Chapter 8
Part-10 Mohini's Spy
As Mohini and Anurag came downstairs,Mishka approached them,"Anurag,Prerna Nazar nahi aa rahi.". Seeing Mishka,Mohini rolled her eyes in annoyance, while Anurag replied coldly said,"Woh upar hogi.Now if you would please excuse me Mishka Mujhe zara apne guests ko attend karna hai.". Ved,who witnessed Anurag's rude behavior towards Mishka came to her and held her hand.He said,"Toh iska gussa abhi tak Shant nahi huwa."
Mishka shook her head and said,"Nahi usko Komolika ke naam se woh video footage bhej ne ke liye woh abhi bhi naraaz hai mujhse.".Putting his arms around her shoulder Ved reassured her,"Don't worry babe,sab theek ho jayega.",he said watching Mohini and Anurag talk to Moloy.
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Standing in a corner,Mr.Bajaj looked around the room.At social gatherings this was one of his favorite things to do,stand back and observe.With practice he had become pretty adept at reading people which in turn had helped him in his dealings with them."Mr.Bajaj,aap yaha akele kyu khare hai?",he turned around to see Nivedita Basu smiling at him."Oh,kuch nahi main to bas aise hi.",Mr.Bajaj said nonchalantly."Waise maine net pe aapka London Business School wala speech dekha tha.I have to say great speech!".Mr.Bajaj smiled graciously,"Thanks,
Ms.Basu". "Please,call me Nivedita.You know,Maine aapke aur kayi speeches dekhe hai but somehow the London Business School speech stayed with me."Nivedita said.Mr.Bajaj gave her a warm smile,"Haan,I can understand why, after all woh speech Maine apne Dil se likhi thi.It was an ode to my alma mater."he said fondly remembering his days there.Surprised at this,Nivi exclaimed,"Wait-What?!Aap London Business School se hai? Me too!". "Which year?",Mr.Bajaj asked enthusiastic to talk about one of his favorite places in the world.Hearing his question,Nivi faltered a little.Hesitantly she answered,"I would have been the class of 2017,lekin main apna final year complete nahi Kar payi.". Looking at Mr.Bajaj's quizzical expression she said in a fake cheery voice,"Ma ko laga ki main already bohot qualified ho gayi Hoon to woh chahti thi ke main India aake Baba ka business sambhaaloon aur India aake meri Shaadi bhi ho gayi toh convocation attend karne ka time hi mila.Mere classmates ne aapke speech ki live recording ki thi, maine bhi aapka speech wahi dekha"she gave him a bright smile while her eyes wore a sad expression.This didn't go unnoticed by him.Changing the topic he said,"That's good for Basu Publications! Maine abhi tak jitne bhi aapke puraane business associates se baat ki sabne mujse ek hi baat kahi:beware of Nivedita Basu she is a brutal negotiator!Unhone mujhse yeh bhi kaha ke aap ke under aaj tak Basu Publications ne ek bhi deal nahi gawayi.Ab to mujhe lagta hai ki hotel jaakar mujhe woh contract phirse padh na parega",Mr.Bajaj said jokingly.Nivi smiled at this.Yes,it was true within a few months of joining Basu Publications she had earned the reputation of being a master negotiator.Whatever the deal was,she had always managed to negotiate the terms in Basu Publications favor.If only Ma and Baba acknowledged this especially Maa,she thought sadly.Nonetheless,his compliment lifted her spirits and she said,"Go ahead tab aap bhi afsos karenge ki aapne humaare saath pehle business kyu nahi Kiya!".Both of them laughed at this.Just then,Mohini approached them, and addressed Mr.Bajaj,"The dinner is ready Mr.Bajaj.Please aaiye".Nivi and Mr.Bajaj followed Mohini where circular tables were placed.Mohini led Mr.Bajaj to one of the bigger and more decorated tables.As he and Nivedita sat there,he was joined by Moloy,Anurag,Mohini and Anupam.Anurag, he noticed was oddly silent.He was about to congratulate him for the pregnancy,when a familiar smell invaded his senses.He was stunned to see the waiter place a bajre ki roti on his plate.Mr.Rishabh Bajaj had been living in London for the last 15 years.He had been coming to India on and off. And everytime his hosts offered him continental food to make him feel 'at home'.As if his humble roots was something they wanted to completely forget about.He had expected the same from the Basu's.But as the waiter placed one Rajasthani delicacy after another,he smiled at this pleasant surprise.Nivi,who was watching him thought,Oh God!Yeh maa aur inke grand ideas.Kya zaroorat thi inhe Prerna ko party ki arrangements mein involve karne ki.Koi aur tareeka nahi mila inhe Prerna ko welcome feel karane ka.She addressed him,"Mr.Bajaj Kya baat hai?Aapko khana pasand nahi aaya kya?".Her question drew everyone's attention at the table.Touched by his host's efforts to actually make him feel at home,Mr.Bajaj was quick to reply,"Bilkul nahi!Mujhe yeh khana bohot pasand aaya.(Chuckling) Actually main itne saalon se London mein raha Hoon ki India mein mere hosts mujhe sirf continental khana offer karte hai.Maine aap logo se bhi yahi expect kiya tha.But I must say I am pleasantly surprised ke aap log mere roots nahi bhoole".
