Chapter 26
Whispered Nothings
(May, 1982...)
(Early morning, Amritsar...)
"Chal na Kakku," Meera persisted, "kulfi khaa ke aavaangey."
"Nahi Di," Geet refused, "tussi jao. I don't feel like going out." She closed her books that she was pretending to study since past one hour. Head bent low, stance defeated she picked them up and left the room.
This was what she would now resort to in order to avoid questions she did not want to answer. She knew it was wrong. But she found herself a coward to face the situation. And that made Geet feel ashamed of herself.
"See Nandini Di, this what she has been doing past few weeks. She avoids going out, has withdrawn into a shell," Saneera sighed, "and the face that was an open book to read is now hidden behind a mask."
"This is so unlike our Kakku," a heavily pregnant Nandini sat down on the bed, "you girls are right. Something is definitely wrong. And what worries me more is that she is not speaking about it."
"This is why we called you Di," Sameera kneeled infront of Nandini, "Kakku never hides anything from us. She can hide her worries from Papaji and Ma, even fool them in believing that she is happy, but she can never fool us. She is normal infront of others but shuts off the moment Papaji and Ma are away. It worries me wondering how huge this burden must be for her that she has kept it all buried inside her. It's been a week since her M.A. classes have started and she has not even set a foot inside the college. This is so unlike her."
"Kakku could compromise on anything but never on Papaji's dream," Meera added.
"You are the only one who can do something now Di," Sameera insisted, "she can never keep anything from you. She considers you more of a mother than an elder sister. You would be the only one who can help Kakku."
"Don't worry Sammy. Main aa gayi haan na...sab theek ho jayega. I will call your Daman jiju and tell him that I am staying here for a few days. You girls get ready and leave. Sameera would you pick Nonu from school on your way back? I will go for my doctor's appointment directly from here. In the evening I will speak to Kakku about whatever is troubling her."
**********************************************************************
(Army Cantonement..)
(Noon, Roorkee...)
"I am not talking to you!"
"Pammi..."
"Doi bochore![Two years!] Two years he has been engaged and he never bothered to inform us! Your friend is a pig Teji! Shour![Pig!]"
"Pammi..."
"Ami ei pagol.[It's me who is mad] I keep worrying for him, keep thinking about his good and bad..."
Maan threw a helpless look at Tejbir, who stood snickering at the window at Maan's plight. Serves you right you dog! Tejbir smirked and looked away.It was quite entertaining to watch his hormonal pregnant wife to berate Maan in such a manner. And he deserved it nonetheless.
"...then he calls me his sister. Who keeps such important news from his sister? Mithuk! Gadhha! Mithuk gadhha![Liar! Donkey! Lying Donkey!] Sab sister-shister mithuk!"
"Pammi...atleast listen to me..."
"Tell him," she glared at Tejbir again refusing to even look at Maan, "that I will never talk to him again. Never!"
"Pammi," Maan reached to hold her hand, "please..."
"Dusht!" She whacked his hand and turned a deadly glare at him, "I will not let you name my baby!"
"This is unfair Pammi," Maan cried out, "I am the god-father, and it is my right!"
"I would rather have that idiot Rasika name my child than you," she hissed at him.
Maan raised an amused eyebrow at Tejbir whose face was blanched out with the imagined horror of that idea. "Darling, I don't think that would be very wise thing to do. There is room enough for only one name to fit in that pea-sized brain of hers and it would be quiet awkward in case we have a daughter eventually and she goes by the name of Maan."
Anupama couldn't help the smile that tugged at the corner of her lips at her husband's logic. She also couldn't help be awed by the subtle way Tejbir came to Maan's rescue. Some friendships are worth writing about.
Maan bowed his head towards Tejbir who acknowledged Maan's gratitude with a wink. Maan turned towards Anupama with expectant eyes and pleaded, "Pammi, please one last chance?"
She raised a finger at him. "One...last...chance!"
"...and you won't regret it," a relieved Maan promised. He literally jumped and made to leave for his quarters.
"Halt!"
His steps froze at her orders.
"I want to see her photograph pronto!"
"Tonight!!"
He began to run out of the office.
"Atleast tell me her name..."
"Later," his voice trailed as he flew out of the door, "with the photograph..."
"Stupid! Now my stomach will ache till he tells me. No mercy for a pregnant lady."
**********************************************************************
(Late afternoon...)
(Maan's Quarters...)
When an alliance is set, it is made universal knowledge with immediate effect. To let the society know that the groom's side has a duty to honor the girl as their own daughter. To let the society know that the bride's side now has a right to claim the boy as their son.
