MG ff - Ajeeb Dastan part 12- Pg 44/10 dec - Page 11

Maan began "Geet I need to buy some clothes and some stuffs like pillow covers etc for the room. I don't know this place. I need your help. Could you please come along and help me? Whenever you have the time will be fine." In their younger days he never took her along anywhere. Why now? Though she would've liked to accompany him, she wasn't comfortable with the idea. So she said "I don't shop much, so I wouldn't know the latest brands and products. But I could ask Prem, I mean my son-in-law, to help you."

Maan "your son-in-law?"

"Yes," she said unwilling to disclose anything further. "They live in the town. You could meet him up one of these days and make your purchases. I'll talk to him and let you know."

By then Ramu came with 2 cups of coffee. She picked up a cup when he offered it to her and sat down on the floor.

Ramu then asked "Didi I saw ur school when I had gone to the market that day n Nakul told that u are the principal of the school. Is it true?"

Ignoring everything else she said Maan just caught the word 'Prinicipal' and asked "You are the principal of the school?" seeing the stunned look in his eyes she smiled and replied "Yes, it's my own school. I started it five years ago."

Maan "Your own school?"

Geet "After you left for London, Aryan Chachu forced me to complete my SSLC."

Looking at her with surprise he asked "But you were already 25 by then."

Geet "I did my SSLC privately and then went on to do teacher training, as Chachu felt that was the best profession for a woman. Luckily I got a job immediately in the town school, where Madhu Didi was the principal."

Maan "Who? Your paternal cousin?"

Geet "Yes. With her encouragement I did BA and then MA through correspondence along with teaching."

He looked astonished at her. The girl whom he had always thought as a village pumpkin, was a post graduate? But she didn't notice that. She had a faraway look in her eyes as she recollected those days.

Geet "Then I had this urge to start my own school. So I gave my job and went on to do B.Ed. and then M.Ed. I started this school on the terrace of the haveli covering it with some asbestos sheet, with 11 students. After 2 years I bought the plot for the school with bank loan, which was granted to me by Prem, holding the outhouse n Chachu's part of haveli as mortgage. Prem is a bank officer, you know?"

Maan was listening to her open mouthed without making any comment.

Geet "when I told our village people that I was planning to start a school, they were overjoyed as their children wouldn't have to travel far to study. You won't believe the number of people, who came forward to help me with loans and donations. And slowly year by year I started adding rooms and now my school has 8 rooms i.e. upto VIII std."

She came out of her nostalgia when his cell phone rang. Getting up quickly she gathered her things and said "I'll talk to Prem and let you know." He nodded and with a "thanks" picked up his cell phone.

The call he got was as usual some finance company asking if he wanted a housing loan. After thanking them and politely refusing them he got thinking about what Geet had revealed about her past. It really didn't sound like the Geet he knew.

The following evening Geet stopped outside the door and called out to Ramu. She gave him a piece of paper. "What is this Didi?" he asked. "That's my cell number. Give it to your sir and ask him to call me after half an hour. I'm going to Aryan Chachu's side right now." He nodded and went in and she walked next doors.

Aryan Chachu was sitting in his recliner on the verandah as usual when she entered. But seeing her, he turned his face away. She went and sat opposite him pulling a chair saying "I know you must be angry with me and you are right too. But can we go inside? I need to talk to my best friend today, not my angry Chachu." He looked around at that and saw her sad face. It pulled at his heart strings. He had a special place in his heart for this girl.

Initially after Maan and his family left, she had felt disoriented. She didn't know where she should start picking up her life again. There was no one she could turn to. She wasn't very close to her Aryan Chachu and Tulsi Chachi then. That had been the worst period of her life when she used to spend majority of the days just weeping. She missed the boys the most.

She had to start from scratch. She didn't have the money to buy anything and didn't want to ask anyone either. Her Tulsi Chachi herself took out some old vessels from the attic and gave it to her saying that they belonged to her mother. She also gave her some old bedding which she wanted to dispose anyway.

Geet didn't lack any clothing because Maan and Meera had always bought enough sarees for her, for every festival, even when she told them that she didn't need any more. When they had left from Delhi to the village, for the last time, Meera had asked her not to leave anything behind, but pack everything and take it along. She didn't have much except a stove, few vessels and some photographs. When she had asked Meera for the reason she had just said "we won't be coming to this house again." Geet had thought probably they were shifting to a new house after returning. But she didn't expect to be dumped in the village to fend for herself. That had been the rudest shock.

A month or so after Maan and his family went, the family got some good news. Tulsi was pregnant, after 17 years of marriage. There was so much rejoicing and celebration that even Geet's mood got alleviated. Her Chachi had a lot of morning sickness problem and Geet took utmost care of her not letting her lift her finger. She was used to doing that because she had taken care of Meera during both her pregnancies.

That was when she and her Chachu really bonded. He coaxed her appear for private SSLC and start life afresh. Unfortunately her Chachi developed a lot of complications and as there wasn't sufficient health facility in the village, both mother and baby had died.

Aryan Chachu had become totally depressed blaming himself for what happened. He felt had he not wanted a child so badly, at least his Tulsi would have been alive. Now it was Geet's turn to get her mama out of the depression. Some relatives even suggested that re-marriage would be the ideal solution for both. But Geet couldn't forget her Maan nor Chachu his Tulsi. So they decided to not re marry n became the best of friends n support for each other.

Love,

Hinal

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