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Entry 1
~Do Pyaar Mil Rahe Hain~
It
had been one year since Prithvi and I started staying together because
of our child marriage. His behavior changed towards me- he was kind,
gentle now- and I had fallen in love with him. Yes, believe it or not, I
was in love with the man who was imperfect for me according to the
society, but perfect according to me. I was just too scared to go and
tell him that I loved him.
I sat on the bed, remembering the day I fell in love with him'
I
was walking in the village, going to buy some vegetables at night.
After buying bringles, onions, tomatoes and potatoes, I was heading back
home.
"Oh, why is this laundiya roaming around late at night?" I heard a familiar voice slurring- it was Laakhan.
I ignored him and started walking faster. Then I realized that there were more men with him.
"Stop laundiya! Or MEERA! I don't want to make you!"
My speed increased and I was close enough to running. Suddenly, Laakhan grabbed my hand.
"You are a beauty and I need to use you right now'" he said and pulled my pallu off my shoulder and I screamed out loud.
"Stop
you b*****d! How dare you touch me?" I tried to run, but tripped and
fell down. They were laughing as they came closer to me.
"Who is
there?!" I heard a manly voice- it was Prithvi! The men including Laakan
looked up at him. He was furious, and was walking quicker than ever.
His eyes had turned red.
"How DARE you touch MY WIFE!!" he roared
and began to beat them up. I felt different when he said that this
time- my heart was beating faster, there was an adrenaline rush in my
body and I felt I was floating when he said that.
I couldn't
remember when he finished beating them; he picked me up wordlessly and
carried me to our house. My eyes were fixed on his face. For the first
time I realized that he was extremely good-looking. I felt protected in
his arms. His eyes looked like pools of chocolate, his angular nose and
jaw made me weak in the knees and his lips- they were looking so soft,
pouty and kissable. I realized that he wasn't just my husband by
rituals, but he was my soul-mate. I was madly in love with my Rambo
Singh'
I snapped out of my trance as soon as I heard him scream my name.
"What happened, Prithvi?" I asked him.
"Where are my goggles? I can't find them anywhere! And I am getting late! Data has called me earl-"
I held his face and made him look at me. That move shut him up as well.
"Prithvi, calm down! I know where they are kept- in the cupboard. Now you take deep breaths and wait- I am getting them."
I
left his face and felt sad because I did that but there was no time to
think about all that! I ran in and found them. Grabbing them, I ran out
again and gave it to him, grinning. He smiled and my knees became jelly.
"Ahem, you ARE forgetting something!" I told him
He looked at me, puzzled. I walked upto him and looked in his eyes.
"Mr.
Prithvi is SO busy that he doesn't even have the time to straighten the
collar of his kurta!" saying so, I made it alright, smiling at him.
"I don't need to bother about such things because my wife is there to do it all!"
I
blushed slightly, he didn't know what he did to me when he said the
word 'wife'! He didn't know that I was hopelessly in love with him.
"And remember to come early today, it is new year!"
Smiling
at me, he went to the jeep and drove off- I waved till the jeep was out
of my sight. I went inside the house, red-faced. If he only knew what
he did to me'
******
Today was New Year's day, we were
celebrating alone at home. Not exactly celebrating, we were just going
to be together instead of going to the grand party that Papa was giving.
It was 8 at night and I had just finished preparing the dishes.
"Prithvi?"
I asked him as he walked passed. Making my dupatta alright, I walked
upto him and smiled. "Go and change na? We should start our 'party'. And
by the way, what is your new year resolution?!"
He looked puzzled, "What is a new year resolution?"
I laughed, "It is something that you would want to do in the upcoming year. Like for example, work harder."
"Oh, okay. Meera, I will tell you my resolution later'not now." Saying that he walked away and I was puzzled.
We
sat down after finishing our dinner to watch some TV- I persuaded him
to get me one! I laughed while we watched Housefull 2 and found Prithvi
staring at me.
"What happened?"
"I was thinking about my resolution'it is'"
I turned, facing him, "What is it, Prithvi?"
