MG ff - Ajeeb Dastan part 12- Pg 44/10 dec - Page 17

i wonder if they have a future now

gr8 part..

cont.sooon

thanks for pm dear..

In her hurry that morning Geet had forgotten her cell phone at home. Sitting on her rocking chair and sipping coffee, she checked it for missed calls and saw four missed calls from Mayuri. She immediately called her. "I saw your missed calls. I was in a hurry this morning and I forgot my cell phone in the house. That's why I couldn't take your calls."

Mayuri "Oh! I thought you must be angry with me and that's why you weren't taking my calls."

Geet "Why would I be angry with you dear?"

Mayuri "Because of what happened on Sunday. Maa, actually I was so angry with that man, I mean your maan, that I blurted out everything about him to Prem, though I had promised you I would never reveal it to anyone."

Geet "It's ok dear, it's better there are no secrets between husband and wife. After six years of marriage to you, Prem is almost like my son now. It's ok if he knows about my past but I don't want either of you to blame maan for it. It wasn't his fault in anyway."

Mayuri "Ok maa, I know you'll always justify his actions. It's between you two. Who are we to interfere?"

Geet "Please don't mistake me beta .I only meant it's an old story, no use raking up the past. Let bygones be bygones. Maybe if I had faced the same situation today I may not have taken that decision."

Even after talking to Mayuri and disconnecting the call, her mind was working on what Mayuri had said. On Sunday, she had gone to Mayuri's house as she did every alternate Sunday. After lunch, Geet took Pari for her nap and read her favourite story, for her. When she came to the living room, Prem had said "Geet Maa I want to ask you something." Mayuri called out his name, as if to warn him, but he continued.

Prem "Geet Maa did you really get your husband married to another woman?"

Geet had been shocked beyond words because that was the last thing she expected him to ask her. She looked surprised at Mayuri. "Last evening that man had come to our house. Your great damad ji had brought him here" Mayuri burst. "Mayuri" Geet admonished her. "give Maan some respect. I'm not asking you to accept him as papa but at least call him uncle. If nothing else, at least give respect to his age. I hope my upbringing has at least taught you that. Why are you so irritated with him? He hasn't wronged you in any way."

Mayuri "But maa, how can you even defend him?"

Geet "Why not? Whatever happened was my decision. He's not to be blamed for anything. I'll always be indebted to him for having let my mother die peacefully and with the joy of having completed her duty. He could have rejected me outright. But he repaid her love by respecting her wishes. Neither did he mislead me. He had openly told me that he didn't think of me as his wife. I was living with him in the same house. He could have taken advantage of me. I wouldn't have even opposed. But he didn't lay a finger on me. But at the same time he made sure I never lacked for food, clothing or anything else. Before he went abroad, he even opened a bank account for me. I didn't even know when he took my signature on the application form. He had said he would ask Meera to transfer a substantial amount for me. There must have been some mistake. I'm sure even he mustn't be aware that it wasn't done. He's not such a cruel man."

Then turning to Prem she said "yes damad ji, I got him married to Meera. I couldn't see him wasting his life having loved her and married me. He deserved happiness like any other man. And I felt Meera could give him all that, so I did so. And haven't regretted it ever. Meera was a nice girl. She treated me like her elder sister."

Mayuri "Then why didn't she take you along to London?"

Geet "That was also for my good only. What would I have done going there? I couldn't speak a word of English then. Anyway why talk about what's over. My life improved after coming back to the village. Otherwise how would I have got such a darling daughter like you? A wonderful son like Prem or for that matter a cutie pie as my grand daughter?"

With that she had hugged Mayuri and left from there in a happy mood.

She was jolted out of her thoughts by the ringing of the doorbell. She was surprised to see the person of her thoughts standing in front of her eyes with a packet in his hand. She moved aside to let him come in.

Maan "That's a very pretty saree you are wearing."

She looked down at her saree surprised that he had even noticed and just muttered a "thanks". He had made himself comfortable on the chair. "Coffee?" she asked but he shook his head saying "I just came to give you this," holding out a box.

Geet "What is it?"

Maan "Take and see for yourself."

She took it hesitatingly from him and opened the package. It was a long black box with some name 'Cartier' written on it, in golden colour. Looking suspiciously at it she asked "what is it?" "Open it" he ordered in reply. When she did, she gasped at the sight of what lay inside it. It was a strand of real pearl with a pretty diamond pendent and a pair of matching diamond and pearl earrings. She couldn't find words to form a question as so many of them were running in her head. She just looked at him questioningly.

"I had bought this for you about 12 years ago," he began. "I had purchased some jewellery for Meera from the profit I made, in my first year of business. At that time I'd purchased this for you, hoping to give it to you some day. But never thought it would be after almost twelve years." When she continued to look incredulously at him he said "You can look at the date on the quality certificate, if you don't believe what I'm saying" he concluded. She actually did open the certificate and found the certificate dating to twelve years ago.

