Usne raat ke gehre hote peher mein car sabza zaar per roki aur phir bahar nikal aaya. Dada ka safed mehel waise hi aistadah tha. Thanda. Pursukoon aur khubsurat.
Car ki chaabi haath mein liye wo aage badh aaya. Raat khaasi gehri ho gayi thi. Shayad sardar sone chale gaye the isi liye use ghar kuch zyada hi khamosh mehsoos hua. Lakdi ke yaq farsh per wo zara aage badha lekin phir lounge ki jali batti dekh kar chonka.
Kya dada is waqt jaag rahe the? Usne soch kar jaise hi ander kadam rakha toh thitak sa gaya. Sardar ek jaanib sofe per birajman the aur unke ain saamne sofe per koi aurat baithi thi.
Us aurat ki uski jaanib pusht thi lekin wo us maujoodgi aur guddi tak aate un gehre surkh baalon ki pehchan rakhta tha. Sardar ki nigaah besaakhta us per padi toh usi peher sultana ne bhi uski maujoodgi mehsoos karke gardan pheri. Wo raat ke us peher unki tawaqqu hargiz nahi kar raha tha.
"Yasir. Tum aagaye beta. Mein kab se tumhara intezaar kar rahi thi." Wo josh se kehti uth khadi hui thi. Use uski awaaz mein halki si nami mehsoos hui thi. Dada ab ke uska chehra mohtaat nigaahon se tak rahe the. Wo use jaante the. Wo sultana ko na pasand karta tha.
Usne ek sarsari si nigaah us per daali aur aage badh aaya. Phir usi khamoshi se sardar ke saath aa baitha. Sultana uska thanda andaaz dekh kar chup si hogayi thi.
"Tum ne kaha tha tum aaoge." Pur shikwa lehja. Naraz andaaz. Wo use dekhta raha. Sardar usi pal uth gaye the. Phir uske kandhe par haath rakh kar halka sa dabaya aur apne kamre ki jaanib badh gaye.
"Meine aapse aisa kuch nahi kaha tha." Uski awaaz pehli baar ubhri. Bilkul khaali si awaaz. Jaise dur deewaron se palat kar wapas aa rahi ho. Sultana jaldi se muskurayi. Use kisi bhi tarah is guftagu ko toal dena tha.
"Hamari pichli dafa mulakaat nahi ho saki thi beta."
"Mein aapse mulakaat nahi karna chahta tha." Usne saaf goyi se kaha toh saamne baithi aurat ka rang zard hua.
"Tum apni maa ke saath aisa nahi kar sakte. Meine tumhare liye ye industry join ki thi, Yasir. Tumhare behtar mustaqil aur taabnaak kamyabiyin ke liye. Tumhari zindagi mein hue nuksaan sirf tumhare nahi the. Wo mere liye bhi bhaari nuksaan the. Lekin meine toh kabhi tumhe morde ilzaam nahi theraya. Meine toh kabhi tumhe qismat ki kaar kirdgi ka ilzaam nahi diya, beta. Phir tum apni maa ke liye itne zaalim kaise ho sakte ho?" Uska halaq khushk hogaya tha. Wo jaise bolte bolte haanpne lagi thi. Wo waise hi baitha raha. Murda aankhein liye.
"Tumhare baap ki judai mere liye bhi ek kathin marhala thi. Uske jaane ke baad zindagi mere liye bhi itni hi azaab thi jitni ke tumhare liye. Hum dono us safar ki aziyat mein saath the. Phir kyun tum ne apne raaste mujhse juda kar liye? Kyun tum ne mujhe chod diya?" Ek aansu toot kar ruqsaar per dhalka. Wo waise hi baitha raha. Uski aankhein har lamha surkh hoti jaa rahi thien.
"Mein bhi is duniya mein itni hi akeli hun jitne ke tum ho. Humein ek dusre ke sath ki zarurat hai. Mein tumhare bagair mazeed ek pal zinda nahi reh sakti, Yasir. Mein tumhare bagair mar jaungi." Wo ab baqaida rone lagi thi. Wo waise hi baitha raha. Uska tanaffus tez ho raha tha. Aankhein gulaabi hokar dard karne lagi thien.
"Mujhe aapki zarurat nahi hai." Betasur se lehje per Sultana ko laga wo mazeed uski sangdili bardaasht nahi kar payegi. Use laga wo kisi bhi lamhe dhay jayegi.
"Mein tum se maafi maangti hun. Mein tum se apne har amal ki maafi maangti hun. Mujhe aise mat thukrao. Mein tumhare bagair zinda nahi reh sakti." Lounge mein siskiyan goonjne lagin. Sardar apne kamre ke darwaze se lage bebasi se aansu saaf kar rahe the.
"Mein aapko maaf kar chuka hun. Lekin mein aapko kabhi pasand nahi kar sakta. Mein aapko shadeed na pasand karta tha. Karta hun aur karta rahunga. Behtar yahi hoga ke apna aur mera waqt zaya kiye bagair alag raaston per khamoshi se zindagi guzaar ki jaaye." Wo uth khada hua. Sultana uske saath hi uthi thi. Phir uski jaanib tezi se badhi. Wo use rokna chahti thi. Wo aise nahi ja sakta tha.
