7. Raavi ya Maami
Shiva took a deep breath, as he looked at the wooden door. He was frozen, to be honest, neither were his legs taking him ahead or backing off because he was very perplexed in what was to be done ahead. This house was where his Prafulla Maami stayed, he hated this house, the lane, the people around too because of his maami who had been really bitter when they were small and had also thrown them out of this house in pure shame and disdain.
But this was also the house where Raavi lived. And although Shiva never liked coming here, he had to several times be here for that girl who was somehow so strong in his memories. Sometime for Dev, for Dhara and many a times, just for himself, he did come here, to meet her, to fight with her, to listen to her rubbish and to make sure that she was okay. She was so fragile since they were kids, always wearing her heart on her sleeves and getting her feelings hurt.
Of course she was affected by the heartache, he knew that Raavi loved without any conditions, or reasons or boundaries. He had seen her do crazy things in love and only she could do them, no matter how irrational they were, Raavi always did what her heart wanted and Shiva only wanted her heart to be fixed again.
So she could fly away, happy and hopeful.
For her sake, Shiva took a step closer to the door, but immediately backed off when he remembered his maami's face and her loud voice and he took another step back. No way was he going to face his maami and if he did, he might just lose his anger again.
"Shiva," He took a deep breath, fisting his hands, "Dhara bhabhi ne kya kaha tha?" He spoke aloud, reminding himself of their discussion last night.
"Shiva, tujhe agar Raavi ko wapas khush dekhna hai toh tujhe uski khushi ke liye uske parivaar se dhang se baat karni hogi."
Shiva wanted help from Dhara, but what Dhara was asking was near to murder.
"Bhabhi, marr jaunga par uss Maami se kabhi acche se baat nahi karunga."
Dhara shook her head, "theek hai, phir chod de Raavi ko uske haal pe..." With that she was about to leave when Shiva clicked his tongue, tsking, and held Dhara's hand.
"Bhabhi?"
"Kya bhabhi?" Dhara looked at Shiva, she knew that what Shiva and Raavi shared was too beautiful to be named, but if she told Shiva the truth upfront, he would deny and run far away from those feelings instead of dwelling on them. "If you want Raavi to be okay before she leaves, then you have to do this."
"Aur koi option nahi hai?" He pleaded, his eyes told Dhara that he really wanted to help Raavi but that he also disliked her family.
Dhara pouted, caressing Shiva's cheek, "Hota toh main bolti na?" She shook her head making Shiva sigh in tiredness already. "Maami jaisi bhi ho Shiva, hai toh Raavi ki maa jaisi, nahi, maa hai uski." Dhara corrected herself, "and maa se jung ladke, kaisi theek karoge uski beti ko?" She raised her eyebrows at the exhausted Shiva. "You have to do this, you have to choose Shiva, Raavi ya Maami?"
Shiva gulped, looking at the house and unclenched his jaw, loosened his hands and took a deep breath once again. He knew that as always, Dhara was right, Prafulla may be the meanest witch in town, but she loved Raavi as her own and Raavi would be easier to pacify if Maami was with him.
But was this worth it? He thought, looking at the balcony, thinking that he should just climb up as usual, because Maami was not worth his respect.
He remembered all the childhood bitterness and took another step back, shaking his head. He couldn't, and he would not. If his mother would be here, she would not want him to do this too. He shook his head, this was not going to happen, not in this lifetime atleast. He turned to leave, but he almost dashed into someone and realised that it was no one but little Raavi and Shiva who were once again evident in his memories.
"Teri Massi hai hi insult karne layak." Shiva pointed his finger at her, they looked like they were in the middle of a fight, aged 15, "and mere maa ke kangan toh mein leke rahunga."
"Kya kangan kangan laaga ke rakha hai tune," Raavi stomped her feet, tired of all the stupid fights. "Bachpan se sirf ye ratt laga ke baitha hai," She was seething and shaking, as Shiva clenched his jaw. "Kya ye kangan tere liye itne important hai? Humari dosti se bhi zyaada?"
"Ey, teri shakal dekh." Shiva took an angry step closer, "tu meri dost nahi hai, ye apne chotte se dimaag mein fit karle." He snapped his fingers at her, while Raavi felt hurt, her face clearly showed how his words were hurting her but Shiva was too angry to notice it.
