“Please come Mrs. Khurana. Main Suneeta. Maine hi aapse phone par baat ki thi.”

“Achchha. Interview kab hoga?”

“Ma’m. Actually boss ko kahin jaana tha to woh interview nahin le payenge. Lekin unhone aapka profile dekh kar kaha ki uski zaroorat nahin hai. Woh aapke liye offer letter sign kar ke gaye hain.”

“Kya? Bina mile hi job de di.”

“Jee! Unhone jab dekha ki aapne Delhi mein Khurana Constructions ke saath kaam kiya hai, to unhone kaha ki interview ki zaroorat nahin hai. Ab Amritsar mein aise sahi experience waale log milne to mushkil hain na. Aap please apna offer letter dekh lijiye. Company ki taraf se aapko ek ghar bhi milega, agar aap wahan rahna chahe to.”

The offer looked Godsent to Geet. It’d give her independence back. She did not want to continue living at her Maasi’s place anyway.

“Theek hai. Kab se kaam shuru karna hai?”

“Jee. Aap aaj hi ghar mein shift kar sakti hain. Woh office ke paas hi hai aur kal se kaam shuru kar dijiye.”

“Theek hai.”

“Aapko samaan shift karne ke liye madad chahiye hogi. Main vehicle ka intezaam karwa doon?”

“Nahin uski zaroorat nahin hai. Mere paas zyada samaan nahin hai. Main taxi le kar aa jaungi.”

“Theek hai. To main aapko wahin milti hoon. Ye address hai. Wahin par handover kar doongi aur agar aapko koi help chahiye hogi to uska bhi intezaam kar doongi.”

—

It was strange working for an invisible boss. He never came to the office. Geet had to send all the designs and other files to his home through the office-boy. But the arrangement was not uncomfortable, so she did not mind. Except when he used to send back some files with comments. Everything about his comments reminded her of Maan. The kind of things he would point out, his handwriting, his language… And he signed off as DD.

‘Ye tera waham hai Geet. Woh Amritsar ki is chhoti si company mein kya kar rahe honge,’ she would tell herself very often. She wasn’t aware that since Sasha was on long leave, Maan was delegating a lot of design work to this company. They had some good designers in the company, but earlier the management was lousy and clients were dissatisfied. Geet had filled in for those deficiencies and it was good for business.

—

“Adi Sir, aap?” Geet was surprised to see Adi at the door on the Sunday morning, “Andar aayiye. Aap yahan kaise?”

“Woh kuchh kaam se aaya tha to socha tumse bhi milta chaloon.”

“Bahut achchha kiya. Lekin aapko mera pata kaise mila?”

“Woh! Main tumahari maasi ke ghar gaya tha. Unhone hi bataya.”

“Kya? Aap phir wahan gaye the. Unhone kuchh kaha to nahin aapko? Pichhli baar jo hua, uske liye I am really sorry.”

“Bhool jao Geet. Main bilkul theek hoon.”

They chatted over breakfast and tea. Geet could not help noticing that Adi was talking about everyone, but not Maan. Finally when he was about to leave, Geet had to ask him, “Adi Sir… Woh… Maan kaise hain?”

Adi looked at her seriously and said, “Kyon poochh rahi ho Geet? Kya sunna chahti ho?”

Her struggle to fight back her tears did not succeed, “Please bataiye na. Woh theek to hain na?”

“Geet, bura na maano to dost hone ke naate ek baat kahoon?”

Geet nodded.

“Kya kar rahi ho tum Geet? Maan Sir aise insaan hain jinke man ki baat kissi ko pata nahin chalti. Lekin phir bhi woh tumhare liye kya mahsoos karte hain, ye kissi se nahin chhupa rah saka. Mujhe nahin pata ki tum unse kyon naraaz ho. Jab tum Dev aur uski ghinoni kartooton ko maaf kar sakti ho, jab tum tumhari jaan lene ki koshish karne waale apne ghar waalon ko maaf kar sakti ho, to tumse itna pyaar karne waala insaan aisa kya bura kar sakta hai jo tum unhein kabhi maaf na kar sako. Jaanna chahti ho ki Maan Sir kaise hain? To suno! Woh ghut-ghut kar mar rahe hain. Aur tumhari halat bhi to mujhe kuchh alag nahin dikh rahi. Shakal dekhi hai apni aaine mein? Koi bhi bata sakta hai ki raat bhar roti rahi ho. Kya kar rahi ho Geet? Aakhir kar kya rahi ho?”

