Always Be Mine

Part 40:

Sanyukta pushed Randhir, (who was still leaning on her), away from her.. She did not expect that person to come there at that point of time even a wee bit.. On any other day, she would've been the happiest person on earth to see him there but not today.. Her heartbeat was so irregular.. She was tensed.. The person continued to clap his hands..Randhir was embarrassed as well.. He didn't want his father in law to see them that way.. Sanyukta's father Kishore it was..

 "Wah Sanyukta wah!! Naam roshan kar diya tum ne mera.. Sirf yehi din dekhna baaki reh gaya tha.. Bus yeh b dekh liya.. Badi badi baatein kar rahi thi, Engineering college jaana hai, Engineer banna hai, par yaha jo raha hai usse dekhke aisa nai lag raha hai mujhe..Bilkul b sharam nai hai na tumme?" Kishore kept talking.. He even forgot the fact that he was talking to his daughter.. For him, she never existed. It was all about his son, beta hi naam roshan karega.. Beti toh sirf kitchen me khana banane ke liye hoti hai aur pati ka sewa karne ke liye.. He belonged to oldest of the centuries. Little did he know that the amount of respect she had for him, Ankit could never match it, never ever..

"Papa.. Aap yahan? Ayiye na papa.."Sanyukta brushed aside everything he said, every bad thing.. She became deaf for a while, after all it was her dad. Dad, is the first hero for every daughter they would say. It was no different for Sanyukta.. She would forget every hurting word he said and would become happy when he hugs her caringly. She could any day die for her dad, such was the respect she had for him. Unfortunately, he had never noticed it so far.

"Welcome kar rahi ho? Sharam nahi rahi kya bilkul tujhme? Yaha is ladke ke saath puri college ke saamne aise? Chi.. Sab suna tha meine.. Jo b tamasha tum dono ne milke kiya abhi abhi.." Randhir's eyes were becoming red. His nerves were fighting within him. How dare he? How dare he call my sanyukta shameless? Did he just insult our love? I am not going to spare him..

Sanyukta reached her dad, and started crying holding his hand..She was badly missing his caring touch.. "Papa apko bahut miss kiya meine.. Aapse milke mujhe kitni khushi ho rahi yeh mein aapko bata b nai sakti.. Thanks papa aane ke liye.."

"Chodo mujhe.. haath mat lagana..." Kishore pushed his daughter away with full force.. He was behaving so wildly today. Sanyukta who was about to fall on the ground, was caught by Randhir. Thats it, he couldnt control anymore. His patience limit had been breached. He made her stand up, next moment he rushed towards Kishore.. Sanyukta caught his hand tightly, when he turned she signalled him not to react.. "Please Randhir.. yeh mere aur mere papa ke beech ka mamla hai, tum please dur raho isse" she pleaded..

Had she not caught him by his hand, it would have landed heavily on Kishore's face.. Randhir's brain was not in a position to calculate who meant what for him.. All he knew was someone had hurt his Sanyukta, she was in tears because of them. No matter whoever it was, he wasnt going to spare them. He had promised that he wouldnt hurt her anyday, if he himself didnt have that right, nobody in this damn world had it. His Sanyukta has no right to get hurt, he ll make sure she doesnt.

"Tu kya karega mujhe? Gussa aa raha hai? Arey sharam aani chahiye, gussa nahi.." Kishore continued his taunts.. Randhir was silent, only because of Sanyukta.. Sunne ka nai sunane ka aadat hai Randhir ko, par aaj bina kisi galti ke, woh itna kuch sun raha tha sirf sanyukta ke liye.. Yeh pyaar nahi toh aur kya?

Randhir did not react to any of Kishore's stupid taunts.. Still, his eyes were red, continuously staring at him.. At one point, Kishore himself couldnt control his anger.. He couldnt see someone standing right in front of him without reacting to any of his harsh words. The way, Randhir stared at him made him go wild.. He came forward, held Randhir by his collar, "Meri beti cheena tha na tumne mujhse, aaj mein tumhe nai chodunga.." he raised his hands to hit him.. Randhir closed his eyes, " Meri sanyukta ke liye jaan b de sakta hun, toh yeh thappad kya cheez hai" he was ready.. In a way, he provoked Kishore to vent all his anger on him, rather than on Sanyukta.. That way, he would atleast spare her, he thought.