"Never mind, I will tell you later"
Soon,
the song 'Do you know' began to play on the TV and I made him dance
with me. He was confused initially but I made him hold me by my waist
and I rest my hands on his shoulders as we danced. He became comfortable
and began to twirl, whirl and swirl me. I laughed and danced along with
him. The song ended as he dipped me and looked in my eyes- I was lost
in his again.
Gently touching his cheek, I asked him about his New Year resolution.
"Mine is to'to keep loving you like the way I loved you last year."
My
breath caught in my throat and I looked at him in shock! He actually
loves me! I can't believe this! He made me stand again as I looked into
his eyes.
"Prithvi, do you really-"
"No, I don't! I-I'you
are too good for me. I am not even that educated and u are Delhi kii
padhi-likhi city bred girl. You can have ten thousand males falling on
their knees, begging so that u can be with them. I don't consider myself
worthy enough, Meera'please forgive me for saying that"
He
walked out of the room and I had an epiphany- Prithvi and I surrounded
with our children while I am telling them a story, us looking happy and
blissful. One of his arms was wrapped around me while our children were
playing, running as they took the vision ahead with them. Happy tears
rolled down my cheeks as I ran out to find him.
I heard the villagers while I ran out searching for him, "Ten, Nine, Eight!"
I saw a manly figure standing knowing that he was my Prithvi.
"Seven, Six!"
I yelled out his name and he stopped.
"Five, Four!"
I pulled him close to me.
"Three, Two and One!"
My
lips covered his for a searing kiss. He was shocked initially but
responded slowly. I took it slow as well because he was new to all this-
I had still kissed my ex-fiancee. Things were different this time, not
because Prithvi was a first-timer, but because I was IN love with him.
I
knotted my hands in his hair, pulling him close to me. Hesitantly, his
arms wrapped around my waist and I smiled against his lips. Gently, I
deepened the kiss, helped him to learn, and tried to shower as much love
as possible.
Now I think he had had enough of me taking the
lead. He said against my lips, "You have been kissed by a boy before,
now see how a man kisses you!"
I couldn't stop back a moan- he
was so correct, Aakash was nothing like him! I found myself pinned to a
tree and his lips found mine again. The kiss became urgent and I knotted
my fingers in his hair, pulling him impossibly close to me.
I felt his lips brushing against my neck, kissing, licking, nipping and sucking and I moaned his name out loud.
"Prithvi!" I held him tighter than before.
His
lips reached my ear and he said, "Love, as much as I want to go ahead, I
can't. I can't and I won't. We need to get married again as child
marriage is now a crime in our country. I want to see you wearing a
bright red lehenga, blushing as I make you wear the varmala, mangalsutra
and finally the sindoor. I want to see the happiness on your face when
you have your graha pravesh. I want to see the want, the need and love
in your eyes when I make love to you that night. But not tonight."
I
nodded and hugged him, "Yes you are right Prithvi. If you don't mind
then I will go back to Papa's tomorrow'and come back soon as your
lawfully wedded wife!"
I felt his body shake as he laughed and kissed my hair, "By the way, what was your New Year resolution?"
I smiled, "Mine was to tell you that I am in love with you. But looks like you have done that already!"
He
cupped my face and kissed me lovingly, with full of love. I returned
the kiss with the same amount of passion. The stars shone and fireworks
were everywhere- the ones in my mind and the ones that we happening
actually.
I kissed and made up for the lost one year in his arms, waiting for the day we would finally become one.
Entry 2
New year Res' 'Don't talk to me'
It
had been one whole week since their marriage that Mithvi had
successfully completed without chopping each other's heads off yet.
Yet another fight had started between them over food, and household utensils.
'Enough'bass
karo' screamed Meera her lungs out. She was hungry and tired for the
last two days Prithvi hadn't fed her with proper food. He had only
provided the dried Roti and Onion that Meera refused to eat.
'Mere
pe awaz mat chadao' Prithvi yelled back with same amount of anger. But
this time he was completely fed up with the city girl 'Sehar ki chori'
aka Meera's demands.
