2nd October, Mata Parvati Temple

Daya Anila had been completing every rituals follwing the priest, frugally though peacefully. , Abhijeet, Fredricks, Sachin, Nikhil,Pankaj, dushmyant,Divya, Purvi, Ishika, and Tarika were present there as Daya's relative while Anila's Brother Aman and sister-in-law Preeti Mathur were present from the bride's side...A peaceful serenity reflected through the face of Mrs. Mathur as Anila was taking Saat phera with Daya...Abhijeet too blissfully watching everything until the priest declared that now the couple had quietly finished every rituals...Daya Anila kneeled before the Mother Goddess and everyone with smiling faces, were flinging the flower petals at them...

Just at that moment Siddharth appeared with Shreya...Daya smiled looking at Siddharth though he dared not to look at Shreya...After the ceremony,Mr and Mrs Mathur anounced,:' thori si door, Sundaram cottage me ek chhoti si function ka intezam kiya hai...hum aap sabhi ko request karenge waha pe ane ke liye...please...aap sab aaiye...' Everyone agreed delightfully and the newly wed couple, engulfed by their dear ones, went into a car decked with flowers and started for the Sundaram Cottage..Inside the car, Daya once glanced at his wife and just at the same moment Anila too glanced at her husband...Their gaze met and fell thereafter as Anila with a shy face looked outside through the opened window...Daya felt that Anila's blissful face had been making him happy and an inexplicable satisfaction filled his heart...

When they reached at Sundaram cottage, a big surprise was waiting for them as ACP sir himself welcomed them there with a grinning face and wide hands...After the emotional union, ACP spluttered out, dabbing his moistened eyes,:' daya tum to sach me chhupa rustam nikle...haa? char din ke liye gayab aur ek hafte me shaadi? '

Daya cowered down with a crimson coy face replying back,:'pata nahi ssir...ye sab...ekdam...achanak hi...' ACP said with boisterous joy,:'haaa haa...are Dayaaaa...tumhara shaadi abhi likha huya tha...chalo andar aao...abhi sab mehman log ajayenge...'

Daya protested mildly,:'sir...mehman kaha? sab log to humara hi hain...'

ACP gave a throaty laughter and said,:'haaa...sab ko khushi manane ka ek mauka to doge na?' now his stare fell upon the blushing bride and with a affectionate smile, he kept his palm over her head and murmured,:' ttum ko kya kahu Anila...Bhagwan ttum dono ko... dher sara khushi de...aur aur...ttum log sada ...sada...jee bhar ke...meethi meethi jhagra kar sako...' saying that much ACP laughed again, while daya was jolted not fully with embarrassment but with surprise to see ACP pradyuman in such a bantering mood...Anila shrunk with shyness and once looked at him squintly with a mixture of reverence and delight...ACP ushered them the way while the couple followed ACP blindly...

[After an hour]

The newly wed couple was surrounded by the members of CID as some were razzing with them...

Pankaj: waise bhabiji...aap ko bohut sabdhan rehna parega...jab daya sir ghar wapas aye to bell sun ne me galtiyan na karna...nahi to darwaza tod ke andar ajayenge woh...

Sachin: arrey Pankaj...bhabiji ko na sikhao ye baat...woh tum se zada janti hain Daya sir ko...

Pankaj: kaise jante hain? bhabiji ko to main bas abhi hi dekha...is ke pehle kabhi bhi daya sir ke sath dekha nahi...iska matlab to yehi huya na...ke...ye arranged marriage hai..(wink)

Abhijeet: arrey pankaj...tum yaha pe kya kar rahe ho haa? chalo...yaha pe khana ka department hai nahi...waha ja ke...gulab jamun ko taste kar lo...

pankaj: guuuulaaaab...abhi tak mujhe ye kyu na kaha ssir? abhi jata hun...freddy sir mere sath arahe ho kya aap?(wink)

Fredy:woh...kaise...are tu ja na yaar...( dangling between delicious food and playing prank with the newly wed)

Abhijeet: waise Anilaaa...I mean...I mean...(with a guilty face) bhabiji...aap police ka naukri chhor kyu diya?

Anila:(with a perplexed face) woh...actually ...

Daya chimmed in immediately to rescue her,:' woh baat ye hai Abhijeet...ki...Anila ko hamesha se...social work me interest tha...aur ...jab use...woh kaam karne ka mauka mil gaya ...tab woh full fledgely social work hi karna chaha...' he finished with an abashed face as Abhijeet was staring at him meaningfully asking by the parlance of his eyes,:'kya boss? shaadi huya ke nahi...usko protect karne kud gaye...haaeein...kaisa majboot bandhan...kitna gehra prem...' Anila too glanced at Daya bewitchingly until Abhijeet shrugged with a smile pregnant with meaning...

