Niyati had done three stiches successfully maintaining poise while Daya waited to assist her though the crowd had been dispersed long ago...The old lady was feeling weak and thus resting in couch...Daya was hovering between his two self being flummoxed enough that whether he should stay there further or leave...but before that the conclusion came as Niyati's phone rang loud...
After a minute she came back to sitting room with an annoyed face flinging her hands,:'goshhh...aab is me rasoi bhi nahi ayegi...' she moved here and there with confusion and grasping her long tress she expressed her anxiety,:'ab tumhara dekhbhal karuuu ya khana banau?'
Daya,with much hesitation,suggested,:'aap ek kaam kar sakti hai...mmain...nanijee ke pas baith jata hun...aap...' apprehension seeped through his face as he was expected a sharp rejection from Niyati,:'aap...khana bana lijiyee...' Niyati though denied to accept his suggestion but with unexpected modesty,:'ye kaise ho sakta hai Daya? subah se...aap idhar hi baithe hain...aap ko bhi to...ghar jana hai...khana khana hai...'
Daya with a benevolent smile answered back,:'mera koi taqleef nahi hogaa...'
Niyati stared at him cryptically and as Daya looked at her he almost startled to see a little queer luminous parlance of her eyes...He cringed down with a slight inconvenience and almost within a second he heard her voice,though it was business-like,:'thik hai...magar aap ko phir ek shart maan na parega mera...'
Daya raised his eyes with a staggered expression and asked,with puckered eyes,:'kaisa shart?'
Niyati with a conceited smile replied back,masterfully,:'aap ko...yaha lunch karna parega...'
Daya's astonished face transfigured into smiling one though he was staggering between accepting or rejecting her proposal...
:'mmagar...' he jabbered out,:'iss ka...koi...jaroorat nahi hai...doctor...' he felt faltering as Niyati countered back stoutly,:'guest ka khatirdari karne ka class aap hi to liya tha...yaad hai?'her lips curled comically to form a half smirk while an unknown bashfulness pervaded Daya's face as he temporized to reply back with lowered eyes,:'bohut purani baat hai ye ...aur phir...' he somehow mustered courage to be bantering,:'ajeeb baat to ye hai...ke aap...woh sab...abhi bhi...yaad karke rakha...'a pure innocense rippling as his faint smile spread over his gentle face...
:'to maan rahe hain aap...' said Niyati with an indulgent smile,:'ki meri yaaddash achchi hai...'
Daya with a demure smile reminded her,:'aap khana bana lijiye...main nanijee ke pas baith ta hun...'
:'oh yesss...' niyati exclaimed and whooshed towards the kitchen...
Daya kept sitting on the couch just in front of the other couch where the old lady had been lying weakly..He kept gazing at the frail and sallow face of the lady which seemed at the same time very dejected and anxious...It seemed as if in sleep too the lady was getting worried for someone...A note of deep sympathy wreathed with sorrow aroused within him as he became thoughtful about how decrepitude came creeping to seize everyone...
Almost half an hour elapsed when Niyati appeared further with a bowl of soup and a plate of pea rice with vegetables..
Niyati raised those plates towards Daya saying,:'please thora pakriye naa...' and then she kneeled on the floor and with some gentle pat tried to wake up her granny,:'nnaniii...thora kha lo...'
The lady denied with a contorted face while Niyati continued persuading her in a soothing voice,unlike her nature,:'pleeaaase...dekho...aaj main khana banake layi hun...'
The lady continued denying food and niyati continued persuading,:'aise kaise chalega haa? tumhe pata bhi hai kitna khoon beh gaya hai tumhara? haa? kitna weak ho gaye ho tum?'
Daya gazed at Niyati with an astounding glance as he hadn't ever have the opportunity to experience such an emotional self of her...Now getting a little aware about the situation he felt it his duty to help her in convincing her nani about having some food...He chimmed in though in hesitation,:'Niyati...' he felt it odd to pronounce her name without addressing 'doctor',:'thik keh rahi hai nani...aap ko...' he paused with a disconcerted face as the lady now being aware of the presence of an unknown man stared at him with astonishment...
Daya added,trying to be poised and gentle,:'aap ko kuchh to khana parega...'
A grateful smile spread over Niyati's face as she once looked at Daya and asserted,:'dekhaa...Daya bhi yehi keh raha hai..Kuchh to khana parega tumhe...'
The aged lady now endeavoured to pop herself up asking feebly,:'ttum...kaun ho beta?'
An awkward embarrassment seeped through his face as he looked at Niyati at a glance and her silence befuddled him more as he discerned the fact that Niyati too was feeling discomfort in answering such a simple yet delicate question...
:' tum ko to...is se pehle...nahi dekha tha beta...' stated the lady falteringly...
While Niyati was scrabbling for a plausible reply,Daya came to rescue her,:'wwoh...nani...mmain...aur niyati...sath me...kaam karte the...' he paused trying to perceive whether the lady was satisfied or not and his tongue slipped,:'hum...dost hain nani...'
Niyati promptly turned her face towards Daya with a staggering expression while a very unexpected grin rippled over the face of the lady as she uttered in a relieved tone,:'woooooh...to tu meri Niyati ka dost hai...'
:'naniii!' exclaimed Niyati with a mixture of embarrassment and bafflement...
The weak lady suddenly turned jocose though still the sign of stress imprinted over her face,:'mujhe kyu...aakhein dikha rahi hai? itne dino se poochhti rahi...magar...mujhe kuchh nahi kaha...sab chhupati rahi...aur...'Niyati now intruded a little brashly,:'aisa kuchh bhi nahi hai nani...' her voice seemed thick and hard,though the lady hadn't been disappointed even a little and added,patting over Niyati's cheeks,:'mujh se chhupane ka kya jaroorat hi hai tujhe? agar teri ma zinda hoti to...' Niyati again chimmed in and this time a little forcefully like a woman who could fight back getting hurt,:'nnani...maine kaha naa...dikhane aur chhupane ka kuchh bhi nahii...'
The glow that had been visible in the face of the lady now extinguished abruptly as she stated now in a lower tone,:'thik hai...kar zid...jo marzi woh kar...mujhe kya...kal ko dekhne nahi aaungi main kuchh bhi...' her face seemed puffy like a child and Niyati heaved a long sigh of dejection and tiredness as she slung herself down beside her granny,leaning against the couch,staring vacantly at the ceiling...
Daya was perplexed enough not to thrust himself into their private conversation until he realised that these ladies were stubborn enough to stick to their own points and in this way no one would gain anything except the old lady would have to be hungry...IT was embarrassing to perceive that he would be the cause of their dissension and to get rid off that unwanted situation he spluttered irresolutely trying to flash a natural smile though it converted into a titter unknowningly,:'nnani jee...woh...Niyati ke sath...jhagra baad me hoga...Abhi to aap...kha lijiye...aaiye...' unlike his nature of being an introvert man,he leapt to his feet and kneeled before the old lady with soup bowl and a spoon in his hand...The lady too couldn't argue anymore and like an obedient child she kept sipping soup from the spoon Daya held...
Niyati couldn't notice anything as an unknown annoyance churned inside her and when accidentally her eyes stuck on Daya,she sat straight getting nonplussed...
The old lady asked in between sipping,:'Tera naam kya hai?'
Niyati snorted with irritation while Daya replied gently,:'Daya...'
:'achcha naam hai...jaise tera pyara surat...waisa hi naam hai...'she remarked unknowingly making both of her companion flummoxed and inconvenient...Colour dyed on Daya's cheeks while Niyati turned her face away from them and sat still grizzling with anger inside her...
As she finished slurping the soup,Daya now busied himself in feeding her some solid food and she too without protest eating eagerly,shooting some questions in every possible moment...It was as if an interview Daya was facing from somewhat stringent and somewhat kind old lady and though he felt that wave of something akin to bashfulness passing through him sitting infront of the prying eyes of the lady,he never felt affronted..
Niyati was silent as her mission was getting fulfilled at least for the time being; because she had thought it almost impossible to feed her inflexible granny,and somehow she felt a huge flame of anger was disturbing her seeing that her granny was behaving so obediently interacting with a complete stranger..It was like her defeat and as she continued pondering over it again & again,she felt insulted...Hard lines appeared on her forehead and her jaws bobbed up & down...She turned her face sharply towards Daya and looking at his gentle abashed smile as he flashed for granny,something started melting inside her and she quickly perceived that the anger was dispelling fast spreading a tenderness in the centre of her heart...She tried to whipped up her emotion and maintained a hardened face until her granny finished devouring the food very unexpectedly...It seemed that she was spurred abruptly to see just a man in her house...A man? Just a stranger unknown man! How deplorable the fact was! Niyati perceived that further an aching anoyance was peeping inside her heart...She squinted her eyes at her granny to watch how delightfully she was talking to Daya, forgetting the fact wholly that even two days back she had been lying on the couch with an apathetic face and denying to utter anything that her grand-daughter was asking her...
:'tere ghar me kaun kaun hain beta?' asked the lady with a note of affection...
Daya took no umbrage and with an uneasy titter, he replied like an obedient child,:'koi...nahi hai...nanijee...'
:'hey bhagwan!' she exclaimed with a shocking gesture and added with sympathy,:'itna pyara ladka ka...dekhbhal karne ke liye...ghar pe koi nahi hai?'
:'nanii..' Niyati ventured to stop her though in vain attempt and she leapt to her feet to go away like storm from there...
Daya felt the scorching heat of Niyati's anger which made him more flummoxed and left him bereft of speech...He also discerned the fact that he would have to depart soon if he desired to maintain peace in this household...
AS the old lady lied again on the couch for resting,Daya hesitantly called,:' ...'
No one answered for a minute impelling him to call once more,:'nniyati jee..' Daya was looking haggard and quite helpless though this time his luck wasn't that bad as Niyati appeared with an emotionless look and invited him with a dry voice,:'aaiye Daya...khana ready hai...'
Daya with sluggish steps and irresolute gestures advanced towards the table...
:'dekhiye...' Niyati sounded sardonical as usual,:'meri banaya huya khana...kitna kha sakte hain aap?' her lips pressed to form a smile though Daya perceived that beneath that something unknown was smouldering inside her-something which couldn't be conjectured easily...
Daya maintained silence, flapped his plate and as he raised his glance,Niyati's half smile was visible to him...He tittered as Niyati averted her narrower eyes filled with a mixture of derision and curiosity and then went on to serve him peas rice and spicy cauliflower..
Daya again flashed a demure smile and waited for her...but she on the other hand kept waiting for Daya to start...
Daya with puckered eyes,asked her,:'aap nahi khayenge?'
Niyati looking at him with a quizzical glance smirked finally to deliver,:'Atithi ko bhukha chhor ke...khana khane ka shiksha...' she pressed her lips further to finish,:' mujhe nahi mila hai Daya jee...'
Some random crimson colour stole into his cheeks as his face couldn't stem to show how staggered he had been and Niyati continued to relish much waited perplexity over his face...His lips curled into an amusing smile as he shrugged at last, saying,:'wake hi...aap ka ...memory cells...' he hunched a little and whispered the rest comically,:'kuchh zada hi active hain...'
Niyati disarmingly flashed a grin,stating,:' to maan rahe hain aap...'
Daya with a throaty luagh this time remarked,:'chaliye maan liya ke aap mujh se kayi guna zada achcha host hain...abhi aap bhi khana khaiye...'
Niyati with a bantering smile flapped her own plate and kept serving herself saying,:'kyu? main nahi khaungi to aap ka khane me koi taqleef hoga kya?'
