As she approached him, with an unsure voice and awkwardness crawl in his skin, he questioned her.
"Is your Bhabhi going the family way? Should we get to
a doctor?" At this Geet looked up at Daadi with surprise filled eyes and
instantly wiggled a "No", just to be doubly sure her partner in crime
did not misinterpret her actions. This is what one get's for going the extra mile, Geet thought as she tapped her forehead gently, for it was really Daadima who should have fainted according to plan and not her. Daadima was a tad bit late to react and she had taken the lead on the scene to collapse instead, to stall the love struck pair.
Of course the other couple was unaware of this and Naini lowered her shy eyes and looked back that instant at Geet, who was still moving her head in all directions, complaining of dizziness.
"I don't think so, she just didn't eat this morning" she answered with hesitation. Talking to him had gotten that much more difficult, she felt.
"I think you should come back home and rest a while before you leave for the mainland" He said, shuffling his cell phone one hand to the other.
"Home?" The fear of the tormenting memories creeping inside her eyes, she went back to enquire the convenience of Geet and Daadima.
Despite the pain the place would inflict, she wanted to go back more for herself than for her ailing bhabhi. At 18 the tropical garden of the house was their paradise they had built their love nest on. She wanted to see if their names etched on the willow tree by the corner of the fake waterfall was not covered up by moss or faded down by elements of nature, more like how their love that had been reduced to nothingness. Her "Cricket"... her mind wandered towards the dark soul; her second love no-doubt.
How symbolic? She thought. This is where it had all started and her pilgrimage now to the same grounds at such times when their relationship was coming to a close was too much of a coincidence to bear. It was coming full circle, a phrase she was truly beginning to understand.
They all settled inside his car and the caravan of his wagons traced their path around the corniche to its way home. Naini was more concerned for Geet now, dreading her state to be possibly worsened by the sharp bends and curves that were placed en-route.
Feeling jittery at the moment, more due to the destination her car was gearing towards, she held out her arm to turn on the radio, when he reached out for the same. Their fingers met mid-way, making their eyes to catch the myriad of emotions that showed up on their face. She pulled back the same instant and he continued to meddle with the CD player.
"Argh!" she yelled and muttered profanities, as she heard the song that played in full blown volume, like the agony inside her was not enough.
It was Tere bin from Bas ek Pal. He turned to face her momentarily as the song began. Even as he knew, what he was getting into, he oddly let the painful melody take over their senses. He was no masochist, but some hope told him to endure this period while the melancholy music continued.
Tere bin main yun kaise jiya
Kaise jiya tere bin
Lekar yaad teri raaten meri kati -
Mujhse baaten teri karti hai chaandani
Tanha hai tujh bin raaten meri
Din mere din ke jaise nahi
Tanha badan tanha hai ruh namm meri aankhen rahe
Aaja mere ab rubaru
Jeena nahi bin tere
Tere bin main yun kaise jiya
Kaise jiya tere bin...
The obsession of the singer only mirrored him and he had driven her mad those first few years of their marriage, humming it out of harmony. Though the original scenes for the song depicted tragedy, he had always argued that it spoke volumes of the man's surrender to his lover, which he had claimed to be his state ever since he laid his eyes on her.
She didn't know if the sudden popping up of the song was a torture or a reminder of what their lives together had become. Bas ek Pal...She thought, truly had been enough to make and break everything they had shared.
To be continued...