The 'Un' Attached String

Chapter - 26

Next morning, after Maahir had left for office, Bela cut a plate of fruit for Kuhu and went to her room to give it. On seeing Bela, Kuhu said, "Rohit ka phone aaya tha, mom abhi bilkul thik hai aur vo Pratham aur Suhaani ke reception tak aa jaayega. Vo wahi pohoch jaayega aur phir main uske saath chali jaaungi." Bela smiled and replied, "That's such a relief ke uski mom thik hai." Kuhu held Bela's hand and said, "Meri vajah se tum sabko bohot trouble hui na. I'm so sorry!" Bela held her hand too and replied, "Ha, sach mein tumhaare jaane ka sunkar na mujhe sach mein aisa lag raha hai jaise kandhe ka bojh to utra." Both Kuhu and Bela laughed at that and then Kuhu noticed a cloud of worries on Bela's face and seeing that she said, "Kya hua? Anything serious? Agar Maahir ke saath tumhaara fir se koi jhagra hua hai to that's not at all serious for me! Even Bulbul bhi kehti hai ke pata hai bua mamma aur daddy ka jhagra na aajkal khaane mein salad ki tarah ho gaya hai." Bela looked at Kuhu and said, "Main jabse India aayi hu na main tabse ek baat janna chahti thi lekin puchne ka na to kabhi sahi mauka mila aur naahi kabhi sahi waqt aur kabhi kabhi to mere dimaag se bhi nikal jaat hai. Actually pehle pehle sochti thi lekin Bulbul ke paida hone ke baad pata nehi 8 saal kaise beet gaye." Kuhu asked, "Hua kya hai?" Bela looked at Kuhu and the way she looked at Kuhu, she felt something very different, something very uncomfortable for Kuhu but very cold from Bela and she asked, "Vo kaha hai?" Kuhu looked at Bela in a confused manner and asked, "Kaun?" Bela, with that same cold look asked, "Vo?" When Bela asked that question, Kuhu really at first didn't understand as 8 years had passed away but that cold and meaningful look of Bela made everything crystal clear to Kuhu about exactly what Bela wanted to know and she asked, "Achaanak tum uske baare mein kyu janna chahti ho?" Bela sarcastically replied, "Mujhe to uske baare mein actually bohot pehle puchna chahiye tha. Jiske vajah se mere zindagi barbaad ho gayi, meri beti ke zindagi ke 8 saal barbaad ho gaye, vo apne baap ke bina rahi, mujhe to uske baare mein jaanne ka sabse pehla haq hai. Hai na?" Kuhu replied, "Pata nehi! Tumhaare jaane ke baad, vo bhi achaanak gayab ho gayi. Maahir ne uske baare mein jaanne ki kabhi koshish hi nehi ki, kehta tha ke jab tumne hi uspar bharosa nehi kiya to kisi aur ne kya kiya uske baare mein kyu sochna." Bela was shocked listening to that and she asked, "Gaayab ho gayi? Gaayab ho gayi ka kya matlab hua?" Kuhu replied, "Tumhaare jaane ke baad jab Maahir ne suicide attempt kiya tha to hum sab itne busy ho gaye usko lekar ke uske baare mein dhyaan hi nehi raha. Par jaise hi Maahir thora sa stable hua to maine usse baat ki thi tabhi usne mujhse aisa kaha par main to chup nehi beth sakti thi. Kuch dino baad jab maine usko dhundhne ki koshish ki aur uske address mein gayi to pata chala ke vo waha se ja chuki hai, lekin kaha ye kisiko bhi nehi pata. Police ne bhi bohot dhundha lekin... kuch pata hi nehi chala." Bela could not find the exact words to say but still after a few seconds pause she said, "Sahi hai vaise, uske jagah par main bhi hoti to main bhi yehi karti, koi bhi gairatmand insaan yehi karega jaisa usne kiya. Par..." Bela suddenly lost into thoughts and said, "Par usdin to mujhe aisa laga tha jaise... jaise she wanted justice... she wanted her rightful place aur agar aisa hi tha to vo gaayab kyu ho gayi?" Kuhu replied, "No one knows!" Bela got up without saying anything and then left from there towards her room in a trance. On getting to her room, Bela closed the door from inside and dashed onto her bed. She could feel her head spinning and her heart beating very fast. All the memories of the day of her leaving Maahir's home and all the heated exchange of words came rushing down of her memory lane. The things were still so fresh and so crystal clear in her memory lane as if it has not been 8 years but just yesterday. Kuhu's words started to bang her head about how Maahir had tried to commit suicide after she left, what if he had been successful, if Maahir was really guilty why would he try to commit suicide, the more she thinks about those things, the more she was puzzled. When Kuhu first told her about Maahir's suicide attempt, she was shivered but somewhere she did not want to think about the option of Maahir not being guilty but the moment, she heard from Kuhu about the disappearance, her whole world, the earth under her feet started shaking thinking about what if all those things that happened 8 years ago was a charade, a well scripted conspiracy of a very well trained evil brain to separate them. She remembered how she thought to kill herself after leaving Maahir but practically could not carry out the act due to her pregnancy. The more she thought about that the more she was getting puzzled but amidst all those things, she knew one thing that if anything