It had gotten really, really cold.
Shaurya- Anokhi blanket de deta hoon. Guest room mein so jao. I think you need rest.
Anokhi- Hmm. Thanks a lot sir. Mein nhi rukti but aapko toh pata hai flooding ho gya hai. Pata nhi ghar pe sab cheeze theekh ho bas. Itne mehnat se usse ghar banaya. Bas.
Shaurya- Arre sab theekh hoga. Waise bhi yehi toh ghar hai tumhara. I mean Mimi jahan hai wohi ghar hai tumhara naa. Sab kuch hai naa woh tumhari.
Anokhi- Hmm. Thank god mein sahi waqt pe nikal gyi warna aaj .... Mimi se door. Nhi aisa. Hota toh. Mein kaise bhi aati. Mimi jaan hai meri. Uske bina mein nhi reh sakti.
Shaurya- Anokhi. Arre mein bhi nhi rehne deta. Tumhara nhi pata. But aaj tum nhi aa pati toh bhi mein kuch bhi karta but tumhe aur Mimi ko alag nhi hone deta. Ab rest karlo. Yeh sab mat socho. Aur bhi kuch garam kapde chahiye toh batana.
Anokhi- Nhi theekh hoon mein. Mimi ko sula deti hoon.
She put Mimi to sleep and then tried to sleep herself but the new place was slightly uncomfortable and sleep did not come easy. All queasy thoughts ran through her head. Her past, her love for Mimi, Shaurya sir and also how much she missed her home and inspite of the coldness it for the first time felt like a full home. She stayed by Mimi constantly trying not to sneeze and at one point felt her nose was completely blocked. She went into bathroom looking for hot water and started inhaling its steam. She didn't realize when she slept on the bathroom floor itself.
Next day morning, Devi had come to the guest room to call them for breakfast as she was annoyed they had not woken up yet to find Anokhi sleeping on the floor. She woke her up.
Anokhi- Mimi! Mimi!
Devi- Theekh hai woh. Tum bathroom mein kyu so rhi ho.
Anokhi- Woh steam le rhi thi toh aankh lag gyi. Sorry. Aa rhe hai hum breakfast ke liye.
She freshens up and freshens Mimi up. Devi serves her parathe which reminded Anokhi of her home. The nostalgia was too much.
Devi- Kyu accha nhi bana hai? Kitne natak hai tumhare.
Anokhi- Nhi woh bas.
Devi- Woh bas kya?
Anokhi- Maa ki yaad... She chocked on her tears.
Devi- Middle class values dikhane ki zaroorat nhi. Yeh sab se hum impress nhi honge.
Shaurya- Mom! Uske mom dad nhi hai uske sath. Sach mein. Sorry Anokhi. Sorry unki taraf se.
Anokhi- Arre nhi. Mumma ke hath ke parathon ke liye sun lungi sab. She had tears in her eyes.
And for some reason that tugged at Devi's heart.
Shaurya- Anokhi baarish toh ruk hi nhi rhi hai. I wish tum apne ghar mein ho pati. Comfortable. But kya karen? Mimi aur Ladoo game khele? Chalo.
Anokhi, Shaurya and Mimi go upstairs to play. But Anokhi was still sneezing a lot. Also she felt really stuffy.
Shaurya- Anokhi? Garam pani lata hoon inhale kar lo. And garam tel bhi lata hoon. Nose pe laga lo. Rahat hogi.
He goes to kitchen to heat oil.
Devi- Mimi ko kya hua? Woh theekh toh hai? Devi rushes to see a healthy Mimi and is relived. On the other hand Anokhi was really struggling with the blocked nose. But Devi didn't care much, apart from at a humane level.
Anokhi- Mimi. Achoo. Mimi. Achoo.
Mimi- Mumma sick ho gye aap? Mumma Mimi hai naa. Mumma you lie down. Lie down. You lie. Cold is running naa. Lie down. Cold will stop running if mumma will lie down.
Anokhi tries to laugh but that results in a sneeze. But Mimi makes Anokhi lie down.
Devi- Apni beti se yeh sab karwate hue sharm aati hai?
Anokhi- Ji.... Maine achoo. Kya....achoo.
Shaurya- Badi Mom. Ek toh beemar hai aap usse harass kyu kar rhe ho. Mimi ko Anokhi ne ek achaa bacha banaya. Yeh bacha sabki care karta hai. Aur aap usse akela chod do. Dekh lunga usse mein. Anokhi tum inki baat mat suno. Pehle steam le lo. Mein tumhare nose pe oil laga dunga fir. Ok?
