Author's Note : I'm sorry in advance if you don't like the story.
|::|Photographs|::|
The sun was falling down the western sky reflecting a faint reddish light in the vast sky. A gentle breeze of the season spring was blowing. In the mean time Ex ACP Abhijeet was sitting in the backyard of his house, reading a crime strategy, frowning. Tarika was working in her garden.
After retirement she had got this new hobby, working in the garden. She made the plants a part of their lives. It had been long since both Tarika and Abhijeet retired from their jobs. This often made them feel empty and lost but when one of them were upset the other one tried heart and soul to cheer him or her up. Within these years they had faced many ups and downs of life but nothing were stronger than their love.
"Ye dekho! kaal phir se ek admi né apni biwi ka khoon kar diya" he exclaimed glaring at the picture of the dead woman through his spectacles. "Pata nahi aaj kaal ki police aur CID officers kya karte rehte hai. Aye din kisi na kisi ka khoon hota rehta hai", he added.
"Ab ye toh logon ki apni apni samajh ki baat hai. Police toh baas saja degi magar samjhna toh unko hi na", Tarika said watering her plants.
"Sahi kaha. Waise aaj bhi tum utni hi sahi baat bolte ho jitna 28 saal pehle bolte the", he praised her.
She looked at him by the corner of her eye and slightly shook her head smiling delightfully. "Buddhe ho gaye ho magar ye flirt karne ki adat abhi tak nahi gayi tumhari", she told him.
"Tum mujhe baat baat pe buddha bulana bandh karo yaar pehle", he said. "Haan thoda sa umar badh gaya hai lekin buddha nahi hua hoon main abhi", he added.
"Thik hai! Baas...kitna bolte ho tum. Budhape ka nishana hai ye", she laughed.
"Waise aaj khane mein kya hai?" he wanted to know.
"Bhindi ki sabji", she replied.
"Bhindi!" he exclaimed. "Nahi aaj phir se bhindi nahi khaani hai".
"Kyun? Ye bhindi toh tumhe pehle bohot pasand thi", she narrowed her eyes.
"Uss time ki baat kuch aur thi", he said.
"Accha! Ab kya badla hai jō tumhe bhindi na pasand aa gayi?" she sounded a bit angry. Abhijeet didn't want her to get angry so he tried to change the topic.
"Tarika zara wo photo album toh leke aana", he said.
"Pehle wo baat khatam koro", she said angrily. "Kyun nahi khaani hai tumko bhindi?"
"Areh yaar chodo na! Please wo album zara laake do", he said softly trying not to disappoint her.
"Deti hoon; abhi ander chalo", she ordered and like a good boy Abhijeet obeyed and walked inside the house.
.
"Ye din main kabhi nahi bhoolungi", Tarika said pointing at a photograph in the album. In that picture they were standing together beside ACP Pradyuman in the bureau looking at each other and ACP was cutting the cake. "Finally jaake uss din tumne bola tha ki -"she was interrupted by Abhijeet. "Zindegi ki har mod pe, har mushkil pe mera saath dogi?" he said. "Haan!" Tarika smiled with tears in her eyes.
Flashback
"Happy Birthday to you...happy birthday to you...happy birthday dear ACP sir, happy birthday to youu..." everyone in the bureau were singing except the two lovebirds, who were busy looking into each other's eyes."Abhijeet, Tarika zara idhar dekho", Daya said mischievously while taking the photos. They banged out their dream world and blushed badly looking at each other when Daya took that photo.
That day Tarika was working till 1:30 at night in the lab. As Dr Salunkhe was out-of-town she had a lot of pressure of work. Abhijeet was waiting for her in his car at the parking lot. When she came out of the lab and went at the parking lot suddenly she saw a car approaching to her. Her heartbeat almost stopped as she didn't know that Abhijeet was waiting for her. The car stopped just next to her and she heard a call. The voice seemed to be familiar to her but as it was dark there she couldn't see who it was.
"Abhijeet?" she asked.
"Haan! aur kaun hoga?" he laughed.
"Tumne toh mujhe dara hi diya tha", she said entering the car.
"Kyun? Tumhe kya laga?" he wanted to know in mischievous tone.
"Pata nahi!" she said. Abhijeet drove off the car. After a while he said, "Tarika aaj mujhe tumse kuch pooch na hai", slowing down the speed of the car.
"Haan bolo.." she looked at him with a lot of expectations in her eyes. Abhijeet parked the car at a side of the road. He took a deep breath and said, "Zindegi ki har mod pe, har mushkil pe mera saath dogi?" Tarika glared at him. "Aaj tak tumne har musibat mein mera saath diya hai. Kya age bhi waise hi mera saath dogi? Tarika kya tum mujhse shaadi karogi?"
Tarika held her breath. He finally did it. He had proposed to her. She didn't know what to say. She just sat there like a dumb. Abhijeet, seeing her expression felt embarrassed and drove off the car again and soon reached Tarika's house. Tarika got down from the car. She was walking to her house but after taking two-three steps she turned back and knocked on the glass window of the car and signed him to open the car's door. Abhijeet opened the door and Tarika went inside the car. "Wo.." she paused. "Wo tumne jō kaha...actually...hmm okay. Mujhe koi problem nahi hai", saying this she quickly got out of the car and went inside her house and looked at Abhijeet's car through the window till it was visible to her. And Abhijeet, he was just smiling himself hearing her reply.