Shiva looked at the teenagers fighting, he looked at himself, this was some seven years back and he was always so mean and bitter towards Raavi. Eyes filled with rage, jaw clenched, and hands fisted as he spoke to the teenage Raavi. Shiva looked at the girl, she had tears in her eyes, and this was all ignored by the 15 year old Shiva who only had bitterness in his heart for her and her massi.
"Tu mera dost nahi hai?" Raavi asked, softly, like she was realising something, like a bubble had just burst. "Mujhe laga..."
"Kya laga?" Shiva took a step closer, "tujh jaise logo ke saath main dosti ka rishta kya, insaaniyat ka rishta bhi na rakhu." They were standing close to each other, a little too close, but their anger and their wrath never let them notice anything but each other. "Aur woh, teri chorr massi..."
"Shiva, please," Raavi replied, warning Shiva, "Tu meri massi ki izzat nahi karta, ye teri marzi hai but don't dare name call her. And what gives you the right? Who are you to name call her? Tu kaunsa bada mahaan insaan hai, huh?" She was both angry and hurt, "Mawaali jaise harkate hai teri, aur gawaar banke ghumta hai. Tujh jaise gunde se aur kya expect kiya jaa sakta hai?"
Shiva gritted his teeth, as he pounced on her, holding her hands behind her back, "Kya kaha tune?" He twisted her hand, hurting her and she tried pushing him, but failing. "Chipkali jaisi size hai teri, pure Somnath main aisi ghumti hai ki tu yaha ki Rani hai, par teri khud ki koi family hai hi nahi..."
Shiva and Raavi separated when an external force pushed him away from her, and as he fell on the floor, he angrily looked at Prafulla, who had come to Raavi's aid. The poor girl was in tears on listening to Shiva's harsh words, "Tu bhaanja nahi hota na mera, toh itna maarti tujhe ki wapas kabhi aise nahi bolta meri Raavi ko." She stood in front of Raavi, glaring at Shiva, "beti hai ye meri, beti." She snapped at the angry teenager, "aur agli baar tune meri Raavi ko anaath kaha, toh dekhna, teri zubaan kheechne se teri maa bhi nahi rokh payegi."
And Prafulla caressed Raavi's hair lovingly, taking her inside while Shiva stood up, dusting his shirt and gritting his teeth. His anger had blinded him from seeing many things.
Clearly, Prafulla always considered Raavi as her daughter and clearly, Raavi considered him as a friend.
But he saw nothing but kept harvesting all the bitterness inside him.
Shiva shook his head, as he sighed. What was wrong with him back then, blinded so much by rage and wrath, he failed to see so many things. He remembered why he was here, and with another deep breath, he walked in, knocking at the door.
He chose Raavi over Maami.
The door opened and on the door was Prafulla, in all her high and mightiness, looking at Shiva with both surprise and enmity. Shiva looked at Prafulla, and once again, all the bitter memories came back to his mind, no matter how much he tried not to think about it.
"Su kaam che?" Prafulla asked, sternly, and Shiva looked at her. "Abh bolega ya bhut banke khada rageha?"
Raavi, you are doing this for Raavi, Shiva calmed himself down, ignore the maami, focus on the maami ki behen ki beti, he nodded.
"Ye gai ki tarah sar kya hila raha hai," Prafulla enquired, making Shiva glare at her, "bol ne bhai, sau kaam hai."
"Woh..."
"Nahi, bilkul nahi," Prafulla shook her head, cutting Shiva off, "ye tera woh woh main wapas nahi sun sakti." She nodded looking at Shiva, "uske alawa kuch bolne ko hai, toh bol, warna wapas jaa."
Shiva reminded himself to not be angry and to not speak up, "Maami woh... woh..."
"Oh maara Bhogilal," She sighed, shaking her head at the man who was stuck on one word since ages, "tuje hindi shabdkosh dedu? Thode naye shabd padh bhi lega aur bol bhi payega..."
"Ey Maami," He took a step closer, pointing his finger at her and she gulped in fear, taking a step back. "Kitna bak bak karti hai," but seeing Prafulla scared, Shiva sighed again, relaxing, "I mean, Maami, baat bolne toh de."
"bol bol," Prafulla nodded, scared, "jo bolna hai bol."
Shiva nodded, exhaling as he rolled his sleeves, "haan woh main keh raha tha...ki woh..."
