BEZUBA, PART 16

~BEZUBA~

~PART 16~

 

Bas. Maan showed her a hand and Geet jumped back as if electrified. Mai lad kar aaya apni maa se wo kafi nai hai tumhare lie? Akhir aur kya chahti ho tum. Mai jaan gaya tum koshish kar rai ho par agar maa tumhe apni bahu nai maanti toh isme mai kya karu. Mai unhe force toh nahi kar sakta. Geet shook her head. He was taking her words wrongly. She didn’t mean what he was thinking. She wasn’t complaining. Mai thak gaya hu. Waha maa se aur yaha tumse. Well, I have news for you. Mere paas aur bhi important kaam hai so get lost.

Geet kept a hand over her mouth to muffles the silent sobs n rushed out. Maan punched the mirror; blood trickled down his hand dripping on the floor. It would leave mark on the carpet, Maan thought with a hysterical laugh. Some stains could never be cleaned.

 

 

 

 

 

This was going to be another sleepless night. Maan lamented making his way back into the bedroom after taking bath. His migraine had amplified. This was why he didn’t want to come home. Every second here was a torture. He could handle dozen of projects and clients; could bear any amount of workload n still smile in the BOD meeting but he couldn’t take this emotional trauma. Funny, by now he should have gotten used to it. But it was the opposite; he couldn’t just keep up anymore because he was living this damned life for too long. No one was to be blamed though except for he himself. His gaze fell on the paper lying on the table. Pathetically, his heart missed a beat. He had locked the door so Geet must have kept it before he made her run out of his bedroom. But she didn’t know he had come back from the trip. For some reason his hand shook as he unfolded her words.

 

Maan, mai apko phir se pareshan kar rai hu. Par yeh baat zaroori hai. Abhi tak mujhe iska ehsaas nahi hua tha par aaj hua hai toh mai isse bahar nikalna chahti hu. Mujhe lagta tha ke aapko pata hai par ho sakta hai mai galat hu. Agar maine aapko nahi bataya toh yeh baat andar hi andar mujhe kha jayegi aur apse chupana apke saath dhoka hoga. Mujhe pata hai ke aap ek acche insaan hai aur issi lie apne meri madad ki. Issilie mai apse yeh baat kabhi chupa nai sakti. Apka jo faisla hoga mujhe manzoor hai bas mai apko batana chahti hu ke mai saaf nahi hu, Maan. 4 saal pehle-

 

He folded the paper back hurriedly, more of crushed it, throwing it as far away as he could. The thing burned his hand and the sting swallowed him. His skin had turned blue n the migraine pulsated in his head like a beast. His palms tightened over his knees, fingers digging into the rotten skin. Tears collected and eventually spilled. Only living wasn’t his punishment as he had thought earlier. It was much worse. Much. More. Worse.

 

 

Next morning, Geet found a note under her pillow, sticking out just a bit for her to notice. Confused, Geet opened it n recognized the hand writing instantly.

 

Mujhe pehle se pata tha.

 

She read it again n again. A mountain shifted off her head. The five words meant so much. It meant that he wasn’t disgusted by her otherwise he wouldn’t have married her. It meant that she wasn’t betraying him. And, most of all, it meant that they might have a future, together. She held the paper to her chest. That she had been worried seemed stupid now. Didn’t she always know that she could trust him? He was not like everyone else. Her husband was different. He didn’t work by the shallow principles of the society. He lived on his own terms and more than everything else he understood that it wasn’t her choice or fault.

 

Surely, he had his own reasons and resistances and he wasn’t exactly a easy person either. That much she had learned but then she wasn’t a perfect bride everyone dreamed of.

 

Geet decided that she would wait and give him as much time and space as he wanted. She wouldn’t crowd him and would just stand by him in everything, like he had been with her. She would become his strength and never his weakness. With the thought-forgetting all about his anger and harshness-she hurried to his room but it was deserted.

 

Wo Bangalore gaye hai shayad 4-5 din ke lie. A servant answered when Geet asked. She made a face but the news didn’t faze her, her whole life was laid ahead, there was no shortage of time.

 

 

 

After days when Maan returned she went to him. Her eyes craved to see him n ears to hear his voice, even if he scolded her she wouldn’t mind. *Aap gussa bhi unhi pe karte hai jinhe aap apna maante hai, haina babaji?*

 

Mai tumhe hi bulwane wala tha. Maan told hearing the sound of her anklets. Geet drank him in through lowered lashes. He was wearing polo shirt n trousers n looked really handsome, his hairs were wet n she had an urge to touch them but obviously was scared of him. Baitho.

 

She settled down on the chair n cursed the table between them. Maan pushed a file before her and kept typing rapidly on the laptop.

 

*Yeh meri taraf dekhenge nai toh mai inse baat kaise karungi.* She opened the file and couldn’t believe her eyes. It had…. her boards’ mark sheets and passing certificates. She blinked, a lump forming in her throat. He looked up when she shook her hands to catch his attention. Her face had a broad grin n eyes were filled with tears. Slowly. He told because she was moving her hands so fast. Geet gulped n signed again. *Aapko yeh kaise mili, inhe toh taayi ji ne jala dia tha.*

 

I went to your school n talked to the principle. She told that it would take few days but she would get new mark sheets n certificates made. She didn’t even have to check records n remembered you clearly since you were the topper of your batch. Geet didn’t know if she saw right or not but something akin to pride shone in Maan’s eyes. I saw your name on the toppers’ board.

 

She blushed n grinned, her marks hadn’t meant a thing to her family or people of Hosiyaarpur but her father took proud in them n perhaps Maan did too. *Mai hamesha bahut intelligent thi kyuki papaji mujhe rooz badam khilate the aur kam marks aane pe daatte bhi the. Par aapko mere school ke bare me kaise pata chala, mai Hosiyaarpur me nahi rehti thi tab.*

 

Itni choti si baat pata karna Maan Singh Khurana ke lie koi mushkil kaam nai hai.

 

Geet stared at the table and nodded. She was too much overwhelmed with the emotion of gratitude and her heart thudded with something she had never felt before. It was so big n consuming. Little tingles raced up her body as she dared to look up into Maan’s eyes. They were beautiful, so soft… and wide. Oh, wide because he found her staring. She diverted her gaze immediately. She wished she could thank him in her way but things had changed since the last time so she just signed. *Thank you. Jab taayi ji ne mark sheets jalayi thi toh mujhe laga sab khatam ho gaya par aapne ek baar phir meri madad ki taki mai college jaa saku-* Maan cocked his head in confusion and she stopped.

 

College?

 

*Wo aapne meri aur Dadimaa ki baat sun li thi na?* Why else would he arrange for the mark sheets.

 

Which talks? Maine yeh humare marriage registration ke lie arrange karwaye hai, Geet. They are needed as your age n identity proof. I don’t want any legal issues arising because of your family as you are staying here. So marriage registration is important.

 

Sheer disappointment sweeped over her. She thought he brought it for her.*Geet tu kya soch rai hai. Wo lekar aaye na kya wo kafi nai.* She smiled despite herself n thanked him again. Kal hume court jana hai so be ready by 11 in morning. He got back to work n it was a signal for her to leave. At the door she looked back. Why work was so much important to him she didn’t know. It felt it was his food, sleep and air. You worked for a good life or you lived to work? Geet wondered.

 

Maan sighed n leaned back. Every conversation with her was a test of patience n wits. He had to watch out for each word and action. Being with her was like walking on eggshells. The worst thing was her being an open book, she practically wore emotions on her face and that’s why it hurt so much. Indeed, just living wasn’t his punishment.

 

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