AryLie FF - Aryan&Imlie - Epilogue Page 32 (Dt. 13 Mar) - Page 18

The Pagdandiya Clan - Part III

Meethi, a.k.a Amma, Imlie’s Mother

Meethi had suffered much in life. At the hands of her parents. At the hands of a city boy. At the hands of the villagers. At the hands of another city boy. At the hands of the consequences her actions bought. At her own hands.

But Meethi loved one of the consequences, more than she could love anyone in this world.

Her daughter. Her Bitiya. Her Gudiya. Her Imaliya.

But Meethi’s love had been unable to protect her. Meethi’s love hadn’t been enough to fight everyone that wanted her daughter to suffer too. Meethi’s love failed to fight the people who made her daughter suffer too.

Meethi had always supported Imlie. Imlie was a part of Meethi in a way no one else could be. She had stood by her when she was forcefully married off, and she stood by her when she let go of that marriage too. She stood by her when Aditya’s parents hated her, and she stood by her when they loved her. She stood by her when Aditya hated her, when he loved her, when he hated her again and now too when he loved her again.

She always thought that Aditya was the man who would stand by Imlie whenever she needed support. But he failed. So she stood by her.

And then, then she met Aryan Singh Rathore, and she didn’t believe this man would stand by her to support her. Meethi thought that this man would pick Imlie up and prepare her for battle and then sit by and watch as she fought it. He was the first man ever that made her believe that Imlie needed no man’s support to fight her own battles.

That her support was enough. That her love was enough. That a mother’s love is far more worth than anything some man could offer to Imlie.

To be honest, when she had first heard Imlie describe her Boss Babu on a phone call, she thought that he was just that, a boss, a leader and someone to push Imlie to work more.

Her perceptions had changed when she met the man. His ideals, his faith, his beliefs, everything made Meethi feel like this man was more than what her daughter described him to be. That he was more than what she could see. That he was more than what anybody of them could imagine.

And he proved this.

She had watched in fascination then, he had come in the hut after a while, and handed her the phone and asked her to speak into it.

She had been confused, but when she had put the phone on her ear, her heart had melted.

Satyakaam.

Satyakaam was on the other end of the phone and she had been able to talk to him and she was crying and laughing and he was consoling and promising and that day, despite all the tension the day had brought, despite not knowing her daughter’s fate, despite not knowing if Aditya was alive or not, Meethi felt relief.

Meethi felt alive.

She looked up at him when the call disconnected, and asked, “Kaisan, Satyakaam, kaisan?(How, Satyakaam? How?)”

Aryan had smiled, and answered, “Aapki beti ko jail se bhagaya hai aapke husband ne. Maine toh bus situation ko handle kiya.(Your husband helped your daughter run away from jail. I just handled the situation.)”

Meethi smiled in return, and turned around, rushing to inform Imlie, only to be stopped by him when he called out to her, “Aap agar Imlie ko nahi batayengi toh acha hoga.(I think it would be best if you not tell Imlie.)”

Meethi had been confused then, and he had looked at her and answered her unasked question, “Woh pehle hi bahut pareshaan hai. Iss haal mein woh uske Dadda ki khushi pe focus nahi kar payegi. In fact, usse toh apni mistake pehle dikhaayi degi. Usse lagega ki uske Dadda uski wajah se musibat mein hai.(She’s already a lot worried. In this state, I feel like instead of focusing on her Dadda’s happiness, she’ll blame herself for running away with his help. She’ll think it was all her mistake, that her Dadda got in trouble.)”

Meethi shook her head and began, “Aryan Babu, aisan—(Aryan Babu, this—)”

But Aryan interrupted her again, and requested, “Please.”

She, understanding his point, only not really, nodded in agreement.

That day Aryan had opened a correspondence between not only Meethi and Satyakaam, but also one between Meethi and Aryan.

Henceforth, whenever she couldn’t reach her daughter, she called Aryan.

