CHAPTER – 7
At night,Palak slept with Indira.Indira wrapped her in her arms and told her a story.Palak after sometime slept.Sameer,after finishing his work,went out of his bedroom to check on Palak.He searched her in her bedroom but didn't find.He searched her in Simi's room and at last,he peeped inside Indira's room and found that Palak was sleeping comfortably cuddling inside Indira's arms.Indira too was sleeping wrapping her in her protective arms.Sameer pulled the blanket on them.He at first lightly kissed on Palak's hand and then rubbed her head.After that,his eyes fall on Indira's beautiful sleeping face.He wanted to put his hand on Indira's cheek but controlled his emotions.He returned to his bedroom and opened his wardrobe and took out his diary.No one knew in his home that everynight,he wrote diary,not even Simi.He opened it and saw Indira's photograph before marriage.He secretly clicked Indira's photo at that time and kept it inside his diary and everynight,for hours he used to stare at it.He wrote the date of today and started writing :-
"Aaj barso baad apni Laali ko itne sukoon se sote huye dekha.Aisa nehi hai ke kabhi vo sukoon se nehi soti par ma se lipat kar sone ka ehsaas kya hota hai vo shaayad muh se na bol paaye par uske chehre ki khushi mujhe bata rahi thi.Indira ne aakhirkaar pure dil se apni…hamaari beti ko apna liya hai.Jis tarah se khaate waqt dono ma-beti khel rahi thi,chehek rahi thi aisa laga jaise aaj pehli baar kisi aur Indira aur kisi aur Laali ko dekh raha hu.Peechle 5 saalo mein maine aajtak Indira ko kabhi khulkar haste huye nehi dekha.Shaadi ke baad usko dekh kar aisa lagta tha ke jaise usme kuch jaan hi nehi hai,jo bhi karti thi aisa lagta hai jaise koi machine kaam kar raha hai,par aaj pehli baar aisa laga jaise usne fir se khuli hawa mein saans lena shuru kiya.Sab samajhte hai ke 5 saal pehle maine jo kiya tha vo mujhe nehi karna chahiye tha.Mujhe Indira ke marzi ke khilaaf usse shaadi nehi karni chahiye thi.Par sirf main jaanta hu ke maine aisa kyu kiya,kaash main usko bata paata ke maine aisa apne liye nehi,uske liya kiya kyuki tab usko bachaane ka mere paas iske alaava koi aur option hi nehi tha.Main bas ab itna ummeed hi kar sakta hu ke jis tarah se usne meri Laali ko apnaaya hai ek din vo mujhe bhi apnaayegi."
After completing his writing,he looked at Indira's photo and said,"I love you Indira.Mera dil kehta hai ke ek din tum mujhe zarur apnaaogi."He kept the photo back inside his diary and put it inside his wardrobe.
As time passed by,Palak became more and more close to her mother and stayed less time with her father.Sameer at first liked it and took it casually since Palak got her mother after 4 years.She always used to do 'Mamma ye!Mamma vo!'Everytime 'Mamma!Mamma!Mamma!'as if she didn't know any other words than it.Gradually with time,Sameer started feeling as if Palak has gone far away from him.Since he had already been distanced from the whole of his family,he had only one thing left in his life and that was Palak.When Palak also started going away from him,he became restless,he really became too much lonely than before.It was then when he started staying disturbed from everyone and got irritated from everything.This sudden change in Sameer was noticed by Simi,Indira and Palak.One day,Sameer was working on his laptop and someone put a tray of coffee in front of him.He rudely said,"Mujhe coffee nehi chahiye!Le jaao isko."But no one took the coffee tray.He again yelled,"Kaha na nehi chahiye!Le-"He turned his head and found Palak standing there making a scared face since she never saw her father angry like this.He asked,"Laali beta tum lekar aayi mere liye coffee?"Palak nodded her head.Sameer put the tray on the table and made her sit on his lap.She was still staring at him.Sameer asked,"Kya hua aise kyu dekh rahi hai?"Palak asked,"Aajkal aap itna gussa kyu karte ho papa?"Sameer looked at her and replied,"Vo…vo office mein kaam hai na isliye."Palak nodded her head and said,"Nehi papa aap pehle kabhi itna gussa nehi karte the.Pehle mamma gussa karti thi to aap pyar se baat karte the,ab mamma pyar se baat karti hai to aap gussa karte hai.Main aapko hamesha sab kuch bataati hu na papa to aap bhi mujhe bolo na."Sameer assured,"Kuch nehi hua hai baby sach kehta hu."Palak replied,"To phir aap mere pehle waale papa ban jaao na jo hamesha haste rehte the."Sameer,in a complaining tone said,"Kiske liye muskuraau?Aajkal Laali ko to apne papa ke liye waqt hi nehi milta hai.Vo to aajkal sirf mamma ke saath rehti hai,isliye papa bhi to akele par gaye na.Pehle to Laali papa ke paas aakar soti thi par aajkal to vo aati hi nehi hai."Palak replied,"Ok papa,aap pehlewaale papa ban jaao,to main bhi ek din mamma aur ek din papa ke paas aakar soungi.Tab kisiko bura nehi lagega.Par na sabse achcha hota agar Ishaan (Indira's elder brother's son) bhaiya ke tarah main bhi mamma papa ke saath soti.Aap dono ek room mein so na papa mama mami ke tarah."Sameer could not answer her.He just said,"Nehi beta tum apne mamma ke saath ho so,tum to pehle soti hi thi na mere saath.Ab mamma ko bhi to meri Laali ke saath rehna hai."He hugged her and said,"Abse papa kabhi kisipar gussa nehi honge.Abse vo phir se pehle waale papa ban jaayenge."Palak smiled.Indira was watching from outside as she was the one to send Palak with the coffee.She understood the reason behind his anguish.
