Part - 2
Next day, he goes and waits for her to wake up. After she is exhausted after her usual wildness, she fell back on the bed and kept thinking staring the roof. The only thing she needed is freedom. The irony is that the victim is chained and punished while the culprit is roaming around freely. The door is locked from outside. Maan opened the door and slowly entered the room. She seemed to be lost in her own world, not bothered about him much, or she didn't realize that the door is open and someone is here. She is so weak and worn out, and her instincts have stopped working after that incident. As Maan inched closer she raised her head and stared at him, Maan stopped breathing for a second for the fear of her reaction seeing him, but she didn't seemed to have recognized him.
Suddenly she took the knife she had hidden under her pillow and tried to attack him. Maan caught hold of her hand and snatched the knife and threw it away, she thought that he would also run away as did the other boys who came before, they were so scared and thought that she would kill them, they pleaded her not to hurt them and ran away, but to her surprise he is not afraid of her.
She spoke in a low voice..." Tumme dar nahi lagtha?"
Maan replied in an equally low voice..." nahi"
She felt that he could help her(?)
Maan is happy that she didn't recognize him, but he wanted to confess, not now, later. First he should help her get out of this mess.
Geet continued..." sab mujhe dekkke bhaag jaathe, kya mein itna bhuri lagthi hoon?" she asked innocently, not knowing that this is the man who is the reason for her plight.
"nahi, tum toh bahut cute ho"...Maan tried to befriend her.
" joot. Dekho mein kaise dikhthi hoon?"
Maan looked at her shabby dress and uncombed hair, must be she had been kept like this for days.
"tum mere madat karoge?" she asked him with a lot of expectation in her eyes.
"haan. Bolo, tumme kya chahiye?"
Geet looked at her chains...But Maan has not come ready for this...Maan hesitates.
Geet is disappointed..." mein tumme kuch nahi karoongi, promise"
Maan smiles at her request...
" tumme bhi lagtha hai ki mein pagal hoon?"
Maan looked at her and he saw her eyes penetrating his and she was speaking so clearly...
She is definitely not mad...
"kya soch rahe ho?, koi pagal aaise baat kartha hai kya?
She is so smart, and how come she forgot him? There must be some mistake...had she forgotten everything?...Maan could easily hide the truth from her , at least for the time being else she won't trust him.
"I believe you, you are not mad"
Geet is a little relieved, at least some one believed her. Maan looked at the room...Her dinner lays untouched on the table.
" why didn't you have your dinner?"
Geet was surprised that he took so much care for her, but why?
" I don't like it"
" tumme bhook nahi laga?"
She didn't expect this ..."lagtha haina"
Maan put his hands inside his pant pocket and took out a bar of chocolate...
" ye lo"
She didn't refuse...She had not had one in months...She relished it slowly...Maan kept watching her...It's too late, Maan should leave now...
Maan " chalo, ab mein chaltha hoon, gud night"
Geet ddin't bother much...she is interested in her chocolate only...
As he left Geet called him..."suno"
Maan truned back...
"tum kab aaoge?"
"kal"
"gud night"
Maan smiled and locked the door as it was before...Maan left with a heavy heart...what has he done? She is so nave and innocent...Next morning Ms.Mathur was surprised to see Geet sleeping...That's unusual, she needed her pills to get some sleep...Ms.Mathur didn't want to disturb her...She can come and check her at lunch break...
And at lunch break Geet is back to her wild behaviour...Ms.Mathur had to put her back to sleep with the help of the pills...Next day Maan arrived a little late...Geet was just waiting for him...
"itna dher kyun kardhi?"
"tumme kya lagtha? Tumse milne aana itna asaan hai?"
Geet understood what he said and kept quiet...They just kept looking at each other for a while...
Maan didn't know how to start the conversation...Should he ask her about that night?
No, maybe that would make her act wild...He just wanted to know why she didn 't remember him? or did she forget the whole incident?