'Dekho tumhe jo karna hai karo, mujhe kuch suna nahi hai samjhi' demanded Prithvi.
Before
Meera could reply, her eyes had become blurry and her hands in the air
tried to say something, but soon she lost her balance and was about to
hit the concrete. Prithvi held her arm with his and pulled her to his
chest.
Meera had literally crashed onto Prithvi's chest, he was
frightened for the last few times he remembered how weak she got when
she fainted. Prithvi laid her on the cot, and rubbed her hands with his
as they were cold, 'Hey bhagwaan, abh kya hogaya isko' worried Prithvi
silently.
He hurriedly brought some water from the mud vase and
sprinkled on her face. Meera's eyebrows moved in reaction, seeing that
Prithvi sighed. However, Meera muttered something in her
unconsciousness, Prithvi kept his ears close to her mouth but he
couldn't hear it clearly.
Then he neared his ears more closer to her mouth almost touching it, 'Prithvi'.' muttered Meera.
In an immediate response Prithvi whispered 'Haan bolo Meera' he replied in husky voice.
'Prithvi'' she muttered again.
Prithvi
had moist eyes in fear, 'Ye meri zimedari hai, mai ye kaise kar sakta
hoon' thought Prithvi, 'Daatta ko kya kahunga mai' he thought yet again.
'Prithvi'' she muttered again. This time Prithvi was irriated
and in anger he shook her shoulder and said 'Aeee Ladki aage bhi kuch
bolegi kya'
Soon reality hit Prithvi's mind that she was
unconscious 'Meerraaa'' whispered Prithvi in pain. He couldn't see her
like that at all. Even though he might hate her, but he couldn't let see
her die no way.
'Prithvi mujhse baat mat karooo' Meera yet again whispered in her unconsciousness, but this time she completed her sentence.
Prithvi
was taken aback on the New Year's Eve. PRithvi remembered how once
Datta Thakur had told him about a tradition that mostly people in the
city followed 'New Year Resolution' 'Naye saal ke badlav'
Meera's
whisper pierced Prithvi every second from then on. His clock had struck
12 o' clock at night, and he had decided to make Meera's New Year Res
to come true let it by hook or crook.
Even if it has been just a
week, however from the last few days, Prithvi had gotten into an
unbreakable habit of seeing 'The ladki' aka Meera in front of his eyes
everyday as the dawn hit in the morning, and the as the twilight formed.
But
Prithvi had decided to let her Res come true, he held her hand in his
and slowly said 'Aee ladki, tum chahti ho ki mai tumse baat nahi karu,
toh vohi sahi'
Saying so Prithvi hesitantly stared at Meera's
innocent face, he noticed few strands of hair that fell on her face, he
quickly but hesitantly tucked the few strands of hair behind her ears.
'Tum aisi shaant si bilkul achi nahi lagti ho' whispered Prithvi before going back on his side.
He
lay on his bed watching Meera every few seconds to start with, to see
if she was alright. Soon as Prithvi's sleep took over him he woke up
every hour to check upon Meera. He was scared just for the sake of the
words Daatta Thakur had spoken to him.
--
The dawn hit his
face like never before, as he hadn't slept in for a while now. It was a
peaceful sleep that he had got today. It was like a huge burden had
left him as he wouldn't be talking to Meera.
'Itna bhi mushkil
nahi hai' Prithvi muttered as he woke up and sat upright on his cot. He
glanced over to Meera, but she wasn't in the room.
'Abh ye kaha gayi..uff ye musibat' Prithvi once again whispered to himself.
Meera
walked in with a towel tied on her wet hair and few loose strands of
hair played on her face. Meera saw Prithvi glaring at him she
questioned, 'Ohoo Rambo singh chaukidari karke uth gaye aap'
Prithvi was about to speak but remembered his promise, he nodded in reply and went for a shower.
Meera knocked the bathroom door, 'Oye Prithvi, mujhe kuch paise chahiye saman kharidna hai' Meera informed him.
Prithvi did not utter a word to her neither did he mumble to himself. He was quite, mourning in silence.
