Tanhaiyan | neirohi

4. could he?

Slipping into her cotton footwear, she entered her house. Forgetting the existence of a second person in the household, she threw her bag from the passageway and watched it land on the sofa. Like always. Had she been a basketball player, her shots would've been great for sure.

"Arrey wah! Tum toh LeBron James nikli!"

Gritting her teeth, she gave herself a tiny pat. Cheers to her newly found forgetfulness! Bachelor life had been a bliss. And parting ways with it seemed miserable now. Nevertheless, head held high she walked in.

He sat there at the table, tapping on the steel tiffins. At least he did the one job she asked him to. But the way he was glaring holes into the innocent yellow post-it note, almost got her crack a smile.

He watched her place herself on the chair opposite to his, as she sat facing him.

"No taking shower today?"

"No sleeping for the next four decades today?"

"No staying locked in the washroom for the next four centuries today?"

Half a mind to strangle the life out of him right then and there, she groaned and dug herself deeper into the chair. This was not going to work out. Not like this at least. One of them had to grow up here. Any guesses who that would be?

"We need to talk cham... I mean Neil."

"Say that once more. I might have to actually start calling you a broken tape recorder rather than chipkali."

Pinching the bridge of her nose, she let out the question which had been bugging her since the day she heard of his arrival. Of course, not without an exasperated sigh.

"Kyon aaye ho tum yaha?"

"Ouch chipkali."

"No, I mean seriously. Why are you here?"

A fairly simple question. Yet for the search of an answer his mind went running along the track of reminiscence. There could be so many reasons. Why was he here? To give a chance to himself? If only he could muster that much courage. To give her a chance? She doesn't believe in proving herself to anyone. Because his brother could defend him from anyone but not his mother? Maybe.

Yes, Abhimanyu had tried to convince Manjari to not send Neil away. He needed his best bro with him. But Manjari was having none of it. Neither her sons nor her nephew and niece could convince her to change her mind. She had a decision and that was final. And with the elder trio on her side, it was unchangeable.

The fingers snapping in front of him brought him back to the present.

"Phirse asleep?"

"No. Just thinking."

"So you don't know why you are here? That's some start."

Taking a deep breath, he spilled it out. Better said, slipped out before he could stop himself.

"Ma asked me to give us a shot."

"Us as in us?" she asked, finger pointing between him and her.

"Nahi."

"Phir?"

"Yeh chaand, yeh sitaare, yeh asmaan, yeh—"

"Accha teekhe. Stop now."

She had expected this. Before her bidaai Bade papa too had asked her to do the same. Easy for them to say. After all, they were not the ones stuck with the actual doing it part. Only give those long-ass lectures and expect others to follow. Hypocrisy at its peak.