She still remembered the first time she had called him, and Nani had interrupted them. She had dreaded Aryan having heard the conversation, and she was afraid to continue to talk to him, but he had only chuckled and asked, “Kya aapki family mein sab aise hi dramatic hai?(Are all your family so dramatic?)”

And Meethi huffed a little laugh in relief at his amusement and waited until he gave his phone to Imlie.

The next time had been when she had called because she couldn’t help feeling a sense of forebode rushing through her body. She had called him and he had answered, unlike her daughter who was still not used to having a phone.

She sighed in relief when he answered and asked immediately, “Aryan Babu, aap kaisan hai? Imaliya toh theek hai na? Uuha sab kachu theek rahe?(Aryan Babu, how are you? Is Imlie fine? Is something wrong over there?)”

Aryan had calmed her down, “Sab theek hai yaha pe, please shaant ho jaaiye. Main Imlie ko bulata hun.(Everything is fine over here, please calm down. I’ll call Imlie.)”

Only Meethi had refused him, “Naahi, Imaliya ko naahi bulawo. Uu humre baare maan fikar kare ee humka naahi pasand. Uu sach maan theek toh hai na?(No, don’t call her. I don't like it when she worries about me. Is she really fine?)”

Aryan had chuckled, “Aap sahi keh rahi hai, woh apni chod ke pehle aap ki chinta mein lag jayegi. Yaha sab theek hai.(You are absolutely right, she’ll begin worrying for you over herself. Everything is really fine.)”

But before he could continue, one of the guys who worked for him, maybe, asked, “Sir, hum wapas Rathore Mansion jaaye?(Sir, can we return to the Rathore Mansion?)”

And he heard another sound of panic from his phone when Meethi asked, “Aap ghar maan naahi hai? Matlab aapko bhi naahi maloom ki Imaliya kaha hai? Aryan Babu, uuha kaa chalat hai.(You are not home? This means even you don’t know where Imlie is? Aryan Babu, what is going on there?)”

Meethi heard him sigh and reply, “Maine kaha naa Imlie safe hai. Woh bus Tripathi Residence mein wapas—(I said that Imlie’s safe, trust me. We are just at the Tripathi Residence—)”

Meethi’s eyes widened as she asked, “Kaahe, uu kaahe gayi rahi uu ghar maan wapas?(Why, why has she gone there now?)”

She heard him try to calm her down again, “Woh Mrs. Tripathi, uh, AparnaJi ko heart attack aaya tha, toh Imlie yahan unka khayal rakhne aayi hai.(Actually, Mrs. Tripathi, uh, AparnaJi, had a heart attack, so Imlie’s here for a few days, to take care of her.)”

Meethi breathed a sigh of relief, but panicked once again, “AparnaJi, kaa, ab theek hai uu?(AparnaJi, what, is she fine now?)”

And Aryan responded dutifully, “Haan, bus doctor ne rest kaha hai. Hence, Imlie yaha aa gayi.(Yes, the doctor has asked her to rest. Hence, Imlie is here.)”

Meethi’s eyes found the clock and her eyes widened again in shock, she apologised, “Maaf kijiyega Aryan Babu, itni raat gaye hum aapko pareshaan kiyes.(Forgive me Aryan Babu, I troubled you at this time.)”

Aryan muttered something then, something like, some words like worry, beti(Daughter) and pareshaan(Trouble), which confused her into asking, “Kaa?(What?)”

Aryan immediately negated, “Kuch nahi. Aap please rest kijiye, Imlie safe hai, sab safe hai.(Nothing. You please rest, Imlie’s safe, everyone’s safe.)”

After muttering their goodbyes and good nights, Meethi had slept fitfully. her daughter was back in the place that hurt her.

The next morning she realised that Aryan’s family had followed her daughter in madness again.

She was calling her daughter to scold her but she wasn’t picking up. She wanted to call the Tripathi Mansion, but decided to call Aryan anyway.

She waited for him to pick up, and when he did, she immediately asked, “Aryan Babu, aap daftar maan hai? Imaliya aapke saath hai?(Aryan Babu, are you in the office? Is Imlie with you?”

