Raman was observing his wife from quite a while now.
She was frantically dusting the already dusted furniture, vigorously unfolding the folded clothes and folding them again, hurriedly fishing her purse for nothing in particular and strenuously re-arranging the neatly arranged pillows.
In short she was doing everything that she actually did not have to do and the pace in which she was working appeared as if she was in a hurry to catch a flight.
He knew exactly what her actions meant. She did this whenever she was seriously upset about something or deeply hurt. And she did this to hide her emotions from others.
But what she didn't realise was that in an attempt to hide her pain from others she was infact making it obvious to people around her that she has been affected by something very deeply.
He silently walked towards her.
Sensing his presence behind her she busied herself further in trying to find something...well actually nothing...in the wardorbe.
"Ishita" he whispered.
"Maine aapke sare kapde rakh diye hain suitcase me. Aur zaroori files laptop bag me rakh diye taake apko dhoondne me koi mushkil na ho. Maile kapde aur geeli towel rakhne keliye ek alag se cover rakh diya hai. Sar dard ki goli aur back pain ka balm suitcase ke samne wale pouch me rakh diya in case apko zarurat pade" she blabbered with all her attention towards the drawer and its contents.
"Ishita" he softly called out her name.
She closed the wardrobe in a jiffy and began to dust the bed yet again.
"Ishita" his voice was soft yet the tone was demanding.
"Apko kuch chahye tha Raman?" She asked while picking the cushion from the couch and re-arranging it for the hundredth time.
"Ek nazar" he paused for a few seconds before adding "Milegi kya?"
(Dialogue copied from the show PKHJND. I wish it was picturised on IshRa. They wud hv nailed it for sure)
The impact of his statement was so deep that she froze in her spot and stood like a statue with the cushion held tightly in her hands.
He held her shoulders and turned her to face him.
Here eyes were closed, head bent and body stiff. She was still not ready to face him.
He gently pulled away the cushion from her hand, made her sit on the couch and held her cheeks in his palms.
"Is chand jaise chehre pe ye udaasi achhi nahi lagti" he tried to comfort her.
That was it and all her tears she had held up until now poured like a stream on her cheeks briskly without warning.
Raman was taken aback.
"Hey" he said wiping her rapidly flowing tears and forcing her vision into him.
"In ankhon se kehdo ke badalon ki tarah na barse. Kahin mere chand ki roshni in badalon ke peeche dhundhla na pad jaye"
"Meri roshni toh aap se hai Raman. Aapke bina to mai waise hi benoor hoon" she replied in a heart wrenching tone.
"Kaisi baatein kar rahi ho Ishita. London jaa raha hun, space me nahi. Aur phir mai hamesha keliye thodi na jaa raha hun. Sirf 15 din ki hi toh baat hai" he said.
"Chand bhi toh 15 din keliye hi jaata hai na Raman. Par phir bhi raath uski roshni ko tarasti rehti hai" she was ready with a reply.
"Chand toh jaata hai par apne peeche sitaare chod jaata hai taaki rath ki khoobsurati bani rahe. Mai bhi apne sitare Adi aur Ruhi tumhare paas chodke jaa raha hoon" he replied in a soothing tone.
"Sitaare toh hote hain Raman. Aur rath unhe apni aghosh me panaah bhi de deti hai. Par Chand ki judayi ka dukh itna gehra hota hai ke gham ka badal chaaron taraf andhera banke chaa jata hai" she spoke sadly almost at the verge of crying.
"Kaisi baatein kar rahi ho Ishita?" He began to give up on seeing her not budging to his comforting words.
"Sach hi toh keh rahi hun Raman. Aap khud bhi toh dekh rahe hain k aaj ki raat me sirf ek Chand ke naa hone se aasmaan kitna adhoora adhoora sa lag raha hai" she pointed towards the dark night sky and indirectly conveyed to him that she would feel incomplete in his absence.
"Ishitaaa...tum aisi baatein karogi toh kaise chalega. Mai jaa hi nahi paaunga. Aisa mat karo please" he begged holding her cheeks firmly in his palms.
"Mai aisa jaanboojh ke nahi kar rahi hun aur mai aisa karna bhi nahi chahti. Par pata nahi kyun? Pehli baar hum itne dinon tak door rahenge" She hid herself in his chest and whispered "I will miss you Raman"
"I will miss you too" he whispered back while he captured her in his arms.
Finding momentary solace in each other's arms they parted after a few minutes.
"Ab airport chalein? Flight ka time ho raha hai" he reminded.
"Mai nahi aarahi airport" she pouted.
"Kyun?" He asked.
