"Omkara pooja avem samagri bhandar" Jahnvi read the name of the store..
"yahin naam bataya tha na unhone.." she asked..
"yes. mom.." Rudra replied and nodded in yes..
both Jahnvi and Rudra chuckled..
they both walked towards the shop and saw a young woman sitting on the chair on the front door and sewing clothes..
as soon as they entered the shop they smelled a beautiful sandal mix fragrance..
Jahnvi looked that young woman who was perhaps the owner of the shop because she didn't see anyone else in the shop..
as Jahnvi and Rudra entered.. she looked at them and greeted them with a smile..
"aaiye.." she got up and offered them seats inside her shop..
Jahnvi and Rudra entered in the shop and sat..
"ji.. kya dekhna hai..? humare yahan pooja ka sab saman milta hai.. agar kapde banwane hai to wo bhi hai.."
"hum khud banate hai.. kisi bhi mandir k size ke.. aapko naap bhi nahi pata karne padega.." she said in one breath making Jahnvi and Rudra smile..
"haan.. aapki shop recommend ki humare ek jaanne walo ne.."
"achchha.. phir to bahut khusi hui aapse milkar.." she said with excitement..
"bataiye.. kya dekhna hai..?"
"jo parso chowk wale mandir mein badi pooja hai... aur shaam ko mela.. usi ke liye kapde banwane hai.."
"achchha.. bahar se aaye hai sayad aap.."
Jahnvi nodded in yes..
"hum dikhate hai.."
she showed them some designs.. "ismein teen rang mil jayenge.."
"ee laal hai...oo hara hum abhi bana rahe hai.. aur peele wala.. oo.." she pointed towards a dress hanging outside the shop..
"nahi.. lena to red hi humein.."
"achchha.."
"hum isi mein dikhate hai.."
she showed them some more designs..
"ye wala phir se dikhana.." Jahnvi stopped her and asked to show one design again..
"ee wala.. ee humara bhi manpasand hai.. oo ka kahte hai.. faverate hai.." she smiled and showed them again..
"par ee thoda mehanga hoga.."
"koi baat nahi beta.. aap dikha do.." Jahnvi said..
she checked the designs once again and finalized two of them..
Rudra whispered something in Jahnvi's ear and she nodded in yes..
"fabric koi aur bhi hai.. ya yahi hoga.." Jahnvi asked..
"kaisi baat kar rahe hai.. itni variety aapko pure bareili mein nahi milegi.. jitni humari dukaan mein hai.."
"achchhi baat hai.."
she was about to get some more designs but Jahnvi stopped her..
"beta.. ek min.." she said and picked the call..
"yeah!.. we are here.. ok.. good.. just take first left and it's 3rd shop.." she cut the call..
"beta 2 min wait karte hai.. mera beta aa raha hai.. usi ki pasand se lena hai.."
"ji.. koi baat nahi.." she nodded in yes..
"aap kuchh lenge tab tak..?" she asked..
"water...?" Jahnvi asked with a smile..
"i'll get you the bottle from car.." Rudra said but Jahnvi stopped him..
she brought water for them and waited...
"aur kuchh bhi dekhenge..?" she asked..
"nahi.. wo list mere bete ke paas hai.. wo aata hai to batate hai.."
"ji..." she nodded in yes and sat on her chair and continued her work...
she packed other designs which they did not select..and started working on the earlier design..
"aap dekh lijiye.. tab tak kuchh achchha lage aapko.."
Jahnvi nodded in yes and looked here and there in the shop..
she showed a few stuffs to Rudra who also agreed..
"beta, achchha saman hai aapke yahan.." Jahnvi said..
"ji.. dhanyavaad.. jyadatar to hum khud hi banate hai.."
Rudra again whispered something in Jahnvi's ear and she nodded in yes.
"aap akele kaam karte ho yahan??"
"ji.."
"actually, humein sab kapde parso morning tak chahiye.. aap kar loge tab tak.."
