Entry Number 2
Title: Baatein Kuch Ankahee Si
Sai walked with the bundle of folded clothes in her hand, towards Bhavani Kaku's room. She was a college going girl now, but had been nearly a year. The second semester was drawing to an end, with exams round the corner, in January. She was pretty much excited. It was her first New Year with the Chavans. Specially with her Virat Chavan. She had some really good plans up her sleeve. After she had declined the offer of their dinner date a few days ago, due to her practicals, she wanted to make it up with something unique and special.
The climate was getting colder and colder, as the year end was approaching quickly, the very next day. She adjusted her shawl as she about to step in the room, when she heard Virat’s voice. In a faint whisper, she even heard her own name. Out of curiosity, she stepped aside and tried to hear what they were saying.
“Par Kaku, Sai koi bhi zimmedaari uthaane layak nahi hai! Humein usse kisi kaam ki koi ummeed nahi rakhni chahiye.”
Sai's smile froze. The mild happiness on her face vanished into thin air. Her heart sunk as she took in those words that felt harsh and heavy.
Sai had always been grateful to him for whatever he had done. She had tried her best in all her endeavours towards the family. And this, coming from him, looked uncalled for. She would help in household chores whenever she could. She felt it was her responsibility to contribute in work and help out her loving Aai, who was otherwise burdened and buried deep with tending to everyone’s needs.
And here, Virat felt she wasn’t worthy? She probably did nothing all day?
She controlled her anger and knocked on the door.
“Kaku, aapke kapde sookh gaye the, main chatt se le aayi.”
Without looking at Virat, she kept the clothes on the bed and walked out, not wanting to hear anything more.
“Dekha Virat,” Bhavani continued. “Woh sab kuch seekh gayi hain. Toh phir uske ghar ke kaam karne se tumhein kya problem hai? Kya humne yeh sab nahi kiya apni zindagi mein?”
“Kaku main aapko kaise samjhaun, main nahi chahta Sai yeh sab mein pade. Aap please usko kuch kaam mat diya kijiye. Uska poora dhyaan sirf aur sirf uski padhayi mein hona chahiye.”
She turned her face away. Exhausted by the constant struggle to put across his point, he left.
Sai was fuming in her room. She opened all her books and started studying furiously. She anyways wasn’t worthy of work, right? Then she better study. Study so hard that she became the most successful doctor all of Nagpur had ever seen. Anyways, her goal of becoming world’s best bahu was futile cause Virat wasn’t ready to praise, no, not even acknowledge whatever she did for the house. No matter how much she cooked, cleaned or helped him with his clothes, she could possibly never be considered as a good wife or a daughter in law.
She got up and opened the cupboard to fetch a book when she saw a letter lying on the shelf.
She saw the envelope.
Tabaadla
Her eyes widened in disbelief. Virat was getting transferred? Out of Nagpur?
She sunk into the chair. And he did not bother to even tell her! Did she even matter to him!
She tightly clutched the envelope as she couldn’t hold back her tears. First, his lack of belief in her abilities and now this. She felt miserable about it.
Patralekha entered the room. She found Sai a little disturbed, and her eyes fell upon the letter. She smirked and read her vulnerable expression.
“Sai, itni shocked kyun ho? Virat ne tumhein nahi bataya ki uska transfer ho raha hai?”
She slyly commented. Sai digged her nails into the letter, crumpling it further.
So he told Pakhi about it.
“Aapko kya kaam tha?” Sai asked, not wanting to bring out their private matters out in the open.
“Kuch nahi, bass Ashwini Mami tumhein bula rahi thi, kitchen mein.”
“Theek hai aap jayiye.”
Pakhi smiled again, to herself and left the room, basking in her few moments of glory. She obviously wouldn’t reveal it to Sai that she had accidentally chanced upon the letter when the courier was received by Karishma. Virat had not told her and neither did she know where was he transferred to.
Sai opened the letter. He was being shifted to Nashik.
Hot tears started flowing freely down her cheeks, with the dam of patience long fallen apart.
Virat came in soon after Pakhi had left. He found her sitting on the bed with her back to him.
“Lo ji tum yahan baithi ho aur main tumhein kitchen mein Aai ke paas doondh raha tha.”
“Jaa rahi hoon," she said faintly. She wiped off her tears and got up to leave. If he did not want to tell her, so be it. She wouldn’t interfere.
“Sai?” he asked, noticing something wasn’t right. She turned around and found him looking straight in her eyes. She looked away and tried to leave when he stopped her by blocking her way.
“Kya hua hai Sai?”
“Aapko usse kya, aap please apna kaam kijiye, mujhpar time waste karne ki zaroorat nahi hai. Main uske layak jo nahi.”
“Kya? Yeh kaise baat kar rahi ho?”
“Haaan. Main hi pagal hoon jo poore din concerned rehti hoon aapke baare mein, aapke ghar waalon ke baare mein. Hatiye jaane dijiye.”
He caught her arm and turned her around.
“Ab maine kya kiya hai, will you care to explain?”
“No, I’ll not!” she yelled back and jerked her arm off. Before he could probe further, she left, leaving him absolutely clueless, as always.
He saw the crumpled transfer letter lying on the bed and understood what must’ve transpired in her mind.
“Damn! How did she discover this!” he gasped.
