Chapter 2
****
23years back
Location: New Delhi, Sarita Vihar
The sterile scent of antiseptics filled the air as Ragini Ahuja lay in the gynecology ward, the beeping of monitors breaking the heavy silence. Outside, in the dimly lit waiting area, Sanjeev Ahuja sat anxiously, his gaze fixed on the closed door, while beside him, his four-year-old son, Maan, clung to his arm—too young to understand the weight of the moment, but the cries of his mother unsettled him.
“Why is Mommy crying, Dad?” Maan cried.
“Don’t need to cry Maan. Your little brother or sister is coming to this world,”
Mohinder Handa, parked his car in the hospital parking lot and rushed inside the hospital.
“Ragini Ahuja...?” he asked at the reception
“Go straight and then turn right, you will see the gynecology ward. Room No 104”
Mohinder rushed and saw his friend pacing in the lobby while his elder son sitting and crying
“It will take some time. Where will I keep Maan? He is continuously crying. What a highly emotional boy he is,” said Sanjeev, all worried.
"He’s just a small child, Sanjeev. You shouldn’t keep him in the hospital," she said gently. "That’s why I came to take him home. There, he’ll be distracted, playing with Brij."
“Rano Bhabhi herself is due soon; I don’t want her to be bothered by two little kids.”
“Don’t talk like strangers and be formal. We are more than just family friends; we are family. You know Aunty and Uncle won’t take care of Maan, so I am taking him with me.”
“Thanks, Mohinder. Thank you so much.” Sajveev hugged his friend in gratitude.
“I truly wish that Rano could have been there for Ragini Bhabhi during this delicate time. She wanted to visit, but the doctor has strongly advised her to rest in bed.”
“Am I not aware of that, Mohinder?” Sanjeev gazed at his son, who was persistently weeping, distressed by the sight of his mother in agony.
Mohinder gently looked down at the little boy, wrapping him in his arms. “Maan, shall we go?” he asked softly, taking Maan away from his mother. The little one cried throughout the journey, his tears told of the bond that he shared with his mother.
Rano, holding her heavy belly, opened the door to let them in.
“Ohhh boy... How much does he cry? He has made life so tough for Ragini and Sanjeev Bhai. They should pamper him a little less.”
She looked at Brij, “Take him to your room. I’ll make something for him. Maybe he is crying out of hunger “
Mohinder simply nodded.
Everyone had their views. Ragini and Sanjeev simply love everything about their son and take special care of him. Maan is an extremely emotional and sensitive boy, and small things disturb him.
“He will stay here until Bhabhi ji is discharged. His grandparents would not entertain him,” informed Mohinder to Rano.
“I won’t blame them completely, Mohinder. They are old, how would they take care of this boy, who cries and gets emotional about everything?”
“If they give him love like their grandson, Maan will give them unlimited love in return. He gets so attached to people so soon.” Mohinder took the little boy's side.
“I don’t blame them at all. “
Later, little boys started playing while Maan kept asking about his mother every now and then.
After a few hours, Maan's little baby brother arrived in this world. There was happiness all around.
Mohinder and Rano reached their home with the two kids, Brij and super excited Maan.
As Maan tried to run to his mother’s room, he was stopped by his grandmother
“Hold on, Maan. First, go wash your hands and stay outside. You will make the little baby sick otherwise.”
All four grandparents of Maan went inside. None were ready to leave the new born baby
“Mom, could you please let Maan in? I can only imagine how restless he must be out there,” Ragini said softly to her mother. Understanding her elder son's feelings, she felt the restlessness of Maan, knowing how much he longed to be near her and meet his newborn baby brother after such a long wait.
“Ragini, we are not his enemy. This is a newborn baby, and Maan is so small. He will not be able to handle this; this is a baby, not a toy.” They scolded Ragini.
It was only after an hour that Sanjeev came and saw restless Maan crying to see his Mommy and baby brother. Sanjeev picked Maan up in his arms
“I’m sorry, Bhai Sahab. I’ve tried to calm him down for a long time, but he keeps crying. The elders aren't letting him in,” Rano informed.
