Hello all
Back with OS #2, with another cliched scene, but hopefully with a twist :) It continues from where we left off in OS #1 (hence is a bit short), so if you havent read it yet, please do. And again, thank you for your comments on the earlier one. You kind words keep me going.🤗
The title of this one is "Aaj rapat jaaye" from Namak Halaal
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The drive back home was taking longer than expected. Ishita did not know what was going on. At some point she remembered talking to a few people at the party talking about how cute Subbu's son was, and the next thing she remembered was this drive. Sitting with Raman in a car, driving back home in what looked like the calm before the storm. She vaguely remembered Raman whispering into her ears, she didn't remember the words though. All she could remember, and still feel, was the authoritative touch of Raman's hand on her body. Twice today, and there was no Ruhi or Shagun in the vicinity. "Aiyyo Muruga", she thought "Why are you doing this to me? Raavan KUmar used to be so rude and arrogant. I was used to it. Now he's behaving uncharacteristically, what has happened to him? Or was he always like this, and I never realised? What has happened to me?" She knew her Murugan wasnt going to answer. She had to come to terms with her turmoil herself. She stole a glance sideways at him. He was coolly driving at full speed, with no expression on his face.
Raman was facing his own demons that night. He couldn't see her talking to anyone else. Did she not remember that she was his wife? HOw could she be so comfortable with anyone other than him? No, that wouldn't do, it was his right to be there, before anyone else. He was ashamed at his thoughts. He did not know what had possessed him to drag her out of the conversation she was having with Subbu. In the silence of his car, he realised how stupid he had been. "Stupid, yes thats the word. She was talking to Subbu so fondly. All she could have been doing is remembering their past, or how happy she was for him now. From what he had seen today, Subbu was also a gentleman. Sure, he was waylaid by the witch, his mother, but still a decent man. If they were upto something more, they surely wouldnt be so obvious about it". He knew Ishita enough to know that she would never jeopardise her life with Ruhi; at least not for another man. He smiled at his own actions earlier when he remembered what he had done. Once he had pulled Ishita from the conversation, she had asked him innocently "Kya hua Raman?". The woman could be so naive at times. "Kucch nahin, chalo ghar chalte hain, neend aa rahi hai mujhe, and kaafi der ho chuki hai. Tumko Ruhi ka khayaal nahin aa raha hai???" She went quiet at the hidden accusation. "OK, bas change karke chalte hain? I am feeling very uncomfortable in this Kanjivaram. It'll take only a few minutes." Raman had instantly felt sorry for making her feel guilty about Ruhi. But at that point, his mind wasnt the one making decisions. He waited for her near the car. When she came from Bala's building, she was wearing what she had on, when they left their home. It was a simple beige coloured saree with a red border. It was the plainest saree she had. But she looked so fetching, that
Raman would rather have her wear this every day than the heavy clothes she wore. He was surprised at his own thoughts "Arre, dopahar ko ghar se nikle the, to yahi saree pehni thi usne. But mujhe abhi kyon nazar aa rahi hai?"
Their house was not very far from the venue, it would have only taken 15 more minutes. Both of them were mentally calculating already. They wanted to get home, to the confines of a comfortable place they shared and knew. Ishita was already planning to make an excuse to sleep in Ruhi's room. Raman already knew that, and he decided he wouldn't object. They both needed their space today. If nothing, to take stock of their feelings. They reach a fork at the road where there was a police check-point. Raman cursed when he saw the police, anticipating a delay. When the inspector and his constable walked upto their car, they started laughing. Raman and Ishita looked at each other, perplexed. The constable said to his superior "Main na kehta tha sir, zaroor kucch baat hai... aise hi padosiyon mein thodi na nok jhok hoti hai" It dawned on them then. These were the same cops who had met them when they were returning from Ashok's home, separately. Ishita had run her car over on a divider, and had haughtily refused any help Raman pretended to have offered. They smiled sheepishly at the cops, not knowing what else to say. The inspector then said "sir, yeh raasta aage band hai, aapko diversion route lena padega. aage ek ped gira hai, and no cars can pass". Raman asked them for the alternative route, and started driving on an unknown road.