"ji.. bachpan se kar rahe hai hum ye kaam.. ab to pakke ho gaye hai.."
"aap chinta mat karo.. jitne bhi honge.. sab ban jayenge.."
Jahnvi just smiled and nodded in yes..
"aapke store ka naam bahut achchha hai.."
"ji.. humare pati ke naam par rakha.." she replied which made Jahnvi press her lips tight to suppress her laughter
Rudra looked outside and patted on Jahnvi's shoulder.. "he is here.."
"What the hell..." he swore as he read the name of the store which made Rudra and Jahnvi smile..
"i told you.." Jahnvi said to Rudra..
"beta.. ab dikha do..." Jahnvi said.
"ji.." she got up and grabbed the two designs they selected and placed them on the table..
"mom.." as she heard the voice of the person who came in.. her heart skipped a beat..
she turned and looked at him.. their eyes met and got widened..
"Gauri.." he whispered and gulped his saliva...
"Omkara.." she whispered while a lone tear dropped from her eye..
Gauri kept staring at him.. he looked pale and weak.. he looked even more harsh and tough that last time..
he still had those hippi jatayein tied in a half pony and untrimmed shave..
she could see that he was hurt.. really hurt.. and in lot of pain...
she tried to read his face but his expressions made her come out of her trance and she immediately wiped her tears...
When his eyes met hers.. he whispered her name and gulped his saliva down..
even before he agreed to came to this place again.. he knew that it will be difficult for him..
but he had not imagined this.. not even in his worst nightmare.. but she was here..
unlike how she looked earlier..now she looked really pale..
as he noticed those tears in her eyes he could not understand if she liked to see him here or not..
unlike her previous looks.. she was wearing a simple light yellow suit with self print.. a plain dupatta..
2 bangles on her wrists.. earlier she used to leave her hair open..
now they were tied in a bun.. she was wearing perhaps the simplest studs in her ears..
as Om noticed her heavy breaths and teary eyes.. she was wearing a black thread but it wasn't a mangalsutra..
he noticed that she had vermillion on her forehead..which made Om's brows frown..
she had changed so much...
perhaps just 8 months passed to that incident.. but she really had changed a lot...
"Omkara.. beta humne kuchh designs pasand kiye hai.. wo dekh lo.. "
"tumhe achchhe lagte hai.. to unhe achchhe fabric mein banwa lete hai.."
that's when Om came out from his trance and his expressions changed bringing Gauri out of her trance..
she immediately wiped her tears and made way for Om to enter...
"mom.. let's go somewhere else.." Om said and was about to leave..
"Om.. beta is pure area mein yahi shop hai.. aur kafi achchha saman hai inke paas.."
Rudra brought Om inside and made him sit on the chair...
Gauri brought water for him... her hands were shivering and she wasn't able to make an eye contact with him..
"it's okay.." he replied without looking at her making a tear drop from her eye..
"bhaiyya.. you are sweating already.. have some water.."
"beta aap rakh do.. " Jahnvi said..
Gauri placed the glass on table...
"aapke paas jo sabse achchha fabric ho.. wo dikhana.." Jahnvi said..
Gauri nodded in yes.. she brought a chair for herself and stood on it to grab some clothes' rail..
she tried to reach to rails but couldn't.. so she fixed the chair again..before she could Om came forward and picked the ones she was trying to grab..
she just stepped down from the chair and grabbed two more rails from bottom rack..
Om just placed the ones he picked on table and Gauri brought her rails as well..
she showed those clothes, their lining and required items to them..
every time Jahnvi asked for Om's opinion he just replied in hmmm and ummm.. he just kept staring at Gauri who was showing them each and every thing diligently..
"Omkara pooja avem samagri bhandar" he thought and closed his eyes in disbelief...
"Om.. ab achchhe se pasand kar lo.. tumhare haath se pooja hai.. to tumhe pasand aane jaroori hai.." Jahnvi said bringing Om out of his trance..
