With each passing moment, as she made breakfast Raavi's hands felt cold and clammy. She had no reason to be nervous, but she wasn't sure how Shiva would react to their imminent conversation. She remembered Shiva asking, tu ne kuch kaand kiya hai?", and almost dropped the washed teacup she was about to put back into the cupboard.
Before Shiva and Raavi left to go to Hetal's parents', Pavan and Bhavna Mehta's house, he sat her down on the couch, rubbed her palms to comfort her, give her some much needed warmth and asked her again about the Patel Nagar property.
Sitting beside Shiva on the sofa cross legged, she took his hand, and said, "Based on the paperwork, my parents bought land in Patel Nagar, located near Sabarmati Ashram dedicated to Gandhiji. They asked construction company, KJ Group to construct a building, splitting the cost of construction with the construction company for equity stake in the building to be built for commercial use. But, after they passed away, the construction was abandoned."
"When I inherited the Patel Nagar property and land, Pavan . Pavan Kaka felt it was better to start legal negotiations with the builder, letting them know we intend to demolish due to poor construction and they have to bear the cost to demolish. Then, we found out that the construction was abandoned over large nonpayment of dues which they claim my parents owed them. They are a bankrupt company whose best-case scenario is to just let everything be as it was before I officially inherited it. And they are very well versed in playing out the legal system, using every trick in the book to prolong this case," said Raavi.
"So that's the dispute? Crappy construction company, owned by a shady builder, taking undue advantage of your parents' death and drag out the whole thing as much as they can to avoid demolishing their mess, and that means you cant use the land, either," he asked her, squeezing her hand.
"In a nutshell. Yes."
Shiva looked at her averted face, holding in tears. Tell me, sweetheart..." he probed her.
"I, too, don't want that building destroyed... until...until..." her voice broke. Shaking her head in frustration, she started talking again, "I found out that few of my mother's things maybe left behind, and I want to go see for myself, but I am not allowed inside, because Mausapa and Pavan Kaka think going inside the building for any reason is not safe," she said, sadly.
Raavi's words caused the hairs on the back of his neck to tingle. If the building was that poorly constructed and then abandoned, Raavi's safety came first. Staring at his Chipkali, he knew she could do anything, go to any extent, when she believed she was right.
"The security guard won't let me inside in agreement with Kaka and Mausapa's instructions... but I want to go inside the building to see for myself if anything is left behind," she finished with a stubborn tilt to her voice.
"Raavi, baby, your safety comes first, you know that" said Shiva, and he could see she didn't like that. He imagined with Mama in Somnath, and Hetal's parents travelling intermittently for work, letting Raavi run around risking her life wasn't an option they could afford. "How did you find out about your mother's things? Who told you?"
"Someone told me, when I went there for the first time with Pavan Kaka to see the property and land."
"Someone?" he asked, pouncing on that clue, looking at her quizzically.
"Someone," she said carefully, in a tone that screamed she wasn't going to give out any more information.
He stared at her contemplating what she said. He knew Raavi's brand of stubbornness. When Raavi made up her mind about something, she never f**king gave up, and she was very capable of taking extreme measures to get what she wanted. So, dreading the answer, he asked, "Have you tried before to get into the building?"
Silence. She stared at her hands, her eyebrows dipping together in nervousness, playing with her hair trying to move past that question.
"Raavi...tell me baby girl, kisi ney tujhse kuch kaha? Ya tune kuch kiya... aur kiya bhi toh hum use theek karenge," he pushed her.
Silence from his wife.
Fine, two could play this game. He stayed silent, too, waiting expectantly for her answer, hoping his instincts were wrong and his chipkali hadn't done something to satisfy her curiosity.
Finally, she bobbed her head, the tiniest millimeter, and looking sad and downcast. "I have been trying for five years...I never entered the building, but I entered the property with the intention of going into the building."
Good f**kng hell, he thought to himself, pinching the bridge of his nose. If nobody let her in but she entered anyway...he just knew, what she had done. "Did you... did you...by chance try to force your way in like climbing a fence or entering when you thought no one was looking?"
Silence.
Raavi hung her head, wrung her hands in front of her, plaiting her fingers painfully. She looked up, meeting his eyes for the briefest second before turning away running to the kitchen, under the pretense of drinking water.
