“Really? That’s great Ashutosh. Lekin achanak kya ho gaya?” Mathew was surprised.
“Kya ho gaya?”
“Abhi hafte bhar pahle maine tumse kaha tha ki tumhein AIIMS join karna chahiye to tumne mana kar diya tha ki tum Lucknow nahin chhod sakte. Ab achanak…”
“Well. Mujhe laga ki it will be a good change. Personally and professionally. To isliye ab main join karna chahta hoon.”
“Okay,” Mathew was not convinced. But he didn’t badger, “Main reference de kar process shuru karwata hoon. Apna resume e-mail kar do mujhe. Except for administrative things, zyada time to nahin lagega.”
“Thanks Mathew. Main abhi e-mail karwata hoon.”
“Karwata hoon? Kotnis General Hospital mein ward in-charges ko assistants milte hain kya?” Mathew picked on him and laughed.
In her hostpial room, Nidhi was ready with her laptop to e-mail the resume as soon as he called her. That was their plan. So, without realizing it, he had ended up saying “karwata hoon”, instead of “karta hoon”.
“Mathew. Tum doctor ho ya linguist? Baal ki khaal kyon nikaal rahe ho…”
“Sorry Baba. Main mazaak kar raha hai. Itna work up kyon ho rahe ho? Yahan aaoge to mujhe aur bhi jhelna padega. Aadat daal lo.”
—
Mathew visited Nidhi.
“How are you feeling, Dr. Nidhi?”
“Much better, Sir.”
“Waise Ashutosh ne to bataya hi hoga ki woh AIIMS shift ho raha hai.”
“Yes Sir.” Nidhi said plainly.
“Are! Maine thoda zyada enthusiasm expect kiya tha bhai. Aapke role model yahan aa rahe hain…”
Nidhi laughed nervously, “Sir. Taang kheenchna to koi aapse seekhe.”
“Main bahut serious hoon, Dr. Nidhi. Balki main kya soch raha hoon ki ek baar Ashutosh yahan aa jaye to phir main aapko uske under hi shift kar doonga. I’m sure you would be happy to have your old boss back.”
“No!” Ashutosh and Nidhi cried in chorus, startling Mathew.
“Okay,” he shrugged, “Aisa kya ho gaya…”
Nidhi looked at Ashutosh nervously.
”Well. I think alag-alag logon ke saath kaam karna achchha rahta hai,” Ashutosh replied, “Professional growth ke liye. So, its better ki Dr. Nidhi tumhare under hi kaam karein Mathew. Mere saath to ek saal kiya hi hai. What do you say, Dr. Nidhi?”
“Y… Yes Sir. Main bhi… yahi soch rahi thi.” Nidhi would have agreed to anything he said at that moment. This was a very reasonable explanation.
“Okay,” Mathew shrugged again, but he looked at them curiously. Then he changed the topic, “Waise tum join kab tak kar rahe ho?”
“Do mahine to lagenge. Kotnis mein sab wrap up karne mein.”
“Okay.”
—
“Haan Bua. Achchha hi to hai na. Nidhi ka khayaal rakhne ke liye Dr. Ashutosh aas paas honge… Ab Bua… ye kaisi zidd hai? Abhi itni jaldbaazi mein shaadi kaise ho sakti hai? Aur Nidhi ke liye bhi sahi nahin hai. Abhi-abhi operation… Nahin Bua… Logon ko jo kahna hai kahne dijiye. Mujhe bas Nidhi ki chinta hai…”
“Kya hua, Bhai Sahab?” Shayama asked after Yograj had disconnected the call.
“Bua thi. Ab unhein is baat ki chinta khaye ja rahi hai ki Dr. Ashutosh Delhi aayenge, ye dono aas paas rahenge, to log kya kahenge? Unki shaadi ho jaani chahiye. Ab aap bataiye, ye koi samay hai shaadi ka? Abhi operation ke baad theek bhi nahin hui hai Nidhi, uski padhai ka itna nuksaan pahle hi hua hai. Dr. Ashutosh ke paas bhi time hoga ya nahin…”
“Aapki baat to sahi hai. Abhi shaadi ke liye jaldbaazi theek nahin hai.”
“Wahi to. Lekin Bua ko kaun samjhaye…”
Just then Shayama’s mobile rang. She looked at the number and informed Yograj, “Aapke ghar se hai. Bua hongi…”
Yograj pressed his palm to his forehead in frustration.
“Namaste Bua,” Shayama greeted her cordially and prepared for the unavoidable barrage from the other side, “Lekin Bua… Suniye to. Delhi bahut bada shahar hai. Kissi ko kissi se koi matlab nahin hota. Koi kuchh nahin kahega… Haan. Haan. Main aapki baat samajh rahi hoon…. Achchha theek hai…. Theek hai. Main dekhti hoon. Aap aise pareshaan mat hoiye….”
