"Kyu peeche peeche chal rahe hai meere. Hum toh har choti baat pe rone lagte hai. Toh apna time kyu waste kar rahe hai humpar", Haseena replied angrily to him. Before he could say something she started to chop vegetables for their lunch, very noisily. He gulped and moved a step back.
"Maan jaiye na jaana. Ab kya aap humari jaan lengi? Thoda sa gusse me the hum"
"Dekhiye Anu. Kal humme rona aa raha tha , lekin aaj humme aapke upar bahout gussa aaraha hai. Pregnant hai hum. Humare mood swings se panga mat lijye warna ye na ho ki hum aapke upar aapki hi di hui training ka istemal kar le" She said coldly, pointing the knife in her hand towards him.
"Kam se kam chaaku se toh mat daraiye jaana...",he pleaded with puppy eyes.
"Sorry woh...flow flow me hogaya", she turned and resumed making food, clicking her tongue.
"Flow flow me kaafi khuch hojata hai aapka", he said flirtatiously, trying his second approach to calm her temper. Anubhav moved near her to hug her but she stepped back immediately.
"Mat kariye ye. Do gaj ki doori banake rakhiye humse chupchaap. Harbaar aise hug karke baate manwana nahi chalega", she said sternly. He frowned and moved back.
"Humne inse phirse maternity leave ki baat ki toh ye humme sachme ek aadh na laga de. Jen ko hi kehte hai", he thought and went outside the kitchen, quietly. Haseena continued to mutter angrily.
___
"Maani woh?", Anubhav asked Jen with hope full eyes. "Nahi. Woh jitna ho sake utna kaam continue karna chahti hai taaki maternity leave ka use baadme apne baby pe dhyaan dene k liye kare. Post Delivery." He banged the table in anger. After yesterday's incident he was pestering her but his wife was as stubborn as him.
"Toh humare paas koi aur option nahi bachta...humme wahi karna padega"
"Anubhav. This is wrong. Haseena ko sab bata do tum", she retorted. "Nahi bata sakte. Pata nahi kab tak ye maamla chale. Woh pure din tensed rahengi. Unke aur baby ke health ke liye acha nahi hai."
He had planned on increasing her workload manifold, so she herself thinks on taking leave, from her 5th month, staying home, away from cases and criminals. It was wrong on his part, very wrong to take her life decisions, lying to her but he thought it was better than troubling her with stress of the safety of their child.
In the past one week her work increased to double. Anubhav and Jennifer would help her wholly, not letting her take inch of stress but at same time showed her or drilled it into her psychology that she needs a break. For her own and the child's good.
Haseena enters her room exhausted. She walks near him and snatches the laptop he was working on. He fakely glared. She ignores and rests her head on his lap, keeping his palm over her head while he gently taps her forehead.
"Hey Prabhu...kahi Haseena ki tabiyat hum aisa na kharab karde. Hum dono, unki bahout madat karte hai, lekin woh aati toh roz late hi hai...", he becomes tensed seeing her worn out face.
"Anu...", she sounded lazy. "Aap woh puja ka samaan laye na jo humne kaha tha" "ji...usme sirf ek cheez nahi mili. Aap dekh lijyega kal. Abhi rest kijye. Hum paani lekar aate hai"
"Kal aapka bhi off hai na? Hum shaanti se puja karna chahte hai" "Haan, Jaana. Aaj kal aap kitna vyast rehti hai ki din ka dhyaan nahi hai. Kal Sunday hai"
His words keep her into a deep state of thinking. Her body is not able to cope up with the pace, her job is currently demanding. She wants no harm to her child at the same time no compromise with her duty.
Haseena adjusts herself little upside on his chest. She looked at Anubhav and found him looking back at her with a worried expression.
"Humse handle nahi ho pa raha ab", she sighed, feeling dejected. He cupped her face and pressed a deep kiss on her forehead. "Humme bhi lag raha hai ki ab humme leave le leni chahiye. Agar maternity leave khtam hone pe bhi hume laga ki humme apne baby ke saath aur time spend karna hai toh hum medical pe chale jayenge"
She had absolutely no idea of what they will be going to do in future. Her maternity leave would be max to 1 year after her delivery. But how will she leave her 1 year old? With whom? , they have no one in their family to take care? Her duty premises is unsafe for a toddler. All these questions are an unanswered haunt for both of them, which they had left on time.