'Ye Rambo singh ne kuch ulta seedha kha liya kya jo kuch bol nahi raha hai' thought Meera.
Meera
shrugged her shoulders and went on to do her house chores, Prithvi was
out of the bathroom he dressed up and left without uttering a word to
Meera.
'Aaarey Rambo singh, sunoo toh' called Meera from his back. But Prithvi did not reply, he left as if he didn't hear a word.
'Rambooo singh'' Meera continued but her calls were all in vain.
Meera
went to the idol she had in her room, she was about to complain. But
before she could say a word she saw 200 rupees left for her on the
table.
'Aarey wah Rambo singh, kya kamaal ka kaam kiya h tumne' appreciated Meera with a smile.
Prithvi
had come back to get a file he had forgotten to take along with him,
but he was lucky to see Meera smile because of him. After a week it was
today when he saw a smile creeping up on Meera's face.
Prithvi's heart was fulfilled; he was smiling inwardly in a reply to her smile. It was magical for the first time ever.
The
silent treatment had been working, as Meera was impressed by Prithvi's
antics. Meera hadn't left a stone unturned to inwardly impress Prithvi
with her antic i.e. by making healthy homely food for the first time.
As
Prithvi had left some money behind for Meera, she had sensibly used it
to buy grocery and prepared mouth-watering dishes for Prithvi.
Meera
had been tired waiting for Prithvi for lunch, but he skipped that he was
planning on skipping his dinner that's when Datta Thakur himself
dropped Prithvi home as his jeep's tier was flat.
Meera waited
intently for Prithvi's arrival, she was excited to see as to How Prithvi
would react to her food and cooking. Prithvi walked in to his house
compound, saw Meera.
'Aagaye tum, jaldi se haath muh dho lo mai khana lagati hu' said Meera excitedly for the first time ever.
'Aarey wah ye mera intazar kar rahi thi' thought Prithvi.
Yet
again, Prithvi was about to yell at her for something he had spotted in
his compound but he controlled. He did as she said, 'Kya baat hai Rambo
singh, aaj bahut hi badle badle se lag rahe ho' thought Meera in her
mind.
He obeyed just as Meera had asked too, she was pleased
with Prithvi's sudden behaviour but she was clueless. 'Aaoo Prithvi
baito' she requested him.
Prithvi sat in front of her, and had
the delicious dal, chawal and pyaz. Few minutes later, as soon as he was
done he burped as he was full. He wanted to appreciate her for the
fantastic cooking skills but his promise kept him sealed.
Meera was astonished by the response, which Prithvi gave her. She was completely dumbstruck.
Meera was about to question Prithvi but he was long gone to sleep immediately after his dinner.
'Arrghhh'
Meera reacted frustrated. 'Tareef nahi kiya toh bhi theek hai, lekin
kuch toh bolte na Rambo singh' Meera yelled in frustration. It was well
heard by Prithvi but still there was no response from his side.
His sudden silence was killing Meera slowly from inside, but at the same time Prithvi was enjoying it.
Few
Days had passed by, just the way Prithvi had promised; it was yet
another complete of another successful week of their marriage, and a
week of Prithvi's silence.
It was the final point of Meera's
patience. Prithvi came home just like every other day and today once
again like every other day Meera had prepared dinner for both of them.
It was slow but soon Meera had stop saying things to Prithvi directly.
Meera had served the food on Prithvi's plate, he sat and silently had the food. Suddenly, Prithvi said 'Aaahhh'.'
'Kya hua Rambo singh' questioned Meera with a smirk playing on her lips.
'Aaahhh pani'pani' came out Prithvi's voice.
'Maine kuch suna nahi' teased Meera.
'Aaahhh Aahhh pani pani'' Prithvi's eyes had turned red due to the amount of chilli powder that Meera had used in her curry.
Prithvi
got up and ran into the bathroom washed his mouth thoroughly. Meera saw
his wince increasing, she felt pitty for him and brought a glass of
milk that was left over from the morning.
Prithvi, made weird noises due to the chilly, 'Ye lo Rambo singh pi lo' said Meera.
