Part 20

Sameer drove faster than usual. He felt exhilarated with whatever he managed to achieve in a short span of time. Moresoever, he was glad that he managed to save Nanu's business. He wished that the most important pillar of his life was there to applaud his grandson's achievement in person. Speaking of which, he was now reminded again of his absence and that he needed to take immediate action to start searching for him. The only question was where to begin.

Munna Pandit found Sameer happy but unusually quiet too. Sameer was not one to pass up on his victories. Even if he didn't always openly gloat about them, he did behave like a victorious emerger, specially in school and college in sports or studies. And today's was one of his real win in the actual world without any support or background training. How did he not zeal in it. Munna in the front seat glanced sideways to Pandit in the back, who also pursed his lips as none had any idea. But both decided to keep mum for a while and then talk about the happenings once reached home.

They drove in silence and after a while, when inside the mansion, Sameer headed straight to the room without worrying about the boys. It was as much their house as his and he never worried about how to make them comfortable. They always were and it was a given.

"Sameer se baat karni padegi. Kuch hai jo abhi bhi use pareshan kar raha hai", Munna decided the next course of action and Pandit agreed. They followed him to his room and Sameer realized the minute they entered. Attribute it to his heightened sense of feel or hearing or knowing who was around when or an extra receptive sixth sense or plain I-am-used-to-you-around feel, he knew they weren't letting him off the hook without knowing what had been the basis of his hatched plan. He had promised them of no lies or secrecy. So, he was ready to share more. The question was how much more were they ready to take in and accept? How long before they tagged him freak and bailed out?

With his back still turned to them, he gazed out at the black sky illuminated with the starlight. It gave him the tranquility he sought. "Main jaanta hoon tum donon ke mann mein kayi sawaal hai? Par hamesha ki tarah, mere paas saare jawab nahi hai".

"Kal se hum bina sawal kiye teri har baat maante aa rahe hai. Tune jo kaha humne kiya. Tune jaan ka khatra bhi le liye, humne fir bhi tera saath diya. Ab sach bataa, tere dimaag mein chal kya raha tha Sameer? Tujhe koi andaaza bhi hai humpe kya beeti thi?" Munna walked to him furiously and was done talking to his back and whirled him around.

"Hum toh tujhpe aankh bandh karke bharosa karte hai Sameer. Sawaal yeh hai ki tu humpe kitna bharosa karta hai? Karta bhi hai ya nahi?" Now it was Pandit's turn too to express some disappointment.

Sameer was quick to erase that, "jaan se bhi zyaada!" They hugged in their trio. "Issliye aaj tum donon ko woh sab kuch bataunga jo main jaanta hoon". This time he had decided firmly to share every bit about him.

Thus began Sameer's narration. "Jab se business ki iss problem ke baare mein pataa chala tha, main Nanu ke office records, files aur kuch personal notes padh raha tha. Nanu ki aadat thi ki jab bhi kisi naye insaan se milte the, khaskar ke business ke silsile mein, unke baare mein apni first impression ek diary mein note down karte hai. Jaise ki unke haav bhaav, nain naksh, soch, manners, attitude, wagareh. Woh kehte hai na ki first impression is usually the last impression. Inn sabse aur apne tajurabe se Nanu uss insaan ko padhte aur parakhte the aur unhe dealings ke samay faisla lene mein aasani hoti thi. Unki aisi notes aur Amit Shah ki madad se kuch chaan been karvayi thi. Toh pataa chala ki Parekh uncle ko show off ka bahut shauq hai. Unke museum jaise ghar mein saare antiques nakli hai, kuch Bombay ke Crawford market se khareede hue hai aur kuch toh yahan Manek Chowk ke paas Bade Bazaar se. Woh puri zindagi mein Gujarat ke bahar sirf Bombay gaye hai".

"Tabhi tune unhe suna diya tha ki yeh sab nakli hai? Tujhe pataa tha?" Munna was bewildered. Sameer shrugged as if it was common knowledge that Parekh was lying.
Sameer continued. "Fir dusri important baat mujhe yeh pataa chali ki woh business mein chahe kitne modern equipment aur machines istemaal kare, parivaar aur sanskaaron ko leke unki soch ekdum purani aur rudhiwadi hai. Biraadari ke bahar shaadi karna unki vicharadhara ke bilkul ulta tha. Lekin teesri aur sabse ehem baat yeh thi ki woh apni ek lauti santaan, Sunaina se bahut pyaar karte hai. Sunaina ke dil ki khwahish zabaan par aane se pehle puri kar di jaati thi. Chunki unki shaadi ke kayi saal baad paida hui thi aur fir kuch saal pehle Sunaina ki Mummy bhi guzar gayi toh woh apne Papa ke aankh ka taara ban gayi. Ab woh log Gujarati hai aur him Marwari, issliye inter caste marriage ka sawal hi nahi uthta tha. Par tum log toh jaante ho Sunaina college ke dinon se kaise mere peeche padi thi".

