There is a book by this title on the life of Michelangelo, by Irving Stone. Have "borrowed" it with due respects to the author and his amazing story. This is the scene at Farhans Haldi ceremony. Inspired by Surbhi and Karan who lived every exquisitely painful second! Bravo!👏
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He is there with his mother at his sister's in-laws. One more act, one more scene in this fatal pretense and confusion of a fake/real/fake nikaah. They are running the gauntlet to dodge the sword of another sister's broken relationship. His Love held hostage, given up by him, convinced by him. The pressure is incredible. He endures the crassness of the psychotic Buffalo - mother-in-law of his sister - and waits in trepidation and anticipation. How is it possible to yearn for someone and not want to see them at the same time?
His phone rings and the Snake pours her sibilant venom into his ears. He does not want to listen, but she seems as if she is present in the room, so that makes his red flag go up and he continues, listening for a clue. She tells him that his Love is looking pretty in that lime yellow anarkali. He turns, letting the blood flow out of his broken heart as he sees Her with his brother.
She seeks out His gaze, and the heartbreak in Her wounded eyes pierces Him. She breaks down, seeing His mother and hugs her. Next, She slowly walks towards him. Their minds are full of their last meeting, their desperate clinging to one another, the reassurances. They don't want to think of the alternatives, of failure, of the countless other dreadful possibilities. Shaken out of their trance by the bellowing of the Buffalo, they assume their required positions in this terrible scene.
The Haldi ceremony drags on unbearably, its banality only outdone by the psychotic Buffalos cheap insults. Insults that he could have quelled with a look at one time. But he must hold his peace. The other sister needs to get married. And She must come back to him. She Must. Or he will die. He has to watch as the Buffalos exhortations force Her to perform meaningless rituals in an unthinkable role - that of his brothers wife. His brother watches too, strangely blank and silent. He does not seem to care. Is he wishing someone else in Her place or is his guilt over their separation making him numb?
First the Haldi. Then the Nazar Utaarna. She turns for the money. His hand shoots out with a wad of notes, without even knowing it. He stares at another hand extended beside him. His brother! He looks at his brother and their eyes lock. She stares at them , at Him only. Gritting his teeth, he lowers his hand and She completes the ceremony with a wooden face and her "husbands" money. Carefully blank, She hands out gifts to relatives and family, as the Wife of his brother. Every step kills her, but She is still standing. And his soul reaches out to Her, to stand beside Hers.
Now it is His mother's turn! Her faade starts to crack, the warm tears gather in Her eyes. Ammi takes the gift as quickly as possible. In a fitting and noble reply to the pernicious needling by the Buffalo, she asks that Allah give Her what She wants. The Buffalo is stumped, but only momentarily. Cruelly baiting the caged lion and the wounded deer with her words, she hands out a shawl , the Gift, for the "Jeth".
She stands in front of Him, her sorrow overwhelming her. Her eyes well up and her mouth quivers. He can't breathe. He almost dies in stopping himself from gathering Her up in his arms and walking out of there, out of these sick people's lives, forever. He channels his love to give Her strength, his eyes pouring it over Her face, Her body as he smiles faintly. To save her, He steps forward and takes the shawl. No more! Enough!
But the whip lashes again. The Buffalo grimaces grotesquely, her green eye shadow paralyzing the onlookers. Arre, not that way!! Drape it over Him. Go on then!
He is forced into immobility as Her soul quivers from the lashing. Allah, why this imtehaan?! Hating her position, She slowly opens the shawl and extends Her arms around Him as She catches it from behind His back and brings it forward over His shoulders. He cannot bring himself to look at Her. Her perfume tortures him, as does His cologne her. He feels Her hand trailing over his shoulder and shifts his face so that his cheek brushes Her warm skin. She stills and looks up at him, and is washed away in the grief and love pouring from his eyes. A Niagara of emotions. Her eyes are brimming as She stares up at Him, helpless. She forces her hands away from Him. Hastily filling up the deafening silence, his sister spirits her away on an excuse.
He hands the shawl back to his mother, hands and mouth shaking with rage and angst. He had not signed up for this! Does She endure this hell ten times over in that mad house, in the name of rivaayat and rasm? The thorns twisting in her side, no one to hear her silent screams? Has she shed a lifetime of tears, countless times in the past few days? Has anyone even cared? His princess, his angel, his woman, his heartbeat, his very life! She whom he, with his own hands and heart put on the line. What has he done! Allah, what has he done!
The phone rings again. The Snake renews her threats . He barely hears her slimy insults of Bhabhi and Jeth - as if that would change the name engraved in his heart! But he is desperate to track her down and destroy her. The Snake talks about a purse and a scorpion. He panics. He sees Her making her way slowly into the room and loses all control. Charging towards her, ripping her bag from her shoulders he engulfs her in his arms, crushing her close to him at last, not caring anymore. The sheer shock of it makes her freeze, but only for a moment as she holds him right back in a death grip and they immerse themselves in each other as their eyes close. His lips grazing her delicate shoulder, his arms steel bands around her body, hand caressing her neck and shoulder. Her hands absorbing his feel as they move up his back to clutch at his neck. Their souls transcend their bodies and reunite.
There will be hell to pay, but they don't care. That is a cheap price for this, this ecstasy - an oasis in this prolonged agony.
Seher Hone Ko Hai
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