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Ek Ajnabi

Chapter 20

Runaway

Poore ghar mein tanhayi chayi hui thi, abhi is ghar ko dobara se base hue din hi kitne hue the ke yeh phir se bikhar gaya tha. Phir se andhere aur tanhayi mein doob gaya tha. Daya apne kamre mein andhera kiya betha tha ya phir shayad use light jalana yaad hi na rahi thi. Woh subah se kitni hi baar Abhijeet ke kamre ke darwaaze pe dastak de chuka tha magar jawab nidard. Ab to andhera ho chuka tha magar Daya ko shayad ahsaas hi nahi tha. Woh aisi kashmakash mein tha jis ka us ke paas koi hal nahi tha. Har zaviye se nuksaan us ka hi hota tha. Us ne aik dam se hi aankhein kholein to us ki aankhon ko andhere ne ghair liya. Us ne hairat se khirki ki taraf dekha jo bahar andhera hi andhera dikha rahi thi. Us ne kamre ki light jalayi aur ghadi ki taraf nazar dorayi. Raat ke 9 baj rahe the.

"Raat ho gayi hai. Aur Abhijeet, us ne to subah se kuch khaya bhi nahi" Use shiddat se is baat ka ahsaas hua tha magar use is baat ka ahsaas nahi hua tha ke woh bhi to us pal ke baad se jaise kuch khana to bhool hi gaya tha. Use bhook lagi hi nahi thi. Shayad mar gayi thi us ki bhook.

"Mein kya karun. Kaise samjhaun Abhijeet ko? Us pagal ko to apna koi khayal hi nahi. Bachon ki tarhan apne ap ko kamre mein band kar rakha hai" Daya pareshaan ho kar rohansa sa in diwaaron ki taraf dekh kar bola ke shayad ab yeh diwaarein hi is ki koi madad kar payein. Ke yahi koi jawab de dein. koi hal nikaal dein.

Use jawab na hi mila tha aur na hi milna tha ke bejaan cheezein ab kya jawaab dein. Us ne aik lambi saans bhari aur apne kamre ka darwaaza khol kar bahir nikal aaya. Us ke kamre ki hi tarah poore ghar mein bhi andhera chaya hua tha. Us ke qadam aj aik baar phir Abhijeet ke kamre ki taraf badh rahe the. In mein umeed kuch doob si gayi thi. Aik din ne hi un ki zindagi mein itni badi daraar la khadi ki thi. Us ke kamre ke darwaaze ke saamne khade ho kar do minute woh yunhi khamoshi se khada raha, phir us khamoshi ko us ke haathon se di gayi dastak ne hi toda. Andar se koi jawab na mila. Daya ne is dafa zara zor se dastak di to darwaaza us ke haathon ki tehreek se khulta gaya. Us ne beikhtiyaar hi sukoon ka saans liya.

"Abhijeet, shukar hai ke tum ne darwaaza to khola.." Darwaaze ko woh poori tarah khol kar andar dakhil hua to kuch dekhe beghair hi bolta chala gaya magar us ki zubaan ko jhatka sa laga tha jab use kamra khaali mila. Wahan Abhijeet nahi tha.

"Abhijeet, kahan ho tum?" Daya ne hairat se khaali kamre pe nazrein phairein aur phir use poore ghar mein dhoondne laga magar woh use kahin bhi na mila.

"Kahan chala gaya hai Abhijeet?" Daya pareshaani se barbaraya. Woh mayoos ho kar aik baar phir Abhijeet ke kamre mein chala aaya tha. Phir use foran se koi khayaal aaya to us ne kamre ki almariyan khol kar dekhein aur woh aur pareshaan ho gaya kyunke Abhijeet ka samaan almaari mein mojood nahi tha. Daya ne apna sar pakad liya.

Phir achanak hi aik cheez ne Daya ki tawajo apni taraf karwayi. Woh cheez aik kaghaz tha jo aik khat ki tarah mod kar Abhijeet ke bistar par rakha gaya tha. Daya ne foran hi woh kaghaz utha liya aur us ko khol kar dekhne laga. Woh beshak aik khat ya aik paigham hi tha. Pen ki surkhi abhi bhi geeli thi jis ka matlab tha ke likhne waale ne kuch dair pehle is pen se likha tha. Daya ne woh khat jaldi jaldi parhna shuru kiya jis mein likha tha..

"Mein kya kahun, mujhe samajh nahi a raha hai magar aise kuch kahe beghair chala jaun, yeh bhi theek nahi lagta. Bas itna kehna chahta hun ke shukriya, tum ne mere liye bohat kuch kiya hai, shayad meine hi apni umeedein kuch zyaada barha li theen jo ke mujhe barhana nahi chahiye theen magar kya karun, insaan hun na. ghalti ho jati hai kabhi kabhi. Meine aj tum se bohat badtameezi ki, us ke liye mujhe maaf kar do, magar sach kahun to meine socha nahi tha ke bhai keh kar yun bhai ko pal mein door kar do ge. Mein jaanta hun ke tum bure insaan nahi ho, mera bhala hi socho ge magar mera yaqeen karo, mein sach keh raha hun, mere dil mein aik bohat ajeeb aur bura ahsaas hai un logon ke baare mein. Magar shayad tumhe mujh pe yaqeen nahi hai. Agar yaqeen hota to mein yahan se aj ja na raha hota magar qasoor shayad tumhara bhi nahi hai, jo mein mehsoos kar sakta hun, woh tum mehsoos nahi kar sakte. Aur aakhir mein bas itna hi kahun ga ke meine jaan liya hai ke hamesha tumhaare kandhe ka sahara nahi le sakta, duniya mein jeene ke liye khud bhi kuch karna parta hai aur isi liye mein ja raha hun yahan se, hamesha ke liye duniya mein khud se apni jagah banane ke liye. Mujhe bhool jana. Samajhna ke raste mein ek ajnabi se mile the aur woh saath bas wahan tak hi tha. *Abhijeet* "

Khat ka kaghaz us ke behte aansuon se geela hota ja raha tha. Us ne socha bhi nahi tha ke Abhijeet yun bina bataye ghar se chala jaaye ga. Aik dam hi Daya ko ahsaas hua ke Abhijeet abhi zyaada door nahi ja paya ho ga. Woh foran hi apne kamre mein bhaaga aur wahan se apni gaadi ki chaabiyan uthayein aur bahar ki taraf dora. Bahar a kar woh foran se pehle driving seat pe betha aur gaadi ko dorata chala gaya.

Abhijeet raat ke is pehar kandhe pe aik chota sa basta latkaye footpath pe chal raha tha. Woh nahi jaanta tha ke woh kahan ja raha hai. Use is baat ki parwah bhi na thi ke woh kahan ja raha hai, parwah to un ko hoti hai jin ki koi manzil ho. Jis ki koi manzil hi na ho, use kya parwah. Us ke liye to zindagi aik lamba safar hai. Woh safar jis ki koi manzil nahi. Bas jahan qadam parte ja rahe the, wahan chala ja raha tha. Chalte chalte us ke pair thak gaye the magar woh phir bhi chalta raha ke aik dam hi woh kisi gaadi ke horn ki awaaz se chounk gaya. Us ne mun mod kar dekha to us ke qareeb hi aik gaadi ruk gayi thi.

To Be Continued