Hello readers.!❤️
This is Saumya.!
I have created this thread to share my short stories which I have written, not based on any TV shows or film characters, but on my fictional imagination.
Each update will be a different story, different characters and different feeling of joy.!
Maybe I will not be able to post the stories regularly, but hope that you all will enjoy the reading...!!
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CHOTI SI AASHA.!
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Mehek jaau mein, aaj toh aise…
Phool bagiyaa me, mehke hain jaise…
Badalon ki mein, odhu chunariyan…
The FM radio was going on with the song from the movie Roja in the background, when Aasha heard a voice asking something from her.
“Where is my tie Aasha.?”
Aasha immediately left the hold of the knife by which she was chopping the vegetables, working in the kitchen. She hurriedly runs into their bedroom and witnessed the wardrobe fully messed, few clothes dropped on the floor, few hanging through the shelf, few lying on the bed. She felt her anger and frustration reaching at its peak, but kept quite as she heard the lyrics of the song which was continued from the kitchen.
Dil hai chotasa, choti si aasha…
Masti bharemann ki, bholi si aasha…
She silently enters the room and didn’t said a word to Arman, her husband, as she didn’t want to have a fight in the early morning. She moves towards the wardrobe and opens the side drawer, taking his tie near him. She was about to clean the messed-up wardrobe when the smell of something enters her nostrils and she hurriedly runs towards the direction of the kitchen. She witnessed the burnt omelet on the pan, which she has placed before Arman has called her. She took a heavy breath and moves towards the pavement, removed the burnt omelet and started preparing the new one.
ARMAN- do it fast Aasha. Mujhe late horaha hai.
Arman’s words fall on her ears and she immediately turns to answer him back, getting irritated.
AASHA- late horaha hai, to chai biscuit khakar jayiye.
She again turns towards the direction of the pavement and continued speaking a loud.
AASHA- omelet jal gaya hai. It will take time to cook the new one.
ARMAN- its ok. Let it be. Me canteen me kuch kha lunga.
Arman scratches his head with his index finger and took his laptop bag to leave. Aasha wanted to stop him, but she didn’t said anything out of her irritation. After a moment, her wife nature poked her and she runs towards the main door to stop her husband, only to find that Arman’s car has already started running on the road. She shook her head lightly and turns around to move towards the kitchen again, when her eyes falls on Pihu, her daughter, who was also ready to leave.
AASHA- Pihu. Have the breakfast and then go.
PIHU- sorry mamma. Not hungry. Bhuk lagi to kuch kha lungi.
Said Pihu, wearing her sandals and leaves from the main door, saying a “tata” to her mother.
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Aasha’s every morning used to be like this, Arman leaving for his office and Pihu leaving for her college. And Aasha used to be alone at home for the whole day, either preparing various dishes for her husband and daughter, or watching the TV, or reading magazines and newspaper, or gossiping on phone calls, basically doing "nothing". Arman’s job didn’t allow him to have much fun and time spend with his family, he is at a higher post in a multinational company in the city of Noida. They never have a movie plan on the weekends, never visit their friends for lunch or dinner, nor they go for any family outings on the holidays, nothing.! Aasha and Arman were about to complete their 20 long years of their marriage, and in these 20 years they have almost changed 10 cities, due to Arman’s transferrable job. In these years, their cities changed, their home address changed, their lifestyle changed, but what remains constant was Aasha’s daily routine timetable. It was not that Arman don't love her, ofcourse they have their spark of love in their relationship, but still Aasha felt the unknown sadness and loneliness. She didn't imagined her life to be like this. The decision of being a housewife was of hers, no one pressurized her nor her in-laws nor even Arman, but still she had thought it would be something different, atleast different from her present situation. She wanted to have a change in her "timetable". But how? Arman didn't have time and Pihu didn't care to ask her mother about anything, busy in her own adolescent age.
