Chapter Forty Three
It was very rare for it to happen in both eyes, but not impossible.
The signs of improvement
were Dutta's black shady vision had improved and become a more blurry one,
roughly being able to outline figures, and flashes of colour, he'd been told that
by the end of the day his vision should have cleared up as the blood clot had
broken through due to the symptoms described. At most it would be tomorrow the
Doctor reassured, before leaving.
Seema saw the Doctor out, and returned to Dutta who refused to stand in the
same room as her.
Given the chance Seema
tried to apologise to Dutta and she'd claimed that she had lost control over
her senses yesterday and had felt ashamed for what she did.
Dutta hadn't believe a word she said, but told her if she wanted to help him,
she could start by calling the Doctor home, and arranging for him to leave Ram
Nagar, which was the name of the place she'd given him. And also told her to
stay away from him during the short time he was there for.
Theek hai Dutta agar tum yehi chahte ho, to theek hai... she said turning to
leave, ..waise tumhara phone charge hogaya hai Dutta, she informed as she left.
Dutta knew he told Naku he would call back, but for some reason he thought that
when he'd uttered those words to her, he would have his eyesight back, and
would allow her to tell the family members of his well-being, but it was of no
use. His sight hadn't returned and although he knew his family members would be
happy when they would find out he was alive, but there joy would be wasted once
they learnt that he couldn't see. So it seemed that this news would have to
stay under wrap for a little while longer.
Naku had changed a lot since the night before, she seemed more liberated and
free from pain. She had actually got up and paid a little attention to herself.
Baji was pleased to see this change in her but could sense that she knew
something he didn't, Naku tu achanak aise kaise... he started hesitating with
his words.
Baji tu jaanta hai na ke jab Saab wapas aayenge to mujhe kal jaisi haalat main
paa kar unhe bohut dukh lage ga... she smiled with satisfaction.
He knew that this false hope had still set her free at the slightest, and
didn't think to break her confidence just yet. He had called Gaurav and told
him of the situation and explained to him that Naku was recovering for the
best, and to tell Babi that the search for Bhau was still on, he knew this was
a lie, but for the time being it would get everyone through this tough time.
That night Naku had disconnected all the wires of the extra phones in the
house, not wanting to take the risk of anyone coming to know of Saab. If he had
told her precisely that he hadn't wanted anyone to know that he was alive,
there must've been a solid reason as to why he wanted to keep this information
suppressed. She headed towards Dutta's room and kept only the wire in his room
intact, and she waited patiently for his phone call once again. Her heart was
pacing ahead of itself, watching only the phone the whole time begging for it
to ring with anxiety desperately.
(Please click her for some LTL background music -
only for this short paragraph, short but sweet, and I just had to add it somewhere😳)
Dutta was lost in Naku's soft voice that replayed itself over and over in his
head from the phone call just yesterday, he could feel his stomach churning
with excitement, knowing that when he'll return to Naku there would be nothing
in his way to stop him from consummating his marriage. Just thinking about
locking Naku in his arms brought a steady smile to his face, almost making him
shy away from himself. He couldn't see much, but pleasantly everything seemed
to look a lot clearer to him, the wind running through his hair felt like a
message sent to him, telling that his Nakusha was too thinking of him, but yet
he could sense her impatience even through this distance. He too was eager to
call Naku back, but he'd wanted to take a moment to let all the memories he'd
neglected this whole time sink into him properly, before he went ahead and
created more.
Finally the moment she waited for was here, the phone was ringing and everyone
in the house was fast asleep. She had closed the doors beforehand, just to make
sure that nothing or no one disturbed her, with only the sound of the warm wind
gently whistling through the trees coming in through the windows, and the
moonlight spreading its light brightly over the floor and the Crickets singing
in the silence, distantly.
Saab... she breathed out answering the phone and clutching onto it with both
hands as she sat coiled on the floor with her back against Dutta's bed.
Naku...kaisi hai tu... he asked at once.
Achi hoon Saab...aap kaise ho... she replied and questioned back formally.
Tere bager jaise mujhe hona chahiye, bilkul waise Naku, adhoora aur khali.
Nahin Saab, aap hi ne to kaha tha ke main hamesha aapke saath hoon, aur aap
mere saath, to phir aaj aap aise kyun bol rahe ho Saab?
