“Nidhi. Beta tumse kuchh baat karni thi.”
“Boliye na, Baba.”
“Maine ek galti kar di beta. Tumhare aur Dr. Ashutosh ke saath sahi nahin kiya,” Baba came straight to the point.
“Baba!”
“Kya main who galti ab sudhaar nahin sakta?”
“Baba,” Nidhi got tears in her eyes, “Uske liye bahut der ho gayi hai.”
“Tumhare man ki baat nahin badli hai. Ye to mujhe pata hai. Phir kya Dr. Ashutosh…”
“Baat woh nahin hai, Baba. Lekin aapko nahin lagta hai ki aap apni beti ko le kar selfish ho rahe hain? Is operation ke baad… Dr. Ashutosh kya – main kissi ki bhi zindagi mein jaane ki, kissi se shaadi karne ki nahin soch sakti. Bhool jaiye, Baba. Main apni khaamiyan kissi aur ke oopar nahin thop sakti.”
—
“Lekin Bhai Sahab, aap ek baar Dr. Ashutosh se baat to kijiye,” Shyama told Yograj. Nidhi’s refusal was not the final word on the matter to her, “Itna to saaf hai ki woh Nidhi ki bahut chinta karte hain. Delhi mein sirf uski wajah se ruke hue hain. Thodee der bhi hospital se bahar nahin jaate. Mujhe nahin lagta ki is wajah se…”
“Main aapse sahmat hoon, Bhabhi ji. Mujhe nahin lagta ki Dr. Ashutosh is wajah se Nidhi ko chhod denge. Lekin ye bhi sach hai ki agar is waqt maine ye baat chhedi to ye bahut hi khudgarz harqat lagegi. Aur Dr. Ashutosh se zyada shayad Nidhi aisa sochegi. Uski self-respect ko dhakka lagega. Isliye main kuchh nahin kah raha hoon. Bas bhagwaan se prarthna kar raha hoon ki woh dono khud hi is issue ko sort out kar lein.“
They weren’t aware that Anji had heard them.
—
“Tum Dr. Nidhi Verma ki family ko kaafee achchhe se jaante ho lagta hai. Kaise?”
Mathew’s question was casual, but Ashutosh was disconcerted, “Family ko? Nahin… Bas aise hi mila hoon… Kyonki woh Kotnis mein kaam karti thi…”
“Oh! Mujhe laga ki tum unki family ke aane ke baad bhi ruke hue ho to shayad jaante hoge… Aur tumhare paas unki friend ka number tha, ye bhi pata tha ki unhein phone karna behtar hoga…”
Ashutosh laughed nervously, “Tum to jasoosi karne lag gaye, Mathew. Anji is married to Dr. Rangnath, who is the senior administrator at Kotnis. That’s how I had her number…” He thanked his stars that he had quickly found an explanation.
“Sorry. Sorry,” Mathew laughed in embarrassment, “Main koi jaasoosi nahin kar raha tha. I was just curious ki tum unke liye yahan ruke hue ho. It’s a pleasure for me, of course.”
Ashutosh smiled, “Uski family ghabrai hui hai. Uski mother nahin hain. Aur Nidhi thodee careless hai. To uske Baba ko support chahiye hoga… Isliye main ruk gaya.”
“Careless?” Mathew chuckled, “Mujhe to kissi bhi angle se careless nahin lagti. If anything, she is too uptight. Too demanding. Not so much from others, as from herself. Maine observe kiya hai use. Aisa feedback directly kissi ko dena thoda ajeeb lagta hai. Kyonki professionally ismein kuchh negative nahin hai. Lekin she is too much of a workohalic. Yaad hai jab tumhein lunch par bheja tha uske saath, usne kaha tha ki lunch ke baad uski duty nahin hai? Us din uski duty morning mein bhi nahin thi. Lekin phir bhi classes ke baad hospital mein hi thi. At this rate, she might burn herself out.”
Ashutosh smiled, “Log kitna badal jaate hain, Mathew. You won’t believe,” he grew animated as told Nidhi’s story to Mathew, “ki jab Nidhi ne jab Kotnis join kiya tha to shuruat mein main use kitna daantta tha. Koi chaara hi nahin tha. Kissi baat ko seriously leti hi nahin thi kabhi. Lekin over time, she changed. Completely. And tell me if I am wrong, but main maanta hoon ki she is a very good doctor in making.”
“I agree. And I think I know ki usmein ye change kaise aaya.”
“Kaise?” Mathew’s certainty about Nidhi amused Ashutosh. What could he possibly know?
“I think she had this huge crush on you. And she probably tried to prove herself to you. You have to see her go ‘Dr. Ashutosh aise karte the, Dr. Ashutosh waise karte the’ all the time… Agar main tumhein jaanta nahin hota, Ashutosh, to mere ek subordinate ke munh se itni taarefein sun kar, main to tumhein bahut resent karta. Abhi tak bhi hai ye crush, I think. Good for her professionally though,” Mathew laughed.