Taking a pause, he exhaled and then continued, "mujhe laga tha ki woh sirf ek college crush tha par Sunaina ne mujhse shaadi karna apni life ka goal bana liya tha. Usne apne Papa ko emotionally blackmail kar liya ki woh shaadi sirf mujhse hi karegi. Thak haar kar sirf apni beti ki khush ke liye Parekh uncle toh taiyyar ho gaye, par Nanu ne manaa kar diya. Unhone baar baar koshish ki par Nanu unse baar baar yehi kehte rahe ki Sameer apni marzi aur pasand se usise shaadi karega jisse pyar karta hai. Ab yahan mujhe yeh nahi pataa ki Nanu ki iss baat ka kya matlab hai kyonki uss waqt meri koi girlfriend nahi thi. Agar Nanu mujhse kehte toh shayad main unki baat maan leta. Actually...unhe pataa tha ki main unki baat kabhi nahi taalunga....issliye shayad unhone kabhi nahi kaha. Thanks to Nanu, Sunaina se bachane ke liye", Sameer made the last statement in hindsight.

While the boys let it pass for the moment that he mentioned that at that time he didn't have a girlfriend. Did he mean, he had one now? If he did, why weren't they aware about the situation. Both looked at each other and decided to put the digress and confrontation on hold and wait if he spilled the beans on his own.

"Inn sabke beech, mujhe yeh bhi pataa chala ki Kartik college se leke padhayee khatm hone tak kayi baar Sunaina ko apne dil ki baat bata chuka tha par usne har baar mana kar diya. Ek baar toh woh apne Mummy-Papa ko lekar Sunaina ke ghar rishta lekar pahuch gaya tha, use yeh yakeen dilane ke liye ki woh uske baare mein kitna serious hai. Par Sunaina ne saaf manaa jar diya aur Kartik ka dil toot gaya. Usne yeh accept kar liya ki Sunaina ki pasand main hoon aur usne uspe dabaav daalna chod diya. Par dil se nahi nikal paaya. Sharaab peene ki thodi si latt lag gayi. Buss... fir mere dimaag mein ek plan bana...jisse hamara business bhi bach jaaye aur mujhe Sunaina se shaadi bhi na karni pade aur use ek sachcha jeevan saathi mile".

"Issliye tune emergemcy mein humse Kartik ko dhoondhkar use college ground mein laane ke liye kaha?" Munna now understood the purpose of luring Kartik away from his drinking Sunday.

"Haan! Aur fir maine use woh saare pal yaad dilaye jab usne Sunaina se pyaar kiya tha. Par usne bhi haar maan li thi ki use kabhi uska pyar milega. Issliye mujhe uske dil ko jhanjhodna pada".

(Flashback:
"Kartik, Sunaina ne toh tumhe apni shaadi ka card nahi diya hoga. Issliye main hi tumhe invite karne aa gaya. Aakar dekhna apne pyaar ko kisi aur ka hote hue". Some spark had lighted when the realisation dawned on Kartik that actually his love would be someone else's wife.

"Sunaina hamesha se tumse pyar karti hai. Woh tumse shaadi karke bahut khush hogi". However, he still accepted his fate dejectedly. "Main use zabardasti toh apna nahi bana sakta".

"Par main toh usse pyaar nahi karta. Na kabhi kiya hai na kabhi karunga. Yeh shaadi mujhe zabardasti karni pad rahi hai apne business ko bachane ke liye. Ab manmarzi ke khilaaf kuch hoga toh takleef toh hogi na. Aur Sameer Maheshwari ko takleef hogi toh kisi na kisi ko toh uska khamiyaza bhugatna hoga. Toh ab tum socho ki main iss zabardasti ki shaadi ka badla Sunaina se kaise loonga". Sameer had tried to induce as much malice he could in his voice and a wicked gleam in his eyes.

