Regaining Trust (Part 5)
“Dr. Nidhi? Aap is taraf?” Ashutosh stopped his car near the bus stop when he spotted Nidhi. It was Sunday afternoon.
“Ji. Orbit Mall ja rahi thi.”
“Great. Hum bhi wahin ja rahe hain. Rahul ko wahan games khelne hain. Aa jaiye.”
“Sure?”
“Ab main jhooth kyon bolunga? Come in.”
Nidhi did not resist further. Rahul was excited to see his Nidhi Auntie and volunteered to shift to the back seat, so that Nidhi could have the passenger seat in front.
“Nidhi Auntie. Aapko pata hai, wahan multi-player games bhi hai. Lekin Papa mere saath nahin khelte. Aap khelengi?”
“Rahul,” Ashutosh interrupted, “Dr. Nidhi ko apna kaam hai…”
“Koi baat nahin, Sir. Mujhe bas Siddhi ke liye iPad lena tha. Mujhe koi jaldbaazi nahin hai. If you don’t mind, I’d be happy to play with him.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes Sir.”
“Great then.”
—
After buying the tokens for various games, Rahul forgot all about Ashutosh and dragged Nidhi to various games. Ashutosh watched on. It was adorable how well they got along. He welcomed them back with a smile.
“Thaka diya aapne Dr. Nidhi ko?” he asked Rahul playfully.
“No Sir. Mujhe aadat hai. Aur main… enjoy karti hoon.”
“I know. Aur ye iska poora fayda uthata hai.”
“Aisa kyon kah rahe hain aap?”
“Papa. Softy!” Rahul had spotted the softy vendor and wanted one immediately.
“Here. Take the money and get it. Also get one for Dr. Nidhi.”
“No Sir. Main kya karoongi?”
“Khayengi, aur kya karengi? Go Rahul.”
“Aapke liye kaun sa flavour laun Nidhi Auntie?”
“Jo tumhein pasand ho wahi.”
“Chocolate?”
“Okay.”
“He misses having a mother,” Ashutosh said after Rahul left.
“What happened to her?”
She was surprised when Ashutosh laughed, “Nothing happened to her. Or rather love happened to her. A bit too often.”
“Excuse me?”
“We divorced when Rahul was two. She had fallen in love with someone else. And… Well… In another two years they had divorced as well. After that I did not keep track.”
“You don’t sound upset at all.”
“She was childish. I knew it all along. And I think I had found it cute at one point of time. Mujhe lagta tha ki she’d grow with time. Lekin aisa hua nahin. Mujhe gussa bhi bahut aaya jab pata chala. But then I realized that my anger was not going to change her. Maine bas usse Rahul ki custody maangi. She happily let me have it. Then we separated almost amicably.”
“Aapne sahi decision liya.”
“You think so?”
“Yes. Rahul is lucky. Kai bachche nahin hote itne lucky.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Just like that,” Nidhi replied as if she had just jerked herself out of a chain of thought. Obviously she was lying. There was something. But Ashutosh did not press. Pressurizing her never worked anyway.
“To aapko Apple store jaana hai? For the iPad?”
“Yeah.”
“Let’s go. Main bhi apne liye dekhta hoon. Mere pichhle tablet par to Rahul ne kabza kar liya.”
“Bachchon ko mana nahin kar sakte.”
“Yep. Aap bhi to Siddhi ke liye hi khareed rahi hain.”
“Ji.”
“Lijiye, Rahul bhi aa gaya. With the Softy. Kha lijiye. Phir chalte hain.”
—
“I think main baad mein loongi,” Nidhi said after checking out the models at the store.
“Kyon. Kya hua?”
“Surprise dene ka idea sahi nahin tha. Ab mujhe pata nahin ki use black chahiye hoga ya white.”
“Aapko kaun sa pasand hai.”
“Mujhe?” Nidhi laughed as if he had asked something absurd.
“Haan. Ismein hansne ki kya baat hai?”
“Mujhe kuchh bhi chalta hai.”
“Aisa kaise ho sakta hai. Aap koi itni boodhi nahin ho gayi hain ki aapki koi pasand-napasand na ho.”
“Ho hi gayi hoon. Khair. Aap le lijiye. Main Siddhi ke saath aa kar, ya usse poochh kar baad mein le loongi.”