Next day,while Palak was going to school,Indira deliberately made her go with Sameer.She often created such situations when Palak had to go to her father.Whenever Indira used to see both of them happy with each other,her heart used to fill up with happiness,but she didn't know whether she was happy for Palak or for Sameer.One day,Palak asked a very genuine question to Indira,"Mamma aap aur papa ek dusre se baat kyu nehi karte ho?"Indira stopped what she was doing and stared at Palak.She didn't know what to give her as reply.She thought for sometime and said,"Beta vo…vo hum karte hai to baat kisne kaha hum nehi karte.Vo actually kya hai na papa bhi bohot busy rehte hai aur mamma bhi tumhe lekar busy rehti hai isiliye."Palak was convinced.Later,Simi asked,"Indira ek din na uske ye saare sawaal barte chale jaayenge,phir kya karegi?"Indira replied,"Pata nehi ma par uske liye jo thik hoga vohi karungi.Bhale hi uske liye mujhe Sameer ke saath compromise hi kyu na karna pare."Simi nodded her head.
One day,Palak forcefully brought Sameer for dinner alongwith her.Indira saw it,so in order to pretend that everything was normal between her and Sameer,she brought food for both of them.Sameer was a bit taken back with that.He gave a questioning look to Indira and she in turn tossed at Palak.Indira had made a paalak paneer for dinner.On seeing paalak,Palak made a face and said,"Chee!!Mujhe ye green green paalak nehi khaana.Ye ghaas jaisa hai."Indira said,"Bohot achchi hai ye sharir ke liye.Dekho papa bhi khaayenge."She put some on Sameer's dish and looked at him with pleading eyes.Indira raised the spoon of food towards Palak's mouth and said,"Beta kha lo.Dekho mamma ne kitne pyar se banaya hai."Palak looked at Sameer and said,"Papa bolo na mamma ko,mujhe ye nehi achcha lagta."Sameer ate his one and replied,"Laali mamma ne itne pyar se banaaya hai to kha lo na dekho maine bhi khaaya,sach mein bohot yummy hai."Palak said,"Main nehi khaaungi mamma papa.Main bilkul bhi nehi khaane waali."Indira said,"Beta paalak sehat ke liye bohot achchi hoti hai.Isey khaane se Palak bohot strong banegi bilkul apne papa ke tarah."But Palak didn't convince.Sameer hesitantly said on Palak's behalf,"Rehne do na…agar nehi khaana…to…"Indira,at that moment totally forgot her surroundings and his relation with Sameer and from inside her,both a wife and mother avatar opened up.She angrily said to Sameer,"Nehi khaana hai ka kya matlab hai?Karela bhi karva hota hai,dudh ka swad bhi achcha nehi hota par iska matlab ye nehi hai ke main usko ye sab khilaau hi na.Ek to tumne sar par chara chara kar bigaar ke rakkha hai,kuch bhi ho bas tumhaare taraf roni surat banakar dekhti hai aur tum pighal jaate ho.Aakhir tumhe kya pata hai bachcho ke liye kya achcha hota hai aur kya galat?Maana ke main 4 saalo tak usse dur thi par phir bhi main iski ma hut um nehi.Samjhe."Simi from the kitchen and Sameer stared at her without blinking.Both could not believe that the woman who never uttered a single word to Sameer since last 4 years,was talking with him in such a bossy attitude.Sameer,with a stunned tone said,"Vo main…vo…Nehi bachchi hai to…"Indira again scolded him,"Bachchi hai to kya?Mr Sameer Diwan tum apne business mein dhyaan do,ghar mein tumhaari dadagiri bilkul nehi chalegi khaaskar meri beti ke maamle mein to bilkul bhi nehi."Sameer was taken back.Palak whose head was constantly tossing from Indira to Sameer to again Indira.Palak asked,"Mamma aap mere papa ko daat kyu rahi ho?"With that,Indira realized what she had done.She immediately got up from his chair and out of embarrassment ran to her room.Palak asked,"Kya hua papa?Mamma aise chali kyu gayi?Unhone aapko data kyu?"Sameer put a spoonful of food in her mouth and said,"Koi kaam hoga na mamma ko.Abhi tum bolo kaisa tha ye?"Palak replied,"Achcha hai."Sameer said,"Ha to ab se mamma jo khaane ko degi vo kha lena aur mamma ki daat ka kabhi bura nehi maante kyuki unki daat mein pyar chupa hota hai."Sameer gave a smile of content and said to himself,"Chahe anjaane mein hi sahi par Indira ne aaj pehli baar purey haq ke saath mujhse baat to ki."His whole face glowed with happiness.
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