OS: Saath Saath prt2 pg4 Aug 28

Five hours, it had been five hours. He'd been waiting at a bus stop in the middle of the God forsaken town for five hours.

 

The moment Adi confirmed that Geet had gone to Hoshiryarpur on her own, Maan's anger nearly exploded. Had it not been for Pinky telling him that the only reason Geet decided to make the trip on her own was because if not, he could been in jail the next morning. Immediately his anger towards Geet, shifted to anger towards himself. If he'd simply done as asked by that bitch Rasika, and come to Hoshiyarpur, all of this could have been avoided. That didn't mean that Geet was without blame. He told her he didn't need her help, he told her he'd handle it. For once, just once, why couldn't she do as instructed. Then, Maan realized who he was talking about.

 

He didn't wait for anything. After talking to Adi and Pinky he went home, changed into more comfortable clothing, and then left. He drove nonstop, driving way past the speed limit. It scared him to think of what could happen if Geet had gotten to Hoshiyarpur before he did. How could he forget that her whack job of a brother was there? How could he forget that her old school family was still there? Of course, it didn't help matters that Geet seemed to go looking for trouble. It sent a chill down his spine to think that she might get hurt while he was away from her. Ever since he'd known her, she'd needed rescuing ' for some reason trouble followed her or she followed it. He didn't really know. But he'd always been the one to save her, he'd always been there. But now, he wasn't with her, he didn't even know where she was really. What if something happened and he wasn't there? What if she needed saving and he wasn't there? What if'?

 

That is why, he got there before she had. He'd been waiting for five hours at the bus stop where she should be coming in. Five hours had passed and a total of ten buses had passed, none of which had Geet. What was taking so long? She should have been there hours ago. It wouldn't have surprised him if she took her sweet time checking out the scenery as she came. Better yet, she probably stopped at a dhaba on the way, ordered everything off the menu and in the midst of doing her dhaba bhangra, she'd missed her bus ' and then some. What was he going to do with her.

 

The distant rumble of another bus caught his attention. He leaned off his car as the bus parked and people began getting off. He didn't take his eyes off the door for one second. He watched as men, women and children got off and were greeted by their loved ones. He waited and waited until the bus started up again and the last passenger got out. He kicked the tire of his car in frustration.

 

"Kya karunga main iss ladki ka?" he said under his breath. "Kaha tha maine uss se ke main saab kuch sambhal lunga. Kaha tha maine uss se ke mujhe uski madat ki zarurat nahin hai. Lekin nahin, yeh meri baath sunti kahaan hai. Khabi suni hai joh aaj sunegi?"

 

Then, suddenly he heard the sound of payal's. He looked up and saw a small figure dressed in an aquagreen salwar suit getting out of the bus with a small bag in her hand ' it was Geet. Maan released a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. She was safe. She didn't run into trouble or problems. She was safe. Thank God. He watched as some lady pushed Geet as she walked by. Even from the distance he could see that she was scared and nervous. He watched as she quickly took her dupatta and used it to cover her had and half her face. She walked quickly, here eyes darting from side to side as if looking for something.

 

Just as she crossed his path, he grabbed her arm and pulled her to him.

 

"Nahin, mujhe maat mariyeh," she said. Her voice was laced with fear and her eyes closed.

 

Maan cursed himself for grabbing her like that and for being the person to cause her to be scared.

 

"Geet, main hoon," he said in a hushed tone, his hand still on her arm.

 

He saw the relief in her eyes when she opened them, they were reflected in his own as well. She stared at him for a long while, as did he. He knew that behind the innocence in her eyes was something that she fought with all she had to hide. He remembered when she told him that she had other difficulties and pain in her life that had nothing to do with him. He wanted to know what those difficulties were so that he could take care of them. He wanted to know what the pain was so that he could ease them. More than anything he wanted to know because he wanted her to trust him.

 

"A'aap yahaan kya kaar rahe hai?" she asked.

 

He broke out of his reserve and said, "Kyun? Aagar tum aa sakti ho toh kya main nahin aa sakta?"

 

She looked away from him because he knew she had no answer. "Aapko aane ki zarurat nahin tha."

