Tere Pyaar Mein

Chapter 10

"Tarika, I am sorry. Mujhe maaf kar do. Jo tumhaare saath hua woh nahi hona chahiye tha. Woh nahi hona chahiye tha aur aise to bilkul bhi nahi hona chahiye tha. Mein kya karun mujhe kuch samajh mein nahi a raha hai. Mein..mein..I am just so sorry for your loss" Abhijeet ki aankhon se aanso musalsal beh rahe the. Us ke ilfaaz be rabt the. Shayad use pata bhi nahi tha ke woh kya keh raha hai aur kya nahi. Bas lafz khud ba khud hi nikalte ja rahe the.

Achanak hi Tarika ke kamre ka darwaaza khula aur Abhijeet ko Tarika bahar ati nazar ayi. Magar yeh woh Tarika to na thi jise woh jaanta tha. Yeh to koi aur hi Tarika thi. Chehre se zindagi mit chuki thi. Aansoo bhi behte behte khushk ho gaye the. Kajal chehre pe ird gird phail gaya tha. Woh is waqt bilkul sipaat taasuraat liye hue thi.

"Tum kyun maafi maang rahe ho? Tumhara to koi qasoor nahi hai. Qasoor to meri qismat ka hai jis ne mujhe daga diya hai" Tarika ka laal lehnga zameen pe ghisat raha tha. Use woh laal lehanga nahi khoon laga. Uske armaanon ka khoon, Us ke khawaabon ka khoon, Us ki zindagi ka khoon.

"Shukar hai Tarika, tum ne darwaaza to khola" Abhijeet ne beikhtiyaar hi Tarika ko rote hue gale laga liya.

Tarika ne Abhijeet ka lamz mehsoos kiya magar koi reaction na diya.

"Tarika, tum chup kyun ho? Please kuch bolo" Abhijeet bebasi ki intehaa pe pahunch ke bola. Jis shakhs se woh be inteha mohabbat karta tha woh is waqt uske saamne itni takleef mein thi ke Abhijeet se yeh bardasht nahi ho pa raha tha.

"Jab zindagi sannate mein a jaye to koi chup, koi sannata wehshat nahi dilata, bura nahi lagta balke aik ajeeb si taskeen deta hai. Mehsoos kar lene do mujhe yeh sannata, yeh khamoshi. Shor mujhe pagal kar de ga" Tarika ajeeb se lehje mein boli. Us ki baaton se Abhijeet ko takleef ho rahi thi. Use samajh mein nahi a raha tha ke is pal woh aisa kya kare ke Tarika bas kisi tarah pur sakoon ho jaaye.

"Yeh kaisi ajeeb baatein kar rahi ho Tarika. Tum aisi to kabhi bhi na thi. Kya ho gaya hai tumhe?" Abhijeet ki aankhon mein aansu a gaye. Us ne Tarika ko qareeb pade sofe pe bithaane ki koshish ki.

"Meine bhi kabhi bhi na socha tha ke aisi ho jaungi aik din. Magar shayad kabhi kabhi aik raat bhi kaafi hoti hai ap ko badalne ke liye, ap ko zindagi ki haqeeqat batane ke liye" Tarika ke chehre pe dukh ke taasuraat phail gaye the. Shayad use aik baar phir yaad a gaya tha ke aaj uske saath hua kya tha. Yeh raat sabhi ke liye aik behad lambi raat saabit ho rahi thi, khaas kar ke Tarika ke liye. Yeh raat to kat ke hi nahi de rahi thi. Aik aik pal bhaari tha, aik bojh sa tha. Yeh manhoos raat khatam hone ka naam hi na le rahi thi. Kab yeh raat apna andhera le kar jaaye gi aur kab subah ki roshni un ki zindagiyon ko bhi roshan kare gi.