Flashback over
"Sach main Tarika tum toh aise sharma rahi thi, mujhe toh laga ki pata nahi kya bol diya!" Abhijeet laughed.
"Ab...tumne mujhe raat ki do baje shaadi ki liye poocha. Main sharmati nahi toh aur kya karti", she said smiling. "Accha tum photos dekho. Abhika aati hogi. Mujhe khana banana hai", she stood up and was about to walk towards the kitchen when Abhijeet holded her hand and pulled her towards him and made her sit beside him.
"Kya yaar har waqt kaam kaam karti rehti ho!" he exclaimed. "Pehle lab mein busy hoti thi aur ab baccho ki aur unki baccho ko leke", he added.
"Aww!" she gave a flattered expression and said, "Ek kaam karo tum album leke kitchen mein aa jao, saath mein dekhte hai". Abhijeet nodded lightly and followed her in the kitchen. He sat on a chair and put the album on the counter and Tarika began to cut the vegetables standing next to him. After a while she suddenly looked at the photographs and something caught her eyes. "Ruko!" she said hastily.
"Kya hua?" Abhijeet asked and Tarike put the knife aside and pointed at a photo. It was their wedding photo, when they were taking their wedding bows.
Flashback
"Beta, ab phere lene ki liye khade ho jaiye", the priest asked them to stand up. She got up along with Abhijeet. They began to take the wedding bows around the holy fire which is the eternal witness of marriage and a protector against evil. The priest was reciting vedic chants and they were taking the bows very slowly and muttered within themselves the seven promises of life.
"Aaj se humara hriday,humara bhavna, aur humara aatma ek ho jayega",
"Aaj se hum ek dusre ka shakti honge, aur humara khushi aur gham ek hi sur me bajega",
"Hum har waqt anand se jiyenge aur humarai shadi ka raksha karenge",
"Hamara sapney ab hum ek sath pura karenge aur zindegi ki rah me anewale sare badhao ko hum ek sath par karenge",
"Hamari kartavya ab se ek hi hain, hum ek dusre se mann ka sari batein kahenge aur ek dusre ka sare batein sunenge aur hum ek dusro ko dil ki gehrai se shraddha karenge",
"Hum ek sath sare samajik dayityo aur kartavya ko pura karenge aur ek behter bhavishya ki taraf age barenge",
"Hum ek dusre ka adhyatik soch aur samajh ko dil ki gehrai se shraddha karenge".
During their wedding bows everyone was strewing flowers at them. After taking the seven bows the priest blessed them on behalf of Gods and Goddesses and brought the ceremony to an end. They were officially husband and wife then.
Flashback over
Both were sitting on the couch of their living room. A delighted smile was on their faces. Even after so many years of their marriage they were united. Their love grew stronger to strongest by facing the ups and downs of life.
This time Abhijeet's eyes got stuck on a photo. Abhika took it when she was thirteen and had just joined her photography class.
Flashback
The previous night Abhijeet and Tarika had a fight on a trifle matter. Abhika was studying when she heard the voices of her mom and dad. She got out of her room and peeped into her parents' room.
"Areh! par mujhe jaana hai", Tarika said standing in front of the mirror. She was dressed up for her sister's wedding anniversary. Abhijeet was sitting on the edge of the bed. "Ek anniversary party attend ahi karogi toh kya ho jayega? Tum jab bhi waha jati ho di tumko rok leti hai", he told her.
"Dekho mujhe jaana hai baas!" she declared. "Par mujhe nahi jaana. Tumhe jaana hai akeli jao", so did Abhijeet.
Abhika moved from the doorway swiftly as her mom approached to the door. She went downstairs and sat in the living room. "Abhika", she yelled.
"Yes maa! Aa rahi hoon", she ran hastily downstairs to her mom. "Kya hua?"
"Khana khaya tumne?" Tarika asked. Abhika gave a nod nervously. "Accha thik hai jaake so jao", she ordered. Abhika slowly walked to her room. While walking upstairs she turned her face back and saw her mother sitting on the couch holding her forehead tiredly and she let out a sigh and went to her room.
/././
Next morning Tarika found herself on the bed in her room.She yawned and lazily and sat on the bed leaning against the pillow. "Main...yahan kaise ayi !" A smile of delight crept on her lips as she realized who could bring her there. She looked around the room but there was no one. Suddenly she saw a piece of paper on the table next to the bed. She opened the paper piece and smiled and at the next second ran downstairs. She opened the door and found Abhijeet standing with a red rose in his hand. She held the rose carefully and hugged him as tight as she could. Abhika was taking pictures of her dog from different angles and suddenly she saw that unexpected moment but she was relieved as their fight ended and without wasting a second she shut the moment in her camera.
Flashback over
"Waqt kaise bith jaaya hai pata hi nahi chalta hai na?" Tarika said looking at her husband. "Hmm", he nodded puting his hand around her shoulder. At the mean time the door bell rang. Tarika went to see who it was and as she opened the door Ipshita and Araina rushed in and hugged her tight. She was about to fall but managed somehow. Abhika and Vikram entered laughing at their daughters. These five-year old twins loved their grandparents. Leaving Tarika at the next moment they rushed to Abhijeer and jumped on his lap. "Nanu hamara chocolates kahan hai?" they yelled.
"Abhi toh ayi ho. Aur aate hi chocolates! Dekha maa?" she complained her mother. Tarika smiled and Abhika too hugged her tightly and then went to her dad. "Pappaaa!" she hugged him from back as he was sitting on the sofa and both Ipshita and Araina were on his lap.
.