Posted:
Okay, I know this is insane. I should have been sleeping like a normal human being during the one a half hrs I took to pen this down. Yes, yes, I am crazy, but what to do? I just couldn't take that hair-tuck scene outta my mind! And so I penned an OS of my own...with my own spin on the hair-tuck😉😆 it's actually a 2 (maybe 3) part OS, but it totally depends on the feedback...else it can be read as a one-part also😛
Also, I dont know why I wanted to bring MUTTHU/MUTTHI in this, I have no frikkin' idea, but its just one of those many many random ideas that dance in my head, that I have to set in writing else will give me sleepless nights.😆😆 Yea, I know. Mutthi sounds ...weird and idiotic...but I just had to make Mutthi a part of this OS. 😃 I mean, Mutthu must be aging now and I dont know where the hell he is, so I thought I'll make do with Mutthi🤣
I have tried to accommodate a Hindi number in this as well. It's a looonnggiiisssh OS, so please bear with me😛
If you guys conclude I have lost my mind, that's perfectly fine😆 I am definitely in a cuckoo-ish mood today😆
********************
Raman Bhalla trudged back home in a state of limbo. Shagun did not speak a word about it during the entire 30 minutes on their way back, so he could not sense what he should make out of it.
In any case, she had asked to be dropped off at the NGO, so there wasn't much time to discuss it. Though, as she was getting off the car, she had smiled a thin smile and said to him, "I have already ordered the wedding lehenga and the sarees for the other functions. There's a very chic sherwani I ordered for you as well. Make sure you meet the designer and see for yourself its fitting and all...and panditji says 5th of June would be a good time for the wedding."
Up until this point, he was barely listening to her. He had literally glossed over her booming, authoritative voice. Madrassan's words, her dulcet voice, continued to echo in his ears. But the mention of the wedding date being fixed so early jolted him out of his trance.
"5th? Shagun, it's too early," Raman protested, trying not to sound too vehement.
"I know Raman. But agar shaadi 5th ko nahin hui toh phir agle 8 maheene tak koi date nahin hai. That's what panditji said."
"Alright. I'll see to it that all the arrangements are made," he could barely hear his own voice as he said this.
She smiled a confident, assured smile, and the car sputtered off on the dusty Delhi roads.
In what felt like ages, he felt a sharp pain tugging at his chest. He could feel he was losing his grip over something...someone...who it was, he dare not acknowledge even to himself. In his mind, a few words and images floated around aimlessly...and he looked on hazily...
5th ...5th...5th...he loved the way Ishita says 'Raman'...Shagun trusts he will not break his promise to her...Madrassan hasn't changed an iota in all these years...she is still so pretty...so cute, so wild...that nosepin...Pihu is so excited about his and Shagun's wedding...what is he going to wear at his own wedding? Ishita and Mani have decided to get married...he hates the whole idea of marriage...he doesn't know why people get married...but he loves taking care of and being with drunk Madrassan
One after the other, one thought after another, the rising pile of human voices kept inching closer, standing up against his own voice which now hammered ruthlessly in his ears: Ishita.
That was it. He didn't know why the name rang out in the hollowness of his chest. But he knew. Ishita was the beginning. Ishita was the end.
***********************
It was 10 by the time he entered the apartment, and even as he made his way in, he wondered if she had come back home safely.
He caught himself and almost like he caught the trail of his thoughts by the scruff and held them still, he shook his head, in an attempt to will all thoughts of Ishita Iyer away. "Why do I care if she's back or not? Must be ruing the fact that it was me she got drunk with instead of Mani."
But even if he didn't want to stop thinking about her, his mad Punjabi family wont let him have a minute of breathing space to himself. He had hardly stepped into the bathroom to splash his face clean when his feisty mother called. He hadn't realized how much he had missed her until now.
"Haan Maa...kaisi ho? Kaisa hai London?"
"Oye tu kaisa hai? Maine suna tu raat-raat bhar ghar nai aata" "Aur to aur, maine suna tu Ishita ke saath raat bhar bahar tha" she was trying hard to sound disapproving of her son's 'wayward ways' and dearly hoped her excitement wouldn't show through.
"Haan toh aapke mann mein laddoo phoot rahe honge naa! Nothing like that Maa. We were together only because we met at a party. Ab uske baad, woh kahan gayi mujhe kya pata. Maine toh apne business associates ke ghar pe tha," he glibly lied through his teeth. And even as he fabricated the whole of last night, his face turned red.
