Chapter 2 : Saras The Man
'Saras Beta.. Tum...' Maasi Maa couldnt find words coming to her mouth .Such big was her happiness and surprise on seeing Saraswathichandra after such a long time!
'Tu...yaha kaise..' Maasi Ma had to stop herself from as saras bend down to touch her feet and seek her blessings.
'Yaha aane ke liye mujhe kisiki permission nahi chahiye na .. Aapne hi kaha tha ye maasi Maa.. Bhool Gaye...'
'Mein kaise Bhool sakti beta..' She added by giving a pat on his face..
'Andar aao Beta.. Itne door se aaye ho.. Dhak gaye hoge..'
He smiled and followed her inside to the hall. Nothing had changed. The place looked just the same. It seemed to him that not even a second had passed from that day that he had to leave this place. His home.The place he always belonged to...
Seeing him lost in a trance Maasi maa Slowly tapped on his shoulder and asked ' Beta...Kya hua...'
He didnt know what came over him .. The sound of his Maasi ma.. The sense of belonging he felt.. or the way in which she called him Beta he just turned and hugged her... And he then realised how much he missed his own mother. HE used to always blame the fate for making him such a heartless person but being in his maasi ma's embrace he felt like a little child who had just came running back to his own mother after being taken away from her.
He slowly broke away from the hug . He could see that her eyes had filled .. he could sense that his own eyes had become wet. He didnt usually break down like this.. and now.. as that moment has passed.. he wanted to avoid all awkward moment and questions that he had to face.. He quickly fidgeted with his bag for a while.. He could sense that maasi maa's eyes were still fixed on him and was observing his each movement with a surprise..
To avoid the embarrassement he quickly asked
'Kakaji kaise hai'?
'Abhi bilkul theek hai.. tumko dekhkar aur bhi dheek ho jayege'
He smiled and followed maasi Ma..As he passed the hallway he heard that sound again... he quickly turned sideways only to catch a pink Dupatta that just flew inside as if the owner of that dupatta least cared about its existence. The Payal sound again drifted away.. but his desire to see its owner increased .. he didnt know why..