Solace

Chapter 13

Samundar ki tarah hamari pehchan hai,
Upar se shant aur andar tufan hai..

"Tum mujhe Karu kyun nahi bulati? Jaise mai tumhe Hasi bulati hu", Karishma asked.

"Kyun? Karishma kinti acchi naam hai aur hume bhi bohut pasand hai", Haseena replied smiling at her.

"Mujhe woh sab nahi pata. Tumhari yeh formality mujhe pasandh nahi hai", Karishma complained and Haseena just shook her head smiling. "Hum dost hai aur sabse pakke wale dost toh yeh formality kyun?", she asked.

"Hum dost hai, lekin yeh hum dono ki beech ki baat hai. Sabke samne hume ek dayre mein rehna hota hai", Haseena spoke in a soft voice trying to be reasonable.

"Koi kyun expect karega tum koi dayre mein raho! Sabko pata hai hum dost hai and tum mere liye kitni important ho. Aur waise bhi mohol badalne se rishte thodi na badalte hai", Karishma stated the facts.

Haseena couldn't say anything in reply.

Half laying in her bed Haseena reminisced about their conversation from a few years ago. She knew Karishma meant every word she said that day but she could not deny the reality that they were not equal in any way. It seemed really bitter when ammi used to say that they had no difference with the servants of the haveli but deep down she knew ammi was correct. Haseena could never erase the differences they had.

But why did she always feel like those differences didn't matter between them! She never felt inferior to Karishma in any way. Maybe because Karishma made sure she should never feel like that.

Haseena was the one who maintained an invisible wall between them. Then why does a tiny bit of change in Karishma's behaviour affect her! Like this morning, when Karishma chose to ignore her instead of opening up to her like she always did. It bothered her, a lot too. With the passing time she was getting restless.
"Itni bechaini kis baat ki hai hume! Yahi toh chahte the hum, toh phir?", she murmured.

"Ahh mummy", Santosh said rubbing her shoulder after bumping into someone.

"Santosh didi accha hua ap agayi. Karishma didi ko ab apki zaroorat hai", Malaika said. "Dekhiye kitna veek ho gayi hai woh".

"Veek?", Santosh asked being confused. "Kya bol rahi hai ap Malaika didi?"

"Veek matlab Kamjor! Kamjor ho gayi hai Karishma didi", Malaika explained.

"Woh weak! Ek minute, kya hua hai Karu ko?", Santosh inquired. "Chodo, mai khud hi dekh leti hu", she went towards Karishma's room.

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"Haseena baji..Haseena baji.!!", Shanno almost shouted Haseena's name while entering their house.

"Kya hua hai Shanno? Kyun chilla rahi ho!", Haseena replied being disinterested. She mind was still stuck at the morning incident. She was upset and her face didn't do well to hide her gloominess.

"Woh choti thakarani sa ne apko abhi ke abhi haveli bulaya hai", Shanno replied voicing her urgency.

"Accha..lekin hua kya hai?", Haseena asked.

"Karishma didi ki tabiyat bohut kharab hai. Aur uss halat mein woh bar bar apki naam le rahi thi", Shano replied quickly.

Haseena took a moment to process it. "Kya!!", she said which came out as a whisper. She couldn't ask any further questions and instantly made her way towards the haveli. The small walk towards the haveli seemed neverending to Haseena and by every passing second it was becoming more and more painful for her to tolerate the distance. She needed to be with Karishma as soon as it might be possible. She was cursing herself for not noticing her condition this morning and getting upset over a stupid jacket. She should have known better.

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"Karu tumhare ghar mein thi kaal! Toh phir yeh chot kaise lagi usse aur achanak tabiyat kaise kharab kaise ho sakti hai? Kya hua tha puri baat batao mujhe", Shivani asked being confused with the whole situation.

"Woh toh mujhe bhi nahi pata bhabi sa. Maine pucha tha lekin apko toh pata hai kitni ziddi hai woh", Santosh replied keeping her hands on her waist.

