First Victory
Pratap
stared at his brother who gulped down another beer on the rooftop of their
home.
“ Dadabhai meri
shaadi ho rahi hai. Aap ne dekha kitne impress huye Heer ke baapu.... mere hone
waale sasur” He laughed amused at his own words taking a sip.
“ Shakti
aajke liye kaafi ho gayi hai. Chalo sone” Pratap tried to take away the bottle
in vain.
Shakti pouted
like a kid at his brother. “Par mereko na sona. Aaj na main dance karunga mera
bada mann....”
“ Dance baad
mein karna Pehle you need to sleep. Pata hai na kal aapke hone waale in-laws aa
rahe hain....”
Shakti appeared
thinking. “ Haan kal mereko dekhne aayenge ladkiwaale ... Hahahha!”
Pratap shook
his head as he went to help his brother who leaned against him for support to
stand up.
“ Kal unse milna hai hume
Kal unse milna hai hume
Thode kaju katli lete aana
Thodi bhaji takari lete aana
Aa rahe hain sasur mere!”
Pratap
smiled a little as he tucked his brother into his own bed as there was no way
he could have managed to take Shakti to his room without waking up Majhli Maa.
Switching off all the lights except for the small bulb in the corner he walked
out of the room and started walking back to the roof top.
The gala
night was a success on all fronts as the Songara project led by Shakti won an
award, he received the business man of the year award and both brothers were
received accolades for their late mother who was honoured during the night. But
for Shakti’s happiness was everything and the way Raja Hemant Solankhini looked
at Ajabde he knew things were going to be fine. She had won over the
traditional man and cleared all of his doubts. Thinking about her interaction
with the people at the gala night Pratap’s mind raised a million doubts about
her identity. She behaved like a proper royal lady, from addressing him as
Kunwarsa to patiently listening to everyone and he had a huge smile on his face
when she put DheerBai Bhatiyani and Phool Kanwar in their place. He found
himself smiling at the words again. He somehow doubted she knew about his and
Phool’s... maybe she did... with all the tabloids gossiping over the Phool
Kanwar wedding and her list of ex’s... he was just one of them... She had been
his one... what irony! But Ajabde’s words of confidence in his mind made him
smile.
“My relationship with Kunwarsa is
based on respect, trust, faith and love. It is not a show for media personnel
or anyone who wishes to stay in the limelight. Both of us know the importance
of relationships and ours is not a business deal that we would make a big issue
of it. Besides our family and loved ones have been aware of our relationship
since the beginning so I don’t understand why we have to bother about a few
outsiders on not getting their dose of gossip.”
As he
stepped on to the roof he saw her sitting on the ledge with her cell phone. She
was staring at it very intently.
“ If you
want I can call and speak on your behalf to your father...” His voice made her
stare at him.
“ Accha aur
kya bologe unko? main aapki bhaagi hui beti ka fake fiance bol raha hoon??” She
laughed at her own joke as he stared at her giggle.
“ Touche!”
He smiled making her stop as she stared right in to those dark brown eyes for a
few mere seconds with a lingering smile.
Pratap Singh
was a charmer in the way he talked on stage, spoke of his mother, handled his
associates and enemies and also ignored the rumoured ex. She had seen him look
away from her more than once, it clearly hurt him still. She had also seen him
stare at her proudly when she gave them a much needed speech. It surprised her
as she thought she had taken the fake fiancé thing to a new level interacting
with his step mother but when he smiled a genuine gratitude smile Ajabde felt
content.
Ajabde took
the beer bottle kept on the other side and took a big gulp as she placed her
cell phone back. Pratap joined her with a bottle as he sat beside her. She was
staring in to the clear night sky.
“Heer ki
family aa rahi hai for lunch... kal...” He spoke trying not to stare at those
eyes again.
“I know…mereko
WhatsApp kiya Heer ne.” She spoke without looking back at him taking another
sip as he realized he was staring again and looked away.
This saree
and jewellery made him... remember Ranima? Yes Maybe!
“ Can I ask
you a question?” He asked in a low voice not looking at her again.
“ Depends!”
Ajabde replied plainly.
“ Why are
you helping us? I mean tumhe mil kya raha hai in return...”
“ Roti,
kapra aur makaan. Agar main help na karti toh would you have let me stay? Well
main khud hi na rukti as I don’t like to be in anyone’s debt so I help you out
and you help me out it’s a mutually beneficial decision...” She smiled at him
as he nodded.
“ Tumhe
ladka pasand na tha ya koi aur hai life mein?” He regretted the minute he asked
the question as she got up to leave.
“ Good night
Kunwarsa” Her words seemed colder than usual as she walked away.
Toranmal sat
in the corner of the cheap bar drinking cheap desi daaru listening to Kumar
Sanu’s songs that were being played on the dilapidated music system. Ever since
she had run away from their so called destination wedding all the money lenders
had been after him. The wedding was his last try in getting his hands on the money
that he could return to the money lenders and also use for his business.