Virat was not wanting to disclose this to her. Her equations with his family were still very strained and he somehow didn’t want to leave. Her wanted to stay back and protect her and take care of her, but he knew there wasn’t a way past this. He HAD to go. And he wasn’t unknown to the attachment Sai had, with him. He did not want her upset at this news and was still contemplating how exactly should he reveal this news to her when she had already laid her hands upon the letter.
He had disappointed her. He knew she ought to have heard it straight from him.
...
When Sai entered the room, he was busy removing his suitcase from the top of the cupboard. His eyes briefly met hers. He was trembling in some unknown fear of her exploding and lashing out at him.
He turned his gaze away.
Sai ignored his actions and went straight to bed. She was fast asleep, or he thought so, by the time he had figured out what he had to say.
Virat felt bad. It was the 31st of December the next day and he was leaving her all alone, to fend for her own self.
He too, wanted to celebrate the new year’s with her. But the situation was such. He had to report within the 1st of January itself.
He looked at her sleeping form. It gave him a surreal sense of calmness to see her such, beside him, silent and beautiful. He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. He built the Sinhagad fort today all by himself.
With a heavy heart, he too, silently slept beside her. It was difficult for him as well.
...
Sai lifted her heavy eyelids partially. She sat up, still asleep to find the other part of the bed cold. She stretched her arm and wanted to feel his back and the warmth when she opened up her eyes completely, alarmed.
It was empty. Her heart raced at breakneck speed. Was he gone? So early?
She grabbed her dupatta and ran downstairs. Her heart rate calmed down for a brief moment when she saw him seated in the living area, reading a newspaper. She stood there, lowkey admiring him in his tracksuit that he wore for his morning walks. When she felt her anxiety subside off, she walked back upstairs, to get ready.
It was late afternoon by the time she was done with winding up lunch.
She went up to see him engrossed in some documents. She looked at his suitcase. It seemed pack and ready.
Oh, so it’s time.
She picked up a magazine and sat down on the bed, completely relaxed. From the corner of his eyes, he noticed her, seated close by.
She had carefully concealed her agitated expression behind the booklet cover.
He pulled up the back pack’s zip rather forcefully, to grab her attention.
No response.
He noisily closed the suitcase with a loud snap.
No response.
Now, he was worried about this. No reaction?
“Sai, I’m leaving.”
He could barely utter the words.
“Oh, Kahan jaa rahe hain?”
She asked, feigning innocence.
“Nashik” he said. “Mera transfer hogaya hai.”
She threw away the magazine and walked upto him.
“Aur yeh aap AB bata rahe hain?”
“Woh Sai, main batana chah raha tha par tumne pehle hi dekh liya...”
“Toh!? Aap mujhe bolenge nahi?”
Virat picked up his bags and started to leave.
“Rukiye ek minute!” she said. He smiled. Finally, she'd care to say some good parting words.
She handed him the letter. “Yeh to lete jayiye.”
“Main bohot bohot naraaz hoon aapse. Mat jayiye na.”
“Sorry Sai, really sorry. Main yeh toh bilkul nahi chahta tha ki tumhein iss tarah pata chale. Bye nahi bologi?”
But she turned her face away.
...
It was late in the night. The clock was ticking rhythmically as time slipped away. The New Year would be there within an hour.
Sai was seated on Virat’s side of the bed, trying to absorb some of the warmth the place once held. She clutched his pillow and cried into it, missing him terribly.
She cursed herself for not wishing him luck for the new experience. Not wishing him a goodbye and come soon, as she would do with her Aaba.
Suddenly, the lights went off. Startled, she went near the window to check if it was just her room which had a power cut. It was pitch black outside.
Before she could move away, something, rather, someone emerged from the window and not expecting her to be standing there, lost balance. Sai too, tripped over due to the sudden jerk and both of them fell down, on the floor.
They got up. In the negligible light of the phone screen, she could see his face.
“Tum chillayi nahi? Main chor hota toh?”
“Aap duniya ke pehle chor honge jisne khud girte waqt mere sarr ke neeche haath rakha, taaki mujhe Chot na aaye. Yeh toh aap hi kar sakte hain.”
Virat was stunned. Did she ever fail to surprise him?
“Sorry Sai. Really very very sorry!”
He said, holding his ears.
Sai smiled and punched his chest, as he made his heart melting puppy face. She could never stand her ground after witnessing that.
“Aap kyun aaye waapis, jayiye aap Nashik.”
He quickly pulled her into a hug and she did not resist. She too, wanted him back.
"Tumne bye jo nahi kaha tha, kaise jaata?"
The clock struck 12.
“A very happy new year, majhi baiko" he whispered in her ear. She giggled softly.
“Chaliye phir new year plan is on” he said.
“Accha, woh kaise?”
“Candle light dinner at Chavan Niwas, and then obviously subah ki Chai at apna waala nukkad, jiske baad mujhe sach mein jaana padega. Kal shaam ki reporting hai.”
“Phir aaj subah hi kyun nikal gaye the?”
“Tumse darr lag raha tha, kahin yeh massoom police officer shaheed ho jaata toh?”
He said dramatically, as he wrapped his arms around her shoulder and then walked off downstairs, to fetch some food.
...
Edited by WildestDreams - 3 years ago
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