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Chapter nineteen...
dargaah... coffee aur barish...
FOR FLORIDADOC...THE SOUL..THE EYES ..THE LIFE OF THIS FF..
As dr ashutosh n nidhi sat in cafe dilnawaz ..ashutosh insisting to sit in the AC as ge said"humidity is not what is recommended for your wounds" and had pushed the menu card to nidhi..."order karo...apni chow mein..i d have a sandwich n coffee...with milk"! Nidhi smiled as she recalled his black coffee days!
As they waited for food , nidhi looked around"yehaan first time Rohan laaya tha...phir baba main Rohan aate the kabhi kabhi..."her voice trailed off...as ashutosh looked at her...trying to fathom the grief of being away from her people...he cleared his throat and asked"chalogi col verma ke ghar"??..but nidhi looked away..saying"na...i know woh nahi maanenge...abhi..."and then tried to brighten up..."aur Rohan kal aayega milne..maine kaha ki breakfast humare sath...aapko koi problem to nahi"?? Ashutosh smiled as he bit into his sandwich.."mujhe kyun hogi problem?? Tum jo chahe woh ker sakti ho..jisse chahe mil sakti ho..tum meri biwi ho...you are not my prisoner ..nidhi"and nidhi looked into his eyes...as if wanting to say"aaj aap phir mere hero ho gaye"!! And ashutosh looked at his watch n took a bite of her spicy chowmein..."hmmm tasty..per kitni mirch hain..."!! Nidhi laughed..n then asked"baar baar time dekh rahe hain...kuch kaam hai kya"?? He nodded as he paid the bill n walked along side her"yes..tumhe apne bank le jaana hai..sab papers..investments mei joint karwana hai..your name should be there...aur tumhara credit card...link karwana hai..where do u have your salary account"?? Nidhi almost collided into a man coming in...n ashutosh protectively put his arm around her..drawing her to his chest...for a moment nidhi could feel his hairy torso...as he held her n asked"kya hua...ok"?? N she nodded...As they drove she shared that she got her salary in cash from jeevan sandhya ...n her account with HDFC was dysfunctional afyer she was removed from kgh..."credit card...baba ke account se linked hai...ab nahi use karoongi usse"!! Ashutosh undetstood...as he patted her hand"i d get u a new card today...achcha tell me...where would you like to work now?? I can get you back in KGH..in the kids ward...you d be an asset to us."nidhi smiled reminiscencing the days of kgh..her first meeting with dr hardstone...but she added"manager sahib ne request ki hai jeevan sandhya mein rehne ke liye for a month...till they get a new doctor..."ashutosh understood as he said"i know jeevan sandhya kyun special hai tumhare liye...baba se mili thi tum wahaan pe..."and nidhi seemed lost ..as ashutosh parked the car in front of HSBC and tapped her hand..nidhi seemed to be brought out of the stupour. ..
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Dr mallika sat in her chamber ..trying to absorb the biggest jolt of her life...ashutosh marrying nidhi...that useless irritating intern...ashutosh finally dashing her hopes of a union for ever...mallika closed her eyes ...as the memories seemed to flood her...she n ashutosh in England..ashutosh helping her with her anatomy paper...ashutosh looking after her when she was ill...ashutosh who was always there for her...ashutosh whom she had begun to love...and tears flowed out..mallika wiped them...as she recalled...ashutosh telling her ..he simply could not love her...she was just a friend..."dosti se kum main tumhe dena nahi chahta...aur dosti se zyaada kuch de nahi sakta"the words rang in her ears...as she bowed her head..thinking how she had harassed nidhi...hounded her...robbed baba's house from her...all in order to get close to ashutosh...n yet..n yet...mallika broke down..in angst...in shame...in guilt..."nidhi...tumhari wajah se mai kitna gir gayi...kitna?? Kyun kiya aisa...kyun tumne pyaar kiya ashutosh se..."!! And she threw back her head...closing her eyes...as nidhi ; young fresh n vivacious appeared in her mind...as she smiled n said"dr mallika...mere barah second aakhir bhari pad hi gaye na aapke barah barson pe..."and mallika's remorse seemed to evaporaye like water on a hot tin roof ...and all that remained was cruel anger...as she picked n threw the paper weight...only to realise it was sudha bai...standing with I C U files...
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"My wife..dr nidhi"dr ashutosh put an arm around nidhi as he introduced her to the HSBC general manager..nidhi a lil perplexed at the clout that her husband had...all she knew of banks was standing in long queues and getting harassed for loan repayment...she tried to push away those sad memories of baba's heart attack...n loan repayment pressure as the manager gave her to sign forms...she looked at dr ashutosh..who nodded n explained.."all my accounts are to be joint ones with u...n in all my investments ..you are the only nominee...sign kar do plz...'"as nidhi took the pen n signed "nidhi ashutosh"at various places...and it was within a matter of minutes that she got her new cards..ATM n credit cards...linked to dr ashutosh's account.."mam..the limit is 10 lakhs"and nidhi almost gulped in shock...chokibg from rhe coke she had been sipping!!