"All credit goes to Prerna.", Moloy said with a look of pride,"Yeh uska hi idea tha.". Turning to Mohini he said,"I told you na Mohini,Prerna tumhe disappoint nahi karegi.Iss maamle mein woh bilkul Rajesh pe gayi hai.Logo ka dil chhulene ka hunar usne ussi se seekha hai.".
"Oh to unke papa bhi aaye hai yaha.",Mr.Bajaj politely asked. Nivi replied,"Nahi woh ab iss duniya mein nahi rahe."."I am so sorry."Mr.Bajaj answered sincerely.Sensing the gloominess in the table, Anupam spoke up,"Onu,Prerna kaha hai?".Caught off guard,Anurag hesitantly replied,"Haan,woh... actually-". "Prerna yaha hai Anupam Da." a voice answered.Since everybody was looking at Anurag waiting for his response,nobody had noticed Prerna approach them.With all eyes on her,Prerna placed a hand on her husband's shoulder,as she sat next to him.A look of mutual understanding passed between them,as Anurag smiled gratefully at her.Whatever may be their personal equation,but Prerna knew how important this business deal was to him and she wanted him to know that he had her unconditional support.She turned to Mr.Bajaj saying,"I am sorry woh mujhe kuch important kaam aagaya tha.Waise aapko khana kaisa laga?".
He smiled at her,"I love the food,Prerna.Mr.Moloy Basu keh rahe the ki yeh khana aap ne arrange Kiya hai.So thank you so much.",he said earnestly.Looking at the food,"Ek bohot lambe waqt baad kisine mujhe mere bachpann ki yaad dila di.So once again thank you so much,Prerna".He smiled at her and she smiled back at him.
~~~~~~~~X~~~~~~~~~~~
Suman was waiting in the hall of Basu Bari for her sister-in-law to finish her packing.Shekhar had taken the car to drop his mother, Shivani and Mahesh.After dropping them,he will come back to take them.Instead of Shivani,she had volunteered to stay back,but not to help Prerna pack,as she told Shekhar,but to speak with Mohini. As Mohini came downstairs Suman saw her chance."Mohiniji,woh aaj Maa ne aapse jaise baat ki uske liye main aapse maafi mangti hoon.".
