Duniya ke dastoor se

Door hai tu

Mere naino ka saara

Noor hai tu

Meri saans ke har mod pe

Sapno ke chhor pe

Dekh sirf tere hain nishaan...

Aye bairaagi teri laagi laagi re

~

She only realised what she had spoke, when he started walking away and almost stumbled while moving back.

She came forward and held his hand immediately to stop him from falling.

He was surprised on himself, after listening her words.

He had hurt her.

So badly.

He has fucked up everything.

He held her wrist and removed her hand, moving back more, only for his feet to collide against a stone and he fell on the ground miserably.

She instantly ran towards him and held him, searching up and down for any injuries but little did she knew he was injured by her words that attacked her heart directly.

Tears rolled down her eyes, seeing his state.

He stuttered senselessly,

"Hum itna gir gaye Nupur?".

["Have I fallen so low, Nupur?"]

She shook her head immediately,

"Humare muh se nikal gaya Abhisar. Hume aapko chot pahuchane ka iraada nahi tha."

["It slipped out of my mouth, Abhisar. I didn't intend to hurt you."]

He shook his head and spoke looking into her eyes,

"Sach kaha tumne. Sirf sach. Hum gire hue insan hai. Hume aurton ki izzat karna nahi aata. Khud ki biwi ko taklif pahuchaya humne, jaanwaro jaisa pakra, khud ki biwi ko."

["You spoke the truth. Just the truth. I am a fallen person. I don't know how to respect women. I hurt my own wife, held her like an animal, my own wife."]

She tried to make him stand, but she failed. He was heavy.

He inhaled deeply and muttered,

"Nahi jaana Hume Ghar. Tum jao, Nupur. Tumhara haq hai Ghar par Bahu ki tarah ijjat se rehne ka."

["I don't want to go home. You go, Nupur. You have the right to stay at home with respect as a daughter-in-law."]

She held his hand and ordered,

"Uthiye aap pehle."

["Stand up first."]

He shook his head.

She looked angrily and spoke,

"Uthiye warna hum kabhi aapse zindagi me baat nahi karenge."

["Get up, or I'll never talk to you again in my life."]

He collected his courage and stood up.

She held his hand and walked along with him back on the way, from which she had came here.

She was just dragging him, and he was following her, like she owned him.

Reaching to their home, they stepped towards their room. She made him sit on the bed and locked the door behind them.

Moving towards him again, she parted his legs and stood in between them.

She rubbed his arm on the same spot on which he had fallen and asked,

"Abhi bhi dard ho raha?".

["Is it hurting even now?"]

He shook his head silently.

She checked his hands and legs, whether he had been hurt somewhere else, but she found no bruises. Maybe internal hurt.

He was quiet, staring down towards his thighs.

She raised his face up by his chin. His eyes were still lowered down.

She demanded, "Look into my eyes."

He shook his head,

"Nahi mila paenge hum nazrein aapse."

["I'll not be able to look into your eyes."]

She gulped and leaned forward only to whisper in his ear,

"Aapki god me baithna hai hume."

["I want to sit on your lap."]

He nodded a bit. Holding her waist, he made her sit on his thighs.

She cupped his right cheek and kissed on the left one.

"Humse baat kijiye na, Hume bataiye aapke Mann me Jo kuch bhi chal raha. Aur maaf kar dijiye na hume."

["Talk to me, please. Tell me what's going on in your mind. And forgive me na."]

He gulped.

She nuzzled her face into his neck and spoke against his skin,

"Humari baat se naaraz hai aap?".

["Are you angry with me?"]

He immediately shook his head, looking into her eyes and muttered,

"Aapne toh sach kaha, Nupur. Woh sach... Jo humne.. kabhi sapne me bhi...nahi socha tha," he looked down again.

["You spoke the truth, Nupur. That truth... which I... never even imagined... not even in my dreams,"]

"Abhisar," she called his name and he hummed.

She encircled her hands around his neck, bending a little down, only to look into his eyes.

He looked up, seeing her efforts.

She smiled, placing her fingers over his chin and spoke,

"Humara rishta Naya hai. Aapke zindagi me itni saari pareshaniya hote hue bhi aap humse judne ki koshish kar rahe hai wahi bahut hai humare liye. Jo hua, humari galti hai, hum maante hai."

["Our relationship is new. Despite all the troubles in your life, the fact that you are trying to connect with me means a lot to me. What happened is my fault, and I accept it."]

He bit his lower lips from inside.

She continued,

"Bas ek cheez pasand nahi aai Hume, aapka gussa aap par itna haawi ho jata hai ki aap dekhte bhi nahi saamne kaun hai, Abhisar."

["I just didn't like one thing, your anger takes such control over you that you don't even see who is in front of you, Abhisar."]

He held her arm, caressing it lightly and spoke in a low soft voice,

"Humara iraada nahi tha Nupur. Hume... Hume pata nahi... Pata nahi kya hua..hume toh.. tab ehsaas hua... Ki humne aapko jor se pakra hai..

Jab aapki dard bhari aawaz humare kaano me gayi. Humara yakeen kijiye."