"Get back here and answer the damn question, hamesha toh sherni bani ghumti hai," he shouted after her.
He watched her, as she slowly came back to sit beside him, clearly panicked, and anxious. Didn't she have any care for her safety? Tu kya usse saawal jawaab kar raha hai, he asked himself, as remorse and anguish burned down his throat. He should have been there for her, but... Shiva forcibly shut his mind off, now was not the time to go down the memory lane. Her silence was admission enough. Still, he wanted to hear it from her. "Chipkali, jawaab de," he snapped finding a modicum of guilty satisfaction when she flinched at his tone.
She closed her eyes, and nodded, confessing in the smallest voice, "As if you haven't figured it out, but if you want to hear it from me...I tried to enter when I thought I could enter thru the main gates. But I also ju-jumped the fence."
He swore at her. "Tere andar zara bhi akal nahi hai? Apne safety ka zara bhi nahi socha? Aur ye nek kaam kitni baar karni ki koshish ki tu ne? Saach saach bol, haar bar ki tarah teri bakwaas nahi suna mujhe."
Raavi felt Shiva's concern for her safety mixed with anger, coming off his body in waves. When he was in this mood, she didn't dare look at him. Still, taking his fingers and rubbing them to her heart, she whispered, "I didn't count, but multiple times. Each time I somehow got kicked out by the guard. Please don't yell at me. This hurts enough as it is."
Remembering the past events, she let out a half-sob in fear and frustration at her lack of success, blurting out the truth she had been holding in for a very long time, "Th-the last time I tried it was right before I returned to Somnath. There are these iron gates that you have to cross before entering the property and then you have to walk couple of minutes to enter the dilapidated building. The last time, I couldn't force my way in through the gates... I-I-I" she stopped unable to speak.
"What happened?" he asked, though he had a feeling what had happened. "Tell me, sweetheart," his fingers squeezing hers.
"I...I climbed and tried to jump the walled fence with barbed wires. But I lost my balance, I fell backwards and hurt myself. I scratched and cut myself trying to jump. Then, few people came by to see what happened, I got scared and I still don't know how, I-I-I stepped on some wires, tumbled, fell again, and caused the electricity to short circuit. I ran from there, as people chased me...and haven't been back since." She rolled up the sleeves of her yellow Lucknow Chikkan Kurta, and blue straight leg jeans showing him her palms, and the very faint scars underneath her forearm, and her knees. Shiva stayed silent, staring at her. She flushed, her nose red, eyes wet and in a small, trembling voice said, "How the security guard never found out and never told Kaka...I don't know. So, you also don't tell anyone, ok, because...I didn't. Not even Hetal," closing her eyes as tears of humiliation, pain and frustration leaked down her cheeks.
He knew she had done something... but hurt herself, he wanted to shake her and hug her at the same time. "You fu**ing idiot," he said, pulling her into his arms. The moment Raavi felt Shiva's arms around her, rubbing her back, silent sobs wrecked her body.
Wrapping her arms around him, she confessed in a muffled voice, "The day it happened, it was a Saturday; Hetal had gone to Mumbai to help shoot for an ad film, and I was home all alone...that's why I tried to get into the building. I was on this couch with the building nurse bandaging my wounds, and for the first time after our fight, I thought of you out loud. I said to myself, 'Shiva hota toh mujhe kuch nahi hota'," as she felt his arms tighten around her, "Coincidentally, I came back to Somnath not couple of days later."
At his silence, "Are you mad, Shiva? Will you now yell at me and tell me how dumb I am?" she asked in a broken voice.
In response, he sank his fingers into her hair, shaping her skull and took her lips in a bruising, punishing kiss. Shiva poured out his anger at her for being reckless, his fury at himself for not being there for her. He stroked her tongue, asking her what she was thinking before she hurt herself.
Raavi tasted the fire and storm of Shiva, his worries, his fear for her safety, as he repeatedly slanted his mouth over hers, pressing hard kisses that left her breathless. She rubbed the nape of his neck, soothing him, telling him she would be more careful, and that she was right here, and slowly, her soft touch wore him down, and he gentled. The storm calmed, wrapping his arms around her waist and back, he kissed her softly, telling her everything would be ok, now she had him, she didn't have to be so scared. She let herself be loved by him, clutching on to him, feeling the long strokes of his tongue, purring and crooning, as she stroked his jaw and cheek, asking him to keep loving her.