He knew he didn't have an answer to her query, and instead responded with a
deep vivid breath down the phone. Chaand ko dekh rahi thi... he spoke again,
changing the subject and knowing that Naku often stared at the moonlight whilst
sitting alone, although he couldn't see it very well, he could see the silver
blurry blob in the sky, and envied it for the fact that maybe it could also see
his Naku regardless of it being so far away from her.
Haan Saab, pann uss Chaand ko kya dekhna, meri ankhein to sirf apne Chaand ko
dhoond rahi hai jaane kab se.
Dutta smiled at Naku's reply, she never failed to make him feel like he was the
only man in the world for her, ...Chaand ko bura lag jayega Naku, ke tune uski
jaga mujhe dedi...
Saab... Naku interrupted, ...Chaand se kya darna, main tho apne Bappa se pehle
aap ki pooja karti hai Saab.
Acha, aur agar tera Bappa mujhe pooche ga ke tune meri Naku ko mujhse churaliya
to phir main kya jawab dega?
Aap bhool gaye Saab ke aap Bappa se mere liye ek ashirwaad ho, to bhala Bappa
aapse aisa kyun poochenge, Ayi bolti hai ke agar koi kisi ko kuch deta hai to
woh usse kabhi wapas nahin leta, she answered smartly.
She always had the answers to everything thought Dutta shaking his head and
throwing a half-hearted smile, ...bohut dino ke baad teri Ayi ne kuch bola,
teased Dutta.
Naku understanding Dutta's sarcasm a little late bit her bottom lip to stop
herself from stuttering and looked down to grab something to twiddle her
fingers in, so she wouldn't be forced to say something out of the norm and make
a fool of herself.
Tu chup kyun hai... asked Dutta teasing her further, abhi to tu bohut bara
baashan de rahi thi, ab kya huwa? Tera dil bhar gaya?
Nahin! She answered in a rush, ..woh main bas, er, aapki khidki band kar rahi
thi, she said making up a quick excuse.
Meri khidki...tu mere kamre mein hai? Surprised and puzzled at this revelation,
he couldn't stop his voice from holding astonishment in it.
Hearing Dutta's tone, Naku was in dilemma as to what she should say, as she weren't
expecting this reaction from him, maybe he was angry. Woh Saab jab se aap la
pata te tab se mera dil kahi aur nahin lag raha tha, aur isiliye main yahan aap
ke kamre main aagaye, apna mann beh lane keliye, aap ki choti choti yaadon
se... she admitted slowly and nervously.
To jab main tere paas tha, tab tujhe alag kamre main rakha gaya, aur ab jab
main itni door hoon, tho tu mere kamre mei reh rahi hai, ajeeb hai...
Lekin Saab humara shaadi se pehle ek kamre mein rehna theek nahin tha isiliye
humare baro ne kuch na kuch soch ke yeh faisla liya hoga na...matlab humari
bhalay keliye.
Kya khaak bhalaye hai isme, arre maine tujhe mann se apni Patni maana hai, agar
humare bare beech mein nahin aate to ab tak main baap bi ban gaya hota! He said
agitating and not realising when he had gotten so annoyed by this small fact.
Saab! Naku gasped in shock, ...yeh aap kaisi baatein kar rahe hai?! Agar kisi
ne sun liya to?!
To...main kisi paraye ladki se baat to nahin kar raha, apni Patni se baat kar
raha hoon, aur isme galat kya hai, theek to bol raha hoon main!
Aisi baatein aapko shobha nahin deti Saab, chodiye yeh sab... Naku fought back
exploding with heat coming from her neck and cheeks.
Aaj to tu taal rahi hai Naku lekin iss waqt to sirf baat hi chal rahi hai, ab
to kuch hi samay ki baat hai jab yeh sab haqeeqat mein badal jayega, he carried
on not letting her move away from the facts.
Ma...ma...m...main phone kaat degi Saab... threatened a sulky Naku weakly,
not knowing what else to do, his words were taking the life out of her, and she
knew for a fact that he was aware of the effect he was having on her, but
continued to enjoy the one sided conversation at her cost.