Randhir opened his eyes hearing Sanyukta's voice.. "Aap aise nai kar sakte hai..!!!" He opened his eyes to see Sanyukta holding her dad's hands.. She had stopped his hand, from reaching Randhir's cheeks.. Randhir was shocked at the same time surprised to see his Sanyukta.. Kishore was shocked to the core.. Sanyukta had never raised her voice in front of him, since her childhood. To the outer world, she was bold and daring, but in front of her father, she always played mute. Not even once, she had argued with him, so far, but now she had stopped him from hitting Randhir. This one little gesture made Kishore realize that this man, Randhir Singh Shekawat was indeed special in her life.

"Nahi kar sakte papa.. Aapko koi haq nai banta hai Randhir pe haat utane ka.. Aapko yaad hai? Aapne khud kaha ki mein aapki beti nahi hu.. Agar mein aapki beti nahi hun, toh Randhir aapka kuch nahi lagta.. Uspe haat utane ka haq aapko kabhi nai milega.. Aaj aapne kar liya par dubara aise kabhi mat karna.. Warna mein bhul jaungi ki aap mere papa ho." Sanyukta said each and every word in such a clear manner, she meant every bit of it..

"Sanyuktaa...!" Kishore was stunned.. He has never seen this "roop" of hers before. It was totally new. Somewhere, he felt it wasnt his daughter Sanyukta talking, it was Randhir's wife who was conversing with him..

"Yeh insaan.. Dekh rahe hai aap? Sirf iske wajah se aaj aapki beti zinda hai.. Agar woh nai hota na, toh kabka mar chuki hoti mein.. Aur haan, ek aur baat, Mein Randhir se pyar karti hun, bahut pyar utna pyar jitna aap mumma se nai kar paye aaj tak.. Aur kya pucha aapne? Sharam nai hai kya? Yahi pucha tha na aapne? Toh mera jawab suniye.. nahi hai sharam.. Biwi hun mein uski, Pyaar karti hun usse isme sharmana kyun? Pyar kiya hai koi paap nai.. " Something inside sanyukta forced her to talk. She couldnt ever dare to say such words to her dad, had she not meant it. When she did, she knew Randhir was more important to her than anything else, anybody else.

Randhir was left stunned to see the happenings around him.. He couldnt believe what he heard. He always believed he loved her more. But no, there she was, proving him wrong.. She loved him so much, and there was a live demo going on. His mechanical mind called it a demo.. He was loving it, for the first time ever someone was standing up for him and not stabbing him from the back.

Kishore was stunned to talk anymore. He just couldnt.. He left the place in a hurry.. He came here to do something else but definitely didnt expect what had happened. I ll do this in a different way, he promised to himself and left the place.. Sanyukta saw him leaving, fell on her knees and started to weep.. "Maaf kar dijiye papa.. I never ever wanted to insult you, not even in my wildest dreams. Par jab aap Randhir pe haat utane jaa rahe the, mein khud ko rokh nai payi.. I couldnt let you hurt my Randhir.. I just couldnt" she kept crying.. When she looked back, it was an empty space, she was surprised.. "Randhir kaha chala gaya.. Why has he left me all alone?" she wondered.. But the next moment, she knew " He needs time, jo kuch b hua hai shayad usse woh bahut hurt ho gaya hoga.. I ll leave him alone for a while" she was beginning to crack the hard nut, Randhir Singh Shekawat..

Sanyukta was on her way back to her hostel, it was pouring down heavily, it was 5 PM but it looked as if it was 10 PM. Sanyukta loved rains always, but today neither she was in a mood to enjoy it nor admire it.. She was passing through the basketball court, when her eyes finally caught up something, actually someone.. Someone was sitting in the bench, all alone, weeping.. Her heart skipped a beat to witness that scene..