Ek Ajnabi

Chapter 24

What is the Truth?

Recap: Abhijeet comes under Daya's car. Daya takes Abhijeet to the hospital where he needs a good amount of money for Abhijeet's operation because Doctors can't locate Abhijeet's parents or any relatives. Daya comes up with money by selling his mother's jewels. Abhijeet's operation starts and after operation it is revealed that Abhijeet lost his memory so Daya had to take Abhijeet with him in his house. Daya used to live with his friend Rohan who gave Abhijeet permission to stay for only a month, not more than that. Rohan was very rude with Abhijeet. Because of Rohan's rude behaviour, Daya and Abhijeet left that house and came to Daya's mother house where they spent good moments. After a day or so, Abhijeet's parents came to the hospital and asked for Abhijeet. Dr gave Rohan's address. They went to Rohan's house and Rohan told them that Abhijeet and Daya left. Upon their insistence, Rohan calls up Daya and tells him about Abhijeet's parents. Daya tells him to come over with Abhijeet's parents. They came and Daya revealed to Abhijeet about his parents which he was not ready to believe. He left the house in anger at night time. Daya went after him and brought him back. Abhijeet asked for forgiveness from Daya and Daya promised to not force Abhijeet for any decision. After a few days, Abhijeet expressed his thoughts to Daya that Daya might be right that he was overreacting and they might actually be his parents because of his flashbacks that he sees. Daya says bye to Abhijeet but Abhijeet asks Daya to come his him and his parents to visit his house and to drop him.

"bohat khoobsurat ghar hai ap ka, Aunty aur Uncle" Is baar Daya ne Abhijeet ke maa baap se kaha cold drink ka sip lete hue.

"Thank you beta" Mrs Ravi muskurate hue boli.

"Ok phir Abhijeet, ab mein chalta hun, tum apna dheyaan rakhna. Aur mujhe bhool mat jaane. Phone karte rehna. Milte bhi rehna mujh se" Cold drink ko khatam kar ke Daya uth gaya tha ke woh Mr aur Mrs Ravi ki aankhon mein mehsoos kar sakta tha ke woh us ki mojoodgi ko kuch khaas pasand nahi kar rahe the, jaise woh us ke jaane ka hi intezaar kar rahe hon. Us ka dil to hargiz nahi itni jaldi jaane ka magar phir use bhi laga ke maa baap aur bete ko akele waqt guzaarne ki zaroorat hai. Jab tak woh jaaye ga nahi tab tak rishte sudhrein ge kaise. To phir us ne jaana hi munaasib samjha ke Abhijeet se milna koi itna mushkil to na tha. Aik hi to shehar mein rehte the woh.

"Magar Daya, itni jaldi jaane ki kya zaroorat hai. Abhi to aaye hain hum. Tum theek se bethe tak nahi ho. Mera ghar tak nahi dekha tum ne aur tum jaane ki baatein kar rahe ho. Dekho, mein tumhe itni jaldi jaane nahi dunga. Samjhe tum?" Daya uth kar jaane laga to Abhijeet ne us ka haath pakad kar use rokna chaha. Abhi alvida kehna ka man hi na tha. Kuch waqt to unhe milna chahiye tha.

"Tum thak gaye hoge na Abhijeet. Tumhe araam kar lena chahiye aur apne maa baap ke saath waqt bhi bitaana chahiye. Aur mein, mein kahin door to nahi ja raha na. Kal a jaun ga tum se milne. Abhi tumhe yahan pe adjust karne ki koshish karni chahiye. Aakhir, tumhare maa baap tumhe itne mushkil se jo mile hain" Daya ne Abhijeet ka haath na chorte hue Abhijeet ko tahamul se samjhaya. Us ka haath na chodna gawaahi tha ke woh us ke paas hi hai aur sirf filhaal yahan se ja raha hai par us ki zindagi se harghiz nahi.