This got Kartik thinking and seeing that the rod was heating up, Sameer struck the hammer. "Main use itna pareshaan karoonga ki woh kosegi uss din toh jab usne shaadi ke baare mein socha bhi tha. Woh bhaagkar apne Papa ke paas jana chahegi par use ghar ke bahar kadam bhi nahi rakhne doonga. Saari duniya use meri patni ke naam se janegi lekin ghar mein uski izzat dou kaudi ki nahi rahegi. Ghar ke naukar se bhi zyaada battar zindagi bana dunga uski. Woh royegi chikhegi chillayegi par uski sisakiyan sunne wala koi nahi hoga. Saari zindagi pinjare mein qaid chidiya ki tarah pankh fadfadakar aazadi ki bheekh maangegi aur main..." he smirked, "main...uske pankh katar doonga. Uska jeena dubhar kar doonga, saason ko azaab bana doonga. Woh maut maangegi par use woh bhi nahi milegi". He built as much vengeance as he could in his tone. It did work.

Flashes of Sunaina locked up in a cage in a disheveled state crying for help haunted his vision. He could hear her cries of pain through the fog Sameer's vividly painted diabolical future. It broke through his daze and he lunged at Sameer and grabbed his shirt lapels. "Tumhari himmat kaisi hui meri Sunaina ke baare mein kuch bhi ulta seedha bolne ki?"

Sameer freed himself from his grip and chuckled, "tumhari? Huh! Abhi kuch ghanton mein woh hamesha ke liye meri ho jaayegi! Toh agar use bachana chahte ho toh haar maankar sharab mein doobna chodo aur mard bankar kuch karo. Warna saari zindagi uski cheekhein sunkar pachtate rehna ki waqt tha par tumne kuch nahi kiya!" Sameer warned with a death glare challenging him to actually man up". Flashback ends)

"Yaani teri baaton ka asar gehra hua tha Kartik par jo usne mandap mein hero wali entry maari". Munna concluded.

"Par yaar Sameer, agar woh late jo jata ya na aata toh?" Pandit didn't know the alternate course of action that Sameer had already started.

Now was Sameer's turn to brace himself as he was going to unload some freaky information about himself on his friends. "Woh late ho gaya issliye toh mujhe back-up plan activate karna pada". Saying so, he removed the hankies tied on his wrists.

Two pairs of eyes widened and looked at each other with a stupefied expression. Both grabbed his wrists and examined from all directions, "Sameer! Tere haath pe toh chot thi". Munna enquired.

"Haan yaar, humne khud dekha tha ki tune apni donon kalaiyan kaat li thi. Aise kaise ho sakta hai ki tere haath pe chot ka koi nishaan hi nahi hai?" Pandit was also bemused and kept touching his hand to feel for any injury.

Sameer knew any explaining wouldn't be good. So, he walked to his desk and picked up a letter opener and swiftly made a cut on his left palm. "Sameer..." both were worried and ran to him and gripped his palm. And what met their eyes was nothing less than magic that they had seem in magic shows or on television. The gaping wound started healing right in front of their eyes and in a moment disappeared completely as if it was never there.

Seeing their confused expression, Sameer explained, "mujhe bhi nahi pataa yeh sab kaise hota hai, par kal shave karte samay thoda kat gaya aur fir antiseptic dhoondhne tak ghaav bhar gaya! Bilkul jadu jaisa. Fir maine apne aap ko chote mote ghaav deke dekha aur saare aasani se bhar gaye. Kalayi ka ghaav bhi. Issliye tum logon se kaha tha ki rumaal ki laal side ghaav par baandhna taaki kisiko shak na ho".

"Sameer yaar..." Munna phewed and paced twice around his room trying to digest the information. 

"Main jaanta hoon Munna, sab kuch bahut ajeeb lag raha hoga...par yaar..." Sammer started to form some explanation... but Munna interjected.

"Agar tune fir se hume jaane ke liye bola na...toh...toh..." Munna huffed.

While Munna was still fuming, Sameer held his shoulder, "jaan bujke tum jaise dost kho doon, itna bhi bada pagal nahi hoon main!" He assured them they he wouldn't ever want to be without them. The trio got emotional and hugged tightly.

"Waise Sameer...hmmm....aise aur kya kya ajeeb hai tere baare mein jo tune ab tak hume nahi bataya?" Pandit threw him a googly and this time he decided to come clean. His pursed his face and the guilty expression gave away that it was going to be a long list including the most bizzarest of all, Anamika.