“Actually main bhi confused hoon ki black loon ya white. Mujhe dono hi achchhe lag rahe hain. To aisa karte hain. Hum ek black aur ek white le lete hain. Siddhi ko jo pasand ho aap use woh de dijiyega. Main doosra rakh loonga. Mere liye decision bhi ho jayega. Aur aapka surprise bhi rah jayega.”
“Iski zaroorat nahin hai Sir. Aapki to pasand-napasand hai na.”
“Maine kaha na mujhe dono hi pasand aa rahe hain. Isliye to problem hai. Fortunately yahan red nahin hai. Warna main aapko bol deta ki red main kissi keemat par nahin loonga.”
“Red would have been nice actually.”
“Really? I don’t think iPad red color mein aata hai. Pasand batayi bhi aapne to non-existent.”
“Non-existent cheezon ko pasand karna achchha hai. Pata hai ki nahin hain. Trust nahin tootta. Existing cheezein trust-worthy nahin hoti… Khair. Main aapko bore kar rahi hoon.”
“Nahin. Aap mujhe intrigue kar rahi hain.”
“Agar aap sure hain ki aapko koi bhi color chalega to hum khareed kar nikalte hain yahan se.”
“Okay.”
—
“Sir. Agar aap logon ko kahin aur jaana ho to main yahan se bus ya auto le loongi.”
“Nahin. Hum wapas hi ja rahe hain.”
“Phir mujhe usi bus-stop par drop kar dijiye, jahan se pick kiya tha.”
“Main aapko ghar drop kar deta hoon.”
“Nahin,” she replied urgently, “Mujhe ghar nahin jaana hai.”
“To kahan jaana hai? Main wahin drop kar doonga.”
“Mujhe nahin pata,” she replied absent-mindedly.
Ashutosh was alarmed, “Dr. Nidhi? Kya hua hai?”
“Kuchh nahin. Aap mujhe bus-stop se pahle ek park hai wahan drop kar dijiye.”
“Siddhi kahan hai?”
“Woh apne friends ke saath gayi hai. Kissi friend ke farmhouse par party hai. Kal shaam tak aayegi.”
“Aap mere saath chaliye.”
“Nahin Sir. Main…”
“Mujhe aapse baat karni hai. Chaliye.”
—
“Nidhi Auntie! Mein aapko apni drawings dikhaun?”
“Rahul. Baad mein. Abhi Papa ko Dr. Nidhi se kuchh kaam hai.”
“Dikhane dijiye na Sir. Kitna excited hai.”
“Nahin. Abhi nahin. Rahul. Beta apne kamre mein jaiye. Auntie se boliye aapke kapde change karwa dein.”
“Aap meri drawings dekhe bina mat jaiyega Nidhi Autnie.”
“Nahin jaungi.”
Nidhi looked uncomfortable and nervous after Rahul left.
“Ghar kyon nahin jaana chahti aap? Kya baat hai?”
“Aisa kuchh nahin hai. Main bas bore ho jaati ghar par akele…”
“Aur park mein akele bahut enjoy karti? Mujhe pata hai aap normally bhi bahut khush nahin rahti hain. Lekin aaj…”
Nidhi’s mobile rang interrupting their conversation.
“Siddhi ka phone hai. I must take it, Sir.”
“Sure.”
“Hello Siddhi…. Kya… Kya hua… Oh God! Tu ghabra mat Siddhi. I will reach there right away… Kuchh nahin hoga… Don’t worry… Address bata…”
“Kya hua Dr. Nidhi?”
“Siddhi ki tabiyat kharaab ho gayi hai. Symptoms se food poisoning lag rahi hai. Woh bahut ghabra gayi hai. Mujhe abhi jaana hoga.”
“Main chalta hoon aapke saath.”
“Rahul…”
“Use maid sambhaal legi. Don’t worry…”
“Nahin. Uski drawings…”
“Come on Dr. Nidhi. Ye drawings dekhne ka time nahin hai…”
“Main use bol kar aati hoon. Warna use bura lagega. Uska kamra kahan hai?”
Ashutosh sighed and pointed towards Rahul’s room. Her sensitivity was endearing, but he wondered if she overdid it for kids.
—
To be continued