Mohini,stunned,to be addressed by Suman whom she barely knew,was about to speak,when Suman beat her to it.Wearing an innocent expression she began,"Hum aapse bilkul sehmat hai.Hume bhi lagta hai ki Prerna Didi jo bhi kar rahi galat kar rahi hai.Anurag kitna chahte hai unhe.Unka kitna khyaal rakhte hai.Aur uss Komolika se bhi to Shaadi unhone sirf Hume humaara ghar dilane ke liye ki thi.Aaj ke zamaane mein aisa pyaar karne wala pati kaha milega unhe.Agar hum Maa ki jaga hote na Mohiniji, toh hum to Prerna Didi se keh dete ki Shaadi ke baad Pati Parmeshwar hota hai aur sasural swarg.Aur Parmeshwar aur swarg ko koi chhorta hai bhala?".As she finished her speech,Mohini had a glint in her eyes.Sweetly smiling at Suman she said,"Beta,mujhe Mohiniji nahi Kakimoni kaho.After all,agar main Prerna ki Kakimoni huyi toh tumhari bhi toh Kakimoni hui na?Chalo Prerna ke aane tak hum yahi baithke baate karte hai.Tum kuch logi?".Suman was about to refuse when Mohini yelled,"Rivu Da!". Watching Mohini give instructions to Rivu Da,Suman thought smiling,Arre wah aaj to inke tevar pure badle huwe hai.Humari itni khaatirdaari?!Aur kyu na kare ye?Inka beta Prerna didi ke liye kitna pagal hai yeh hum jaante nahi Kya.Aur Anurag inki sabse badi kamzori hai yeh baat bhi hum achche se jaante hai.Toh kyu na hum unke iss kamzori ka faida uthaaye? Waiting for the tea and snacks,Mohini thought,Looks like all is not lost.Ho sakta hai Veena mujpe kabhi trust nahi karegi,woh apni beti ko har haal mein support karegi.But what about Suman?Usse toh dekh ke nahi lagta ke usse Prerna se koi khaas lagaav.Main shuru se dekh rahi hoon,isse expensive kapre aur gehno ka bohot shauk hai.Toh kyu na main iske iss weakness ko apni strength banau.Agar main isse Sharma Niwas mein apna spy banau, toh jab tak Prerna inke saath rahegi yeh mujhe Prerna ki saari khabar deti rahegi aur wahaan pe uska jeena yeh itna mushkil karegi ki Prerna ke paas aur koi option nahi rahega, Onu ke paas lautne ke alaava.
As Paro brought them tea and snacks,Mohini whispered something in her ear.As Paro left,she offered a platter filled with Danish cookies to Suman saying,"Beta tum yeh cookies try karo yeh Paromita khaas mere liye Denmark se laayi thi.Paromita-I mean Mrs.Dasgupta,Shekhar ke boss ki wife.",Mohini added innocently.Thanking Mohini for the tea and cookies Suman added,"Waise aap jo humare pati ke liye karne jaa rahi thi,uske liye thank you so much.Koi aur aapko samjhe ya naa samjhe hum aapko achche se samajte hai.Hum jaante hai ki aapka Dil bohot bara hai.". Feigning a sad expression Mohini said,"Ab tumse kya chhupaana Suman,mujhe apne bete ki bohot chinta hai ho rahi.Woh Prerna se kitna pyaar karta hai, usne uske liye kya kuch nahi kiya! Yaha tak ki baar baar apni jaan bhi khatre mein daali,yeh to tumne bhi dekha na.Phir bhi Prerna ko uski koi kadar hi nahi hai?". Putting on a sympathetic tone,Suman replied,"Ji Kakimoni main aapka dard samaj sakti hoon.Prerna Didi ne yeh sahi nahi kiya.Anurag toh jaan chhirak te hai unpe.Unke ek ishaare pe poori duniya unki kadmo me laake rakh sakte hai.Unki har khawaish chutkiyo mein poori kar sakte hai.Lekin Kya hai na Kakimoni, yeh sab humare jaisi ladkiyo ko dikhta hai jinki kismat mein yeh sab nahi.Hume toh bas pati aur sasural waalon ka kaam karte jaana hai aur khud ke shauk aur khushiyon ko maarte jaana hai.".Suman looked at Mohini meaningfully. "Waise agar kismat insaan ka saath na de toh insaan ko apni kismat khud likhni chahiye."Mohini said, looking into her eyes.Just then her domestic help Paro, brought her a small box.Taking the box,Mohini opened it and presented it to Suman,"Tum samaj rahi ho na main Kya keh rahi hoon,beta.". Looking at the dazzling emerald ring,Suman smiled sweetly,"Jaisa aap kahe, Kakimoni."
