Ch7: Deal
Dutta was coming down the stairs talking to a representative of Courier Company. One of the co-passengers had found his bag and contacted him. He had then taken pains to courier it back to him at Kalatai's place. But since it had not reached him yet, Dutta was tracking the progress. Dutta-jee nahi usme, explosable kuch nahi?amma, kamal kar rahe hai aap? Bolla na..mera medical kit tha! Briefcase ke size ka! Nahi wo orpat calculator jitna bada nahi tha. Haan, handle with care material hai?.ab packaging kiss color ki hai main kaise batao..main to receive karunga na!!..jee..Rajnandgaon..abey rajgad kyun hoga? wo to Maharashtra hai..Main Chattisgar ki baat kar raha hoon.He listened intently and then screamed-Kya? Rajgad bhej diya? Wo to ulti disha mein hai?
He felt like throttling the fool on other end. The man must have gauged his anger as his voice turned placating. Dutta heard a commotion in at the main door and looked out. When he saw who it was he cut the call in middle of the other man's platitude. Dutta- kya hua? Tum ro kyun rahi ho?
He immediately kicked into action hearing her hiccupping words.
**********************************************************************************************
Nakkusha had just returned home after getting the monthly grocery. But the sight at the entrance froze her blood.
Nakkusha rushed to her father's side,"Babuji! Kya hua? Yeh?inhe..iss halat mein.."
A deep voice spoke from bedroom,"Saas lene mein takleef ho rahi thi?azma?bardh gaya tha."
Nakkusha looked at the door of the room to find him standing there wiping his hands with a towel. He came and sat beside her looking intently at the man lying on the ottoman with his mouth open breathing in deeply with eyes closed. Dutta spoke softly looking at the stone shocked features of the girl,"he is fine?maine salbutmol ka injection diya hai. thand ke dinno mein akhsar bronchospasm..amm..mera matlab hai..aa..saas lene ki takleef bardh jaati hai."
Nakkusha murmured still staring at her father- aap kaise..main..aapko kaise pata chala?
Dutta-sonu aaye thi Tai ko dundne..Tai kahi bahar gayi hui thi..aur sonu ro rahi thi..usne bataya ki tumhare papa dukan se jaldi laut aaye aur achanak passina passina hoke gir gaye..to main?chala aya.
Sonu came and hugged Nakkusha from behind and debbu who was sitting quietly in a corner buried his head between his knees. Nakkusha- sonu, kuch nai hua, babuji teek hai?Dutta ji doctor hai na..wo bol to rahe hai.
Dutta- hey, sonu! He pulled the girl to look at him. and called debbu to him. debbu got up slowly and stood in front of him looking at his feet, his cheeks stained with tear marks. Dutta-nakkusha, tumhare bhai- bahen bahut bahadur hai..really brave. Sonu ne meri har baat ko minutely follow kiya like atrained nurse..aur debbu..Man! he is fast!..maine job hi prescription pe likh ke diya yun..he snapped his finger once and poked debbu on his cheek and smiled,"Yun cycle pe leke agaya..he even remembered to check expiry date..Smart kid."
Nakkusha smiled at her siblings and slipped her hand in her father's- Ye kab tak teek ho jayenge..kya kya davai hai?
Dutta- nakkusha, actually azma ek kism ki allergy jaisi hoti hai..shayad uncle ko pahele se hi thi abhi umar ke saath bardh gai hai..yeh kai karan se bard sakta hai?khana, environment, exertion..tension..par ye koi bahut badi ya uncontrollable bimaari nahi hai. abhi bas ye thoda thak gai hai kyunki saas lene mein takleef ho to pura body exert hota hai..kuch din thodi kamzoori rahegi..phir normal ho jaynege.
Nishikant opened his eyes slowly and looked at nakkusha-nakku?he groaned. Nakkusha tightened her hold on his hand.
Dutta- nakkusha, main uncle ko baad mein phir dikha dunga..par tum bhi ek baar samajh lo. Isse inhaler kahte hai..normally, asthma patients isse apne paas rakhte hai..lekin excess azma ho to bhi ye use kar sakte hai..isse aise..
