RaMaya OS: It's Over! 27/9/15

RaMaya OS: It's Over

Sunlight crept into the dusty store room and fell on sleepy head, Amaya. She slowly opened her eyes for another torturous day. Something did not feel right. She touched her forehead but she did not have fever, just a little tiredness more mental and emotional than physical. She got up, folded her bed sheet and straw mat. As she was moving out of the store room she felt some light headedness. "Amaya, kya hua? Tum theek toh ho na? Tum bhi na kya zaroorat hai yahan sone ki? Mere room mein aa jaaya karo agar apne room mein nahi sona toh." Kangana, the only person in the family who cared for Amaya rushed to her. She took the pillow, mat and bed sheet. Amaya felt her insides contract and a sour liquid forming in the throat. She kept her hand on her mouth and rushed to the washroom. Kangana followed her. She heard Amaya puke.

Amaya came out of the washroom and Kangana supported her. She made her sit on the stool. "Amaya, tum theek toh ho na? Ek kaam karti hoon main tumhaare liye neembu sherbet lekar aati hoon. You will feel fine." Amaya stopped her, "Kangana, neembu sherbet nahi neembu pani lana mujhe kuch khatta chahiye." Kangana smiled and went away. She was in the kitchen putting the links in order, light headedness, puking, khatta... OMG she squealed with joy and jumped up and down. She brought the neembu pani for Amaya. "Badi amma, naaniji, mausi, buaji, bada papa, Rama bhaiyya jaldi bahar aaiye!" She shouted on top of her voice. Everyone came except for Rama who had already left for the shop.

"Kangana, kya hua beta? Tu theek toh hai? Iss maharani ne kuch..." Sumitra gave a dirty stare to Amaya. "Badi ma aisa kuch bhi nahi hai. Main aapko ek aisi khabar sunaoongi ki aap bhabhi ko apne sar par bitha lengi." Kangana was beaming with joy. Her tone had an exciting ring to it. Amaya was confused what the excitement was all about. "Arre Kangana bitiya bata toh hua kya?" Gupta jee asked so that he could get away from the chandal chaukdi and their nautanki. "Bade papa, badi ma aap dada dadi banne wale hain, Rama bhaiyya papa, Amaya bhabhi ma aur main bua!" Kangana announced happily. Amaya was shocked and so were the chandal chaukdi. "Kya?" Rama's naaniji blessed Amaya and so did his masi, buaji and mother. Gupta jee too blessed Amaya. She sat there still wondering what in the heck was going on. How can she be pregnant? OMG she thought she had to get in touch with Rama before anyone else told him about this news.

Amaya wanted to go and meet Rama but she was not allowed to by the chandal chaukdi. At first they wanted to keep her away for their benefit but not she was carrying the first child of the new generation. The first child to be born after Rama and that too was going to be his child. First, their hatred made them torture Amaya but now their smothering was also torturing her. They fed her more than she could consume, they told her to take rest and not worry about anything. She pretended to fall asleep so that they would leave her alone and they did. Rama came home for lunch as his lunch was not sent to the shop.

**

"Kya baat hai aaj toh khaane mein sab kuch humaari pasand ka hai. Kaunsi khush khabar hai?" Rama smiled seeing all his favorite dishes made. "Bhaiyya aap ye gulab jamun khaiye! Khush khabar toh aisi hai ki main poori gulab jamun ki dukaan aapke moonh mein dal doon." Rama was happy seeing his sister happy. "Accha bhai ab khush khabar toh de do!" "Bhai aap papa banne wale hain. Humaare ghar mein ek chota sa baby aayega." Rama choked on hearing this. "Arre beta dheere se dekh bhai ko thaska lag gaya." Sumitra said patting Rama's back. "Main abhi aaya." Rama left. "Badi amma, hum log bhi na ye news toh bhabhi ko bhai ko dena chahiye thi. Chaliye unhe baatein karne dijiye aap toh ye mithai khaiye." Kangana kept the chandal chaukdi busy so that Rama and Amaya would have some time.

Rama entered the room and closed the door. Amaya was standing at the door lost in thoughts. Rama went to her and grabbed her upper arm. "Rama? Accha hua tum aa gaye mujhe tumse bahut zaoori baat karni hai." Amaya was glad to see Rama as he could help her out of the pregnancy situation since both of them were sailing on the same boat. "Chup! Ek dum chup!" Rama was fuming with rage. It now registered to Amaya that Rama was holding her upper arm with excessive force. "Rama mera haath chodo mujhe dard ho raha hai." She was trying to get Rama to let go of her upper arm.