But before he could say anything, Prafulla held his hand, taking him in complete surprise. "Teri woh ki gaadi shuru hone se pehle, tujhse kuch kehna chahti hu,"
Nervous at how Maami held his hand, Shiva took a step back and withdrew his hand, "haan... haan toh bol na, muh pe taala nahi maara maine."
To his utter surprise, Prafulla joined her hands in front of him, with a soft stare and a sad face, "thank you," She said, genuinely meaning it, "bataya mujhe Raavi ne, kaise tune uski jaan bachayi." She felt teary eyed again, but more than her, Shiva was uncomfortable seeing his Maami act humane towards him. "Beti hai woh meri, aur jaan se zyaada pyaar karti hu main usse." She said, a tear falling off her eyes, "tera zindagi bhar ka ehsaan hai mujhpe."
Shiva never thought this day would also come in his life when his Maami would be standing in front of him, hands folded, eyes teary and genuinely meaning what she said. He, since a very long, had been fighting with Prafulla and Raavi and in all these fights, he never realised how much of energy and years he had wasted. Now that Prafulla stood in front of him, thanking him, Shiva felt strangely better.
He shook his head, and his hand as he hit her joined hands slightly, "dekh ye.. ye sab mat kar..." He said, not liking when elders did this, "accha nahi lagta mujhe..." He hit her hands again till she withdrew them, but with a smile, "tu ye sab formality mat kiya kar maami, ye Shiva teri meethi baaton se pighal ne wala nahi..."
And expecting nothing but this reaction from her nephew, Prafulla smiled, "Woh upar hai," She said, pointing at the room upstairs, "Raavi ne bahut dukh saha hai, abh aur nahi, Shiva." Maami warned him, "Raavi ko zara bhi dukh diya toh dekhna, mujhse bura koi nahi." Shiva nodded, making his way upstairs after feeling much better than he thought he would and knocked the door, hoping that Raavi would also take his anger for his childishness, just as her massi did.
"Who is it?"
"Tera bachpan ka dushman,"
The door opened rather quickly, as Raavi stood in front of Shiva, and behind her, the room looked super messy and disheveled, more than she was.
"What are you doing here?" She asked, she was tired, looked irritated and her messy hair were intact on that heartbroken face.
"Kaam tha," He replied, meeting her eyes, "andhar aane nahi bolegi?"
"tujhe kabse permisson chahiye," She replied, getting away from the door and walking in, "aur kaunsa na bolungi toh tu chala jayega. Bachpan se wahi karta hai jo tujhe karna hota hai." She ranted, which honestly soundly like music to his ears because atleast she was ranting again if not being the dramatic Raavi she was.
"Tu bolegi toh chala jaunga."
Raavi turned to look at Shiva, surprised to see him talk in a surreal manner. Something was either wrong with him, or with her, "chala jau?" He asked, hands in his jeans pockets, head tilted and he slightly nodded, asking if she wanted him gone.
Raavi wanted him to be gone, but she did not respond, only looked at him, remembering what Anita dii had told her.
"Ho sakta hai Raavi, ki Shiva ne tujhe bachaya aur uske baad se tere dimaag mein, woh bass gaya ho." Anita said, calming the confused Raavi, "kehte hai na, ki koi kisiko maut se bachaya toh woh zindagi unki ho jaati hai, just like he saved you and from then, your life is his now. You owe him your life because he saved you..."
"I don't understand, I never loved him, dii."
"Kahi baar kuch rishte samaj nahi aate," She told Raavi, "mehsoos hote hai, ho sakta hai Shiva aur tera rishta waisa ho, jo sirf mehsoos karne pe unke baarein mein samjha jaa sakta hai."
Raavi looked at the Shiva who stood in front of her door, he was the same Shiva, the one wore unbuttoned checks shirt over his vests, hair messily done, sleeves half rolled and the same tone of speech as he used before.
Just one thing had changed.
His eyes, they were something else, his black dark eyes now held more than just anger and wrath, more than bitterness and revenge.
They held her.
"Mehsoos karke dekh Raavi, toh shayad tujhe tere sawaalo ka jawaab mil jaaye."
And she shook her head, answering his question, because she did not want him gone.
Not before she got her answers.
_
A/N Author too depressed for a author's note, just wanna say thank you.
Real Estate
Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon
