Ek Ajnabi

Chapter 21

Forgiveness

Daya ki gaadi sarkon pe dor rahi thi. Sarkon pe abhi bhi kaafi chehal pehal thi. Raat abhi itni gehri nahi hui thi. Jagah jagah sarkon pe gaadiyon ka rush laga hua tha. Daya gaadi chala kam aur dora zyaada raha tha. Us ka bas nahi chal raha tha kisi tarah ud ke Abhijeet ko dhoond le. Har guzarta pal use ahsaas dila raha tha ke woh Abhijeet se door ho raha hai. Abhijeet jo kabhi sirf aik ajnabi tha, itna azeez ho gaya tha ke us ki pareshaani mein Daya ka dil dooba ja raha tha. Abhijeet ghalat tha, Daya ne na sirf Abhijeet ko bhai kaha tha balke bhai samjha bhi tha aur aik bhai ki hi tarah sirf us ki bhalayi ke baare mein socha tha. Abhijeet ke saath is guzre mahine mein us ne kayi yaadein Abhijeet ke saath bana li theen aur woh yaadein us ke haafze mein hamesha rehne waali theen. Us pal us ki bebasi ki koi had nahi thi. Woh la ilm tha ke Abhijeet is waqt kahan hai. Use samajh nahi a raha tha ke itne bade shehar mein woh aakhir use kahan kahan dhoonde lekin woh bhi use dhoonde beghair sukoon ki saans nahi le sakta tha. Aik aik kar ke us ke saamne Abhijeet ke saath guzra har pal aankhon ke aage a raha tha. Dil ki bechaini bhi har guzarte pal ke saath badhti hi ja rahi thi. Use sarkon pe phirte hue 15 se zaid minute ho gaye the ke bilaakhir use Abhijeet nazar a gaya. Woh aik basta apne kandhe pe latkaye footpath pe chala ja raha tha. Lagta tha ke use kisi cheez ki hosh hi nahi hai. Woh bas aik seedh mein chala ja raha tha. Manzil se bekhabar. Abhijeet ko dekh kar Daya ne beikhtiyaar sukoon ki aik saans li thi. Khuda ka shukar ada kiya tha. Us ne Abhijeet ke qareeb pahunch kar zor se gaadi ka horn bajaya aur gaadi wahin rok li.

Abhijeet jo yeh awaaz sun kar chounka tha to mud kar dekha. Use aik gaadi nazar ayi. Us ne hairani se us gaadi ki taraf dekha jis ki head lights us ki aankhon mein chub rahi theen. Us ki hairani bas do pal ki hi thi kyunke doosre hi pal, gaadi ka darwaaza khol kar Daya bahar nikla. Daya ko dekh kar Abhijeet ne nazrein phairna chahein. Jo qadam us ne utha liya tha, woh shayad us ka nateeja janna hi nahi chahta tha. Jazbaat mein kayi qadam utha to liye jaate hain magar un ka nateeja kya nikle ga, yeh koi nahi jaanta hota. Abhijeet ko bhi is pal pachtawa sa hua tha apne in ukharte qadmon pe. Kyun woh aise aankhein chura kar bhaag aaya tha.

Daya ne ghusse aur gham ki mili juli kaifiat mein Abhijeet ki taraf dekha aur phir tez tez qadam utha kar us ke qareeb a gaya.

"Tum pagal ho gaye the kya, Abhijeet?" Daya ne Abhijeet ko zor se jhanjhoda. Itni zor se ke na chahte hue bhi Abhijeet ko Daya ki aankhon mein dekhna pada, jahan sirf aik bhai ka pyaar, khayal, aur qadar chupi thi.

"Kuch bolte kyun nahi. Chup kyun ho. Us khat mein to tum pata nahi kya kya likh kar a gaye the. Magar haqeeqat mein to tum mein himmat hi nahi hai ke tum apni safayi mein kuch bol bhi sako" Jab Abhijeet se kuch bola na gaya. Woh jab chup chap sirf Daya ko dekhta raha to Daya ne ghusse ki shiddat se Abhijeet ki nazron mein nazrein daal kar apni dil ki saari bharaas nikaal daali.