"Bas aise hi" she replied sadly.
"Achha...samajh gaya. Theek hai. Chodne keliye na sahi, par lene keliye aana hoga" he commanded.
"Hmmm"
"Oh toh ab madam hmmm mode pe agayi. Chalo khair mai tumhare hmmm mode se bahar nikalne ka intezar karunga aur tum Chand ke aane ka intezaar karna. Waada hai mera tumse ke jis rath falaq par Chand hoga, us rath tera Chand tere sath hoga"
-----------------------------
She stood in the balcony, her gaze shifting from her phone to the sky every few seconds.
If anyone was to ask her, she probably would not be able to decide what she awaited more, the arrival of moon or the arrival of his message.
Finally giving rest to her wandering eyes, a tiny curve appeared on the night sky which turned her lips into huge curve.
Her fingers immediately tapped on his name on the message screen
"Chand toh aa gaya. Aap kahan rehgaye Ramanš" she sent reminding him of the promise he made before leaving.
"Samjho ke mai bhi aa hi gaya. Flight board karliya. Ab bas 8 ghante aur. Phir wo Chand aur ye Chand dono tumhare sath honge š" his reply made her smile grow wider.
Her WhatsApp status now read 'Gali Me Aaj Chand Nikla!!!š³'
Tum Aaye Toh Aaya Mujhe Yaad
Gali Me Aaj Chand Nikla
"Mummyji, Papaji, Simmi, Romi...Raman ne flight board karliya" she chirpily announced it to everybody gathered in the living room.
"Chalo shukar hai. Warna mujhe laga tha ke ab uski flight subah hi take off hogi" Mr.Bhalla said.
"Kitna thak gaya hoga mera puttar. Subah se airport me baitha hai. Beda gark ho un flight walon ka jisne itni der tak rukaye rakha" Mummyji lamented.
"Mummyji weather ki wajah se delay hua tha flight. Airlines walon ne toh passengers ki safety keliye hi unhe rukaye rakha na" Ishita said.
"Khair jo bhi hai, ab toh mera puttar ghar araha hai. Ab sare chetti chetti so jao. Warna phir 2 baje aankh nahi khulegi" Toshiji instructed.
"Haan chalo sab" Mr.Bhalla left his seat and marched to his bedroom.
"Mumma Chand toh aaj asmaan me nikla hai, par aapko nahi lagta uski Chandni aaj hamare ghar me khil rahi hai?" Simmi said out of the blue.
"Hain??? Kya bol rahi hai? Kidhar hai chand ki chandni?" Toshiji was confused.
Ishita too began to search for traces of moonlight inside the house.
"Arey apko nahi dikhayi de raha? Wo dekho apke bahu pe chehre pe kaise chandni khili hai" Simmi leaned on Toshiji and pointed towrds Ishita.
"Kuch bhi" Ishita blushed gloriously.
"Ae gal toh tune bilkul sahi ki. Jab se Raman gaya hai tab se iske chehre ka rang hi ud gaya tha. Na jaane kitne dinon ke baad ye nikhar dekhne ko mila hai" Toshiji caressed Ishita's hair & broke her knuckles at her temple.
Jaane Kitne Dinon Ke Baad
Gali Me Aaj Chand Nikla
"Mummyji aap bhi?" Ishita reprimanded shyly.
"Aaye haaye dekho toh zara kaise nayi naveli dulhan ki tarah sharma rahi hai" Simmi nudged Ishita through her elbow.
Ishita bit her lips.
"Ishita puttar ab tu bhi jaa so jaa. Tu thaki hui hogi" Toshiji said.
"Nahi Mummyji, aap log so jaiye. 2 baje sabko jagana bhi toh hai. Isliye mai abhi nahi soungi, aap log so jaiye" she expressed her wish to stay awake.
"Theek hai puttar. Jaisa tujhe theek lage" Toshiji agreed and left to sleep.
"Abhi so jaati baadme toh tujhe jaagna hi hai" Simmi winked naughtily and teased Ishita before she went to her bedroom.
"Sab log mujhe kitna tease kar rahe hain. Pata nahi ab Raman jab aayenge toh phir kya haal hoga mera" Ishita spoke to herself as she sat on the couch in her bedroom, the same couch were they had their last conversation before Raman left to London.
"Kitna miss kiya maine apko Raman. Sirf 15 din keliye door gaye the aap par aise laga jaise 15 mahinon se apko nahi dekha ho. God I miss you so much" she spoke to his picture on her phone screen.
"Dekho na aapne mera kya haal banake rakha hai! 2 bachhon ki Maa hoon par teenager ki tarah behave kar rahi hoon. Paithyam" she smacked the back of her head as she remembered how she had spent the 15 days without him.
