Pallavi groaned for the hundredth time, the answers refusing to come to her. Frustrated, she pounded her fists on her own head, trying to get her brain to open up.
"Araam se Saree ka dukaan," said a voice entering the room. "Mereko pata hai tumko maarne thokne ka bohot shaukh hai... par bhagwan ne limited storage hi diya hai sabko, aur tumhara case mein wo kuch zyada hi limited hai. Uska khayal rakhna mangta!"
Too flustered to catch his words, she only registered the mocking tone they were spoken in. Fuming, she looked up and glared at the intruder. He kept smirking, his expression growing amused.
"Agar itna sa pressure handle nahi kar payega, to business kaise sambhalega tum?" he said.
"Dekho Raghav, aj to mujhe disturb mat hi karo! Ek to mujhe Fayol ke 14 principles yaad nahi aa rahe, aur upar se tum aa gaye mirchi lagane!" She huffed, sending another glare his way, then looked towards the books scattered on her desk. "Mujhe to lag raha hai ki main kal ke exam mein fail hi ho jaungi..." she mumbled, her expression morose.
Raghav, the said intruder, had been sent by amma with a glass of milk for his wife. He'd been completely reluctant, but refusing his amma wasn't something he could do. So he had trudged upstairs, planning to stuff the glass in her hands and leave. It was her semester exam tomorrow, and he had no intention of listening to her late-night mumbo jumbo. All he knew about business was from his own hard-earned experiences — but her precious MBA course only seemed to be about random laws and principles he knew nothing of. The less he was subjected to it, the better.
However, seeing her condition, Raghav knew he had to intervene. The woman was barely keeping it together! Shaking his head a little, he placed the glass on her table and pulled a chair to sit across from her. Not many would believe it, but he knew all about the fear of exams. All through his school life, he had been terrified of them. Everything used to be fine until the night before — when he went completely berserk, his brain refusing to function. There was only one person who could help him through those times, make him see sense — his nana. Raghav was a mama's boy through and through, but in those moments it was always his father he seeked, his calmness gentle and reassuring. The day he had lost him... he knew he wouldn't be giving any more exams — at least not the academic kind.
His support system was gone, forever.
He looked at Pallavi, her eyes flitting crazily from one textbook to another. For a moment, he saw a little girl in her. How many exams did she have to give in her childhood, with no one to encourage her, to build her confidence? She didn't even have a family, and the Deshmukhs... he doubted they ever tried. If anything, they'd have done the opposite — made her feel weak and incapable so they could step all over her. It was actually amazing how well she had managed to preserve her self-respect, despite being surrounded by that toxic bunch of idiots for a whole two years.
She had her brows furrowed in concentration now, a very familiar sight for Raghav. Over the last six months, she had given every bit of this concentration to her studies — and he'd been there to witness it. She would stay in the guest room, her lights on till two, three at night. Several times he had gone up to check on her (ahem, to check on the room, that is. Not her. Never her.) — and found her dozed off among her books. He had quietly picked her up and carried her to the bed, every time. He had seen her muttering her laws and theories in the kitchen as she cooked, and he had seen the flashcards she had made and given to Keerti for quizzing her. She had poured her heart and soul into this course.
If anyone was gonna crack this exam, it was her. He would make sure if it.
He looked at her, nervously chewing her nails as she focused on yet another book. He reached out and snapped it shut. Annoyed, she opened her mouth to launch a lecture, but he took her hands in his, freezing her mid-speech. Slowly, he turned her towards himself.
"Saree ka dukaan..." he began softly.
She looked at him, her gaze expectant, her mouth still half-open.
The sight overwhelmed him somehow. Her innocence was too much too bear, and for a moment, he hesitated. Then he steadied his voice.
"Mera baat dhyan se suno Pallavi. Ye kitaabe tum chhe mahine se padh raha hai na, par ye ek baat us sabse zyada important hai."
He focused his gaze completely on her.
"Tumhara self-confidence. Usko girne nahi dena. Wo sabse bada taakat hai tumhara. Tumko kis baat ka dar hai? Kya tumhara mehnat mein kami tha? Nahi! Maine khud dekha hai, kaisa man lagake padhai kiya tum har roz."
He squeezed her shoulders. "Ab tum relax karo. Aaj raat tumko bas shaant rehneka, aur baaki sab apna brain pe chhodne ka. Trust me, usko sab malum hai, bas tumko confidence rakhna hai. Ardhamainda?"
Pallavi could only stare back. She was too stunned to say anything. Never in a thousand years would she have imagined Raghav Rao to encourage her like this. Him of all people? This man, this very man who had hindered her progress in every step... was he now urging her to take the step forward? How was this happening?
Raghav was suddenly feeling self-conscious, why was this Saree ka dukaan staring at him like that? "Tum.. tum kuch bolega bhi? Main koi Jayati Jewellers ka display shelf nahi hai, jo aisa ghoorta rahega!"
Pallavi got out of her daze. "Main... wo.. tum..." She huffed.
Get a hold, Pallavi.
"Wo," she tried again, "thanks for your encouragement Raghav, par mujhe sach mein bohot tension ho rahi hai," she said, quite relieved to find her tongue working again. "Mehnat to maine ki hai, par agar wo kaafi nahi hui to? Agar main sahi se jawaab na de payi to? Agar—"
Raghav clamped her mouth shut. "Saree ka dukaan, tumhara ye stupid sa agar magar jaap bandh karo, aur chupchap mera baat suno."