~~~~~~~~X~~~~~~~~~~~
Prerna looked around Anurag's room for the last time,she had taken everything of hers.Now it looked just the way it did when she had entered this room for the first time."Toh tumne apna sab kuchh le liya.",a voice said from behind, it's sadness reflecting the state of her own heart.She turned around to see Anurag standing there,glassy eyed with a sad smile gracing his face."Haan",Prerna said,"Jo kuch bhi apne saath laayi thi sab wapas le jaa rahi hoon.". Remembering something,"Achcha suno,yeh rahi cupboard ki chaabi, Kakimoni ne mujhe jo kapde aur jewelry di thi woh sab usme hai bilkul waise ka waise."she said handing him the keys.She was about to leave when he said"Thank you so much,Prerna."
Surprised she turned around,and asked,"Kis liye.". "Aaj mujhe Mr.Bajaj ke saamne support karne ke liye.Tumne aisa kyu Kiya Prerna?",he asked her.Puzzled she asked,"Kya?". Looking down he sighed,and said,"Hum ab alag hone waale hai.". Hearing this,Prerna shifted uncomfortably.He looked into her eyes and said,"Agar tum chahti to dinner ke baad room mein reh sakti thi aur tumhe koi kuch nahi kehta.Lekin tum phir bhi neeche aayi,iss Ghar ki bahu aur Meri biwi ki tarah tumne humare sab guests ka khyaal rakha.Kyu?".
Kyuki main tumhe kabhi bhi haarte huye nahi dekh sakti.Humara rishta chahe jaisa bhi ho, lekin agar Zindagi ke kisi bhi modh par tumhe Meri zaroorat ho, to main tumhara haath thaam ne se peechhe nahi hatungi, Prerna thought instantly.Instead of saying this she went with the second but equally important reason for her presence in tonight's party.She answered,"Basu Publications ko mere baba ne apni life ke tees saal diye hai.Yeh company bhale hi tum logo ki hai,par iss Company ko mere baba ne apne ek bachche jaisa hi pyaar diya.Aaj bhi jab main Basu Publications se guzarti hoon to mujhe mere baba ke awaaz sunayi deti hai,unke mere aas paas hone ke ehsaas hota hai.". Tears welling up in her eyes,she said,"Lekin main jaanti hoon ke aisa kuch bhi nahi hai.Mere baba chale gaye hai aur woh ab kabhi wapas nahi ayenge.",she finished breaking down in sobs.In a moment her husband rushed to her trying to soothe her.He quietly held her in his arms as she broke down, crying her heart out. In between sobs,she said,"Main aaj bhi jab ghar jaati hoon toh unke khaali rocking chair ko dekh ke mera dil toot jaate har baar!!".
"Shhh...I know jaan...I am so sorry.",he said trying to pacify her.They quietly held on to each other.Both secretly wishing to delay the moment of separation.When Mohini came to Anurag's room,she was pleasantly surprised at this sight.She cleared her throat to make her presence known.Seeing her,Anurag let Prerna go,who was surprised at this.Turning around she saw Mohini and composed herself."Woh Shekhar car leke aa gaya hai..toh Kya main.."she asked hopefully."Main aa rahi Kakimoni.",she said.Prerna was about to take her suitcase Anurag grabbed it first.Stunned,she looked at him."Let me help you.". Giving him a weak smile, she walked ahead as he followed her.Quietly walking behind them was Mohini,Itna bada suitcase,she thought,Yeh ladki khamakha mere bete se itni mehnat kara rahi hai.But then isse bhi kaha pataa ki kuch dinon baad isse Onu ke paas hi waapas aana hai.Jo training Maine Suman ko di hai,woh Prerna ka jeena haraam kardegi waha.Aur phir Prerna ko ehsaas hoga ki mere bete ko chhorkar woh kitni badi galti Kar rahi hai."
~~~~~~~~X~~~~~~~~~
Precap:Mohini,"Onu, agar Prerna tumse dhoke se marriage certificate sign kara sakti hai, toh tum kya apne aur uske pyaar ko bachane ke liye usse divorce dene se inkaar nahi kar sakte"
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