Chapter 2 : Her Armor
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She opened her eyes hearing the scratching sounds of the leaves. She opened her eyes to find Maan coming closer to her. She screamed with her lungs out!
"khabardar mere paas maat aao" she spoke weakly, crying.
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Maan stopped walking and followed her gaze, turned around to find a few Men standing there.
"kaun ho tum?" the strangers asked the Man with the rifle.
"same question, aur tumlog yaha kiya kar rahe ho? Ye ladki kaun hain?" Maan pointed at Geet who was close to be fainted. "iski ye haal kyun hain?" he added.
"tumse matlab?" They tried to avoid Maan.
They moved forward. One of them said "Ch... Chalo" he presented his hand to the lying geet to grab on. He seems to have trouble standing or walking for some reason.
"tumhara dimag kharab ho gaya hain? Halat dekhi hain iski?"Maan again intervened. He was puzzled by the whole situation. Then finally he felt a soft touch clasping his hand. He turned his head to see Geet who was breathing unevenly was holding his hand.
Geet looked at him. Their eyes Meet. She was a beautiful young woman. Judging from her clothes it seems she did give some fight and her clothes are torn in bits and pieces here and there. Looks like a classic molestation.
" Please bachalo mujhe, ye ...log..." she finally decided to tell.
"pani..." she again tried to speak and fainted for good this time.
Maan understood what he has to do now. He pointed his rifle at the man gesturing to move from his path. But they were four and he was one so they thought they could overshadow him. One of them grabbed his rifle but they didn't know who they were messing with.
Maan pushed his rifle at a swift pace. And the man who was holding the rifle got hit by its barrel badly. Maan punched hard at the man's face and he kissed the ground.
Rest of the goons were looking at him trying to think what to do so they thought to attack Maan together at once. But to their surprise Maan initiated a spinning side kick and knocked all them down with one blow. He was a black belt in tai chi, mastering 5 levels of it.
He saw geet and picked her up from the ground in his arms, took her to his tent.
"aab ye musibbat meri hi gale padhni thi, aaarrghh God" He grabbed his forehead into frustration.
"kiya karu aab ise aise bhi toh nahi chod sakta... "
He looked at her pale face. She seemed very very innocent. Her wounds for some reason made Maans stone heart feel bad.
He aided her wounds trying to touch as less as possible.
Her blue salwar was soaked with her blood from the wound of her leg. He kept aiding her wounds and hearing her murmuring...
2 hours later. Geet opened her eyes and couldn't figure out where she is.
The whole area looked like a tent to her. She saw the entrance while moving her eyes into the whole tent. She tried to sit. Remembered the whole incident and saw her wounds being tied with small pieces of clothes.
She found water being kept at her side. She gulped few ounces. And finally came out from the shallow tent.
She saw back of a man standing by the crook of the lake and trying fishing.
"suniye" she spoke softly. The Man turned around. He had sharp features. She saw his hard gaze at her.
"great, hosh aa gaya hain tumhe, tumhe dekhke toh lag raha hain kafi acchi halat hain tumhari aab..." Maan said washing his hands with water. And continued "kaha rehti ho tum?"
Geet spoke "hoshiyarpur..." she was about to say something more but got interrupted by him,
" jaldi zeep mein baitho, hospital ja rahe hain hum" without letting her speak anything else he grabbed her hand and dragged her to his zeep.
"meri baat toh suniye...Please mujhe mere ghar pe leke chaliye, hospital nahi jana mujhe, main bilkul theek hoon" she tried once more. She feared if the whole story gets spread into the village then it's not going to be good for her family's reputation!
He said "chup!" and gestured her to ride up into the zeep.
"ji woh..." she understood this man saved her life so she just wanted to thank him. She saw a fresh scratch mark at his neck.
"meri wajah se... Aapko bohot taklif huwi ... mujhe pata nahi main aapka shukriya kaise aada karu...."she said meekly.
He was displaying irritating expression all over his face.
"shukriya aada karna chahti ho? To chup chap baitho."he said with attitude.
She got a little annoyed with his behavior but decided to be quiet and ascended into the vehicle.
The journey went awfully silent.
"Yehi rok dijiye" Geet said in front a big entrance which was decorated with flowers. It looked like some wedding is going on.
Maan waited until Geet climbed down off the zeep and he was about to leave but Geet stopped him in a pleading voice "please mere saath andar chaliye"
"Suno ladki, mujhe koi jhanjhat nahi chahiye, main tumhe hospital chodna chahta tha lakin tum nahi mani isliye mujhe itna door aana pada, bohot waqt already barbad kar chuka hoon main tumhare chakkar mein, aur nahi"Maan said with his harsh tone.
"mera naam Geet hain... Aur ek akhri eksaan kardijiye please... Agar main aise andar gai toh bohot problem ho jayegi, shadi ka ghar hain aap toh dekh rahe hain"
Geet pleaded once more. Maan finally agreed and went along geet.
"oye geet!!!! Mera puttar... ye ki haal kitta tune, aa munda kaun sey... "Geet's aunty pammi screamed in shock looking at geets wounded state.
Everyone looked at them. Geets daarji came into the porch of handa haveli. He looked at both Maan and Geet.
"dev kaha hain? Usi ki sath gai thi na tu?" daarji howled.
Geet explained "woh... humein rastey mein gundo ne gher liya tha daar ji... mujhe nahi pata dev ji kaha hain she started crying remembering devs injured state.
Maan was highly irritated by now already! He rolled his eyes, glared at Geet.
Geet gulped her saliva and started approaching daarji by telling that this stranger saved him. She narrated the whole story. How she and dev went to the festival by the country side and goons attacked them and dev and she got separated. Daarji sent his men to find dev.
"Naam kiya hain tumhara,beta?" Daarji spoke, still trying to gasp the whole story.
"Maan...Maan Khurana" Maan spoke coldly.
"Kaha ke rahne wale ho? Aur waha jungle mein kiya kar rahe thhey?"
Maan shoot a glare at Daarji.
" Main delhi ka rehne wala hoon". He hates people who inquire about him, or his personal space. But seeing the old man's age he refrained from saying "aapse matlab" and replaced his answer with a rather polite one, deciding to avoid the rest of the question.
"Dekhiye, mujhe der ho rahi hain, waise bhi inki wajah se mera kafi waqt barbad ho chuka hain..."he couldn't finish as the old man spoke.
"nahi nahi beta ji, aise kaise, aapne hamari kudi ki jaan bachai hain, shadi ka ghar hain, aise khali pet toh na jaaney denge hum aapko, aur aap thakey huwe bhi lag rahe ho... Aaj raat yehi Aram karlo , kaal subha chale jana' Geets Daarji requested Maan. Seeing Maans tough attitude he for some reason liked Maan.
Maan on the other hand cribbing inside his head "ye main kaha faas gaya, damn it..."
"Shukriya uncle ji, paar I will manage mera matlab hain ki main chala jaunga."
Daarji looked at geet and Pammi , gestured them to stop the Man who saved the honor of their girl. It's against the very rule of Handa family.
Geet apprehended immediately what she needs to do judging by her daarjis look.
"Please!!! Ruk jaiye,,, Aapko bhi chot lagi hain, kaha itne door gadi chala ke jayenge aap... Kaal subhe chale jana... "She spoke with so much sweetness that the soreness into Maan's heart felt like it had tasted poison and so even though reluctantly but he thought, fine. Just one night!
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Precap : "Sawere sawere main hi mili thi aapko? Ek toh galti aapki hain upar se aap mujhe sorry kahey bina kaha bhag rahe hain?"
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