"woh Daya..mein" Abhijeet ne bolne ki koshish ki magar us se kuch bola hi nahi gaya. Bolta bhi tab jab koi jawaab hota. Us ke paas to Daya ke kisi bhi sawaal ka jawaab hi nahi tha.

"Kya Daya? Haan? Bilkul theek nahi kiya tum ne Abhijeet. Aise bhi koi karta hai kya. Itni jaldi paraya kar diya mujhe. Aik jhatke mein mujhe tum ne ek ajnabi bana diya. Halanke tum bhi jaante ho ke humara rishta apnon se bhi barh kar hai. Aur upar se itni bewaqoofana harkat ki mujhe tum se umeed nahi thi. Tum soch bhi kaise sakte the yeh sab karne ke baare mein aur jaante ho ke kya hota agar abhi tum mujhe milte nahi. Jaante ho ya shayad janna nahi chahte"

"I'm sorry Daya. Mujhe maaf kar do. Mujhe yeh nahi karna chahiye tha. Pata nahi, pata nahi mujhe kya ho gaya tha. Dil pe bojh sa tha, mein use bas utaar ke phaink dena chahta tha. Mujhe laga ke mein tumhare liye sirf aik bojh hun" Abhijeet ki aankhon se qatra qatra aansu behte ja rahe the. Us mein itni himmat nahi rahi thi ke woh Daya se aankhon mein aankhein daal kar baat kare. Jo harkat woh kar chuka tha, woh use Daya ki nazron mein sharminda karne ke liye kaafi thi.

"Maafi mat mango mujh se. Bas aik waada karo mujh se ke ainda aisi koi harkat nahi karoge aur sab se important mujhe kabhi ajnabi mat samajhna kyunke jin ka dil ka rishta hota hai, woh kabhi ajnabi ho hi nahi sakte. Ab betho gaadi mein. Ghar tumhare bina bohat soona hai" Daya ka ghussa ab qadre kam ho chuka tha. Woh ab tahamul se Abhijeet ko samjha raha tha aur Abhijeet us ki baatein ghor se sun raha tha.

Daya ne Abhijeet ke liye gaadi ka darwaza khola aur use bethne ka ishaara kiya. Abhijeet gaadi mein beth gaya to Daya bhi gaadi mein driving seat pe jam gaya aur gaadi start kar di. Gaadi mein ghup khamoshi thi. Shayad un donon ko hi kuch pal khamoshi ke chahiye the, sochne ke liye. Kuch hi dair mein gaadi Daya ke ghar ke saamne khadi thi. Daya aur Abhijeet gaadi se nikle to Daya ne darwaze mein chabi ghuma kar ghar ko khola.

"Tum ne mujhe dil se maaf kar diya hai na, Daya?" Abhijeet sawaal Daya se kar raha tha magar dekh kahin aur raha tha.

"I'm sorry Abhijeet too kyunke mein tumhe samajh nahi paya. Tumhare dil ki in feelings ko bilkul samajh nahi paya. Ghalti meri bhi thi. Tum agar nahi jana chahte the to mujhe tumhe majboor nahi karna chahiye tha. Mein bhi yahi chahta hun ke tum yahan mere saath hi raho, magar tumhare maa baap ka sun kar. Meine to sirf wohi karne ki koshish ki jo mujhe theek laga..magar ab. Ab mein aisa kuch nahi karunga. Yeh faisala mein tum par chorta hun" Daya ne yeh ab faisla Abhijeet pe chod diya tha. Woh Abhijeet ko dukh aur dard mein nahi dekh sakta tha. Is liye us ne yahi behtar samjha ke maamle ko tawalat na di jaaye aur ise yahin pe khatam kar diya jaaye.

To Be Continued