Rajvir Sharma shot a triumphant glance at his wife. She had not been elated that Kabir had deicded to marry Sudhir Kashyap’s daughter. “Us insaan ki wajah se hamare sar par bas museebatein hi aayi hain,” she had said.
When Rajvir had first heard about it, he had also felt anxious. Could his brother find no other woman? But after only a brief meeting with her, he had known that she was the woman for her. She possessed the same spark that he had so often noticed in his baby brother.
But Sandhya had been cribbing non-stop since Ananya had called to tell them about the accident. “Ab agar ye manhoosiyat nahin hai,” she had grumbled, “To aur kya hai?”
In Ananya’s distress at the potential danger Kabir faced and her insistence of being at his side, Rajvir found the most befitting reply to Sandhya’s objections.
“Nahin. Tumhein real khatra hai,” Kabir told Ananya, “Aur tumhein Dada aur Bhabhi ko ghar le jaana hai. Okay? Main thodi hi der mein wapas aa jaunga. Ma – hum sab log dinner ghar par karenge jaisa ki plan tha.”
Mrs. Kashyap nodded, although she shared her daughter’s concern.
“Ronnie. Sab log kaise aaye hain?”
“Cab se, Sir.”
“Tum car chala lete ho?”
“Car to nahin chalata main, Sir. Lekin kyon? Richa chalati hai.”
“Meri car mall mein khadi hai. Aur wahan bahar jo soft drinks ka stand hai, unko do water-bottles ke paise bhi dene hain. Tum aur Richa baaki logon ko cab mein bitha do. Aur meri car le kar ghar chale jao. Us bande ko paise bhi de dena.”
“Ji, theek hai.”
“Ananya. Spy cam?”
“Ji?”
“Tumhare purse hoga. Hamesha rahta hai,” he said, smiling.
Ananya was not amused. But she rummaged through the purse and handed him the camera.
“Jao Ananya. Sabko le kar jao. Dada aur Bhbhi thake hue bhi honge. Ghar par aaraam rahega. Aur Khurana. I think tumhein apni kissi female colleague ko bulana padega.”
Ananya was visibly reluctant, but she acquisced. After writing down Shreya’s address for Kabir, she left with the rest of them.
—
“Kabir! Tum yahan kaise?” Shreya feigned surprise on seeing Kabir at her door. But Kabir didn’t miss her quick glance at his bandaged hands.
“Mujhe laga ki tumhein meri chinta ho rahi hogi. To tumhein inform kar doon ki mujhe kuchh nahin hua.”
She sighed. “Andar aaoge?”
“Nahin. Yahin clear kar lete hain. Ananya par acid phenk kar kya achieve karna chahti thi tum?”
“Agar tum mere nahin hoge, Kabir, to main tumhein kissi aur ka bhi nahi hone doongi.”
“Uske liye to tumhein mujhe maarna padega, Shreya. Ananya par acid phenk kar tumhein kya milta?”
She smirked, “Kise bewkoof bana rahe ho, Kabir? Kya mujhe nahin pata hai ki why men like you go after younger women.”
He didn’t flinch and asked calmly, “To tumne Ananya par acid phenka taki uska chehra kharaab ho jaye aur main use chhod doon, right?”
“Haan. Aur agar woh tumse door nahin gayi to uska isse bhi bura haal hoga.”
“Wonderful. Khurana. Over to you,” Kabir announced and retreated, finally letting his anger and disgust show on his face.
On seeing Shreya’s blanched face at Khurana and a woman inspector emerging from their hiding place and her ineffective struggle to avoid arrest, Kabir felt a vicious pleasure whose intensity scared him. He needed to return to better people. He needed to feel tender, honest feelings. He needed to return to Ananya. He ignored Khurana’s offer of a ride back in the police jeep, ran to the main road and hailed a taxi.
—
“Ananya. Beta thoda paani aur la de,” Kabir heard Mrs. Kashyap’s voice on entering.
“Haan?” Ananya sounded startled. She had not been listening to the conversation going on in the room.
“Paani, Ananya. Jug mein paani khatam ho gaya hai.”
“Main la deta hoon,” Armaan said, but Ananya stopped him.
“Nahin. Main jaati hoon.”
But she forgot all about it as soon as she got up and spotted Kabir at the door. She ran to him. “Kitni der laga di aapne? Aap theek to hain? Dard to nahin ho raha phir se? Aapko pain-killers lete rahna hai–”
“Ananya!”
He regarded her. She was still in the saree and the makeup, although she looked nothing like the radiant princess he had seen stepping out of the mall. She was dishevelled and appeared shrunken.
“Main theek hoon. Really. Dekho. Aur ab chinta ki koi zaroorat nahin. Shreya custody mein hai.”
“Kaise?” Rajvir asked.
