Author's note : So you will see three elements in play ..one in literal sense two figuratively ...
I am sure you can guess which one is which ...let me know about them in your comments ...
oh and the age scam...I changed a few numbers in my 1st chapter ...it made Mehak a little bit older ...but how else to reconcile...
XXX
Chapter 2 ; The Thunderstorm
Shaurya was on autopilot as he got into the elevator to get to the front lobby of the hospital on the ground floor.
The lobby was more busy than usual , as a lot of people had moved inside or were refraining from going outside waiting for the duststorm to subside .
He failed to notice the swathe of humanity , some with worry lines etched on their faces , some with new found hope , creating a buzz that could be music , irritant or white noise , to one ears depending on the mood one was.
The colorful clothes of the folks from African countries to the white pristine robes of those from Middle east to the more subdued clothing of the westerners , all creating a visual amalgam of how similar humans were all over the world , inspite of different race , religion and nationalities. How they react when they or a loved one is in danger , how they try to find avenues that could create the optimism of life even If it means travelling long distance to grab that opportunity .
The businessman in Shaurya would have instantly recognized what a big opportunity medical tourism was and probably start building his own business model by now , but not today . Today he was desperately searching for hope for himself , trying to find the sliver of optimism to hang on and have his Mehak hang on . Mehak , his wife , the only part of his life which did not seem riddled with holes..not that he had not made innumerable mistakes with her ..but it was largely due to her that he could claim a clean slate at least in that aspect now.
She needed help . Right now .It was ironical that he had finally managed to break her completely when all he wanted to do was cherish her , to protect her , to give her all the happiness that she truly deserved.
He surely was not the right person to help , but he knew somebody very close who could.
He pulled out his phone and went on to the messenger as he stepped out of the lobby. The security guard at entrance door warned him .." Sir bahut tez aandhi hai" ( Sir it is a very big dust storm)
Hmmm .. par mujhe jaana hai ( but I have to go)
He typed on the phone
"Kya baat hai , pyaar ke shehar mein hi kho gayi kya , koi ata pata nahin aajkal , ( hey are you still lost in the city of love , you are untraceable these days )
He waited for the reply ..
The dust filled his eyes making them water...he ran towards his car ..he saw a tree crashing and loose objects flying ..
He had definitely made a mistake , stepping out ..but then he had made so many ...now there was no turning back.. He ran, rather stumbled towards his car in the parking lot completely blinded by the stiff gales full of dust , cursing himself for not using the basement parking.
It was only the beeping of his car sensors, that helped him locate it finally ,as he used the key fob. He got in quickly and shut the door behind him.
He checked for her reply , totally unmindful of the dust on his face and in his eyes.
She had not replied yet . He was dejected . He really needed this mode of communication to open with her . He needed to ensure that she had the strength to go through what they would have to endure .
He decided to give it another try and picked up his phone to type his next message , however it pinged right then.
It was her message .
"mujhe khud apna hosh nahi , kissi aur ko mera kya pata hoga" ( when I myself have no clue about me , how else will anyone know about my whereabouts)
"You are sounding depressed" , he typed in quickly so that she continues to reply in the same momentum
"No I am numb"
"Kya hua?" (what happened?)
"I realized , I was trying to build a house of cards , with lies as its foundation , and stupidly thought it was going to be the anchor of my life ... sab jhooth tha ( it was all a lie)"
"Let me guess ..lover's tiff , trouble with your boyfriend? The love of your life , you were so depressed about leaving behind the last time "
He deliberately tried to lighten up the conversation
"He is my husband now"
"Oh my ,when did you get married ?? "
"A few hours ago ..."
"And in these few hours he managed to betray you , did he not book the honeymoon tickets for where you wanted to go ??"
He felt like a cheat, speaking about such inane stuff, knowing the truth ...but there was no other way ...
"He ensured that I betray my parents "
His heart stopped beating for a second as the hopelessness and dejection hidden in her words hit him.
He was at a loss what to say next . He managed a lame
"Are you very sure ??"
"What do you mean??...of course I am very sure .."
"Nothing ... have you ever read Harry Potter??"
"Yes ...why do you ask ? What has Harry Potter got to do with this ??"
"Then you would know what a shapeshifter is ...I have learned in life that the biggest shapeshifter in the world is truth itself , it completely changes its form depending on who is saying it and who is perceiving it ...before you take a life altering decision why don't you make sure that truth did not shift its shape ..."
"If it has not..well you already know your decision ,, if it has maybe you can still save your ...what did you call it ...house of cards ..."
Ohh and remember what Faiz Ahmad Faiz has said
Dil na umeed to nahin nakaam hi toh hai
Lambhi hai gham ki sham magar shaam hi to hai "
( a mere failure does not make the heart without hope ...
For though this melancholic evening seems long ...it is ..but just an evening )
" It too shall pass...take care "
With that KK was offline ...
Mehak sat staring at the screen of her phone ... KK was this unexplained phenomenon of her life ..he came and went arbitrarily , but he always left her with something to think about , or gave her a clarity whenever she found herself at cross roads...
