People Of Substance
(Continued from update ' Testing Fate ' pg 6)
Natasha moved towards the study....She could see Khanak through the gap in the door and she also heard another voice, aswell as her father's....It was Mr Patil, their solicitor....He was reading out the print of some legal document....Which sounded like a property agreement....' Must be the haveli papers which Di mentioned....' Natasha thought....Mr Patil stopped reading and asked Khanak and Mr Agarwal if they were happy with the small print, then Mr Agarwal signed the documents....Natasha moved from view as Mr Patil left the study, in order to submit the documents for legal registration....
' Tumhari himmat ki dhaat deni pare gi Khanak, ' Mr Agarwal spoke. ' Itna subkuch hogane ke bawajud, tum yaha aayi...'
' Aapne jo cheez dokhe se hassil ki, wahi wapaas lene aayi ho....Mera saat jo bhi ho...Aap ko kya laga, Mangal Bhaa kagazaat pareghe nahi?...Ke unko nahi pata chale gah ke Kushbu Bhabhi ko aapne nakli kagazaat diye hai....'
' Kher, ab to tumhe haveli mill gayi nah, aur uski registry aur dead of rights, Jhadheja pariwar ke name hochuke hai ....Mein kabhi uspe aapna haq nahi jatawoh gah.... Aur Mangal Singh bhi nahi...'
' Aur, naahi aap Shantanu se haveli ke paise lenge...'
Mr Agarwal narrowed his eyes, he wasn't going to give her peace of mind so easily, ' Jaisa meine agreement mein likwaya hai Khanak, heveli ke kyoi bhi mamle mein, mera haq nahi hai...Aur kabhi furture mein oska dawah nahi karsaktah....Yeah likha hai dead mein...Mr Patil ne yeah sub tumhare samne para tah...Par mein kya jawab do ga?...Agar Shantanu nai poocha toh?...'
' Khedije ke, aapki bhi betiyaan hai...Isliye aapne yeah sub kiya....Ek tarah se sach hi hai nah?...'
Mr Agarwal did not miss the taunt in Khanak's words....' Mujhe ek baat batawo, tum subke bare mein soch rahi ho, par zara socha hai, ke tum jub nahi hogi, tab mujhe khun rokhe gah?...'
' Aap kuch nahi kar sakte, kyunke mere nahoteh bhi mein aapne pariwar ko nahi bhologi...Aur unki kabar rakhogi...Aap kuch nahi karege, warna mein bhi aapki sachayi sub ke samne ladogi...'
' Kyun karegah tumhara yakeen, tumne toh aaj Shantanu ke badale, Jhadheja pariwar ko choona....'
' Yeh such nahi hai ....Woh meri mujhbori thi...Aur yahi ek rasta tha, jisse sub ko kum se kum takleef ho....Aaj jo horaha hai, isse Shantanu ko takleef hogi, phar unka bawishya surakshit rahe ga...Waqt ke saat sub ghaow pahar jayege....Shaiyad woh Natasha Ji ko kabhi, pore dill se na chahe, par woh ek ache jewaan sahthi zarror banegeh....Yeh baat agar aapne phele samjhe hoti, toh jo takleef aapki beti ko huwi, woh aap rok sakte teh....'
' Shayad...Par honi ko yahi manzoor tah...Aur tumhari shaadi se Shantanu kafi sudar gaya hai...'
' Sahi kaha aapne, mera aur Shantanu ka mila sirf ek itefaq nahi tha....'
' Mere kayal se tumhe der hora hai....'
' Haan...' saying this Khanak turned, to picked up her copy of the the documents and headed to the door....' Jaane se phele ek aakri baat kehni thi...Mein jaanti hoon ke aap mujhe kaamzor samjh teh hai....Aaj mein chah kar bhi aapke kelaaf nahi jasakti....Par ek baat yaad rakye....Meri zindagi se khel kar aapne ek bohat bari galti kardi....Jab insaan ke paas kuch bhi nahi hota, toh phir mort se bhi dar nahi lagatah....Aur Shantanu ke liye, mein kuch bhi kar sakti hoon....'
' Shantanu ki kismat wakehi achi hai....' Mr Agarwal replied.grimly ' Phar kya faidah, agar woh kud hi nahi samujh tah?....Buss, Natasha ko woh kush rakhe, aur issi tarha taraki kar tah rahe....Pyaar hi zindagi mein sub kuch nahi hota...'
' Shantanu se aacha patti Natasha Ji ko kabhi nahi mill sakta, woh aapna har rista achi tara nibhate hai....' saying this she walked through, the study door, but not before Mr Agarwal ended with....' Jaise ke usne tumhare saat aapna rishta nabhaya?....'
Mr Agarwal wanted to laugh at the audasity of this little girl, but the convinction in her voice made him think twice....Could he really risk, Natasha finding out what he had done?....Did he really think that wouldn't affect him in anyway?...His parting shot, was ment sacastically, but his words rang true....For Khanak and for Natasha, who stood in stunned silence as Khanak made her way out.....'