Somewhere on the deserted road, they heard and saw the storms. Ishita was worried, but Raman was confident as usual. "Arre, main hoon na? kyon dar rahi ho" "Aap ho, isiliye dar rahi hoon" she countered his confidence. Raman's ego was hurt, but he didn't feel as mad as he used to. He just smiled "Do you realise this is the 3rd time we are together in a rainy weather?" She looked at him questioningly, surprised at his changed tone "Arre, badaam khaaya karo. Kucch yaad nahin rehta tumko. Pehli baar, jab hum dono auto dhoond rahe the, yaad hai? It started raining, and you even declined to take my jacket when you were trembling with cold? lekin jab gir rahi thi, and I offered my hand, you did not hesitate? You women are so unpredictably predictable" She was jolted out of her fuzzy memory now "What are you saying Raman. What does unpredictably predictable even mean? you are making no sense now. And yes, I haven't forgotten. The second time was when you hugged me and said "I Love you" only because RUhi was watching, how could I forget that humiliation?" Raman went quiet. He hadnt realised that in his pursuit of his daughter's approval, he hadn't even considered Ishita's feelings. "Sorry Ishita, things were different then". Ishita did not know what to say next. "What does he mean 'different'? What has changed? " They did not get the time to consider what he had just said.
It started pouring down, and as in one of the most predictable situations ever, their car stopped. They were in the middle of nowhere, with no idea of how to get home, on a road that was as unfamiliar as the confusion in their hearts. "Gaadi ko kya hua Raman?" she asked, worried. "Main kya pichle janam mein mechanic tha? ab jaake hood kholoonga to pata chalega na ki kya hua hai? Tum andar hi rukna OK? Jhansi ki Rani banne ki koshish mat karna" He popped up the hood, but he had no clue what was wrong. He started turning all the valves he could, pulling and pinching every wire he could, but nothing looked out of place. He glanced at his wife in the car. She looked a bit worried, but she wasn't out of the car yet, lecturing him. Knowing her, it was a good sign. He started looking around for any shelter he could find. He was pretty sure they wouldnt find any auto or taxi, they had to find a place to lay low for a while, or they would have to spend the night in the car.
Ishita was cracking her knuckles while she was waiting for Raman to find out what the problem was. She then started playing a game on the phone to distract herself from worrying too much about how they would get home. No matter what she had told him, she trusted him implicitly. She knew he would get her home safely. After a few seconds, she remembered "Oh crap, there is nothing wrong with the car". Romi had taken one of his friends for a drive in it. And he had told her that he hadn't refuelled the car because he had no pocket money left. " She was supposed to remind Raman earlier in the day. She was so overwhelmed by the arrangements and the preparation for the function that she had completely forgotten. "Well, there is no use telling him now. Raavan Kumar will eat me alive!" she thought. And casually opened the door to go to him and check if he had figured it out yet.
