his dream now turning into hope
----
Part IV
Shaan stares at his phone, he has her number..he can call her..what if she is not there?..it is a Sunday..what will he tell her??..thanks for the ice-cream!..and then what??.. enquire after her husband..ask what are they doing on this Sunday afternonn..haan haan..and then ask..Can I join you guys?..Choddho!
He is suddenly irritated..walks out of his bedroom..needs to clear his head..gets down the stairs..
Boo: Arrey Shaan, kya baat hai?..someone knows you very well..rum and raisin bheja hai..
Mad: Kahan jaa rahe ho? Khakhe to jao
Shaan: No Mom, thanks..
Mad: Arrey kya baat hai?
Shaan: Kuch nahin Mom..main bus bahar jaa raha hoon..
Sunil: Tumhe yaad hai na..Daadi ko tum drop karne walle the..
Shaan: Of course, Dad.
Daadi: Usse jaane do..tum phikar mat karo Shaan..main shaam tak ruk saktee hoon..
Shaan: (with a small smile): okay, daadi
Akki: Sunn..do you want to go bike shopping?
Shaan: Not today, Bhaiya..some other time..
Akki: Are you sure?
Shaan nods..and leaves..not before hearing ..
Boo: Acha tho tumhe Shaan ko bike shopping le jaane ke liye time hai..meri movie ke liye nahi??
Akki: Chalo ice-cream khate hai..phir movie chalte hain..what say?
Mad: Kyun nahi hum sab chale?
Sunil: Sure..good idea..
Just then Sunil's cell phone rings and a second later so does Akshay's..leaving Daadi, Mad and Boo concerned as the mens' conversations seem to be taking an extremely serious tone..Within minutes, Akki and Sunil leave for the office..
Shaan is driving down the Bandra-Kurla link bypass..since it is Sunday late morning the parallel service road is usually empty because it is an office area. He parks the car inside a small lane in front of a watch repair shop which is next to a baniya shop which is next to a ladies tailor next to a chai ki dukaan next to a greeting card shop next to a flower shop next to a dhobi next to a... He has been driving for the past forty five minutes..with a heavy heart and confused mind..decides he needs to get out of the claustrophobic four doors and into the crowded street..so that he can hear himself admist all the suburban busy..He parks, waves to the watch repair walla..who acknowledges back on the parked car..and starts to walk..entering small streets into bylanes into footpaths back to the main road and back to the bylanes again..
He suddenly stops by the Caf Coffee Day..enters and sits down..wants to get his phone out to play some games..and then after checking all his pockets realizes he has left it back in the car..too far now to walk back..orders a lime slush and waits lounging on the chair. He spots a newspaper and opens it and there on the second page is a small column on Khandelwal Group of Companies expansion into music business..and the successful year end bash..Khanak in a white saree with sequins eating ice-cream flashes across his eyes..a chorus of laughter is heard from the far end of the caf waking him up from his reverie..the lime slush arrives and he slowly sips it with an empty mind and lost eyes..
He gets up walks to the counter..forgets to smile flirtingly at the girl behind it..pays, grabs some tissues and leaves the the caf. As he opens the door, a bunch of people enter..and he realizes they are here to gain respite from the unusual April rain. The caf is too crowded now to go back in and he decides to walk through the drizzle.
The drizzle turns into downpour and he is on the main road and the only shelter is the BEST bus stop. He dusts himself off the water and shakes his hands and hair and damns climate change..damns getting wet..damns leaving his car so far off..looks around and notices he is the only one at the bus stop. He waits.. a bus arrives..some people get off..most of them run helter skelter covering themselves from the unexpected..unprepared..and as he leans on the inner railing in the bus stop..he sees two people enter the stop and wait. One of them is unmistakable..she is drying herself..with her wet dupatta..inspecting her bag..removes it from her shoulder and sets it on the broad railing..
He moves towards her..the man standing in between them moves back to make way for him to reach her..he faces her back..she removes her hair clip..shakes her wet hair while droplets fall on his face..his shirt..his sleeve..he's taken aback and smiles at the feeling..she removes her duppatta from one shoulder and wrings it as dry and throws it back over the shoulder only for it to hit his shirt..her colourful dupatta .. with small mirrors on it ..on his white shirt..stays for awhile..the sudden stealthy sun rays falling on that wet mnage forming a rainbow..adding much needed color to his dream..
She senses something and suddenly turns..and they both face each other and for once they are speechless..and there at the BEST bus stop admist the noise of the downpour hitting the bus stop roof, the vehicles honking on the road.. the splashing of water..the yelling of kids..and the stare of the bus stop bystander.. their smiles to each other are the beginning of a bubbling laughter..with which they greet each other together..at the same time like it was meant to be..
Khanak: yakeen nahin hota..
Shaan: Unbelievable..
Khanak: Aap yahan kaise?
Shaan: Meri gaadi wahan..tum yahan kaise?
Khanak: Meri institute paanch minute (5) ka raasta hai yahan se..
Shaan: Institute?
Khanak: Jee..Jahan main Interior design padh rahee hoon aur Sundays ko wahee kaam kartee hoon.