Her WhatsApp status would change everyday.
#Day 1
'15 days...consoling my heart in 50 ways' her status read 1 hour after his departure. She missed him already and the countdown from 15 to 1 had begun.
#Day 2
'14vin ka Chand ho...' she had written in her status gazing at the night sky which reminded her of his promise.
#Day 3
'13 karun gin gin gin intezaar...' her status changed as she counted every hour and every minute to his return.
#Day 4
She had tried her best to keep herself busy and not miss him but all her attempts turned futile.
Her heart ached for him and she wrote '12 din...tere bin'
#Day 5
She had thought it would get easier with time...but with time she missed him more.
Her status changed to '11 days more...sabr nahi hota aur'
#Day 6
She thought of cleaning the shelves and drawers of her cupboard to keep herself occupied, there she found the Sorry card that he had made for her when she had fractured her hand.
She lovingly caressed it reminisced how she fell for his antics first and finally fell in love with him.
'10 bahane karke le gaya dil...' she wrote.
#Day 7
He had been busy throughout the day in meetings and conferences.
He had promised her a video call that night but when he said he was too tired and wanted to catch some sleep, she adamantly wrote '9 (Nau)...I want you now' in her status.
He perfectly understood what she meant, he smiled imagining a cute pout on her face & all his tiredness disappeared into thin air.
The very next moment her phone buzzed with a video call notification.
#Day 8
"Tumhe toh koi kaam dhanda hai nahi. Mai yahan dinbhar thak haarke raat ko aake WhatsApp check karta hun toh kya dekhne ko milta hai? Ye faltu status messages. Free ho iska matlab ye nahi ke aapne sade mood se sabko pakao. Abhi 8 din hain mujhe aane me. Koi kaam dhoondlo in 8 dinon keliye" he always hid his emotions behind his taunts.
Although the message she just received was full of taunts she knew exactly how he felt.
"Dhoondliya kaam" she replied.
"Woh kya?" he asked.
"Status check karoš" she said.
There he saw '8 letter word 'INTEZAAR'
"Sudhrogi nahi na" he said.
"Aap hi ke sangat ka asar hai" she gave back.
"I miss u too" he finally gave up.
#Day 9
He had secretly contacted her colleagues and made them plan a staff picnic. He thought it was a good idea keep her mind diverted.
When her colleagues asked her to join them she plainly refused.
"Mujhe nahi jaana Raman" she said when he pestered her to go.
"Jab dekho tab mujhe pareshan karti rehti ho ke kahin ghoomne lekar nahi jaate. Ab mouqa mil raha hai toh jaana nahi chahti. Tumhe to ghoomna pasand hai na" he tried to convince her.
"Mujhe ghoomna pasand hai lekin..."
"Lekin kya?"
'Agar tum (7) Sath ho' she replied through her status.
#Day 10
'6 days to go...ab aa bhi jaao' her status read on the 9th day.
#Day 11
She woke up with a startle late in the night. She had a nightmare and immediately called up Raman.
"Aap kahan ho Raman? Aap theek ho na?"
"Ishita mai bilkul theek hoon. India me toh abhi aadhi raat hai. Is waqt tumne ye poochne keliye call kiya?"
"Raman mujhe bahut dar laga raha hai. Maine ek bahut bura sapna dekha. Please aa jao wapas. Please Raman" she pleaded.
"Ishitaaa...calm down. Mai bilkul theek hoon. Mujhe kuch nahi hua hai" he comforted her.
"Mujhe kuch nahi pata. Aap bas aajao" she argued.
"Abhi nahi aa sakta hoon mai. Ye last ke 5 din bahut crucial hain. Samjho please" he tried to convince her.
"Aap safe rahoge na Raman?" Her fear was evident in her tone.
"Mai chota bachha thodi na hoon. Aur waise bhi tumhari duaein toh hain mere sath 24 ghante bodyguard ki tarah mujhe protect karte hue. Toh mujhe kya hona hai" he lightened the situation, spoke some comforting words and asked her to go back to sleep.
She knew she was acting silly yet she could not help being worried fo him.
She silently prayed 'Din reh gaye 5 (paanch)...aaye na koi tujhpe aanch'
#Day 12
After that nightmare the wait seemed longer to her. Her condition was exactly like her status 'Lambi judaayi...4 dinonda...'
#Day 13
He had demanded for IshRuAdi selfie.
The three put on a sad face and clicked a selfie that went into her DP along with the status '3 idiots waiting for the fourthšš'
#Day 14
She had been waiting for his call. He was stuck with some clients.