 

He couldn't help but grin at her comment. "Main tumhe akeli kaise aane deta, woh bhi yahaan ' Hosiyarpur mein? Jhoota hi sahi, lekin aab tum mere mangater ho. Tumhara raksha karna mera farz hai."

 

She looked at him, shocked by his comment.

 

He took her hand and led her to his car. Opening the door he waited for her to get in, which she did. He went around and took his own seat in the drivers side.

 

"Hum kahaan jaa rahe hai?" she asked softly.

 

"Ghaar," he said.

 

"Ghaar?" she ask him confused.

 

"Haan Geet, yahaan pe mera ek ghaar hai. Hum vahaan jaa rahe hai."

 

"Magar main kaise'" she began.

 

"Kyun Geet? Tum kya aapne Darji ke paas jaana chati ho?" he asked coldly.

 

She quickly became quiet and looked down. He saw her slightly shake her head in the negative. He pulled out of the bus stand, and the rest of the ride they stayed silent. When they pulled up to the small house, he opened the door for her and took her bag. They walked quietly up the steps and stood outside for juts a minute while Maan hunted for the key. Opening the door, none of them realized that they both stepped in with their right foot at the same time. As he walked to the back of the house, Geet followed.

 

"Tum iss kamre mein soh jao," he said.

 

"Aur aap?" she asked.

 

"Main yahaan sofe pe soh jaunga."

 

"Nahin nahin, aaise kaise hosakta hai. Aapka ghaar hai," she said as she tried to take her bag from him. "Aap andar soh jaiyeh, main bahar soh jaungi."

 

"Geet," he began, "Main joh bhi kehta hoon, uska ulta jawab humesha kyun deti ho?"

 

She stayed silent and followed him into the room. He put her bag on the bed and walked out after another glance of her. He heard her lock the door once he was outside, she didn't come out the rest of the night. He didn't know if she slept or not, he just knew he didn't. He had one of the most restless nights in his life. So much was going through his mind ' Raskia's court case, the possibility of going to jail, the possibility of paying huge fines. However, none of that is what kept him up. What kept him up was the worry of Geet running into her family and them hurting her. What kept him up was the possibility of this one trip taking Geet back to the scared woman he'd met. What kept him up was the possibility that he could lose the strong, independent Geet he'd come to know.

 

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Maan had woken up at the crack of dawn, like he usually did. He followed his daily routine like he usually did. After that was done, he needed to talk to his lawyer and make a quick trip into town before Geet woke up. When he came back he called for Geet but got no response. Suddenly he because scared at where she could have been. He knocked on her door but no answer, pushing it open he saw it empty. All the other rooms in the house were empty as well.

 

"Geet!" he called as he walked out back.

 

What he saw stopped him in his tracks ' he couldn't help but stare. She stood on the porch over looking the massive backyard. She was dressed in an olive green suit, drying her hair with a towel. From where he stood he could see a faint smile on her face as she took in the atmosphere. She pushed her hair to one side and a few drops of water landed on Maan's face. When she turned, she was shocked to see him.

 

"Aap'" she said.

 

Maan was at a loss for words, he was tongue tied. This seemed to happen a lot when she looked at him like that.

 

"Aap baitiyeh, main nashta lagati hoon," she said.

 

"Huh'" he said coming back to reality. "Nahin, mere paas waqt nahin hai. Mujhe kuch kaam ke liyeh bahar jaana hai."

 

Her face fell but then she said, "Kam se kam coffee toh pilijiyeh."

 

"Hmm'" he grunted.

 

Within the minute she handed him a cup of piping hot, black coffee with two cubes of sugar ' just the way he liked it. As he drank the coffee and spoke to his lawyer, she stood running her fingers through her hair, still enjoying the view.

 

"Chalta hoon," he said as he turned and walked away.

 

He heard the sound of her payal's follow him. Then he heard her call to him.

 

"Suniyeh," she said softly, "'main bhi chaloon aapke saath?"

 

"Magar Geet'" he began. He wanted to talk her out of going with him. He wanted to stay in his house, safe from the craziness of Hoshiyarpur.

 

"Please," she pleaded.

 

How was he supposed to say no now?

 

"Tik hai, chalo."