Her stuttering was cute, these were the moments that could make Dutta live his
life in a blink of an eye. Naku hated talking about romantic things, well not
the soft type romance, sort of like the pichla janam type romance, that was her
comfort zone, and anything beyond that seemed like a curse to her. But Dutta
wasn't only looking for mental romance, although it did rev him up, but he
preferred to make love the normal typical human way, longing for her touch.
Theek hai, to kaat do phone, mujhe kya, main dobara phone nahin karunga...
Dutta threatened casually, fully aware that Naku would never cut the phone on
him, and then waited in silence.
Naku's face grew with worry, wondering if Saab had meant that literally, and
she begun chewing the inside of her mouth until she bit her skin off.
Dutta knew Naku could never do that to him even if she had wanted to, which he
was sure she didn't, ...to ab tum ek roothi biwi ki tarah chup bethi raho gi,
not hearing an answer on the other side he smirked at her childish behaviour.
Aye Naku... he started with a seriousness in his voice this time, ...main tere
se aur door nahin reh sakta, har waqt meri ankhein sirf tujhi ko dhoond ti hai,
tune kahan tha na ke jab main tujhe bulaunga tu tab ayegi...to dekh Naku tera
Dutta tujhe kabse pukar raha hai, aur tu waha chup bethi hai...
Nahin Saab...sach baat to yeh hai ke aap mujhse pyar hi nahin karte... she
finally spoke with her teary voice, ...kitna tarpaya aap ne mujhe aap ki ek
baar awaaz sunne keliye, ab to mere ansoon bhi soonkh gaye hai aap ki raa
dekhte dekhte Saab, kab aoge aap Saab? Kab? She said allowing her tears to roll
down freely for the first time in ages.
Bohut jald Naku, bohut jald aounga... he whispered slowly, ...main tujhse bohut
pyar karta hoon Naku, he added quickly never wanting to leave a moment where he
could say that to her.
Main jaanti hai Saab... she said in relief, main bhi aapse bohut pyar karti
hain.
I won't tolerate your sickening behaviour any longer... threatened Ayi Sahib, I
will call the police and have you arrested for my Son's brutal murder!
Kala had tried to knock sense into her Mother, but with no luck, all she could
see was her Son. Along with Ayi Sahib everyone had come to know of Kala's evil
ways with the help of Sudarshan.
However things had gone
from bad to worse, when Baji had ordered the guards to take Kala captive, and everyone
refused point blank. Followed by Kala's mental laughter, briefing everyone that
she had been controlling the reigns since quite some time now, and that the
guards loyalties never laid with 'Dutta Bhau' but to Kalavathi. With one new
revelation after the next taking place, the family was disgusted at how Kala's
hatred had been nurtured amongst their loving household. She even told that the funds from Dutta's
accounts had already been transferred into her own accounts, and that if Dutta
hadn't died, it wouldn't have made any difference to her, as she had a foolproof
plan in place for Dutta to spend the rest of his life behind bars for money
laundering and tax evasion. One thing after the
next had begun weighing down Ayi Sahib's shoulders, the burden was far too big
to bear for her, and almost losing her consciousness, her feet became unsteady
and her mind distorted with the thought of such repulsive things.
Ayi Jagdame, Ayi Jagdambe... she prayed silently, whilst losing her balance.
Tai...yeh sab theek nahin kar rahi aap.. retorted Leela.
I don't need you to tell me what's right and what's wrong, I never wanted
things to be this way, but you all have become so blinded in Dutta's false
love, that you're shamelessly willing to go against me your own sister, who
brought you through all those dark times in our lives... she defended, ...but
if this is what you've chosen, than fine, I will put a stone on my heart and
hold you back from taking action against me. I've loved my Mother very much,
and I thought she did too, but today she's made her choice, and this means I
must make mine too.
Guards! Lock them all in
the room upstairs, and make sure no one escapes, anyone who objects to my
actions will face the same consequences. This is Kalavathi's reign where
everyone will yield before my power and obey by my rules, and anyone who fails
to do so shall meet their death.
Naku was calm in her room after her conversation with Dutta, but felt on edge,
for no reasons necessary.
It had soon become clear
what her subconscious mind had been telling her when the guards had broken down
Dutta's room door, and literally dragged her out. She was taken by a nasty
surprise, and was clueless as to what was going on. Things had moved too fast
for her to say or do anything, but whatever it was, it was definitely bad.
