The experience in the mall running through his mind, Virat walks in dejected, slightly drunk. He is actively trying to avoid any interaction with the family members as he is not in the right frame of mind to talk to anyone. He is about to go in and lie down when he meets Pakhi in the corridor.
She wants to talk to him and asks him, “Virat… thake hue lag rahe ho.. Kuch Khaaoge? Ya chai leke aau?”
Virat, in a hurry to avoid her, says,
“Nahi… mujhe kuch nahi chahiye.. Tum jao yaha se..”
Pakhi, not wanting to leave him so quickly continues,
“Mujhe tumhari fikar hai Virat, isliye pooch rahi hun… jab se Sai tumhe chod ke gai hai.. Tum ukhade ukhade rehte ho. Main tumhari dost hun.. Baki kisi ko nahi par mujhe tumhari parvah hai”
Virat, already on edge retorts,
“Nahi chahiye tumhari parvah. Tumhe samajh nahi aa raha kya ki main baat nahi karna chahta.. Jao yaha se please”
His raised voice draws Samrat's attention to the scene, he looks at them and sees Virat in an argument with Pakhi.
Pakhi, jilted with his indifference asks Virat, “Sumit se milne gaye the na… Sai bhi mili kya?”
Virat immediately gets angry and almost shouting at her asks,
“Tumhe kaise pata??? Oh acchha… aadat nahi gai na abhi bhi… meri har chij main taang adaane ki”
“Main aisa kuch nahi kar rahi thi.. Main bas hawa khaane ja rahi thi… to sunai diya tha. Lekin tumhari shakal dekh ke lag raha hai ki main sahi hun… To kya ab Sai ka Sumit ke saath affair hai?”
“Bas Patralekha…” shouts Samrat before Virat can respond.
“Tumhari problem kya hai haan? Jab dekho tab Sai ke piche padi rehti ho? Ab to nahi hai na vo is ghar main… phir tumhe kya farak padta hai vo kuch bhi kare?”
“Samrat main to Virat ki takleef dekh ke bol rahi thi. Us ladki ko jara bhi sharam nahi hai ki kaise bartaav karna hai”
Pakhi replies without hiding her annoyance for Sai.
“Enough Pakhi…” it is Virat who shouts now;
“Sai ke baare main bakwas karna band karo”
Samrat sniggers and slow claps at Virat, stunning both Virat and Pakhi.
“Ab chilla ke kya fayda Virat? Jab bolna chahiye tha tab to kuch bol nahi paaye. Sai ki is ghar main itni beizzati hoti rahi, usne kitna kuch saha tab to tum muh main dahi jaamake baith gaye… aaj bahot awaaj nikal rahi hai”
“Aur tum Patralekha… tumhe kya lagta hai mujhe kuch samajh nahi aata.. Tumhe shuru se hi Sai se problem hai… ab jab vo bechari bacchhi apni zindagi main aage badh rahi hai to tab bhi tum use bura bhala keh rahi ho? Tum dono ke is dosti… chhhii… ye shabd bhi tum logo ke liye thik nai hai… is sabne Sai ko kitni takleef di hai ye tum dono kabhi nahi samjhoge”
“I regret the day I came back… mujhe aana hi nahi chahiye tha… Sai ke khatir aaya tha… par ab jab vo hi nahi hai… to vapas chala jaata hun… tum dono nibhate raho apna jo bhi rishta hai ye”
Samrat responds by throwing his arms in the air.
“Nahi Samrat… aisa mat bolo”... Mansi, who has heard the conversation, says suddenly.
Samrat goes to her and holds her hand and says
“Aai… aap hi bataiye… kya matlab hai is rishte ka? Sai ne thik kiya… jo rishta mar gaya ho.. Usse chutkara le liya… mujhe bhi yahi karna chahiye”
Samrat rues wistfully, but fails to notice the impact it has on Mansi.
She suddenly slumps, unconscious, with Samrat barely managing to catch her before she falls to the ground.
There is an intense activity in the house when she is quickly taken to the hospital.
Sai is in the OPD, having just reported for night shift when Mansi is wheeled in. A distressed Samrat spots her and quickly comes to her.
“Sai… Aai ko dekho na… chakkar aaya aur behosh ho gai”
Sai, immediately worried, quickly moves the mechanism and gets her admitted. Pakhi is also following all of them and is irritated when facing Sai.
Ignoring her, Sai gets down to her job and manages to administer preliminary treatment to Mansi.
She comes out to handover some prescription to Samrat when Virat staggers towards her.
Repulsed by the smell of alcohol, Sai turns her face away and talks to Samrat.
“Mansi bua thik hai.. BP low ho gaya tha. Maine treatment start kar di hai… aur meri raat bhar duty hai.. Main dhyan rakhungi… lekin aap bheed mat lagaiye yaha pe.. Aur specially jo log peeke aaye hai unhe hataiye yaha se”
Hearing this Pakhi looks at Virat, who is suddenly aware that the taunt was for him. Wanting to talk to Sai, he moves towards her but stumbles and is caught by Pakhi.
Seeing this, Sai sneers at both of them and moves inside the room.
Samrat asks Mohit to take all of the elders home and especially Virat seeing he is of no use in his drunk state. The car stereo is playing Judaai and Virat closes his eyes, tilts his head on the window and finally repents on how far he has fallen down in Sai’s eyes.
Kho gaya, gum ho gaya
Waqt se churaya tha jo
Apna banaya tha..
Ho tera, woh mera
Saath nibhaaya tha jo
Apna banaya tha..
Chadariya jheeni re jheeni
Chadariya jheeni re jheeni
Aankhein bheeni ye bheeni ye bheeni
Yaadein jheeni re jheeni re jheeni
YOU ARE READING
Afterglow
FanfictionA story inspired by an idea for a new ML for Sai and her life post her divorce from Virat. This beautiful cover is courtesy Sahni2007. She has done awesome work and I am more than pleased to use her art for my story.