She just kept looking at it without saying a word becaue she was choked with emotion. Finding the silence awkward he said "Meera and me always planned to make a trip to India, but my business made it impossible. I'd actually given up the hope of this reaching you ever, but nevertheless I had kept it as a rememberence of you. But it had to reach you on an auspicious day, our 30th wedding anniversary."

She looked up, stunned at what he'd said. He'd remembered? Till the time they had been in Delhi, Meera had always made it a point to have a pooja performed in the nearby temple in her name on her birthday as well as her wedding anniversary. And got her a new saree also for both the ocassions. Though Geet kept pointing out that her marriage was only a farce, Meera never paid any heed to it. She always insisted it was an auspicious day and hence shouldn't be forgotten. So Geet had also kept up the tradition of the pooja, but only got it done on Maan's name instead of hers.

But today after so many years, she didn't know what to say. Only rivulets of tears poured down her eyes. He got up and coming close to her held her hand which held the gift with his left hand and said "I'm very sorry for the way I hurt you all those years ago. I was young and immature, though that's no excuse. When Meera died I felt very lonely lying alone on the university bed. I understood what it's like to lose a loved one. That's was when I realized how you must have felt giving me up. I understood how much you must have loved me to have given me up, for my own happiness. So I decided to come back here and see if there was any way I could make up to you, that is if you'd let me."

Quickly wiping her tears she closed the box and holding it out to him she said "I'm sorry I can't take it." When he asked "why? Is it wrong to take a gift from your husband?" she replied very coldly "You gave up that right years ago." But she didn't expect him to ask "then why are you still wearing the mangalsutra I tied round your neck? Why did you go to the temple and do the pooja today?" When looked incredulouly at him he continued, "I saw you come back with the pooja thali. And you thought I'd eat the kheer and not know it was made by you?" She just stood stunned having no replies to any of his questions.

"Sorry I didn't mean to make you cry today though tears are the only things I've given you all along." he apologized immediately and wiped her tears with his good hand. And then quietly turned and walked away. She sat down stunned with the happenings of the past few minutes and his questions going round and round in her mind.

To get her mind out of it, she got up and put the box on the table, intending to return it to him later. Then she went and changed her clothes, and started with the cooking. But her mind wouldn't even let her do that in peace. It went to those days in Delhi when they had shifted to the new house.

They had agreed that she would sleep in the inside room and he would sleep in the outside room. As a dutiful wife she cooked all his favourite food, but he ate it mechanically, rarely making any comments. If she asked him anything he'd just answer in monosyllables. He used to go to the university the whole day and she used to see him sit and read huge books till late in the night. But he always had a lost look about him. He was very moody and would often skip meals. That really used to worry her she recollected.

A week or so after they had shifted to their new house, on a Sunday morning she was cooking lunch when there was a knock on the door. As she moved towards the hall she heard maan open the door and exclaim "Meera what are you doing here? How did you get my house address?" Geet moved behind the kitchen door and peeped.

Meera "What do you think of yourself? Why are you avoiding me from the time I returned from vacation?"

Maan "Meera wait let's go out and talk."

Meera "No, don't try to evade me. I'm fed up of your lame excuses. That's why I got your address from Raghu and came to your house. So that we can talk without any disturbance."

Maan "Meera just listen.."

Meera "No, you listen. I know you must be angry because I stayed for 15 days in my hometown. But I told you my sister had come from the London, she wanted to spend time with me. What could I do?"

Saying "it's nothing like that," Maan signalled her to lower her voice. Seeing him looking towards the kitchen she walked towards it and spotted Geet. "Who are you?" she questioned her right away. When Geet looked at her uncomprehendingly, she repeated the same question in Punjabi. Geet still didn't reply anything but looked towards her maan for help.

"She's Geet, my wife" Maan said frankly. Meera's face paled at that. She looked at him disbelievingly tears welling up in her eyes. Then she had burst out in Punjabi. "You cheated me. You gave me false hopes. Why did you do that? Why?" When Maan said "I'll explain everything" she just gave him a tight slap on his cheek and was about to give another when Geet caught hold of her hand saying "Please don't slap him. It's not his fault." Then in one breath she went on to explain all that had led to their marriage and even what he had told her on her wedding night. Geet concluded saying "we are just staying under one roof but we don't have any bond between us."

But had it been the truth? Had there been no bond between them? She wondered now. Then why did his words still pull her heart strings? She went and picked up the jewellery box and admired the beautiful necklace and earrings, which she had failed to do earlier on. Holding them close to her heart she thought, this was the first gift he had himself handed to her.

Usually, before every festival, Meera would drag her to shop along with them. Or if it was a surprise gift, Meera would be the one to bring and show it to her. But this time her maan had himself given it to her. She changed her mind and decided she would keep it after all! Following that decision there was some special fuzzy feeling in her heart, which she couldn't understand.

Smiling to herself she took the box and kept it in her pooja shelf, as she was always did, when she brought some new jewellery. Then she continued with her cooking, humming a tune to herself.

Love,

Hinal

Prev - Part 9 - Pg 34

Next - Part 11 - Pg 40

and it is good to see a strong geet

cont.sooon

thanks for pm dear..