Chapter 9: Progress
Rishabh paced up and down the living room. Why did I get so angry at Prerna? Ese emotionally react nahi karna chahiye tha mujhe. Unki health hai, woh khud apna khayal rakh leti. Ab bhi mujhe kyun itna farak padta hai unse? Jitni bhi koshish karlu unse dur rehne ki, ku har baar main apni limit bhul jaata hu. Yeh limit jo Prerna ne hi banayi hai. Woh aaj bhi Anurag ko nahi bhula paayi hai, jaanta hu main. Woh kabhi mujhse pyaar... huh.. soch bhi kya raha hu main. Aur main? Ese unhe daat diya. Kya soch rahi hongi woh iss waqt. Mujhe unse apni distance banakar rakhni hogi. Rishabh decided. He would stay away.
"Sir, madam ka breakfast," One of the house help said standing with a tray of food.
"Jaake madam ko de dijiye." Rishabh said sternly. He had to keep his heart in check. It was fluttering again. He called up Mehra to ask if his flight had been confirmed for tomorrow.
The doorbell rang and Rishabh didn't even hear what Mehra replied and hung up. He rushed to open the door. He wondered how the doctor had reached so fast.
Rishabh flung the door open only to find Veena standing outside with a tense expression.
"Aap?" Rishabh blurted. He was not expecting her, especially not when he was home. She usually tried to ignore Rishabh because she was uncomfortable around him and he knew that very well. Since they'd gotten married Veena had kept her distance. Even when he had tried to go speak to her family they were hostile. All of them obviously thought that he wasn't the right husband for Prerna.
"Ji," Veena muttered softly, "Woh Priyu..Prerna ne humme subah call kiya tha, kisi dawai ka naam puch rahi thi. Uski tabyat toh thik hai?" She managed to say nervously. Rishabh wasn't very comfortable around Veena either. They had never had a proper conversation.
"Aiye na, maine doctor ko phone kar diya hai. Prerna ko bas thoda bukhaar hai." He said walking with her leading her to Prerna's room. What should he call her, Aunty? Ma? Veena ji? Rishabh was confused. Veena nodded and walked with him till Prerna's room.
"Maa!" Prerna smiled, "Aap yaha?" she tried getting up.
Rishabh clenched his fists. Why couldn't Prerna just keep lying down? But he didn't say anything. He had decided to control himself. Sneha too greeted her Nani and ran out of the room to go wake Kukki up.
"Aaram karo beta," Veena said sitting down next to her daughter. "Poore din kaam karti ho aur bilkul aaram nahi karti. Yeh toh hona hi tha." Mr. Bajaj silently stood in front of Prerna's bed. He absolutely agreed with her mother.
Prerna looked at Mr. Bajaj, "Maa, mujhe already daat padh chuki hai." she said with a small smile. Veena followed Prerna's eyes and turned to look at Mr. Bajaj.
Rishabh narrowed his eyes looking at Prerna. Why is she complaining about me to her mother? What is she trying to do? Rishabh couldn't understand that Prerna had just told her mother that Rishabh cared about her a lot.
"Nashta kar lijiye please." Rishabh said noticing that she hadn't touched her breakfast yet.
Prerna sighed. "Mujhe Parathe chahiye." she said.
Rishabh rolled his eyes. He realized that he was going to have a tough time with Prerna being sick. She didn't listen to anything he said and did whatever she pleased. He hoped that Veena would stay here all day and take care of her daughter because that way Mr. Bajaj could go to work and be at peace.
"Priyu, zidd mat karo, yeh tumhare liye acha hai." Veena said stroking her hair.
Prerna grumpily ate her breakfast. Now that Veena was here she couldn't even talk to Mr. Bajaj about all the things bothering her. Rishabh called the house help and asked him to make tea for Veena. Veena was hesitating but Prerna insisted.
The doorbell rang once again and Rishabh went out to receive the doctor. Veena made sure Prerna completed her breakfast.
"Priyu, ek baat puche? Tum kahi pregnant toh nahi?" She asked.
Prerna's eyes widened, "Ma!" She exclaimed.
"Matlab 8 saal ho gaye hai tumhari aur Mr. Bajaj ki shaadi ko toh--"Nahi maa, esi koi baat nahi hai." She interrupted. How did her mother even reach this conclusion? But then she gulped. She didn't want Veena to think what Mr. Bajaj thought.
"Hamari family already poori hai. Kukki aur Sneha hai na." She justified.
"Hum toh bas yuhi puch rahe the." Veena said realizing that she should have never brought it up. Although she always wondered about the dynamics of Prerna's relationship with Rishabh. She had never understood what these two shared. She recalled the party where Rishabh had declared that Sneha was his child and even stopped Mohini from insulting her. She didn't know what to make of this.