:'of course hoga,' Daya was prompt this time with a twitting smile...
:'woh kaise?' Niyati asked with a coquettish smile...
:' kyuki main akela khata rahunga...aur aap mann hi mann mujhe gali dete rahenge ki...sach me...is kharoos aadmi to bada ill mannered hain...' his ingenuous grin slowly faded the smile away from Niyati's face as she felt herself in trance beholding at him bewilderingly as he started chewing the food...
Daya was eating peacefully until he felt that a pair of gleaming eyes was fixed upon him...and as he mustering his courage raised his glance at Niyati, she averted her glance and started eating very slowly...Daya, flashing a coy smile remarked,:' aap...itna achcha khana bana leti hain...mujhe to abhi...sharm araha hai...ke...kaise...aap mera khana...kha payi thi...' A queer gentle wave passing through his face made Niyati irrecoverably weak...She though became conscious and put her best effort to stem her emotion,:' aap me...jitna bhi khamiya hain...' she tried to sound analytical and prudent,:'ye us me se ek hai...pata hai aap ko?' she glanced at him sharply making Daya a little flummoxed...
:'kaun sa?' asked Daya,inquiringly...
Niyati flashed a complacent smile before replying back,:' Aap ka ye modesty aap ko pichhe leke ja sakta hai...' she muttered it like a suggestion while Daya protested again with a diffident smile,:'modesty nahi hai doctor...jo mujhe sach laga wohi kaha tha bas...' a loose smile pasted over his face as he looked at her and then seeing her silent he resorted to the food again...
Niyati came back after a perceivable long pause,:'mere jaise kisi ke pas kam se kam aise na kehna...ki aap kya nahi kar sakte hain...' a mischief glinted within her eyes and as Daya glanced at her a little puckishly,she resurrected back again,:'kyuki mere jaise llog yehi yaad karke rakhenge...ki aap ko kya nahi ata hai...aur baad me...' she closed and opened her eyes quickly to utter the rest,:' aap ko tana bhi denge...'
Daya chuckled meaninfully; his brows raised amusingly and he chewed the food carefully before divulging his thought,:' jin ka mann me...kisi ko tana dene ka itna ichchha hain...woh kisi ko...sabdhan nahi karte hain doctor...' his face adorned with a grin that wasn't carrying any superciliousness or any kind of smug satisfaction but only an air of pure gaiety...
A frisson of scare passed through her heart as an apprehension suddenly sprang up within her that might everything be apparent before his sage eyes...She hurried back into having food in an abrupt manner that he noticed...
Uncomfortable silence was throbbing awkwardly between them,making them felt immensely inconvenient...
Niyati felt the irratic beats of her heart against her ribs as Daya's gentle face was gleaming with the refracted sunbeams coming through the windows...His lowered face, the precision of his lips in musticating the food, the quiff of his hair that was swaying lightly, his carefully chosen intervals of batting confused and shy eyelids, his moving adam's apple...everything contributed in racing her pulse...
With almost a stifling breathlessness, she broke the silence in a bustle, pretending to be oblivious,:'arey...main...main bhul hi gayi...aap thora aur rice lijiye...aur...ye veg ball dena to...mmain...bhul hi gayi thi...'
Daya felt relieved as the silence ceased and with a surprising glance and faint chuckle he now asked politely,:'ek baat kahu?'
Niyati permitted him with a nod and smirk,:'jee haa kahiye...'
Daya's smile broadened as he revealed,defencelessly,:'aap...bohut badal gayi hain...'
A cryptic smile hovered at the corner of her lips as she gazed at him meaningfully for five seconds before evaded her glance sharply with a seeming to be sneer...Daya chuckled again and returned to the food while Niyati closing her eyes prayed hard for emboldened herself so that the causes wouldn't be so evident to him...She buried scare in her fists and tried to be strong enough to analyse anything & everything,:'exactly...kya badlav nazar me aya aap ko?' she further casted an imperious look at him...