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The newspaper lied on the teapoy, still in its fresh fold, not a single crease onto it as no one has read it till now. Arman didn't have time to read the news and Pihu didn't have that habit.! It was only Aasha, who used to read the black and white paper, with few colorful advertisements, in the afternoon after completing her household works. Aasha took the hold of that day's newspaper and opens it wide, when a white color pamphlet drops on her lap from the newspaper. Aasha's eyes narrowed reading the heading of the pamphlet. She took the hold of the paper in front of her eyes and started reading about what is written inside.
AASHA- choti si aasha.? we fulfill your wishes?
She looks confused as she started reading about the advertisement about a company who claims that they can fulfill every wish of their customer. Aasha looks unconvinced with the blabbers. Her eyes falls on the right corner, where their email address was printed too.
AASHA- nonsense.!
She muttered under her breath, nodding her head in disbelief. How can a company fulfill any wish of their customer? She kept the paper on the table and got busy with the headlines of the newspaper. But, her concentration was still on the heading of the pamphlet- "we fulfill your wishes." She hurriedly kept the newspaper aside and went inside Pihu's room to get her laptop. Before she takes the laptop in the living room, she went inside her bedroom and opens the side drawer to take her personal diary. Aasha bring the laptop and her diary to the living room, got settled on the couch and started typing few lines from her diary in the email, which she has to send. After typing the whole email, she finally pressed the send button and got a message on the screen that your email has been sent. Aasha chuckled at her stupidity by doing something like that, and shook her head in disbelief for herself. How can she believe in such a pamphlet ads which blabbers anything and any nonsense thing? Her thoughts broke as the door bell rangs. Aasha immediately got up from the couch having her personal diary in her hand. She put the pamphlet inside the diary and went into her room to place the diary back into the drawer. After that, she runs towards the main door to open it wide and find Pihu infront.
PIHU- maa..? Where were you.? Mujhe laga aap soyi hui hai. Kabse door bell baja rahi hu..
Aasha looks baffled to answer anything. She was not understanding what excuse she should give Pihu, who's eyes were on her waiting for her mom to speak anything.
AASHA- kitchen me thi. Sunayi nahi aaya, FM chal raha tha na..
Aasha have that habit to hear the songs when she is busy in her work, the only time pass she could do. Aasha has made an excuse as she didn't wanted to tell the pamphlet thing to her daughter, she don't know why.? Pihu nods at her and enters the living room to find her laptop on the couch.
PIHU- you were using my laptop.? YouTube pe Sanjeev Kapoor chal raha tha kya.?
The typical teasing tone of her daughter, which tells that her mom could only do the things related to cooking, made Aasha slightly frowned.
AASHA- zaruri hai recipes hi dekhungi.? Kuch aur nahi kar sakti kya.?
Pihu felt that she had hurt her mother with her words. To change the topic she immediately started moving towards her room and said in a loud.
PIHU- I am hungry mom. Please khana do..
Before she enters the room she stops at the door, gets back towards the couch, picks her laptop up and then went into her room finally. Aasha moves towards the kitchen and opens the fridge to take the vessels out which she has placed inside after she prepared the lunch. She lightens the stove under the vessels to heat the sabji and daal, and after a while calls Pihu to settle down at the dinning table.
AASHA- aaja Pihu.
PIHU- mamma.. room me de do na.. please..
Aasha shook her head in disbelief when Pihu asked her to pass the plate in her room. Aasha took her plate in her room and finds Pihu talking with her friends on her cellphone. She placed the plate on the side table and leaves from there towards the kitchen again. She took her plate and moves towards the living area, getting settled on the couch, infront of the TV set to watch her saas bahu serial. Though the "dhumtana" sequence was going on in front of her eyes, but Aasha was busy thinking about Pihu's adolescent behavior. Many a times she had told her daughter to have her lunch or dinner on the dinning table with her parents, but Pihu never care to listen, always busy in her phone, scrolling the feeds down. Her cellphone gains her attention towards her as it started ringing. Aasha kept her plate on the table and took her cellphone in her left hand, answering the unknown number.
