After a celebration full of gaiety, evening slipped by merging into dark
night...Anila was in tears leaving her brother and sister-in-law while the CID
team members accompanied the couple...Daya had been feeling drumming beats of his
heart as Aman, Anila's brother clenching his palm had almost implored to take
care of his sister with teary eyes...A disturbing thought had been flickering
within his mind that whether he would be able to fulfill such a difficult task or
not...Daya with a sombre face had promised his brother in law and when his glance
had fallen upon the tear suffused face of Anila,a pang had been disturbing since
then...
Reaching at his residence, daya was bamboozled to notice the arrangement his
colleagues had made..Abhijeet and Tarika welcomed the newly wed couple as a
ritual and then when Anila found herself alone in a room decked with flowers, it
was almost 2 a.m...The fragrance of the flowers was wafting up from everywhere
reminding her in every moment that it was her first night as a married woman. She
flushed with shyness as boisterous noises of laughter coming across the hall
room where the colleagues of Daya were making bantering remarks about his marital
status and spending first night with wife...In her effort to alleviate random
throbs of her heart she looked around and her glance stuck with a stand
photograph of Daya kept neatly at his table...A serene smile touched her lips as
she stared at him...Daya took another half an hour to enter into his room where
Anila was waiting for him,eagerly...Daya's face shrunk in shyness blended with
perturbation. Anila turned stiffened hearing his footsteps as it seemed to her
that she would whimper out the pent up emotion of last four years...But Daya
very quietly came and settled beside her...Peaceful silence throbbed between them
until daya prepared himself to reveal out, with a chuckle,:' Thanks Anila...'
he paused and then resurrected back,:' Thanks for the support...'
Anila spluttered out, feebly,:' Thanks kis liye?'
Daya with an uneasy smile,muttered out,:' woh tab Sachin...aise poochh raha tha
ke...'
Anila now, with a placid smile, explained,:' agar us baat ke liye aap mujhe
'thanks' denge...to main bhi aap ko ek 'thanks' dungi...us waqt mujh ko support
dene ke liye jab...Abhijeet sir...mujh ko woh sawal poochha tha...'
Daya chuckled with coyness and said,:'kya bol rahi ho Anila? kya mujhe pata
nahi...ki...us sawal se...tum...ttum kitna pareshan thi...' A tenderness
reflected over his gentle face as Anila looked at him with stupefaction and then
feebly murmured,trying to summon up every bit of courage:'kkya...pata hai aap
ko?'
Daya looked at her initially with a flummoxed face until his straying emotion
could be gripped,:' woh...' a childish smile came over his face,:'woh...shawad
mere sath...woh shaadi ka natak karne ke baad...tumhe aisa laga hoga ke...'
he was hesitant though, with apprehension that his conjecture might come
erroneous,:'ke...pata nahi...aur...kis kis ke...sath...kya
kya...natak...karna parega...' his smile broadened forcing Anila to gaze at
him with rapture until she realized that her reply could ensure her shy and
hesitant husband about his correct surmise and she beamed,:'aap ne sahi
socha...mujhe...' a gloom slowly pervaded her face as she continued,:'
mujhe...aur kisi ke sath...aisa natak karne ki himmat nahi tha...koi bhi
disguise me...jana parta tha...to...' her voice choked,:'to...aap ka...yaad
ata tha...bohut zor se...' her eyes brimmed with tears while daya hastened,:'
Anilaa...thik hai...maat socho...woh sab batein...waise...hi...ro ro
ke...buri halat...ho gaya tumhara...' perplexity was visible over his face..
Anila forced a smile, dabbing her eyes carefully and then
murmured,irresolutely,:'mujhe aap se...kuchh kehna tha...' Daya sighed perhaps
with relief and then sounded low, :'mujhe bhi...ttum se...kkuch kehna tha
Anila...' Anila with a soft smile, replied,:'aap kahiye pehle...'
Daya turned a little russet and stammered,trying to stem the
uneasiness,:'wwoh...tum hi...kaho pehle...mmujhe...ttumhara baat sun na hai...'
tremor shook him as he tried to marshall his thoughts before revealing it to
her...Colour stole into Anila's cheeks as she answered cowering her head,:'aap
bade hain...aap pehle kahiye na...' A gentle smile adorned Daya's face as he
said,:'pati patni me kya chhota bada hai Anila? hum ...hum...' his voice
choked, as shreya's shy face flashed before his eyes,:'hum...jeevan sathi
hain...Anila...aur...is me...koi bhi chhota bada ...nahi hain...'