"Han Abhi beta, Daya theek keh raha hai aur wese bhi tum ya Daya kahin bhaage to nahi ja rahe ke bas yeh aik hi din hai tumhaare paas milne ke liye aur phir kabhi mil nahi pao ge. Mera matlab Daya phir kabhi a jaye ga, abhi tum thake hue ho. Pehle khud to ghar dekh lo, phir Daya ko bhi dikha dena" Mrs Ravi maani khaiz lehje mein boli magar us ne apni baat ke asar ko zaail karne ki koshish foran se pehle kar di.

"Han, Aunty theek keh rahi hain. Mein chalta hun. Bye Abhijeet"

"Ok bye Daya, I will miss you but sirf kal tak kyunke kal tum a rahe ho mujh se milne" Abhijeet ne Daya ko gale laga liya aur us ki aankh se anjaane mein aik aansu bhi beh gaya tha jise Daya ne apni ungliyon se saaf karna chaha.

"Please tum ro mat, tum ro ge na to mein apna boriya bistar le kar yahin shift ho jaunga" Daya mazaqan bola ke apne is pyaare se dost ki aankhon ko yeh barasne ka aik bhi mouqa nahi dena chahta tha.

"Kya matlab?" Mr aur Mrs Ravi yak jaan ho kar bole.

"Are mein mazaaq kar raha tha Uncle aur Aunty. Sach much ap ke ghar nahi rukne wala. Ap log dariye mat"

"Are nahi, hum dar to nahi rahe. Tum beshak a kar raho" Mr aur Mrs Ravi ke chehre pe jhainpi jhainpi muskurahat thi.

"Are mein mazaaq kar raha tha. Aik to ap log mazaaq bhi nahi samajhte" Daya hans kar bola.

Daya wahan se chala gaya to Abhijeet apne ap ko bohat akela mehsoos karne laga. Yeh faisla us ne bohat soch samajh kar liya tha par phir bhi pata nahi itni bechaini kyun thi. Us ne apni bechaini ko pas e pusht daalte hue bilaakhir apne maa baap ko aik mouqa dena chaha.

"Mera kamra kahan hai?" Abhijeet poochta hai.

"Tumhara kamra, ao dikhati hun tumhe" Mrs Ravi ne saamne hi aik kamre ki taraf ishaara karte hue kaha.

"Thank you, mein khud dekh lunga" Abhijeet kamre ka darwaza band kar ke bistar pe beth gaya. Yeh aik khoobsurat kamra tha. Jagah jagah decoration pieces pade hue the.

Abhi use bistar pe bethe hue kuch hi dair hui thi ke use kamre ke bahar se kuch awaazein ane lagein. Awaazein wazeh nahi theen. Sunne ki khaatir woh kamre ke darwaaze ke bilkul qareeb lag ke khada ho gaya aur sunne ki koshish karne laga.

"Yeh larka, is ne saara plan flop kar dena tha, yeh to shukar hai boss ne yeh ghar kisi tarah minton mein set kar ke arrange karwa diya. Kisi jonk ki tarah chipka tha woh us se. Tumhe kya lagta hai ke kahin use hum pe shak to nahi ho gaya. Aakhir kese baat kar raha tha woh hum se ke hum dar rahe hain ke woh yahan boriya bistar le kar kahin sach mein shift na ho jaaye" Mr Ravi dheemi awaaz mein bol rahe the magar Abhijeet bohat dheyaan se aik aik lafz sunne ki koshish kar raha tha.

"Nahi, mujhe aisa nahi lagta ke use hum pe shak hua hoga. Agar use koi bhi shak hota to woh yahan se jaata hi kyun?" Mrs Ravi ne tasalli dene ki koshish ki.

