Completing the Show
Note on the OS
This is supposed to happen immediately after Maan and Geet’s consummation.
—
Maan was happy and peaceful. Geet was lying in his arms. She belonged to him in every sense of the word now. Emotionally and physically. For the world, for herself, for him. They were both staring at the ceiling, but they could feel the love, desire and peace each of them was radiating. There was no place for words or conversation in their world right now.
Maan turned towards her, wanting to kiss her once again. He could not have enough of her. How much had he desired her all these days! How much had he waited for this day to come! But he stopped when he noticed the look on her face. She wasn’t sad, but she was lost. She was not here, not with him.
“Geet,” he called her name softly.
She came out of her thoughts, smiled at him, bold and shy at the same time. She snuggled up closer to him. He reciprocated by tightening his grip around her.
“Kya soch rahi thi Geet?”
“Kuchh nahin.”
“Kuchh to tha.”
“Arre. App kyon bekaar mein zidd kar rahe hain? Sach mein kuchh nahin. Aur agar kuchh soch bhi rahi thi to aapke munh se apna naam sun kar bhool gayi.”
He thought of giving up. It couldn’t be anything significant. But suddenly a stubbornness took over him. Not any longer, she could not keep anything from him any longer. He had to know everything about her, even every single thought that crossed her mind. She was his. Was he obsessing over her? Like hell he was. But it didn’t matter. He was with Geet, his Geet and if he felt like obsessing over her, so it will be.
He turned a bit towards Geet, while still keeping his arms around her. He had a stern look in his eye, “Geet. Tum ise meri zidd bhi samajh sakti ho aur mera pagalpan bhi. In fact main hoon pagal tumhare liye. Hamare beech kissi bhi parde, kissi bhi diwar ko to main pahle bhi nahin maanta tha. Lekin ab to tum bhi hamare beech koi parda nahin rakh sakti. Main rakhne nahin doonga Geet. Samjhi tum? Ab tum kissi bhi bahane se mujhe khud se door nahin rakh sakti. Roshni mein main tumhara saya ban kar, aur andhere mein tumhare liye diya ban kar tumhare saath har pal rahunga. Tumhari har baat mujhe maaloon honi chahiye Geet. Jo bhi tum karti ho, jo bhi tum sochti ho…”
Maan’s eyes had an intensity that would have scared anyone else. But she was his Geet. She could not only tolerate his extreme passion and possessiveness, but also enjoy it. What would have threatened to destroy somebody else’s individuality, helped her define hers.
“Maan. Aap aisi baatein kyon kar rahe hain? Aapko aisa kyon lagta hai ki main hamare beech koi parda rakhna chahti hoon?”
“To phir tum mujhe bata kyon nahin rahi Geet ki tum abhi kya soch rahi thi?”
She looked worried for a second before she started smiling again. But that one second could not escape Maan’s notice.
“Koi khaas baat thi hi nahin Maan. Main bas shaadi ki sab baatein yaad kar rahi thi. Rasm-riwaz, sab log, parties…”
“Tumhein ab bhi lagta hai ki tum mujhse jhooth bol sakti ho Geet?”
Of course, she did not think so. She knew better. Why did she even try?
“Maan!” She was perplexed.
“Batao Geet. Jo bhi baat thi mujhe bata do. Jhijhakne ki koi zaroorat nahin hai.”
“Aap mujh par gussa to nahin karenge.”
“Agar gussa karne waali baat hogi to shayad gussa to aa hi jayega. Lekin tum mere gusse se kab se darne lagi?”
“Aap se door hone se dar lagta hai.”
“To phir darne ki koi zaroorat nahin hai. Tumse door hona mere wash ki baat nahin hai, chahe kuchh bhi ho jaye.”
“Maan, agar aap pahle bhi, mera matlab hai shaadi ke pahle bhi, mere kareeb aana chahte to main aapko nahin rokti.”
“Mujhe pata hai.”