He continued instructing her on the use of inhaler which Nishikant would have to use for some time to ease his breathing. Debbu and sonu too, looked intently at him as he told them about the pump.Dutta finished his instruction and got up- Main chalta hoon. Agar phir innhe takleef ho to?main to bekaar hi baita hoon?wahan..he pointed behind him with his chin.
Nakkusha- aap ?kuch..main chai banati hoon..baithiye naa? Dutta smiled- nai, main namak pe control kar raha hoon. Nakkusha went red despite her dark color and looked down.He mock punched debbu making him grin and left with light steps.
************************************************************************************
Nakkusha climbed the stairs slowly holding on to the tea cup in her clammy hands. Finding his room empty she made her way to the terrace. She was right he was standing there near the railing with his back to her overlooking the rose patch. She bit her lips as she approached him. A gust of smoke and the now familiar smell stopped her on her tracks. Hse turned to go away when his voice stopped.
Dutta-Aye, rukh! Kahan jaa rahi hai? Nakkusha half turned while answering in halting voice- jee, wo aaj aap ghar se bina chai piye chale gaye..maine socha..wo..Didi kah rahi thi aap sone se pahele bhi chai peete hai..to.
Dutta- hmm?he muttered to himself- yahan aur kuch kahan millta hai! he then asked her in mocking voice-to chai degi nai..wapas kyun le ja rahi hai?
Nakkusha-aap pahele hi jo kuch aur pee rahe hai! She pointedly looked at his cigarette and looked away. Dutta- tujhe mere smoking se kya problem hai? Nakkusha turned back and started walking towards the door when he called out to her again.
Dutta-aye,nakku..rukh!
She stopped and looked back. He raised his hand with the burning cigarette meeting her eyes and slowly brought it down and squashed the bud without breaking the eye contact. She blinked away first. Dutta held out his hand for the tea. She walked up to him and placed the cup on his arm and turned back again. Dutta- arey rukh to!..khamkhaa rajdhani bani hui hai..jab dekho station se choot ti rehti hai! Kum se kum thank you to bol aaj ke liye. Nakkusha looked at him and turned back-Thank you. Dutta-bas! Itna hi? Nakkusha- isse jayada nahi bol sakti? Dutta frowned mid way to his sip of the tea- Kyun? Nakkusha- aapse hamesha cigarette ki baadbu aati hai..aur mera sir dukhta hai.
Dutta froze as nakkusha looked apologetically at him. Dutta handed over his half tea to her- ye pakad..aur hillana nahi yahan se..Ok?
He was gone for a few minutes. Nakkusha was wondering, what was he up to when he came back sniffing at his fingers. He smiled at her and sat on the cot laid out to dry things in the sun. Dutta- bait! Dekh ab to badbu nahi aa rahi naa?
Nakkusha was instantly aware of the citrusy smell that she was now beginning to associate with him. she couldn't help but smile as she handed over the cup. He nodded at the place beside him. She tentatively sat there. It was a precarious position because his weight had dipped the ropes of the cot in the middle and she felt herself sliding towards the dip.
Dutta took a sip of the tea and said- tu bekaar itna kheejti hai?tujhe pata hai..smoking is far safer than crossing a road.
Nakkusha- shayad sahi bol rahe hai?par har baar rasta cross karne se meri zindagi ke saare saats minute kum nahi ho jaatey..usse hotey hai. Dutta- accha, aur ye stats kahan se milla? Nakkusha- newspaper mein. Dutta swallowed his smile- aisa kuch bhi nahi hai..a smoker has every chance to live as long as a non-smoker. Nakkusha snorted- to kya wo packet pe nakshakari ke liye likha hota hai 'Smoking is injurious to health'?
Dutta- haan, hota to hai..par phir cigarette making companies ban kyun nahi hoti bata? Haan, public mein smoking is banned but agar koi private mein piye to? Nakkusha looked at him quietly tongue-tied. Dutta- main bataon..kyunki inn companies se government ko heavy tax millta hai?so agar main ek cigarette kharidta hoon toh I am actually helping government with taxes..see,, good citizen. Dutta grinned mischeiveously. Nakkusha couldn't help but smile at his impossibly silly comment. Nakkusha- aap jo brand peetey hai wo videshi hai?.aap ke wajha se desh ka paisa firangiyo ko jaata hai..see silly citizen. Nakkusha gave him a 'got you' smile and continued ramming in her victory- agar bharat ki madat karni hai..smoke karke toh Murgachaap birdi kyun nahi peete?