Toshi's face fell, but she marched on anyway.
"Chalo, rab da shukar hai. Main ki keh rahi thi, ab tu iss waqat toh office jayega nai. Te ghar pe rahega toh Pihu ke liye ek kaam kar de bas. Tujhe yaad hai naa, Pihu zid karke 2 saal pehle ghar mein Mutthi ko lekar aayi thi?"
Heck. Raman knew Mutthu. Who was Mutthi???
"Maa...apki umar ho gayi hai. Woh Mutthi nai, Mutthu tha. Aur aap uski baat kyun kar rahe ho?" He did not want any mention of anything remotely S.Indian in his house. Which is why dosa, vada, sambar, idli, rasam, payasam, everything was banned. Even dogs with Tamil names were banned. It's a different matter though, that he just 'spent the night' with his sensuous gorgeous S.Indian wife😳😳
"Beta, Mutthu ko main kahan bhuli hun. But remember we had got another cute little dog in our house, because Pihu wanted that Pomeranian dog. Tu bhool gaya hoga kyunki tu kaam mein mauj rehta hai. But remember Pihu had given it away to her best friend sometime ago?"
"Nai Maa...mujhe yaad nahin hai. But batao ab mujhe kya karna hai. Uski friend se milke kutta wapas maang lun?" He sounded exasperated. No way. He will not go and beg people to give back their 'gifts'.
"Na na Puttar. Woh toh Pihu ne kal hi maang liya tha. She wants the dog to be present at your and Shagun's wedding, just like it happened in that Madhuri wali picture. Ab chhoti si natkhat si hai naa Mutthi, toh ek jagah tikti nai hai. She keeps running here and there...Pihu subah se kamre mein baithe ro rahi hai ki pata nai Mutthi kahan chali gayi...Raman puttar...bas ek baari jaake dekh le...ki kahin society mein kisike ghar toh nai chali gayi..."
"Maa...ab yehi kaam reh gaya karne ko?"
"Please Puttar...Pihu ka dil toot jayega..."
"Achcha theek hai. Kisine dekh liya CEO kutton ke peeche bhaag raha hai toh samajh jana meri naukri gayi."
"Thank you puttar"
"Maa...ek second..." Raman cut in before Toshi could end the call...
"Yeh Mutthi ka naam Mutthi kyun rakha hai?"
"Woh kya hai naa Puttar...mere hi munh se...galti se nikal gaya tha ki hamare ghar ek bada shaandaar kutta rehta tha ...Mutthu naam ka...maine...kuch jyada hi tareefein kar li thi uski...toh...bas Pihu ka dil gaya uss naam pe...aur.."
"Aapne yeh nai bataya ki uss picture mein Madhuri ki shaadi uske jijaji se hone jaa rahi thi, sirf isliye kutte ki zaroorat padi?" He couldn't believe his own ears, what the hell was he saying??
"Woh Puttar..main.."
The line clicked. Raman had ended the call. Toshi's eyes were twinkling brighter than neon bulbs😛.
*****************
Raman couldn't believe he had agreed to be a part of this. He tapped lightly on Pihu's door, and when, even three hard-rapped knuckles could not wake his daughter up, he twisted the door handle and opened it just enough to have a glimpse of his adorable princess.
There she was, lying on her side, crouched, her knees bent, her arms tangled, her face tear-streaked. To the other side, lay discarded and unnoticed, the huge peach-colored teddy bear he had gifted her last birthday. He distinctly remembers how Ruhi had cried herself an entire night when Mutthu went missing. In the absence of his elder brother or even a friend she could call her own, she had found her warmest companion in Mutthu.
His chest felt heavy at the briefest reminder of the same. He was going to get Mutthi back in the house. Only because it would make Pihu happy. Not as a guest attendant for his wedding with Shagun, though, his mind made wary mental notes.
Why was he in two minds and behaving like a fish out of water? Wasn't he the one who had smugly announced this in front of his wife? He still considers his wife,aha??😉
***************************
Half an hour into searching the society compound, asking the guard, asking his immediate neighbors had yielded nothing. Their building had 7 floors, and he had asked whoever came his way, the paper guy, the sabzi wala, the Casanova working as an intern in his company and living a block away from his building, Sharma ji, Gupta ji, Agarwal ji, the Mehtas, the Rahejas, if they had seen a brown-n-white Pomeranian dog. They had said no.