["I didn't intend to, Nupur. I... I don't know... I don't know what happened... I just... then I realized... that I had grabbed you forcefully... When the sound of your painful voice reached my ears. Believe me."]

She caressed his cheeks, kissing on his temple.

"Hosh me hua ya behoshi me, Abhisar, yeh galat hai, aap itna toh maante hai na?".

["Whether in consciousness or unconsciousness, Abhisar, this is wrong, don't you agree?"]

He nodded his head.

"Kyu itna gussa Gaye the aap? Itna ki hosh kho baithe?".

["Why were you so angry? So much that you lost control?"]

He held her hand tightly and muttered,

"Aap naraz thi humse... Hum aapse itni der se mile nahi the.. jab mile toh aap naraz..Woh bhi apne Ghar jaane ke liye Nupur? Aap janti hai hume bi-".

["You were angry with me... We hadn't met for so long... when we met, you were angry... And that too for going home, Nupur? You know I..."]

She cut him off and spoke,

"Kisne kaha hum iss wajah se naaraz the? Humne kaha aapse?".

["Who said I was upset for this reason? Did I tell you?"]

He shook his head after a pause realising he had misinterpreted the reason.

She cupped his cheeks, rubbing her thumbs against them,

"Jaante hai hum kyu naraz the?".

["Do you know why I was upset?"]

He shook his head, their eyes locked. She hugged him. Hugged him tightly, her head nuzzled in the crook his neck as she muttered clenching his kurta,

"Aap Hume bata kar bhi nahi Gaye ki aap gaon se bahar Jaa rahe hai, jaan."

["You didn't even tell me that you were going out of the village, jaan."]

He replied thinning his brows,

"Humne kaha tha bhaiya se. Humne bataya tha unhe, unhone nahi bataya aapko?".

["I told bhaiya. I informed him, didn't he tell you?"]

She broke the hug and looked into his eyes. Slapping his chest lightly with her palms, she spoke,

"Hum aapki biwi hai ya bhaiya? Kam se Kam Hume ek baar khabar toh de dete. Ek baar humse mil kar toh jaate."

["Am I your wife or bhaiya is? At least inform me once. Come and meet me once before leaving."]

He smiled seeing his complaining wife.

He bit his lip and muttered,

"Hume aadat nahi hai na, Nupur. Hume yaad nahi raha bilkul."

["I'm not used to it na, Nupur. I completely forgot."]

She encircled her hands around his neck and spoke,

"Aapke Bina Hume mann nahi lag raha tha, Abhisar. Hum yahan akele kya karte? Hume le chalte na apne saath hi aap."

["I wasn't feeling good without you, Abhisar. What would I do here alone? You should have taken me with you."]

He laughed mutely,

"Kaar-khana dekhne Gaye the hum. Aapko le kar chalte? Majduron ke bich? Taaki sab humari pyari si biwi ko Nazar laga de?".

["I went to see the factory. Should I have taken you along? Among the workers? So that everyone can cast an evil eye on my beloved wife?"]

Neither she spoke anything, nor he.

He kept on looking into her eyes and she too.

Breaking the silence after few minutes she spoke, still looking into his eyes,

"Waada chahiye Hume, Abhisar."

["I want a promise, Abhisar."]

Without wasting another second he muttered,

"Hum waada karte hai... Waada karte hai ki hum mar jaenge.. lekin aaj jo galti Hui humse, dobara nahi hogi. Hum gusse me rahe toh kamre me nahi aaenge. Kamre me rehte hue gussa aa gaya toh aapse kuch samay maang kar kamre ke bahar chale jaenge jab Tak humara gussa shant nahi ho jayega,

Magar Aaj wali galti dobara kabhi nahi hogi."

["I promise... I promise that I'll die... but the mistake I made today won't happen again. If I'm angry, I won't come to our room. If I get angry while being in the room, I'll ask for some time and leave until my anger subsides. But the mistake I made today will never happen again."]

She nodded her head, kissing his forehead.

She spoke in a soft voice, caressing his cheek,

"Poori raat jagenge, tabiyat bigar jaegi. Aaiye. Sula de aapko hum."

["You'll stay awake all night? It will affect our health. Come. Let me put you to sleep."]

He shook his head. She looked at him, confusingly.

He pulled her closer. Stroking her hairs.

Her ear against his mouth and he spoke,

"Hume maaf kar dijiye, Nupur. Hum jaante hai hum bahut bure insan hai, magar aapke liye ache banne ki koshish kar rahe hai, acha Banna chahte hai. Hume pata hai aap humare sath hai. Magar iss waqt Hume bas aapki maafi chahiye Nupur."

["Forgive me, Nupur. I know I'm a very bad person, but I'm trying to be good for you, to become better. I know you are with me. But right now, I just need your forgiveness, Nupur."]

She smiled hearing him.

"Di maafi humne aapko. Chaliye aaiye bistar par ab."

She laid on the bed and spread her arms for him. He went and hid himself in her arms. She wrapped them tightly around him.

She caressed his back, until he fell asleep.

~