Destiny's Play-Pt XXXIII(Pg 144) 4/3 - Page 28

Originally posted by: jazzerette

Nice updates...anticipating the next ones more to see where the story goes from here...

Originally posted by: preethia

hi opti r u gonna update now?

Part XXV

The next major festival, Ganesh Chaturti, was fast approaching but the impasse in their relationship continued. Maan was not rude as he was on Raksha Bandhan day nor was he obstinate as he was on Dahi Handi day, but he had withdrawn more and more into his shell. His speech had reduced to monosyllables and he steadfastly avoided eye contact with Geet even while uttering these rare words. He constantly looked like he was battling with himself leaving Geet perplexed as to what to do. She tried her best to make things appear normal and hoped that the rest of the residents in the chawl did not notice the fissures in their relationship. Her sessions with God increased for she knew that retrieving the situation was beyond her power.

It was the eve of Ganesh Chaturti. The chawl was all decked up to welcome Lord Ganesha the next day. The chawl lads were hanging up the serial bulbs on the trees lined up on the path leading up to the chawl when they realised they ran out of lights for one stretch of about three metres. One of them remembered that Maan bhaiyya had some serial bulbs at his place. So he ran up to his house and asked Geet if he can have the lights that Maan bhaiyya usually keeps on the top of his cupboard. Geet dragged a stool to the cupboard, climbed up and found the lights where the lad said they would be. As she brought them down, she knocked down something which fell with a thud. Looking down she saw a brown diary which had gathered considerable dust. As the lad was still waiting at the door, she handed over the serial lights to him and went back to the diary. Dusting it she was about to return it back to its place when she noticed some visiting cards which had spilled from the diary, lying scattered around. She gathered them together and was about to put them inside the diary when she inadvertently opened a page on which her name appeared. She did not have the habit of nosing through someone's diary but the mention of her name got her curious and she skimmed through the page first and later read it more thoroughly. Maan's scrawl and staccatoed style of writing was unmistakable. The page was dotted with doodles, expressing his anger as well as anguish.

April 8, 2009

Met her at the coffee shop today. Did not know how to break it to her but had to do it for Anwesha. Told her about Arjun's condition - that creep will accept Anwesha only if I accept his sister, Geet and hand him the share of property that will be transferred to me on marriage. Told her that I give a damn about the property. Did not want a single pie of Mohinder Handa's wealth. Am troubled more about ditching her after promising to marry her. Could have bashed up that creep and forced him to marry Anwesha but then will he keep her happy? I think not. He will make her life a living hell. Couldn't see my sister suffer. Asked her what to do. Was expecting her to hit me, yell at me. But she surprised me with her calmness. She said that we were not meant to be and asked me to forget her. Asked her if she could, but she did not answer, just left leaving me shattered. How can I forget her? How can I stop loving a woman I had loved for the past ten years? For the first time I understand a lover's pain in losing the one he loves.

With her hands shaking uncontrollably, Geet dropped the diary. She slumped on the bed, her face ashen with shock. Along with the realisation that Maan had loved someone before marriage came a hundred questions which were chaotically running through her head. When Maan insisted she comes and lives with him in his chawl, was it because of Arjun's condition? She did not know that Arjun could stoop to this level. Maan did not seem to have had much of a choice, for Anwesha's future was at stake and she knew he would do anything for his sister but how can he stop his heart from loving the woman he has loved for ten years? Does he still love her? Did her indirect confession of love scare him off? Was it the reason why he was trying to distance himself from her? If he did not want her in his life, why did he act very friendly with her? Why did he show he cared for her? Why did he let her build her dreams around him?

Suddenly it struck her that the best person who could throw more light about Maan's past is Sameera. After all they had lived together in the same chawl for so many years. They also seemed to be good friends. Maybe Sameera will know about Maan's lover. Rubbing away the tears which had trickled down her cheeks, she got up and hurried towards Sameera's house. Reaching Sameera's place, she was about to push the door and enter in, when she stopped in her tracks hearing a familiar voice.

"I can't love her, Sameera. I can't love Geet." His voice sounded plaintive and desperate.

Before Geet could recover from the shock of hearing Maan's voice, through the crack in the door she saw Sameera reach out to Maan and hold his head in her hands, "Why Maan, why? Is it because you have still not forgotten our past?"

Geet.

Sliding the corner of the note under the notebook so that it was visible, she left the notebook on the bed and picking up her suitcase, she left Maan's house for good with tears streaming down her eyes.

Continued here