Shaan: Oh..
Khanak: Tho mili?
Shaan: Kaun Mili?
Khanak: Koyee Mili naheen.. Ice-cream mili?
Shaan: (with a smile): Of course mili..
Khanak: (raising her eyebrows and tilting her head): tho phone karke thank you kab kehne walle the?
Shaan: Oh hello..jab mili tho poori pighal chookie thi..
Khanak: Aaahahaha..ice-box walli thi..poore do sau (200) rupaiye lage..aise kaise pighal saktee hai..
Shaan: (smiles at her): mujhe kya pata..ice-cream thee..pighal gayee..
Khanak: Matlab khane ko nahin mila? Isse achaa tho hum kahin milke ice cream kha lete..
Shaan: (continues smiling and stares at her)..so tho..
Bystander: Hmm..excuse me....excuse me..
Shaan: (irritated): Kya hai???!!!
Bystander: woh madam ka phone bajj raha hai..(and looks snidyly at Shaan and stares at Khanak's wet back while Khanak takes her bag from the railing) and Shaan says..
Shaan: Chalo..main tumhe institute chodd deta hoon..
Khanak stares back at him..puts the bag over her shoulder..what is she doing?? She thinks..covers her head with her hand and follows him..the downpour has turned into a drizzle..
Shaan walks a bit ahead..and then waits for her to join.."tu kya kar raha hai Shaan?..arrey main wahan usse chod deta tho who admee uske saath ..anyways..just dropping her off..doing the gentleman thing..buss"
His heart stares at her while his mind chides him to look away..In her head, she thinks he is extremely handsome and her heart stops her from confirming the same..His heart meets her's.. for she looks down while he follows a step back in order to watch out for her while watching her..they pass by the chai walla..who acknowledges Khanak..half cutting?? chaiwalla calls out..
Khanak: Aap chai peyenge?
Shaan: Kahan?
Khanak: Yahan!!
Shaan: Umm…tumhe dher nahin ho rahee..aur iss barsaat mein..
Khanak: ab tho sirf cheetein hain..iss mausam mein chai ka mazaa kuch aur hain..
Shaan: hmm..(it is a slight drizzle!!)
Khanak: meri institute bus yahee pe hain..dekhiye woh building..
Shaan: Kaunsee? Woh? I know that place, meri Daadi wahan seekhatee thee..
Khanak: Acha!!
Shaan: Haan..she is a painter..Poona mein unki ek choti si school aur gallery hain..
Khanak: Acha!!..(extremely excited..wants to know more..)
Shaan : (smiles at her excitement): haan..K Art house..
Khanak: K..?
Shaan: K yaani Khandelwal?!! (putting up his collar)
Khanak: Pakka?!!..kahin K ..Khanak tho nahin..(and covers her smirk)
Shaan: Ha ha ..very funny..
Chaiwalla: Do cutting..
Both of them start drinking..Shaan quite hesitantly while Khanak takes the edge of her duppatta to hold the hot glass and sips away very comfortably..while Shaan looks on adoringly at her..not interested in drinking anymore..She looks at him..signs him to drink..
As soon as his lips touch the rim..the chaiwalla interrupts with..
Chaiwalla: Mehtajee dekhayee nahin dete aaj kal..
Khanak: (with a smile): Haan..woh kaam mein bahut busy ho gaye hain..aaj bhi office gaye hain..
Shaan: Khanak!!! Mujhe jaana hai..
Khanak: Lekin …
Shaan: Tum chalee jao..
And turns around and walks away without looking back at her..does not realize, his walking away has costed her confused tears flowing down her eyes.. gets to his car..unlocks it..sits on the driver;s seat bends his head over the steering..praying for control..he hears his phone beep..looks at it..12 missed calls..10 from bhaiya and 2 from Natasha..3 messages..from Sunil ordering him to come to the office asap..
As soon as he enters his father's cabin, the tension in the room is jarring.
Shaan: Ab maine kya kiya?
Akki: Kidhar tha tu?
Sunil: Are you ever going to take anything seriously?
Akki: Dad, ek second..
Shaan: Arrey koyi mujhe batayega..
Akki: Investors are pulling out of the music company deal..
Shaan: What?? Achanak??!!
Sunil: Woh keh rahe hain ke humara tender was approved with prior information..
Shaan: Are you serious??!..Is there a leak amongst us??
Akki: Dikh tho aise hi raha hai..
Shaan: OH my GOD???!!!...Do we suspect anyone??
Akki: we are not sure..it is just a suspicion..
Shaan: WHO???!!
Sunil: Aisa finger pointing is of no use..we need to come up with Plan B
Shaan: WHO??!!
Akki: Suraj!!!
Sunil: Shaan, basically..nothing is certain..hamein kuch din..Shaan?!
Shaan moves away and looks outside the window with hands in his pockets.. suddenly it has stopped raining..the sun threatens to come out of the clouds..he has to walk away from his dream..its time..
--
Apne bheege hue baalon se tapakta paani
mere chahre pe chhitak deti hai
aur
Ek hi Khwab kayee baar
Dekha hai maine..
--
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