Rishabh got the doctor in and explained how Prerna had been exerting herself for the last couple of days. The doctor checked her pulse, her blood pressure and the general breathing and all. Asked her a few standard questions. Prerna knew that it was just weakness and nothing more. Why was her family making this such a big deal?
The doctor finally wrote down some medicines and handed it over to Mr. Bajaj. "Mrs. Bajaj will be fine in 2-3 days itself. If the fever increases further then it's a cause of worry but otherwise it's just a general fever. Like you said she has been exerting herself. Nothing to worry about. Just stay hydrated, take a lot of rest and don't do any household work for 2 days and you'll be perfect. I've written down an anti-nausea pill and something for the fever. Just make sure you rest properly." he announced.
"I hope aapne achese sunna?" Rishabh said raising an eyebrow at his stubborn wife. Prerna narrowed her eyes. "No work. Only rest." He said strictly. Veena watched the two and wondered whether she was worrying about Prerna unnecessarily. She could clearly see that Rishabh cared about her health.
Mr. Bajaj went to drop the doctor till the door. He was relieved, now he could go to London in peace. And Prerna's mom was here so he decided to go to office for a while. He started planning his day in his head.
"Priyu," Veena said, "Hum soch rahe hai ki aaj tumhare paas hi ruk jaye. Sneha ka khayal rakh lenge aur tumhara bhi."
"Nahi ma," Prerna said immediately. She wanted to speak to Mr. Bajaj. He would leave for London tomorrow and then she wouldn't get a chance for a week. She needed to get this off her chest and even talk to him about moving to London. "Ma, Mr. Bajaj hai na, woh khayal rakh lenge. Aap ku tension le rahe ho?"
"Beta, hum tension kaha le rahe hai, hum toh--"Maa Mr. Bajaj mera bohot khayal rakhte hai. Aur isliye aaj office bhi nahi gaye." She said.
Veena smiled a little. She could see so much respect for Mr. Bajaj in Prerna's eyes. She knew that for a marriage to work, respect was more important than love. She wondered if Mr. Bajaj really made Prerna happy? Or was this just an act? Veena knew how much Prerna loved Anurag and now with Mr. Bajaj she seemed different. Veena could see the changes in her daughter.
"Priyu, pakka?" she asked. She could sense that Prerna wanted her to leave.
"Aap please meri chinta mat karo, Main choti bachi thodi hu." She smiled.
"Thik hai, toh fir hum chalte hai." Veena said.
Prerna nodded. Veena got up and planted a kiss on Prerna's forehead. "Beta, tum khush toh ho na?" She asked.
A small smile formed on Prerna's lips. She nodded. "Haan, khush hu main."
"Beta, tum jabse wapas aayi ho, bilkul badal si gayi ho. Bas main nahi chahti ki ab aur koi mushkil aaye tumhare jeevan mein. Hum jaante hai ki tum Anurag se kitna pyaar karti ho, par fir bhi Mr. Bajaj--"Maa main Anurag se pyaar karti thi." Prerna interrupted, emphasizing the 'thi'. "Aur mujhme jo changes aap dekh rahe ho woh sab Mr. Bajaj ki wajah se hai. Unhone kabhi mujhse kuch nahi maanga, balki unhone hi mujhe ehsaas dilaya ki main kitni strong hu aur main khud apni problems solve kar sakti hu. Aur jaha tak khush rehne ki baat hai, Mr. Bajaj ekdum perfect husband hai, main bohot khush hu."
Rishabh entered the room about to tell Prerna that he was going to work. He was confused seeing Veena all ready to leave.
Veena patted her head. "Toh bas, fir humme koi fikar nahi." She said.
"Aap itni jaldi jaa rahi hai?" Rishabh asked. Veena smiled and nodded. "Aap ruk jaati toh Prerna ko acha lagta." Rishabh said courteously.
"Mr. Bajaj maa ko kaam hai ghar pe," Prerna said before Veena could answer. Veena gave Prerna a confused look but didn't say anything.
She had a lot of thoughts in her head as she left the room. Mr. Bajaj offered to accompany Veena till outside. Veena gulped. She wanted to talk to him. It was about time.
"Beta, Shukriya." She said. Rishabh looked up surprised at her gratitude. "Ji, aap.. shukriya kisliye?"
"Humari beti ka khayal rakhne ke liye." Veena said with her. This might be the first proper conversation she was having with her son-in-law. Rishabh smiled. "Bohot khush hai woh aapke saath." Veena added. Rishabh's eyes shot up at her. He wondered if Prerna had told Veena this?
"Main bhi unke saath khush hu," Rishabh said. This was awkward for him and he didn't know what else to say.
