The 'Un' Attached String

Chapter - 5

When Kuhu came running downstairs, she could not find Maahir and so she asked the receptionist if she had seen him getting out and she told Kuhu that Maahir just stormed out of the building. Kuhu then tried calling Maahir but the phone kept on ringing and no one picked it up from the other side. Kuhu immediately called Maahir's secretary and instructed her to reschedule all his appointments for some other day. Kuhu was extremely tensed and impatient and said to herself, "Ye Maahir to phone bhi nehi utha raha hai. Abhi main usko kaha dhundhu? Jab Bela usko 8 saal pehle chor kar gayi thi tabhi usne kitna bara kadam uthaya tha. Abhi to usko ye pata chala hai ke uski ek beti hai jiske baare mein usey 8 saalo tak andhere mein rakkha gaya, pata nehi abhi vo kya karega." Kuhu kept calling Maahir with the hope that at one point he might pick up her call and continued searching all the places where she knew he would go. After almost 2 hours, Kuhu's phone started ringing. She picked up the call hurriedly without looking at the number.

K : "Hullo Maahir kaha ho tum?"

Stranger : "Hullo main police station se OC bol raha hu. Aapka miss call is phone par dekha to isiliye aapko call kar raha hu. Kya abhi aap police station aa sakti hai?"

K : (Kuhu was tensed on getting the call from police and doubted that something very bad might have happened to Maahir) "Ji ha ye number mere friend Maahir Sehgal ka hai. Lekin baat kya hai officer? Usko kuch..."

O : "Ji unke car ka accident ho gaya hai rash driving ke vajah se."

K : (screamed) "What?"

O : "But don't worry unhe sirf kuch maamuli chotein hi aayi hai. Vo abhi hamaare yaha police station mein hai. Aap aakar fine bhar kar please unhe le jaaiye."

K : "Main abhi aa rahi hu."

Kuhu was relieved on hearing that nothing has happened to Maahir and she immediately rushed to the police station. When she got there, she found Maahir sitting there with his head being dressed and there were injuries on his face and his suit was torned, but he didn't seem to have any concern for what happened or what could have happened to him and was lost in his own thoughts with a straight face barely having any expression making it difficult for Kuhu to understand his exact state of mind. Kuhu was so angry with him that she wanted to confront Maahir but then thought against it since she didn't want to create any scene at the police station and decided to face him off when she took him home. Maahir went to meet the OC and after completing all the formalities took Maahir with her and she drove him back to him home.