"Tum ne to kuch khaya bhi na hoga Tarika. Tum yahin bethi rehna. Mein tumhare liye kuch khaane ko lata hun" Abhijeet ne jaise Tarika ki baat ko nazar andaaz karne ki koshish ki kyunke us ke paas Tarika ki baaton ke liye koi jawaab na the. Zubaan jese gang ho kar reh gayi thi. Dimaag sun ho kar reh gaya tha. Isi liye usne yun zaahir kiya jaise kuch hua hi nahi aur khaane ke baare mein baat karne laga.

Daya, Shreya, Pooja aur Tarika aur Shreya ki maa sab hi lounge mein bethe hue the. Sab ke hi mun pe chupi lagi hui thi. Sab hi aamne saamne bethe hue the magar koi baat thi hi nahi karne ke liye.

"Abhijeet Bhai, Tarika di ne darwaaza khola kya?" Pooja ne jab Abhijeet ko seedhiyon se neeche ate dekha to foran hi bol padi. Pooja ki awaaz pe baaki log bhi Abhijeet ki taraf mutawajah ho gaye jo ke ab qareeb a chuka tha. Sab hi apne chehron pe sawaal liye khade the, janne ko betaab.

"Han, us ne darwaaza khol diya hai" Abhijeet ne aik lambi gehri saans le kar kaha.

"Shukar hai Tarika di ne darwaaza to khola" Shreya ne shukar ka saans liya.

"Han lekin mujh se uski haalat dekhi nahi ja rahi. Meine to hamesha hi use aise hanste khilkhilaate dekha tha magar ab to shayad hansi rooth gayi hai us ke chehre se. Barson ki beemaar lagti hai" Abhijeet ne dukh se beyaan kiya. Woh thak kar aik sofe pe taqreeban dhay gaya. Yeh raat kisi ke liye bhi asaan nahi thi. Agar Tarika ki aankhon se zindagi mit gayi thi to Abhijeet ki halat bhi us se kam na thi. Tarika hi to us ki zindagi thi. Aur zindagi agar aise khamosh ho jaaye to jiya kaise jaaye.

"Haye Meri bachi, Meri Tarika. Yeh kesa dukh jhelna pad raha hai meri jaan se pyaari beti ko" Tarika ki maa ne rote hue kaha.

"Aunty, ap sabar karein. Sab theek ho jaaye ga. Agar ap nahi himmat karengi to Tarika zindagi pe wapas kese a payegi? Zindagi abhi khatam nahi hui, Zindagi to abhi shuru hui hai" Daya ne Tarika ki maa ko tasalli dene ki koshish ki. Woh theek tha. Un sab ko hi ab yeh gham bhula kar Tarika ko is gham se nikaalne ki koshish karni thi.

"Han, Tum theek keh rahe ho Daya beta. Mein jaati hun apni beti ke paas. Use kuch nahi hone dungi. Shreya, Pooja, behan ke liye kuch acha sa bana kar upar le ana. Meri bacchi bhooki ho gi" Tarika aur Shreya ki maa ne apne aansuon ko tissue paper se saaf kiya aur kehte hue upar seedhiyon ki taraf barh gayi.

"Aunty, ap fikar na karein. Chalo Shreya, kitchen mein chalein" Pooja ne jawab diya aur Shreya ke saath us ne kitchen ka rukh kiya.

Shreya kitchen mein khadi deewar se taik lagaye khadi thi aur Pooja us ke saamne hi khadi thi.

"Shreya, please rona band karo" Pooja ne bebasi se Shreya ko dekha jis ke aansu ruk hi na rahe the.

"Pooja, yeh kya ho gaya hai meri Tarika di ke saath. Mujhe to abhi bhi yaqeen nahi a raha. Aj Subah ke baare mein yaad karti hun to dikhta hai ke kitni khush thi Tarika di, full of life. Itna khush meine un ko aaj se pehle kabhi nahi dekha tha aur hairat ki baat to yeh hai ke itna toota hua, itna dukhi bhi meine un ko aaj se pehle kabhi nahi dekha. Kaisi sitam zareefi hai na qudrat ki yeh" Shreya ne Pooja ke kaandhe pe sar rakhte hue kaha.

To Be Continued