'Humko nahi chahiye tumhari koi bhi cheez' replied Prithvi.
'Aarey wah, zuban hai matlab, mujhe laga koi sher ya bhalu ne kha liya hoga' said Meera firmly with watery eyes.
His voice had sent a sudden vibe down her spine and heart; 'it is completely refreshing to hear his voice' felt Meera.
Prithvi bit his tongue once he realised that he had broken his promise, though he talked to her after a week.
'Tumhe kya hogaya tha Prithvi, baat kyu nahi kar rahe the tum?' Meera questioned with a firmness in her voice.
'Tumhe farak kya padta hai, mai baat karu ya na karu' justified Prithvi
'Aarey tumhe pata hai ki, kitna mushkil the ye ek hafta' questioned Meera.
'Mushkil kyu? Humara jhagda nahi hua isliye kya' asked Prithvi mockingly.
Meera
walked towards Prithvi while he walked backwards, mujhse kyu nhi baat
kar rahe the tum she asked firmly with a sudden wifey right.
'Meri marzi' replied Prithvi.
Prithvi
couldn't control his anger, he walked towards Meera where she walked
backwards 'Yaad hai tumne hi mujhe kaha tha, mujhse baat mat karo
Prithvi' he recalled Meera's words
However, Meera couldn't remember 'Ye maine kab kaha' she questioned
'Jab tum behos hogayi thi tab tumne kaha tha, voh bhi uu kya bolte hai Naye saal ka badlav bolkar' kaha tha confirmed Prithvi.
Meera
could remember parts of the wording, suddenly jumping onto Prithvi with
words 'Mai tumhe kahungi kuwe mai kud jao toh tum karoge kya Rambo
singh' Meera interrogated him.
'Nahi' he replied
'Fir
maine kya bol diya ki mujhse baat mat karo toh tum mujhse baat nahi
karoge kya?' questioned Meera with moist eyes. 'Nahi' he replied
immediately.
'Mera matlab haan', replied Prithvi staring down at Meera's moist eyes.
'Ye kya haan nahi laga rakha hai, javab do Prithvi' Meera asked solidly.
'Karunga na baat tumse, aise kyu puch rahi ho, abhi kar toh raha hu na mai' rectified Prithvi.
Meera's moist eyes had soon started flowing and Prithvi had a smile glued to his lips with Meera's reactions.
Meera
inwardly smiled with the water streaming down her eyes, she crashed
onto Prithvi's chest embracing him tightly. It took few seconds for
Prithvi to sink into the situation and he embraced her back.
Shortly
Meera realized how his quietness killed her completely, she hit his
chest lightly with her fist and said, 'Dekho Rambo singh vaps kabhi aise
mat karna varna anjaam bahut bura ho sakta hai'
Prithvi cupped
Meera's face with his index finger and thumb making her eyes meet his,
his smile widened furthermore with her concern and sudden love he saw in
her eyes.
'Nahi karunga meri Jhansi ki Rani'
Meera's
eyes had almost popped up in shock with his words, but her eyes had
widened furthermore, with the sudden feel of his lips crash on her
cheeks. 'Chonko mat, mai hi hu' Prithvi confirmed shortly kissing her
forehead assuring his life to her.
Meera in excitement kissed him
back on his cheek, but soon Prithvi dunged his head into her hair
embracing her once again and his cheeks turning crimson red.
Entry 3
... He bridged their worlds...
She watched in horror as the woman beat up the child with a broom stick !
"Hey , stop that', she shouted "You can beat a child like that".
The
woman turned at her angrily, "Stay out of this, he is my nephew and I
can do whatever I please with him. He deserves to be punished for
disobedience".
Meera swiftly walked up to the woman and freed the
child from her grasp. She pushed him behind her and said, "Let me talk
to him please, I'll make him understand".
"Hmmmph" snorted the woman, "Take him home with you for all I care. One mouth less for me to feed".
Meera watched her stomp away, and turned to the boy hiding behind her skirt.
"You can come out now, what mischief have you been up to now?" she admonished in mock anger.