On the way to his home, Maahir didn't speak a single word nor did Kuhu ask any questions. After reaching Maahir's apartment building, he pulled him out of the car and dragged him straight to his apartment and Maahir too didn't raise any protest. After getting inside his apartment, Kuhu pushed Maahir inside and angrily yelled at him, "Are you out of your mind Maahir? Kya main jaan sakti hu ke tum kya soch rahe the?" Maahir didn't reply her questions but was sitting completely silent as if none of Kuhu's words were getting inside of his ears. Kuhu crossed her arms around her chest and asked,"Main tumse kuch puch rahi hu Maahir?" Maahir didn't reply to Kuhu's question and slowly got up and went inside his gym and locked the door from inside. Kuhu's heart squeezed with an unknown fear as she knew that Maahir was going through a huge emotional turmoil which no one in this world would understand but she was more scared as Maahir still now didn't react to this whole thing and suppressing that grief inside himself just like what he did when Bela left him which proved to be fatal that time and so she didn't want the history to repeat itself again and therefore Maahir had to let out his grief. Kuhu walked up to the gym room and knocked at the door but there was no response. Inside, Maahir was standing still looking at Bela's photos while his eyes turned red due to the tears formed as Bulbul's photographs flashed into his mind. He pulled out all of Bela's photos from the walls and gathered a pile of the photos on the floor. Maahir was hurt when Bela left him and so he shut all the doors so that nothing could pull any string of his heart again but the moment he came to know about Bulbul's existence, that betrayal tore his heart into pieces and each piece of his heart filled with hatred for Bela as he felt like she had backstabbed him by hiding that big secret from him. Maahir took out a bottle of whiskey from the closet and emptied half of the bottle on the photographs. On the other side, Kuhu said,"Maahir...Maahir meri baat suno, I know tumhe bohot gussa aa raha hai, tum bohot hurt huye ho. Trust me tumhaare jagah par agar main hoti to main bhi bilkul aise hi react karti. Lekin tum please ulta seedha mat karna Maahir please. Apne baare mein nehi, Bela ke baare mein bhi nehi lekin, apni beti ke baare mein socho, us maasoom ke baare mein socho, uski in sab mein koi galti nehi hai na. Vo bachchi usko to shaayad pata bhi nehi hoga ke tum uske papa ho. Humse ye baat 8 saalo se chupi thi, chupi hi rehti lekin aaj tumhe ye baat pata chali hai to iska matlab to yehi hua na ke bhagwaan khud chahte hai ke tum apni beti se milo. Please Maahir tumhaare dimaag mein jo kuch bhi chal raha hai usko ek dafa side par rakh kar sirf apni bachchi ke baare mein socho. Usey tumhaari zarurat hai, please Maahir." Maahir was about to throw a burning matchstick on the photos but stopped on hearing Kuhu's words. He put off the fire in the matchstick by holding it inside his fist. He walked towards the door and opened that for Kuhu. When Kuhu saw him well and good, she gave a deep sigh and said,"Ek din mein do do jhatke diye hai tumne mujhe. Kuch aur karna baaki rakkha hai tumne?" Maahir pointed at the pile of Bela's photos and said,"Jab isne meri baato par yakeen nehi kiya, mujhe tab bhi usse nafrat nehi hui, jab ye mujhe chor kar gayi mujhe bohot gussa aaya tha uspar lekin tab bhi nafrat nehi hui. Aaj jab mujhe ye pata chala meri ek aulaad hai jisko mujhse 8 saalo tak isne chupa kar rakkha, mere dil mein aag lagi hui hai, jee kar raha hai ke sab kuch jala du main usme aur aaj pehli baar mujhe usse itni nafrat ho rahi hai ke dil kar raha hai usey barbaad kar du, usey itni taklif du ke uske liye uski zindagi ek sazaa ban jaaye lekin dekho na..." He chuckled sadly and continued,"Main to uski photo tak nehi jala paaya. Usne mujhse pyar bhi kiya, nafrat bhi ki par mujhse na to thik se pyar ho paaya aur dekho aaj to nafrat bhi thik se nehi ho paayi." Kuhu put her hand on his shoulder and then Maahir broke down and dashed on the floor. He hugged Kuhu tightly and said,"Bina koi galti ke mujhe itni bari sazaa mil rahi hai. Pehle maine apne mom aur dad ko khoya, phir Bela meri zindagi mein aai jisey maine apna sab kuch maana phir vo bhi chali gayi, mera parivaar phir se khatam ho gaya aur ab..." He broke the hug