Originally posted by: mozart66
Pooji yaar Shilpi ko sweet chodke aur kuch achcha lagta hai toh bana hi dete hai kitchen mein! Anyway, she is on diet na?!!
Originally posted by: preety_219
I had offered her sugar free gulab jamun,that's why she gave this update😆Now u make something else & offer her.😉
Originally posted by: shilpita87
U both are shameless...i gave u two back to back updates ab bacchey ki jaan logey kya?
theek hai...tonite at midnight IST me posting next part...okie!
Ch17: Six Months & Seven Steps
Kalawati placed the bag of peas down and went to pick up her ringing mobile but before she could reach it Debu who was doing his last revision for his final exams at the dining table had picked it up. Debu shouted excitedly on hearing who it was,"Jiju! Kaise ho aap? Haan haan maine padai kar li…kal Biology hai…nai maths accha tha…history thoda bakwaas tha…arey yaar, main kyun yaad rakhoon ki 19th century mein kya hua tha…kya logic hai? nai nai…paper tough nai tha….par maine dates mein garboard ki hai…likhne ke baad yaad aaya…par tab tak mujhe wo answer cross karke dubara likhne mein bahut bore ho raha tha to waise hi chod diya…kya farak padega?" Kalawati looked aghast at the little terror. Here she was quacking in fear that he had muddled his history paper and the minx had purposely submitted the wrong answers as he was too bored to rewrite it! She pulled his ear taking the mobile from him and whacked his back to direct him back to studies. Debu made a face at her and tucked his face behind the book rubbing his red ear. Kalawati- Haan bhau bol, kasha ahet? Tai kaisi hai? unke jodo ka dard theek hai?
Dutta groaned inside but kept his voice normal-hmm, sab theek hai tai. Aajkal meri davai chod ke Swami Ramdev ki bhakt bann gai hai. pata nahi Mary se kya sab bekaar ke ghaas-phus ubal kar piti hai. Bahar walo ko pata chalega ki mere hi ghar mein mere log meri doctori pe bharosa nahi kartey to meri dukan band! Phir meri biwi ka kya hoga? Talking of whom..aaa..tai, nakku hai wahan?
Kalawati smiled in the phone knowing well why her little brother called every evening at this precise hour on her cell. She gave a surreptitious look at the object of his affection. Kalawati noted that nakku was peeling peas for dinner's mutter paneer with more concentration then the job warranted. But unfortunately since the phone has rung she had reversed her actions and was putting the peas in the trash can near her leg and putting the skin of peels in the cooking container. She thought it prudent to save her peas and called her over,"Nakku!" Nakku came out of her reverie and looked down at the mess and went dark shade of pink. She quickly got up and took the phone without meeting Kalawati's eyes. Holding the phone to her ears she listened. His husky voice murmured,"Meethu?" She turned to look around her to check if anyone was paying her attention and walked towards the stairs still holding the phone.
He lied down languidly on his four posture bed and listened to the sounds intently. He could hear the tinkling of bells of her anklets and could guess that she was running up the stairs to the first floor room. He heard a soft closing of doors and knew that she must be locking it. Some more tinkles and jingles as she made herself comfortable on his bed, he thought. He smiled trying to picture her sitting there in that room beside the rajnigandha filled vase beside the bed, popped against the pillows she must have dusted this morning maybe hugging one to her.
Nakku smelled the pillow and knew that it didn't have that citrusy smell but still she could imagine it in her heart and gripped it tightly,"Hmmm?".He smiled,"miss me?". Nakku nodded quickly as she answered,"bilkul nahi." Dutta chuckled,"theek hai to main rakhta hoon?" "Naiii!! Sunye naa…"She gasped in fear of him hanging up. Dutta- so….Nakkusha made a face- I love you..i miss you….i am sorry ki maine shaadi postpone karai…theek hai? Dutta grinned-Bola na..roz ye ek baar tujhe bolna hoga. teri punishment hai mujhe tarpane ke liye.Nakkusha smiled,"aapki nursing home waalon ke saath meeting kaisi rahi? Wo log maan gaye garibo ke liye charity unit kholne ke liye?"
Dutta groaned and pulled his laptop closer looking at the graph projections he was working on,"Nai. But atleast mujhe straight maana bhi nahi kiya hai. But…ab un logon ko proper graphical report chahiye ki ye unit unka profit nahi khayega. I hate statistics..i hate powerpoint and I hate the management jargon." Nakkusha asked softly,"matlab?" Dutta-matlab ki main doctor hoon…yeh sab profit loss mujhe nahi pata…par ab mujhe saari raat jag ke ye sab banana hoga…phir se meeting request karni hogi aur in sab kamine paise ke bhukhe gidaron ko dikhana hoga ki unke paise salamat rahenge.
