Chapter 3

unicornwriter

@unicornwriter

PART 2: THE FIRE

7 A.M. , HYDERABAD

The sun was up and so were the houseworkers at the pretigeous mansion as they ran around trying to complete their scheduled works on time to survive yet another day at their job. This mansion had seen it all, a strict environment at first and then came a phase with rainbows, glittery stars and honey vibes but then again it went back to being strict or rather ruthless. Naidu picked up his necessary items from the kitchen when they heard a loud crash from the above floor. everyone glanced at each other for a second and then went back to their original working forms, the loud crash wasn't anything new since the past 3 months. Every morning their boss would wake up and then they would hear a jug or a glass crashing down on the floor. Correcting his grip Naidu ran as quickly as he can with a tray full of towel and protein shake for his boss's workout when he bumped into the only sane figure of the house.

"Are araam se abhi gir jata toh." Farhad steadied the nervous worker.

"Sorry sir woh dekha nahin." came a stammering voice.

"Koi baat nahin Anna uth gaye hai kya?" Farhad asked to which he earned a nod.

"Aur Amma?" he further questioned looking around for a miracle.

"Roz ki tarah unka breakfast unke room ke bahar rakh diya tha." Naidu replied pointing to the lady's door.

"Theek hai yeh mujhe do aur tum jao." Farhad took the tray from him and turned to walk up the stairs.

Bhabhi ke bina yeh ghar kitna badal gaya hai., he thought.

Farhad halted at his best friend's/ boss's door and took a deep breathe before giving it a slight knock. A few minutes of rustling noises from he other side, the door flicked open and he came face to face with 'The Fire' of the house. His Anna looked like the same way he had been looking since the past 3 months, loose track pants and a blood covered cloth wrapped around his palm from the fresh cut.

"Anna aapka samaan." he kept the tray on the table as he entered the messy room.

"Tu kyun lekar aaya woh Naidu kya mar gaya." came a harsh voice.

"Mujhe aapse kuch baat bhi karni thi." Farhad sighed getting himself ready for the big talk he tries to do everyday.

"Showroom ka baare main hai." the devil raised his brows.

"Nahin." Farhad replied turning to face him

"Phir mereko nahin sunna." but got dismissed.

"Anna aaj toh aapko sunna padega. Akhir kab tak chalega aisa. Kab tak aap aur Amma khudko aise hi takleef dete rahenge. Jabse Bhabhi-" Farhad tried to reason but stopped midway when vase went past him and crashed on the wall behind.

"Maine bola na koi iss ghar main uska naam nahin lega na uske baare main baat karega. Jaa chuka hai woh." Raghav roared. The same Raghav that once loved to call out her name as soon as he got back home, asked about her to every living person inside the house whenever she wasn't in his sight, now despised even a slight remark about her in the same house.

"Par kab tak Anna kab tak chalega aise." farhad shouted getting a hold of his Anna.

"Chup karja Farhad." Raghav pushed him back and walked to his cupboard to grab his work out clothes.

"Anna yeh kya ho gaya hai aapko. wahan Amma hai jo pichle 3 mahine se apne kamre se bahar nahin aai hai. Khana nahin khati hai bas utna khati hain jisse woh zinda rahe aur ek taraf aap hai jiss din woh sab kuch hua uss din ke baas se aap bilkul badal gaye hai. Are aap toh bhabhi ki mayyat tak par nahin aaye jaise ki woh aapke liye exist hi nahin karti. Poore ghar se unki har yaad mita di aapne. Kyun Anna? Kyun?" Farhad asked in desperation.

"Kyunki ab woh nahin hai Farhad aur behtar hoga ki tu bhi yeh accept krle." giving a stern reply Raghav dashed inside the washroom to change leaving a helpless farhad behind.

Ya Allah yeh kaisa khel hai tera. Iss ghar ki khushi, iss ghar ki roshni sab kuch chheen li tune. Jabse bhabhi gayi hai yeh ghar , ghar hi nahin lagta hai. Sab kuch badal chuka. Anna badal chuke hai. Ab bas yahi dua hai ki Anna ko iss gham se bahar aane ki takat dena. Iss ghar ko uski khushi lauta dena. Farhad looked at the sky and prayed for a miracle just like the one he had prayed a long while ago.

Raghav walked down the stairs in a navy blue suit calling someone on his phone when Kirti stopped him.

"Raghav naashta." she requested him like she had been doing since the few days.

"Mereko nahin khana tum khalena." Raghav replied her as he patted her back and walked out of the house for his lined up meetings.

