Anila felt as if an irresistible cyclone of emotion was about to burst out as Daya very gently touched her cheek,keeping his restive eyes upon her..
:"kaisi ho...Anila?" he asked in broken wavering voice...
Her already moistened eyes brimmed over and warm tears started making runnels down her cheeks...
She made efforts to reply but vehement sobs inside her made her stopped; she cringed down for some seconds to make herself composed and tried further but...defeated this time also and dipping her face into his palm she wept like a little girl as it seemed that waves of emotions were crushing in her heart upon the ocean of tenderness...She clasping Daya's hand nuzzled up against it gently,being oblivious momentarily about the place and situation...Daya felt moisture in his eyes and his nose flared in an effort to mollify the heightened tenderness that arouse for...his wife...Anila took a couple of minute to be poised and forced a grin to dispel his worry...Daya twigged the reason behind her sweet grin and he too flashed a grin back to her to make her tension free...
Anila now trying to be normal, murmured a little coyly,:'mujhe sun kar...badi khushi huyi...ke...aap logo ko...mission me...kamiyaabi mili...'
Daya with a glinting mischeif in his eyes, tried to banter a little with her perhaps to make her a little happier,:'aur...ye jan ke bhi...khushi mila na...ki...' he panted and continued,:'ke...tumhara pati ko...tumhara koi parwa nahi tha in dino me?'
The grin slowly ebbed away from her face and a dark gloom slowly seeped through her face when she replied mustering her courage,:" aap mujh ko yaad karte rahenge...aisa ummeed ...main nahi kiya tha...' she lowered her eyes and perhaps was preparing herself to say something more...Daya's grin broadened and he like a child ruffled her hair saying,:" kyu nahi kiya ummeed...tumhe pata nahi hai ki...koi bhi mushkil waqt me...' he paused as his jocose smile converted into an abashed titter,:' aapno ka...kitna ...yaad ata hai...' Anila looked at him with a mixture of fervour and astonishment while Daya keeping his eyes locked with her for some seconds, cringed his face down with an embarrassment... Anila gazing at him with utter stupefaction for some moments, averted her glance elsewhere with an effort to hide the bliss and hastened thereafter,:'bahar...sab log intezar kar rahe hain...mmain...mmain...bahar hun...phir aaungi...' her murmur couldn't conceal the storm inside her...Daya looked at her,and it seemed as if compassion was oozing from her and with a faint yet sated smile nodded...
ACP sir and Salunkhe sir entered together as Anila went out...Daya felt that an unbearable shame seized him badly seeing both of them...
ACP with an affectionate smile asked,:'kaise ho Daya? tum to hum sab ko dara hi diya tha...'
Daya couldn't reply back immediately and spluttered a little late,:'I'm sorry ssir...main...mission ka plan thik se ...follow na kar payaa...aur...' his timid words were interrupted as ACP said in a joyous tone,:"tum ne bohut achcha kaam kiya Dayaa...Mission kamiyaab hai aur ttum thik ho...bas...aur hume kya chaiye?'
The conversation didn't linger as both of them insisted Daya to take rest as much as possible and they came out of the cabin with a happy note...
Daya with a squirm smile, kept recalling the words he just uttered to his wife and ventured to analyse whether the words were spoken just to please his emotional wife or indeed there lied some truth behind those words...He asked himself with a sneer of disdain,:'kya Daya? bada bakhubi se jhut bol diya tum? Jo sach nahi woh keh ke...apni patni ki ummeed kyu bada diya tumne? us jhutha tasalli se uski mann behlana chahte the? ya phir usko yakeen dilana chahte ho...ki...tumhara mann me abhi bas woh hi bas gayi hain...aur tum apna sare ateet ko chutki me bhul ke shayad koi itihas ka rachna kiye ho...kyu? aise mahan ban na chahte the tum Anila ke pas?'
Daya shook his head urgently feeling an irritation which caused spinning of his head...He pillowed his head lying and protested vehemently inside,:'nahi nahi...maine jhut nahi kaha tha...Jab woh sari baatein Anila ko kaha...mere andar jhut kehne ka ek bund guilt bhi nahi tha...hhaaa...tasalli...' his face turned crimson veered between perpexity and anger..:' tasalli...main usko dena chahta tha...ye sahi baat hai...Use rote huye dekh ke...mmujhe...mmujhe...achcha nahi lag raha tha...magar...kya main nahi janta hun ...ke jhutha tasalli se man ne wali ...Anila nahi hain...kitna shakti chhupi huyi hai uski mann me...jo shakti usko apni zindegi ki sach ka samna karna bhi sikhaya...jo sach ke karan woh apna sab kuchh dao pe lagane ke liye bhi taiyar baithi thi? Use behlana...woh bhi jhuth keh ke...ye to na mumkeen hai...'
His reflection countered with a stream of questions,:' to phir Anila ko aisi baatein kyu kaha? kya sach me tumne yaad kiya tha use? kya sach me uski kami mehsus huya tha tumhe mission ke dino me? kya sach me tumhara dil use apna man ne ke liye taiyar ho gaya hai? jawab do quabil Inspector...apna kaam me to kamiyaab ho ke garv se seena tang ke soye ho...magar Anila ke sath ...' the distorted face of the reflection stopped as Daya frantically railed at him,:' main jhut nahi kaha jhut nahi kaha...kitni baar ek hi baat bolna parega tumhe? ' his face became reflective as he sunk himself into thought,:' haaa...mujhe Anila ki yaad aya tha...ek bar...do bar...aur bar bar...sach kahu to...' his nostrills flared and he darted his glance here and there to mitigate the embarrassment associated with it-the embarrassment of revealing something secret to another one...:'sach kahu to...jab jab ...Shreya mujhe kosti rahi...tab tab mujhe bas Anila ki hi yaad aya tha...mera sukha huya dil...is duniya ki karvahath aur dhoop me jala huya dil...Anila se ...chhaya ki ummeed kiya tha...Kya ...kya ye annyay hai? kaho...kya ye annyay hai? hai tumhare pas koi jawab? '
The reflection was stooping down in silence though Daya further asked a little peevishly,:'jo...bina shabd se hi...mere dil ko pad leti hai...kya usse chhaya ka ummeed karna...mera galti hai?'
The reflection with a shrinking face shook his head and vanished...