ZDMN: Of Dreams and Fantasies

A gift for the newest member - The Marriage Chronicles 3.0

Karan Shergil sat on his bed holding an old but shiny pen, staring at it constantly, his mind miles away.
It had been a good day, a day he'd remember for life. It was his mehndi today after all. One day left in his marriage to Monami, he had forgotten about the gift and this pen until now when it fell on the floor as he was sliding in the bed.

He had been playing with baby in the garden since the morning because bhabi wouldn't let him do anything.
"Konsa dulha apni shaadi mai kaam krta hai karan?" When he pointed to himself, she smacked his head and sent him to look over baby.

"Agent shera, ready?"
"Yes ma'am. He saluted her and marched behind."
"Aap agent shera ko thodi der ke liye meri ek help krne dengi, agent baby?" He turned hearing Sid's voice. He gave him a questioning nod. Getting a reassuring shake from him, Karan turned towards baby. He stood awaiting his permission as his neice took her sweet time deciding on what to do.
"Agent baby please?"
"Ok. But sirf tab tak jab tak mai nikhil mendhak ko leke aati hu. Hume iss mission mai ek soldier aur chaiye!" She rushed off leaving the two men alone.
"Kya baat hai sid?"
"Kuch nhi bro. Aapko ko kuch dena tha. Sit! Mai abhi aaya!"
Karan was throughly confused. Sid sent baby away only to leave him alone sitting on the garden? Before he could get up from the bench, sid was back carrying two boxes with him.
'Ye aapke liye hai." He thrust them in his hand and sat besides him.
"Kyu?"
"What?"
"What what?" He shrugged at Sid.
"Kya what?"
"Haan vhi toh mai puch rha hu, what?" He asked, a cheeky smile on his face.
Sid looked utterly confused and karan was reminded of Monami. These two were so similar. Always losing track of conversations. He chuckled to himself.

Sid looked up in relevation the moment he heard Karan chuckle. "Aap game khel rhe ho! Jaise monu ke saath krte ho! Broo, not done! Abhi ye apne gift kholo."
Karan let out a small laugh at Sid's whining. "Yhi puch rha tha mai. Ye gifts KYU?"

"Aise hi. By the way sirf ek gift mera hai. Ek kisi aur ne send kiya hai aapko."
He looked at sid sitting like an eager child, "Kholo na bro!" Sid prodded at him.

Karan got up from the bed taking out the brand new dairy that Sid had gifted him, he sat  ready to put his restless thoughts on paper. In the carousel of his mehendi, his thoughts had not gone towards the conversation with Sid even once,but now he couldn't help but think about it.

He tore at the wrapping paper carefully, intrigued by whatever Sid was gifting him.
The wrapping paper fell away to reveal a beautiful leather bound diary.
"Mujhe aur kuch smajh nhi aaya ki aapko kya du? Mai aapko as a trainer toh jaanta hu but as a friend and as my brother in law abhi itna nhi jaanta na!" Sid nervously played with his curls as he spoke.
"Mujhe pta hai aap diary likhte ho. Thanks to monu, so I thought vhi gift kr du. Don't worry. It's not real leather. Faux hai." Sid smiled at Karan.
"Thank you Siddarth. Bahut acchi hai. Meri diary vaise bhi almost filled hai so good timing."
He kept the diary aside picking up the smaller box. He opened to find a pen in it. It was an old fountain pen. Black body with army emblem embossed on it.
He gave a questioning glance to Sid who was staring at the pen.
" Ek week phele jab monu aur mai vo last ditch effort krne gye the, walnut ko manane ka? Tab juhi aunty bro ki belongings ko monu apne saath le aayi thi. Mumbai mai they were just sitting in dust and darkness, getting spoiled." He looked at Sid who sat there with a sad smile on his face.

"We were taking care of Juhi Aunty bro's stuff when I saw this pen. Ye unka favourite pen tha. Unke trainer ne unhe diya tha. I don't why, mujhe aise lga ki ye pen aapke paas hona chaiye. So I asked monu and here we are."
Karan leaned against the bench, his eyes on the pen as he asked Sid, "Tum aur Juhi aunty close the?"
"Juhi aunty bro sabke close thi." Sid let out a laugh. "Monu bilkul unke jaisi hi toh hai. Harr koi uska dost hai aur sabki help usko hi krni hai. She used to tell us stories you know? Fairytales nhi. Real stories. About friendship, about army, about love. She was the most amazing woman I'd ever seen."

As Karan remembered Sid's words, he couldn't help but feel a little jealous. There was this amazing woman who would soon be related to him so closely, whose life had had such a huge impact on his wife to be and he didn't really know anything about her. His mind went back to his conversation with Sid.
His mind back at the garden, he twirled the pen around in his hand.

Sid turned to look at Karan, "Aapko in beads ki story pta hai?"
"Juhi Aunty bro ne diye the. Monu and I had very recently become friends aur mai ussw uske ghar se football ke ek match ke liye lene aaya tha. She was crying. Aunty bro ek Mission ke liye jaa rhi thi and she was most probably going to miss monu's birthday — she didn't by the way. Birthday se ek din phele aagyi thi vo.

Having had enough of walking around, Sid came and sat besides him. "Unhone apna ek scarf diya monu ko diya and said that until she came back, the scarf would be there for her, something to hold on to. Mai door ke paas khada dekh rha tha, she saw me and called me to her asking "So sid bro, tum miss kroge mujhe?" I remember nodding and her giving me this thread of ibiza beads."

"So ye pen juhi aunty ne gift kiya hai mujhe? Something to remember her by?"
"Haan. Monu bro ke paas brooch hai, mere paas ye beads. Aap ab humari iss choti si family ke member ho so ek gift aapka bhi banta hai. Welcome to Gappu family bro."

Karan let a chuckle as he remembered Sid calling them Gappu family.
He opened his newly gifted diary and picked up the pen, he was not going to write to himself or to the diary today, no! The first page of this diary would be a letter to Captain Dr. Juhi Mahajan.