He even asked the Iyers - Amma had instead accused Raman of copying their Mutthu's name for the Bhallas' pet dog. "Yeah, please go and file a copyright violation case against me" he had barked and moved away. Appa was graceful enough to inform him that he did remember hearing squeaky barks in the apartment. So Raman should first try and check all the floors in their building.
Raman panicked. He had purposely left out only one floor in the apartment, the 4th floor.
Where Ishita Iyer lived.
No. He was not going to tread that dangerous path again. He was not going to meet Ishita and ask her about Mutthi. She'll probably take it as a gesture from his end, trying to cement whatever happened last night. Of course, Mutthi wouldn't have scurried off to the 4th floor. She must be here, there, playing somewhere.
But where, he asked himself?
Wary, and yet, excited and thrilled for some unknown reason, he walked up to the 4th floor...
As he stood outside the formidable door of Ishita's flat, he felt his legs slightly tremble, and felt his heartbeat had jumped some 20-30 beats in a second.
He was about to ring the doorbell, when he saw the door slightly ajar.
This is something he would later be extremely bashful about, and he does not know why he ended up doing it, but he simply marched into the house like it was his Madrassan's flat, his space, and looked around...he did not know who he expected to see though - Mutthi or Ishita? She was probably not at home right now, else the entrance door would have been tightly shut.
And much like a fool, instead of calling out for Mutthi, he chose to look in every nook and corner of the drawing room and the dining hall and the kitchen, the spaces he could easily access...he heard not a sound in the house, yes, she was away...why hadn't she come back home yet just like he had, he thought, fuming. Oh, right! Mani. How could he forget? he thought to himself, bitter and restless.
He eventually found Mutthi crouched under the sofa, licking her own paws, and bent down to pick her up, probably expecting her to easily jump into his arms. But Mutthi was a tough nut to crack. She too kept running around in circles, playfully, jumping over the sidestool, then the dining table, then the sofa, and the kitchen slab, then back again on the sofa, and gave out her first real bark for the day.
****************
Ishita had stayed under the shower today for far longer than she usually does...she needed to clear her mind...blank out every thought related to Raman.
What was wrong with her, she kept cursing herself as she let the cool water melt away the hangover that refused to leave her head, and erase the entire incident from last night. How could she be such a fool?? Why didn't she run off in the opposite direction when she first met him at the party? And why did she drink so much that she passed out in his arms!!She is an Iyer who had the good fortune of sipping wines and cocktails and downing peg after peg only because a Punjabi trained her into doing it. What made her think she could get away with challenging Raman Bhalla when it comes to drinking?
That's all she remembers. She challenged him, didn't she?
She should ideally have felt like crawling under the earth...but his touch, the slight flick of his fingers caressing her face, the haze in which only his face and his warmth stood out...she couldn't wash that away. In fact, she did not want it to leave her ever.
She loved the smell of his breath, she loved what he did to her.
Crap!
He is going to get married in two days, I should not have these thoughts about him, she chided herself.
Her towel ends tucked neatly in the front, and another wrapped around her now-damp hair, she gingerly stepped out into the bedroom. She felt fresher, more clear in the head now, and even then she could hear a few barks somewhere in the vicinity.
What's wrong with me? Ab dimag se Raman gaye toh kutte ki aawaz kyun sunai de rahi hai?
She pried the towel off her head and started drying her hair with it...her back to the bedroom door...
No, now the barks were getting persistent, and she could even hear a male voice growl in anger, almost like it wanted to suppress its decibel, "Mutthu"
Her heart raced. Did he say Mutthu?
And then the next second it panicked, because it meant there was an intruder in the house. No, make it two.
But before she could call out and scare the 'intruder (s)' away, she felt a furry little thing jump at her, from behind, and a slightly stinging pain on her bare back at the same time.
AND A LOUD ANGRY VOICE, "MUTTHI!"
AAA!! She screamed!
*****************
Ishita picked up the 'weapon' nearest to her (a heavy brass vase on the sidestool) and held it up in her hands, ready to attack the assailant.
In one swift motion, she had turned around, but stopped in her tracks.
It was none other than The Raman Bhalla.
R: TUM!!?
I: AAP??!!
R: Tum yahaan kya kar rahi ho?
I: Excuse me, aap yahan kya kar rahe hain? Remember, yeh mera ghar hai? And hello, aap andar aaye kaise? Aur...aur ...yeh kutta kaun hai?
R (dazed, his mouth slightly agape) (he cant remember ever seeing Madrassan in her towel avatar Damn! This was unfair! She never used to do any of this 7 years back!): Uumm...woh main...