AASHA- hello..
"Hello Aasha madam?"
Aasha scrunched her eyebrows looking confused. Someone is calling her madam for the first time, but who.?
AASHA- ha.. aap..??
Asked Aasha still in confusion. The next moment the person continued speaking.
"We have received your mail madam. We have gone through your wishlist. Aur hum puri koshish karenge to fulfill it."
Aasha's eyes grew wide with a sudden shock. She didn't believed what she has heard right now. She immediately turns to look at Pihu's room and got up from her couch. She runs towards the kitchen balcony, still having her cellphone placed on her left ear. She didn't want Pihu to know anything about the phone call.
AASHA- ji.. you..?? I mean how.? I didn't got.. how.. you..?
Aasha's voice started shaking with the sudden surprise and the sudden happiness. She has heard someone saying for the first time that they are going to fulfill her wish.
"Madam you are our one of the lucky winners. You just have to be present tomorrow in our club. Address aur timings aapko message kar denge isi number par."
Aasha got a sudden smile on her lips. The phone got disconnected after the person wished her "good day" and "goodbye". Aasha kept on looking at her phone's blank screen. After a whole minute, she returned back to the living room, sitting on the couch again, watching the "dhumtana" sequence again. Aasha's happiness had no bound, she just wanted to yell at the top of her voice, scream loudly and dance like a small girl. She silently took her plate in her hold, got up from her place and moves towards the kitchen. She keeps the plate on the pavement and moves towards the wash basin, turning the tap on, placing her right hand under the running water. The sound of the running water have always helped her to hide her crying noise, but today it was helping her to hide her laugh, her happy chuckle. Pihu immediately came there, stood at the entrance of the kitchen, watching her mother. She has heard the laugh of her mother and that's why she came there to have a check on what has happened all of a sudden.
PIHU- mamma.. are you fine.?
Aasha immediately turns the tap OFF. She so much wanted to embrace Pihu in a tight hug, and share her happiness with her. But then, she knows that Pihu will not believe the pamphlet and will shrug the company off. She will also tell Arman when he returns back from the office and hence both the father daughter duo will not allow Aasha to visit the resort the next day. Aasha cleared her throat and turns to face Pihu.
AASHA- kuch nahi.. sab theek hai..
Before Pihu asked her anything further, Aasha immediately runs from there towards her room, closing the door behind her.
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The phone call has made her happy to the core, she was reminding each and every word of the person, he said she is the lucky winner. Can she be a lucky winner? Is she that "khushkismat" to be a lucky winner of some lucky draw.? Aasha was really feeling out of the world. That night, when Arman returned back from his office, he has witnessed something weird in Aasha. Every night she used to be frustrated with his "not fixed time" return from his office. But tonight, she didn't got irritated and frowned with his behaviour. He had returned at 9:45, but still she was smiling happily, welcoming him and serving him the dinner.
ARMAN- tum theek ho na Aasha.? Kuch hua hai kya.?
Finally Arman asked her, out of his curiosity. Aasha nods at him again with a wide smile.
AASHA- hai kuch khas.
She said with an attitude, almost teasing him. She wanted her husband to ask her about her happiness. She wanted him to run behind her, requesting her to tell him l asking what has made her happy. But for her disappointment, Arman didn't behaved that way. He only gave a nod at her and directly went inside the washroom. Aasha felt bad about it somewhere. But she didn't allowed it to affect her current happy mood. She started arranging the dinning table, wrapping up her work, and switches the lights off moving towards their room. She found Arman resting on the bed, busy in his laptop, while resting his back on the backrest and spreading his legs in front on the bed, having his laptop on his lap. She silently enters the room, closing the door behind and very silently got rested on her side, the other side of the bed.
ARMAN- Aasha. Tum kuch keh rahi thi kya.?