Anila casted a rapturous glance at him until daya's reflective gaze settled at
her,and then she abruptly stooped down before him, touching his feet with
devotion..Daya was bamboozled for a moment and then he was quick enough to
scooped her up into his arms..Their eyes met and locked for some seconds before
daya panted, with astonishment,:'yee kya kar rahi ho Anila? ' he helped her to
take a seat and then said with a culpable face,:'mmujhe...iitna bhi kuchh...na
do...' guilt seeped through his face,:'jo...pane ka...quabilyat...mujh
me...mujh me...hai nahi...'
Anila repudiated, quietly but stoutly,:'aisa na kahiye...shawad...aap ko...pata
nahi...ki...aap...kitna quabil hai...' A dry smile of affliction came over his
face as he remained silent cogitating the fact about which he maintained
secrecy...but his sprwaling thoughts interposed as Anila asked him in an
emollient tone of voice,:'aap kahiye naa...' Daya gave her a nervous titter and
then said,trying to grip his unbridled emotions,:'baat ye hai Anila...ke
mujhe...mujhe lagta hai...jab hum ek sath...ek naya zindegi ka
...shuruyat...karnewale hain...to ...' he tried to clear his throat with a
cough and then,:'tab...humara beech me...aisa kuchh bhi rehna sahi
nahi...jo...I mean...jis ke bare me...koi ek...anjan hai...'
Anila's covered with gloom as she said with
indecisiveness,:'mmagar...mmagar...main to...sab keh diya ...aur phir...' he
was hurriedly interrupted by Daya,:'mmujhe maloom hai Anila...ki...tumhara taraf
se...koi khamiya...hai nahi...mmagar...shawad main hi tumhe...kuchh kehna
chahta hun...' he twiddled with his fingers trying to bring back the much needed
poise,:'samajh me nahi araha hai...kaise kahu...aur...aur...kya kahu...Ttum ek
nayi dulhan ho...kahi...' he murmured for himself,:'kahi...is baat se...bohut
zada dukhi na ho jao ttum..'Daya started loitering inside his room with a haggard
face until Anila, being immensely perturbed inside her, revealed,
accidentally,:'kya ...meri ek baat sunenge aap? yaha ake baithenge?' Daya was
staggered initially but he obediently came beside her and settled there with a
shrunken face while Anila irresolutely jabbered
out,:'agar...agar...aap...Shreya ke bare me kehna chahte hain...to ...to
...main aap ko...'
daya was befuddled completely to see her pronouncing Shreya's name as it was
beyond his imagination. Embarrassment blending with perpexity printed over his
shy face though Anila continued with immense sympathy,:'ye baat poochh
ke...pareshan karna nahi chahti hun...Waise hi...aap...pehle se pareshan
hain...' Warm wave of as if rushing beside his ears as he stammered with a
bashful snigger,:'shreya...Shreya ke bare me...tumhe...pata hai sab
kuchh...' he couldn't decide whether he would put any question before Anila
about Shreya or not but before that, dismissing all his apprehension, Anila
herself eased his strain,:'nahi...mujhe un ke bare me ...kuchh nahi pata hai
ssir...' she paused, jolted and then came back trying to attain poise,:'I
mean...bas yehi mehsus huya...ki...aap ke mann me...Shreya ke liye...ek
bohut khas jagah hai... ' saying that much Anila lowered her head down and
spluttered out,:'main ye sab is liye keh rahi hun Dayaa si...mera matlab hai
ke...' colour spread over her cheeks as she rectified herself,:'aap ko...ye sab
kehne me...bohut taqleef ho raha tha...Mujhe laga ke...shawad mera kehne
se...aap ka dil ka bojh...kuchh...kuchh kam...ho sake...' concern seeped
through her voice while daya as if impelled to stare at her, being nonplused...