Ishita feels his penetrating gaze travelling over her body...not in that cheap, lecherous way...but almost as if he was the artist and she was her muse...a muse in a towel, maybe. But a muse, nevertheless. She felt admired, wanted, desired...she felt more alive than she had felt these 7 years staying away from him. Strangely enough, she did not feel a speck of shame or awkwardness. She couldn't quite get enough of that gaze, that held her still...demanded her rapt attention...making it clear she belonged to him. He had corrupted her through and through, hadn't he?😉
But of course, he was going to be a married man very soon and it was inappropriate to enjoy such open admiration from a man soon to be betrothed. Even if it was for the third time and to his ex-ex-wife😕
And so, she has to look outraged like normal women not getting affected by their estranged husbands' charms do.😲
I: Aapko sharm nai aati, koi towel mein lapeti hui ladki ko aisa ghuurta hai kya?
R: Haan toh towel mein lapeti ladkiyan khule mein nahaye toh chalega?
I: Khule mein nahayen...matlab?
R: Tumhara darwaza khula tha jab main yahan aaya...aur tum andar shauk se naha rahi thi!
I (ayyo, is he jealous that I can peacefully bathe now??😆) : Toh aap doorbell baja sakte the naa!
R (heck, yes she was right! but he's going to tarkao that bit) : Oh hello, ek toh maine bachaya tumhen...mere alawa kisi ne aur ne dekha hota toh wahin andha ho jata ...
I: Haan toh aapko ab tak kaise dikh raha hai?
R: Ab aisa nazaara roz dekhne ko kahan milta hai...
I: Kyun, aapki hone wali biwi nahati nai hai kya?
She meant Shagun, of course. Raman spent a minute thinking of how to retort, but could come up with nothing.Wow! 7 years she stayed away from him, and yet she could beat him in a verbal duel if need be. This was the Madrassan he was dying to see and talk to all those years...He liked being speechless around her
He chose to change the topic instead, "Woh main Mutthi ko lene aaya tha"
"MUTTHI?" "You mean Mutthu right?"
"Nai. Mutthi. Mujhe bhi aaj subah hi shock laga hai."
He narrated the entire conversation he had had with Toshi that morning, verbatim.
And ended it with, "Ab ladki kutta hai toh Pihu ne socha Mutthu na sahi, Mutthi rakh lun. Toh yehi hai...Mutthi ka background aur naamkaran ki story."
"Ladki kutta? Mutthi..." Ishita let the word roll on her tongue for a second too long, and burst out laughing...her laughter ringing out like bells tinkling...
And Raman stared at her, for a long, long time, as she continued to double up in laughter, clutching her stomach.
Her perfect smile and the mellifluous voice echoing in the halls of the house...
Those saucer-like eyes crinkling at the sides with joy. Pure bliss.
Those lips he wanted should be his forever. Somewhere in the back of his mind - shit, shouldn't you be thinking about Shagun's lips now??
No. That sounds gross. Even feels gross. And anyway, he cant think right now, that nose pin sitting on a side, atop her nose...
That nose pin that has distracted him far too many times than he could care to count...does she realize she makes his breath catch fire every time he sees that white stone shining in the distance, illuminating her goddess-like countenance even more??
He inched closer to her...his heart throbbing madly, and yet stopping at the same time, for effect...
she continued to stand where she did, unaware of the intensity swelling in his chest.
Time had stopped.
There was complete silence all around, except the sound of her voice spreading bliss all over...
Somewhere in the distance (he was sure it was from the adjoining building), the lyrics of a Bollywood number trilled in the air...
Jhatak kar zulf
Jab tum tauliye se
Baarishein aazad karti ho
Acha lagta hai
Jab tum tauliye se
Baarishein aazad karti ho
Acha lagta hai
Hilakar honth jab bhi
Haule Haule
Guftagu ko saaz karti ho
Acha lagta hai...
Haule Haule
Guftagu ko saaz karti ho
Acha lagta hai...
Trance-like, he reached out in slow motion and tucked behind her ear a few strands of damp hair falling on her face...he wanted nothing to come in his way...he wanted to see and adore her in her entirety today.
Even if it meant she was laughing at him.
********************
P.S. Okay guys, Maine apne fitoor ko 3/4th anjaam de diya...There is a continuation to it I have in mind, but will write it only if you guys say so...else it stops here
Let me know your feedback!
😛
Jaane Anjaane Hum Mile
Fan Fictions
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon
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