The lad smiled at her through broken teeth, he reminded her of a pixie, with a mischievous smile and an unruly mop of hair.
"Bhabi,
you handled Mami wonderfully, now take me home and give me some
laddus", so saying he grabbed her hand and tugged her towards her house.
"And since mami has permitted you to take me with you, I'm going to
stay with you tonight", declared the young imp with a twinkle in his
eyes.
Meera smiled and ruffled his unruly hair.
Home, she mused, the word didn't surprise her any more. It was more than a month since she began living with Prithvi.
She gave the child some sweets and began preparing for the night meal.
For
the whole world they were a newlywed couple, starting their life
together. Only they both knew how far that was from the truth. They were
just waiting for the uproar regarding their marriage to settle down.
Then she would go back to Delhi and resume her old life.
But Delhi seemed a distant dream now, she hardly thought about her life there. She almost didn't mind if she never went back.
She
and Prithvi had settled to an uneasy but peaceful routine. He was up at
the crack of dawn and out of the house before she awoke.
She
would awake a while later and begin her day with cleaning the house and
making breakfast. Then she left for the village school where she helped
the woefully inadequate staff in whichever way she could.
By the
time she returned home it would be nearing lunch time. She'd quickly
rustle a simple meal of rice and curry or roti and salad. She didn't
like eating alone so she didn't bother too much about what she ate.
Prithvi
never came home for lunch. He would come home while she was away at
school, finish his bath and have the breakfast she kept for him and go
back to work. He would either go to check on the granary or the fields
or go with Datha to help with the panchayat work.
He always
washed up after he had had breakfast. She always found the kitchen clean
for her to cook the next meal. The washed vessels were stacked to dry
out. He refilled the huge brass water pots with water from the well,
which she could use for cooking and drinking. He saw to it that there
was enough firewood for her to use.
If anyone had told her a
couple of months back that she would be living a total rustic life with
no modern amenities whatsoever, she would have scoffed at them.
She
had had her share of disasters in the kitchen; the meals were either
undercooked or charred. Brunt and nicked fingers bore testimony to her
trials in the kitchen.
Prithvi didn't complain, not once, he just ate whatever she served and left without any comment whatsoever.
Now,
with help from her mother and Prabha she had learned to master the art
of churning out a respectable and palatable meal with relative ease.
He
always returned late at night, after she had turned in. In the soft
glow of the kerosene lantern she would watch him serve himself dinner
and go to the courtyard to have his meal.
He had shifted his charpoy in the corridor, and usually retired awhile after he had his dinner.
She
marveled how two people could be so near yet so far. It was like they
had come to an unspoken agreement never to come in each other's way.
Now
and then, they were invited to the haveli to partake in some religious
or social gathering. Or she would decide to go to the market or temple.
She just had to ask him and he would be there promptly to pick her or
drop her.
The only time they shared some light-hearted banter
was when Jeevanlal come to visit them. He always got them relax and let
their guard down. His antics had them laughing together without reserve.
The sound of Jeevanlal fiddling with her ipod brought her back to the present.
Soon she had made rice, dal, rotis and baigan subji. She'd cut some fresh vegetables for a salad too.
"Come Jeevanlal, let's eat", she called the child who was out listening to songs on her ipod.
"Let's wait for Bhaiyya", he called back.
"No, he'll be late '."
"There he is", shouted the imp and ran outside on hearing Prithvi's jeep.
He's back early today, she thought as she walked to the door.
She
watched as Jeevanlal flung himself at Prithvi who, with a deep laugh
picked him up and hoisted him up his shoulder, tickling him at the same
time.
The child shrieked with laughter and tried to escape from his hold.
Meera watched with a smile on her face. He was so good with the kid. He would make a wonderful father, she mused.
He saw Meera at the door, she was smiling, She looked almost ethereal in the soft glow of the lamp.
He
put the child down. Jeevanlal was talking nineteen to a dozen, telling
him how Bhabhi rescued him from his Mami's wrath and how Mami had asked
her to take him away.
