ChAPTER 8
Geet woke up very late the next morning. She looked at the watch and realized it was 9:30am. She jumped out of the bed and wondered how she slept for so long. She remembered last night she had slept at 2am, thinking about her family and the bond each one of them share, and Maan's family and the bond Daadi and Maan Share.
She quickly took a shower and dressed up. she grabbed her books and ran out of the bed-room, straight to the main door. Daadima and Naintara were talking to someone in the portico and she did not notice. She did not even realize that the hall was decorated with flowers and lights. Her goal was to get to college as soon as possible and spend some time in the library. Daadima was giving an order for sweets, when Geet walked right past her, but did not stop or look back.
"What's wrong with her?", asked Daadima.
"Dunno. Maybe she's in a hurry to get to college", said NT, looking at her books and bag.
"Hmmm. Alright, we'll talk to her later", said Daadima and continued with her work.
Geet got to college and met up with her friends. She realized her friends were in the cafeteria. When she took her chair, beside her best friend, all of them were talking about the famous bachelors in town. Geet's best friend Niharika, spoke about Maan Singh Khurana and Geet looked up at her. Niharika spoke about how handsome he looks and how happening he is. Niharika also spoke about the angry look that Maan has on his face, which makes him look even attractive. Geet immediately get back into remembering his braod shoulders, his lips that had a sweet smile and the feel of his strong hands on her thin waist.
She got up immediately.
"arey kya hua?", asked one of her friends.
"kuch nahin yaar. Main library jaa rahin hoon. Exams aa rahe hain, tum log bhi pado. Baad mein yeh sab discuss karna", she said and walked away.
She had hid the fact that Maan's grandmom and her grandmom were good friends and that there were talks between their grandmoms on getting them married. However, Maan had refused. She had not told them about staying in Maan's mansion and not her home. She did not want to tell them, only Niharika knew it. She felt that news would unnecessarily catch too much attention and she did not like it. She would have to answer questions that she might not be comfortable answering.
She sat in the library and Niharika came and sat beside her.
"tum theek ho?", asked Niharika, softly.
"Haan. Bas who naam nahin pasand", said Geet, in a even softer tone.
"Don't hate anyone or anything so much! You will end up with that thing or person", said Niharika.
"Yeah right!", said Geet, rolling her eyes. "Chalo padho", she said and they got to studying.
Khurana Constructions
Maan entered the office and called his assistant Shreyasi. She came with some papers and also told him that Geet's passport papers were ready, but need Geet's signatures. Maan nodded and asked her to leave the papers on his desk and leave.
Maan looked at those papers and checked all the details. He smirked, "Miss Handa, I'm going to perfectly time your exit from the Khurana Mansion and my entry into the Khurana Mansion".
He continued with his work and Shreyasi walked in again with some more papers.
"Sir, in papers pe aapki Daadiji ki sign chahiye", she said, "Should I send the papers home?"
"What papers are those?", he asked her, without looking up from his laptop.
"Sir, yeh trust ke papers hain", said Shreyasi.
"I'll get it signed. Leave them here", he told her.
She nodded and left the trust papers on his desk and left. Maan looked at those papers and smiled. The trust was in the name of Mamta Khurana, Maan's mother. Mamta Khurana was a very nave woman, who wanted to pursue her higher studies from a very good university, but her parents had her married and after marriage she never got a chance to get back to studying again. Though Savitri Khurana supported her and encouraged her, her husband did not agree and Mamta gave up her dream of pursuing higher studies. Therefore, after her death, Maan established a trust on her name that supports, women who wanted to pursue their higher studies, but could do so, because of financial problems or lack of priveleges. Savitri Khurana would take care of the trust.
Maan was proud of the fact, that this trust supported thousands of women across the country. He thought this was the least he could do, for his mother. He checked the papers again and left office. He had promised his Daadima to come home for lunch. Hence, he took those papers and went home.
Khurana Mansion
Maan arrived at the mansion and saw the Mansion decorated. He was about to step in, when he remembered his promise not to step in the mansion, until Geet was there. He moved back, walked away to the outhouse, and called his grandmother.
"Daadima, lunch in the outhouse", he told her.
"No, come here. Everyone's here", she insisted.
"Daadima, all of them come here and have lunch or I will get back to office without lunch. Quickly decide, please. I do not have time", he said, angrily.
"Mr. Maan Khurana, is this the way to speak to your grandmother?", she asked, angrily.
"Daadima, please! Yahan Aa jaeye. Mujhe koi argument nahin karna", he said.
"Maan, aap itna ziddi hain", she said, irritated.
"Ji! I am Savitri Singh Khurana's Grandson. What do you expect?", he asked her.
"Alright Alright!", she said and hung up. He smiled and after a couple of minutes, he heard the outhouse main door open and before he could think who it was, he heard Dev scream, "Bro! aa jaeye, bhook lagi hain".
Maan shook his head in irritation and walked to the dining area. Then entire table was set and DEV-NT, and Daadima were waiting for him. They had lunch together and Dev-Nt left after lunch to take care of the preparations in the mansion for an upcoming pooja.
Maan gave Daadima the trust papers and asked her to sign them. Daadima looked at the papers and kept them aside.
She looked up at Maan, who now sat beside her.
"Do you see the irony?", she asked.