Nakkusha frowned- Sheesh..Kitni gaaliyan dete hai aap…chee! Mere chotey bhai ke samne aise baat nahi karna.
Dutta- tera bhai? Tera bhai mujhe do-char cheez sikha de itna smart hai samjhi! Aur tere pitashri kya kar rahe hai..chasma laga ke paper pakad ke soo rahe hai? Nakkusha- mere babuji ka majak mat udao. Accha batao, tumne waqt pe dopahar ko khana khaya tha? Dutta thought of the coffee and walnut cookie he had had before going to the board's meeting and crossed his fingers,"Yes." Nakkusha looked suspiciously at the phone-jhoot! Kitne pee hai aaj? Dutta looked sideways at the cigarette he has just put out a minute ago - kya nakku? come on! Nakkusha kept quiet fuming inside. He could feel her anger through the wireless line. He sighed and confessed- jayada nahi. Nakkusha- kitni? Dutta licked his lips- 2…maybe 3. Nakkusha- jhoot jhoot jhoot..mujhe yahan tak badbu aa rahi hai…agar aapne shaadi tak nahi chodi na..to main..to….main…haan main shaadi ke baad leelatai ke saath rahungi. She felt proud of herself for coming out with that threat. Dutta- main shaadi ke pahele tai ko thane ke flat mein shift kar dunga. Nakkusha shrieked exhasperated as he grinned. They continued their bickering for some time and then settled down to talk about their day and just discuss about random things. They talked till it became impossible to hold the cell to the ears due to the heat emitting from the electronic device. When nakkusha went down to keep the cell on the living table she realized amazedcthat again she had talked for over two hours. She wished looking at the clock that tomorrow evening would come sooner than today.
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Kalawati was sorting the invitations that were to be sent tomorrow. She checked again if all of them had the auspicious sindoor-haldi kumkum on it. She heard the happy chatter of the three girls as they entered the house with buddhuram heralding nakkusha's entrance as always. She felt a pang in her heart, just two weeks and then she would not here that parrot's voice telling her of her nakku's coming. It was amazing that on one hand there was immense happiness that her little nakkusha will become her vahini. She could not have asked for anything else if she had climbed all the stairs of Bamleshwari on her knee. But then there was pain that Nakku will have to go far away in distant world from her even though, it was with her bhau. She knew Leelatai will always be there for her nakku but then leelatai was so strict and abrupt in her manner. And nakkusha was terrified of leelatai as she had confessed to kalawati many times now. In three weeks wedding ceremonies will be on the way. Sangeet, mehendi and engagement were fixed on the day before the wedding and then day after the wedding she would take the bride and groom to seek blessings of bamleshwari mata in dongargarh. And then two days later Dutta will take away nakku. Kalawati swiped away the tear behind her spectacles and looked up as Nakkusha came in with Sonu and Dimple, Dinky' younger sister. Nakkusha chirped as she sat beside kalawati- Didi, dekho na..sagai aur shaadi ka joda sill diya hai, farooq kaka ne, aaj ke aaj hi. kitna pyara salma-sitara walla pattern dala hai neck pe. Dimple-maine na kaha tha farooq kaka ke haathon mein jadu hai. kaichi pakdi nahi, kapda aapne aap banana lagta hai. Didi ke shadi ke aur uske baad ke pag phere wagare ke dresses sab unhone banai the. Kalawati looked at the beautiful dresses and nodded at nakku's effervescent happiness. Kalawati gave nakku a sideways look and said- waise phone aaya tha. Nakkusha stilled while opening the bangles box and looked at kalawati. Kalawati took the box from her hands and opened it saying with emphasis- Chaar baar. Nakkusha picked kalwati's cell from the coffee table and giving a apologetic look at kalawati and dimple ran up the stairs hitting the speed dial button. She reached the terrace and sat on the cot as the phone kept ringing. As it went unanswered her heart began to beat faster. She tried again and this on fifth ring it was picked.
"Where the hell were you? Kahan gayi thi? Pao mein chakkey hai kyat ere, chupchap ek jagah nahi reh sakti?"
Nakkusha fumbled with answer- wo main…shaadi ka joda lane gayi thi…subha hi nikle the Raipur ke liye…
Dutta interrupted her with a growl- I am not interested, damn it. What the hell is wrong with you? bataya kyun nahi tha kal raat ko? Nakkusha-subha achanak plan ban gaya tha isliye. Maine didi ko bataya tha..Jijaji chod aye the..aur..le bhi aye the sham ko.
Dutta closed his eyes trying to hold back rude curses. He knew he was being unfair in using her as his punching bag to vent his frustrations but he had desperately wanted to hear her voice today and she was not there. Today was he had had his biggest failure and he needed her. He needed her balm to soothe his wounded soul.