“Come on, Mathew. Nice theory, but don’t be absurd,” Ashutosh tried not to sound too defensive, but his face had gone red. Mathew probably didn’t realize how close to the truth he was!
“Are. To tum itna pareshaan kyon ho rahe ho? It’s normal. A tall, dark, handsome boss – who bhi rich and single. Kissi bhi ladki ko crush ho jayega. Iska solution to yahi hai ki tum please jaldi se shaadi kar lo. Phir you will be off-limits. Pata nahin kis sapno ki rani ka intezaaar kar rahe ho?”
“Mujhe lagta hai ki tum drink kar ke duty par aaye ho, Mathew. Lekin phir bhi, tumhein shayad ward mein hona chahiye. To main ab tumhara time barbaad nahin karoonga. You please carry on with your work. Main guest house ja raha hoon.”
“All right, Ashutosh,” Mathew was still amused at Ashutosh’ discomfort, “Hum ise phir kabhi discuss karenge.”
—
Ashutosh was still at the door, when Anji reached his room in the guesthouse.
“Anji. Aap? Please come in.”
“Thank you, Dr. Ashutosh. Maine aapko disturb to nahin kiya?”
“Bilkul nahin. Koi khaas baat hai kya? Main abhi Nidhi ko hi dekhna jaane waala tha.”
“Haan… Dr. Ashutosh,” Anji hesitated and fell silent.
“Anji. Kya baat hai?” he was alarmed. Had there been some complication? Had Anji brought some bad news?
“Thoda ajeeb hai, Dr. Ashutosh. Lekin phir bhi main poochhna chahti hoon. Kyonki Nidhi meri best friend hai aur mujhe uski fikr hai. Kya aap Nidhi se ab bhi pyaar karte hain? Kya aap use aaj bhi apnana chahenge?”
Ashutosh looked at her curiously, “Kya mere jawaab se koi farq padega?”
“Haan. I think, Nidhi ko farq padega. Use lagta hai ki… is operation ke baad… Kyonki woh pregnant nahin ho sakti, kissi se shaadi karna, kissi ki zindagi ka hissa banna uske liye sahi nahin hai.”
“Nonsense!” Ashutosh said emphatically, “Utter nonsense. Ye baat uske dimaag mein kisne daali?”
“Kissi aur ke daalne ki kya zaroorat hai? Koi bhi ladki aisa sochegi, given ki motherhood ko society kitna importance deti hai ek aurat ke liye.” Anji thought of all the pressure mounting on her to make a baby ever since she had gotten married.
“To woh is wajah se pareshaan hai?”
“Pareshaan ho na ho, confidence to kam ho hi gaya hai uska. Apne oopar… Aur shayad aapke oopar bhi.”
“Mere oopar?”
“Aap usse baat kyon nahin karte?”
“Haan. Main karoonga. Thank you, Anji! Thanks a lot.”
—
“Tum comfortable ho na, Nidhi? Dar to nahin rahi?” Ashutosh asked her. The operation was scheduled for that evening.
Nidhi smiled and shook her head.
“Aur…” Ashutosh hesitated. He wasn’t sure how to bring the matter up with her.
“Aur?”
“Aur Nidhi,” he took a deep breath and decided to talk straight, “Tum ye baat yaad rakhna ki ye opeation sirf ek medical problem ko door karne ka tareeka hai. Iske baad tumhari problem solve ho jayegi. Isse aur kuchh nahin badlega. Isse tum nahin badlogi, Nidhi.”
“Aap kya kah rahe hain, meri samajh mein nahin aa raha hai,” Nidhi didn’t know that Anji had spoken to him. So, she genuinely couldn’t figure out where he was coming from.
“Nidhi,”Ashutosh held her hands and pressed them, “Nidhi. You are a wonderful woman. The most wonderful woman in the world. Aur jo bhi ladka tumhari zindagi mein aayega, woh bahut khushkismat hoga. Tum kabhi bhi ye mat samajhna ki is operation ki wajah se tumhari zindagi ruk gayi hai. Tum… tum meri baat samajh rahi ho na?”
“Ye ek doctor ki rationality bol rahi hai Dr. Ashutosh,” Nidhi was sad, but firm as she replied, “Logon ki khushiyan, unki wishes hamesha itni rational nahin ho sakti. Aur mujhe lagta bhi nahin ki hamein khud ko itna rational banana chahiye, ya doosron se itni rationality expect karni chahiye ki woh hamare aur unke gale ki phaans ban jaye. Main kissi se ye expect nahin karti. Khud se bhi nahin. Kissi aur se bhi nahin. Aapse bhi nahin.”
—
To be continued