Daya chewed the food and with a long sigh resurrected back with a confident smile,:'changes...in every aspect...'
:'for worse or for better?' Niyati shot the question like an interviewer giving him a deprecating look...
Daya's lips pressed to form a skittish chuckle as he shrugged answering,:'for better I hope...' mischief was glinting in his eyes...
Niyati nodded like a judicious one and then remarked,like a proud analyst:"aap me bhi thora sa badlav aya hai...'
Daya raised his inquiring eyes and kept eating while Niyati with a smile revealed,:'at least Pradhan ko handle karne me...thori si maturity aya hai aap ko...' her candid grin was surprising for Daya as she added more with a little throaty laugh,:'at least jhagra karna band kiya hai aap ne...'
Daya's face gleamed with inviolate innocense as he grinned...Niyati gazed for a few seconds at his face enchantingly,covetously and then with a long sigh she hastened back to have food with a seemingly grim face...
After the lunch Daya visited the old lady who was seeming to be in sound sleep...He kneeled before her couch patting her tangled white hair for a little without having knowledge that Niyati was scrutinizing his affectionate face standing riveted at the door...
Niyati's glance deepened watching Daya's gentle face which was radiating pure affection for an octogenarian.
Daya slowly leapt to his feet unknowingly giving Niyati the much opportunity to compose herself...Turning towards the door he was a little staggered to see Niyati there and then with a candid smile he said,:'ab main chalu doctor Pradhan...'
Niyati forcing a courteous smile,thanked him,generously,:'kaise aap ko shukriya bolu...woh pata nahi Dayaa...'
Daya intruded with a humorous tone,:'woh to mujhe aap ko kehna chaiye doctor...Itni achchi nani se milaya mujhee...itna achcha khana khilaya...'
Niyati's eyes turned a little tempting as she murmured,:'aisa lagta hai ki...mazak karna...aap ka nasha hai..'
Daya's face ablazed further with a priceless grin as he countered,carefully,:'nahi doctor...jo kaha ...woh mazak nahi...balki sach hai...'
Niyati with an air of nonchalance,started flicking her long sleeky tress and then remarked scornfully,:'chahe jhutha hi sahi...magar nani ke pas aap mera dost hain...kyu? aur...dost ko...kabhi jhut nahi kehna chaiye...right ?'She was quite unaware that her squinted eyes fell upon him tantalizingly which Daya faced quite unflinchingly with an alluring smile,:'jhut kahu...aise soch ke to kuchh kaha nahi tha doctor...' a teasing smile waited at his lips,:'lekin is me...agar aap na khush hai...to meri kaha huya baat main wapas le leta hun...'
Niyati,puckering her brows together,added, comically,:'achcha? aise baat bhi wapas le sakte hain aap?jaise ki...'her eyes flamed with derision,:'bazar se kuchh cheeze kharid ke le gaye the...pasand nahi aya to...wapas karne aye hain...' Daya noticed the mocking parlance of her eyes and with an abashed smile he replied,:'mera pasand...na pasand to...bematlab hai doctor Pradhan...'he paused gazing at the floor vacantly for some second before resuming,a little dolefully,:' chahe jhut ho...ya sach...magar ek dukhi mann ko...jab mere baato se...thori si tasalli mila...tab...mujhe achcha laga tha...'his face slowly became lugubrious and repentant as he added with a murmur,:'aap ko...us baat se...bura laga hai...to...maafi chahta hun doctor...' An uneasy silence reigned between them-a silence that was stifling and difficult to bear...
Niyati's glance fixed at Daya-with a mixture of emotion...She was burning with a searing guilt but her lips denying to utter anything that could wipe out his discomfort...
Daya,with an awful smile,murmured,:'goodbye doctor Pradhan...'
Niyati remained bereft of speech,pathetically,frenziedly...