It's been 3 months to that dreadful day and Raghav had changed for everyone, in al possible way. Some would say that he was griefing from the way he would deck up meetings for himself since 9 A.M to keep himself drowned in work while some would say that the old don Raghav was back from his vacation as he would ruthlessly beat the shit out of people who did him wrong. But who was the actual Raghav now was still a mystery to many. 

His car wheels screeched before the now dull house, Deshmukh Niwas. A house that once had retro music flowing through it's doors early morning was now a dead house as nobody moved in or out apart from the insensitive lot of people that never cared. 

Aai distributed the prashad as her gaze fixed on the photoframe hanging on the wall. Two frames but the same destiny. Nikhil grabbed her hand as he made her sit beside him handling her a cup of tea that she refused everytime but he still tried.

"Aai aaj thori si chai hi peelo." he begged as he looked at his awfully destressed mother.

"Usne kuch nahin khaya hoga toh main kaise khalun." Aai replied in a broken voice looking straight to nowhere.

"Par vahini." Kaka tried his luck when suddenly a shadow fell on him. Looking up he saw raghav standing infront of the trio as he picked the cup from the slab.

"Aai." he called out and she looked up.

"Aaj nahin." Aai refused.

"Please." Raghav handed her the cup and stood infront of her as she gave in like she had been doing and sipped on the hot liquid.

"Tumhare alawa yeh koi nahin kar pata hai." Kaka patted his back to which Raghav just nodded, bent down and touched her feet before walking back to his car and out fo the house.

"Jiju roz yahan aate hai. Aai ko har subah pehla anaaj khilate hai, unke pair chhoote hai aur bina kucb kahe chale jaate hai. Aisa kyun kaka." Nikhil asked his kaka as he saw his jiju's retreating figure.

"Pata nahin beta. Ab toh kuch pata nahn." kak replied getting up and leaving back to his room.

It was 1 A.M. and Farhad had been trying to contact Raghav since he left his last meeting abruptly at 8 P.M. There was no signs of his boss, Amma has still not gotten out of her room so there was no point asking her while Kirti had no idea where her brother was. 

"Par Raghav kahan chala gaya." she tried dialling his number.

"Pata nahin Kirti. kabhi kabhi lagta hai ki yeh Anna nahin koi aur hai." farhad replied pacing around the house.

"Last week bhi Raghav aise hi gayab ho gaya tha. Yeh ho kya gaya hai iss aadmi ko." she banged her phone on the sofa.

"Maine Madan ko bheja hai dekhne ke liye Anna mil jayenge." farhad tried calming  stressed Kirti when the doorbell rang.

"Lagta hai raghav aa gya." Kirit ran to open the door only to get a shock of her life.

There stood her brother in all her glory, wait rewind... There leaned her brother trying to retain his posture over a brown-haired girl. He looked kinda drunk yet a little sober.

"Raghav yeh sab kya hai? Aur yeh ladki kaun hai?" she asked eyeing the short dressed women.
"Anna aap kidhar the?" Farhad came running to the door.

"Questions. Questions. So many questions. Tum log thakta nahin hai kya." Raghav asked standing to his feet.

"Raghav tum nashe main ho." Kirit covered her nose.

"han toh isme naya kya hai. main toh hamesha se aisa hi hai. Farhad ko puchlo. haina Farhad aur tu kyun isko dekhkar aisa dar gaya hai. Side hatt humko late ho raha hai room main jaana hai humko." Raghav tried moving past with the girl by his side only to be stopped by Kirti.

'yeh ladki tumhare kamre main nahin jayegi. Aur ho kya gaya hai tumhe. Itni jaldi kaise bhul sakte ho toh pallabi ko. 3 Mahine pehle tak toh Amma aur mere saamne bade pyaar ke dawe kar rahe the. Ab kya ho gaya." Kirit shouted.

"Pallavi gone. Pyaar gone. Ab hato saamne se." he made his way to the stairs and towards his room.
"Tum kabhi nahin badal sakte Raghav Rao. Kabhi nahin. Achcha hua woh chali gayi. Bach gayi tumse Pallavi warna tum usse barbaad kar dete . Usne toh hamare liye itna sab kuch kara aur tumne toh uski yaadein khatam hone ka intezaar bhi nahin kara." Kirit dashed away after her breakdown as Raghav banged his door after getting the girl inside.

Yeh mere Anna nahin hai. woh bhabhi ke saath kabhi aisa nahin kar sakte hai. Par woh aisa kyun kar rahe. Kya sach me woh sab bhul gaye hai. Farhad thought as he looked at the hidden picture behind the stairs. The happy family picture that got destroyed when he walked in their lives.

So the second part is here. Sorry for the delay. Do give your reviews.