As they stepped back into the car...she took out the cards..n gave them to ashutosh...who seemed confused at this"aap rakh leejiye..i might lose them...aur itti limit ka main kya karoongi...meri salary kaafi hai mere liye...i can't ..n i dont want to handle this kind of big money...mujhe aadat nahi hai.."ashutosh could have kissed her there n then...it was this simplicity..this honesty of his nidhi that made him devoted to her...he just looked at her n asked"how much do you get there at jeevan sandhya"?? Nidhi felt a lil embarrassed as she divulged"15 thousand...per mujhe bahut hain...aur zuroorat hogi to maang loongi aapse.."ashutosh held her hand ...his fingers clasping hers...almost intimately ..as he said.."main...mera ghar...mera sab kuch...ab tumhara hai nidhi...mujhe aur iss sab ko tum sambhalo...ya bikhra rehne do...sab tum pe hai...aajse main..hospital ke alawa sab kuch tumhe saunpta hoon...khud ko bhi...aur tum yeh jaanti ho...main baar baar yeh sab nahi keh paaoonga...speaking my thoughts is a lil difficult for me..."! And nidhi held his hand...entwining her tiny fingers with his big ones...as he pulled his tie...loosening the knot...and nidhi smiled girlishly as she said"jaante hain..i wanted ki aap aaj yeh tie pehne..."ashutosh smiled n replied"i know...the moment it fell...mujhe pata tha...tabhi to..."!!...
As ashutosh approached nishat ganj; nidhi spoke'suniye...ek jagah jaana chahti thi...chalenge"?? Ashutosh looked at her n replied"jaanta hoon...dargah pe?? Hai na"?? N nidhi nodded...as he took the turn...
They alighted at the dargah...as ashutosh gave her money to buy a floral chadar...and as they came to the shrine...the images of their previous meetings flashed in their minds..their acceptance of love...their coming face to face during separation...the dargah had witnessed it all...As ashutosh helped nidhi to bend and offer flowers ..putting his arm around her waist to make her stand up...they both could hear n be mesmerised with the eternal quawwali...
"BANDISHEIN ZAMAANE KI TODE AAYA HOON..
MAIN TERE WAASTE DUNIYA KO CHOD AAYA HOON"!! And the holy man blessed them"khuda jodi salaamat rakhe..."as tears brimmed in nidhi's eyes...tears of joy ..of fulfilment...of a dream coming true...and as always...dr ashutosh wiped her tears...and the two lovers..18 years apart ..now bonded in the sacred thread of marriage walked back...hand in hand..heart in heart...
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"Dadi bua kuch to kha leejiye ab"it was a worried chote sarkar trying to feed dadi bua as col verma rocked in hos chair..with a glass of scotch..db pushed the plate away...n sighed "arre kaise kha loon...pata nahi..meri bach...uss kambakht nidhi ne kuch khaya hai ki nahi...phir chot bhi to hai usse...kaun khilaayega bhala"?? Cs smiled"dr sahib..aur kaun...aur agar itti hi chinta hai ..to kyun na mil aayein ...hum"?? Dadi bua got up..."na re...tu nahi samjhega...betiyaan jo hain..khaandaan ki naak hoti hain...ghar ki izzat..aur iss nidhi ne to..."and col verma gulped his drink...as Rohan entered...and shot back..."kya ..dadi bua..akhir kiya kya hai nidhiji ne?? Yehi buss ki apne dil ki suni...jisse pyaar kiya usise shadi ki...gunaah hai kya yeh?? Aur jaa ke dekhiye unke ghar..kitta pyasr karte hain sab unhein...palkon pe bitha rakha hai...
"!! Cv looked up..."tum gaye the wahaan Rohan"?? And Rohan kept his laptop n faced cv"jee gaya tha...aur jaata rahoonga...aap apni beti ko chod sakte gain...dadi bua apni poti ko bhool sakti hain...per main..na apni dost ko bhool sakta hoon..na hi akela chode sakta hoon...never"!!
Cv looked at dadi bua...sighed n got up...without a word...walking to his bedroom...he looked at Rohan n said"Rohan ...jahaan se tum dekh rahe ho..wahaan se tumhari dost ke saath nainsaafi hui hai...per jahaan se main dekh raja hoon...wahaan se meri beti ne...mere emotions ki..meri izzat ki parwaah nahi ki hai...sab kuchal ke chali gayi...apni nayi duniya basaane..."and before Rohan could answer ..the door was shut...
