest, unable to decide if he should be happy that his daughter was getting a rich, well-off groom, with hopefully a reasonable dowry. On the other hand, he was extremely irate at the fact that his son-in-law-to-be was his least favourite student in school. Suddenly an image flashed before his mind, about the respect he might need to shower upon him from now on, and he felt appalled by the very thought.

Mr. Somani was busy conversing with Tauji and Anand. Bela and Taiji kept Vishakha enagaged. Rohan politely answered the questions put to him, and Deepika was her usual cheery self, trying to decipher how Sameer bhaiya's marriage related to the reason they were there at this house.

"Arey bhai Rakesh...aao zara...utni door kyun baith ho? Apne hone wale damaad aur unke parivaar se baatein karo..., Tauji called out to him cheerfully.

"Ji bhaisahab! Rakesh came and saw a vacant chair next to Sameer. He glanced at Sameer once and then lifted the chair and went to the other side.

Sameer tried not to show his displeasure on his face. "Saala khadus safari suit sasur! he mused.

And then, as he again darted towards the hallway, his pique vanished, his displeasure evaporated, as he saw the love of his life come out of the room, draped in a beautiful embroidered yellow coloured silk saree, with a broad maroon border. She'd rested the pallu on her head and was accessorized with a matching golden necklace and earrings and some light make-up. The glow on her face was accentuated by the golden glow of the saree, and that maroon lipstick challenged Sameers self-control enormously. Matching red and golden bangles glittered on her wrists, as she moved demurely forward, Arjun and Preeti flanked on each side of their sister. Sameer could not take his eyes off her face. How could this woman surprise him everytime, by always looking a step more gorgeous than the last time he remembered.

Seeing Sameer lost again, Vishakha turned in the direction of his gaze, and her eyes momentarily got fixated by the Indian beauty walking towards them. She was pleasantly surprised with what she saw, and compared the girl in front of her to the girl in tight pigtails and school uniform she'd last seen when Sameer and Naina had been in school together.

"Ji aa gayi hamari bitiya...yeh hai Naina...! Taiji exclaimed effusively, and held Naina lovingly by her shoulders.

Mr. Somani looked up as well and smiled, for he couldn't help it. The girl seemed well-bred, decent and pretty. Not at all a bad choice. Infact, a really good choice for their bahu. As for Rohan, like Sameer, he too couldn't tear his gaze away from the comely young girl who'd arrived before them, her head bowed in reverence. Rohan felt his heart skip a beat, and then another when he saw her lift her kohl lined eyes subtly and lock them with Sameer's. His eyes flew from Sameer to Naina and the nervous grin, the blush that adorned their cheeks was his undoing. His reverie was interrupted by Deepika's shrill voice, "wow...aap kitni beautiful ho!

The family erupted in laughter, and Naina smiled softly at her. "Thank you! She whispered meekly. "Aap mere bhaiya se shaadi karne wali ho? she urged again, while Naina's face flushed further, and Vishakha had to hush her down. "Shhh Deepika...badon ke beech mein nahi bolte! And then she turned back to Naina, "aao beta...baitho yahan pe...mere pass baitho...! she patted the sofa besides her as she scooped Deepika in her arms.

Naina meekly obeyed and sat down besides Sameer's mother on the sofa, and felt Sameer's eyes on her, reassuring her with love, with pride and with need. "Bowled over Mr. Maheshwari! she smirked to herself.

After a few questions to Naina from Sameer's family, Mr. Somani finally started off with the topic of marriage and if anyone had any objections to it. The family looked at each other and discussed and seemingly all were okay with it. Anand and Bela had taken a liking to Sameer since school only, when they'd seen him absolve Arjun of his paper stealing crime and forgiven him. He'd only been seventeen that time and Chachaji had been wholly impressed. Though at that time, even he couldn't have dreamt of having him for a son-in-law in his wildest dreams, for Sameer belonged to a social strata much higher than their own. But after his last tete-a-tete with him on the weekend, Chachaji had been sure that none of these differences mattered to Sameer and that he was indeed perfect for Naina, and she for him.

Mr. Somani turned to ask Rohan to take out the packets of sweets and it was then that he noticed Rohan's face. He seemed put-off and realized something was not quite right with him. He put the questioning off for later when they were back home. "Did he get some bad grades in some exam? he wondered.

The discussions continued and at one point of time, the children were sent inside, so that the elders could discuss the money matters.

"Dekhiye...hum middle class log hain...apni taraf se jitna ho sakta hai...usse bhi zyada hum karne ki koshish karenge...humein nahi pata aapki kya umeedein hain aur kya hum unhe pura kar sakte hain ya nahi..., Tauji averred, while Anand nodded agreeing. Rakesh huffed and resumed his sulking.

Mr. Somani looked at Vishakha, as if asking how much should they quote, since it was evident they wouldn't be able to match the expectations of their circle.

"Bhai sahab...aap ye kaisi baatein kar rahe hain...aap Naina jaisi sundar, susheel, padhi-likhi ladki...aapki beti humein de rahe hain...bhala humein isse zyaada kya chahiye hoga...bhagwan ka diya sab kuch hai hamare pass...aur Sameer ki khushiyon se badhkar hamare liye kuch nahi! Vishakha stated, much to the astonishment of her husband. Somewhere he'd been very sure that since Naina's family would not be able to meet their standards of dowry, that was one sure shot way to end the alliance.

