okay my dearies here is the next update! but please be aware this is most probably the last update before my exam fever next updates will follow only after my exams end which is most probably the 23rd of this month... i know i am sorry but kya karoon univ dont listen to me 🤢 anyways... before i give the update i want to clear something... people are blaming or at least seeing it is unfair on geet to scoff maan's caring nature because she is career oriented... well people let me remind you its not career that is provoking her to not see maan's loving nature it is her experience with men. she has seen her father ill-treat her and her mother even her own brother doesnt care for her... it has a deep impact thus it is difficult for her to see the soft and non-cunning side of men... so we need geet to break out of the bias that men are no good... n it is a process so we shall see how the process takes place 😉😊
Chapter 15: A Turn
for the Better
"Mr. Jindal, I repeat,
our conversation is only between us, agar Pavan uncle ko pata chala then you
know the consequences," Maan's authoritative voice reverberated through his
cabin. "Yes, thank you," he finished, hanging the phone and letting an audible
sigh. There, he had done it, took the first initiative towards her freedom, he
had called to discuss the details of his divorce with the lawyer, making sure
the details are not leaked to their close family lawyer, Pavan Reddy. The
lawyer had informed that as per the Hindu Marriage Act, mutual divorce needed
six months from the time of marriage for appealing before the court orders for
a year of separated living and then finally granting divorce. It had only been
few weeks since he had married Geet and as per the lawyer he was expected to
wait five more months before filing for divorce. It seemed like slow poison for
him to endure her detached attitude towards him and the marriage. Initially he
had thought and hoped she would mellow down and after the college incident he
was sure the stone in her heart would melt but the weeks of time and space he
had given her had proved against him. She seemed to be eager to prove her
indifference for him and he definitely didn't want to force her. Before he met
her, he had decided to live for his family and now he resolved that's what he
would do for the rest of the life. He decided to drown in his work to keep him
from thinking about the devoid he felt inside him.
***
"Daadima!" Anushka screamed
walking into the main doors of the Khurana mansion. "Dekhiye someone has come
to meet you," she yelled still trying to locate Daadima. "Daadi kahaan ho aap?"
she yelled having no response from the other side.
"Uff Anu abhi aayi,"
Daadima retorted walking out of the kitchen, wiping her hands. She didn't
notice the person standing next to Anushka as she had her head down and by time
she walked to the couches the person came to take blessings from her. "Arre,"
she began puzzled and then recognized him. "Pavan? Kaisa ho beta?" she asked in
her motherly tone.
"Bas teekh hoon ma," Pavan
smiled. He came to stand beside Daadima, his tall and well-built figure, towering
her small stature. He was man aged in his late fifties, wisdom clear in his
graying hair. He wore a neat white shirt tucked in his formal black pants with
a black coat hanging down his left hand and a few papers in his right hand
portraying his lawyer profession.
"Toh aapko abhi waqt
mila humse milne ke liye?" she teased.
"Ma, yeh aap kaisein
baatein kar rahi hain, of course I have all the time in the world for you," he
smiled genuinely.
"Baatein banana koi
aapse seekhein," Savitri said shaking her head and taking a seat. "Aao bhaito,"
she said gesturing to sit opposite to her.
"Haan babai (uncle)
you don't have to remind us your profession even here," Anushka added, sitting
on the hand resting area of the couch.
Pavan Kumar Reddy was
the best leading advocate in the high courts of Delhi specializing in criminal
law. People scrambled to get an appointment with him for the minute he took up
a case it was predestined to win. His fellow lawyers feared him in court for
they would run out words trying to argue with him yet he feared two women in
his life, Savitri Devi, a motherly figure to him, and his loving niece,
Anushka. His profession demanded too much of his time, thus he had always
stayed single all his life, dedicating himself to his profession and his family
that consisted of his brother's child, Anushka and the Khuranas. He had met the
Khurana family through Anushka's friendship with Arjun and Maan in high school.
Soon her friendship had led him to become one among the Khuranas.
"Teekhai Anushka
mataji," he joked, folding his arms.
Anushka stood up and
cupped her hands as though giving blessings to him.
"Pagli," Daadima
commented laughing at her antics.
"Chaai anyone?" she
called, walking into the kitchen to prepare tea for Daadima and her uncle.
"Toh Ma aap kaise ho?"
Pavan asked finally setting down his coat and papers on the table.
"Bas khush hoon. Finally Maan has
settled ab mujhe aur kuch nahi chahiye. Arjun is not hard to convince. Once
even that is done I'll finally close my eyes, happy," she said with a satisfied
smile.
"Ma aap kaise baatein
kar rahi hain, you still have to see you great-grandchildren," he reminded
alarmed at her words.
"Haan voh toh hai,
magar I am happy son, I have seen enough of the world. I think it's high time I
get permanent rest."
"Ma," he said sternly
not liking her words.
"Chalo voh sab chodo,
how have you been? The last I saw you was at Maan's wedding, there is something
called visiting which you never often do," she reminded.
