Part: 1
"Bhaiyya!! Bhaiyya!! Yeh kya kar raha ho? Oh My God!!! You made the whole kitchen a mess. Yeh sab clean karney mein mujhey pura char ghanta lag jayega." A lower 20's young woman is screaming and yelling at the man in his higher 20's who is making schezwan noodles and dropping some on the floor while mixing them in the wide pan.
He turned his head and smiled at his sister, "Anittah!! Clean karna mera kaam hai. Bus tum shor karna band karo aur wahan bahar sofa pe bhaithi raho. Bus aur ek ghanta ka kaam raha."
Anittah stumped her foot and wiggled her hands to show her irritation. She walked into family room as there is no way she could pull her brother from kitchen. "Haan, How could she do it? After all he is cooking for his beloved who is coming to his house after almost four years." Anittah adoringly looked at her brother. Two tear drops fell down on her cheek.
"He was charming, active, attitude, ambitious once upon a time," she thought affectionately about her brother.
His well built and worked out muscles became thin now, she filled tears again. "He lost his weight. He lost interest in life now. He is just living coz his heart still beats as per God's instructions. He talks coz he has to keep interaction with people live around him. They love him a lot. They need him. "Haan, Bhaiyya! We love you very much. We need you. I just hope one miracle brings life into your life. I pray God for you, never for me, never for anything else.." Anittah lost in her thoughts when her brother came and snapped in front of her eyes. "Kahan kho gaya hai, Anittah? I need the blender, kahan rakha hai?"
Anittah turned her face to hide her tears and walked into pantry to get him the blender. "Lo Bhaiyya!" she gave him the blender and warned him from cleaning the kitchen "bhaiyya! Wo sab chodo, I'll do it later. Bus tumhari Kripa aatey hongi. Tum jaakar fresh ho jaao."
He smiled "bus yeh fresh juice nikalney ke baad jaaoonga. Ussey aany mein aur bhi ek ghanta time hai."
He finished his work and arranged everything professionally on the dining table and walked into his room to get freshen up.
The whole kitchen was spic and span clean by the time he came out of his room. "How do I look?" he showed himself by keeping his hands stretched wide. Anittah looked him by resting her hands on her waist from head to toe, his neatly combed hair, ironed red t-shirt, blue jeans. She got tears and smiled at him. "Kyon, itna bura lagraha hoon kya? Tum roney padi?" She burst into laugh "Naa bhaiyya! Yeh kushi ki aasu hai. I saw you so fresh and happy after a long time."
He groaned "Ab suru mat ho jaao. Sun sunkar mera khan bhar gaya hai. Chalo preparations kahan tak hogayi?" he hugged her with one hand and went to check the whole house.
It's a big three bedroom apartment with two bathrooms, kitchen, dining –cum-living-family room. He changed the bed sheets with white and black overlapping circle designed ones with matching pillows. This is Kripa's favourite design which he bought fours ago when she admired while watching them in a movie. He saved them for four years as he had no need of using them then. He changed all the curtains into light grey and white shadow design chiffon as Kripa likes those colours. He bought fresh roses and dahlias to arrange in flower vases on center table in the living room and side table near dining area. He sprayed room fresheners and lit incense as Kripa likes pujas and agarbattiyas.
Anittah came and checked and told everything well done. She made tea and gave a cup to him and she took another. Both settled in the couch. He checked his watch atleast half a dozen times before he finished his tea. Anittah is watching him silently sipping her tea.
He was busy in preparing lunch for his beloved since morning 5. Anittah got call last evening from his beloved about her visit around 11. He is excited too much and warned Anittah to bring anything from outside and promised her that he will only prepare everything that she likes.
"Aisey kya dekh rahi ho? Mujhey bachpan sey jaanti ho na? Don't say again I changed a lot. No. Don't get such idiotic doubts. I'm purely your loving brother, Angad. Angad Khanna, the great." He dropped his hand around her shoulder and pressed affectionately.
Anittah hugged him with one hand "Nahin, Bhaiyya!! I'm just watching you since I'm missing you long back. I'm missing your smile… Your singing…. Your dancing… Your partying. Everything, I'm missing. I'm missing them for four years."
Angad shook his head sideways and laughed, "Nothing like that, Anittah! I'm perfectly fine. Yeh sab tumhara pyar hai, bus aur kuch nahin hai."
"Nahin, bhaiyya! Jabsey tumhey Kripa ki aaney ki khabar mili thi tum ek jagah nahin araam sey bhaita nahin. You just going around and brought the whole world down in one place. You made so many dishes for one person. Who bhi tumhara haaton se."
Angad cut her sentence "Haan, she is a vegetarian. She eats only vegetables, nothing else. And she loves Chinese. She eats noodles like a little child. So I made those dishes only, that's all." He admiringly remembered about Kripa and her tastes..
Anittah laughed "Do you know what she likes now? She used to like chinese and was a vegetarian. Abb pata nahin wo kya kaati hai."
Angad smiled "Whatever, Anittah! I got pleasure in doing them. Wo khaye na khaye, bus yeh jaanley ki mainey wo sab uski pasandgi khana uske liye banaya hai."
While they were in conversation, the door bell rang. Both looked at each other. She noticed tension with excitement in Angad's face "Mein dekhti hoon."
"Hi,Kripa! Aao under aao. How are you doing?" Anittah pulled her inside by holding her hand. Kripa walked inside hesitantly and stared at Angad. Angad stood after seeing her staring her without blinking his eyes.
"Hi, Kripa! How are you? After a long time?" he first open his mouth. She smiled at him as response to his enquiries. "Fine, thanQ" she formally replied stroking her loose left waist length hair sideways.
"Tum bhaito mein kuch thandi laati hoon" Anittah showed her couch and walked into kitchen to bring the fresh juice made by Angad.
Kripa settled in couch and smiled coldly at Angad. Angad also sat opposite her checked her. "Kitna badal gayi hai! She has grown up. She must be a mother too by now. She changed her hair style. She cut her hair, and made curly at ends. Maang mein sindoor. wahin kajal nayan. Did she put a little weight? Sari mein bahut sundar lag rahi hai. Wahi masumiyat chehra. This lemon green sari suited her so well!! Matching jewelry, galey mein magal sutre, lagta hai yahan aaney ke liye bahut dhyan se saja huvi hai."
Kripa felt embarrassed for his stare and moved uncomfortably in her seat. Anittah brought juice for all of them. Three of them sipped silently. Everyone has many questions to ask one another but hesitating to start as there is a big time gap among them.
Anittah walked into the dining room to give some privacy to Angad and Kripa. Angad and Kripa spent a few minutes silently glancing at each other. Kripa felt awkward as they hardly had any conversation. Finally Kripa excused herself and walked into kitchen to help Anittah.
"Aao Kripa! Mein karleti thi na, you should talk to Angad."
Kripa took dishes from Anitta's hands "Talk? Angad sey? Ek labz bhi bahar nahin nikli. It's better I spend time with you."She whispered with shy.
Anittah and Kripa shared serving the dishes and Angad took his seat. Kripa sat in between Angad and Anittah. Three of them are silently eating. Kripa praised the dishes "bahut delicious banaye hai, Anittah! All are really my favourite dishes. Yeh Veggie Manchuria, noodles, fried rice, fried tofu, You really made too many dishes.
Anittah warned her "Kripa! Yeh sab Angad ney banaya tha. Just for you. He still remembers you are a vegetarian."
Kripa looked at Angad embarrassingly and thanked him with her eyes. Angad smiled as accepting her acknowledgements. "Prithvi kaisa hai? You should have bring him too"
Kripa faintly smiled and kept silent for a moment
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