Nakkusha could feel the caged rage in him- Suniye naa..kya hua? Kya baat hai? Dutta- koi baat nahi hai. Nakkusha-umhuu..kuch hua hai. aapka gussa bol raha hai. kya hua? Kyun phone kar rahe the.
Dutta sighed- I lost her, Nakku. I lost. Main haar gaya..baccha nahi paya usse. Nakkusha gripped the ropes on the cot so tight that they left marks on her hands. She whispered- Pinky? Dutta nodded then realizing she can't see him he said softly- pinky. Nakusha knew how much that little girl had began to mean to him. For past two months he had spoken everyday about the energetic, chattering eight year old girl who was diagnosed with an acute heart condition. He had once held his phone to the little girl so that she could talk to nakkusha.
"Aap mere waale prince se shaadi karogi?" "Ammm..aapke prince?""Haan mere waale prince..inhone bola hai ki ye na asal mein prince hai…Cinderella waale..abhi doctor ban kar yahan chuppe huye hai…takki jadugarni ne mujhe jo bimaari di hai wo theek kar de.""Accha to wo aapke rajkumar hai…to theek hai aap bolo..main shaadi na karoon."
There were some loud whispers and mumblings on the other side of the phone then the voice came again,"nai aap shaadi karlo..par..aamm thodey dinno ke liye..jab main theek ho jaungi tab mera waala prince mere saath shaadi karega..OK!" " Hmm..OK!"
Nakkusha felt her eyes water in pain for the little girl and for him. She knew how much pain he must be in. Nakkusha-"suniye, please…aap aise mat tootye. Aapne puri koshish to kit hi naa…jo hona tha usse to nahi rokh saktey"
Dutta- Nahi nakku, Jo hona tha usse rokhne ki hi kasam khayi thi maine. I am a bloody doctor damn it. I needed more time ….nakku..i needed more time….kuch to kar sakta tha main…warna kis kaam ka ye sab. Bloodyhell!
Nakkusha heard a loud crash of mettle and stood up gasping in fear- Dutta…! Dutta jawab dijiye….aap theek hai na. Dutta! She heard a low curse then his firm voice- Main theek nai hoon. I need you, nakku…damn it I so need you.
Dutta pressed his hand to his weary face and willed himself to form the words- Do din se I could see the drop in her reports. She had stopped responding to the drugs. Pain bhi bardne laga tha. So much pain…so little…So much suffering. Phir yesterday..kal raat ko 3 baje uski halaat aur bhi bigard gayi..i went in and saw she needed the surgery immediately. 5baaje tak we were ready to operate….pahele do ghantey tak…sab kuch theek tha..i mean critical tha but..conrol mein tha sab kuch…I..I took a break after the fourth hour…dixit took over…main bahar aaya..scrubbed again and went back…kuch dus minute huye hongey…haan..10-15 minute bas…andar sab badal gaya tha….we were already losing her. We tried to bring up the heart beats…shocks diye…repeatedly….respiration control karne ki koshish ki….adrenaline rush inject kiya…everything…Har shock ke baad uska chotta sa body..it used to jump off the table…Nakku…aise uchchalta uska nanha sa sharer….it didn't work..nothing worked…she fought for three hours…3 bloody damn hours…and couldn't do anything…nothing..Nakku..i lost her. Nakkusha tasted the salt on her own lips as she heard him. she knew that Pinky must be in peace now after all this pain but for him these things didn't mean anything. He was man of facts and proofs. He didn't believe in God or soul or afterlife. For him there was one life and one chance at it. And that made it all the more difficult for him to accept death. Dutta- teri bahut yaad aa rahi hai. Kaash tu yahan hoti. Nakkusha smiled in between her tears swiping at her runny nose- main to wahan hoon aapke paas. Aap apni aankhen band kijiye. Dutta closed his eyes. "Ab aasmaan ki taraf rukh kijiye" He laid his head back with his eyes closed."ab aapni aankhen kholiye" Dutta opened his eyes. He was amazed to see that the sky was so clear tonight even in Mumbai. He could see the sprinkle of stars winking at him. "Chand dekh rahe hain""Hmm!"" kaisa hai""amawasya aane waali hai""haan par aaj to amawasya nahi hai na..aaj chand hai..dheere dheere chota ho raha hai..par aaj hai humare saath.""aaj hai par kal to nahi hoga..asmaan khali ho jayega..andhera ho jayega""Par phir agle din thoda thoda karke bada hoga…phir poornima aayegi..sab kuch chandni mein doob jayega..aisa hi hota hai…humari zindagi mein…amawasya ke darr se agar chand aana chod de to poornima kaise hogi" Dutta gave a mirthless laugh,"Aisa nahi hai naaku…moon ka aapna Forthnight circle hota hai…wo dharti ke chakkar kaat ta hai…aur isliye" Nakkusha gave a husky laugh,"Main jaanti hoon…par aap nahi samjhe…aapka logic sahi batata hai..chand ke parikrma chakra ke bare mein..par kabhi aapne logic se bahar aakar sochye na…har aamavasya ke baad ek naya chand aata hai..dheere dheere bada hota hai..phir aapni pura jeevan jeeke dheere dheere phir chotta ho jata hai…aur ek din" Dutta listened to her soft voice. He let her words drench his soul and wash away his guilt. Yes, he needed her to keep reminding him about all that was good in the world. Everything that was beautiful and he needed her to tell him that she still loved him even if he failed once in a while..he was still her prince.