She heard amusement in his voice when he answered, “Nahi, main office mein nahi hun, par haan Imlie mere saath hi hai. Ek minute hold kijiye, main usse aapki baat karwata hun.(No, I’m not in the office, but Imlie is with me. Hold for a minute, I’ll get her on the phone.)”

Meethi was confused, what was Aryan doing at Imlie’s in-law’s house. She asked him, “Aap kaisan Imaliya ke saath? Uu toh apan—Aditya Babu kaa ghar maan rahi hai na?(How are you with Imlie right now? Isn’t she with her—in Aditya Babu’s house?)”

Aryan sighed and answered, “Haan woh, actually, jab tak Imlie yaha hai, uh, main aur meri family, I mean, meri Didi aur meri Maa, aur main of course, hum bhi yahan hai.(Yes, that, actually, until Imlie is here, uh, me and my family, my family and I, I mean, my Didi and my Maa, and me of course, we’re all staying here.)”

Meethi listened to Aryan stumble in his words, and her heart burst in amusement. she chuckled and asked, “Aap humar bitiya khatir uuha rahe jaat ho?(You stayed there for the sake of my daughter?)”

There was silence on the other end of the phone. Meethi chuckled again and asked, “Humar bitiya kaa khayal rakh sakat ho?(Can you take care of my daughter?)”

And he immediately answered, “Haan.(Yes.)”, and for a moment Meethi took it as a confession it was, before he continued, showing the same level of stupidness as her daughter, “Employee hai woh meri, obviously main uska khayal rakh sakta hun.(She’s my employee after all, obviously I can take care of her.)”

Meethi hadn’t laughed so genuinely since before Satyakaam had been sent to jail.

She shook her head sideways at the pair her daughter and Aryan made.

She didn’t know what to do with them.

But she tried. Knowing that the phone was on speaker, she let it slip that Aryan had helped her with communicating with Satyakaam.

It was up to them, how much were they going to stretch this boss-employee ruse for. But she could see how Aryan cared for Imlie. She just wanted to know whether her daughter felt the same.

And she got her chance when she got news of Satyakaam.

She and Nani had left on the next bus to Delhi and then another thing that her daughter had suffered through had been revealed in front of them. How could a person who loved you hurt you so much? Meethi was constantly astonished by the depth her ex-son-in-law had fallen into.

After Aryan had helped them with the formal complaint, after he had left, after they had left Imlie’s office with her, after they had reached the hotel Satyakaam was staying in, they sat Imlie down and then Satyakaam and Meethi sat opposite her.

In tune with each other, they both looked at Imlie, while Imlie shrunk in the Sofa and Nani roamed around the room in wonderment.

Meethi first looked at Satyakaam, then turned back to Imlie and asked, “Aur kaa kaa chupaaye rakhi hai tu Aditya Babu ke baare maan?(And what else have you been hiding about Aditya Babu from us?)”

Imlie looked like she wanted to run away from there. She opened her mouth and she knew Imlie was going to crack a joke and before she could do anything, Satyakaam said, “Mazak naahi. Jhoot naahi. Sirf sach.(No funny comments. No lies. Only truth.)”

Imlie began talking again, “Uu aur kachu naahi kiye. Sach maan. Aur beeti baatein yaad kaahe kare. Humka kachu naahi hua hai. Hum theek hai. Uu aapke liye zaroori hoye chaahi.(He didn’t do anything else. And why should we reminisce about what has already passed. Nothing has happened to me. I am fine. That should be important to you guys.)”

Nani, from her spot in bed, yelled, “Arey ee ka kaahe puchat ho? Ee ke Boss Babu ko bulawo. Uu batayenge toka eeha kaa kaa hue rahe.(Why are you asking her? Call her Boss Babu. He’ll tell you what all has happened to her.)”

Imlie got up from her spot, defensive, “ABP ko kaahe bulawoge? Uu kaa batayenge? Uu ka kachu naahi maloom.(Why will you call ABP? What will he tell you? He doesn’t know anything.)”