Shreya, standing a little far with Tarika, listened to the words of Daya and stared at him astoundingly..Jealousy flowed out of her heart as she looked at the contend face of Anila and quickly she jerked her face away...An unknown anger was flaming inside her and she couldn't hide it when Tarika asked,:'chalo...bachelorhood ka badnam to mita kisi ka?'

Shreya rasped,:'woh mitane ke liye itna jaldbazi karke air gair kisi ko bhi utha lane ka jaroorat nahi tha...'

Tarika puckered her brows and her jaws tightened to see the overt jealousy of Shreya, but she remainedsilent and glanced towards the newly wed couple...

Sachin asked, humorously,:' to ssir...kya aap...honeymoon me yaha se sidha nikal ja rahe hain?'

With much discomfiture daya answered,:'nnahi Sachin...honeymoon ke bare me...abhi...socha nahi...'

Dushmyant now interferred with a smiling face,:'ssir ye to bhabiji ke sath injustice hai...aap nikal jaiye ssir...hum samhal lenge...'

Daya replied further, this time with poise,:'abhi chhutthi nahi denge ACP sir...waise hi main...bohut...chhutti le liya last week...' his face wreathed with an uneasy smile and just then quite unexpectedly Anila jabbered out, :'darasal...mujhe bhi...kuchh...jaroori...kaam par gaya ...To...' she stopped while daya glanced at her, with a staggered expression until he heard a bantering tone of voice of abhijeet,:' wah wah...kya jodi hai bhai...dono ka kam bhi ek sath...chhutti bhi sath sath le lena...kyu daya?' daya and anila blushed with shyness while Shreya swore in low voice,:'so unromantic she is...daya sir ka musibat ban ne ayi hai...' gnashing her teeth she turned her face away...

Now Siddharth advanced towards the newly wed couple and divulged,:'waiseee...humara shaadi ke baad to Shreya ka chhutti must hai...honeymoon na leke gaya to...woh to rishta hi tor degi shayad...' a teasing smile reflected over his face as he asked,for support,:'kyu shreya? sahi kaha na?'

Daya's face turned grim and everyone felt embarrassed as Shreya answered back, a little defiantly,:'waise sage aur romantic logo ko...aisa hi karna chaiye...'

A pall of darkness descended over Anila and she lowered her face down in order to hide it. It was not difficult to perceive what Shreya alluded but it was not her own discomfort for what she had been getting worried...Her palm turned ice cool to think how Daya could bear the taunt of Shreya and feeling tired she closed her eyes forcefully...

Abhijeet felt as if he would burst out but he curbed his emotion and trying to broaden his face with a smile, he asked, :'kuchh peeyoge Daya? cold drink la ke dun?'

Daya, repessing the pain inside, spluttered out,:'nnahi ...kuchh na chaiye abhi...tum log khana kha lena...'

abhijeet flashed him a titter and sighed with distress...

In a moment, when everyone were busy having delicious lunch, Shreya slipped into the room, where Anila was sitting alone, taking out her jewellery...Shreya's unceremonious entrance baffled Anila a little but with a placid smile over her face she welcomed her,:'arrey Shreyaa...aao naa...'

Shreya stared at her, contemptuously from her head to toe, deliberately making her uncomfortable so that she would have to think about her worth, before she could look at Dayaa..

Anila offered her a seat :'please baitho...'

Shreya snorted with disdain,:'tum ko thik se dekhne ayi hun...'

Anila smiled faintly and spluttered, a little comically,:'kyu? ab tak dekha nahi?'

Shreya's stern face turned a shade crimson as her eyes emitted rancour; she smirked and commented jeeringly,:'woh dekhna aur abhi ka dekhne me phark hai...'

Anila with a candid smile, asked her,:'kya phark?'

Shreya mocked her promptly,:'daya sir has risen into the summit of his career...unka partner ban ne ke kitna quabliyat tum me hai...ye to hume dekhna parega na? After all...he is Daya sir...Koi bhi ladki unka patni ban ne ki quabil hai nahi...' She gave Anila a withering look after finishing her words, while Anila stared at Shreya for some times, before answering with a tranquil chuckle,:'ye to...pehle dekhna chaiye tha naa...abhi to...ban chuki hun patni...'

The smug satisfaction that had covered shreya's face until now to hurt Anila, ebbed away seeing her unexpected poise which made her more angry...Griting her teeth, she snapped,:'ek baat yaad rakhna Anila...hum log daya sir ke family se kuchh kam nahi...agar hum kuchh kehte hain...to daya sir...us baat pe akh band karke yakeen karte hain...'