 

He was rewarded for his decision in the form of a bright smile.

 

"Aabhi aayi," she said excitedly as she rushed into her room.

 

She returned five minutes later, with her hair tied in her traditional braid, jhumkas hanging from her earrings. He frowned at her hair style, he liked it much better open. He led the way to his car. Usually he used his jeep when he was here but it was too open ' it left Geet to exposed. He opted for his tinted black Mercedes this time.

 

As they drove through the back streets, headed over to the plot of land that he'd brought for the project, he saw Geet smiling at everything and anything. She began talking about her childhood here. As the were passing a clearing, a small you could see a small building across the way.

 

"Woh dekhiyeh," Geet said as she latched onto Maan's arm. "Woh mera school tha."

 

Maan was lost in her happiness, her smile and her excitement. What was it about this woman that constantly enchanted him.

 

She must have realized that she was holding onto his arm, because she quickly let go, muttered a barely audible 'sorry', before going back to staring out of the window.

 

The finally reached the plot where the project was to go up. Maan watched as Geet silently got of the car, her eyes conveying mixed emotions. He watched as she stood in front of the car and looked around. Getting out he joined her just in time to see a tear escape from her eyes.

 

"Geet, tum tik toh ho naa?" he asked, concerned.

 

She quickly wiped her tear, plastered a smile on her face.

 

"Haan, main tik hoon'" she said.

 

"Geet tum'" he began but was interrupted by Munshi-ji and his lawyer.

 

He was quickly dragged away by them both, leaving Geet alone. As he talked to everyone about the case and all its details, he kept a close eye on Geet making sure she was always within sight.

 

He walked back to the car to get something and for a second he's lost sight of Geet. As he looked around franticly, he heard laughter coming from one area. Turning his head he saw Geet, surrounded by a group of children, running with a kite. He stood taken by her innocence, her beauty. She was such a simple girl. He remembered when she told him that it was the little things in life that brought one the most happiness. Who knew that flying a simple kite would bring her so much joy? He shook off the smile that had crept onto his face as he about to go back to his lawyers.

 

"Aare, woh Geet Handa hai naa?" someone said.

 

Maan turned around to see a group of four ladies standing on the edge of the property, their eyes intently on Geet. Because Maan's care was off to the side, they hadn't noticed him.

 

"Haan, Geet hi toh hai," someone else said.

 

"Woh vapas aagayi," another said shocked. "Magar kyun?"

 

"Paata nahin, lekin Sharma-ji keh rahe the ke Chopra-ji ke naukar ne dekha ke woh kissi admi ke saath aayi hai," said the oldest lady in the group.

 

Maan already felt his anger rise at the thought of a bunch of gossiping hens raising questions about Geet and her character.

 

"Admi ke saath? Saach?" asked one.

 

"Paata nahin ke saach kya hai. Main toh baas usse dekh ke hairaan hoon," said another.

 

Maan didn't think he wanted to hear any more so he turned to leave but was stopped by the next comment.

 

"Haan, uske saath itna kuch hone ke baad bhi, woh zinda hai? Main hoti toh maar jati," said one.

 

"Main hoti toh shayad'shayad'khud kushi kar leti," another one piped in.

 

"Woh kitni aachi ladki thi. Pata nahin ke Bhagwan aache logoon ki aaise pariksha kyun lete hai. Kushiyaan toh baas uski zindagi mein dastak di thi, lekin chand lamho ke baad woh bhi chin gaya."

 

Maan stood rooted on spot, what were these ladies saying. What had happened to Geet?

 

"Kya hua Mummy-ji?" the youngest of the group asked. "Yeh Geet kaun hai. Aur kya hua uske saath?"

 

"Geet'Geet Hoshiyarpur ki saab se chulbuli, saab se pyaari ladki thi. Iss gaoun ki jaan thi. Lekin achanak, ek faisla, ek paal'ek paal ne uski zindagi ujad di," said the lady the girl had been talking to.

 

"Kaunsa paal?" the girl asked.

 

"Uski shaadi'''''''."

 

Maan felt like he'd just been broad sided by a tanker truck. What were these ladies saying?

 

Shaadi'Geet ki shaadi?

JAZ

ps: next part tomorrow 😃