Paas Aaiye Ki Ham Nahin Aaenge Baar-Baar

Baahen Gale Men Daal Ke Ham Ro Le Zaar-Zaar

Aankhon Se Phir Ye Pyaar Ki Barasaat Ho Na Ho

Shaayad Phir Is Janam Men Mulaaqaat Ho Na Ho

~

It was Nupur's first rasoi. Abhigyan and Abhisar had returned back.

Nupur served the food to everyone and swear, all the dishes were so tasty. She had cooked biryani, boondi raita, gulab jamun, jalebi, puri, paneer ki sabji.

Abhigyan had gifted her a gold jewellery set.

After the lunch, both the couple moved to their own rooms.

***

Something surely had happened with Priya, he could feel it.

They moved to the bed, to take a nap, but they remained awake in each other's arms as none were able to sleep.

Abhigyan faced her and asked in a low voice,

"Kuch hua hai Priya?".

["Did something happen, Priya?"]

She nodded, a bit.

He smiled to comfort her, and raised her face up by her chin,

"Kya hua hai, batao Hume?"

["What happened? Tell me."]

She replied in a soft, low tone,

"Aaj... Aaj maa ji ne.. maa ji ne..," her eyes collecting tears.

["Today... today, maa ji... maa ji..."]

His face turned tensed and he asked,

"Daanta tumhe? Kuch kathor kaha?".

["Did she scold you? Did she say something harsh to you?"]

She shook her head, clenching his kurta,

"Humse baat Kiya, pehli baar, itne pyaar se."

["She talked to me, for first time, with love."]

His tensed face, turned into an immediate smile, wide smile, as he caressed the back of her palm and spoke,

"Pyaar se.. wah.. humari maa manne lagi hai tumhe lagta hai, warna kisi se nahi karti woh."

["With love... wow... My mother has started to accept you, it seems. Otherwise, she doesn't do that with anyone."]

She nuzzled into his chest more. He stroked her hair and muttered against the crown of her head,

"Pyaar se baat Kiya isliye ro rahi hai aap?".

["Are you crying because she spoke to you with love?"]

She cried more, listening to him.

He caressed her back, calming her down.

He held her waist and pulled her over his body. She nuzzled into his crook of neck.

He wiped her tears off and kissed on her head, "Bas baccha, Shh, ho gaya."

She nodded, wiping her tears on his kurta.

She encircled her hand around his neck tightly.

He traced her waist lightly to soothe her down.

He heard her speaking in a low voice, very low,

"Humse .. humse kaha.. kaha ki ... Woh janti hai.. Kam din bache hai unke paas."

["She... She said that... Said that... she knows... she has few days left."]

His heart felt heavy all of a sudden. He removed her hand from his neck and held her arm.

She looked up into his eyes and he asked,

"Aur kya kaha?".

["What else did she say?"]

She hid her face again into his neck and muttered,

"Aur Jo bhi kaha, hume nahi batana aapko."

["And whatever she said, I am not going to tell you."]

He gulped and caressed her back with his palm, "bataiye na bachhha. Hume sunna hai."

["Tell me na baby, I want to hear."]

She shook her head and asked,

"Aap lekar Gaye the na maa ji ko sheher.. kya kaha unhone?".

["You took maa ji to the city, right? What did the doctor say?"]

His expressions wasn't good. His hand still on her waist.

She looked up and asked,

"Tell me na."

He spoke in a low voice,

"Kuch din..kuch hi din hai."

["A few days... She is left with just a few days."]

She lowered her face down and hugged him tightly.

His face was stiff. No emotions on it. Firstly, the doctors had announced that his mother had only few days left, and secondly, when he returned home, he had got the news of losing his child in her wife's womb.

Everything was super fast for him.

His life was moving with a speed of express train.

They remained in the same position.

Different thoughts were going on his mind. One of those were, that a person talks so softly only, when he/she realises that the end is near.

He didn't wanted his mother to go.

But he had no control upon it. Not even a bit.

He removed her hand from his body slowly and placed her back on the bed.

She looked at him for anything. He whispered in her ear,

"Hume ajeeb mehsus ho raha hai."

["I'm feeling strange."]

She held his arm, caressing it with her palm.

"Hum hai aapke paas, Abhi. Kuch nahi ho raha. Shant ho jaiye."

["I'm here with you, right now. Nothing is happening. Calm down."]

He shook his head,

"Sirr dard de Raha humara. Hume shaant karna hai isey. Hum aate hai thodi der me bahar se."

["My head is hurting. I need to calm it down. I'll come back in a little while from outside."]

He started standing up from the bed, but she held him tightly and stopped him. He tried to free himself, but her grip was tight.

She muttered in a low voice,

"Humare paas rahiye. Hum theek kar denge aapka sirr dard. Aaiye idhar."

["Stay with me. I'll take care of your headache. Come here."]

He moved his eyes towards her. Their eyes locked. He shifted closer to her and placed his head on her lap, holding her waist tightly, snuggling his head into her belly.

She caressed his head, stroking his hair,

"Kuch nahi hoga. Shaant rakhiye Mann ko. Himmat rakhiye."

["Nothing will happen. Keep your mind calm. Keep courage."]