"sab achchhe hai mom.. koi bhi le lo.." Om replied and looked at Gauri who was already looking at her..
she was overwhelmed hearing that he liked those..
"Om..beta, inko list dena wo.." Jahnvi asked... Om didn't reply but just handed a piece of paper to her..
their knuckles slightly touched and they both looked at each other as they pulled their hands away..
"beta, ye saman bhi ready karna hai.. in mein jo aapke yahan nahi hai.. wo bata do.."
Gauri looked at the list and nodded in no..
"sab mil jayega... humne bataya tha na.. humari dukan par sab milta hai.." she replied with a smile.. which was forced as Om could notice..
"bahut achchhi baat hai.."
"aap parso morning tak kar lo ready.."
"hum log is address par ruke hai.. aap yahan bhijwa dena.." Jahnvi gave a card to her..
Gauri took the card but nodded in no..
"maaf kijiye.. par hum ghar nahi bhijwa sakte.."
"kya hua?" Jahnvi asked..
"hum yahan akele kaam karte hai.. agar ghar bhijwayenge to dukan jaldi band karni padegi.. isliye aap hi ko kisi ko bhejna padega.."
"oh!.."
"mom.. kahin aur se lete hai.." Om said and asked Jahnvi to get up.. but she nodded in no..
"she is right.. and we already gave her so much of work.."
"hum log kal bahar ja rahe hai.. i'll send someone to pick these from your shop..aapki shop kab tak open hoti hai.."
"9 baje tak.."
"ok.. aap pahle ye saman pura kar lo.. mele ka saman shaam tak bhi bana do to it's ok.."
"ji.." Gauri nodded in yes..
"aap bill le lijiye.." she said..
Jahnvi nodded in yes..
Gauri showed them prices once again and made a bill for them..
"beta, kuchh advanced dena hai.." Jahnvi asked but gauri nodded in no..
she showed them her phone number on the bill..
"koi jaroorat ho.. to humein fone kar dena.. kal shaam ko bhi.."
"sure beta.." Jahnvi said..
Gauri pretended to drop the bill and pick it.. while in process she touched Jahnvi's feet which wasn't unnoticed by Om..
"oo.. ee gir gaya tha.." Gauri said to which Jahnvi just nodded in yes..
they all came out.. Gauri's heart was beating fast.. from last 30 minutes, she was feeling as if her heart will burst because of all the emotions which were overwhelming..
she kept looking at their back but he didn't turn.. he didn't turn even once..
he didn't even look at her before leaving..
as soon as they left.. Gauri placed a "CLOSED" sign on the door and came inside..
Jahnvi asked Rudra to bring the car and asked Om to stay with her..
"Om..?"
"yes mom.."
"parso man laga kar puja karna.. i just want you to be happy..." she said and caressed his face lovingly..
Om didn't say anything but just nodded in yes..
within just 2 minutes, Rudra brought the car and asked them to sit.. that's when Jahnvi noticed that she forgot her wallet in the shop.. she was about to go back but Om stopped her and asked her to sit in the car..
"i'll go.. "
Rudra parked the car on side and waited for Om..
as Om reached back to the shop he saw the "CLOSED" sign on door..
he tried to push the door and it was open..
he came inside and saw wallet kept on the chair..
"main bas mom ka wallet lene aaya tha.." he said in a barely audible voice and was about to leave but then heard something..
he turned and saw Gauri was sitting on the floor beside her chair..
she was sitting lowering her head on her knees and crying..
he felt a sharp pain in his heart as he heard her sobs.. he walked a bit towards her but stopped as he saw a piece of paper kept near her..
it was a drawing.. a very bad one though..it was his face.. and drawn with a caption "hippi jatadhari.."..
Om took two steps back as he saw it and almost got bumped in clothes rails leaned over the wall making them fall down..
Gauri looked above and as she saw him.. she got up immediately and wiped her tears..
she was about to run towards him but was stopped by him..
"i...i..."
"mom left her wallet.." he said and left from there in hurry.. leaving her stand there all in tears..
to be continued..
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