"Humne aapko bohot galat samjha tha, aur aapne hamari beti ka tab saath diya jab koi uske saath nahi tha." Veena spoke from her heart. "Aapne Sneha ko bhi sabke saamne apnaya, hum aapse bas shukriya hi keh sakte hai."
"Aunty," Rishabh said, "Aapko thank you bolne ki zarwat nahi hai. Aapne mujhe accept kiya mere liye wahi kaafi hai. Sneha meri beti hai. Aur Prerna meri wife. Isme koi doubt nahi hai. Aur main unn dono ka hamesha khayal rakhunga, at all costs." Rishabh assured. "Aap thank you kehke mujhe sharminda mat kariye."
Veena was touched by the sincerity in his words. She smiled. She placed a hand on Rishabh's head giving him her blessings. "Beta, agar aapko thik lage, toh aap humme maa keh sakte hai." This was difficult for her to say but she wanted to make amends. She wanted to be able to talk to her son-in-law.
Rishabh couldn't believe it. A full smile formed on his face. "Thank you, Ma." He said with moist eyes. He didn't remember the last time he had said that word. "Khush raho hamesha." Veena said smiling. Rishabh walked back to Prerna wondering what had changed Veena's attitude so suddenly. He couldn't believe that after all this time his mother-in-law had accepted him.
He entered the room and pushed his thoughts behind. "Aapko kuch chahiye?" he asked coldly.
Prerna shook her head.
"Main kuch der office jaake aata hu fir." He said turning around to leave. He didn't want to stay around all day because it would just make him lose control again.
"Mr. Bajaj!" Prerna said frowning. "Agar aap office chale gaye aur mujhe kuch chahiye hua toh?" she asked trying to figure out a way to stop him.
Rishabh rolled his eyes. "Kukki se keh dijiyega."
Prerna clicked her tongue. "How can you be like this?" she said frustrated.
"Like what?" He asked. Why was Prerna acting so strange?
"Meri tabyat kharab hai aur aap office jaane ki baat kar rahe hai. Kaun karega mera ghar ka kaam?" Prerna was ready to argue.
"Ghar pe staff hai Prerna, aapko kuch karne ki zarwat nahi hai!" Rishabh said. He couldn't understand why Prerna was acting so strange. She had always been so independent around him. Maybe her illness was getting to her.
Prerna was about to argue further when a sleepy Kukki walked inside and sat next to Prerna. "Prerna, tum thik ho? Sneha ne bataya ki tumhari tabyat kharab hai?"
"Kukki, main office jaa raha hu, aap Prerna ka dhyaan rakhiyega. Main jaldi aa jaunga." Rishabh announced and left the room. "Perfect husband my foot!" Prerna muttered under her breath.
"Kya?" Kukki asked.
"Tumhare dad!" Prerna grumbled. "Mujhe itne time se unse kuch baat karni hai aur woh sunn hi nahi rahe. Bas apni baat kehke chale jaate hai."
Kukki laughed. "Prerna, tum toh dad ko jaanti ho! Sunne ki aadat kaha hai unhe? Bas bina kuch kahe sabke liye sab kuch kar dete hai."
A small smiled formed on Prerna's face as she realised that Kukki was right. Even though she wanted to say all these things to Mr. Bajaj, she knew that even if she didn't tell him about Anurag or Komolika, he would still protect his daughter. He would still stand by her through everything.
"Tum kabse itni smart ho gayi?" Prerna asked Kukki raising an eyebrow.
Kukki giggled and said, "Hamesha se hi thi. Chalo ab tum rest karo main Sneha ko uski homework mein help karke aati hu." She just remembered that Sneha had a project she needed help with.
*
Anurag sat in the living room hoping to get some peace at home. He was waiting for Komolika to come with the divorce papers. He had a plan. But he was short of luck. Mohini came to him with Nivedita and blasted at Anurag for giving Komolika divorce papers. As usual they started worrying and crying about Basu bari and their business which were all in Komolika's name.
"I can't take it anymore." Anurag stated.
"Anu tum samajh ku nahi rahe ho! Kaha jayenge hum? Mujhe kuch nahi pata par tum Komolika ko divorce nahi de sakte!" Mohini sdeclared.
"Ma enough!" Anurag raised his voice. Mohini was taken aback at his son's outburst.
"Har baar yeh zaruri nahi hai ki main aapki baat maanu! Meri life hai! Mere decisions ku nahi respect kar sakti aap."
"Anu main toh sabki khushi--"Kaun khush hai ma? Main toh bilkul nahi hu. Dum ghutta hai mera iss ghar mein. Aap khush ho? Komolika jis tarah aapki insult karti hai nivi di, aapko acha lagta hai yaha rehke? Maa, aapko woh kuch nahi samajhti, khush ho ese ji ke? Sirf pesa hi khushi nahi hoti hai. Yeh decision maine sabki khushi ke liye liya hai. Chhote ghar mein rahenge but khush rahenge!" Anurag explained in the most frustrated tone possible. Tears filled in Nivedita's eyes as she could finally see the pain her younger brother was in. She knew what he was saying was right but she was afraid if they would be able to cope with the difficulties that were to come.