“Haan, lekin aapne kabhi aisa kiya nahin. Mujhe kabhi kabhi dar lagta tha.”
“Dar?” Maan was genuinely surprised.
From here on, she uttered each and every word with lots of hesitation. Someone other than Maan might not even have been able to make out what she was saying. “Woh… Mujhe… Mujhe pata hai ye meri bewkoofi thi, lekin mujhe dar lagta tha… ki kahin… aap… mere kareeb nahin aana chahte mere… ateet ki wajah se.”
She spoke the last four words in one breath, sat up on the bed and started looking down as she was finding it hard to meet his eyes.
“Kya?” Maan was hurt and it showed on his face. But Geet was no longer looking at him. He, too, sat up.
Then he collected himself. Getting hurt would not be the correct response. He knew very well that she never distrusted him. In fact she trusted him more than one trusts even the laws of nature.
“Geet, Meri taraf dekho,” he lifted her chin.
“Maan, mujhe pata hai meri bewkoofi thi. Aapne zidd ki, is liye maine ye baat aapko bata di. Ab to in sabka koi matlab bhi nahin hai. Please aap bura mat maaniyega. Mujhse naraaz mat…”
“Chup. Bilkul chup,” he put his hands on her lips. He was pained to see tears in her eyes. Before talking anything further, he went ahead and hugged her. The hug had its desired effect on her, and she calmed down.
He broke the hug and cupped her face with his hands.
He teased her with a smile, “Geet. To tum itni bechain thi mere paas aane ki liye?”
“Nahin… Woh… Mera matlab…” Geet grew embarrassed and stuttered her meaningless response, “Main abhi aati hoon.”
She started getting down from the bed. Maan pulled her back and she fell on top of him as he fell back on the bed. He immediately trapped her in his arms and did not let her move away. She buried her head in his chest, as she was still too embarrassed to look at him and this was the bes she could do in his tight grip.
“Geet. Ab to ye explain karna zaroori hai ki main tumhare kareeb kyon nahin aaya pahle,” Maan said.
“Nahin. Aapko kuchh bhi explain karne ki zaroorat nahin hai. Ye meri bewkoofi thi. Mujhe aap par poora bharosa hai,” Geet replied, still lying on his chest.
“Aur mujhe tumhare bharose par poora bharosa hai Geet. Lekin mujhe lagta hai tumhein pata hona chahiye.”
He loosened his grip and they sat up on the bed once again. He held her hands, “Tumhein lagta hai ki main tumahre paas aane ke liye, tumhein apna banane ki liye bechain nahin tha? Geet. Agar maine sirf apne dil ki suni hoti to pata nahin kab ka tumhein apne saath apne ghar le aaya hota. Jo thodi si bhi dooriyan hamare beech thi, unhein sahna mere liye bahut mushkil tha Geet. Aur mujhe pata tha ki tum mujh par atoot bharosa karti ho. Lekin main ye bhi jaanta tha Geet ki tumne zindagi mein bahut dhokhe khaye hain. Isliye main tumhare bharose ka imtihaan nahin lena chahta tha. Bas itni si baat thi Geet.”
Geet was overwhelmed once again by her man, “Mujhe to ab ashcharya bhi nahin hota aapke munh se aisi baatein sun kar. Mujhe to pahle hi pata hona chahiye tha ki aap jo bhi karte hain, mere liye karte hain; jab bhi sochte hain, mere baare mein sochte hain; jo bhi chahte hain, bas mere liye chahte hain.”
“Haan Geet. Kyonki jo bhi tumhara hota hai, woh mera bhi to ho jaata hai na. Khushi, gham, hansi, aansoo, sab kuchh.”
They hugged once again.
“Lekin ab jab mujhe ye pata chal gaya hai ki tum kitna ulta-seedha soch rahi thi to mera tum par se bharosa uth gaya hai,” Maan was playful, but Geet got worried.
She broke the hug, “Bharosa uth gaya?”