"Hey deva, iss ghar ke logon ne thaan hi liya hai mujhe tension se marne ki", Shivani voiced her frustration.

"Parr subeh maine check ki thi tab toh fever nahi tha, nashta bhi ki thi", Santosh said. "Mai to uski bracelet wapis karne ayi thi aur Karu meri jacket le ayi thi socha woh bhi le lungi. Yeh mere ghar mein chuut gayi thi toh", she showed the bracelet to Shivani and she took it from her.

"Kya hua hai Karishma ko", Haseena asked trying to catch her breath. Her tone was filled with concern and distress.

"Bukhar hai bohut aur weakness bhi. Aur pata nahi kaise haath mein chot ayi hai", Shivani replied, who was sitting beside a worried Pushpa Singh. "Doctor ne injection di hai, soyi hai filhal", she added.

"Tum jao milke aao usse ek baar, tumrahi puch rahi thi bar bar", this time Pushpa said looking at her. Haseena couldn't wait further there as she was on the verge of crying and she didn't want to break down in front of anyone.

Karishma was in deep sleep due to the effect of medicines. Haseena's heart ached seeing her laying on the bed, almost lifeless, with a bandaged hand. Her face was pale and her cheeks had marks of dried tears.

"Karishma.. aise..yeh sab kaise!", Haseena's voice trembled. Her vision was getting blurry as tears started forming in her eyes. She quickly wiped her tears and went closer to hold Karishma's hand delicately yet firmly,
as if saying "Come back to me. I'm waiting for you". Sitting beside her, Haseena then caressed her face, delicately wiping the dried tear marks off her cheeks and kissed her forehead with all her love.

In the hall, Vijay Singh was telling off everyone for not taking care of his daughter properly and Pushpa Singh tried to calm him down. Haseena didn't go out, instead she silently closed the door so that the commotion outside wouldn't disturb Karishma.

The whole day Haseena didn't leave Karishma's side for a single second. Karishma gained consciousness now and then, again dozed off as medicine doses were strong.

Haseena was checking her temperature when Ashu entered the room to check on his aunt.

"Mummy ne kahi thi ke mai school se wapis aate aate bua sa uth jayegi. Mai to kabke school se agaya hu, sare homework bhi kar liya, lekin bua sa uthi kyun nahi abhi tak!", Ashu asked innocently, standing beside Karishma with brimmed eyes.

Haseena couldn't form words to answer his innocent query, as a lone tear escaped from her eyes. She quickly wiped them off and made Ashu sit on her lap and said, "Woh kya hai na apki bua sa bohut jyada busy thi office ke kam mein. Toh abhi unhe rest ki jaroorat hai taaki woh aur bhi strong ho jaye. Ekdam super woman ki tarah".

Ashu looked at Haseena once and then at Karishma. "Bua sa jab tak nahi uth jati mai yahi wait karunga", Ashu said with determination and Haseena just made her grip on him stronger.

"Accha chaliye hum apko sula dete hai", she said making him lay on the left side of the bed, so that Ashu wouldn't accidentally hurt Karishma's injured right hand in sleep.

"Mujhe story sunna hai, aur bua sa ko bhi. Unhe bhi story bohut pasand hai, mujhe pata hai", Ashu said to Haseena, who adjusted herself beside him in a half-laying position and nodded with a soft smile.

"Sab keh rahe the ki ap humari naam le rahi thi bar bar. Ab toh sara ka sara din hum apke pass the, ab ap chup hai! Ek dafa ankhein khol ke hume dekh hi lijiye Karishma", Haseena mumbled under her breath, while looking at Karishma with longing in her eyes.

Ashu drifted off to sleep in no time and Haseena kept looking at Karishma who was flinching a bit. She moved her hand over Ashu and held Karishma's left hand with it. This position was uncomfortable for Haseena but as long as she had Karishma's hand in her, nothing else mattered really.

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Hello beautiful people, I hope you all are doing well.

So, that was the chapter 13 of Solace. Feel free to give your opinion in the comment section. Do vote, comment and follow. It will motivate me to write better.

See you in the next chapter.