Sid: Main aur Riddhima bas ghar se nikal hi rahe the, hum wo
apne...honeymoon pe jaa rahe hain...
Riddhima looks at Sid aghast, she turns to stare into his
eyes, scrutinising him and his intention. Her mind is filled with a thousand
thoughts, trying to register the words flowing from Sid's mouth and ascertain
their meaning, but they remain disordered. Her first impression envisaged a
cruel Siddhant taking pleasure in informing her optimistic father of their
failed marriage over the phone, on loudspeaker, in her presence, simply to
spite her. She knew Sid was not bad at heart, yet he had already told her that,
firstly, she had changed him for the worse and, secondly, that she should not
expect him to take responsibility of the problem solver in her life....not
anymore. And she had also accepted his angst towards her in the form of an
equitable punishment.
Yet, the words he uttered now completely changed that rational
presumption. She felt incompetent, unable to think, speak, move. And then, the
thought of her father brought her back to her senses. She blinked away all the
confusion paramount in her mind and a new prospect immediately took its place.
Without hesitation, she abruptly snatches the phone out of Siddhant's hand and
cuts the call, breathing a sigh of relief as if her life depended on it.
Siddhant sits there watching her, confounded by her actions, the hint of a
frown creeping across his face. Riddhima glares at him, her expression sour, he
can hear her breathing long and slow breaths, bracing herself. She turns to get
out of the car and Siddhant catches her arm in immediate response, preventing
her from leaving.
She ignores him, her narrow eyes focused on the direction she's headed when she mutters, "Siddhant, haath choriye", he fails to acknowledge the request, she turns to look at him, her eyes like daggers piercing him, confidently she spits out, "Maine kaha haath chodiye mera!" Riddhima twists her hand out of Siddhant's tight grasp, pulls herself out of the car, slamming the door shut behind her. She walks swiftly, but it proves too slow for her and she finds herself running back towards the house.
****
Riddhima stands firmly with her arms folded, thinking,
re-thinking, back and forth. Nothing making any sense. Her head throbs, and she
sits down holding it in her shaking hands, still thinking everything over. She only
left the car a few seconds ago, but it feels as if she has been alone with her
thoughts, her theories, her justifications for hours. She awaits the
inevitable, the one person who can help her come to a sound judgement. And then
she hears footsteps amble in behind her, she urgently turns to look at
Siddhant, to rid her of the solitude that surrounds her, asking her questions
she does not understand. She wants answers and she contemplates the person who
will give them to her.
Siddhant, ever since their marriage, a fine soul, a kind human being, justified in his actions, because he is suffering too, yes, but even more so due to the difference in treatment of her parents and her. The latter had illustrated to Riddhima that Siddhant was fair, he only gave people what they deserved, and in her eyes, nothing could compare as a more superior being. She had seen him laugh with her father, embrace her mother with genuine sincerity, eventhough he had no duty towards them. This became the ultimate reason Riddhima had established Siddhant as a good man.
Yet she observed him now, perplexed, hurt, the shattered pieces of the flawless interpretation of her husband stabbing at her heart.
"Kitna asaan hai na aap ke liye kehna, ki main ek putla ban gayi hoon?" She mocks him through teary eyes, she squints, "kabhie socha hai kyun?"
"Ek taraf mujhse ye khethe hai ke aap" she struggles., "aap...papa ko sab kuch bata denge, humari is..." she looks around thinking of words,
using her hands to generate some support, "is.. naa-kamyaab shaadi ke bare mein". She stares at Siddhant, her
shoulder slumped, defeated by the idea. Her father's potential reaction to the
news flashing before her eyes, and she closes them to bury the thought but it
only seems to get stronger in her mind. She opens them quickly, "lekin phir...yeh
sab?? Kyun??..." She holds her head in frustration, her eyes closed. "Mujhe
kuch samaj mein nahi aaraha ...." But with no avail, no sudden enlightenment and
no reassurance from Siddhant. She looks at him questioningly "honeym--?" her
throat is dehydrated and she loses the word mid way, she gulps to replenish her
throat, but its of no use. She hasn't finished though, her voice croaky, "
maine sirf aapse ek cheez mangi thi, ki aap papa se baat mere samne nahi
karenge. Par aapne to mere samne unhe phone kardiya...chahte kya hain aap
mujhse? kyun kaha aapne papa se...?!" Her
tears flow from her eyes, "Siddhant, please" She folds her hands before him,
staring into his eyes with outright authenticity, " aap kuch kehna chahte hai,
mujhe kahiye, mujh pe cheekiye chilaiye, jo mann mein aata hai keejiye....par
please, papa ko is sab se door rakhiye. Unki koi galti nahi to unhe dard mat dijiye please..aisa jhoot mat
bataiye, ke sach sune par wo uska saama na kar paein...wo nahi seh payenge...please..please"
Her tears unstoppable, she slowly kneels to the ground, hiding her face in her
hands, shaking from the outburst.
Hope you liked it! Please comment/criticise! x