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"Baba...aapka doodh"it was nidhi who entered baba's huge room..full of books and photos...of himself n ashutosh at various ages..baba looked up from his book"arre beta tu kyun laayi..heeraman hai na..."nidhi pouted "kyun main nahi laa sakti...aur ab to paaon bhi choo sakti hoon aapke...yaad hai aapne kaha tha...ki kaash main aapki bahu ban jaaoon..."!! Baba gulped...as he spoke with an effort...looking away"beta..tu shaayad nahi jaanti..tera mera rishta ek aur bhi hai...kuch uljha hua sa..."nidhi held his hand"jaanti hoon baba...uss raat se..jab aapke ghar mei dr ashutosh aur ap phir mile the...nana hain aap mere..."and baba seemed unable to control his emotions...as nidhi held on to his warm hand ...n said"per humara rishta...unse uss shaks se bandha hai..jo humari zindagi ka anchor hai...dr ashutosh...to main aapke liye humesha aapki bahu hoon...aur aap mujhe paaon choone se nahi roke sakte..."and baba ...at a complete loss of words hugged her...and then added...looking at armaan who had just entered..."theek hai..lekin main...aur armaan tere dost bhi hain ...koi bast..koi chinta..pareshani ho...to bus daud ke aa jana humare paas..."and armaan looked at her with a deep thankfulness. .."janti hai nidhi..ashu aasaan nahi hai...tu bhi janti hai uska temper..uske moods...kaam ke liye uska mania...per tujhe apne pyaar se uski muskuraahtein badhani hongi...iss ghar ko..ashu ki zindagi ko ..khushiyon se bhar de nidhi...aur haan agar dr hardstone tujhe daante to bataana humein...uski caning karenge hum dono..."!! And nidhi laughed...forgetting all her worries for a moment... eben the pain of the injection that dr ashutosh had just administered her..
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As she entered her bedroom ..with a mug of coffee ..she saw dr ashutosh in his tracks n a white tee shirt was studying on his study table..she kept his coffee"kaka ne bataaya..raat ko aap coffee lete hain..per black nahi doongi...yeh taste karoye...meri coffee"!! Ashutosh smiled but didn't look up..engrossed in his reading.."kal kab jaana hai hospital"?? He replied"8.30 ...mujhe ek reading karne do plz.."nidhi understood he did not want to be disturbed...she stelathily opened the wardrobe and pulled out a blue nightie ...and kept the matching gown ...should she wear it or not??? It would certainly be uncomfortable ...but the nightie with its left strap cut...was quite revealing...nidhi felt a lil nervous..and went in to change ..as she struggled in undressing..upsetting a few things on the shelf...dr ashutosh looked up from his book..trying to find nidhi...n he realised she was changing...he knocked at the wash room..and then getting no reply entered...nidhi struggling with her kurta...he bit his help n helped her..."kyun nahi bulaya" nidhi almost groaned..."aap ne hi to kaha tha..reading karni hai..."ashutosh didnt say anything and got her out in her blue nightie...with the left shoulder exposed...and a flimsy strap on the right...as nidhi took the gown...he stopped her.."no...the wound should not be disturbed...relax...main hi to hoon buss"sending tremors of shyness through nidhi's legs...she managed "aap padh leejiye..."and he nodded saying"bus 10 minutes..."and nidhi sat by the window...looking out at the cloudy sky...it was going to be a stormy night...she so wanted to go out n feel the rain drops...but the bandage on her hand..stopped her...as she yawned and came to bed...she was to slowly learn that 10 mins of her husband normally meant an hour...her eyes drooped with sleep...as in her dreams she seemed to be seeing her baba...making paper boats for her...in the rain...
It was at 11 that dr ashutosh got up..went to keep the coffee cup...meeting baba ..watching tv..."nidhi"?? Asked baba...n ashu replied "so gayi ...thaki thi...i was reading..."baba sighed ...as ashu closed the door of the bedroom...he looked at nidhi...sound asleep...ashutosh kept looking at her...unhindered...how he wanted to hold her...he knew she too longed for him...but he needed to make her comfortable first...he owed that to her...and she also needed to recover...ashutosh looked at her mangalsutra...she looked lovely with it...for the first time he realised she had no earrings...she had been fond of them..changing every day...and yes she had no sarees too...she just had the bare minimum stuff...ashutosh smiled as he sat with his i pad...
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The skies howled...it was raining heavily...cats n dogs ...and suddenly there was loud thunder...scaring nidhi out of her sleep...she almost cried as she got up...and ashutosh instantly switched on the light..."kya hua"??? And seeing her tremble ..he understood. .."scared"?? Nidhi nodded..."mujhe humesha bijli kadakne se darr lagta hai...i can't sleep..."ashutosh had a mix of smile n concern on his face...as he held her...and pulled her closer"aajaao paas...sleep this way...kuch nahi hoga..koi darr nahi lagega...come"and tenderly he pulled her on to his chest ...taking care he did not hurt her left shoulder...he put his hand under her arm...just below her bosom...and as nidhi put her head on that broad firm chest...she felt a strange calm...a serenity that she had never experienced before...and as her husband. ..caressed her cheek...she closed her eyes..surrendering herself to his protection...for ever...ashutosh smiled as he held her a lil closer...feeling the joy of togetherness. ..the pleasure of giving security to nidhi...but then overcome with an irresistible urge...he looked at her eyes...closed n lovely in the bliss of sleep and he tenderly kissed them...brushing his nose against her's as...nidhi felt tremors of desire awaken her...but ashutosh carefully put her head on his chest...and switched off the light...as the rain continued to splatter on the lawn...but nidhi slept ...for she was where she belonged to...in her husband's arms...
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