Kaale was also amongst the few guards that dragged Nakusha from the room, who
was unable to avoid Naku's questioning look which was being filled with the
doubt of betrayal. What's happening? She questioned once she managed to grab a
chance.
Tum sab jao yahan se, ek ladki to thikane laane keliye tum sab ki zaroorat
nahin hai... Kaale ordered.
The rest of the three
guards quickly left, as Kaale continued to apply force with Naku and pushing
her into the same room as everyone else and quickly added, ...Vahini, mujhe
shama kardeejiye, par iss waqt mera Kala Tai ke hukam ko maana bohut zaroori
hai, main aap logon ko jald hi yahan se bahar nikalunga, he promised and handed
Baji a loaded gun on the sly.
Kaale, saari khabar mujhe dete rehna, aur haan Kishore Da ko bhi bata dena ke
Zurich waale accounts ke documents sambhal ke rakhna, theek hai, Baji ordered.
Baji you could easily get out, so why aren't you fighting back, questioned
Madhu looking puzzled.
No Madhu I can't leave yet, I need to know what Kala is planning on doing, only
then I can take some kind of action, and besides we don't know how many of our
men are actually loyal to Bhau just yet, apart from Kaale, and I can't afford
to leave all you ladies and Ayi Sahib alone... he explained.
Baji, Ayi Sahib, Saab zinda hai!
Naku bohut sun liya hum sab ne, ab bas bhi karo! Shouted Ayi Sahib with her
shaky voice.
Nahin Ayi Sahib main sach bol rahi hai, Saab zinda hai, maine Saab se kal hi
baat ki... when no one reacted to her words she continued to convince, ...aaj
bhi maine...bas abhi abhi maine Saab se baat ki Ayi Sahib, lekin Saab ne khud
mujhe mana kar diya kisi ko kuch kehne se, par unho ne kahan tha ke woh jald hi
lot ayenge. Seeing everyone's softened faces she knew they were beginning to
believe her.
Bhau zinda hai... answered Baji teary eyed, ...main jaanta tha, using his
sleeve to wipe his tears, ...jaanta tha apun ke humara Sher aisi maut nahin mar
sakta.
Lekin Baji, humme darr hai ke agar Kala ko pata chal gaya ke Dutta zinda hai to
woh usse... she couldn't bring herself to speak the rest and avoided her words
with her pallu.
Nahin Ayi Sahib, main kuch sochta hai, eh Naku, tu itna to jaanti hogi ke Bhau
kahan pe hai? He asked trying to think strategically.
Saab ne theek theek nahin bataya Baji, unho ne sirf itna bataya ke woh kisi Ram
Nagar ke naam ki jagah pe hai, bas, she replied.
Ram Nagar, woh to Gaon Devi Mandir ke raaste se aata hai na... he asked.
Bakwas band karo! Dutta mar chuka hai.. shouted Kala.
Itne bhi yakeen se mat bolo Kala... Seema spoke with full confidence. Akhir kya
saboot hai tumhare paas? She smirked.
Seema was burning with jealousy and unable to handle the humiliation from
Dutta, she decided to ploy her own little revenge by continuing to play the
good samaritian with face value, and walk him to his death like she were doing
him a favour.
After seeing Dutta's cold nature towards herself, Seema failed to comply with
her false attitude any longer, and had decided to blackmail Kala for money
instead which remained her first love as usual.
Upon hearing the full
story, Kala had told Seema to bring Dutta to her immediately, but Seema refused
her downright and offered her a deal instead; for the obvious exchange of
money, but she knew Kala wouldn't agree to such a thing instantly and had
further threatened her that she will not only tell Dutta that his sister had
planned to kill him off, but also the Cops, alongside the location with the
burnt car as proof, which would lead them to Kala in any case.
Dutta zinda bhi hain, aur mere paas hai...woh bhi guile aur andha... she
insulted just as Kala had lashed out at her that Dutta was dead. Kala quickly
agreed, aware that Dutta wouldn't be able to witness his murderer, whilst being
blind. She told her to make her way to Patil Wadi and they will meet half way,
on the side road, where she would finish him off. No competition what so ever
thought Kala as she felt a satisfactory impulse as she would finally get what
she wanted, that was the pleasure to kill Dutta with her very own hands.