"Jab humne tumhe aaj tak uss tarah se chua nahi hai toh hum iss bacche ke baap kaise ho sakte hain!" Amaya stopped struggling to let Rama go of her arm. She looked up at him. There was disbelief in her eyes. Rama could not understand what she was going through right at this moment. The disbelief slowly turned into disgust and she pushed him with all her might. Rama's back banged to the cupboard. "Chee! Itni ghatiya soch hai tumhaari Rama!" Amaya yelled at him. Rama came forward and put a finger on her lips. "Shhh. Awaaz neeche. Tum ghatiya kaam kar sakti ho hum bol bhi nahi sakte!" Amaya slapped his hand away. "Kya kiya hai maine?" "Ye baccha!" "Baccha? Rama tum soch rahe ho ki main sach mein... Ye soch hai tumhaari mere baare mein? Tumhe ye lagta hai ki main shaadi se phele kisi ko apna sab kuch de sakti hoon..." Amaya paused for a few seconds and then she realized something. "Kahin tumhe ye toh nahi lagta ki main shadi ke baad kisi ke saath..." Rama stood there, anger was all over his face and disgust for Amaya in his eyes.

Amaya grabbed his collar and made him look at her. "Dekho meri taraf Rama! Patni hoon main tumhaari! Jo hoon jaisi hoon, acchi hoon ya bure se buri hoon! Tum apni marzi se mujhe apni zindagi mein laaye ya main zabardasti tumhaari zindaig mein shamil ho gayi hoon... Jo bhi hai ab main tumhaari patni hoon. Agar koi meri izzat par keechad uchale toh tumhe meri dhal banker mere saamne khada hona chahiye par yahan toh tum khud hi... Chee! Ghin aati hai mujhe tumhaari soch par!" She let him go and he stood there like a statue.

"Main tumhaara intezaar kar rahi thi ki tum aaoge aur hum dono iss problem ka solution dhoondhenge par tum toh... Rama main jaanti hoon ki shadi mein jo hua uske baad tum mujhse nafrat karte ho par uske pehle toh humaara ek aur rishta tha na? Dost thi main tumhaari... Apni patni ke bare mein jo socha so socha par ye soch hai tumhaari apni dost ke baare mein... Main Rachita di ki choti behen hoon... jis Rachita jee se tum pyar ke daave karte they ye soch hai tumhaari uss Rachita ki choti behen ke baare mein?..." Amaya could no longer be in the same room with Rama. She was feeling suffocated by the allegations in his eyes. She was leaving from the room. "Amaya" Rama spoke up in a gentle voice. He looked at her and she shook her head in a no. She did not want to hear him, she did not want to speak to him, and she did not even want to look at him.

**

The Gupta parivaar was celebrating in the aangan. "Badi amma, Amaya bhabhi ke gharwalon ko bhi ye khush kabhar deni chahiye na?" Kangana wanted to share the good news with everyone. "Arre mera baccha! Jab tak chaar mahine nahi ho jaate tab tak ye baat kisi bahar wale ko nahi batate. Nazar lag gayi toh?" Sumitra smiled. "Bahar wale? Badi amma wo bhabhi ke apne hain wo kyun nazar lagayenge?" Sumitra with great difficulty made Kangana understand to keep the good news in the Gupta family.

"Amaya! Arre araam se!" Sumitra saw Amaya come running down the stairs. Amaya did not stop and she ran out of the house. "Ye ladki na! Khushi dekhi nahi jaati iss se humaari. Agar mere hone wale pote ya poti ko kuch..." "Arre jab bhi bolegi utla hi bolegi. Accha nahi bol sakti toh bura bhi toh mat bol!" Gupta jee scolded Sumitra before she could finish saying if anything happened to her grandchild she would not forgive Amaya.

"Mom, ye Amu medical store mein kya kar rahi hai? I don't think ki uski tabiyat theek hai." Rachita wanted to go and meet Amaya but Sneha stopped her. "Rachu! Chalo." Rachita looked back and saw Amaya take a brown paper bag from the chemist and rush home. She was worried for her baby sister. Amaya had drastically changed but she was still her Amu. As soon as Rachita entered the house she ran up to the balcony to see if she could come to know about Amaya.

