Maneet SS- Kaafilaa. PART 10/ Pg 88/ JUN 13 PM L8R - Page 3

"Kyun Geet kyun??? Kyun kiya tumne aisa?? Kyun aayi tum meri andheri zindagi mein ussey roshan karne jab ek din tumhe bhi mujhe ekk baar phir sey ussi andhere mein dhakelna tha??? Kyun meri rooh ko zinda kara jab apne hi haathon sey tumne ussey phir sey khatam karna tha??? Kyun… KYUNNN???"

Maan was about to throw the photo frame on the wall when his eyes fell on the chain bracelet dangling on his right wrist. He kept the photo frame down and slowly held the bracelet using his left hand. The bracelet brought back some of the old cherished memories… It was only those memories that gave him the reason to live now… he closed his eyes and let those beautiful scenes take over his mind…

PAST

Geet was waiting in front of the court since past fifteen minutes… There was no sign of Maan till now… With every passing minute, she was getting more and more worried… Each minute seems like a millennium to her… She was tapping her foot and knotting her dupatta restlessly, while complaining to her favorite babaji…

"Dekh rahey ho na aap Babaji… Yahan meri jaan gale tak aa gayi hai aur inn mahshey ka koi ataa pataa hi nahi hai…. Agar Veerji ya kisi aur ne yahan mere ko inn kapdon mein dekh liya toh to unhone meri jaan hi le leni hai… Pata nahi kis dukhad ghadi mein main Maan ki baat maan gayi… Ab mera kya hoga Babaji…"

"Kyun bekaar mein bichare Babaji ka dimaag kharaab kar rahi ho??? Unko aur logon ki baatein sun ne ke liye bhi kabhi baksh diya karo…."

Maan had crept up behind Geet a few minutes back. He was about to call her when he heard her cute cribbing… he chucked to himself and then finally intervened noticing the time…

Geet made a baby angry face and turned her face away from him…

"Uff Geet yeh nakhre baad mein kar lena… Abhi humein jaldi sey chalna chaiyeh… Court band honey mein sirf ek ghanta bacha hai…"

"Haww toh aap yeh kehna chahtey ho ki meri wajah sey der ho rahi hai… Ek toh aap khud late aaye… Upar sey mujhe…"

She couldn't continue further as Maan already started dragging her to the court. After reaching there, she saw that everything was ready, including the witness and the judge… She realized that Maan was making all the necessary arrangements that's why he got late… She felt guilty for shouting at him and was thinking of ways to apologize to him… She came out of her thoughts when she heard the judge speaking to her….

"Miss. Geet Handa, kya aapko Mr. Maan Singh Khurana sey yeh shaadi manzoor hai??"

Geet blushed and mumbled a feeble "Yes…"

"Theek hai… toh phir aap yahan sign kar dijiye…"

She signed at the necessary pace and saw that Maan had already signed, which meant that she missed out on a lot of things, god knows from how long she was in her own thoughts…

The witnesses signed at the required places and the judge also attested the marriage..

Meanwhile, Maan took out a Mangalsutra from his pocket and adorned it on her neck. He took a pinch of sindoor that he had brought earlier and filled the parting of her hair, while Geet kept looking at him in awe… The also made each other wear the garlands…

"Congratulations… Mr. and Mrs. Maan Singh Khurana… Aaj sey aap dono kaanoonan pati pani hain…"

Maan and Geet were overjoyed and shook hands with the judge while Maan thanked the witnesses and the judge for sparing their time… He held Geet's hand gently and guided her out of the court…

Maan noticed that Geet had not spoken a word since she said 'Yes..' in the court… He knew how emotional she was feeling right now… How badly she was missing her family… Specially her Veerji… He could feel the pain of her rooh… Their souls, their rooh had a special connection…

They had to do this secret wedding due to the circumstances but none of them repented it… They knew that they were meant to be…

"Waise Geet mujhe jo pairon mein dard ki problem thi, uska aaj sey toh solution mil gaya…"

Maan spoke of of the blue, trying to distract Geet… Geet looked at him totally confused…

"Arrey tum mujhe aise kyon dekh rahi ho… Ab toh tum meri patni ho aur main tumhara wo kya ketey hain… haan Pran-nath…. Toh tum abb sey roz raat ko mere paeir dabana… After all pati ki seva hi patni ka pehla dharam hota hai…"

Maan said while trying hard to keep a straight face, while saying all this rubbish… But one look at Geet's face and he knew that he was in deep trouble…

"Achchhha… Pati ki seva??? Main batati hoon appko…"

She ran to whack him on his head while Maan ran ahead of her dodging all her feeble attempts to hit him… Finally out of breath, they leaned against their car… Luckily not many people were present at the court at that time… Those present only smiled at their antics and shook their heads…

"Geet…"

"Hmm…"

"Hum abb yeh sab ko bataayenge kaise… I mean… Umm.. uhh…wo…"

Geet understood what he was trying to say…

"Aap chinta mat kijiye maine sab socha hua hai…"

Geet took out her Blackberry and clicked their picture… The picture gave a clear view of what had transpired a few minutes back as Geet was wearing a heavy read sari and the garlands were still adorned on their necks… Moreover any leftover doubt was removed by the presence of sindoor and mangalsutra that could be clearly viewed in the pic…

"Tum kar kya rahi ho???"

"Just wait and watch…"

Maan curiously peeped in, to see what was his new wife up to???

He watched horrified as Geet uploaded the pic on her Facebook account and then added the description – Mr. and Mrs. Maan Singh Khurana…

"GEET… yeh tum kya kar rahi ho..." He tried to snatch the phone from her hand before she published the post…

"Uff Maan…. Humein sabko batana toh hai hi na… and we decided that we wont come in front of them for a while… so this is the best option…"

Maan scratched the back of his head, as he couldn't deny that his crazy wife's super crazy idea was indeed good and out of the world just like her…

"Hmm theek hai but you post it when we are just about to board the flight…. So that koi chance nahi ho gadbad ka…"

Geet nodded and Maan drove them to the airport…

Both of them changed at the airport restroom itself… Their entire luggage and other things were already kept ready by Maan's personal assistant…

Both of them boarded the flight… Before take off, Geet posted the pic and tagged all her friends as well as the relative that were friends with her on Facebook… Including her parents and Veerji…

PRESENT

A smile twitched the corner of his lips as he remembered the dhamaka that a single Facebook pic created… It was nothing less than a Hiroshima-Nagasaki bomb that was dropped on the poor people who were tagged in the pic…

He suddenly started feeling restless as if somebody needed him… Somebody called his name.. The feeling as of his Geet called him… Needed him… As if she was in some deep trouble…

"Maan…"

"Geet…"