Sach hote Khwaab

Telephone

It was about six in the evening. I had turned the self-appointed receptionist for office today. Pata nahi kis kis ke phone utha liye maine - patrakaar, photographer,ishtehaar waale vyaapari, kuch sarkaari karmchaari yahaan tak ki bijli waale bhi par Ambala toh ik vi phone nai aaya! Today I had abandoned my cabin and settled on a desk near the telephone in the ground floor. As soon as the telephone rang, I would pick up the phone hurriedly, only to be disappointed and grumpily hand over the receiver to the person for whom the call was.

Okay I was done with this day now! I'll finish this article very very soon and go home early today! I decided this with a huff.

I completed the article by seven, packed my bag and left. In this one hour, I had picked up three more incorrect phonecalls. Ugh!
'Ohnu kaam hoga bohot, nai to ik vaari toh phone kar hi lete mainu. Par... do din hone ko aaye! Inna kisinu kaam nai karaana chahida!' I grumbled.

As I reached home, I looked around. Vashma was nowhere to be seen. Ab ye kitthe gayi?! Sab kuch aaj hi kyun hona hai?! I fretted.

Just then Radha Chachi came rushing down the stairs. She literally skipped a few steps in excitement and ran down to me! Kabir was tailing behind her.

'Ohji! Aaya tha! Aaya tha! Aaya tha !', she babbled, holding me by my shoulders.
'Chachi ji? Kaun aaya tha?', I asked in confusion.
'Arey Damaadji ka phone aaya tha!', she clarified.
'Sacchi?!', I said with almost a jump. 'Kab aaya tha ? Abhi ? -'
'Oh nai nai! Suvere aaya tha. Jab tum aur Vashma college ke layi nikle uske bas das minute baad.'
Shoot! I had deliberately delayed leaving for college. If only I had stayed back for a while longer! Duh!

'Acha tussi ne ohda number te Saraay ka naam likhiya ?', I asked eagerly.
'Haaye Ram', she said, clapping her hand to her head. 'Ae to mainu yaad hi nahi aaya! Ohji maaf kardo mainu tussi! Mainu sacchi yaad nahi aaya. Par tussi fikar na karo. Ohne kehya hai ki vo dubaara phone karenge.', she babbled.
'Unhone bataya ki kab karenge phone?' I asked expectantly.
'Nai... ae vi nahi bataya.'

'Thik hai, jiji. Uh.. Vashma kahan hai ?'
'Vo toh Kadambari gayi hai na. Bas aati hogi kuch der mein. Oh tussi abhi roz roz daftar jaane lagi ho na is waqt to shaayad tuhaanu dhyaan nahi raha! Hein!', she said with a sweet smile.
I nodded. 'Haan jiji. Shayad issi vaaste mainu dhyaan nahi raha'

'Amrit chalo na chhatt pe. Badi changi hawa chal rahi hai! Main otthe hi thi. Tuhaanu dekha to neeche daudi chali aayi.'
'Haan mummy, chalo na humaare naal!', Kabir chimed in.
'Tussi jao. Main bas kuch der mein aati hoon!', I replied.
'Pakka?', she asked with furrowed eyebrows.
'Haan haan pakka'
'Aur je tum na aayi to maine neeche aake tumhe kheench ke le jaana hai upar!', she said raising her finger.
'Masiji aap jao. Main hi inko kheench ke le aaunga.'
I nodded with an amused smile and satisfied, Jiji went back upstairs.

Meanwhile, I took Kabir's hand and led him to the takht. Pulling him into my lap, I hugged him tightly and sat thus for quite sometime.
'Mummy?'
'Hmm'
'Tussi udaas ho ?', he asked in a concerned manner.
'Haan', I replied with a frown.
'Par kyun?', he asked cutely.
'Pehle wada kar mainu, har baari ke tarah poore ghar mein sabko bataata nahi firega. Kisinu vi nahi bataiyega?', I said, straightening up for a while, looking at him.
'Pakka kisinu nahi bataunga! Kisinu vi nai. Sacchi wala waada!'
I looked at him unsurely for a while but hugged him again. 'Mainu bohot yaad aa rahi hai Randheer ki!'
'Par... hum baaki sab to itthe hi na?'
'Haan par vo toh nahi hai na!', I said sadly.
'Toh... vo jabhi bhi aise kahi jaayenge, tussi aise hi udaas ho jaoge?', he asked innocently.
I muttered under my breath, 'Agli baari aise kalle kalle jaane hi dena hai maine!'
Confused, he said, 'Hein ? Mainu kuch sunaayi nahi diya?'
'Kuch nahi, kuch nahi'
'Aapne bataaya nahi, aap aise hi udaas ho jaoge ?'
What was going on his mind? Probably nothing. I just nodded a yes.
'Acha!', he said glumly.
'Ab tainu ki hoya?', I asked, turning his face towards me.
'Mainu kuch nahi hoya', he said meekly.