Parineeta

Some Plans!

Author's point of view :
It was 11 at night but New York wasn't a city where people would go to sleep that early.. except for two houses.. And guess what the the people of the two houses despite being neighbors slept unaware of each other's presence.
Well.. Yes.. Manik and Nandini were neighbors but none of them cared to feel each others presence. Was their connection too broken that they couldn't sense each other.
Nandini sat on her table holding the engagement card in her hand. Alot of things going on in her head. For a fact, she always knew about what was up back in India except for what was up with Manik but even today for once when the thought of Manik getting engaged to Alya crossed her mind, her heart sank. She didn't know what to do.. Why was these thimgs still affecting her. She was sure if not Alya it must be someone else but Manik must have moved on after all he never felt for her the way she did for him.. Never.. Why would he have looked for her when sje left or even wait for her through all these months.. But still somewhere down there she wamted to believe that he was waiting for her right where she'd left him.
Was she right in leaving him alone? This question was ruining her life daily but then she knew she didn't have many options back then. He did not trust her at all. How could she live with someone who thought so low of her. How could she ever forget what he did to her.. He made her life a joke.. What more? He mistrust her.. And he blamed her for something so disgusting and of all he was her Bestfriend.. He should've known that she wasn't one of those girls.
"kya soch rahi hai?"she heard Maddy's voice and hurled the card under the table wiping off a few drop of tears that had unknowingly rolled down her eyes.
"kuch nhi!"she said putting up her best fake smile.
"aur tujhe lagta hai ki mai teri iss fake smile se convince ho jaunga!"Maddy said.
"i was thinking.. Hume jaana chahiye!"she said picking up the card again.
"kaha?"Maddy pretended to not understand.
"alya ki engagement! Maddy Alya ki kya galti.. Aur usse chhorho Dhruv ki kya galti thi.. He toh always stood by me whenever i needed a friend and he was equally broken that time.. Aur phir hum Arya aur Navya se bhi mil paege!"she said.
"tujhe Arya aur Navya se milna hai na.. Hum jaenge.. Lekin abhi nhi.. Ek mahine baad jab yeh sab khatam ho jaega.."he said.
"nhi Maddy mujhe jaana hai... Tum aaoge toh i'll have a friend nhi toh i'll go alone.."Nandini admitted adamantly.
"kyu.. Tu vaapas vha jaana chahti hai jahan sab kuch phir tujhe hurt karega.. Alya nhi toh koi aur hogi uske saath.. Vo kabhi nhi badal sakta Nandu.. Samjh meri baat ko!"
"Maddy ab mujhe usse koi farak nhi padta.. Mai sirf Alya aur Dhruv ke liye jaana chahti hu.."she explained. She knew she was lying. She wanted to see where he stood. Had he really moved on.. Did she really not mean anything to him. She knew she'd broken if all of it came out just as Maddy said but she wanted to take that risk. Just this once.
"Nandini.. Tu jaanti hai ki yeh sirf tujhe vapas bulane ka unka tareeka hai.. Abhi Alya ki engagement hai.. Phir shaadi ke functions honge.."
"mai sab attend karungi.."she said a little zoned out.
"Nandini.."
"jaao kl ki tickets book karo.. Hum kl hi jaaenge!"she said before Maddy could add something more to his convincing sessions.