What could he reveal out to her about the inexplicable relationship between
shreya and himself? It seemed to be deep,unfathomable and pure even some weeks
back...but...had it been so...then perhaps it hadn't been cracked with so
much ease; then there hadn't have any silly misjudgement...But the question lied
somewhere else...how could Anila figure out everything? Is it so apparent? Daya
was appalled to even think that how would he be able to screen his most secret
feelings from Anila...
:'kkya...kkya...kisi ne tumhe...Shreya aur mere bare me...kuchh kaha hai
Anila?' Daya dared to ask that question averting his glance from his wife...
Anila answered quietly, gently,yet with a conviction,:' mujhe...aap ki baat sun
na hai Daya...woh bhi...agar...aap...is ke bare me...koi baat karna
chahe...to...'
Daya looked at her now, though a swirl of confusion blurred his vision as he
muttered,:'kehna chahta hun Anila...bohut kuchh kehna chahta
hun...magar...mmagar...mere kehne se pehle hi...tum bohut kuchh samajh liya
Anila...' he paused meaningfully and returned back, trying to grip his
emotion,:'hhaa...ye sach hai...ki mere mann me...Shreya ke liye...ek khas
jagah hai...aur...shawad...age bhi...rahega...magar Anila...ye na
socho...ki...'
Anila kept her palm over daya's and with a fervent glance she
purred,:'bas...main janti hun ...age ...aap kya bolenge...Main janti
hun...aap ko taqleef hoga...na kahiye...'
A faint light twinkled in the depth of his dark eyes as he stared at her with
sheer astonishment while Anila's painful restive eyes wandered through every inch
of his face searching for something...Daya evaded his eyes as he noticed the
bemused face of his wife and after he could overcome his coyness, he
uttered,:'mera ...taqleef se...zada important hai...humara ...ek dusre ke
pas...faithful rehna...'
Her eyes reflected an excruciating ache as she beseeched,:'aisa baat keh
ke...kyu taqleef dete hain aap mujhe bar bar? kya aap ko pata nahi hai...ki aap
kisi ke bhi sath...unfaithful...ho hi nahi sakte hain...'
Daya flashed a faint smile partly with contend and partly with an abrupt
hollowness not to reveal himself and mumbled,:'shawad...shawad...ttum thik keh
rahi ho...kyuki...aaj ...koi bhi aisa baat karna nahi chaiye...jis
se...tumhe...ya mujhe...' he paused and with an uneasy titter returned back,:'
dukh pauche...' he stopped abruptly,as something started blinking in the back of
his mind...He sighed with a despair recalling that how he had been happy with his
fertile imagination about his first married night with Shreya...
:'kya huya?' asked Anila worriedly...
:'kuchh nahi...' Daya startled and then answered back in a seemingly delighted
manner...
Anila stared at him for some seconds before coming back with a complete different
attitude,:' yaha pe jhula hai na?' mischief was glinting within her eyes though
daya was baffled listening to her words and couldn't react until Anila added,:'
nahi jhulna hai kya jhule me?' Daya reached at the paroxysm of astonishment and
jabbered, helplessly,:'jhula...pichhe ki...baag me...' Anila flashed an
ingenuous grin and then let out an impassioned murmur,:'ghabraiye maat...Aap hi
mujhe kaha tha...' she paused; the parlance of her eyes turned turbid with
fervour,:'jhula ki bare me...aur...suhag raat me...jhule me...jhulne ke bare
me...' her blissful face darkened with a gloom as she continued,:'shawad...aap
ko...isliye...yaad nahi...kyuki...woh aap...Anila ko nahi...Ansha
ko...kaha tha...Ansha...jo daraki ka ...bhatiji...thi...' crimson colour of
shame sprinkled over the face of Daya and his head was lowered by reflex...Anila
awakened as the silence between them lingered and with a dolorous smile
sursurrated,:' agar...main aap ko...anjane me...koi dukh de diya...to meri
galti ke liye main...maafi...' Daya interposed
hurriedly,:'nahi...Anila...galti...tumhara ...nahi hai...balki...main to is
baat se...hairan reh gaya ke...' he paused, cringed down once with a coy smile
and then returned back,:'ke...Ansha ko kaha huya baatein...Anila ban ke...sun
ke...kaise tum...itni din tak...yaad karke rakh paya...'
Anila immediately looked at him, only to find innocent humour within his smoky
eyes...She lowered her eyes with an abashed chuckle..