Anokhi- Haan. Thanks.
Shaurya rubs her back to ease her cough and could feel it was hot.
Shaurya- Anokhi tumhe toh fever hai. Anu! Yaar. Bataya kyu nhi. Dawai kahan se? Oh God. Dekhta hoon ek strip hai yaa nhi. Tum hilna bhi mat.
Devi- Ab kya hua?
Shaurya- Fever hai usse. Mein dekh lunga. Usse akela chod do.
Shaurya could find no medicine strip and rushed back to find her lying down and trying to console Mimi who was crying from when she heard Anu maa had fever.
Mimi rona nhi hai. Mimi... Mera bacha.
Mimi- Anu ...Maa. I love you. I love you. She was sobbing heavily.
Anokhi- Arre Anu maa theekh hai.
Mimi runs to Devi.
Mimi- Dadi. Sona dadi. Pleesh kuch karo. Sabki mummas bachon ko pyaar ke magic se theekh karti hai. Meri mumma ne mujhe repair kia. But meri mumma ko repair karne ke liye koi nhi hai. Pleesh.
Devi- Mimi rote nhi. Theekh ho jayegi woh. Mimi. Achaa shona rote nhi. Achaa chalo mein dekhungi.
But she could see Anokhi at the door. She came to Mimi and lifted her and took her away.
This reminded of how Shaurya cried for his mother and some part of her wanted to repent for what she did to Shaurya. So she went.
Devi- Anokhi tum rest karo. Mimi ko hum sambhal lenge. Mimi bacha. No crying beta. Mumma will be ok. Plomish.
Devi had tears seeing Mimi cry ahe took her into a hug. Mimi bacha! Aule mera bacha! Aise rote nhi.
Mimi- So...na... da... di. Rona aa rha hai. Bohot zor se rona aa rha hai dadi. Dadi!
Devi- Arre Mimi. Rote nhi. Rooge toh aap bhi beemar ho jaoge aur phir shona Mimi kaise mumma ke sath rahega Haan. No crying shona.
Devi- Shaurya mein Mimi ko sambhalti hoon. Tu isko dekh.
Shaurya- Hmm. Anokhi try to sleep. Mimi safe hai. Badi maa achaa dhyaan rakhegi Mimi ka.
Anokhi- Huh! Shaurya.... sir. Shaurya. Thanks....
Shaurya- Ab so jaao.
Anokhi- Hmm.
She shuts her eyes but finds haunting fever dreams of that day.... and starts to mumble.
Anokhi- Mumma. Mumma please mujhse baat karo. Samjho mujhe please. Woh mein ek aise insaan nhi shadi kar sakti. Mumma maine usse ek aur ladki ke sath dukan mein dekha. Uski girlfriend hai. Mein kaise shadi karoon. Please nhi karni shadi. Mein Amjad se pyaar karti hoon. Please... Mujhe nhi karni shadi. Aaa. Mumma. Please darwaza kholo koi. Help! Help....
Fast forward to another day....
Amjaad mujhe chod chuka tha. Usne choda mujhe toh mein kaise zimedar hui uski maut ka. Amjaad ne choda mujhe. Usse nhi chahiye tha mein.
Arre! Mimi. Ki sirf maa hi hai. Uske father marr chuke hai. Isliye sirf mein hi aayi hoon admission ke liye.
Arre! Mimi shona. I know aapke papa nhi hai but aapko mumma aapse dher sara pyaar karti hai. Mimi sorry beta aapke papa nhi hai.
Shaurya- Anokhi! Aankhen kholo sab sapna hai yeh.
Mein creche kahan se afford karoon? Mein kya karoon.
She uneasily tossed in bed.
Mimi sorry beta woh toy nhi laa payi mein aapke liye. Sorry.
Meri beti ka naam Mimi. Yes birth certificate meim Mimi likhna hai. Father ka naam.... Hum dono alag rehte hai. Nhi divorce toh nhi dia usne. But mein alag rehti hoon....
Kyu? Kyu alag rehti hoon? Uska affair tha.
Shaurya was coming to know of her past without her consent and this upset him. But Devi was hearing too. Of the struggles of a single mother, trying so hard to give her a child a life and someone who had to carry the burden of marriage that stayed only on paper, the burden of a cheating husband. What kind of a scoundrel leaves his pregnant wife! Horrible. But what did she do! Take away a child from a mother. And now there was no going back. But she could atleast make sure that this child and mother stay together. She would have to do something for Anokhi do that Mimi could get her healthy mother back.
How was it ? Do comment.