Dutta coked on his tea and controlling himself from coughing he said- Murga?kya? Nakkusha-Murga chaap birdi. Indian company hai. Dutta gave a full throttled laugh throwing his head up looking at the sky. He laughed till he had tears in his eyes and there was a stitch in is his stomach. Still smiling broadly at her he said," ye to bata tujhe kaise pata ki mera brand videshi hai tera murga chaap jaisa desi nahi? err?by the way, tujhe ye naam pata kaise chala murga chaap?
Nakkusha- wo kya hai na? main aapke jaise samne likha hui baatein andekha kar doon aise nahi hoon. Paper mein anti-smoking article bhi aata hai aur cigarette ka ad bhi. She pointed at a holding faraway on the main road. Dutta could see the ad of a packet of birdi. The pack was pink with a picture of a cock on one foot looking ready for a loud "Cockadoodledoo" with the name emblazoned on it.
Dutta burst out laughing almost toppling on the cot. She joined him with a smile which grew into full bodied laughter as well.
**********************************************************************************************
That broke the ice and heralded cease-fire between the two enemy camps. Dutta found her a very interesting companion. In spite of not being much educated, she was very well read and abreast with world. He loved sparring with her as she always had some answers radically different then his. Her curiosity about the world outside her little town was refreshing and revitalizing for someone as jaded as him.
He would accompany her to her jaunts to city markets for vegetables and necessities. She had a unique way of haggling over the prices. She tried to save pennies which amused him. But then by the end of it she would have saved 100 or more which gave him a pause.
Her father soon recovered his spasm and resumed work in a few days. Nishikant was greatful to his neighbor's guest but had doubts about his normally shy daughter's instant friendship with him. He told her about it in passing one night. She laughed it away saying it was nothing. Nakkusha- Babuji, Dutta ji to bas kuch dinno ke mehman hai..aur wo yahan kissi ko nahi jaante na! issi liye bas! Aisi koi baat nahi hai jissi aap pareshan ho. He looked in her eyes and saw that she really was speaking the truth. He trusted her but he knew in her age for a girl like nakkusha, the exclusive attention that a man like Dutta gave her could easily give rise to hopes that were unattainable. He had talked to Kishore and Kalawati ji. She had wanted to explain her refusal to him, which he understood and accepted all too well. But the turn of the events and Dutta and nakkusha's growing friendship was giving him an uneasy feeling. The boy was good, too good in fact but he was not for his daughter and anything else will giving her hopes for the same would crush her. And he dreaded breaking her the spirit that was tentatively growing in her after her mother's passing away for the first time.
Nakkusha laying on the cot on her stomach with her legs swinging in the air kicking the air. Her plait was hanging by the edge of the cot swinging with her head movements. Her payal were tinkling with each movement of her feet. Dutta was lying at the floor of the terrace near the foot of the cot on his back with his hands cupped under his head. He gazed at the stars. Nakkusha was scribbling a picture on the floor with a piece of chalk. Dutta- mujhe hamesha se tare dekhna bahut passand hai. Mumbai mein ye nazar hi nahi aate. Nakkusha stopped her squiggle and turned to lie on her back like him to look at them,"Kyun? Wahan asmaan nahi hai kya?" Dutta couldn't help but smile- asmaan to hai par zameen ki tarah asmaan bhi baata hua hai. Dhuwaye mein, skylines mein, pollution mein, flights mein! Aur agar kahin nazar bhi aata hai asmaan to apne paas time nahi hota. He remembered the last time he was standing on his condo's terrace with leelatai gazing at the sky. How troubled and lost he had felt then! How different he felt now!
Nakkusha-Kalatai kah rahi thi aapke ghar se samandar dikhta hai? Worli mein hai na..jahan naya sea-link bana hai? kaisa hai wo..uccha hai?bada hai..sundar hai?bolo na!