“ Gayi toh
gayi meri 50lakh ki ring bhi le gayi”
Baadshah
Khan, one of the money lender knew he would find ToranMal in the bar and so he
quietly crept up to him without letting him know of his presence.
“ Miyan
tumhaari halaat toh badi kharaab hai. Kahan ek Rajkumari se nikaah kar hume
humaare paise dene waale the aur dekho toh tum yahan...”
“ Bhaijaan
maine toh poora plan kiya tha…aapko card bhi bheja tha...”Toranmal sipped on
his drink again.
“ Haan bade
se kisi mahal mein ho rahi thi tumhaari shaadi...”
“ Kya
shaadi…sangeet waali raat sabko chuna laga ke bhaag gayi “
“ Tumhaari
dulhan ko pata chal gaya hoga shayad tumhaare baare mein waise kaun kahan
bhagaa isse hume koi matlab nahi. Mujhe aur baaki sabko unka paisa waapis
chahiye bas” He looked angry.
“ Paise ke
liye hi shaadi kar raha tha na…par ab kahan se leke aaunga main...” He looked
distraught.
“ Ramrakh ki
beti se kar rahe the na shaadi toh unke uss bade project mein partner ban jaao.
Suna hai crores lage hain uss project mein waise bhi shaadi se bhaagi ladki hai
tum nahi....”
ToranMal
looked at him in awe and hugged him tight.
“Jaisa aapne
bola waisa hi karunga. Historical Tourist Spot project sirf mera hoga !”
Rani Meera
couldn’t believe her eyes as she took in the view of her private rooftop
garden. It was decorated with fairy lights and lanterns hung from the branches,
the gazebo was filled with her favourite floral arrangements and there stood
her husband wearing the same attire he had worn when he had proposed her for
marriage.
“ Aap late
hain poore 30seconds” Hemant smiled at his queen.
“ Ji jaante
hain par kya kare aapki beti hume chodhe tab na”
“ Meri beti
aapka matlab humaari beti.. Hemant + Meera se hi toh Heer aayi na?”
Meera
blushed looking around. “Aaj itne romantic ?”
“ Hum jaante
hain aap naraaz hai humse and aap sahi hain par kya kare Meera hum pareshaan
thee...”
“ Aap apni
pareshaani humse share karte na phir. Hum aapki patni hai aapki har cheez par
adha adhikar humaara hai-pareshaani par bhi...”
“ Meera uss
din office mein pata chala ki DheerBai ji ne koi contact nikaala hai jiske
through uss new project ko she plans on getting for Jagmal. Agar aisa hota hai
then Sisodia + Rathores will in a way hold the keys to almost all of the
historic sites and jahan tak hume pata hai they would never focus on the
smaller towns bas apne areas mein hi kaam karenge....”
“ Isse
Kunwar Pratap ki shaadi ka kya connection Raja ji?” Meera looked worried.
“ Agar yeh
project Jagmal le jaata hai then jitna hum US aur Maldev ko jaante hain they
would appeal ki Jagmal becomes the crown prince for Sisodias and ...”
“ Yeh ho
gaya toh sabke liye problems khadi hongi...” Meera looked troubled.
“ Haan but
as long as Pratap is present aisa na ho sakta “ Hemant smiled.
“ Isiliye
aap Pratap ki shaadi ko leke worried the??”
“ Main Heer
ki khushi chaahta hoon... beti hai humaari but aur bhi cheezein hain jinko dekhna
hoga”
“ Aapko
Ajabde Baisa kaisi lagi?” Meera smiled at her husband victorious.
“ Samajhdaar
hain, responsible bhi and aapne dekha Heer bhi unko jija bulaati hai. Pratap
aur Ajabde ek saath acche bhi lag rahe thee”
“ Haan…jaise
dono perfect fit ho ek dusre ke liye”
“ Humaari
tarah” Hemant held out a box “…yeh hum laaye”
Her eyes
went wide....
“ Malai
ghevar…idhar dijiye”
Like a kid
she took the first bite and offered some to her husband
“ Sorry” He
smiled.
“hum bhi”
She blushed.
Heer smiled
as she saw her parents patch up with the ghevar with her binoculars.
“ Ajabde
jija aapka jaadu chal gaya....” She smiled grateful.
AAha the sober n mature Ajabde is here to dazzle... Girl u just had everyone wrapped around your little finger... N Mr Swami was taken by you. Aab dur nahi reh payega tumse; use kuch aapna sa mil gaya hai tujhme....
ReplyDeleteBut u rubbed her the wrong way; perhaps at the required topic but certainly the wrong way... Agar tum Ajab ke Roti, Kapda aur Makan provider na hone to she would had punished you dearly... But the looks on both sides were doing more than that was written!!
Tota u r trying to mess again - do it at your own risk... N Heers parents were rocking...
Suju di
DeleteSorry for the late response
Pratap needs to learn the art of conversation especially with Ajabde.
Sahi kaha agar provider na hota toh khoob band bajti :P
Glad you enjoyed it