IBADAT, PART 4

~BEZUBA~

~PART 4~

Aapka naam kya hai? It read.

Maan.

 

Her breath choked n then she gasped his name out. Maan. She stood up on shaky legs, stumbled and before he knew ran out of the room.

 

Stilled and dumbfounded, Maan stared at the doorway. Did she... did she said his name?

 

 

 

 

 

In the glow of setting sun Maan stood staring outside the window of drawing room. After the storm last night everything was calm today. Yet, what was happening inside him was more destructive than any storm. The eco of his name from her mouth rang in his ears, cursing him. Fear and anger coiled, the feelings he was way familiar with n had learned to survive with. But this time they were far too potent. How did she know his name? Didn't the caretaker say she was mute, then how did she spoke his name? Did she know him?

 

His heart thudded with the unanswered questions. The ghostly sins floated around him, reaching for him to claw and punish. Maan wasn't sure anymore that he should have come here. Not because he was scared of anyone else. He was scared of himself, of her. He was scared of her. That fragile girl that had no voice-Maan cursed himself-he was scared of her. And now what? What was he going to do? She had to go back. That place was her home, regardless of the type of people that lived there.

 

No. She wasn't safe there.

 

She was safe with him? The man who-

 

Caretaker came inside the room. His eyes scared, hands shaking. Gao wale aa rahe hai. Geet ke taaya ji ke saath. Aapne bahut badi galti ki Geet bitiya ko yaha laakar. Aap usse kahi chod aayiye. Warna wo log kuch bhi kar sakte hai. Yahan izaat hi sab kuch hai aur gao ki koi ladki kisi aur admi ke saath- Geet bitiya toh puri raat yahan thi. Wo usse maar hi daalenge. Aapne usse yahan se nai hataya toh wo aapke piche bhi pad jayenge.

 

Maan clenched his fist. The decision was made for him. He wouldn't leave her.

 

 

 

*Duniya mein do logo ka ek naam ho sakte hai na? Bahut saare logo ka naam... Maan hoga.* She kept a tentative hand on her throat n spoke out aloud. Maan.The word felt alien on her tongue and not because she was mute. The name had haunted her. She had woken up screaming that name many times. But that was long ago. She knew she could speak it clearly like any other person capable of talking normally but she never spoke it.

 

Because the word was cursed for her.

 

The same name had changed her life, made her a thing of disgust in the eyes of others. His name was Maan.

 

And, here she was now. Ironically. In the protection of that same name. And what was going to happen next she had no idea. Her life had always been so unpredictable that she had stopped guessing altogether. Wo jaanti thi uske babaji usse rasta dikhayenge.

 

Maan burst into the room. Chalo yaha se. Geet jumped, confused. Gao ke log aa rahe hai. Her eyes widened as he dragged her into the drawing room. She jerked her hand away. Maan looked at her angrily, trying to take her hand in his again. He was almost shaking, frail from the inner layer of skin, pretending to be strong from outside. What if she-

 

Geet moved back. Pagal ho kya? Humare paas zadaya waqt nai hai.

 

Caretaker- Inke saath jao, beti.

 

Geet shook her head n moved her hands rapidly.

 

Maan- Kya bol rai hai yeh?

 

Caretaker- Keh rai hai yeh gao chod kar nai jayegi. Agar gai toh iska matlab hoga ke yeh sach me galat hai. Geet moved her hands again.Kehti hai isne kuch galat nai kia toh yeh kyu bhage.

 

Maan looked at her bewildered, bowled over by her determination, confidence n courage. Hum bhag nai rahe hai, na hi gao chod rahe hai. Hum mandir jaa rahe hai.

 

 

 

The caretaker opened the front door to the loud banging. Some of the enraged villagers barged inside. Hume Maan Singh Khurana se milna hai. One of them said. Geet's taaya ji was in the front with Teji.

 

Mai yahan hu. At Maan's booming voice everyone turned to see him. Aap logo ko koi pareshani hai?

 

Tum hamare gao ki ladki ke izzat ke saath khel rahe ho. A villager said.

 

Teji- Wo pehle hi pure pariwaar aur gao ki izzat ka satyanaash kar chuki hai, ab hum usse aur muh kala nai karane denge. Kaha hai Geet?

 

Maan growled- Uska naam apni gandi zubaan se mat lo.

 

Oye. Teji shouted n pulled his sword out and others did the same. Geet ran out from the room she was in and seeing all swords directed towards Maan's throat her expressions became horrified.

 

Maan- I told you not to come out. Geet shook her head rapidly n took a step forward. Jahan ho wahi khadi raho. She stopped.

 

Everyone in the room froze seeing Geet. Her suit was same. She had on what she was wearing in morning but on her head there was a red chunni, redness filled the partition between her hairs and there was a black beaded magalsutra in her neck.

 

Maan- Wo sirf Geet nai hai. Ab wo Geet Maan Singh Khurana hai. Uspe sirf mera haq hai. He looked into Teji's eyes. Meri patni hai wo toh uske khilaaf kuch bhi bolne ya karne se pehle hazaar baar sochna samjhe.

 

Teji looked towards Geet's taya ji n he signaled for him to back off. Teji n everyone else lowered their swords.

 

Taya ji humbly- Aapko hume pehle batana chahiye tha ke aapko yeh pasand hai aur aap isse shadi karna chahte hai. Hum khud aapki shadi karwate. He was happy that they wouldn't have to feed her anymore n the burden was off their heads. Having Maan-the big businessman from Delhi-as a son in law was additional bonus.

 

Maan- Uski koi zaroorat nai hai.

 

Taya ji taking a step towards Geet- Zaroorat kaise nai. Geet bete-

 

Maan- Wo bahut thak gai hai. Geet kamre me jao. She looked into Maan's eyes n did as told.

 

Geet entered the room n sat on bed in a dazed state. Everything happened so fast. The villagers could have killed him. She touched her forehead and smiled then walked to the mirror. *acchi baat hai ke mai bol nai sakti par dekh toh sakti hu.* The red sindoor looked so beautiful on her forehead and it would have been a pity if she couldn't see herself like this, married... n complete. The marriage was done in a small mandir of their village, everything necessary was there when they had reached and although all rituals were done in haste, she remembered each vow. Maan. She spoke. Her perception of the word had changed forever. Ab toh wo uska hamsafar tha. Her smile faded a bit because he had to do it for her. Marrying her like this n maybe-most probably-without his wish.

 

His image appeared in mirror as he came inside the room. Hum kal Delhi jaa rahe hai. She nodded; there was nothing behind that she would really miss n this was a new start.

 

 

PRECAP- 

Geet asking Maan for matching bangles. Of course, new bride hai bhai

kya khel hia khud

jisne dard diya

woh khud hi aaj

dewaa ban gayaa

gar usne,

na taar taar kiya hota ,

mera aanchal

toh

yu bezubaa,

na hoti main !

woh bhi ek pal tha

jab tofaan 

sa aaya tha yeh

iski zindagi main

yeh bhi ek din hai

jab 

phirse 

bahaar laane ,aaya hai

yeh iski zindagi main

- By nishu

 

 

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