Unexpected Meetings

Unexpected Meetings

Pratap walked down the corridor of the haveli reminiscing the times when he and Shakti would race in the very same corridors to see who got to Ranimaa first. He missed her from her smiles to her advice and her hugs Ranimaa always made things right and at the moment he needed things to go right. Heer Solankhini was a princess of the Solankhini clan and her father was also a prominent businessman. Shakti and Heer met in London while the latter was vacationing there with her family and both hit it off. It was very recently that Shakti had proposed her and she had accepted. The wedding date would be finalised in the puja and he sincerely wished happiness for his younger brother. Pratap didn’t realise that in his musings he had walked towards the store room that was at the end of the corridor. He had just turned around when he heard the noise coming from inside the store room. He pressed his ears to the door when he heard shuffling and boxes falling down. He opened the door switching on the bulb that hung in the middle. The bulb flickered as Pratap walked very quietly towards the source of the noise when another box fell down and he saw a mouse scurrying away

“Just a mouse” he thought and turned to leave when it happened!

“Chuuhaaaaa !!!! Oh My God!”

He stood still as a statue as a girl collided with him head on. Her hands fisted his shirt as she used him as a shield against the very tiny mouse. The girl kept looking at the mouse until it ran away into a hole in the wall and she sighed with relief but not for long as she realised she was holding on to him. Her doe eyes widened as his looked utter confused at the stranger in the lehenga, in his store room!

“Ohh shit” She murmured under her breath.

All Pratap could see was kohl lined large doe eyes with a hint of eye shadow and a small bindi on her forehead above which rested a borla maangtika. Her eyes were like an open book conveying so many emotions – surprise, shock and relief. Pratap’s eyes narrowed suspiciously as she was nothing more than an intruder.

Pratap: Who are you and what are you doing in my store room?

She looked at him incredulously as his grip tightened.

Pratap: Speak up before I call security…chor!!!

The word “chor” seemed to have done its work as her eyes blazed anger

“Chor kisko bulaa rahe ho? Have you seen me- I’m dressed in a designer lehenga and wearing jewellery worth lakhs.” Her nose flared in anger.

Pratap took a good look at the girl from head to toe she was dressed in a designer lehenga, jewellery including a big rock on her ring finger and sneakers !!

Shakti rubbed his temples after his conversation with Heer. Her father was a man who believed in age old traditions of the Rajputana. A brave honourable man he had even served in the Indian army but his family had begged him to return as he was the sole heir. Pratap had gone over with Shakti asking for Heer’s hand in matrimony and he had been impressed by both the boys. Everyone knew it would be a traditional royal Rajput wedding but this new condition meant that the wedding would not go through and Shakti looked at the picture of him with his brother and mother as he decided he won’t go ahead with it if they wished to bend them with their so called wishes.

Pratap brought the girl to his study hoping to get answers from her about her whereabouts. She clearly belonged to a well to do family but she needed to go back as he already had a lot of stuff on his plate. He looked at the girl who was going through one of the books kept on the glass table making him angry.

“Don’t touch them!” He snapped at the intruder.

 No one touched his stuff without his permission. She looked up at him angrily and took a step towards him only to trip on her lehenga making her trip backwards.

Careful he instinctively raised his hands forward in order to catch her but her whole weight seemed to pull him towards her as she fell on the soft velvet carpet and her pull, in an attempt to hold on to his hand, ended up making him fall on top of her.

“Dadabhai we have a...”  Shakti stopped mid-sentence looking at the girl in a lehenga who was lying underneath his Dadabhai while his Dadabhai had his hands on either side of her waist avoiding touch. His eyes widened a little amused.

“Shakti” his elder brother exclaimed as he stared in shock at his younger brother and then back at the girl who was trapped underneath him.

“It’s not what you think it is” he exclaimed realizing his position and moving away as the girl stared at Shakti from head to toe.

“Ohh shit” she exclaimed.

Pratap pressed his thumb and forefinger on his forehead after hearing about the latest developments. Shakti made tea for them as the girl sat thinking about their problem. Frowning at both of them occasionally, a little clueless.

Shakti spoke up softly:  We should call off the wedding Dadabhai.

Pratap’s eyes widened at his brother’s helpless voice: Shakti

“ I love Heer and want to spend the rest of my life with her but not like this. Relationships are nurtured on love, trust, faith and respect but her father by putting forth this condition is demeaning my love. I love her but I love you more ...”

Pratap: I know bhai but remember Heer’s father is all about the old traditions and in the old times the elder brother/sister were married first followed by the younger siblings. He has doubts which I will try to clear....

“How?"

The girl who sat quietly finally spoke getting the attention of both brothers as they stared at her munch on a cookie and smile mouthful.

“From everything your bhai just said it seems to me her father might have just issued an ultimatum. Matlab ki bade bhai ki shaadi ke baad hi chote ki shaadi”

“Ab kya hoga tumhaara beta?” She giggled at her own gruff voice.

Pratap frowned irritated. “ Listen this is our family matter. Tum beech mein na pado.”

“ Padna kaun chaahte hai woh toh bas chuha aa gaya tha warna tumko pata bhi na chalta main yahan thi”She spoke confidently sipping on the tea making a surping noise. “Accha banaya.” She smiled at Shakti.

Pratap stiffed. “Chor ho tumhaara pata chal jaata”

“ Chor kisko bol rahe ho aur hai kya tumhaare paas churaane ko – boring si books on management. “

Pratap: Boring?? ..dekho.... He raised his finger as she smirked.

Shakti stared at the two people fighting like kids at a playground.

Shakti decided it was safer to leave before his opinion was asked. “ Main aata hoon baad mein”

Pratap & Ajabde: Nahi. 

Ajabde:  Dekho yeh fight baad mein continue karenge first iss problem ka solution nikaalna hoga!

Pratap: Haan tum toh solutions ka bhandaar ho jaise ki..ab bologi ki tum meri fiance ban jaogi Shakti ke in-laws ke saamne ...

Shakti and Ajabde stared at Pratap like he had grown horns 

Ajabde clapped excited. “ yehi karenge!”

“Lekin tum ho kaun??” The brothers exclaimed together as she giggled.

“Hi. Am Ajabdeh Punwar! Pleased to meet you Shakti and tum bhi”

“Umm....Tumko chahiye kya?” Pratap asked looking at her suspiciously

“Bas yehi ke main tumhari madat karu aur uske badle kuch din tumhare ghar mein reh saku bina koi sawal ke.”

“But...” Pratap spoke up as Shakti interrupted him, 

“Done!”