“Haan. Mujhe pahle lagta tha ki tumhara shareer hi gidta-padta rahta hai. To mujhe tumhein sambhalne ke liye har samay tumhare paas rahna chahiye. Lekin ab pata chal gaya hai ki tum apne dimaag ko bhi sambhaal ke nahin rakh sakti. Woh bhi idhar udhar gidta-padta rahta hai. Isliye tumhare liye kuchh strict rules banane padenge.”
“Maan!” Geet faked anger and made a cute face.
“Haan Geet. Main serious hoon. Aaj ke baad tumhare dimaag mein kuchh bhi aaye, kuchh bhi, chahe woh kitna hi ajeeb kyon na lage tumhein, tum turat mujhe bataogi. Samjhi tum.”
Geet nodded.
“Ye baat kabhi bhoolna mat. Aur yaad rakhna ki main har waqt tumahre saath hoon ab, aur koi bhi parda ya diwaar hamare beech rahne nahin doonga.”
“Ji.” Geet made the face of a kid who had been reprimanded.
“Waise Geet. Tumne ek kaam aduhra chhoda hua hai, woh bhi tumhein aaj hi khatam karna hai.”
“Kaam? Aaj?” Geet couldn’t believe that he had suddenly changed the topic to work. Only Maan could do that. She looked up hoping to get some clarification from Babaji about her unpredictable husband and boss.
“Haan.” He took out a sheet from the drawer of the side table and handed it to her.
Geet became even more confused as she saw the sheet. She had prepared a sheet with instructions on the day she had decorated his bathroom with candles and rose petals. It was an effort to break a promise he had made in his anger that he would not touch her till their wedding. She had even worn a short, red dress to seduce him into touching her. But her plan had backfired badly. It was the same sheet he handed over to her.
She looked at him in confusion and embarrassment.
“Ek show poora dekhna hai Geet.”
“Lekin ye to… woh aapki kasam… ”
“Meri kasam todne ke liye kiya tha tumne. To?”
“Lekin aapko to ye sab achcha nahin laga tha.”
“Aisa kyon laga tumhein?”
“Aap to mera mazaak bana rahe the. Aur aapne apni kasam bhi nahin todi thi.”
Oh! His lovely, innocent wife. He could not help laughing slightly at her simplicity. Geet did not know how to react to it. Seeing him laugh was a rare sight even when he was in her company. She mostly had to be content with his smile. Others did not get even that.
Then he went back to smiling again as he asked her, “To tumhein lagta hai ki maine tumhein us din isliye nahin chhua kyonki main apni kasam nahin todna chahta tha aur tum achchhi nahin lag rahi thi?”
She didn’t say anything, just nodded innocently.
He pulled her closer to him and spoke in his heavy, seductive voice, “Geet. Phir to tumhari ek aur galatfahmi door karni hai. Us din tum itni achchhi lag rahi thi ki main pagal ho gaya tha. Agar maine tab tumhein chhua hota to main saari seemayen paar kar jaata. Par ab… Chalo, bathroom mein jao. Tumhein saari taiyaari dubara jo karni hai.”
Geet was blushing heavily as she heard him. Then got down from the bed to go to the bathroom. She had to awkwardly put a sheet around her as she realized that she was mostly naked.
The bathroom was already prepared the way she had done the last time. She only had to light the candles. Her red dress was hanging there for her to change in to. She went through the instructions on the sheet. She sprinkled some water on her face and hair and blushed again.
She was sitting on the edge of the bath-tub when Maan entered. He had changed in to the same set of clothes he was wearing then. Geet’s heartbeat increased with excitement as well as apprehension at what was to come next.
Maan slowly walked up to her, made her stand up and said, “Tum mere bathroom mein kya kar rahi ho?”
Geet looked at him not knowing what to say.
“Aaj main tumse ye nahin poochhoonga.” Maan added.
Geet shivered looking at the naughty smile on his lips.