( In the carpark of Mr Agarwal's building )
Shaan pulled into an empty parking bay and within minutes he was at the basement lobby waiting for the lift to come...It seemed to be stuck on the top floor....Natasha's floor....It had been difficult to leave the house, under his mother's watchfull eye....She knew he wanted to leave to look for Khanak...She and Gopi had left the house, with the two idiots....He was trying to stay claim and not think about her leaving....First things first, he had too speak to Natasha....He owned her that much....' God, yeh lift ko kya huwa....Shaan beta, lakta hai tumhe phir se seeri ka sahara lena pare ga....' he told to himself....He waited another minute and then headed for the stairwell...He didn't have time to waste....
( Outside the top floor lift )
' Khanak rokho!....' Khanak turned to see Natasha coming towards her....' Tum Dad se milne aayi thi?,' Natasha asked carefully....
' Hai woh haveli ke sisiley mein..'
' So, tum ja rahi ho?...Shaadi tak nahi rokhogi?...' Natasha realised how mean it was, but she couldn't help the bitterness she felt...
' Haan...Yehi sub ke liye aacha hai....Aap kush hai nah?...'
' Kal tak thi, aaj aisa lagta hai ke tum shaiyad sahi thi...' Khanak realised Natasha had heard the whole conversation in the study....' Yakeen nahi hota Dad mere saat aisa kar sakte hai...'
' Toh aap sub jaanti hai?...'
' Sub kuch nahi, par jitna meine suna, kaafi hai...'
' Toh phir aab aap kya karegi?...'
' Kya karogi?....Tumhi baatao Khanak mujhe kya karna chahye....'
' Yeh faisala mere haat mein nahi, ye aapko aur Shantanu ko karna hai....Shayad ye bohat phele hojana chahiye tah, par abhi sahi...'
' Aur tum asie hi chali jawao gi...'
' Mein mujboor ho, par pattah nahi kyun dill mein ek umeed abhi bhi hai...'
' Tum chahti ho ke Shaan, ya mein iss shaadi ko rokle?...'
' Agar aap ek aise insaan se shaadi kar sakti hai, jo kisse aur se pyaar kertah hai...Aur agar Shaantanu ka yehi faisala hain...Toh yahi sahi...'
' Tum kud kyoi faisala kyun nahi leti?...Agar tum aapni shaadi bachana chahti ho?...'
' Kyunki, phele se hi ye mere haat mein nahi hai...Aur mein chahti hoon ke Shantanu khud aapni marsi se faisla le....Subke saamne, sub ke ashirwaad ke saat....Abhi halat bohat begar gaye hai....Mein aapni kushi ke liye, Shantanu, ya apne Dulwadhi ke risto ko aur takleef nahi dena chahti....Filhaal jo mujhse hoga woh mein kar rahi hoo....Par aab aap sub jaanti hai, aur aap sachyi se moo naho mor sackti...Apne aap se sawal kijiyeh....Kya ye shaadi aap ke liye shahi hai?....'
The lift door finally opened and Khanak stepped it....Natasha went over the morning's events in her mind over and over again....Shaan didn't love her as he once did, he loved Khanak....But he was marrying her out of durest...Like he once had to marry Khanak....Khanak loved him and he loved Khanak...Khanak was not saying anything because, she was thinking about her realtives and she wanted Shaan to take a stand....Was Khanak playing with all their lives?...No....She could understand, after what her life had been, she wanted unconditional love....Shaan had to accept Khanak freely in front of the whole world....What girl wouln't want that?.....
Inside the lift Khanak watched the numbers on the display slowly count down....She had surprised herself in the way she had spoke to Natasha....Khanak realised she had indirectly asked Natasha for help....Dadi had said God gives us lots of signs and we should understand....She had got two that morning, from Natasha and Mr Agarwal....But what could she do, how could she be with Shantanu and solve all their problems....She remembered what the tarot card reader had advised her, she had to find a way and she had to get the strength to fight.....As the ping of the bell sounded for the ground floor, the clouds in Khanak's mind cleared and she was determined about two things....She would make sure Adda and Baai got the haveli papers and she couldn't let the marriage take place....Then come hell or high water she would face it.....
Shaan climbed the last set of stairs, completely exhausted....' Meri toh abhi se hi band burgayi hai....Natasha se baat karne ke bard, mera kya hoga?....Come on Shaan, you can do it....Bus ek hi seeri bakki hai...' As he climbed the last couple of stairs, he found Natasha sitting on the top step....She looked up as she heard someone approach....
' Shaan..' It almost seemed like she was expecting him.....' We need to talk...' Shaan nodded his head in acknowledgement and sat down next to her....He could see she had been crying and she had a stealy look on her face....As Shaan regained his breath, the image of Khanak, when she was after his blood in Dulwadhi, came to mind....He took a deep breath and he remembered the saying ' Hell hath no ...something...like a women scored....'
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( I wanted to go some way to justify the actions of Shaan and Khanak, in a reasonable way...But at the same time show, both of them deciding to fight for their love....I am still planning where this is going next and apologise, for tha lack of ShaNak...Please feel free to make sugguestion or if you think improvements are needed.....)
Edited by The_May_Rose - 15 years ago
Health and Fitness
Pocket Mein Aasman