and said,"Mera ek bachcha hai, meri ek choti si bachchi hai ab to uske alava meri zindagi mein kuch bacha hi nehi hai, meri life mein apna kehne waala uske alava koi nehi hai, usko bhi Bela ne mujhse door rakkha. Ek tum hi ho na jo mujhe mujhse achchi tarah se jaanti ho? Tum hi bolo na kya ye main deserve karta hu? Kyu bhagwaan hamesha mere saath hi aisa karta hai?" He broke into tears as he hugged Kuhu back and cried as loud as possible, cried his heart out and Kuhu consoled him by hugging him back. On one side, even Kuhu had tears in her eyes realizing how much pain had been dumped inside Maahir's heart for all those years but on the other side, she was glad that it came out at last. Maahir slowly stopped crying after a long time and composed himself and he felt very light from inside as the tears had washed away the burden of grief from his heart. Kuhu wiped her tears too and made him sit on the sofa. She too sat beside him and asked,"Par mujhe ek baat samajh mein nehi aayi ke vo mail tumhe bheja kisne?" Maahir chuckled and said,"Tum shaayad yakeen nehi karogi agar maine tumhe bataya bhi to." Kuhu got confused and asked,"Kya matlab?" Maahir replied,"Uska naam Bulbul hai aur pata hai mujhe usse bhagwaan ne nehi, khud usne mujhe dhundh kar nikaala hai." Kuhu was still confused and Maahir told her everything about her and how she forcefully made him talk to her. On hearing these, Kuhu was shell shocked and she asked,"Maahir itna sab kuch ho gaya aur tum mujhe abhi bata rahe ho ye sab?" Maahir replied,"Arey mujhe to pata bhi nehi tha ke Bela India chorne se pehle pregnant thi phir to shaayad main maan bhi leta. Maine khud hi uski baato par yakeen nehi kiya. Kitni ajeeb baat hai ek larki ne mujhe kabhi dekha nehi, maine usko kabhi dekha nehi lekin iske baavajud vo mujhse itna pyar karti hai aur usne kya kya nehi kiya mujhse baat karne ke liye aur aaj main usse baat karne ko paagal ho raha hu." Kuhu nodded her head and replied,"Really yaar!! Tumhaari beti sach mein bohot maahir hai. Now I really want to meet her. By the way now I remember one thing...Last time jab main Bela se mili thi, vo bohot khush thi aur tumse milne airport aayi thi aur usne kaha ke usko tumhe kuch bataana hai bohot important hai. I'm sure vo tumhe apni pregnancy ki baat bataane aa rahi thi aur uske baad to vo sab kuch ho gaya and then she left." Maahir looked very sad and lost and said,"Agar vo sab kuch meri zindagi mein na hua hota to aaj...aaj Bela mere saath hoti. Main uske liye vo sab kuch karta jo meri mom hoti to uske liye aise time par karti. Aadhi raat ko vo mujhe uthaati aur main uske liye khaana banaata, uske cravings ke demands purey karta. Aaj jab main Bulbul ki photos dekh raha tha tab mujhe laga in sab mein main bhi to ho sakta tha, ye saari yaadein meri ho sakti thi. Jab mera bachcha paida hota to main usko pehli baar goad mein uthaata, uska vo pehla dolta hua kadam, uska vo pehli baar mera ungliyan thaamna, uska pehli baar mujhe 'papa' bulaana, totli zabaan se mujhse baatein karna jo mere alava aur koi samajh na paaye, uski ma se chupaakar usko Punjabi khaana khilaana, usko jee bhar kar spoil karna, usko sulaate sulaate khud so jaana. Phir jab vo daudna seekhti to uske peeche peeche bhaagna ke kahi vo gir na jaaye. Maine sab kuch miss kiya hai yaar. Bela ne mujhse sab kuch cheen liya hai. Usne mujhe meri zindagi ki sabse bari sazaa di hai." Kuhu put her hand on his shoulder and replied,"I know tumhe bohot bura lag raha hai but tum ye socho ke you're a father now Maahir, I think that's the best feeling in the world right now." Maahir had a smile on his face and nodded his head. Kuhu thought that Maahir at first should digest this shock so that he could make rational decision about everything and for that he needed some alone time to process everything that just happened in his life. She looked at the time and said,"Bohot time ho gaya hai Maahir main chalti hu. I think abhi tumhe thora time akele bitaane ki zarurat hai aur please promise karo ke tum kuch bhi ulta seedha nehi karoge aur khaana time par kha loge." Maahir, without looking at Kuhu said,"Tumne abhi abhi kaha hai ne ke abhi mujhe jo kuch bhi karna hai Bulbul ke baare mein soch kar karna hai, uske liye jeena hai. Main kuch bhi ulta seedha nehi karunga I promise." Kuhu smiled and patted on Maahir's back and left from there.