"Everything is fine,
work is keeping me busy, I went to pay a visit to Gopi," he said talking of his
brother in Hyderabad.
"Yes, Anushka told
me."
"My name is being
mentioned, what's happening?" Anushka asked walking in with a tray consisting
of tea and some snacks in hand.
"Madam, you are not
the only one with the name Anushka," Pavan teased.
"Chahe kitni Anushka
ho, there can be only one Anushka Gopi Reddy," she replied haughtily. "What say
Daadima?"
"Of course beta," she
assured while Pavan rolled his eyes.
Anushka handed the
teacup and placed the snacks on the table and poured herself some tea before
settling comfortably on the couch. Daadima and Pavan happily chatted away,
filling in the details about his trip. An hour seemed to pass, Anushka was
clearly bored with the conversation and picked up a magazine from the corner
and was carelessly flipping through the pages when Maan walked in.
Maan had tirelessly
immersed himself in his latest projects hoping to forget the events of day. He
had safely tucked the sacred thread (mangalsutr) in his closet knowing Geet
wouldn't ask for it. It was the closest memory of his marriage to her and he
didn't want Daadima seeing it. More than the overburdening work, the talk with
the lawyer had drained him of energy as he walked lifelessly into the house. He
passed through the living room to be surprised by a new visitor on the couch.
The visitor's sudden visit had made him happy.
"Lawyer uncle!" Maan
greeted loudly while everyone looked up to see him come stand near Pavan,
smiling happily.
"Aao engineer beta!" Pavan
called back, referring to the little greeting they always shared.
"So how are the courts
treating you lawyer uncle?" Maan asked stressing on the last two words.
"Same way your
buildings are treating you engineer beta," Pavan replied.
"That's good news,"
Maan winked taking a seat beside Pavan before taking his blessings.
"Ab yeh donon shuru
hogayein and they will forget us chaliyen Daadima let's see how well you can
cook," Anushka said pulling Daadima out of the couch.
"Nautanki tu meri cooking
skills ko test kar rahi ho?" Daadima chided, "let me show you my cooking skills
that you'll be drooling over my food for the rest of your life."
Daadima tried to
reason Anushka and she would leave for Maan and Pavan to catch up but they only
received a nonchalant nod. Shaking their heads they headed towards the kitchen
cursing, "Men!" simultaneously.
Maan and Pavan talked
for while the ladies made their way towards the kitchen. Seeing the women
disappear Pavan got up, gesturing Maan to walk along with him. Maan knew this
signal when his lawyer uncle suggested a walk for it meant that the talk was
very private and something very important. The initial feeling of contentment
of seeing him was quickly replaced by fear that he may have come to know about
the divorce proceedings. The only person who knew about it was Mr. Jindal, the
advocate he had hired and if Pavan uncle knew the only person to be blamed
would be him. He decided to give a piece of his mind later to Mr. Jindal for
tipping Pavan uncle about the discussion he had before walking towards Pavan
uncle with a straight face.
Maan and Pavan walked
out of the mansion and out into the gardens, walking towards the outhouse.
Initially both kept walking with no words to interrupt them and Pavan decided
to say something only after a few minutes into the walk. "Maan," he began
gravely, "are you happy?"
"Ji?" Maan asked
confused at the sudden question.
"Are you happy with
the marriage?" Pavan asked point blank.
"Ji, buhut khush hoon,
I couldn't have asked for anything better," Maan said, trying to sound as convincing
as possible.
"Maan there are two
people in this world with whom you shouldn't lie, one is a doctor and another
is a lawyer," Pavan reminded smiling.
"I am not lying Pavan
uncle," Maan said looking away.
"Maan look at me," Pavan
ordered, stopping Maan from proceeding.
Maan stopped to look
at Pavan, his eyes spilling the turmoil in his heart. He quickly closed his
eyes swiping clean of the reflection of his heart in his eye before looking to
smile at Pavan. "Ji kahiye," Maan said.
"I don't need to
explain anything to you Maan. Since you were a child you were always the
understanding, mature, and rational person and there has never been a need for
someone to guide you for you were capable of anything all alone. But today I
see something completely opposite, I see an irrational and impetuous Maan
before me, what happened my child?" Pavan asked his tone reflecting his
concern.
"Aisa kuch nahi
uncle," Maan tried evading the issue.
"Maan stop lying if
not to me at least for yourself, please Maan," Pavan pleaded.
"Uncle! Why are you
pleading me?" Maan asked shocked and guilty that he had to lie.
"Then tell me why did
you enquire about a divorce?"
"Aap, aapko kaise?"
Maan asked baffled by his sudden revelation.
"News comes searching
for me Maan."
"Uss Mr. Jindal ko,"
Maan began angry that Pavan uncle had managed to find and now it would simply
complicate the things more and hurt everyone around him, especially Daadima.