“It’s okay Bhabhi ji. Did you meet Ragini and the baby?”
“No, not yet. You take him in first.”
Sanjeev took Maan inside and sent the parents for rest.
Maan ran and hugged his mother and then was elated to see his little brother.
The baby boy was named Vikrant aka Vicky.
Sanjeev and Ragini Ahuja, felt elated to see their whole family - their two little kids, Maan and Vikrant .
Maan, an emotional boy, loved his little brother. His parents simply adored him for the beautiful heart that he had.
******
After a couple of months, Rano gave birth to a baby girl. Brij was happy to have a little baby in the house. Sanjeev and Ragini were there all the while with Rano.
“ I want to see the baby girl” Maan had troubled them like anything. Mostly the boy who agreed to everything had been restless since the baby girl had been born
“Rano, Maan will not let me rest till he holds the baby in his hand “
Rano shook her head “okay, Maan sit properly on the bed”
Maan was so careful to take the seat in the middle of the bed.
“Ragini, I agree he has an extremely advanced level of understanding as per his age but still you don’t need to listen to everything he asks for. You are spoiling him a little too much. I am worried, one day he will ask you the right of little Vicky and you won’t be able to deny” suggested Rao
“All we have belongs to Maan and Vicky. Maan will give Vicky his everything but never take anything of his. I know my son that much”
“Your son, hmmm??” Rano repeated
“Yes Rano, my son, my darling Maan”
The new born baby girl started crying
“Give me , give me.. I will make her laugh. Give me give me” Maan became restless seeing the baby girl cry
“Okay boy, see how restless he gets. He wants the crying baby now”
Rano shook her head and placed the new born carefully in Maan’s criss cross lap
Maan bent down and placed the tip of his nose on the baby girl and immediately her cry turned into baby giggle and her small hand reached to land on his soft face.
“Wow!!” Came out from Rano
“He does this to Vicky too” laughed Ragini
Brij too wanted to hold the crying baby like Maan but he couldn’t make her laugh. Maan laughed and teased him.
Rano and Mohinder named the baby girl - Geet.
The four kids grew up together, their bond naturally deepening over time. Brij and Maan, starting in the same grade and sharing a close friendship, had their own unique personalities, yet they complemented each other well. With all four children growing side by side, their families became an extension of one another. There was no sense of formality between them—any home was a place of comfort, guidance, and even the occasional scolding. Love and care flowed effortlessly between both households, making it feel as if they were one big family.
Among the kids - While Brij was carefree and enjoyed his own life, Maan being the extreme emotional one took charge of two younger ones. Vicky obviously as he was his younger brother but with Geet he had a different level of attachment. He, self-assigned himself as responsible to see everything in Geet’s life was smooth.
Geet liked to think of herself as street-smart. With Maan around, everything felt easier—he had a way of smoothing things out effortlessly. In her mind, that was exactly why he was her best friend. Whether it was homework, tests, scoldings, or her endless mischief, Maan was always there—either taking the brunt of it or finding a way to fix things for her. Through him, she found a way around every hurdle, trusting that he would always have her back.
*******
It was 4 am early in the morning. Geet was standing in the middle of a big farm land in the suburb of the city. It was empty all around her. It would at least be an hour for sunrise to happen. Standing in this vast land, with no one around was dangerous and scary. But Geet as of now was above that fear of life. The feeling that she was going as of now was above all the fear and beyond any feelings or experience of earthy life. She was feeling an entirely unique pull. She felt she was floating in the middle of something entirely beyond anyone’s understanding in this world. Never has she heard of this feeling or experience from anyone in this world. Was she still on earth or was she already dead. What was happening to her? Has she died and experienced the world beyond her own. But why was it not smooth? She felt being pulled between the two worlds
“Geet-Geet-Geet” Vicky’s shouting from afar entering her ears but she was immobile. She tried turning towards Vicky but felt something was holding her. Vicky’s voice was pulling her while an unknown force pulled towards it. She could feel the darkness all around, maybe Vicky’s voice and slight pull back was making her aware of her surroundings.