Asked Arman still looking into his screen. Aasha got up from the bed, not facing him, facing towards the wall in front of her.
AASHA- kehna to bohot kuch hai Arman. But I didn't shared it with you till now. And you also, didn't have that time to have a talk with me.
She took a deep breath and got up from the bed moving towards the open window of their bedroom. She stood near it, keeping her hands on the window panel, looking the outside darkness, with a smile on her face.
AASHA- mujhe barish bohot achi lagti hai Arman.
She started with her words, trying to tell him what her heart speaks, what are her wishes, what she wants, which she never shared with her husband.
AASHA- but I know you don't love the unhygienic rain. That's why, aapke liye, mene bhi baarish me bhigna band kar diya. Mujhe short dresses pehenne hai, jeans pehenni hai. But Amma ji ko pasand nahi, isliye mene apna mann maar liya.
Aasha remembers her mother-in-law's words, when she has wore a jeans and kurti while going on a family picnic. Her Amma ji has asked her to not wear the western clothes, it doesn't suit the daughter-in-law of their family, and hence Aasha didn't wear jeans again after that incident.
AASHA- I want to go on a romantic dinner date with you Arman. Jaha hum dono ball dance kare. Romantic ball dance.
Aasha kept on pouring her heart in front of him, still looking outside the window, having a smile on her face, just like a small kid shares her feelings with her mother or father. She took a pause after few minutes just to let Arman say something or anything. When she didn't heard his voice, she turns to have a look at him just to find him sleeping peacefully. Her heart got broken into pieces. For the first time she was sharing her feelings with her husband, but he didn't even listened to her. For the first time she thought Arman is giving her time, but to her disappointment he was already busy in his dreams. She didn't showed any expressions on her face. She moves towards her bed, takes the laptop from his hold keeping it aside, switches the table lamp off and rested herself on her side of the bed, looking at the opposite direction of Arman. A silent tear got down her left eye. She was happy since afternoon but in a blink of a moment, again that sadness has surrounded her. She remembers her mother's words at the time of her wedding-
"Aaj se tere pati ke sapne tere honge, aaj se tera alag sa kuch nahi hoga. Jo unka hai wohi tera hoga."
That time she has questioned her mother, isn't the vice-versa same.? If Arman's dreams are hers, then aren't her dreams are of him too.? Doesn't he has a responsibility to fulfill her wishes, her choti si aasha.? The questions made rounds in her mind, and she immediately made a decision to cancel her plan of visiting the resort the next day.
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Next day, Arman was sipping the tea from his cup when Aasha placed the paratha plate in front of him on the dinning table.
ARMAN- Aasha.. tum kal raat kuch keh rahi thi na.? Sorry I got into sleep.
She didn't react or said anything. She took the empty milk glass of Pihu from the table and went back into the kitchen. Arman looks into her direction and was about to ask her something further when his cellphone started ringing. He immediately answers his phonecall getting up from his place. He moves towards the couch, took his bag and car's keys and leaves from the main door.
PIHU- me nikal rahi hu maa..
Aasha heard Pihu's voice and after a moment, she heard the main door getting shut, again leaving her alone in the empty house. She enters her bedroom hurriedly, opens the drawer, took the pamphlet out from her personal diary and was about to throw it in dustbin when she heard the message tone of her cellphone. She moves towards the bed taking her cellphone in her hold. The message was from same company, reminding her to be present at afternoon in the club without fail. Aasha kept on looking at the message having a blank expression. Her mind again started making thoughts. Do she really have that wish to fulfill her choti si aasha.? Can't she continue her boring life in the future too.? She is living this from the past 20 years, is it not possible to continue it for another 20 years.? She took a deep breath, releasing it while closing her eyes. She started moving towards the wardrobe and open it wide to look at her traditional clothes inside. She took a hold of a red color salwar kameez and started moving towards the washroom to get herself changed.