Breaking apart, as she let out a low protest, keep kissing me, he pressed soft pecks on all over her jaw and cheeks, asking, "Sweetheart, I cant believe you would ask me that question. I am beyond upset you put yourself in harms' way. But you are safe, here with me and you aren't going to repeat what you did before, you got that?", tipping her chin up to wipe away her tears. Raavi bent her head but not before he caught the smallest sliver of disappointment. Why?
Settling back down beside him, resting her head on his shoulder, and holding on to his arm looped around her, "Mere saath hi ye kyun hua, Shiva? Main kya itni buri hoon? Main tadap rahi hoon haar woh cheez ke liye jo meri parents ki thi... Kya mujhe unki ek ya do chodi hui cheez bhi nahi milega?" whispered Raavi, as he just held her, not having any words to comfort her, nor did he want to offer his trusting chipkali any false promises.
Kissing her head, "Who told you, your mother's things maybe left behind in that building...that makes no sense," he asked her. When he met with her stony cryptic silence, he warned her "Raavi, koi tumhe pakka bana raha hai, aur tu bann rahi hai."
Hearing his words, her eyes smoked in mild irritation, "Koi aisa kyun karega, Shiva? Har cheez shak ke nazar se mat dekh."
When he opened his mouth to argue how trusting she sounded, the alarm on her cell phone blared loudly, reminding them to leave soon to go Kaka and Kaki's house for lunch to avoid delays with Bhavna Kaki's scheduled medication. She mentally heaved a huge sigh of relief not having to defend her actions and consider the logic and reasoning behind his questions.
Entering Bhavna and Pavan Mehta's spacious 2-bedroom apartment, Raavi and Shiva were hit with sense of warmth and comfort. Sunlight poured in from big windows in the hall. Their house was decorated with well used wooden furniture, big brown leather couches and like any loving parents, they had proudly displayed Hetal's projects, prizes, photos, and other items collected over the years.
"Ruko zara, aarti toh karne do!" said Bhavna Kaki, smiling, eagerly awaiting them. She was a tiny, frail looking woman in her early fifties, wearing a simple cotton saree, thin black hair tied back in a single braid. Like Hetal, all of her was made of sheer will and determination to have a fulfilling life despite facing health challenges.
Soon after Hetal and Raavi moved to Ahmedabad to attend university, she had painstakingly moved to the city to take blended science treatment, which improved her weak immune system considerably so she could travel and be with her husband, who often travelled months for work. Still, she had to be careful, which meant she couldn't go out too much, and had to maintain a strict routine of specific diet and medication.
"Mere bachche, shaadi main nahi aa payi, uske liye maaf kardo, pann Pavan dekho toh, kitne aache lag rahe hain...Meri Raavi toh chamak rahi hai," she said, simultaneously remarking on Raavi's radiance, and welcoming them into her home.
Pavan Mehta was a slim man of average height with a pleasant, kind face. His patient and relaxed approach to life along with his unassuming nature hid the fact that he was one of the best lawyers the state of Gujarat. He smiled, welcoming Shiva and Raavi, "Hetal ne school main kuch apne phone aur camera main se video dikhaye, Hetal aur Raavi ke bak bak bhi suna, phir bhi hume koi idea tha baat tum dono shaadi tak paunch gayi! Pann jo bhi ho, aacha kiya shaadi karke."
Shiva and Raavi looked sideways at each other, silently agreeing to not bring up any events leading up to their marriage. Like most people, even Bhavna Kaki and Pavan Kaka only saw the very few selective videos Hetal showed her, and nothing about their fight or the events leading up to their wedding. Today was not the day to unpack that story.
Although Pavan and Bhavna loved Raavi, they privately acknowledged a special soft spot for Shiva having observed his hard working, caring and passionate nature, though often accompanied by his fierce temper. Back in Somnath, Shiva and the Pandyas' would always home deliver groceries and other items, making sure to unpack everything properly in the kitchen, saving her the effort, which Bhavna had deeply appreciated. She remembered teenaged Shiva, who often quipped, "Kaki, main hi saare samaan aandar rakhta hoon. Hetal ko waise bhi jeera aur saunf ke beech ka farak nahi pata, aapko lene ke dene pad jaayenge," or "Hetal uss Chipkali ke saath hai, ek kaam ab hone se raha...main hi aandar rakhta hoon."