"Yeh dono kaisi baatein kar rahe hain. Kahin mene yahan a kar ghalti to nahi kar di?" Abhijeet ko un ki baatein samajh nahi a rahi theen. Par woh jaan gaya tha ke koi to garbar hai. Kuch to ghalat tha. Us ne apna sar pakad liya. Use sar mein bohat taiz dard hone laga tha. Is se pehle ke woh kahin girta, us ne bed stool ka sahara lene ki khatir haath bed stool pe rakh diya. Us ka haath rakhne ki dair thi, kuch gira tha wahan se. Us ne neeche jhuk kar us cheez ko dekha. Woh aik frame shuda tasveer thi jo is waqt ulti padi hui thi. Us ne woh tasveer utha li ke ise wapas apni jagah par rakh par jaise hi us ki nazar tasveer waale shakhs par jaati hai, us ka sar aur chakrane lagta hai. Woh aik 45 saal ke mard ki tasveer thi. Tasveer mein kuch bhi ghair mamooli nahi tha magar na jaane kyun use yeh tasveer dekh ke apna sar chakrata hua mehsoos hota hai. Us ka zehan use cheezein dikhaane ki koshish kar raha tha. Yaadein dhundli thi. Us ne apne dimaag pe aur zor dala ke shayad use kuch yaad a jaaye. Dheere dheere yaadein us ke dimaag ki slate pe wazeh hoti ja rahi theen. Aik kadi se doosri kadi khul rahi thi aur doosri kadi se teesri kadi.

"Mujhe sab yaad a gaya hai, aye mere khuda mujhe sab yaad a gaya hai" Abhijeet ki aankhon se aansuon ki aik taweel rail behne lagi.

"Meine yahan a kar bohat badi ghalti kar di. Mujhe abhi ke abhi Daya ko phone karna hoga. Use sab batana hoga" Abhijeet ne foran se pehle apni jaib se phone nikaala aur Daya ko call mila di. Doosri taraf ghanti baj rahi thi magar koi bhi phone nahi utha raha tha.

"Daya, damn it. Call uthao" Abhijeet taqreeban chillaya tha.

"Hi Abhijeet, kuch zyaada hi jaldi nahi yaad a gayi tumhe meri. Socho zara, abhi ghar ka darwaaza tak nahi khol paya tha ke tumhaari call a gayi. Ok abhi naraaz mat hona, I was missing you too, abhi mein bhi tumhe shayad call karne hi wala tha par tum is competition mein jeet gaye" Daya ne call to utha li thi magar mijaal thi ke jo bolne se zara ruk jaata.

"Daya, khud hi bologe ya mujhe bhi kuch bolne doge?" Aisi situation mein bhi Abhijeet ko Daya ki harkat pe dil hi dil mein hansi a gayi par Daya mehsoos kar sakta tha Abhijeet ke lehje ki pareshaani.

"Kya hua hai Abhijeet? Kuch hua hai kya? Tum pareshaan lag rahe ho" Daya ne Abhijeet ki awaaz suni to samajh gaya ke kuch to ghalat hai.

"Daya, meine yahan a kar bohat badi ghalti kar di hai. Mujhe sab yaad a gaya hai. Meri yaadasht wapas a gayi hai"

"Kya, tumhari yadasht wapas a gayi hai. Yeh to bohat achi baat hai par tum yeh kya keh rahe ho ke tum ne ghalti kar di hai. Aakhir kya hai tumhare ateet ka sach?" Daya ko yeh baat sun kar bohat acha laga ke Abhijeet ki yaadasht bilaakhir lout aayi thi magar woh Abhijeet ki doosri baat sun kar hairaan aur pareshaan dono hi reh gaya tha.

"Yeh aik bohat lambi kahaani hai. Tafseel mein bata nahi paunga magar mukhtasar baat yeh hai ke...aaa" Is se pehle ke Abhijeet apni baat mukammal kar pata, us ke sar pe peeche se bohat zor se waar hua tha. Us ki beikhtiyaar hi cheekh nikal gayi aur woh doosre lamhe hi zameen pe gir gaya.

"Abhijeet, kya hua hai? Tum cheekhe kyun? Tum theek to ho na. Tum kuch bol kyun nahi rahe" Doosri taraf Daya ne jab Abhijeet ki cheekh ki awaaz suni to woh pal ko sakte mein a gaya. Use samajh hi nahi aya ke kya hua. Woh pareshaani aur dar se phone ke paar baar baar Abhijeet ko awaazein laga raha tha magar doosri taraf achanak hi phone hi off ho gaya.

To be Continued