Mohini was still blinded by power and money and could only think about losing her high status and power in society. All the respect people had for her would be gone. All the importance would be finished. "Anu maine kaha na. Tum Komolika ko divorce nahi doge." Mohini said gritting her teeth.
"Maine apna phaisla already kar liya hai." Anurag was determined. There was no turning back. He only regretted not doing this all those years back. "Aap log ko jaisa thik lage aap karo." He said walking out of the house. He tried calling Komolika but her phone was unavailable.
*
Prerna kept waiting for Mr. Bajaj. It was 4 pm and there was still no sign of her husband. She was getting really annoyed with his attitude now. He had promised that he would listen to what she had to say. Why was he running away from her all the time. She switched on her phone and dialed his number. "Enough is enough. He has to talk to me." She told herself.
She called him and he picked up almost immediately.
"Hello?" he said in his calm tone.
"Mr. Bajaj aap kaha ho? Koi farak hi nahi padta aapko ki main bimar hu. Aapne kal promise kiya tha ki aap meri poori baat sunne bina office nahi jayenge. Par aap apna promise bhi bhul gaye. Aur subah kehke gaye the ki jaldi aa jaunga, abhi tak wapas bhi nahi aaye. Main kabse wait kar rahi hu aur aap hai ki office mein baithe hai fir aap kal-"PRERNA!" Rishabh said loudly to make her shut up.
She gulped, her eyes wide open. Had she said too much? Would he shout at her now? She wondered.
"Baat karte waqt saas toh le lijiye!" he said.
She was very irritated with him. "Aap meri baat kabhi nahi sunte!" She complained.
Rishabh knotted his eyebrows. "Kya baat hai Prerna?" he asked. "Aap aaj subah se bohot strange behave kar rahi hai."
"Mujhe aapse baat karni hai Mr. Bajaj. par aap kabse mujhse dur bhaag rahe hai" She said clearly.
He cleared his throat. Caught in the act. "Nahi." he said. "Main ku aapse dur bhaagunga?" he asked.
"Ku ki ab main aapko annoying lagne lagi hu!" she said.
Rishabh laughed. It was one of those rare moments. Prerna was surprised too. "Prerna, aap bilkul annoying nahi hai." Rishabh said sweetly with love.
"Toh aap ku mujhse baat nahi kar rahe?" She asked cutely. Rishabh wanted to get up and leave right now. His heart was yearning to hold Prerna. And right now she was saying such cute things that he was slipping. His control getting lost again.
"Okay, main aata hu thodi der mein. Fir baat karenge."
"Aur aaj aap meri baat khatam hone se pehle kahi nahi jayenge!" She ordered.
"Yes Maam!" Mr. Bajaj said, a cute smile on his face. Prerna could sense his grin and smiled too.
"Okay, bye." she said cutting the call with a huge smile.
Kukki, who was leaning against the door listening to Prerna, just got a fabulous idea. How cute! She thought. Bas ab mera plan successful ho jaye. But I'll have to involve Sneha in this.
Prerna noticed her at the door and her smile widened. "Kya hua?" she asked.
"I am impressed Prerna. Dad ko agar koi daat sakta hai toh woh tum hi ho." Kukki said.
"Main? Main unhe daat nahi rahi thi." Prerna said wondering why Kukki thought she was scolding Mr. Bajaj.
"Sunne mein kuch esa hi lag raha tha." Kukki smirked. "Acha yeh sab chodo, Prerna, maine Kishore se kehke Sneha ka blanket mere room mein shift karva diya hai." Kukki stated.
"Ku?" Prerna asked.
"Tumhe bukhaar hai Prerna. So I thought abhi kuch din Sneha mere saath so jayegi."
Prerna was touched by Kukki's concern for Sneha. She was so glad that both her daughters got along well and there was so much care and concern involved. Little did she know that Kukki had her own plans for Rishabh & Prerna. Prerna was just waiting to get things off her chest. She needed to tell him about Anurag. Even if he didn't want to talk about him.
*
Hello!
Again the beautiful banner is made by Shruti ❤️ She is so good at making creatives Thank you Shruti!
I hope you'll enjoyed the update. It was a long one. I hope it wasn't too boring. Next update will be more exciting for sure. I was just laying the ground work for the coming 2-3 updates. Some intense & exciting updates coming up!
Do leave your comments behind 🤗 Waiting to know what you'll think about the progress of the story.
Now quick updates I promise 😆
Edited by MrsRishabhBajaj - 5 years ago
Udne Ki Aasha
Cricket