“Phir se wahi baat?” Yograj asked Shayama impatiently. She nodded.
“Baba. Inki engagement karwa dete hain. Compromise ka raasta. Dadi Bua ki baat bhi rah jayega,” Anji offered a solution at which both Shyama and Yograj jumped.
“Ye achchha idea hai. Thoda to Bua ko bhi peechhe hatna hi padega,” Yograj said.
“Chaliye. Hospital chal kar Nidhi se bhi baat kar lete hain. Aur phir Dr. Ashutosh ko phone kar denge,” Shyama suggested. Ashutosh had gone back to Lucknow to wrap up his work at Kotnis, find a replacement and ensure that his leaving won’t cause any disruptions.
—
Nidhi and Ashutosh agreed to the idea of engagement. It was decided that it will be done in Delhi the weekend before Ashutosh was to join AIIMS. They had six weeks in hand. Anji went back to Lucknow because she couldn’t take any more time off from her job. Shayam convinced Yograj also to go back to look after the business. She stayed back to be with Nidhi, who was still recovering. Ashutosh would come to Delhi on one of the weekends and make arrangements for a small engagement ceremony. Only close family and friends were supposed to be there.
—
“Waise to hamein Delhi mein kissi ko invite karne ki zaroorat nahin hai. Lekin Dr. Mathew ko to karna hi chahiye. Who mere boss hain aur hum teenon log saath mein kaam karenge. To unhein pata hona chahiye.” Nidhi told Ashutosh when he came to Delhi.
“Haan. And it’s going to be odd…” Ashutosh replied.
“Odd? Kyon?”
“Kyonki, Dr. Nidhi Verma, aapki harquaton se unhein aisa laga tha ki you have a huge crush on me aur…”
Nidhi giggled, “Crush? Khair theek hai. Phir to it won’t be a surprise to him.”
“What won’t be a surprise? Jab main pichhli baar yahan aaya tha to usne mujhse ye kaha tha and then I had, of course, rubbished it.”
“Hmm…”
“To Dr. Mathew ko invite to karna hi hai. Aur who aap karengi.”
“Kya? Main? Nahin. Ye kya baat hui… Woh aapke dost hain.”
“Woh aapke boss hain. Ye zyada important hai,” Ashutosh was not giving in.
“Not fair, Dr. Ashutosh,” Nidhi pouted.
“Abhi meri unfairness ke baare mein tumhein kuchh pata hi kahan hai,” Ashutosh joked suggestively. Nidhi blushed so hard that she forgot to to retort.
—
“Good Morning, Sir,” Nidhi greeted Mathew.
“Good Morning Dr. Nidhi. So, you are fit and fine now. Back to work?”
“Yes Sir.”
“Lekin try to take it easy. Abhi poori tarah se theek hone mein aapko time lagega. Main administrator se kah doonga aapki night duties wagerah na lagayen. But you should also take care and not over-exert yourself.”
“Thank you, Sir. Main dhyaan rakhoongi. Aur…”
“Yes?”
“Mujhe aapko invite karna tha…”
“Kis cheez ke liye?”
“Meri engagement…”
Mathew was visibly surprised, “Engagement? Aapki? Abhi? You mean engagement for getting married?”
“Yes Sir. Aur kaun si engagement hogi?”
“Yes – of course…” Mathew grinned. But an engagement right after a uterus removal operation didn’t quite fit in the usual schemes of the world! And as far as he knew, she didn’t have any boyfriends. Did her parents manage to find someone…
“Congratulations,” he said gathering his thoughts, “Though I must admit, I am very surprised. It’s so sudden. Kaam ke beech mein aapko kissi se milne ka mauka kaise mil gaya? Ya aapke parents ne…”
“Nahin… Parents nahin… Milne ka mauka mil gaya. Thanks to you…” Nidhi mumbled.
This puzzled Mathew even more, “Thanks to me… I don’t see ki aap aisa mazaak kyon karengi, lekin aap mazaak kar rahi hain, right? There is no engagement…”
“No. No… Oh my God!” Nidhi cried, “Main koi mazaak nahin kar rahi. But ab main aapko aur kuchh explain nahin kar sakti. Engagement hai. Hotel Continental mein. Chhoti se party hai. Humne zyada logon ko invite nahin kiya hai. Isliye koi printed invitation card nahin hai. Aap please apni wife ke saath zaroor aaiyega. Barah baje din mein. Next Sunday. Main aapko details e-mail bhi kar doongi. Aur baaki sab aap Dr. Ashutosh se poochh lijiye.” She said everything in one breath as if she won’t be able to speak again if she stopped.
“Dr. Ashutosh?”Mathew was not only surprised or puzzled now, but positively shocked, “What does Ashutosh have to do with this?”
—
To be continued