Meethi looked at Satyakaam then, and reading his eyes, she realised that Satyakaam had seen what she saw too. She looked at Imlie and said, “Sahi kahe tohri Nani. Hum abhi karat hai Aryan Babu ko phone.(Your Nani is right. I’ll call Aryan Babu right away.)”

Meethi then moved forward to take Imlie’s phone off the table, and began searching for Aryan’s contact. She found the Akkadbagga saved on her phone and flashed her eyes at Imlie in annoyance, showing it to Satyakaam.

Instead of scolding their daughter, Satyakaam huffed a laugh out and she looked at him accusingly too.

While she was talking to her husband without actually talking to him, Imlie leapt forward and grabbed the phone from her hands, throwing it on the sofa and then covering it with herself.

Meethi looked as Imlie justified her actions, “Uu Akkad Bagge ko phone kare ki konu zaroorat naahi hai. Uuka waisan bhi aadat rahe, sab kachu bada-chada ke bolat rahe. Aur Aditya Sir, uu se toh uu jee jaan se nafrat kare hai.(There is no need to call that Akkad Bagga. He already has this insane thing where he blows little things out of proportion. And Aditya Sir, he hates the guy with his life.)”

Satyakaam leaned forward and asked, “Kaahe, kaahe kare uu Aditya Babu se nafrat? Tohre kaaran?(Why, why does he hate Aditya Babu? Because of you?)”

Imlie’s eyes widened and she scrambled back again, “Humre Kaaran? Humre kaaran ABP kaahe kissi se nafrat kare hai? Uu humre boss hai. Uu ka Aditya Sir aur humre rishte se kaa?(Because of me? Why would ABP hate anyone because of me? He is my boss. What does he have to do with my relationship with Aditya Sir?)”

Meethi smiled at her husband, he caught Imlie. She sat back down and asked, “Uu tohar Boss Babu rahe?(He is your Boss Babu?)”

Imlie grinned and nodded, “Ji!(Yes!)”

Meethi asked again, “Tu keval uuki karam chaari rahe?(You are just his employee?)”

Imlie nodded again, “Ji!(Yes!)”

Before she could say anything, Nani yelled again, “Aur hum abhai 20 saal ki kunwari kanya rahe.(And I’m just a 20 year old single girl.)”

Imlie flashed her eyes in the direction of Nani and Meethi chortled, finding Satyakaam’s amused grin.

She got up, her finger pointing at her Nani, but before she could say anything her phone was ringing. The name Akkadbagga flashed on it.

Imlie scrambled once again to grab it, as if she was afraid that Meethi would really ask Aryan and all of what Imlie’s hiding would come out. She answered her phone, “ABP!”

Meethi couldn’t hear the other end of the conversation, but she watched as her daughter’s eyes lighted up and the weight on her shoulders lightened. She watched as her daughter got irritated before asking, “Kaahe, ab tum bhi humka aur daateonge? Aa jao, tumri hi kami hai eeha.(Why, now even you want to scold me? Come, only you were missing.)”

Then she watched as Imlie’s face turned into surprise, followed by her asking them, “Aapki wapasi ki ticket kab hai?(When is your ticket back?)”

Meethi replied, “Aaj shyaam ki.(In the evening.)”

Imlie repeated the same and then she grinned after hearing the other side. She asked, “Kaahe, apan dost ki family ki khatirdaari kare, ki humri buraai sune khaatir?(Why, to treat your friend’s family, or to listen to all the dirt they have on me?)”

Then she got annoyed again at the answer she received and answered, “Theek hai. Hum aa jaayi hai.(Okay. I’ll be there.)”

Then the call was disconnected and she was back to the sofa, shrinking within it and pouting.

Meethi looked at Satyakaam and sat down beside her, asking, “Kaa kahe?(What did he say?)”

Imlie replied, the frown unchanging on her face, “Khane par bulaaye rahe toka.(Called you for lunch.)”