Anila with a beaming smile, replied,:'ye to achchi baat hai...mujhe pata rahega...ki...is duniya me...unka khayal rakhnewale bohut log hain jo ke unke apne hain...'

Shreya was going to say something raising her finger at Anila, as her poise was getting unbearable for her but just at that moment, Purvi entered there with a worried face, and staring at Shreya, she rasped,:'shreya tum idhar? main aur tarika kab se dhoond rahe the...khana nahi khaoge kya?'

Shreya lowered her finger and stormed out of the room leaving an impression of someone who had been reached at the peak of her anger just a few moment before...Purvi sighed with unrest and then flashed a frank smile at Anila, :'agar Shreya...kuchh galat keh diya...to tum...bura na man na bhabi...' she said,apologetically while Anila protested gently,:'nahi nahi Purvi...Shreya to ...mujh se...jaan pehchan karne ayi thi...aur phir...nanad aur bhabi me...thori nauk jhauk to banta hai na?' she grinned finishing her words, while purvi with a sympathetic smile, left the room...

Shreya Tarika and Purvi though gathered together with their respective plates, but there was a tension sprang up among them, which was perceivable distinctly...

Purvi took the initiative,:'shreya...tum to kuchh bhi nahi kha rahi ho?'

Shreya hissed with anger,:'meri gale se...nahi utar raha hai khana purvi...kyu poochh rahi ho?'

Purvi tried to appease her ,:'ab aya to khana parega naa...'

Shreya hissed further this time wistfully,:'agar Siddharth zid na karta...to main...nahi ati yaha pe...' her last words were merely whisper...

Tarika asked looking at her a little dubiously,:'siddharth...zid kiya ?'

shreya tried to compose herself saying,:'hhha...'

Purvi stated, unemotionally,:'abhi dukh karke kya faida hai Shreya? tumhare jeevan me Siddharth na ata...to shawad...shawad...hum bhi aise...yaha pe...khare nahi rehte...shawad...tab situation hi...alag hotaa...'

Shreya looking at Purvi with a mixture of anger astonishment and anguish, asked her,:'kya...kkya is situation ka...zimmedar...bas...main hun?'

Purvi made no reply and concentrated upon the items of her plate while Shreya ventured further,:'kkya...daya sir ka...koi bhi...zimmedari nahi tha...sab kuchh thik karne ka?'

Tarika interrupted her now,:'you are too late Shreya...abhi ye sab discuss karke kisi ka bhala nahi honewala hai...tumhara sagai ke pehle hum tum ko hazar bar samjhane ki koshish kiya tha...kiya tha ya nahi? apni zindegi me bare me...aisa koi faisla na lo...jis me...jis me...baad me tumhe pachhtana pare...magar tum jab tab na suni...to is waqt...jab sab kuchh quite settled ho gaya hai...tab ...' she stopped listening to the voice of Siddharth,:' shreya tum khana kha liya kya?'

Shreya, trying to be composed, pretending to be happy, answered,:'hhaa...bas ho hi gaya hai...kyu?'

Siddharth said ,:'nahi...ek jaroori meeting tha mera...phir main...' he was interrupted as Shreya eagerly muttered,:'hhaa of course...meeting zada important hai...' she left her plate in dustbin and dabbing her lips a little, mumbled again,:'ek minute...main abhi ati hun...' She vanished out in a moment leaving the area and straight entered into the room where daya was sitting with abhijeet...

Shreya stated without any introduction,:'ssir...main ja rahi hun...' she looked at daya with some anticipation while daya remained silent...Abhijeet though tried to handle the predicament,:'aarrey...abhi...abhi hi ja rahi ho? khana khaya na?'

Shreya kept staring at daya with sarcasm, answered,:'ha sir...Siddharth ko ek jaroori meeting hai...I can't stay here for long...'

Daya now, raising his eyes flashed a faint smile, saying,:'thanks Shreya...tum siddharth ko leke ayi...is me...mujhe...bohut...achcha laga...' he again cowered his face down, while shreya countered with a snobbish impertinent smile,:'magar mujhe...achcha nahi laga sir...I can't appreciate your choice sir...'

colour stole into daya's cheeks while Abhijeet was about to scold shreya but daya clenched his hand tightly until shreya left with a sardonic smile...

Abhijeet shrieked out,:'kyu aise jane diya use? kya tumhe kuchh nahi kehna tha?'

Daya, with a dolorous smile, murmured,:'chhor do Abhijeet...aaj ye sab discuss karne ka din nahi hai...'

Abhijeet took a deep breath, trying to dismiss every bit of anger and dejection inside himself, and then with a frank smile, he asked daya possessively,:'chalo khane abhi...'