At first when Seema had
laid her terms she felt annoyed, but now things seemed like they had worked out
for the best.
Her line of clothes was entered in the Lakme Fashion week, for the week ahead
and she would get very busy, so she decided to get rid of every thorn in her
way at the soonest, but first she needed to convince Baji to join hands with
her.
Kala had come into the dark room with food, but no one accepted anything from
her hands. To some extent she had felt hurt but she was good at disguising
things best, and that was exactly what she did.
Baji... she began, ...main jaanti hoon ke tu mujhse naraaz hai, lekin dekh
maine jo bhi kiya iss ghar keliye kiya, Dutta ne tujhe kabhi bhi tujhe tera
sayi adhikaar nahin diya, par main dungi, tu mere saath haath mila le, aur
dekhna hum kaun si bulandiyon par pohanch jayenge.
Baji spat at the floor and told her to get lost as rudely as possible, being
sure to offend her.
Er Tai... said a confident voice but a shocking discovery for Kala, ...if you
like I would prefer to join hands with you, what I mean is I don't have
anything against you, in fact you made my job a whole lot easier, the very
reason I was here was to finish off my Brother. So this is much greater news
for me than is for you.
Kala looked at her suspiciously, ...Madhu tum? But you love you Brother... she
said raising her eyebrows.
No I don't actually, I hate him. I've hated him since I was a child, do you
know how it feels to be neglected because of someone that made your whole life
hell!
Madhu, yeh tu kya bol rahi hai?! Baji stood up asking, he couldn't believe it, and
Madhu had definitely not seemed like someone that could betray them at all.
I'm telling the truth Baji, I hate Bhaiya, I've always have done, the only
reason I came here was to seek revenge on him, but if Tai's done all that, than
there's no reason for me to sit here moping around with you useless lot, is
there...
Aye Madhu!!!! Baji shouted ready to slap her.
Baji! Ayi Sahib stopped, agar iske dil mein bhi Dutta keliye itni nafrat hai to
tu apne haath gande mat kar, jaane de isse, yeh dono bhool gaye hai ke uparwale
ko bhi ek bara faisla lene ko baaki hai.
Naku was lost for words, so much had happened in such a short amount of time,
everything was fine just a while back, her and Saab would meet soon and have a
happily ever after, but than what changed. How did it become from being a happy
family to this?
Yes that's right Baji, I've always been like this, I'm just glad I don't have
to put up this fake pretense anymore.
Madhu, how can I be sure to trust you, you are after all that Damodar's
daughter.
So, how does that matter, you need a barrister to write up all your legal
documents, and with the profession you're bringing the capital from seems
hardly likely that you'll find one that'll be up to standards with all that
'illegal' information, so I guess it's a take or leave it situation, your
call... said Madhu already winning with her tactful skills.
You're right, I guess I can do with your help, said Kala agreeing cautiously, for now it was vital to have one person coming her way, she knew she needed Baji on her side, as the people would never accept her as a replacement for their 'beloved' Bhau. If she managed to get Baji on her side somehow then the people will slowly surrender to her, but for now Madhu seemed like a good trump card, if she proved useful then she could make use for her long-term, if not, than to hell with her.
Come Madhu, she gestured, ...anyone else? Tried Kala one last time before she left.
Shortly after the last and most shocking truth of Madhu, Ayi Sahib, Baji, Leela, Roops and Naku were in for one last attack.
Kaale had managed to creep in during the night, and informed Baji that Bhau was alive and he was in dangerous company, I wasn't sure Baji Bhau who Bhau is with, but I heard Kala Tai speaking on the phone to someone and they have set an early time to meet on the road leading towards the Gaon Devi Mandir. There Kala will make an exchange for money in return of Dutta's life, but... Kaale's voice halted deliberately.
But what... Naku and Baji asked at the same time.
I've heard that our Bhau has lost his eyesight Baji Bhau and he cannot see.
All eyes directed on Naku in question, but Naku shook her head in denial and without speaking informed that Saab said nothing of his eyesight loss whatsoever. Why didn't he tell her! That must have been the reason why he prevented her from telling the house members of him being safe, because he'd lost his sight. She felt her heart grow heavy once again with pain overshadowing everything.