Meethi smiled, “Dekha Aryan babu kitne ache rahe, aur tu—(See, Aryan Babu is so mice, and you—)”

Imlie jumped back again, “Ache aur uu. Woh toka khaane pe ee kare naahi bulawe rahe ki aap humra pariwaar rahe, par ee khatir bulawat rahe ki aap sab uu ke ghar maan kiraaye pe rahe waale lehki ke parivar rahe.(He, nice? Yeah. He didn’t call you for lunch because you’re my family, he called you for lunch because you are the family of the girl who pays him rent to stay in his house.)”

Meethi chuckled, “Par uu toh tu hi rahi naa.(But that girl is you only.)”

Imlie seethed, “Aap kaahe naahi samajhte, hum uu ki kiraayedaar hai, uu ke employee hai. Bus.(Why do you not get it? I am his tenant, his employee. Nothing else.)”

Meethi understood now, and looked at Satyakaam again, his eyes on the same track as her.

This time, Satyakaam asked, “Aur toka kaa chaahi? Ki tu uu ki kachu aur rahe?(And what do you want? That you be someone else for him?)”

Imlie frowned again, “Hum uu ke khatir dost bhi naahi hai. Aur kachu kaa howat hai?(I am not even a friend to him. What even is someone else?)”

Meethi sighed at her daughter’s continuous childishness.

When Imlie looked at her in question, she asked her one, “Toka bura kaahe lag raha hai? Tu uu ki karamchari hai aur kiraayedaar bhi hai. Toka bura ee kaaran lagat hai ki uu toka dost naahi maanat hai, ki ee baat pe ki Aryan Babu toka dost naahi maanat hai?(Why are you feeling bad? You are his employee and his tenant. Are you feeling hurt because he does not consider you a friend, or by the fact that Aryan Babu does not consider you a friend?)”

Unfortunately, since they were leaving in the evening, Nani fell asleep and Satyakaam had some meeting with his group before leaving for Pagdandiya.

So Meethi and Imlie met Aryan at the lobby of the hotel, her daughter still lost in thought, looking for the answer to the question she has posed on her daughter.

Imlie came out of it when the three of them sat together in the restaurant. Meethi watched as Aryan and Imlie, in tune with each other, completed each other’s statements while ordering food.

Aryan ordered, “One Biryani, one Bhuna Masala, one Bhindi Fry, and one Dal Fry too—”

Imlie interrupted, “Chaar Kulcha, aur Raita extra—(Four Kulchas, and Raita extra—)”

Aryan asked, “Kulcha?”

Imlie looked at him and answered, “Tum thodi hi khaoge Biryani, chaawal se jon tumri dushmani rahi.(You will not eat Biryani, as you are, you consider rice to be your enemy.)”

Aryan humphed and continued, “Teen Kulcha, aur teen Roti—(Three Kulchas, and three Rotis—)”

Imlie asked this time, “Ab Roti kaahe?(Why Roti now?)”

Aryan answered, “Tum kaha Kulche khaati ho. Aur mana mat karna, maine dekha hai—(You do not eat Kulcha remember. And don’t you dare refuse, I’ve seen you—)”

Imlie interrupted again, “Do Papad, aur do saadha Pani ka Bottle.(Two Papads and two bottles of water, room temperature.)”

The waiter left but Aryan persisted, “Saadha? Why? Thanda—(Room Temperature? Why? Cool—)”

Imlie just said, “Naahi!(Nope!)”

Aryan frowned and leaned back on his seat.

Meethi assumed that they had had this argument before.

Her daughter was ordering in a restaurant, while interrupting a billionaire in his order. Aryan Babu was letting her interrupt him.

Throughout the lunch, she watched them. Oh, they talked to her, but they did things for each other mindlessly. Like Aryan, as soon as the water was here, poured a glass for Imlie. Imlie, as soon as the crockery arrived, used the tissue paper to meticulously clean it. Aryan, once again, took away the chillies from the salad that arrived with the dishes. Imlie, once again, leaned forward to take Aryan’s glasses off the table just as the food arrived.