"Pakka Haseena?...aap chahe toh khuch dino ki chuthi lekar dekh lijye", he pretends. "Nahi Anu...hum bahout hi zyada thak jaate hai, ghar laut te hue"
"Parso humme application de dijyega hum HQ submit kar denge", he answered but could not look into his wife's eyes. His lie felt heavy to his heart. He would be telling her this, when all would be sorted but till then it was only a guilty game.
Anubhav pressed her face on his chest tightly, eyes closed, chin leaning on her hairs.
"Maaf kardena Jaana...I am sorry...", he repeated in his mind, moulding his arms around her body.
On the otherside, she felt relaxed. He was with her, supported her every decision, became her strength everytime, never doubted her choices...unknown of his lie.
____
"Aree meri bache ki Amma baith jaiye ab toh", Anubhav huffed, running behind his wife, who wants to do all preparations of the puja on her own, following the ritual, their Nani Amma told.
"Bas last ke 2 min pakka...", she kissed his cheeks, escaping from him. Taking a kalash, she placed a coconut and tied a moli around it.
"Hogaya...", Haseena looked at the clock. It was 9 : 15, 17 minutes still left for the muhrat.
"Aap pregnancy me kitna idhar se udhar karti hai...humara baby aapse inspiration leke pure ghar me aise dodega" He sighed and sat next the her, on the sofa...
"Humare jaisa bane toh hi acha hai. Shaant aur suljha...Aapke jaise hua toh humari naak me dam karke rakhega"
He laughed as if she told a joke. "Aap shaant aur suljhi?😂🤣"
He placed his hand on her belly "Dekho baby aapki mummy kitna jhoot bolti hai"
She scrunched her eyebrows, puffing her face at him. He bends and bites below her ear. She spreads her hand over his face pushing him away and raised her leg over his lap.
"Baby, zara apne papa se request kijye, Ammi ka paav dukh raha hai..." He was about to speak but she showed her palm🤚. "Bina daate help karni hai toh theek warna hum khud karlenge" "ziddi...khadus...gussail...manmani karne wali" He spoke, while massaging her swollen feet.
"Akdu...taane dene wala, atyachari Patti...", she two said forcing her lips to a sarcastic smile. "I love you...(She smiled) baby...", he quickly changed his sentence seeing her reaction.
"I hate you...I hate you!!", she shouted in his ears. He held her hands and hugged her tight to calm her mood swings, caused due to his leg pulling.
"Time hogaya hai...chaliye. Puja ghar me baithiye...", she said, still grumpy.
He helped her stand and quietly sat in front of their mandir. Folded hands and legs. When he didn't feel her beside, even after few minutes he looked back, only to see her glaring angrily.
"Ab kya kar diya humne?"🥺
"Kitni baar kaha hai aapse...sar pe rumaal bandhke baitha kare...Kab sudharenge aap"
He got up to take his handkerchief, making a sad face, like a child who gets scolded by her mother.
"humare liye mudda [stool] bhi lekar aaiye...", she said.
Haseena started preparing the thali. He kept looking at her with a peaceful smile, which was efficiently hiding the storm, inside.
"Aaj toh humme bhagwaan se maafi mangni padegi. Unke prashaad pe humari cravings ki buri nazar thi", the husband - wife duo, chuckled at her statement.
His phone rings, flashing a call from IB.
"Phirse mat daat na priye please. Aaj ka quota hogaya humara". Haseena shook her head. Her husband can never change. He moved aside to take the call.
"Sir ek location phirse active hui hai us web address ke source ki, jaha se aapko woh video whatsapp hua tha", Avni said from the other end. The opponent was smart enough. He had installed a system which showed multiple locations of a single upload, giving them no clue from the past week."Ek hotel hai. Not of a good reputation"
"Raid the place", Anubhav ordered and hanged up. He walked back to their place of worship, asking God for safety of his unborn and wife~ His entire world.
YOU ARE READING
Mere Liye Tum Kaafi Ho (Part-2)
Mystery / Thriller"I am pregnant Anu", Haseena spoke with little bead like tears in the corner of her eyes. The last few months of their life had been a tussle. It was definitely unplanned. "Haseena...", He couldn't control his happiness, excitement, fear and a mill...