That means that Bhau won't be able to defend himself! Baji feared, and acting quickly he looked to Naku and asked her where he called from.
Mujhe yakeen se pata nahin Baji...par unho kaha tha ke woh apne phone se phone kar rahe the, she tried to remember in haste.
Apne phone se, iska matlab hai ke Bhau ka phone abhi thak chalu hai, main try kar ke dekhta hai.
"The mobile phone you are calling is currently switched off. Please hang up, and try again later." Said the Operator's voice once, twice and then thrice.
Phone band aaraha hai, spoke Baji after the phone call was rejected numerous times.
Haan Saab ne phone band kar ke rakha tha... informed Naku.
Damn! Shouted Baji.
How are we going to alert Bhau... worried Roops.
Tu phikar matt kar Roop main tere Bhau ko kuch hone nahin dega, he vowed. Kaale...tu abhi jaa, aur kal suba tak tu humare liye ghar se nikal ne ka raasta nikal, aur haan hoshiar rehna ke humare saath kaun kaun hai, aur dhyan rakhna uss gadaar Madhu se... he hissed through his teeth.
Baji sab ki nazar tujh pe hogi, khaas kar ke Kala Tai ki, agar tum uska dhyan kahi aur behla sakte ho to phir main kisi doosre raaste se nikhal jaugni aur Saab tak yeh khabar pohancha dungi... suggested Naku still trying hard to make sense of things.
Naku tu jaanti hai na ke agar tujhe kuch hogaya to Bhau bardaasht nahin kar payega, aise mein agar humne tujhe bhej diya to iski kya guarantee hai ke tu Bhau ke paas sayi salaamat pohanch jayegi?
Baji agar Saab tak koi pohanch sakta hai, to woh main hoon, she said confidently.
Wasie bhi Baji, tumhare paas koi bhi gaadiya, ya phir aadmi bhi to nahin hai... Roop said keeping the facts in mind.
Main aap ke saath aayega Baji Bhau...
Nahin Kaale...tu yahan Ayi Sahib aur ladkiyon ke paas rahega, humara ek wafadar yahan bhi hona zaroori hai...warna Kala Tai ka koi bharosa nahin hai.. he stressed looking at Ayi Sahib's swollen eyes with regret.
Naku... Baji tried one last time, ...tujhe pakka yakeen hai na ke tu Bhau ko waqt se pehle dhoond legi?
Haan Baji, kal main Saab se zaroor milegi, kal mujhe raasta Bappa khud dikhayenge... she said determined to reach him at any cost.
Dutta hum kal subhe hi nikhal jayenge Patil Wadi keliye... Said Seema.
Hmm.. replied Dutta not paying much attention to her words.
Today is your last night alive Dutta, to hell with you, I came back to your life hoping to make it gleam again, but you not only rejected me, but had the audacity to assault me and humiliate me, you did it to me once before, but not again. What do I care, I'll get a deserving amount for you, and the best part is that your very own sister is out to kill you, what better punishment for you than this itself. You were only kept alive for me anyway, when I met Kala that day she'd already paid me to create a barrier between you and your wife, but it was God's wish that you happen to have landed before me, which gave me the upper hand to your Witch of a sister. If you had accepted me, than I would have considered 'not' doing this, but you didn't, which means you chose your own path Dutta.
Seema jaisi ladki teri kismat na tab thi, aur nahi aaj, she boasted.
Naku kyun iss tanhai mein ek ajeeb si bechaini hai, kyun mera dil baar baar teri ghabrahat sun raha hai, meri saansein tej ho rahi hai jaise koi tujhko mujhse door karne ki koshish kar raha hai, par phir bhi mera mann kehta hai ke tu mere aur kareeb aarahi hai. Yeh kaisa itifaaq hai, meri saansein ek sandesha bhet kar rahi hai, aur mera dil teri rah dekhne keliye tam kar betha hai. Naku kahan hai tu... whispered Dutta unable to decipher his feelings but yet attempting to rob the silence with these mysterious words.
So I know right, it's okay, go ahead and say it's 'so long!'😛
Thank you very much for reading.
Tink😉
xxx