At home Amaya rushed in like she had rushed out. This time Kangana followed her as she went to the washroom. She waited for 20 minutes outside the washroom and at regular intervals asked Amaya is she was alright. Finally, Amaya came out. She had been crying. Kangana saw something she was hiding in her palm. "Amaya, ye kya hai? Sab theek hai na? Tum theek ho na? Tumhe kuch chahiye? Aise time mein na..." "Aisa kuch nahi hai jo tum soch rahi ho." Amaya showed her the pregnancy test which was negative obviously.

"I am sorry Amaya, mujhe maaf kar do. Wo tumhaare symptoms aur TV mein bhi toh aisa hi dikhate hain. I am sorry apni excitement mein main ye bhool gayi ki doctor ke paas jakar confirmation ke baad hi mujhe... Main baki sabko batati hoon tum Rama bhaiyya ko batao." Kangana wiped Amaya's tears. "Haan tumhaare Rama bhaiyya ko ye batana bahut zaroori hai." Amaya went to Rama's room. He was sitting on the bed with his head hung low. He wanted to apologize to Amaya but did not know how he would face her.

Rama heard the sound of her bangles. He looked up. "Ama..." She put her hand forth asking him not to say a word. She gave him a carton. "Ye kya hai?" "Padhna aata hai na toh instructions padho." "Amaya..." "Padho Rama." Rama read the instructions on the pregnancy test kit carton. "Single line matlab negative result hai." Amaya put the pregnancy test strip in front of him as he read the last line. "Single line hai Rama. Main pregnant nahi hoon. Ab toh yakeen hai mujhpar?" Rama looked at her. He was feeling sorry as he had hurt her deeply or maybe beyond repair else she would have not said the following words.

"Pregnancy test negative hai... haan iss se toh tumhaara bas ek shaq door hua hoga na? Doosra shaq toh abhi bhi kayam hai ki maine shaadi se pehle ya shaadi ke baad apna sab kuch kisi ko... Waise Rama jaise maine pregnancy ka shaq door kiya waise wo shaq door karne ka bhi test aaj kal hota hai. Agar tum chaho toh main wo bhi..." Amaya could not even look at Rama, the man who was once her good friend. "Amaya bas karo! Aur kitna giraogi humein apni hi nazron mein? Bas karo!" Rama pleaded with her.

"Main bhi tumse ye hi kehna chahti thi Rama ki bas karo. Mujhe apni nazron mein itna mat girao ki jab sach saamne aaye toh tum apni hi nazron se gir jao. Jo tha jaisa bhi tha par kuch toh rishta tha par tumne aaj sab khatam kar diya sab kuch. It's over Rama." Amaya picked up her bag and removed her clothes from the cupboard. She was packing her things. "Amaya kya kar rahi ho?" "Main ja rahi hoon Rama, tumhaare kamre se aur tumhaari zindagi se par unfortunately tumhaare ghar se nahi ja sakti..." Amaya was at the door about to cross the threshold. "Aur agar ja sakti toh?" Rama asked. Amaya turned and he read the answer clearly in her eyes.

Rachita was worried about Amaya so she was standing at the door of Chaueby nivaas. She saw Amaya come out of the main door of Gupta house and throw out the same brown paper bag. A teary eyed Amaya saw a blurred image of Rachita. She wanted to rush to her sister but she could not. Rachita went and picked up the brown paper bag. In it she saw the pregnancy test which was negative. As she turned she saw Sneha standing there. "Mom wo Amu..." Sneha saw the pregnancy test. Her heart was filled with joy but then the joy died as the test was negative. "Mom..." "Ye ladki bhi na... Iss mein itna rone ki kya baat hai? Iss mahine test negative hai toh agle mahine positive bhi toh ho sakti hai. Wasie bhi time hi kitna hua hai iski shaadi ko ki abhi se bacche ke liye itna jaldi macha rahi hai." Sneha shook her head and went home with Rachita.

Amaya was standing behind the door. She wished she could tell her mom the truth but she could not. It was all over between her and Rama but a tiny hope kindled inside her, it was not over between her and her mother. She still loved and cared for her. Her smile which Rama snatched away Sneha gave back.