Samarpan
Surrender is the path to freedom through our unique
authenticity,
where we experience the flow of life not through the narrow lens of the mind,
but through the vast refuge of the heart.
Part 12
She turned her head at the sound
of the gate. Someone had come inā¦a man. She tried to come out of the mist of
her memories as she saw the man stop and give her a long look before he began
to walk toward her, his eyes on her as he took out something from his pocket
and held it in front of himā¦.A phone. For the life of her, Aarti couldn't
understand why he was coming toward her. If he had come to meet naanimaasi, he
should have gone straight on to the main door. As far as she remembered, she
had never seen this manā¦he had on a faded black shirt and worn-out jeans, was
clean shaven with just the hint of a stubble, and had swept-back hair. It
didn't even occur to her that for the first time in her life she had actually
noticed a man's appearance.
Aarti scrambled to her feet as the
man came and stood in front of her and smiled, "You didn't recognize me,
did you?"
And, that's when she knew. The
same penetrating gaze, the same deep voice, as Aarti looked wide-eyed at his
face, "Mr Scindia??" He looked so different, all neat and bathed and
fresh; most significantly, the beard was gone.
"So you do remember me?"
He sounded pleased. "And you remember my name too."
Aarti fidgeted under his direct,
amused look and mumbled, "I recognized your voice and your..." She
was going to say eyes but stopped herself in timeā¦..(a pauseā¦as he waited)
"You look different from last evening."
Yash smiled at her bowed head.
Having seen her again, all the doubts plaguing him since the previous evening
just disappeared, and he was glad he had extended his stay. He just needed some
time with her to completely erase any lingering doubt, which meant he had to
continue playing the charade of a poor, downtrodden man for some more time.
********************************************
Yash remembered how disappointed
he was the previous evening after seeing her take that casanova's gift. He had
found out about him as soon as he had checked into his hotel. Sameer
Singhaniaā¦.He was a typically spoilt rich playboy and a womanizer to the core.
As he stood at the balcony of his hotel room, looking out at the night and
pondering over the events of the evening, try as he might he couldn't visualize
the quiet, kind, generous girl in the company of such a man. Something told him
she was as genuine as she came across to himā¦..that wealth was inconsequential
to someone so transparent as Aartiā¦that there must be a perfect explanation to
why she had kept the jewelry. But then his thinking was proven wrong earlier
alsoā¦.How could he forget how perfect Arpita had seemed? She had even fooled
dadima. And then there was Deepa? First him, and then Aman: they both had been
taken in initially by her disguised intentions. Ever since he had met Aarti,
his heart was giving him all the positive signals, but they still hadn't clouded
his rationality. The reason was putting up a stiff fight against these hitherto
unknown, overwhelming feelings that had deluged him. Up there in the mountains,
he had a lot of time to contemplate and reflect about his life's
prioritiesā¦Payal, family, and business, in that order. Not once had he thought
he needed someone for himself. Well!! He was not so sure now. A chance
encounter with a gentle, beautiful shop girl had changed all thatā¦made him
acutely aware of his lonely self.
Yash faced a dilemma for the first
time: He found himself being pulled in two opposite directions at the same
time. After Arpita, he had vowed never ever to get involved in the matters of
heart. In Bhopal, he faced almost a proposal a day from some woman or the
otherā¦some subtle and some overly inviting. But no one had even come close to
knocking at the closed doors. He was happy spending time with Payal and his
family. Out of nowhere this girl had entered his life like a gentle breeze and
had wreaked havoc on his senses. And, now, he was consumed with her thoughts,
while all that he needed to do was be practical, pack up, and leave tomorrow as
per his original plans and forget he had ever met her. After all what reason
could he have to stay back? To test someone just to prove to himself that what
he envisions is no illusionā¦not a figment of his imaginationā¦not unreal? Set
himself up for another disillusionment? Another heartbreak? Yet, he wanted to
do just that. He wanted to stop running. He wanted her to hold him back. He wanted
her to prove him wrong. He only had to close his eyes to see herā¦.her stubborn
generosity, her exquisite beauty, her nervousness, and the vacant, forlorn look
that hid some great trauma. He put his head down and sighed, running his
fingers through his hair in agitation. He admitted he wanted to find out more
about herā¦know herā¦understand herā¦He wanted to see her smile, laugh, and be
happy. He wanted to see those eyes dance with life, with joy, with mischief. If
only he had a valid reason to stay put and make sure what he felt was not a
chimera in his mind, but was as real as the air that he breathed in. If
onlyā¦.And the battle raged onā¦.
Yash thumped his hands in
frustration on the wooden balustrade, just as the phone rang. He turned around
and stomped into the room, picked up the phone without looking at the number
and barked into it, "HELLO!!"
Silenceā¦.."WHO IS THIS?"
Again silenceā¦He brought the phone in front of him and saw the number: It was
from home. Dammit!! He closed his eyes in consternation and held the phone back
to his ears again, saying softly this time, "Payal?"
"You shouted at meā¦I am
angryā¦.very very angry."
"No, darling! Pleaseā¦I am so
sorry. I didn't shout at you."
"You didā¦you did," Payal
was almost in tears.
"No, princessā¦papa was angry at
himselfā¦.very very angry."
A pauseā¦and then, "Why papa?
Were you naughty?"
"I don't know, princessā¦It's
just that I want to do something and I don't know if that is right."
"But papa, how will you know
that it is not right if you don't do it? You know what dadima says when I don't
want to eat something and say I won't like it? She says, "Gudiya, how will
you know whether you like it or not if you don't taste it?" "
Yash was stunned as he stared at a
painting of ocean waves on the wall. Did his daughter just make the decision
for him? Payal's innocent comparison had shown him the way. He knew what he had
to do. There was now a clarity that he was struggling to achieve just moments
ago. He suddenly realized Payal was saying something.