Holding Shiva's arm and patting him on the shoulder, "mera dikra, kitne mahinon ke baad dekh rahi hoon..." looking at him, taking in his smile, tussling his hair, "Shiva, tu baal kyun nahi katwa tha?" she asked, much to everyone's amusement. When they were teenagers, Shiva's ever spilling hair would bother Kaki, often playfully yelling at him to cut his hair when he dropped by Hetal's house.
After lunch, all of them were sitting in the hall, catching up and sharing anecdotes, and most importantly discussing Raavi's pending legal issues.
"Raavi's life in Ahmedabad had its unique set of challenges," said Bhavna Kaki. "Its not easy to deal with these legal issues, which she did, often by herself and its about time, it comes to an end, soon. She needs to move on, in the best possible way," patting Raavi's head.
Shiva nodded in agreement. Raavi's optimism, loving soul and her uniquely enterprising nature made it possible to meet any challenge head on. "Kaki, Raavi hai hi itni dheet, puri duniya idhar ki udhar ho jayegi, pann ye chipkali nakoon ghad ke ek hi deewar se chipki rahegi," he remarked, squeezing her hand.
Pavan Mehta laughed at Shiva's comment and nodded, agreeing both with Shiva and his wife. "With the fraudulent charity, our real fight is with the insurance company that insured them without doing any proper due diligence, on their so-called charitable activities," said Pavan Kaka. "I am confident we are close to winning this case as the presiding Judge in Ahmedabad High Court is my peer and a very respected, fair-minded man."
Sitting on the sofa of Kaka and Kaki's apartment with Shiva, sipping on a steaming cup of chai, she was relieved that after over five years, the mess she had created would draw to a close. Raavi caught Shiva's eyes, smiling at him. It was a novel experience for her to have Shiva here, be a part of these conversations. His presence put her mind at ease and comforted her. She knew no matter what, he would always place her interests above everything else.
"So, Raavi, finally, what are you planning to do with the money?" asked Bhavna Kaki, patting Raavi's head. Though, Shiva had never asked her, he was curious to know what his chipkali, would do with potentially sizeable inheritance.
Raavi took a deep breath, slipping her small hands into Shiva's, "I want to set aside some of it for...our future children as a token of love from their grandparents. Mostly, I want to make sure the money is being used to benefit people and communities. I know someone," looking at Shiva meaningfully, "he wants to spread his love for soccer, discover new talent in Somnath and...in India." Twisting his wedding band, finding endless comfort in the ring and what it symbolised, she continued, "His dream gave me the idea to set up a Trust to make investments into Shiva's soccer club and set up sports scholarships. That is if Shiva wants to help out. I think my father would have liked that."
Three pairs of eyes looked at Shiva, awaiting his response. He couldn't believe she put him on the spot like this... yet he did. She really shouldn't be so trusting of him. The faith and belief she showed in him, often exceeding his own, always took him by surprise. If he had any doubts that he deserved her before, he now knew for sure, he wasn't worthy of her at all. He looked up at her, his eyes silently communicating with hers.
Mujhe nahi pata tha tu itni badi dobi hai ki mujhpe aisa responsibility dalegi.
Ye meri zindagi ki second best decision hai, Shiva. Tu hi ye kar sakta hai.
Agar nahi hua toh?
Dobi, main ya tu? Bhool gaya, Shiva aur Raavi ki team kabhi haar nahi sakti?
Ironically, the money that caused their fight was coming back to them and he could either repeat his mistake, and push it and her away, or... he could help her further her parents' legacy. When all he saw in her eyes was hope and trust, he knew his decision. If this is what Chipkali wanted, then...so be it. He nodded and squeezed her hand, in agreement.