Maybe he was right ...maybe there was something more to it ..Shaurya would have been a mere child 15 years ago ...
He has seemed as stunned as anybody else in her family ,when Mami had pronounced him the murderer
He has never had an issues driving ...would he not have carried that legacy had he known he had killed somebody , driving.
She had seen many shades of him ..but they all were of his angst , anger, even hatred ,,,she had never seen any guilt .
Would he not have any guilt , would he have found it so easy to unveil her mother's photograph in his restaurant, he was absolutely fine with the marriage rituals going on in the presence of her parent's photograph .
Was he that kind of a beast ...maybe he was ...her mind told her ,have you not seen enough of him...
But her heart kicked back ,,,remember what the Granthi ji said in the Gurudwara that he did tapasaya for her ,...would a beast to do penance , would a beast go through the hell that Shaurya went for her...
Her mind was going blank , the thoughts that were appearing like flash of lightning were almost blinding her ..
She was exhausted ...she did not know what to think now ..
She finally gave in to hide her face in her palms and sobbed ...
Her whole body racked with her sobs till a pair of hands came around her shoulders and steadied her ...
She raised her head to see it was Karuna.
She tried to move away , but Karuna pulled her back.
"Buss Bachcche ( Enough , Child)
Yes I know you hate Shaurya and me now ...I am not even going to ask for your forgiveness ..because certain things cannot be forgiven ...
But you need to know why I did what I did ..and not these are not excuses ...these are just facts ..
I was childless for 8 years after my marriage and then Shaurya came in my life ..broken , resentful , prone to anger .
The mother in me enveloped him with all the love I had ..people said I need to discipline him ..but I could see , he had seen so much negativity in his short life that the only thing I could give was unconditional love to allow him to overcome his predominant feeling of rejection .
There were days he would hurt me , push me back but gradually he started trusting me , opening up to me ..even listening to me .He started to look for succor and comfort in my lap . I was building my own world , my own family ..bit by bit and ...then Shaurya's past ..his relatives of his dead mother showed up.
I could sense they were a bad influence on him , they would always tempt him to do stuff which was wrong or would bring him to an head on clash with his father ..but I could not stop them, for Shaurya saw them as his only link to his mother.
And then One night I got a call , Shaurya's Nani said that he had mowed down two people ..I did not know when they had sneaked out with the car ..I did not know when Shaurya had learned to drive ...
I rushed to the sight .My Shaurya was standing there , a terrified child among adults . He looked dazed afraid and confused . he did not understand what was happening.
I wanted to ask him , why did he do this , why did he sneak out with the car but he was scared and so was I . I never asked him those questions .
My only instinct was to protect Shaurya ..even a short stint in juvenile detention center would have been the last straw in his losing trust completely in us ..
We paid off every one ...including his own grandmother ..yes Mehak... Nani has been blackmailing me for the last 15 years and I have been paying off as a price for my Shaurya's happiness
I do not even know whether Shaurya even knew till today , that on that night he was responsible for two people losing their lives.
I was focused on just obliterating that night from our memories."
Mehak could see Karuna's tears ..she could see the mother pleading ..she understood to what extent Mothers can go to protect their child ...but the daughter in Her was not ready to forgive..not yet.
"Shaurya wants me to come to your house ... he says if I don't he will sue Kanta Chachi for defrauding him"
Karuna could hear the coldness in her voice ...but ignored it ..
"toh chal na humaare saath" ( then come along with us)
"I hope you realize that I will file an FIR against Shaurya tomorrow .".
If Karuna was taken aback she hid It very well...
"it is your life Mehak ..Your parents , your husband, your house ...do what you think is right ..." "we all have to pay for our deeds and I guess the time has come for us ...
I do not know who I was saving from whom ...but I need rest now ...some peace ..I cannot carry this burden anymore ..".
With that Karuna walked away .. her steps were weary ... her gait unsteady ..but she knew finally she was unburdened
Mehak saw her moving away ...
She knew it was time to make some decisions of her own ...
She went back to the room where her family was ...
"Kanta Chachi," she called out ...
Eight pair pair of eyes looked at her , with emotions ranging from pity to disgust
" meri bidaayi kar dijiye " ( send me away to my married home)
Shaurya was still in his car , when his phone started ringing ..it was Ma ...
An Unspoken tension had stretched between the two since the truth and been revealed ...
Where are you ??
In my car ??
I am in the lobby ...
Wait I will bring the car to the front porch ...
The dust storm had settled ...the wind had turned cooler ... now there was lightning and thunder ...announcing to the whole world ..rain was on its way ...
Tiny droplets had started falling on the windscreen , as they waited in the car , in silence .
Mehak came and sat inside the car after a few minutes . The tiny droplets had turned to big fat blobs ..
The wiper was had gone into a overdrive trying to keep the windscreen clear , by the time Shaurya eased the car on NH-8
Rain was pelting down.
Edited by tibs09 - 8 years ago
Ghum Hai Kisikey Pyaar Meiin