For a man to tell the world that he has chosen his woman.
For a woman to tell the world she chosen the keeper of her heart.
Maan never chose Geet. She had been chosen for him.
A choice in which she had no say.
Given a choice, would she have chosen him at all? I wouldn't choose my own self had I been a girl, he grumbled. Why would any girl choose me? Of course, if at this particular moment someone was to bring up Rasika's name, Maan would logically reason that 'that creature' was an idiot and not a girl. No ordinary girl would see the hard-principled, emotionally inexpressive man as her Prince Charming. Prince Charming! Baaahhh!! I would never stoop down to being such a sorry excuse of mushy insignificance! Not for any girl. And Geet was not just any girl.
She was beyond ordinary. There was no way she would ever choose him if given a choice. A choice which was not given to her. A choice which he had promised himself he would give to her.
She was merely nineteen when she had been engaged to him. She would study, attend college, pursue higher studies, see and enjoy life and eventually wish for much more than she has been accustomed to.
He wanted that for her. He would give her that.
It wasn't merely romantic inclinations on his part. He would wish for similar choices for his own sisters. His Tisha, his Amrit, his Iqbal. Why shouldn't someone else's daughter, someone else's sister be given a similar choice?
Unless her name became one with his, she wasn't his to claim. One day either Bauji would come seeking a date for marriage or she would seek her independence from the ties that were thrust upon them. He would readily agree to former. He would happily agree to the latter.
Therfore, he had never spoken about his engagement ever.
But maybe it was safe to tell Tejbir and Anupama about it. After all he would need a shelter to nurse his wounded heart if his fears materialized. I hope I am doing the right thing.
His gaze fell on the telephone lying next to his bed.
**********************************************************************
(4 o'clock, Handa Haveli...)
(Amritsar...)
She was relieved as she had again somehow managed to avoid going out as her mother and Nandini left for the doctor's appointment.
She hated being alone at home.
That is that she used to hate being alone at home. She would get bored and lonely.
Now she welcomed this isolation.
Geet latched the door inside made her way towards the Shantiniketan. She had reached the door when the telephone bade her to turn about.
The persistent ring of the phone made her race towards it. Out of breath she picked the receiver and let out a huffed whisper, "Hello...?"
"Geet...?"
She took in a gulp of air and slumped against the wall. Hearing his voice should have felt like an unexpected surprise. Instead, as she slid down the wall cradling the receiver delicately in both her hands, she only registered a welcome comfort.
And for the first time in weeks, she smiled.
"Tussi...?"
"Haan," Maan cleared his throat, "umm...ohh Bauji..."
"Bauji has gone to the factory..."
"Oh..."
He had gone through an hour of contemplation of how he would speak to Bauji about such an issue. He had prepared the right words to say, how to say, what to say. But none of the scenarios he had thought about had prepared him for this.
He wanted to know if the Handas were comfortable with Geet's and his engagement being announced by him. But because of whom he had kept his silence was the one who now stood speaking to him.
"Did you only wish to speak to Bauji?"
Please say no...please say no.
"I had not expected to the contrary."
She couldn't help but ask, "Is the contrary unpleasant to you?"
He took a deep breath in. he wasn't a man who revealed easily. But he had never known temptation before.
"I don't believe it is unpleasant."
"It isn't?" She bit on her tongue as the eager words spilled out.
"There are some things that feel that they may never be unpleasant now onwards." He clenched his fist in reflex. Control Maan, control.
Tears she had held up for so long threatened to spill out, "Yes, maybe things won't be unpleasant now onwards."
He was a commando trained to read distress in signals. Alarmed and alert, he leaned into the receiver, "Were things unpleasant before?"
The crisp of his tone made her quick to respond, "A certain incident was," she had not even taken a second long halt to ask her heart why it wished to avoid misunderstanding between them, "a few weeks back." She just knew she wouldn't be able to stand the void left by the absence of the comfort of his voice.
The analytical soldier in him couldn't miss the opportunity. Intuitive processing was an inherent part of him. He did not know how to keep his head separate from his heart, "How did you handle it?"
She wasn't taken aback. She would have. She didn't. she simply felt relaxed. "I kept a brave face."
"Did you speak to someone?"
She sighed deeply, "I am speaking now."
He would never admit. He will forever deny later. But her one reply tugged at his expectant heart that stood waiting behind his soldier's head.
"I wouldn't know if I would be able to speak to anyone else."
If he could he would will his strength to course through the telephone to her. He did not know why but he wanted her to be stronger than what she was admitting to be. He knew she was. He didn't wish to see her like this ever. "You should! You can!"