He extended his arms..."friends?"
Geet looked at his hands...they were empty...
"where are my chocolates?"
Maan forgot to get them today...
He was feeling so guilty all day that he didn't had any other thoughts other than what he did to her...But Geet was just waiting for her chocolate man to deliver her chocolate.. she is very disappointed. He can't even get her chocolates, how could he help her? He is of no use.
"I will get them tomorrow, which one do you like?"
"Kit Kat, 5 star"
She goes on and on and the list seemed never ending...
"Ok Ok, I got it, you like anything chocolaty"
Geet smiled...
"look what I got?"
Maan showed her the fake keys he had managed to get from a locksmith...Geet snatched them and tried to open the locks of her chains...She was so desperate that she couldn't match the right keys...She throws them back at him in despair...Maan catches them...
" what are you doing? You are crazy"
Geet got offended by that remark...
She shouted...
" mein pagal nahi hoon"
Maan rushed and closed her mouth..."chup bilkul chup"
She repeated in a low voice..." Mein pagal nahi hoon"
" mujhe patha hai, meinne toh tumme azad karne ke liye hi issko laya hai, tum thoda intrezaar nahi kar sakthi?"
Maan then succeeded in freeing her...She stretched her legs and ran around the room like a kid...Maan looked at her and she was so happy...She wanted to get out of the room, but Maan stopped her, "phir kabhi"
Geet obeyed him like a kid, she had started trusting him...she believes that only he can free her But she also knows that she can't just escape over night, she had other plans...she wanted permanent freedom, she wanted to restore the smile on Ms.Mathur's face, not run away from her. She wants justice...yes, she has not forgotten everything, maybe she didn't remember Maan, but she wants the culprit to get punished so that no other girl suffers in future...
She went to the window and looked at the Moon, she peeped out and looked at the trees and the buildings that stood behind them...She had not seen them for a while though she was amidst these lovely woods...She wanted to wander in the woods just as she did in her college days...
She asked Maan if he could take her to the woods next day...Ms.Mathur is going to some conference and she would be alone in the house...She would skip her pills somehow...Maan didn't know if that is possible, but just told her that he would try...It's difficult to climb the pipes in broad daylight. And Maan is not a professional thief, mind you...
Geet told him that he need not take this route for she knows where Ms.Mathur kept her keys...
In the pot to the left of the entrance. Maan then promised to come next morning and he replaced the chains and locked her up. He is also determined to tell her the truth one day and he is sure that she will forgive him...That's why he is helping her...
Next day Maan entered the house as per Geet's idea and he had no difficulty in finding the keys. He climbed the stairs and reached the corner room. Maan opened the door ans she is still sleeping.
Maan tried to wake her up.."suno, utjao, dekho, subah ho gayi"
Geet slowly opens her eyes..."mujhe sona hai"
She closes her eyes and turns to the other side. What? She forgot what she said last night? What a fool I'm to believe her words and enter someone's house like this? He cursed himself for his madness and tried to get up. But she held back his hands.
"bas 10 minute, phir chalhte hai"
She requested like a school kid, she is yet under the effect of last night's pills. Meanwhile Maan removes her chains and looks at her ankles that had turned red b'coz of the chains. How much she had to suffer b'coz of him? his heart ached. There is no escape Mr.MSK, you will have to pay for your acts one day. If you think that your deeds will be forgiven just by all this goody goody behavior of yours then you are mistaken, this is no good for all that you have done. Maan knows very well that the truth will come out one day and that day he is ready to accept whatever punishment she gives him. Right now he is here to help her, he applies coconut oil to her sore ankles. She feels his touch and wakes up. She has a broad smile on her face...
"gud morning"
Maan comes out of his thoughts hearing her sweet voice.
"what's your name?" he asked.
She doesn't want to tell her name, that would create problems for her and Ms.Mathur, if he inquires about her in the campus.