"Good decision, Raavi." said Pavan Kaka, before awkwardly taking a sip of chai, he said, "that only leaves us with the issue with the Patel Nagar property," looking at Raavi intently. Clearing his throat, he continued, "Raavi, dikri, I have been thinking...now that you are married, I think we should reconsider our tactic and just settle. I have been trying for five years, to help you without this taking over your life. The construction company, on paper is bankrupt but just other day, my office got news from a Private Investigator that the owner had bought new cars, property and was seen vacationing in Paris, attending fashion shows, which goes to show the extent of their truth. They just want to make sure they never have to pay to demolish, amongst other fines and fees, and in the process prevent you from using the land as well."
Shocked at Pavan Kaka's change in strategy, Raavi immediately said, "No, No, No. I don't want to hear it. Don't try to convince me, I will not settle."
"Chipkali, listen to me. If you settle, its one less thing for you to think about. Demolish that crappy half-constructed, abandoned building, pay the fines, fees, and start afresh. Whatever you want to do with it. All of this can be handled in the next few days, and you can come back to Somnath quickly."
Demolished in the next few days? Raavi thought to herself in disbelief. "Whatever I want to do? Then let me go and check that property to make sure none my mothers belongings aren't there. Then you can do whatever you want."
Pavan said, "Raavi, its not safe for you to visit that property at all. Its so poorly constructed, and then abandoned when your parents passed away. In fact, nobody wants to step into that place, putting their lives at risk. The previous security guard to one that's currently working there, in fact he hurt himself and quit. We are paying for a guard to protect the value of the land... but the building is in such bad shape, nobody is sure to come out without hurting themselves."
He patted Raavi's head, "the person who told you, your mother's belongings from the last time she visited Ahmedabad may be there, at best, took a guess. I know it'll be expensive, but it's the best way forward for you. Dikri, main hoon, Kaki hai, Jagat hai, pann phir bhi tu bin maa baap ki bachchi hai. Kaise hum tumhare jaan ya tumhari zindagi ke liye galat faisla le? Ultimately, my concern is you and your married life. Its one thing for us to proceed with legal negotiations and lawsuits when you were in university, and one thing to drag it on now that you are married and in Somnath."
"Of course, Shiva agrees! But I don't. There is a risk that if the place is demolished, I never find out the truth...I want to go see for myself, if there is nothing there, then I will do anything you ask. Unless I see it for myself, I am not budging." said Raavi hotly, wiping her tears. Feeling like she was fifteen, arguing with Mausapa to let her go see that one Ranveer Singh movie, she said, "You are concerned for my life, right? Then how do you think I'll be able to live with myself knowing there could have been something of my mothers someplace in this city, and I didn't do anything to get it?"
"Raavi, aaram se baat kar...tu ab bahut galat track pe jaa rahi hai. Baat toh samajhne koshish kar," warned Shiva. He understood her emotions, but really, what were the odds something was left behind?
"Nahi samajhna kuch, tab koi meri baat nahi maan raha," cried Raavi. Why didn't people understand? She had the strong gut feeling to inside the building...but no one ever agreed with her. Now to want to destroy that place before even checking? That was just so heartless. With Shiva agreeing with Kaka, she felt like a trapped rabbit captured by its ears, pressurized to change her decision.
Staring at her, trying to make her see reason, Shiva asked "aur kaun hai ye mahaan aatma jisne tujhe ye sab bataya? Kisi se aaj tak milwaya tune?" Raavi bit her lip, guiltily. She didn't want to be sucked into a vortex of self-doubt and second guessing herself, she had been operating on good faith and belief for five years, so she shook her head, pushing away his questions refusing to even consider them.
As she looked up at him, she realized, none of it mattered, because Shiva was here... like here, in this city. Maybe he would take her to see the building and they could once and for all resolve this issue. Brilliant Raavi!
Clutching his arms, she eagerly said, "Problem meri safety ki hai na? Toh tu chal na Shiva, abhi ka abhi. Hum dekh ke aayenge---" which he cut her off by saying, "Dimag kahan udd gaya tumhara? Chal! Durr hatt!" With that he got up to go to the kitchen to put away the empty cups of tea.
As soon as he got up, Raavi was hot at his heels, wild hope coursing through her veins, "Shiva, sun, sun...SUN na, mera dil khehta hai iss jagah main kuch toh hai, Shiva. Shayad main galat bhi hoon, pann ek baar main dekhna chahti hoon. Agar hum dono jaayenge, toh sab kuch ho jayega. Tu hai na saath main, toh mujhe kuch hoga bhi nahi. Main jaldi aandar dekhe aajaungi aur phir ye case bhi lipat jayega. Please Shiva, meri jazbaat aur baat ko samajh na..."