They were so in sync with each other.

They already were Aryan&Imlie.

She didn’t know what was going around in her daughter’s head, and she certainly couldn’t even begin to guess what Aryan thought, but watching them like this gave her hope. It's the little things that make you realise how hopeless you are in front of the other.

Hope that they will realise that they are so much more than boss-employee, landlord-tenant. That they were more than friends.

However much time it may take, they should learn the other’s feelings to move forward in their relationship.

Because they had that, a relationship, they were Aryan&Imlie.

Meethi looked proudly at her daughter. She had found something she could cherish for life. It may take her some time to get out of her previous relationship's shadow, but the one that she had waiting for her was a wonderful one.

Meethi sat through the lunch and noticed all the ways they were Aryan&Imlie. Her and Imlie bid adieu to Aryan after the lunch and she watched Imlie lost in thought again.

Meethi sat Imlie down beside her, the same sofa in which she had been practically melting within, and asked, “Kaa sochat hai?(What are you thinking?)”

Imlie looked up at her and answered, “Jon tum humse puche rahi.(What you asked me.)”

Meethi chuckled and said, “Fikar naahi kar, agar toka waqat chahi toh waqat lele. Par soch le. Aur Aryan Babu ko bata de. Ki toka naahi pasand, jab uu toka apan dost naahi maanat hai. Uu ka bata de, ki tu uu ki keval karamchari yaa kiraayedaar naahi hai. Uu ka bataye de ki—(Don’t you worry, if you want time, take it. But think about it. And tell Aryan Babu. You do not like it when he does not accept that you are friends. Tell him that you are not just an employee or a tenant. Tell him—)”

Imlie looked at her with hope in her eyes, and Meethi watched as she saw her old Imlie shine through them. She watched as the young Imlie shined bright through them, and continued, “Uu ka bataye de, ki uu tohre khatir dost se bhi badkar hai.(And tell him that he means more to you than a friend.)

Meethi watched as Imlie closed her eyes, and she knew the next words out of her mouth were gonna be denial, “Aisan kachu naahi hai.(There is nothing like that.)”

Meethi just grabbed her chin and turned her to look into her eyes, then she found her braid, stroking it, she said, “Hum jaanat hai ki tu apan aap ko kaahe rok rakhi hai. Kaahe ee baat ko thukra rahi hai. Par ee mat bhul Imaliya, ki Aryan Babu ka dil sirf pathar dikhat rahe, pathar hai naahi. Uu ka dard dene ka haq toka abhai naahi hai. Toh yaa toh tu apan dil ki baat samajh ja, yaa toh tu apan dil ko samjha, ki uu ka jon chahi, tu abhai tak uu dene khatir taiyaar naahi hai. Apan khatir naahi, toh Aryan Babu ke khatir, samajh ja Imaliya.(I know why you are stopping yourself. Why you are in denial. But don’t forget this Imlie, that Aryan Babu’s heart only appears as a stone, is not actually a stone. You have no right to hurt him, not yet. So, either understand what your heart wants, or make your heart understand that what it wants right now, you are not capable of giving it. If not for your sake, then for Aryan Babu’s sake. Please understand Imlie.)

Then Nani was up, and Satyakaam was back and it was time to leave.

She watched as her daughter remained in daze as they were leaving.

Before leaving for home, she hugged her daughter and blessed her, “Sitaa Maiyaa kare tohre hisse ki sari khushiyaan, jon tohar khatir intezaar karat rahe, uu toka jald hi mil jaaye.(With the blessings of Sitaa Maiyaa, I hope you get your share of happiness, the ones that are waiting for you, and you get them soon.)”

And the thing about them was they understood what was spoken between the lines.

Her daughter understood that she was asking her to let happiness come to her.

Her daughter understood that she was asking her to let her feelings come over once again.

Her daughter understood that she was asking her to ponder over her question.

Her daughter understood that she was asking her to let Aryan in.

Her daughter understood that she was asking her to give Aryan&Imlie a chance.