She glared and bit his hand.
"Ow! Saree ka dukaan!" He glared back, taking his hand off her mouth. "Ek taraf tum darta hai aur doosri taraf aisa jungli billi banta hai!"
"Raghav please, tum iss duniya ke akhri insaan ho jise mera dar samajh mein ayega! Tum please yaha se jao aur mujhe akela chhod do."
"Main tumhara ye dar samajhta hai Pallavi—"
"Oh really?" She stood up. "Tum samajhte ho Raghav Rao? Jhooth bolne ki bhi ek had hoti hai! Tumhe kabhi kisi cheez se dar lagta bhi hai? Kaise lagega, tum to bas apna hukum chalate ho! Tumhari zindagi mein har ek cheez tumhare hisaab se hoti hai... but you know what? Doosro ko ye luxury nahi milti! Aur main... meri zindagi to..." She let out a strangled sob. "Meri zindagi tumne barbaad ki hai!" she shouted, eyes red with unshed tears.
The words pierced something in Raghav. This wasn't how this conversation was supposed to go...
"Saree ka dukaan—"
"Exactly! Saree ka dukaan!" she shouted again. "Vahi saree ka dukaan jo in do saalo mein mera sapna, mera sahara bana tha. Mujhe ek nayi umeed di thi apni zindagi jeene ki. Vo saree ka dukaan jo tumne mujhse cheen liya! Sirf apne stupid ego ke khaatir!" Her eyes were spitting fire now, and Raghav felt himself burning in them.
"Tumhe pata hai, jab mere aai baba chale gaye, main bohot royi, par maine haar nahi maani. Ek nayi shuruaat ki. Jab Mandaar chale gaye, tab bhi main haar nahi maani. Phir se ek nayi shuruaat ki, us parivaar ke saath, us dukaan ke saath. Phir tum aye, aur tumne mujhse wo bhi cheen liya! Ab maine phir se ek nayi shuruaat ki hai Raghav, aur agar iss baar ye mujhse chhin gaya na..." Her voice turned to a low whisper. "Sach keh rahi hoon, aur nahi sambhal paungi main. Toot jaungi iss baar."
Raghav felt his own heart shatter into pieces... this was too much pain. He couldn't believe that minutes ago he had been complaining about her jungli billi avatar. Please, please, someone bring that girl back. He took back all his complaints — her fierceness, her wild attitude, he'd take it anyday. Anything but this broken Pallavi.
He cleared his throat. "Saree ka dukaan, shayad tum bhool raha hai ki kal ka tumhara exam tumko brain se answer karna hai, aansuon se nahi. Aur tumko bhale hi main villain lagta hai, but aaj ke liye main tumhara hero hai. Ardhamainda?"
She looked at him, a cold mocking smile on her face. "Tum aur hero, wo bhi mere liye? Main tumhari heroine nahi hoon, bhool gaye?"
"Haan to casting director ko hum baad mein bula lenge Saree ka dukaan, abhi tum yaha baitho." He held her shoulders and made her sit on the chair, then took his seat next to hers. She didn't resist, though her eyes followed him with a steely gaze.
"Aankhein bandh karo."
She snorted. "Kyun? Koi jaadu karoge? Ya phir meri kitaabein chori karne ka plan hai ab."
He sighed. "Kuch nahi karega main, Pallavi. Just close your eyes."
The steely gaze continued.
"...please."
A look of confusion came over her face. She hesitated, then slowly closed her eyes. Opened them again, quickly, checking around her for anything fishy. Finally, she landed her gaze on him, searching his face for any signs of deception. On finding nothing, she closed her eyes again.
"Ab tum mere saath saans lo. I count till 7, you breathe in. I count till 7, breathe out."
She rolled her eyes. "Raghav, seriously? Main koi bacchi nahi hoon—"
"Pallavi."
She looked at him. His eyes were pleading and sincere.
"Just this once, trust me."
For some reason, she did.
As she inhaled and exhaled on his counts, she felt lighter, better. He instructed her to feel the stress on her shoulders like a black smoke, and — just like his appa made him do — he told her to feel it vanishing away, the air clearing up around her. After a few minutes, she opened her eyes.
"Better?"
She nodded. "Better."
"Good. Ab aisa hi relaxed raho, aur so jao chupchap. Jitna padhna tha padh liya, ab brain ko thoda rest do, ardhamainda?" He said, getting up. "Main chalta hai. Kal ka exam ke liye all the best. Aur ye doodh pee lena, amma ne bheja hai."
He started walking out, then turned around at the last moment. "Saree ka dukaan?"
She looked up, again.
"Tumhara naam Pallavi Rao hai. Aur iss duniya mein aisa koi nahi, jo tum se kuch cheen sake. Remember that."
With that, he was gone, and Pallavi found herself wondering for the millionth time — who exactly was this man, and would she ever understand him?
~
Ok guys, tell me how it was 😛 This was not really my kind of thing, so I'm looking forward to some feedback! 😃
Tannu, here you go, a shot on the MBA track. Hope you like it 😆
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
Cricket