Adi left immediately and Geet could not say anything. She slumped on the floor and cried out loud like a kid. She could not have explained why she was crying. Was it her anger at Maan, was it her complains to her fate, or was it for her own actions? She did not know, but she cried and cried for next hour or so.

—

She had to find peace; somehow! She absent mindedly started walking in the direction of the Dargah. But there was no peace for her. She saw him there. Maan was sitting there, lost in prayer. She just kept staring at him. Was she hallucinating? Or was he actually there? He was in Amritsar? Even now? Why didn’t Adi Sir tell her? She saw him opening his eyes and hid behind a pillar.

A fakir came to him and asked with concern, “Tu ek saaf-dil banda lagta hai. Aakhir aisi kaun si galti ho gai hai tujhse jiski maafi abhi tak nahin mili tujhe? Kabhi jalte koyle par chal kar khud ko sazaa deta hai, to kabhi ghanto ibaadat mein dooba rahta hai…”

Geet was too stunned to hear this and could not concentrate on their conversation any further. Fakir’s words keep echoing in her mind, “Kabhi jalte koyle par chal kar khud ko sazaa deta hai…”

Geet walked back even more absent mindedly. It was getting dark when she reached home. She roamed around the house like a zombie for a while and then slumped into the bed. Her mind had gone blank and she was oblivious to her surroundings. Until the electricity went off suddenly.

—

Maan had just reached home, located next to Geet’s, when the power-cut happened. “Geet!” was the only thought that came to his mind. She was afraid of darkness. He rushed to her house and found it locked from inside. He used his pair of keys to open the door and ran towards the bedroom.

Geet was scared out of her wits and was walking backwards towards the door, looking around suspiciously. She screamed when she hit him and his heart skipped a beat on realizing that she was screaming his name. He silenced her by putting his hands on her mouth and comforted her, “Geet. Main hoon. Darne ki koi zaroorat nahin hai.” She knew the touch and the voice too well to need any further assurance. She hugged him tight and he reciprocated gladly. There was no way to express the joy he felt on taking her in his arms after all these days. But once Geet was calm, he had to let go. He could not afford to upset her further. She stared at him and Maan could not figure out how she was feeling. He felt a need to explain, but didn’t know what to say and uttered some mono-syllables while trying to find words, “Geet… Main… Woh…”

“Aap andar kaise aaye? Darwaza to band tha.”

Maan was startled. He wasn’t prepared to answer that. He was scared of the outcome, but decided against lying, “Mere paas doosri chabhi thi.”

“Doosri chabhi? Par ye ghar to…” Just then the power came back and things started becoming clear to Geet. The unexpected call from the company, the invisible boss, his comments and handwriting, DD, company arranging for everything she needed including the house…. Who else could it be?

Maan had left as soon as the power had come back.

“Babaji! Kya chahte hain aap? Kya karoon main? Kyon nahin shaanti milti unhein?”

She picked up her mobile phone from her drawer and switched it on after days. She remembered the time when Maan had gone to the extent of gifting cell phones to the entire staff just so that she’d accept it and he could hear her voice whenever he wanted. She dialed that one number from the phone which she knew so well that there was no need to store it.

—

Maan quickly picked up the phone, all worried, “Hello! Geet sab theek to hain na?”

No answer came from the other side. But Maan understood the silence and his own voice also choked. He just managed to say, “Main abhi aa raha hoon.”

—

“Aap samajhte kya hain apne aap ko?” The elated Maan got a setback as soon as he reached her house. Had he been hasty is assuming that his penance had paid off? She was still cross.

“Kya hua Geet?”

“Jalte koyle par chale the aap nange pair?”

“Tumhein kaise pata chala?”

“To ye sach hai. Aap koi superman hain?”

“Geet! Jo taqleef maine tumhein di thi, uske saamne ye kuchh bhi nahin tha.”

Geet grabbed his collar and shook him, “Aur aapko kya lagta hai ki aap khud ko aise taqleef dete rahenge aur mujhe bahut achchha lagega?”

“Geet!” Maan grew desperate, “Phir se katghare mein mat khada karo mujhe Geet. Tum saath nahin hoti ho to mujhse kuchh bhi sahi nahin hota hai.”

“Aur main jab bhi aapse door jaungi, aap ek nayi company khareed lenge?”

Maan could not say anything.