"So, I'm to stay here tonight", he announced. "And hurry up; we are waiting for you for dinner".
Prithvi smiled and patted him on his head, "Go set the plates, I'll freshen up and come in a moment".
The child skipped away happily.
Meera was watching him intently, for a while they stood there looking at each other.
"Bhabhi, I've set the plates and filled up the jug of water, now come on and serve quickly"
Jeevanlal's voice broke the spell and she hurried into the kitchen.
Soon Prithvi joined them and the three of them sat down to eat.
Meera
was busy helping Jeevanlal with his dinner. She asked him to be careful
as the curry was still hot. She then tore up his roti into little
pieces so that he would find it easier to eat. She admonished him when
he stuffed his mouth with too much rice and then tried to speak at the
same time.
Prithvi was watching her with a smile on his face. When Meera looked at him enquiringly he shook his head and resumed eating.
When they were done eating, "Go and sit outside the two of you, I'll clean up and join you there".
Disregarding her protests, he pushed the two of them outside.
As
usual Jeevanlal wanted to hear about the city of Delhi from Meera and
she told him about the various places in and around Delhi.
"Let's all go to Delhi once", said Jeevanlal as Prithvi came out of the room.
"Sure"
said Prithvi as he settled on his charpoy. "Your Bhabhi will take us
around and show us the place" he said looking at Meera with a smile.
"Of course", she answered. "And don't forget Agra, you have to see the Taj in the moonlight"
"What Taj?", questioned Jeevanlal immediately. And Meera told him the story of the Taj Mahal.
"So
the Emperor and his wife loved each other very much. Just like you and
Bhaiyya", finished Jeevanala giving Meera a very pleased look.
Meera went red on hearing this and she was at a loss for words.
"Com'on you imp, let's make shadow puppets" interjected Prithvi and managed to distract the child's attention.
Soon
the two of them were busy making various shapes with their hands and
fingers and watching the images in the shadows thrown by the lantern.
Meera
got up and went to her bed, she lay down on her back and stared at the
ceiling, what was she doing with her life? She felt like a rudderless
boat being carried away by the waves. She seemed to have no control at
all on her life.
At least earlier there was the hope that she
would go back to Delhi and Akash. But as days passed she and Akash just
drifted apart. Now he hardly called and she sadly realized that she
didn't miss his calls either.
In her heart she knew it was all over between her and Akash, even if she returned to Delhi, they would not be together again.
With
a start she realized she had thought "if she returned to Delhi" and not
'when". Did that mean that she had no intention of going back ? But
what was there to keep her here? Soon the hullabaloo of her child
marriage would die down and she would be free to leave.
But did
she want to leave ? And more importantly did Prithvi want her to leave ?
"Of course he did,' she admonished herself. 'Why would he want her to
stay? She was just someone he put up with temporarily. After all he
would be too glad to get back to his earlier carefree life'.
Just
then Prithvi came in carrying a sleeping Jeevanlal in his arms, "Is it
alright if he slept with you here? It's too cold outside".
"Sure"
said Meera, getting up immediately and straightening the sheets. Gently
Prithvi lowered the sleeping child and turned to go out.
"Prithvi" called Meera, "You should be sleeping inside too, it is quiet cold outside today".
"No, I can manage '" began Prithvi, when she interrupted him.
"Please, you could fall ill", she said gently.
He looked at her for a while and nodded.
The two of them together got his charpoy inside and made the bed for him.
"Thanks", he said and smiled at her.
She
smiled and nodded. She turned down the wick of the lanterns and
carefully got into bed beside the sleeping child. She covered the two of
them with the quilt and closed her eyes.
Several minutes later
Prithvi heard the soft sound of breathing from the other bed. He turned
towards them, propped himself on his elbow and watched them sleep.
Meera's
arm was thrown around the child and Jeevanlal had gripped her palm in
both his hands. They looked adorable together. He swallowed the lump in
his throat.
She would make wonderful mother, thought Prithvi
wistfully. He lay on his back and stared at the ceiling. Once again it
was going to be a long night!
Edited by swethasyam08 - 11 years ago
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