He nodded, knowing that the future can't be prevented. He knew what was coming for him. He wasn't ready, only pretending that he was.

She kept on caressing his head, until her husband fell asleep on her lap.

***

She was leaning against the wall while he was sleeping, when she saw the door of their room, opening slightly.

She moved her head confusingly, air?

But Surekha peeked inside.

She immediately draped her pallu over her head and tried to move, but Abhigyan was holding her waist tightly.

Surekha spoke,

"Kuch aurtein aayi hai, gaon ki, choti Bahu se milne. Jao dekho kaha hai."

["Some women from the village have come to meet Nupur. Go see where she is."]

She nodded and shook Abhigyan slowly.

She removed his hand from her waist and stood up from the bed after placing pillow beneath his head.

Surekha muttered,

"Hum kuch der Abhigyan ke saath baithna pasand karenge."

["I would like to sit with Abhigyan for a while."]

Priya nodded and helped her to walk in by her support.

Surekha sat on the bed and Priya moved outside to call Nupur.

***

Abhigyan opened his eyes slowly, not feeling Priya's warmth.

He looked around, only to find his mother sitting beside him on the bed.

Without speaking a word, he shifted his head, to place his head on her lap.

Surekha moved her hand, stroking his hair.

Abhigyan spoke in a lazy voice,

"Akele kyu aayi maa? Hume bula liya hota. Hum le aate aapko yahan."

["Why did you come alone, maa? You should have called me. I would have brought you here."]

She smiled, caressing his head,

"Itni Shakti bachi hai ki hum bete ke kamre me aa sakte hai khud hi."

["I have enough strength left to come to my son's room on my own."]

He held her hand which was caressing his head.

He turned on his back and spoke in a low voice,

"Khana khaane kyu nahi aai aap?".

["Why didn't you come to eat?"]

She replied,

"Kha liya tha humne. Tum dono Bhai der se aae the."

["I had eaten already. You two brothers were late."]

He smiled and asked slowly,

"Apni choti Bahu se mili aap?".

["Did you meet your youngest daughter-in-law?"]

She nodded,

"Kuch Diya nahi humne usey. Muh -dikhai ke taur par. Dena chahiye tha."

["It's okay, maa. From your side, I gave it as a token of goodwill."]

He replied, looking into her eyes,

"Koi baat nahi maa, aapki taraf se humne dediya, shagun ki taur par."

["I didn't give her anything. As a token of goodwill. I should have given."]

"Sundar hai, 16-17 saal ki hogi karib?", she asked.

["She's beautiful, she must be around 16-17 years old, right?"]

"Haan 18.. karib karib.. Hume sirf itna pata tha ki Vikas Choudhary ki ek choti behen hai jiska naam Nupur Choudhary hai. Itna nahi pata tha hume."

["Yes, around 18... Approximately... All I knew was that Vikas Choudhary has a younger sister named Nupur Choudhary. I didn't know more than that."]

She raised her brows,

"Choudhary pariwar ki beti hai?".

["Is she from the Choudhary family?"]

"Ji maa, aapko nahi pata tha kya?".

["Yes, maa, didn't you know?"]

"Nahi, Hume kisi ne bataya hi nahi. Choudhary... Badi Bahu ko isliye agwa Kiya tha?".

["No, nobody told me. Choudhary... Why was Priya abducted?"]

"Nahi pata maa, unse toh purani dushmani hai humari."

["I don't know, mother. I just know, we have old enmity with them."]

Surekha felt a little odd and she asked,

"Abhisar ne tumhe bataya kuch? Choudhariyon ne usey kaaran toh bataya hoga na."

["Did Abhisar tell you anything? The Choudharys must have told him the reason."]

Abhigyan looked surprisingly.

He hasn't asked him. He never cared about the reason. Nor did Abhisar informed him on his own.

Was Abhisar hiding something from him?

But he never did.

"Beta, purani dushmani hai choudhary pariwar se. Tumhare baap ke karan. Ussi ka badla lene ke liye badi Bahu ko agwa Kiya hoga. Par Hume samajh nahi aaya, badi Bahu ke badle, choti Bahu se shadi kyu?".

["Beta, there's an old enmity with the Choudhary family because of your father. They might have abducted the Priya to take revenge. But I don't understand, why marry they asked Abhisar to marry him in exchange?"]

He felt odd too.

He bit his lower lip in confusion and asked,

"Babuji ke karan kyu? Kuch Kiya tha unhone?".

["Why because of father? Did he do somethin?"]

Surekha replied quietly,

"Hum nahi bata sakte beta. Isliye humne tumse pucha ki Abhisar ko unhone Karan nahi bataya kya."

["I can't say, beta. That's why I asked you if they told something to Abhisar."]

Abhigyan thinned his lips.

Surekha muttered,

"Koi baat nahi, jo hogaya so hogaya. Bhul jao ab yeh sab. Hum toh bas yahi chahte hai tum khush raho. Apna pariwar banao."

["It's okay, whatever happened has happened. Forget about all this now. We just want you to be happy. Build your own family."]

Last sentence hit him.

He hid his face and gulped,

"Hume nahi aage badhana apna pariwar maa."

["I don't want to advance my family, maa."]

~