Geet hesitates..."I don't remember", she pretends to have amnesia, selective amnesia.
Maan believed her words..."fine aaj se tera naam Mishty hai"
"Mishty, mujhe bahut pasand hai"
She looked at him and wonders how he came out with such a cute name?
"jaldhi chalo, hummare paas zyada time nahi hai"
She jumped out of her bed and is ready to take off...
"mein toh tayaar hoon"
Maan stops her. He looks at her for a minute and frowns.
"aaise tum mere saath nahi aasakthi"
Maan points out her shabby clothes and looks.
"aaise nahi chalega?"...Geet looked at him and at herself.
"nahi" Maan answers sternly.
"mein kya teri Girl friend hoon?"
Maan is shocked by this question. But he doesn't show it.
"tumme aaise dekhke sab ko lagega ki mein tumme seedhe mental asylum se lekhe aaraha hoon, aur mujhe bhi log galat samjenge"
"kay? Meinne kaha mein pagal nahi hoon"
Geet gets angry and throws the oil can at him.. Maan catches it.
"toh prove karo ki pagal nahi ho, jadhi ek achchi ladhki ki tarah tayaar hokke aao"
She gets ready in a minute. Maan waits for her outside. She comes out. Maan is surprised to see her looking gorgeous in her colorful outfit. He has never seen her in this avatar.
"ab toh mein tummare saath aasakthi? Haina?"
Maan just smiles.they go to the entrance, Maan has locked the front door. He hesitates for a moment.
Geet is in a hurry, "jaldhi karo"
Maan turns back and looks at her innocent face, can he trust her, what if she runs away?
Geet reads his mind in a jiffy..."kya dekhthe ho? mein kahin nahi bhaagnewali"
She looks at him and continues.."isn't it funny? I trust a stranger like you and you don't trust a beautiful young lady like me?"
Maan answers her back., "don't you know, too much beauty is also dangerous"
"haan"..Geet replied in a broken voice as she tried to control her tears.
Maan opened the door and she hopped her way out. Maan followed her quickly. They strolled in the woods for a while and Maan held her hands in his throughout the journey. He feared that she would escape into the woods.
Geet ddin't complain as she is so happy to breath fresh air after a long time.
Geet wanted to stay back for some more time but Maan told her that it's high time they returned else they will get caught, and that's the end of her freedom. She followed him without further arguments as she didn't want to lose his friendship, he is the only trump card that she has, and she had to use it wisely. She wants justice at any cost, she is willing to return to her jail and wait for the right moment.
Maan felt a little relieved that night and went to sleep early. He is happy that he could bring a smile on her face. That's what he wants, to see her happy and smiling again. Geet is reminded of her past, her college days back in the woods. She also remembered how she recovered herself that night and came here and knocked at Ms.Mathur's door that night. She fell unconscious and she didn't know how long had she been lying there. She told the whole story to Ms.Mathur and that she is going to the police, she asked Ms.Mathur to accompany her. Ms.Mathur told her that it is unsafe for her to go out at that hour, and that they can go and file the complaint in the morning...
Later that night someone called Ms.Mathur and warned her that they would kill Geet if she opened her mouth, Ms.Mathur assured them that Geet would never open her mouth and that she would send her far far away from Mumbai soon, just spare her life. So, to save Geet Ms.Mathur silenced her. Geet is not ready to give up easily, she wanted to file a case against the culprit and she won't sit mum. Ms.Mathur had no other go but to keep her under house arrest till she found a new home for her. But Geet is still protesting and had finally found a way to get to the police station, her new friend would help her get to the police, and once she reached there safely , the law will take action and the police will protect her, poor girl, she ddin't realze that our system is corrupted by money and the underworld.
Ms.Mathur often repeated these words.."usske paas paisa hai, woh kissi ko bhi kareedh saktha"
But Geet didn't listen to her, she still believes that the law will punish the culprits.
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