“Aur kya-kya ulte seedhe kaam kar rakhe hain aapne?”

“Wapas chalo Geet. Tumhein apna ghar aur business dono sambhalne hain. Aur mujhe bhi. Please Geet. Tumhein mujhe sazaa deni hai de do, lekin mujhse door mat raho.”

“To phir aise bheekh kyon maang rahe hain? Le chaliye utha kar mujhe. Jaise pahle kiya karte the. Aap kab se kissi ki baat sunne lage?”

Maan’s desperate and sad face showed surprise which slowly converted to joy. He pulled her in a very tight hug.

“Geet! Hum abhi Delhi wapas chalenge. Main Adi ko bhi phone karta hoon.”

“Abhi? Lekin bahut raat ho chuki hai.”

“To kya hua? Ab kal ki subah hum apne ghar mein hi bitayenge. Main ek minute bhi ab yahan nahin rukunga. Tum apni packing kar lo. Main car nikalta hoon.”

Geet smiled. That was the Maan she knew better.

—

“He, he… Sir. Waise Ambassador chalane ke baad to Mercedes chalane mein aur bhi mazaa aata hoga, nahin?” Adi said sitting on the back seat.

“Adi!” Maan scolded him in his usual fashion. But Geet’s curiosity was piqued up.

“Ambassador? Ambassador kab chalayi aapne?”

“Kuchh nahin Geet. Adi mazaak kar raha tha. Hai na Adi?” Maan replied with a nervous smile.

“Haan… Haan Geet,” Adi tried to appear confident.

“Mazaak? Adi Sir? Aapse? Aapko lagta hai ki main bewkoof hoon? Ab bataiye mujhe warna main abhi car se utar jaungi.”

Maan glared at Adi and he got even more nervous.

“Ab aap apni in badi badi aankhon se Adi Sir ko darana band kijiye. Khair aap chhodiye. Adi Sir, aap bataiye,” Geet turned her head to look at Adi.

“Nahin Geet… Woh kuchh nahin…”

“Adi Sir!”

“Woh… Geet! Tumne apni maasi ke ghar ke naye driver ko nahin dekha tha? Balwant Singh… Ji?” Adi stuttered.

“Kya?”

Maan gave her an embarrassed look and started looking ahead towards the road. Geet fell silent.

Adi realized that they need to talk.

“Sir, hamein agle dhaabe par ruk kar chai-coffee pee leni chahiye, warna neend aa jayegi.”

“Haan Adi.”

—

Adi got down from the car as soon as they stopped without waiting for Maan and Geet. They stayed inside, silent for a while.

Geet broke the silence, “Maan, aapko… ye sab… karne ki… mera matlab hai… I am sorry…”

“Shhh Geet! Ek shabd nahin,” he put his index finger across her lips, “Bhool jao. Ab sab theek ho gaya hai.”

“Nahin Maan. Main aapko pareshaan kar sakti hoon, aapse gussa ho sakti hoon, lekin aapko aise kissi ke saamne jhukte hue nahin dekh sakti. Aap…”

“Geet. Main to sirf tumhare saamne jhuka hoon. Aur usmein mujhe koi afsos nahin hai. Balki main bahut khush hoon. Tumhari wajah se hi to maine jaana ki zindagi mein jhukna aur haarna achchha bhi lag sakta hai.”

Geet looked at him with eyes full of tears, love and awe. He smiled, leaned towards her and drew her in an awkward but intimate hug.

“Ab chalein, kuchh kha-pee lete hain,” Maan said breaking the hug. Geet nodded.

They joined Adi in the Dhaba. Maan went to the counter to order for himself and Geet, when Adi whispered to Geet as if sharing a big secret, “Geet! Tum na Maan Sir se thoda bahut naraaz hoti raha karo beech-beech mein.”

“Kyon? Aapko apni pitai karwane ka shauk hai?” Geet also replied jokingly.

“Arre nahin Geet. Shubh-shubh bolo. Lekin jab tum gussai rahti ho Maan Sir baaki logon par thoda kam gussa karte hain. Tumhein pata hai aaj kitne dinon ke baad unhone mujhe daant kar chup karwaya hai?”

They broke into laughter and then quickly shut up not wanting Maan to hear this. But they were unaware that Maan had heard it all. He smiled and continued walking towards the counter, pretending not to have heard anything. Today anything could only bring him joy and smile, not anger or pain. Especially something that made her smile.

– The End –