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Aasha locks the main door and keeps the house keys in her purse. She moves towards the main grilled gate, closing it behind and started looking at her left and right to find an auto or taxi.
AASHA- auto... Bhaiya..
She raised her right hand to call a auto near her. She immediately got into the auto, showing the address of the hotel to the driver. She wanted to message Arman about her whereabouts, but then shrugged off her thoughts remembering the last night incident. After half an hour, Aasha has reached her destination, the place which is going to fulfill her wishes. She passed a hundred rupees note to the driver and started moving towards the main entrance of the hotel. When she took her slow steps she suddenly remembers that it was the similar kind of hotel where she wanted to have her dinner date with her husband. The same royal place, she wished to have a ball dance with him. She continued moving towards the main entrance to find the guard giving her a salutation with a wide smile. She reverts him back with a light smile and the guard opens the door for her to get inside. Aasha put her first step inside the hotel room. She could see the red carpet under her feet which was spreaded till the other end of the big huge hall. She started stepping inside when she found the hotel staff showering her with the flower petals. Aasha looks amused at them. She started moving forward having no idea about what is happening with her. She started watching the unknown smiling faces around her and when she reached the centre, her heart skipped for a moment. She witnessed her husband Arman and her daughter Pihu, standing in front of her. She stood there feeling dumbstruck with the reality. She witnessed Arman moving towards her with a warm smile on his face. He stood in front of her and took the hold of her right hand in his.
ARMAN- 20 years back, shadi ke samay, hum dono ne saathme chalne ka promise kiya tha Aasha.
Aasha could not believe her ears what she is listening from her husband, her emotional husband at present.
ARMAN- unfortunately, I started moving at a fast pace towards my dreams. And you sacrificed your dreams for me.
Aasha's breath skip for a moment. She could see Arman's moist eyes, could feel his genuine words.
ARMAN- I have read your personal diary Aasha.
The earth from her beneath got slip when the reality strikes her. Someone has read her personal diary, and not only someone but her husband? She was feeling way too embarrassed, but she didn't speak anything, gave a light smile to Arman. He put his hand in his pocket and forwards the red rose to Aasha.
ARMAN- I can't bring the time back, but definitely can make this time special for you.
Aasha immediately wraps her arms around his waist in a hug and they started witnessing the clapping sound around them. Pihu happily smile at her parents, jumping happily on her place, giving a huge clap looking at them. Arman leaves her hold and found Aasha having a small tear in her eyes. He immediately wipes it off and wraps his left arm around her shoulder in a side hug.
ARMAN- ek aur baat.
Aasha looks at him in confusion waiting for him to speak further.
ARMAN- ye sara idea, starting from that pamphlet till that phone call, hamari Pihu ka tha.
Aasha's eyes grew wide, her mouth fell wide open with the sweet shock. She turns to look at Pihu and found her running towards her to embrace her in a hug.
PIHU- mamma.. rona nahi please.. abhi rain dance me waise bhi bhigna hai aapko..
Aasha chuckled hearing her words which she had said into her ears. She was way too happy looking at the love for her from her husband and daughter. She didn't wished more, because already her biggest wish has been fulfilled, that is, both the important people in her life has told her that they love her.
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That day was way too special for Aasha. Arman has gifted her a pink color below knee dress, the similar kind which she wished to wear always. He has asked her to change her clothes, and after a request of few minutes finally Aasha got agreed. Pihu has helped her to get ready in one of the hotel rooms. Aasha enters the hall again after a while, getting herself changed into the pink dress. Arman offers his hand forwarding it near her to have her hold. Aasha with a huge smile placed her hand on his hand and had her final wish getting fulfilled- ball dance with her husband that too under the artificial rain.!
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That's all was Aasha's, choti si Aasha..!!
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Inspired from, Shweta Dwivedi's column.
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I hope you all have enjoyed this story. Stay tuned, will be back with another soon.!
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