Guddan and Akshat - Made for Each Other

Chapter 13 - The Mistakes

Akshat is getting ready in the morning. He lays his coat on the bed and walks towards the washroom.

Guddan - Ek minute rukiye na. Humein aapko kuch dikhana hai.

Akshat - Abhi mujhe late ho raha hai Guddan.

Guddan - Bas ek minute please. (hands him a gift-wrapped box) Yeh aapke liye. Woh aapne Papa ki help ki thi na. Aur humein thik se "Thank You" bhi nahi kehne diya tha. Toh yeh humari taraf se "Thank You". Lijiye na. Kholiye. Kholiye na.

Akshat opens the box to find a white shirt. He gives her a stern look.

Guddan - Haan humein pata hai aap yeh colour nahi pehente. Par white shirt hi to hai, kaunsa red shirt hai jo aap aise gusse se dekh rahe hain. Please pehen lijiye na. (sad face) Aur uss din aapne Papa ke liye itna kuch kiya aur badle mein humne aapse bahut badtameezi se baat ki thi na. Agar aap yeh aaj pehen lenge toh hum samjhenge ki aapne humein maaf kar dia, aur humari "Thank You" bhi accept kar li. Please.

And Guddan goes downstairs. After sometimes Akshat comes down, wearing Guddan's gifted shirt with grey coat. Guddan smiles. Everyone else was pleasantly surprised, but Durga's temper had reached its limits. She decided to act soon.

Durga - Dadi, aapko aaj shaam ke Bhajan Samaroh par main leke jaungi. Lakshmi aur Saru, tum bhi chalo.

Lakshmi (half-heartedly) - Thik hai Durga Di. (Saru also nodded)

Savitri Devi - Guddan ko bhi bula lete hain na. Guddan!

Durga - Dadi, aap samajh nahi rahi, jab se AJ ki shadi hui hai, Saasumaa ke saath unko akele waqt kahan mila hai.

Saraswati (whispering) - Lakshmi Di, yeh Durga Di ko kya ho gaya hai. Yeh kab se Saasumaa ki phikar karne lagi? Kaunsi nayi khichdi paka rahi hain yeh?

Lakshmi (whispering back) - Chahe jo bhi ho, hum dono kisi bhi khichdi se jitna dur rahe, utna acha hai. Yaad hai na, abhi abhi to AJ ke haathon shaheed hone se bache hain.

Durga (thinking) - Chahe jitna dimaag chala lo tum dono, mere plan ko nahi samajh paogi. (smirking) Pichli baar tumhe kam aankne ki galti ki thi maine Guddan, par iss baar Durga Jindal ko maat dena itna asaan nahi hai.

In the evening, Akshat returned to find an eerily quiet room.

Akshat - Yeh itni shanti kaise hai yahan? Na koi saman idhar ka udhar hua hai, na koi chillana, na koi shor. Hai kahan yeh Guddan? Guddan! (comes downstairs) Maa! Maa! Ghar mein koi nahi hai kya. Shyamlal!

Shyamlal - Saab, woh Maaji toh teeno bahuon ke saath kisi Bhajan Samaroh mein gayi hain.

Akshat - Aur Guddan?

Shyamlal - Memsaab toh nahi gayi unke saath, par bahut der se dekha nahi unhe maine.

Akshat - Akhir gayi kahan yeh?

He searched all the rooms, but in vain. Just then, he saw the door of the storeroom slightly opened. He went inside and switched on the lights. Guddan was sitting in a corner, swollen eyes, marks of dried tears on her cheeks.

Akshat - Logon ko pareshan karne mein mazaa aata hai kya tumko? Pure ghar me dhund liya aur tum yahan baithi ho.

Guddan didn't respond. She hadn't even noticed him coming or the lights getting switched on. Durga's words were piercing in her ears, "Mera mann toh tha ki inn galtiyon ko tumhare hi kamre ki kisi deewar par hi lagaun. Par kya karti, itni saari galtiyon ke liye pura ka pura kamra chahiye thha, aur pura kamra bhar jaata toh AJ toh bahut gussa ho jaate. Isiliye tumhari galtiyon ko yahin lagana chahiye, store room mein, iss raddi ke saath, kyunki tumhari aukaat iss raddi jitni hi hai. Ab yeh shubh kaam bhi tum apne hi haathon se kar lena" Her step-mothers words were running in a loop in her mind, "Bol apni Maa ko, aaj kya karnama karke aayi hai unki laadli. Likh yahan aur chipka iss dewaar pe." All those mistakes were again fresh in her mind. "Aaj teri wajah se tere Papako itna beizzat hona pada sabke samne", "Aaj teri wajah se Chhutki ko itne gehre zakhm lage hain. Bechari meri bachchi ab ek hafte tak chal nahi paegi", "Jab khana banana aata nahi hai, toh koshish kyun karti hai, haat jala dia mera. Bol apni Maa ko. Bol aur maang maafi." But how many could she remember, her mistakes were countless.