Leelawati watched her brother look at the sky and gaze at the stars as he mumbled something on the phone every once in a while. She felt the calm emanating from him in contrast to the wild eyed restlessness that she had witnessed everytime he had been unable to save his patient. She knew when he lost one as he would walk out and not come back till early hours of the morning. Then he would titter back on unsteady feet and tired stance reeking of alcohol and a mindless night. Watching him like that gave her hope for the future. She would be always grateful to that girl for this hope.
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It rained on their wedding day. August showers washed away the rangoli that the girls had painstakingly made to welcome the guests. Kishore and madhu's husband Rajeev had had the foresight to ask the tent contractor to put a waterproof plastic coating on the wedding venue. But the flowers were a lost cause. Dutta had climbed the decorated horse and as the baraat had made way to the venue midway huge droplets of water had besieged them. Puneet, Roopwati's eBay manager husband was a fun loving fellow who missed his country and its unique traditions. He paid the band extra to keep playing even in the rains and dragged his wife and teenage children to dance even in the rain. Rajeev had soon followed suite and dragged his beautiful wife in the downpour. Soon all had left the cover of umbrella and were dancing on the wet streets on the rhythm of the thunder.
So a very wet and cold Dr.Dutta Patil had reached the Mangal Mandap to marry his bride. As the flimsy white curtain was removed from between them so that the bride and groom could share their first look, Nakkusha's eyes widened in horror at the sight of her groom who looked like he had faced a storm to reach there. The garland had seen better days as the few remaining flowers on it were trying to fall south on the ground. His off-white heavy embroidered kurta was sticking to his lean body like second skin and his hair was sleeked back with water droplets still clinging to it. The sehra and pagdi was a lost case and hence he had forfeited it to someone's care. He looked divine and earthy to her. His citrusy smell still clanged to his body making her breathless. Nakkusha automatically clamped a hennaed hand on her mouth to smother her giggle when he winked at her. And that was just the beginning.
During the hastmilap he whispered to her that he wanted to keep his hands like this forever because not just her hands were so soft to touch but also because finally due to the heat of the yagya agni he could now feel his numb fingers.
During agni homa, the kushi, a special spoon used to scoop and pour the ghee as sacrifice in the fire, slipped out of his nimble fingers and landed in the fire itself. The old pandit looked aghast at his copper spoon fast taking an ugly black look in the wedding fire. Dutta gave embarrassed smile at him mumbling a weak 'Oops'. He quickly dipped his hands in the burning fire making nakkusha catch her breath and brought out the offending spoon with a few screams of 'aww..aww' and then promptly dropped the hot mettle in the holy Ganga water to cool it down making the priest shake his head in despair.
During the gatbandhan when sonu was having trouble tying the knot, he offered to tie it for her making the priest burst out in outrage. "Dutta, tu gupp bas!" Leelawati warned him making him roll his eyes. He took the first three pheras at a speed which made Nakkusha wonder if he was trying for some fastest pheras first records. But in spite it all when the time came for him to fill her forehead with the blessed sindoor, he met her eyes and held them till he filled her forehead with the red powder. He looked at her face for a second as a look of naked possessiveness and contentment cloaked his features. He smiled a secret smile to her and as he bent towards her to tie the mangalsutra, he whispered for her ears only,"tu bahut meethi lag rahi hai…I love you!". She blinked at his words and then blushed as deeply as the sindoor smeared on her forehead and nose. Her eyes stayed downcast till the end of the ceremony with the heat of the blush at his words still coloring her features.
They took their first steps as man and wife as they walked down the dais to seek blessings from their elders. Nakkusha stumbled at the step with the unfamiliar weight of her lehenga but he was there immediately to steady her by holding her hand. He kept holding her hand even after steadying her. She tried a few times to slip her hand from his hold but he didn't budge. So she left her hand in his. After all, now he had the right to do so in front of God and world.
………………. To be continued.
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