"You think I can?"
"I don't think so. I believe so."
Maan kept a keen ear for her response. He only encountered silence.
"Geet...?"
"I hadn't thought I would be doing this. I had resigned to keeping my silence."
Pride coursed through his veins at her reply. His chest swelled with the courage she was exuding. "But I think it's a beautiful coincidence when you find yourself doing something that you had not intended to."
"Why is it that beautiful?"
"Our heart only tells us what we desire. Only He knows what we need. He would send the right person along. After all Geet, man proposes but God disposes."
"Like you had wished to speak to Bauji, but instead you are now speaking to me," she smiled and then a thought struck to her, "Why did you want to speak to Papaji? Kuchh kehna si?"
He thought about the dilemma he was in. The questions that were plaguing his mind. "Main...ohhh...main kuch sawalaan de jawab labhne si." [I wanted to find answers to my questions.]
"Labh gaye? [Found them?] Papaji is not here," she reflected on the situation, trying to find a solution for him, "maybe I could help?"
"Would you be able to help me?"
"Maybe...maybe not...but I could try," she offered genuinely, "We are...after all...I mean...I am...we would be sharing our lives together after some time," she hid her face in the wall in shy awkwardness, "we could start by sharing our problems...right?"
And maybe for the first time ever his mind went blank. A ragged whisper was all he could manage, "I think I have already found what I was looking for, even though I found it where I least expected it."
"Man proposes but God disposes," she repeated in a whisper behind him.
And that was when they ran out of words. The solace of the quiet soothed their excited nerves. The heartbeats that had gone erratic calmed to easy hum. The cradles of the receivers slipped from their hands and clunk back on the telephone sets.
Geet stood up from the wall and looked beyond the window that opened to a cozy evening that was settling. She thought about the call she just received, the person she just spoke to and the whispered nothings that he left behind.
**********************************************************************
(Late evening...)
(Handa Haveli...)
"Kakku...we are back..."
Rano entered the kitchen with the groceries and Nandini headed towards the guest room to keep her purse and stuff.
"Di..."
Geet's voice startled Nandini as soon as she enetered the room.
"...I have something to tell..."
**********************************************************************
(Night, Dhillon's Residence...)
(Army Cantonment, Roorkee...)
A hesitant hand held out a photograph.
"This is Geet..."
Loud laugh made Anupama swallow the long awww she was about to let out. She looked confused as her husband lay rolling with laughter on their sofa.
"Oo maa Tejbir ki hoyeche tomar?" [Oh God Tejbir! What has happened to you?]
As an amazed Anupama and an irritated Maan looked at him, Tejbir controlled his laughter for just enough seconds to reply, "Kutta kheer kha gaya!"*
**********************************************************************
(Next day morning...)
(Khalsa College, Amritsar...)
"Bol Geet," Daman looked at Geet, "kaun si?"
Geet scanned the grounds quickly and pointed where he stood.
"He is the one paahji," Geet raised her finger, "Rahul."
**********************************************************************
*Kutta kheer kha gaya - a Punjabi idiom which kind of means that a person got
what he did not deserve. It was Tejbir's way to tease Maan that he has found a
girl way too beautiful and above his level.
Hello people!!! Here is it next installment of MPGD. I hope I haven't lost touch with the essence of the story after such a long time. And I have no clue when I will update next. So many uncertainities!! Sigh!!
But there are two uncertainities I would clear up now, One, Rasika chapter is over for good. Two, Rahul was dealt with good and proper. If you guys remember, Daman is an offcial in the Education Deptt. Dealing with Rahul was handled by him. So his chapter is closed too. For now.
All of you wished Maan to deal with Rahul. But that wasn't possible in this scenario. Maan is posted in another town. And this is no movie story where the hero appears out of the blue to rescue the damsel in distress. And the kind of person Maan is he would want Geet to be strong enough to handle such issues on her own.
For that matter, many of us have been through some incident or other where a eve-teaser has harrassed us or a creep has troubled has. Do we wait for a hero to rescue us? No! We can be our own heroes. We should be our own heroes. Infact, this was one of the reasons I had started watching GHSP. Geet was her own hero. Maan (the initial office-wala) unknowingly became her mentor, guide...helping her in a way that made her capable of fighting her own battles. This Maan and Geet of mine had a similar story. Therefore I am today in this situation...sharing the story with you guys :)
----Edited---- Added few lines...hope you guys go through them.
Edited by jazzerette - 13 years ago
Hindi TV Shows
Kumkum Bhagya
Cricket
661