Kabir held Ananya’s hand walked where all of them were sitting.
“Use pata nahin tha ki mere saath police thi, chhipi hui. Aur usne confess kar diya ki usne hi acid phenka tha.”
“Ananya par?” Mrs. Kashyap asked.
“Plan wahi tha uska.”
“Lekin kitne din custody mein rahegi woh?” Ronnie asked.
“Abhi mujhe nahin pata. Lekin ab hamare paas proof hai aur hum use Ananya se door rakh sakte hain. Ab please hum sab dinner karein? Mujhe bahut bhookh lagi hai.”
“Haan. Zaroor. Tum baitho,” Mrs. Kashyap stood up, “Paani – are – Armaan tu hi paani le aa Kabir ke liye. Main bas paranthe senk deti hoon garam-garam. Phir hum dinner karte hain.”
“Main aapki help kar deti hoon,” Sandhya offered, but Mrs. Kashyap didn’t let her.
“Bilkul nahin. Pahli baar aap ghar aayi hain. Aur kaam hi kitna hai? Baaki ka khaana to taiyaar hi hai. Aap please baithiye.”
“Jiju, paani,” Armaan handed him a glass of cold water.
“Thank you, Armaan. Ananya, tablet bhi de do, please. Dard wakai wapas shuru ho raha hai.”
“Ji.”
—
“Aap sab log itne morose se kyon baithe hain,” Kabir said as they started eating, “Ananya, tum? Itna kharcha kar ke aayi ho parlour mein. Lekin aisi shakal par kaun sa makeup aur kaun si saaree achchhi lagegi, haan? Tumhein aise dekh kar to kissi ko bhi lagega ki woh tumhari shaadi ki nahin, kurbaani dene ki baat karne baithe hain. Isliye aap log is baare mein koi baat nahin kar rahe, right Dada? Ma?”
Everyone laughed and the atmosphere relaxed. To his relief even Sandhya joined the conversation in the right spirit. “Hum log poore time itne tense baithe rahe ki maine tumhein complement bhi nahin kiya, Ananya. Bahut achchi lag rahi ho tum.”
“Thank you, Bhabhi,” Ananya smiled and blushed, but Kabir felt that it wasn’t the unhesistant, genuine smile that reached her eyes and that made his heart flutter.
“To kab shaadi karna chahte ho tum log?” Rajvir asked.
Kabri only smiled in reply and Armaan answered for him, “Jaldi se jaldi. Hain na, Jiju?”
“Taiyaariyon mein thoda to time lagega,” Mrs. Kashyap said.
“Aur kya. Dhoom-dhaam se shaadi honi chahiye Ananya ki,” Richa added.
“Aapko aur Ananya ko jitni taiyaar chahiye,” Kabir said, looking first at Mrs. Kashyap, then at Ananya, “Utna hi kaafi hai. Mujhe koi taiyaariyan nahin chahiye, Ma. Main to court mein ya mandir mein bhi shaadi karne ko taiyaar hoon.”
“Muhurt to agle mahine kai hain,” Sandhya said, “Maine pata karwaya tha.”
“Theek hai. Ek mahine ka time rakh kar koi bhi date fix kar lete hain. Main kissi pandit se yahan baat kar loongi,” Mrs. Kashyap decided.
After they had finished dinner, Sandhya gifted a pair of gold earrings to Ananya.
“Iski kya zaroorat thi, Bhabhi?”
“Shagun ke hain, Ananya. Zaroorat nahin, shauk hota hai,” Rajvir said, “Hum apna shauk poora kar rahe hain.”
Mrs. Kashyap also had gifts for Kabir’s brother and sister-in-law. And after the usual drama of refusal, all the gifts were gracefully accepted by everyone.
Richa offered to drive Kabir and his family to his house, “Aap car chala nahin payenge shayad, Sir. Agar zaroorat ho to main drive kar sakti hoon.”
“Nahin Richa. Dard control mein hai. Aur koi dikkat nahin hai. Main drive kar loonga. Thanks for the offer, though.”
After Ronnie and Richa left, Kabir asked, “Dada, Bhabhi, ghar chalein?”
“Nahin Kabir. Mujhe subah office jaana hai. Tu hamein bas bus stop tak chhod de. Hum wapas jayenge.”
“Itni raat mein?”
“Buses bahut der tak chalti hain, Kabir. Mushkil se dedh ghante ka safar hai. Tu chinta mat kar.”
“Ab aapki zid hai to chahliye.” He saw Ananya looking at him with pleading, expectant eyes. “Ma,” he addressed Mrs. Kashyap, “Main abhi wapas yahin aaunga. Aap log sone to nahin ja rahe?”
“Nahin, Kabir.”
He saw Ananya relax, nodded at her almost imperceptibly and then went out.
—
To be continued