Uljhe Dor (The Mehrotras book 1)

43. Phone Wala Break-up

  "Aapne yeh hamein dikhane ke liye kiya na?"

  "What?"

  "Aapne yeh ghar jo khareeda hai, hamare jale par namak ragadne ke liye kiya na yeh sab?"

  "Really, Bela? How could you possibly come to that conclusion? Yeh dekho." Kunal Bela ko uske ghar ke property ke papers dikhata hai. "Maine sirf is ghar ke liye pay kiya hai, lekin yeh ghar tumhare naam hai."

  Bela papers ko dekhti hai. Wo soch mein pad jaati hai ki Kunal ne yeh kyun kiya. "Kyun kar rahe hain aap yeh sab? Kya mansha hai aapki yeh karne ke pichhe? Aap hamein abhi yeh uphaar de kar khush karna chaahte hain taaki baad mein aap jab hamse yeh ghar chheen lein to hamara dukh aur badh jaaye. Aap hamein dukh dena chaahte hain na?"

  "What... how... what?" How can she even think like that? Kind intentions se maine uske liye yeh kiya aur wo ulta mujhpar hi iljaam laga rahi hai. It's like ise kind gestures samajh hi nahi aate. Ise sirf har wakt jhagda karna hai mujhse. "Bohot jyada soch rahi ho tum. Aise chhote, khattare ghar ka main kya karunga? In fact agar kisi ko pata chal gaya ki maine yeh ghar khareeda hai to meri badnaami ho jayegi. Is liye tum hi rakho yeh ghar."

  "Aapki badnaami? Badnaami to hamari ho jayegi agar hamne aapse yeh ghar le liya to."

  "I don't care about all that. Yeh tumhara ghar hai, tum hi rakho. Ek to help karo, upar se itna sunna bhi padta hai."

 "Jaise hi Ansari ji hamein is mahine ka kiraya de denge, ham wo paise aapko de denge. Uske baad ham aapse yeh ghar khareed lenge. Hamein kisi ka ahsaan nahi chaahiye."

  "Ahsaan karne layak ho bhi nahi tum, ahsaan-faramosh. Maine tumhare liye yeh ghar khareed liya kisi aur ke khareedne se pehle aur tum mujhe hi akad dikha rahi ho."

  "Ham jaante nahi hain kya? Aapne apne ahankar mein aakar yeh ghar khareeda hai hamein dikhane ke liye."

  "Duniye tumhare ird-gird nahi ghoomti hai, tum itni important nahi ho. Nahi chaahiye ghar to bata do, main ise kisi aur ko bech dunga."

  Bela jhat se Kunal ke haath se papers wapas chhen leti hai. "Aapna jitna hamara nuksaan karwaya hai, hamare sammaan ko jod kar, uske liye aapko bharpayi to karna hi tha. Ham is ghar ko rakh rahe hain aur kiraya bhi nahi denge. Lekin jaise hi hamare paas paise aayenge ham aapse yeh ghar khareed lenge."

  "Kisne kaha mujhe is ghar ke badle paise chaahiye?"

  "To?"

  "Wakt aane par bata dunga. Be ready."

  Haan, Kunal hamare liye kuchh achha kyun karenge? Unka dil itna bada nahi hai. Unhe badle mein kuchh chaahiye tab hi hamari madad karne ke liye tayyar hain.

  Ise ghar chaahiye, lekin iski ego ise lene de aisa ho hi nahi sakta.

---☆---

  "Radhika, mujhe tumse baat karna hai," Anshuman phone par kehta hai. "Aaj shaam, Hope Cafe-"

  "Anshuman, main Bangalore mein hoon. Office ke kaam se yahan aayi hoon. Do mahino tak main wapas nahi aa rahi hoon."

  "To ham baat kaise karenge?" Anshuman chidhte hue kehta hai. "Tum har wakt kaam se kahin aur hi hoti ho. College ke baad se tum kabhi sheher mein do mahine se jyada rahi hi nahi ho."

  "To kya main tumhare liye ghar par baithe rehti, wait karti ki tum kab apne office se free hoge aur mujhse milne aaoge? Tumhare liye apni life barbaad kar deti jab tumhara kabhi koi intention hi nahi tha mujhse shaadi karne ka ya mere saath settle hone ka?"

  "You know how it is, Radhika. Maine tumhe pehle hi warn kar diya tha ki ham relationship mein ho sakte hain lekin main commit** nahi kar raha hoon. Maine tumse yeh baat kabhi chhupai nahi, apne intentions clearly tumhe bataya. Tum apni choice se, phir bhi mere saath thi."