Same time Malhotra's(India-12:03)
Nyonika:Alya.. Parso engagement ke baad hum teri shaadi ki date announce karenge.. Okay..
Alya:aunty but humne issi card pe saare functions kyu nhi likhe..
Nyonika:Nandini ko jab pata chalega ki abhi sirf engagement hai toh vo aane ke liye ready ho jaaegi par agar usse pta chalta ki chain of events hai toh tujhe kya lagta vo vaapas aaegi..
Alya:but aunty.. Aapko uska address kaise pata.. Vo kaha gyi hai usne kabhi hume nhi btaya! Pure ek saal mein jab bhi humne usse baat ki.. Usne kabhi nhi bola vo kaha rehti hai..
Nyonika:Manik ne usse ek naam ka rishta joda tha par mai toh maa hu na uski.. Chahe saasuma.. Lekin.. Mujhe apni beti se baat karna ata hai..
Alya:aunty aapko lagta hai vo aayegi.. I mean vo Manik ko face karna chahegi..
Nyonika:vo aayegi zaroor.. Kyunki usse yeh dekhna hai ki kya Manik sach mein kabhi uska nhi ho sakta tha..
Alya:aur Manik?
Nyonika:vo bichara toh tadap rha hai apni Nandini ko apne paas mehsus karne ke liye.. Bhot hide and seek ho gya.. Ab mai apne dono bacho ko aise tadapte nhi dekh sakti.. Vo dono. Hi ek dusre ki bina adhoore hai..
Alya:par aunty kya Nandini usse maaf karegi..
Nyonika:shayad nhi karegi.. Aur karna bhi nhi chahiye.. Kyunki Manik ko usski galti ki saza milni bhi chahiye.. Lekin usse maafi mangne ka ek mauka toh milna chahiye.. Phir Nandini ka jo bhi decision hoga vo I'm sure Manik ko bhi manzoor hoga.. Anyways baaki sab kaha hai..
Alya:Mukti aur Navya Medha aur Manik ke liye shopping karne gye hai..aryaman aur Cabir Dhruv ke saath gye hai..
Nyonika:toh tumhe shopping ni karni.. Yha kya karri ho jaao..
Alya:ji!
Alya left as Nyonika got back to her work

New York (morning) :
Manik woke up to an excited Medha who was already jumping in the house for some reason.
"Medha baba why soo happy... Massi se milne ka itna excitement!"
"maine naa aaj kisi ko dekhaaaa.. Shayad.."she said teasingly.
"kisse dekha medhu!"he asked softly bending closer to her.
"mumma ko!"she said smilingly while Manik couldn't understand how to react.
"mumma mere sapne mei aayi thi.. Maine mumma ke saath bhot khela bhot mast ki.."she completed amd Manik sighed.
"mai na raat mei paani peene ke liye uthi thi.. Toh humare neighbours ke ghar mei light jal rhi thi.. Aur mujhe laga ki maine vha mumma ko dekha lekin phir dekha ki vha toh sirf ek uncle the.. Isliye mai soo gyi.. Aur phir maine mumma ko sapne mei dekha.."she explained while Manik looked at her perplexed. Neighbour?
If she was really there then why couldn't he feel her around.. He always did even when he didn't believe in them.
"aapne sapna dekha hoga... Jao ready ho jaao.. Humari din ki flight hai na.. Manager uncle ne tickets bhi bhejdi.."he touched her forehead gently as she left.

"Ninu.. Maddy yaar tum dono India jaa rhe ho.. Mujhe yha akela chhorh kar..."Soha cribbed for the nth time this morning.
"tu bhi chal.. Dekh abhi bhi time hai its only nine.. Humari flight din ki hai.. You can come along.."Maddy looked at Soha though he knew her answer. Soha had been running from the idea of going back to India past a whole year.
"mai... Nhi...Mujhe nhi jaana.."she looked at Maddy just when his phone rang.
"hello?"he picked up the call.
"we're sorry sir... All our flights between 12 noon 3 pm were packed and so we had to shift you in the flight that'll leave at 5:30 in the evening. I hope that's fine.."said the guy from tje other end.
"ooh! yaah its okay!"Maddy disconnected the call.
"Nandu... Flight postponed!"he shouted to Nandini whonwas in the kitchen.
"for!"she asked
"5:30"he answered.
"finally.. India be good to me this once.. Don't break my heart this time!"she muttered slowly as she got the breakfast prepared served the dishes on the table.
"I'll miss you guys!"Soha added as she sat down gulping her food.
"we'll miss you too!"Maddy and Nandini chorused.