She decided to hear some songs on the FM. Co-incidentally the first line she heard described her present condition.
She immediately copied the lines into her status 'Zindagi 2 pal ki...Intezaar kab tak hum karenge bhala'
#Day 15
This was going to be the last day without him yet the most difficult one. Her anxiety, impatience and desire kept growing.
'Bas 1 pal...' she said to herself.
#Today
She ran around making arrangements for his welcome. She cooked all his favourite veg dishes and got Mummyji & Neelu to make his non-veg faves.
He was to reach Delhi by 6 pm. Unfortunately his flight was delayed due to adverse weather conditions.
Her heart sank when he informed her that the flight was indefinitely postponed.
She whined reminding him of the promise he made.
"Bas ek baar jo maine commitment kardi toh apne aap ki bhi nahi sunta" he went all filmy.
"Aapke ye filmy dialogues rehne dijiye Raman. Flight udegi hi nahi toh aap aaoge kaise?" She was all grumpy.
"Uski fikar tum mat karo. Tum bas Chand ke aane ka intezaar karo. Chand ke aane ke saath saath mere aane ka intezaam bhi ho hi jayega" the confidence in his tone kind of assured her that he was definitely going to fulfil his promise.
Since then she was in the balcony waiting for the moon to appear.
Probably God could not see them yearning for each other like this and so He decided to shower his mercy on them.
And Lo! as Raman predicted, on one side appeared the crescent moon and on the other side Raman's flight was ready to take off.
---------------------------- She felt a tap on her shoulder followed by Toshiji's voice "Ishita puttar...Uth jaa...Do baj gaye"
"Haan" she woke up with a startle and realised that she had drifted off to sleep unknowingly.
"Hey Bhagwan! Mai so kaise gayi? Mai toh jaag rahi thi" she worriedly spoke.
"Subah se tu eddar uddar bhaag rahi thi. Thakaan se aankh lag gayi hogi" Toshiji replied calmly.
"Par mai so kaise gayi mummyji. Wo bhi itni der tak. Agar subah meri aankh hi nahi khulti toh kya hota" she held her forehead cursing herself for having slept.
Aaj Ki Rath Jo Mai So Jaati
Aankh Khuli Subah Ho Jaati
"Tu itni pareshan kyun ho rahi hai puttar? Kuch nahi hua hai" Toshiji tried to explain.
"Mai itni laparwaah kaise ho sakti hun Mummyji. Maine hi apko kaha tha mai sabko jagaungi. Agar aap nahi jaagti aur hum sab sote hi rehte toh koi bhi Raman ko lene airport nahi jaa paata. Sab bigad jaata" she blabbered.
Mai Toh Ho Jaati Bas Barbaad
"Kuch nahi bigadta. Raman London se Delhi tak akela aa raha hai. Airport se ghar tak akele aana kounsi badi baat hai. Airport pe toh taxi bhi aram se mil jaati hai. Aur waise bhi ab toh mai jaag gayi na aur tujhd bhi jaga diya. Isliye ye sab sochna chod aur jaake tayyar ho jaa. Mai sabko jagati hun" Toshiji said.
"Theek hai Mummyji" she nodded her head.
"Aur haan puttar, jane se pehle ek kaam kardena"
"Ji Mummyji boliye"
"Tune Raman ki saari favourite cheezon ki tayyari toh kardi, ab Raman ki sabse favourite cheez ko tayyat karde" Toshiji instructed.
"Sab toh tayyar kardiya maine. Kuch reh gaya kya?" Ishita was unable to comprehend.
"Haan reh toh gaya, woh bhi sabse zaroori cheez" Toshiji smiled knowingly.
"Woh kya?" Ishita asked.
"Tu" Toshiji said and blew a kiss to Ishita.
"Kya Mummyji aap bhi" Ishita blushed.
"Jitna tu usse milne ko bechain hai na, woh bhi utna hi bechain hoga. Isliye khud ko achhe se tayyar kar. Kyunki khane se toh sirf uska pet bharega, dil toh tujhe dekh ke hi bharega na" Toshiji explained.
Ishita casted her eyes down shyly and fiddled with her pallu.
"Bina sajawat ke hi kitni soni lag rahi hai meri bahu. Jab tayyar hoke niklegi toh mera puttar toh dekhte hi rehjaana hai ke aaj gali me nikle chand ki chandni zyada khoobsurat hai ya uske biwi ke chehre ka nikhar"
Gali Me Aaj Chand Nikla
"Ab jaa chetti se tayyar hojaa" Toshiji said and went down to wake up the others.
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