Dutta smiled- busy hai! traffic aur bheed mein khoya hua hai?jaise koi naya khelona mill jata hai na bacchey ko..filhaal Mumbai ka naya khillona hai?
Nakkusha frowned-agar samundar aur uski naazdeki ka maaza nahi le saktey to wahan ghar kyun liya? Mujhe agar maukka millta to main to samundar ko dekhti rahti..suraj ko lahron ko chutey huye, lahron ka rang badaltey huye dekhti?bheed o na ho..us sea-link pe roj jaati aur asmaan ki uchayi naapne ki koshish karti?raat ke santate mein samundar ki gupchupp karti baatein sunti?
Dutta- worli is a good real estate..an investment. Is liye liya tha?seaview was another USB. Nakkusha made a face- doctor saab, aap bahut beswaad hai?sachmuch karele ki tarah..par phir sochti hoon..karela bhi kum se kum karwa hota hai..aap to use bhi gaye gujre hai!
Dutta-tune samandar dekha hai? Nakkusha-Umhu..nahi. par picturon mein dekha hai..bahut sari filmein samadar ke paas shoot hoti hai, hai na? accha Kabhi Hritik ko dekha hai aapne? Dutta- nahi! Tujhe wo bhi pasand hai? Nakkusha- wo bhi se kya matlab? Wo hi passand hai. Dutta-Shadi-shuda hai..do bacchey bhi hai! nakkusha laughed- to mujhe kaunsa uske sath ghar basana hai..She went silent and murmured-mujhe kisske sath ghar basana hai! She thought she was so soft with her words that no one could hear but she was wrong. He heard yet stayed silent.
"Apne mere Kanha ko mere kamre se kyun nikal diya?" She sounded grumpy. Dutta-kyunki main bhagwaan wagwaan nahi manta. Mere kamre mein bekaar ki bheed mujhe pasand nahi.
Nakkusha sat up-Bhagwaan nahi maante matlab? Kyun nahi maantey? Aise kaise nahi maante? Manna padega! Dutta looked up to see her eyes sparkling with affronted rage. He hid his grin better anger than moroseness. Dutta sat up- Nahi manta kyunki mujhe lagta hai koi bhagwaan hota hi nahi. Main doctor hoon. Science ko maine aise kai cheezon ka jawab detey dekha hai jo pahele log bhagwaan ka karishma kahte the. Har cheez ka jawab science ke paas hai..agar nahi hai to research unka jawab dhund lenge.
Nakkusha- Challo maana science ke paas kai baton ka jawab hai?par zara socho hum log jo itne saare log is duniya par hai..itne saari pedh-panchi, jaanwar sab kuch?jeevan! In sabka yahan hone ka ek karan to hoga? Dutta-evolution! Adaptaion..He shrugged. Nakkusha groaned and flopped back- Aap se behaas karna bekaar hai. Dutta grinned and playfully tugged her plait and moved over her face looking in her eyes, upside down. Dutta- tu paheli baar mujhse haar maan rahi hai? Nakkusha smiled-nahi. Jaantey hai kyun? Kyunki iss baar behaas Kanhhaji ko lekar hai..mujhe kuch karne ki jarurat hi nahi..ek din aap aapne aap haar maan logey. Dutta shook his head slowly- nahi..Nakkusha nodded-haan..aur dekhna..aapko Kanhaji bade pyaar se Aapni baat manvaenge. Dutta picked the end of her plait and tickled her mouth and nose with it irritating her. She made a annoyed sound and snatched it from his hand and looked away. Dutta held her chin and turned her back to meet his eyes- accha, ek deal kartey hai..jis din mujhe tere Kanaha pe bharosaa ho jayega, uss din main tujhe Worli sea-link par drive ke liye le jaunga..aapni saara kaam,surgery conference meetings,appointments sab kuch chodke..deal? He put up his hand in front of her upturned face. She smiled and held his hand,"Deal!"
...............to be continued
aye haye..so they're friends now😳..aw Naku's father was ill..he's got asthma..hayye Dutta was there to save him...ooh the deal😛..sab kuch chod ke..hayyyyeeeee
Reserved 😊
Oops Shilpi,
comment:
p_commentcount