This took the Agarwal family by surprise. "Lekin behenji...maana ki Naina hamari beti hai...par hai to ladki hi na...aur yeh to sansaar ki reet hai...bhala hum khaali haath ladki ko bida kaise kar dein?

Vishakha took Bela's hands in hers and said, "abse Naina hamari bhi beti hai...jo Sameer ka hai...wo Naina ka bhi hai...yeh dahej pratha ke main sakht khilaaf hun...aur Sameer bhi! Mere pitaji agar yahan hote, to wo bhi dahej kabhi sweekar nahi karte! And Mr. Somani felt the jibe was directed at him. He recalled how his own mother had demanded a hefty sum, loads of ornamanets and sarees when he'd wed Vishakha.

Taiji had not been utterly pleased at the way Naina had landed upon such good luck- such a decent, charming, handsome and not to mention rich lad, with a respectable family. Never in her dreams, she could have imagined that. But then she tried to assuage herself by thinking it was for the best. For in other situations, they would've had to empty their stash of savings to get Naina married. And money saved was money earned, was what Taiji being a typical Marwari, believed in.

***

"Chup kar Preeti! Naina snapped, wary of Sameer's smirking presence beside her.

Arjun had taken Rohan and Deepika for a tour of the other house- Tauji's home.

"Ab aap dono ladka ladki ek dusre se baatein kijiye...ek dusre ke baare mein jo kuch bhi janana chahte hain puch lijiye...

It was Sameer's turn to chuckle now. Preeti did have a sense of humour.

"Aap privacy dijiye na saali sahiba...nahi to ek dusre ko jaanana pehchanana kaise hoga, Sameer winked at Preeti.

"Ohhooo...priiivacyyy...Naina tune kabhi bataya nahi..., Preeti sniggered along with Sameer.

Naina glowered at her, "chup kar jaa Preeti ki bacchi...!

"Bacche kahan hai mere...shaadi meri thodi teri ho rahi hai...bacche tere honge na pehle! Preeti riposted.

"Ab tu pit jayegi..., Naina threw her an angry gaze. "Aur tum kya khee khee khee kar rahe ho..., she turned to Sameer, who immediately closed his mouth and made a sober face.

"Dekha jijaji...abhi to shaadi huyi nahi...ki biwiyon jaise order de rahe hai...soch lo! Preeti grinned.

Sameer bit his lower lip as he gazed at the girl glaring at him, "soch liya..., he voiced in his typical husky tone, which he knew would make Naina blush.

"Sun zara sun didi tere liye ek rishta aaya hai..., Preeti sang, chuckling. Naina threw her an exasperated look, "jab teri shaadi hogi na...tab main bhi gaaungi aise hi...tang karungi tujhe...!

"Rehen de behen...tab tujhe jijaji se romance karne ki fursat milegi tab na! Preeti remarked and immediately bit her tongue when she realized that Sameer was standing right there, listening to it all. She could see the heightened colour on both their faces. "Main dekh ke aati hun Ar...Arjun bhaiyaa...kahan reh...gaye..., she muttered and retreated from the room hastily.

Sameer saw Preeti leave and slowly dawdled over to where Naina was sitting on the bed. He sat down besides her softly and took her hands in his and whispered into her ears, "bol ke to sahi gayi Preeti...shaadi ke baad main tumhe romance se fursat nahi dunga Mrs. Sameer Maheshwari to-be... And he enjoyed the crimson blush creeping onto Naina's cheeks.

***

"Rohan! Main tumse baat kar raha hun...kya hua hai tumhe? Ekdum se chup kyun ho gaye tum? Mr. Somani shook his beloved son. He'd not uttered a word since they'd come back after meeting Naina's family.

"Dad...please thodi der akele rehna hai! Rohan mumbled disconsolately.

"Rohan...main pita hun tumhara...batao mujhe kya baat hai...kya wo Agarwal family mein kisi ne tumhe kuch kaha? Batao mujhe...main abhi khabar leta hun unki!

"Nahi dad...bas...thoda mood off hai!

"Mood off kyun hai bhai? Sameer ki shaadi hone wali hai...tayyariyan karni hai...tumhe bhi to haath batana hai hamara...aur tum aise muh latka ke baith gaye...kal pandit se kundli milwani hai...shaadi ki tareekh pakki karni hai...venue decide karna hai...

"Aapko bhi bas Sameer ki padi hai...Sameer yeh...Sameer woh...Sameer ki shaadi...kitni achi bahu mil rahi hai na aapko...! Rohan snapped, cutting him off. Mr. Somani was taken aback. Rohan rarely lost his cool.

"Beta...mere liye Sameer se pehle tum aur Deepika ho! Ab sach sach batao...kya baat hai? Mr. Somani queried.

"Dad...! Rohan was disconsolate now. He hugged his father and started telling him about his feelings- how he felt he'd fallen for Naina the moment he set eyes on her today. Mr. Somani patted his son's back as he listened to what had been bothering him.

"Rohan...do you trust me? he enquired.

Rohan glanced up at him and nodded.

"Toh bas...dekhte jao main kya karta hun! Naina is ghar me dulhan to banke aayegi...par Sameer ki nahi...mere Rohan ki! Mr. Somani pledged and Rohan finally smiled.