would have happened to Maahir, she too would have put an end to her life as well as no matter how much she hated Maahir for his betrayal but in her heart, in this life, she would only love him and no one else. She nodded her head vigorously and said, "Nehi... nehi... I have to know what happened! I have to know the truth! Pata nehi kyu mujhe bohot ajeeb sa feel ho raha hai, pata nehi kyu mujhe aisa lag raha hai jaise ke... I have to talk to Maahir!" During the whole day, Bela behaved very lost and irrational which didn't go unnoticed by both Bulbul and Kuhu. So, when Maahir returned from office, Bulbul went to him and said, "Pata hai daddy aaj na mamma bara ajeeb sa behave kar rahi hai, lost lost sa." Maahir asked, "Kyu kya ho gaya?" She replied, "Aaj na lunch par maine daal maangi, mamma ne sabzi de di, sabzi maangi to mamma ne paani de diya aur mamma ne khud bhi thik se khaana nehi khaaya. Bolo na daddy, meri mamma kya bimaar ho gayi hai?" She pouted and Maahir replied, "Nehi! Mamma kyu bimaar hogi? Shaayad mamma ko apne mamma papa ki yaad aa rahi hai isiliye. Achcha thik hai main mamma ko jaakar check karta hu. Aap tension mat lo!" Bulbul seemed to be relaxed after hearing that and Maahir went to Bela's room to check on her and on finding her, he asked, "Kya hua tumhe? Bulbul bata rahi thi ke ajeeb sa behave kar rahi ho kya ho gaya?" Bela looked at Maahir and asked, "Tumne usko dhundha kyu nehi?" Maahir opened his blazer and sat on the bed on listening to Bela's question and got confused and asked, "Kisko dhundhu?" Bela asked, "Kyu? Tumhe samajhme nehi aa raha hai kya ke main kiski baat kar rahi hu?" Maahir was unbuttoning the collar of his shirt and stopped in the middle when Bela asked the question with such authority and when he looked at Bela, it did not take any more time for him to understand whom she was referring to. He immediately got up and asked, "Uske baare mein jaankar main ab kya karunga, usne jitni meri zindagi barbaad karni thi vo to kar hi chuki hai. Gadhe murde ukhaarne ka mujhe koi shaukh nehi hai aur isse meri zindagi ke 8 saal waapas nehi aa jaayenge." He was about to leave but Bela immediately got up and blocked his way and replied, "Tumhe khud ko sunaayi de raha hai kya ke tum kya bol rahe ho? Usne sirf tumhaari hi nehi meri bhi zindagi barbaad ki hai. Mere yaha se jaate hi vo bhi gaayab ho gayi, tumhe kya ye baat khatki nehi? Mujhe Kuhu ne sab bata diya hai." Maahir was very angry the moment Bela raised that topic and so he could not stop himself and he replied, "Kyu dhundhta main usko? Agar dhundh leta to tum waapas aa jaati kya? Tum to apne papa ki beti ke alava aur kuch ban hi nehi paayi. I know meri bhi galti thi, agar maine tumhe pehle hi sab kuch bata diya hota to... par aaj lagta hai tum to shaayad bataane ke baad bhi yakeen nehi karti. Mujhe pata hai ke tum bhi in beete 8 saalo mein khush nehi thi lekin in neetey 8 saalo ki keemat tumse kayi guna zyaada maine chukaayi hai aur hamaari beti ne bhi. Tum to apni family ke paas thi, mera kaun tha? Aur tum jo ye sab mujhe keh rahi ho, tumne kya kiya tha? Ab 8 saal baad tumhe achaanak se usko lekar itna concern kyu ho raha hai?" Bela could not believe what Maahir said just now and so, in a desperate manner, she asked, "To iska matlab tum chup karke beth gaye? Kuch nehi kiya?" Maahir replied, "Jis tarah se tumhe mujhpar gussa tha ke maine tumhe dhoka diya usi tarah se mujhe bhi tumpar gussa tha ke tumne mujhpar bharosa nehi kiya. Agar tumhe haq hai to mujhe kyu nehi?" Saying Maahir was about to leave when Bela asked, "Then why did you try to commit suicide?" Maahir was stunned on getting to know that Bela knows about that and so he looked at her with a jerk and she continued, "Mujhe sab pata hai, mujhe sab bataya hai Kuhu ne. Why didn't you try to find her at least once?" Maahir noticed the helplessness in Bela's eyes and he replied, "You're right I wanted to kill myself but ab lagta hai maine bohot bari galti ki thi, par usse bhi zyaada bari galti meri ye thi ke maine tumse pyar kiya. Tum pregnant thi isliye tumhaara har reaction jaayaz tha, tum bina kuch bataaye Canada chali gayi vo bhi jaayaz tha, tumne mujhe mere bachche ke is duniya mein aane ke baare mein bataya tak nehi, vo bhi sabki nazar mein jaayaz tha. Par agar kuch jaayaz nehi tha vo main tha. Meri galti ye thi ke mere paas apni begunaahi saabit karne ke liye koi saboot nehi tha. Tumse achchi to Anu hai, usne uswaqt mera saath diya jab tumhe mere saath hona chahiye tha. Itne saalo se vo mera intezaar kar rahi hai, khud billionaire hone ke baavajud airhostess ki job ki sirf mere liye. Kabhi kabhi aisa lagta hai ke kaash tum meri zindagi mein hi na aati to kitna achcha hota." A thin line of tear appeared in his eyes depicting his inner pain as he said those things to Bela and he left from there slamming the door on her face. On getting to his room, he locked the door from inside and dashed on the ground leaning on the door and crying.