"What irony?", he asked her surprised.
She smiled and said, "You run a trust on your mother's name, to support some unknown young girls and women to fulfill their academic dreams. And you are the same person, who is hell bent on breaking those academic dreams of a girl known to you".
"Aap kehna kya chahte hain, daadima", he asked, unable to understand the puzzle talk.
"Wahin jo aap samajhna nahin chahte hain", she said, smiling.
"Kya?", he asked, aggravated.
"Aap tuo Maan Singh Khurana hain, aapko har baath kehne se pehle hi samj aati hain, tuo yeh baath samj mein kyun nahin aa raha hain, Mr. Khurana?", she asked, smirking.
"Daadima, I can understand what everyone has to say or will say, but can never understand your puzzle talk. So please, get to the point", he said, accepting defeat.
"Aap haar maan rahe hain?", she asked, smirking.
"Haan, Maan Singh Khurana apne Daadima se nahin jeet sakta", he said.
"Hmm! Interesting, Mr. Khurana", she said, surprised. "Well, anyways, hum aapka time waste nahin karna chahte hain. So lets get to the point. Maan, I saw some papers in your study a few days back. Some passport papers with Geet's details scribbled on a plain sheet attached to it. Are you getting her passport ready?"
"Haan!", he said, "She will be leaving very soon", he said.
"Maan, she has exams coming up, this month end. She cannot travel before that. Do you understand that?"
"I don't care", he said, turning his face away.
"Alright, then I don't care for this trust. I am not signing these papers", she said, throwing the papers, on the table in front of her.
"Daadima", he said, angrily.
"Don't scream, Mr. Maan Khurana. By sending Geet back, without letting her take her exams, you are acting against the objectives of the trust. The very purpose of the trust is defeated, if you become the reason for that girl not being able to finish her higher studies. You might as well suspend the trust", she said, angrily, getting up from the couch and walking farther away from him.
"Why do you support her so much?", he asked, his daadima.
"Because she is right and this time, you are wrong, Mr. Khurana", she said, turning away from him.
Maan closed his eyes in anger and clenched his fists. He took a deep breath and kept quiet for sometime. There was complete silence in the living room of the outhouse, for a couple of seconds. Both of them did not talk anything and they did to want to talk either.
Maan opened his eyes and found his Daadima gone. He was about to call and tell her to suspend the trust and not sign the papers, but his glance fell on the name on the papers, "Mamta Singh Khurana". Maan stepped back and remembered his mother's last words,
"Maan, this trust will support all those girls who want to become something in life, but do not have an opportunity to do so. You will never deny any girl, education!"
Maan remembered how Geet had begged him, in the lawn, to let her give her exams and in the outhouse, when she told him, she had to go and study. He then recollected his Daadima's words. She was right. The very purpose of the trust was getting defeated, because he was trying his level best to send Geet away to Singapore before her exams.
He took the papers and ran behind his Daadima, who was about to enter the mansion. she turned back and saw him.
He stopped in front of her, "Theek hain, sign kar dijiye. Waada karta hoon, who ladki yahin rahegi, exams khatam hone thak. I will not interfere. I will tell Shreyasi to hold the papers for some more time and not submit them, till you tell me to do so", he said, panting heavily.
Daadim smiled and patted his cheek gently. She signed the trust papers and gave them to him. Maan asked her, "Yeh sab kya ho raha hain?"
"Pooja hain sham ko. Jaldi aana office se", she said.
"Hmmm", he said and walked to his car and drove away to office. Daadima smiled and thought to herself, "Maan, the time is such that you have promised to hold the papers till she finishes her exams. But something tells me, that you will not file the papers even after that".
Geet got back home at around 5pm in the evening and saw the entire mansion decorated with flowers and lights. She was surprised.
She mumbled, "yeh sab kya hain? Kahin Maan Khurana ka shaadi tuo nahin hain na?"
She walked slowly, when she heard one of the helpers of the house, walk past her screaming at another helper, "Tumne Maan saab ke sherwani ko kharaab kiya. Ab kya hoga? Itna important function hain".
Geet's hands started shivering, "Is Maan Khurana ne mujhe reject karke kisi aur ko propose kiya? Mujhme kaunsi kami reh gayi thi, Dusht danav ne mujhe dekhe bina hi reject kar di. Aur ab itne achanak engagement ya shaadi kar rahan hain".
She walked into the mansion with a gloomy face when NT greeted her, "Arey Geet, aa gaye aap? Hum aap ke hi intezaar kar rahe the. Chaliye jaldi se taiyyar ho jaeye", she said, smiling happily.
"Kyon? Meri shaadi thodi na hain?", she said, mumbling and cribbing.
"Ji?", asked NT, "Geet yahan shor bahut zyada hain. Isiliye sunai nahin diya. Kya kaha aapne?", she asked, moving closer to Geet, to hear her better.
"Ji, kuch nahin. Kaunsa function ahin?", she asked, scared.
"Pooja hain, Geet. Bahut din ho gaye the, isiliye humne ghar pe pooja plan ki hain", she said.
"Oh pooja", she said, smiling, in relief, "Mujhe laga shaadi hain"
"Shaadi?", said NT laughing, "Geet aap bhi na. Chaliye jaldi se taiyyar ho jaeye", she said and walked away to get flowers arranged in the portico.
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