"Did you find her? Did
you?" All anger forgotten, she was all excited now.
"Find who, princess?"
"Uffo, papa! The mountain
fairyā¦.How many times do I have to repeat?"
He could just visualize
herā¦.slapping her forehead and making a faceā¦a gesture of exasperation copied
to the last detail from her dadaji. Yash smiledā¦.he had missed her so.
"Papa?"
"Yes sweetheart, I found
herā¦but there is a problem. You seeā¦she is from the mountains, so she stays
here only. I will have to convince her to come with me to Bhopal."
"Can I come there and
co..co..covins with you?"
"Hmm! I think we can do that.
Let me see. What do you want to ask from her anyway?"
"That's a secretā¦ā¦Papa, can I
come tomorrow? I miss you."
"I miss you too, princess. OK
let me plan thisā¦.Is Chachu there? Give him the phone."
"Yes papaā¦Wait, I am going to
him. Good night! I love you."
"I love you too."
Prateek came on line. After the
usual notes exchange, he said, "Bhaiyaā¦I wanted to talk to you regarding
that land we were bidding for in Nainital for the hotel we spoke about."
"What about it Chote? Is
there a problem?" Yash wanted to build this hotel in Aman's name and have
a complete Adventure Sports package going with it, including trekking. Prateek
had some contacts in Nainital, so was able to go after the project almost as
soon as they had decided, which was a week after Aman's demise.
"Not reallyā¦but there may be.
A local bidder has moved court against the outstation bidders, giving some
sentimental reasons. I am stuck here with that new Spa opening in Scindia
Shereton. I can go to Nainital only on Thursday. That's still five days away.
Bhaiya, I know Payal and you have been separated for long.ā¦Would youā¦"
"Don't worry. I'll stay back
and handle it till you come. Get Payal with you when you come. Both of us need
a vacation together."
"Right bhaiyaā¦You solved a
huge problem for me. Thank you."
"Actually Choteā¦you solved a
huge problem for meā¦.No, never mindā¦.I'll tell you later. Goodnight! Tell
princess, I'll talk to her tomorrow morning."
********************************************
To say she was surprised was an
understatement. The man who had such an unkempt appearance just last evening
looked all rejuvenated to face life this morning. Along with his appearance
something else too seemed changed, Aarti notedā¦There was something different in
the way he was looking at her now. Last evening she remembered feeling a little
awkward under the scrutiny his eyes had put her through. Now they reflected a
congenial friendliness.
She looked up at him, "Last
evening you left without finishing your sandwiches. Maansi told me. I hope
everything is fine."
"Everything is perfect,
Ma'amā¦just perfect. You seem to have brought good luck to me."
"How is that?" At the
moment she wasn't so nervous, he noticed. Maybe the familiar surroundings of
her home were the reason. He wondered who all were there in her family.
"My old employee paid me my
dues todayā¦and I have a new job. I shall be working on a land." He beamed.
"I found out where you live from Browniesā¦.and here I am. I told you I
shall pay you back."
He was about to extract his wallet
when Aarti stopped him, "No..noā¦please. You don't have to pay me."
"But I must. Yesterday I
couldn't pay, but today I have money, whichā¦"
"Which you need to save for
nowā¦." She completed for him. "Please Mr Scindiaā¦.it's OK."
She saw he looked a little
crestfallen. Did she just hurt his self-respect? Aarti berated herself
immediately.
"Mr Scindia if I ask you to
do something instead of the payment, will you do it?"
"Yes, of course. I don't have
to begin my job for another two days. I can take up any work till then."
Yash was careful not to sound too eager.
"We have a swing in the back
lawns. It's come apart from the hinges on one side. If you couldā¦"
"I will see to it
immediately, Ma'am."
Yash followed Aarti. He looked
around as he walked. This was a beautiful houseā¦.cozy, bright, with lot of
character. He glanced at the girl walking beside him. When he had come in
through the gates, she was lost elsewhere and had a distant, melancholic look
on her face. Dressed in white, with her dupatta flying behind her, she looked
so pure and angelic. Before he realized he had taken out his phone and clicked
her just as she turned to look his way. However, the moment he had approached
her, she had hurriedly got up, and when she looked at him, she had managed to
conceal her thoughts. It had immediately struck Yash that this must be a
long-drawn habit.
Aarti left him to work on the
swing after giving him the tool box from the garden shed, saying she had some
work to complete. She was about to sit down on the lawn when she heard a shout,
"Hey, Aarti."
She looked up to see Sameer
Singhania stride up to her with a big grin. Before Aarti could turn and take
two steps toward the house, he stood in front of her, "C'mon babyā¦quit
avoiding me. Did you get my gift? I called but you didn't answer the phone, so
here I am."
"Please let me go, Sir."
Aarti tried to side step away from him.
"Why do you keep running away
from me, sweetheart? I have been such a help to youā¦telling everyone about
Brownies and bringing in the customers. In return all I ask is your company.
Here, I have something for you." Saying he dug out another jewelry case
from his pocket.
Aarti shook her head and tried to
walk away, but he grabbed her hand, "So, you are trying hard to get, eh!
Girls die to be with Sameer Singhania, and here youā¦"
"LEAVE HER ALONE." Aarti
and Sameer both looked up in surpriseā¦he toward the garden shed, and she toward
the house, as the owners of the two voices who spoke those words strode toward
them angrily.
To
be continuedā¦ā¦ā¦
INDEX
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Thread 3
Edited by InduG64 - 10 years ago
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