"Maine bola tha na, baahar mat aao. Itni baarish ho rahi hai" he scolded her. She had the umbrella open anyway, and said "Arre umbrella hai na, main bas itna dekhne aayi ki problem kya hai? were you able to find out???" She had the umbrella over their heads and was peeking into the hood. After a couple of minutes of staring into the machine, he looked up and said "Ishita, gaadi ki chaabi kahaan hai???" It was too late. They were locked out of their vehicle, their only refuge from the pouring rain. Ishita was waiting for him to start his muttering and scolding, but for some reason, his anger was controlled today. "OK Ishita, ab kucch nahin kar sakte OK. At least we have the umbrella. Lets go find some way to get out of this place"
They both had to huddle under the umbrella for practical reasons. They came up to a bigger road, and could see some open shops a few hundred metres away. At some point while they were walking, Ishita started shivering. He did not have his jacket to offer to her, and today, she wouldn't even have refused. He did the only thing that seemed sensible to his mind and heart. He put a hand around her shoulder and walked as close to her as he could. She was already so numb by the cold that she didn't resist when she felt the warmth over her drenched body. They walked closely, in sync with each other's steps, and as fast as they could. By the time they reached what they thought were shops, they were disappointed. There were a couple of street lights, but other than that, it was one tea vendor on a hand cart, selling off the last of his wares. His cart was barely being protected by the tarp as it is. He saw them and offered them his last coupla cups of tea. For once, they weren't bickering and drank the tea quietly. Once they had finished, Raman fished for some money from his wallet and offered it to the vendor. "Arre saahab, main iske liye paisa nahin le sakta. Rehne di jiye. Bas, aap logon ki koi madat nahin kar sakta isliye bura lag raha hai. Mere bacche ki tabiyat theek nahin hai, mujhe ghar jaana hoga. Aap ruk sakte ho yahaan, main gaadi roz yahi pe rakh ke jaata hoon". They were both awed by the generosity of this common man, a stranger who felt sorry for not being able to give them refuge.
Once the tea vendor was gone, both of them looked for options. The tarp on the cart was leaking. The only place they could hide from the downpour was under the cart. While they were comtemplating their next actions, the wind blew their umbrella away. That was all it took to break their silence. They started laughing hysterically like a couple of teenagers enjoying their first October rain together. They crept down under the cart, and were periliously close to each other. So much so that their could hear each other breathing heavily. Neither knew why their hearts were pacing. No, it wasnt because of the dangerous situation they were in. It was because of their hearts beating uncertainly, because of a forced intimacy that they weren't yet used to and weren't yet ready for. Raman had his left hand around her shoulder again. That was the only way they could both fit under the cart any way. "Bola tha na, ki itna khaana mat khaaya karo. Itni moti ho gayi ho, ki hum dono itni badi cart ke neeche fit nahin ho rahe hain." he said teasingly. She responded the only way she could "Ramaaan".
After a couple of minutes, when the rain still didn't show any signs of waning, Ishita asked, "Raman, time kya hua hai? I didn't wear a watch today and mera phone to gaadi mein hi hai". He instinctively pulled his hand off her shoulder to check his watch. The metal strap got stuck in one of the strings on the back of her blouse and they came undone. The moment was so embarassing for both of them that they just didn't say anything. After what seemed like an eternity, and after the look of extreme discomfort on her face, he said "bas raat ke baarah bajne waale hain." She didn't react. They were both drenched, sticking to each other like they were one, but still so far. "Raman, woh mere blouse ki dori... please" is all she could manage. The untied strings weren't really a problem considering the overall situation, but she had to retain her dignity as much as she could. He turned her away from him, and tried to tie them. It was a bit dark, and his hands were fumbling, but he couldn't let her find out. "Aaj tak yeh samajh mein nahin aaya ki tum auratein itni complicated kapde ko pehenti ho. Yeh dori ka kya matlab hai, faaltu ka time waste hota hai isko baandhne mein. Yeh blouse mein zip yaa normal press-buttons nahin lag sakti kya?" He was hiding his failure as much as he could. He was taught the fireman's knot, the reef knot and God knows how many more patterns when he was in the Scouts. No one had, however, taught him to be prepared for such a situation. He tied the strings as casually as he could and he went back to holding her by her shoulders. Only this time, he brought her closer than he ever thought he could bring anyone. "Raman, baarish ruk gayi, chalo lets stand by the road and look for autos or any cars for a lift" she said demurely.
"Darned rains" he thought. Just when he had started to have some fun.
Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky. -- Rabindranath Tagore
**** So, how was it???
P.S: When I was thinking about 'rain' songs for inspiration, there were many. But for some reason, this one kept gnawing at me; in a good way. This is one of the "different" songs and I love it for Smita Patil, R.I.P -> the woman who defied stereotypes. This OS is my humble tribute to her. I was imagining her in this song while typing each word of it.
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