“Geet” tap on her shoulder and she was completely back into the reality of her world. She looked around and then at Vicky.
“Ohhhh” she sighed, she was in the normal real world.
“ What are you doing here and at this hour in the morning? This solitude and this vast empty land. Geet, are you out of your senses “
“I wish I was in my senses when he was so near me, all around me.”
“ This is not the type of place for anyone to be alone and at this hour. What brought you here? Are you planning to end your life and this one way you found out?” Vicky scolded her
“What brought you here?” She asked in return
“Do you have any idea? Brij veer Ji and myself have been roaming around all over the city the whole night. With Bhai’s sudden disappearance, don’t you realize the panic in our families if you are not found in anyone’s house at night hours. When you were not found anywhere, this was the last place left. Luckily, I remembered Bhai mentioning bringing you to such places a couple of times “
“I was missing him, so I came here,” she said softly. “You know, Vicky, I went through something... strange. It felt like I was being pulled—not by something, exactly, but by a force. Like I was caught between two worlds... two spaces... zones... I don’t even know how to explain it.”
Vicky gave her a frustrating look
“What kind of experience do you expect if you are in this stranded place at this odd hour? Geet, it’s obvious, you went into sleep and dreamt all weird things, Sometimes when I wander in dreams, I keep trying to do things and am never able to finish it”
Geet could not say further, maybe Vicky is right. But why does she still feel it was all real experience?
Maan used to bring me to such places at such odd hours. He used to walk and walk and found some spot, closed his eyes, spread his arms and ask me
“ Geet, Spread your arms and feel the bliss of universe “
“I never felt anything like that those times. But he never had horrific experience the way I had today”
“You accompanied Bhai to such stranded places at such odd hours?” Vicky asked with his brows closing with each other.
“Of course, I had to or else he would come alone. I could have not left him alone to come such places alone in the odd hours that he picked”
“I do not get the kind of psychology topper you are? You couldn’t understand your own feelings. No one accompanies a boy like this.”
“Maan never scolded me like this.”
“Woh deewane the tumhare, I am not. He was...”
“What’s this... ‘he was’. He is in this world somewhere; we just don’t know. Let Maan be back, I will complain him about how rude you have been to his Geet”
Geet’s voice was cracking. The reality was, they could not see a single ray of hope which said, he was there, somewhere
“I will lovingly take all his scolding, will die to see him back” said Vicky getting emotional.
As they rode back on Vicky’s bike, Geet was lost in thoughts. Vicky is surprised that she came to such places at such odd with Maan and still never accepted her feelings as love. What will Vicky and other’s think, if they know to what extent she had fulfilled Maan’s wishes but never agreed that he was more than a friend. Maan was penniless and she wanted to be rich, how could she accept his love proposal.
Geet went into the trance
“Uff this man, how messy he is? I have to always clean his room. Jaise biwi hoon main iski” She cribbed as usual and started working on fixing his room. Folded his blankets, straightened his bed
“If I don’t fix it, he will sleep in this messy bed” She kept complaining and fixing his room.
She was arranging his table when her back hit the wall. Geet found Maan in front of her bordering her with his hands on either side
“Maan, what are you doin? Move”
“What did you say now? Jaise biwi hoon iski. Toh ban jao na Biwi meri”
“Maan, stop your nonsense and move.”
“You know, I won’t Geet. You love me, just confess once and all this confusion will disappear.” As he spoke, he brought his face close to hers, brushing his lips on hers and then slightly brushing his stubble on her soft chin, he further moved down to place his lips on her shoulder. His warm breath fanned her neck region
“Mann, stop it, you are ruining the bond of…”
“Geet-Geet,” Vicky’s voice brought her back to reality
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