"Maan he didn't leak
it. The source is not important, the matter at hand is. Are you going to go
ahead and shatter your Daadima's dreams of seeing you happily married?" Pavan
asked, his voice reflecting slight accusation.
"Toh main aur kya
karoon uncle when she doesn't even seem to be interested in giving a try," Maan
confessed, frustrated.
"Maan that's not the
solution," Pavan tried to reason
"I cannot find any
better one," Maan retorted.
"Yeh kya pagalpan hai
Maan?"
"This is not madness
uncle, this is reality. The truth is, she doesn't even consider this marriage
important and all she wants is freedom from the clutches of marriage, isme meri
galti kya hai?" Maan asked, his voice a bit high. "For her this marriage was
something she was forced and tricked into. It holds nothing for her except the
feeling of suffocation and obstruction," he said, venting out his anger and
frustration over the issue that was playing continuously on his mind. "If all
she wants is freedom then who am I to stop?" he asked looking away as a thin
layer of water glazed his eyes.
"You are her lover Maan,"
Pavan reminded making Maan jerk up in return to his answer. Maan had expected Pavan
uncle to declare that he was her husband; instead he had confidently replied
that he was her lover. The sudden declaration had caught him off-guard. He
stood rooted to the spot, surprised by the answer. Pavan smiled and nodded his
head in the affirmative, "Show her the power and depth of your love Maan. There
is nothing in this world that can beat the power of love. Don't you dare let go
of love that is closely nurtured in your heart," Pavan stressed, motivating
Maan. "Tumhe pata hai Maan, people think, why even I console myself that I
never married because my career took over me, but the truth is something
entirely different. Although I have never lost a case in the court, I have
miserably lost in life; I let go of my love and my life, Durga back in my
college days, afraid to fight for it. Don't repeat my mistake Maan, your life
is not worth it," he said ruefully, wiping away his tear.
"But," Maan began with
hesitation.
"No, don't!" Pavan
interrupted, "there is no room for ifs and buts, all I can see is love for her
in your eyes and I am sure no one can carry the same amount of love you carry
for her. So stop doubting yourself and go get her my son!"
"How can I uncle when
she refuses to even look into my eyes?" Maan asked exasperated.
"Ah! I am not going to
answer that for you must find your own answers," Pavan smiled widely.
A new ray of hope
seemed to simmer through the horizon at the energizing words of Pavan uncle.
Maan felt his body and mind renewed at his uncle's encouragement. Today morning
he had felt hopeless seeing Geet detached of things around her and especially
him but the love he felt for her had seemed to overpower the ill feeling at the
bottom of his stomach.
"Promise me Maan you
shall make her fall in love with you and make her forget she even wanted a
divorce," Pavan said extending his hand.
"I promise uncle,"
Maan said placing his hand on top of Pavan's before hugging him, thankful of
the lord for providing him with such wonderful people who shared his joys and
sorrows.
Pavan warmly hugged
him, "Magar ek baat batao why does she want a divorce?" Pavan queried wondering
what happened that Geet wanted to end all ties.
Maan indicated him to
settle on the closest bench, facing the outhouse. "She feels she was tricked
and it seems she was forced into this marriage. Aur," Maan began to relate the
events post marriage. Pavan intently heard him while all the while rubbing his
arm soothingly on Maan's back while Maan tried to keep a straight face without
breaking down. He finished the story and looked away, staring into nothingness.
"Maan by the look of
it, it seems she doesn't trust or feels betrayed somewhere. Although I cannot
say by whom or why, I feel your first job would be to remove her feeling of
insecurity. Since you say she said she was forced into this you have to
overwhelm her with your love for her to forget her coercion. And that my son is
your responsibility," Pavan said confidently.
"Ji uncle magar
kaise?" Maan asked still confused.
"Arre buddhu mujhe
pata hai you don't play dirty in business but atleast here you can," Pavan
winked.
"But that's cheating,"
Maan replied alarmed at his uncle's suggestion.
"Haven't you heard everything
is fair in love and war?" Pavan reminded but seeing Maan still unconvinced he
continued on a serious note, "Maan it may seem wrong morally to play dirty to
get your love, but trust me fighting for your love is worth more than the terms
you play your game. You are not cheating her, you are just rechanneling her
thoughts towards you and I assure you no one else can fill the shoes of being
her dutiful husband and caring lover better than you, so come on beta get your act
ready, it's showtime baby!" Pavan finally declared. "Vaise Maan in case you
need any help don't hesitate to ask me, and if can't reach me, there is always
my dear Anushka," Pavan reminded gleefully.
"Oh my god lawyer
uncle aap meri divorce karana chaahte ho toh Anushka ko bulayiye!" Maan retorted
alarmed at the suggestion.
"Accha itni khatarnak
hai kya?" Pavan asked innocently.
"Bilkul!"
"Kya bilkul?" they heard a screech behind them.
okay... that's it for now...
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Edited by madhu.pmlist - 12 years ago
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