Grabbing her by the waist, he looked at her as if she had lost her mind. He glared at her and said, "Dil ne kaha? Aur dimag ne?" Without waiting for her answer,
"Kya Raavi, tu nahi samaj rahi, that building has one option, destroy with a bulldozer. Tujhe pata hai, abhi maine photos bhi dekhe, itna bura haal hai...." He trailed off looking at the mulish expression on her face.
Fine, he couldn't care less about any of this as long his chipkali was safe. He kissed the mole on her cheek and sternly said, "Nahi settle karna? Mat kar, zindagi bhar ye case kholke pooja kar, hum sau baar Ahmedabad ke chakkar kaatenge, pann, tu promise kar, tu wahan nahi jaayegi."
"Ye befazool ke promises nahi karne mujhe," snapped Raavi, wiping her tears, staring at him accusingly.
"Kyun itni dheet hai, tu?" he asked her in frustration.
"Haan, hoon main dheet. Maine socha tu mujhe leke...mujhe tujhse umeed thi, please Shi---" which Shiva interrupted with a kiss and said, "No." He couldn't believe she thought he would take her someplace to willingly put her in harms' way.
Seeing her stubborn, angry face, "Jo karna hai na tu wohi kar, gadhedi! Lekin agar tujhe kuch hua na, ek kharosh bhi aayi na, mujhse bura koi nahi hoga!" he snapped, making a move to go outside.
She stopped him, saying, "Tere paas itna bada dimag hai na, toh tu mujhe bata kyun subah se Suman Maa ka phone kaat raha hai? Kyun hai Maa se gussa?"
"Tere kurafati dimag pe break laga, aur mujhe bekar ka gyaan mat de," he snapped and walked off the kitchen, leaving her behind. When Pavan Kaka and Bhavna Kaki saw him, they looked at him expectantly as if to ask did she agree, he irritably shook his head. When Raavi came back from the kitchen, there was an awkward silence, broken by the ring of his phone.
His mother.
Raavi snatched his phone from his hands, swiped to accept the video call, and shoved the phone back in his hands muttering shechu kahinka. He threw her a murderous glare, having no choice but to speak to his mother.
"Shiva! Subah se phone kaat raha hai! Kitni phone call karna padega? Agar main marr rahi hoti toh?" asked Suman glaring at him, causing him to shake his head at her.
"Maa, tu theek hi toh hai! Main Hetal ke parents ke saath hoon..." he said, as Raavi gasped. He rolled his eyes at her. As if his mother hadn't figured it out that he wasn't in Somnath. He mentally swore that his life was truly blessed with the most dramatic women to walk this earth. From his wife to his mother. Saare ke saare pagal hain.
"Meri baat kaatke Somnath se bhaga?" yelled Suman, "aur ab muh phula ke bhaita hai! Diplomatically, Pavan Kaka and Bhavna Kaki ushered Shiva to a spare room, so they could have a private conversation.
Shiva and Suman heatedly stared at each other through the phone. Finally, he snapped "Maa, ye tera Raavi ko Ahmedabad ko bhejna ka track hi galat hai... jab ki Diwali party main maar peet maine ki hai. Mushkil se do cheezien sahi track pe chalti hai, aur mujhe nahi pasand ki sabko humare zindagi ke faisle lene ka haq mile, humare siwa," It was rare that he disagreed with his mother, but he was mad at his mother that she tried to keep them apart, and that's why he hadn't been picking up her calls. He also hated thinking that Raavi would have been here all alone trying to figure this out all on her own when he... anyways. He turned his attention back to his mother, frowning at her through the video call.
Suman stared at her son through the phone, upset and grumpy. She quietly said, "Usse Ahmedabad bheja taaki woh apne saare legal problems lipta sake. Agar apne kal ki bhoj ko lekar chalegi toh aage ki zindagi kaise theek se guzaregi? Kitne din Gujarat ki chakkar kaati apne paison ke liye? Aur uske mann ko shanti bhi nahi milegi. Yahan hoti toh khud ke aur tere kaand se fursat hi nahi milti."
"Dekh Shiva, agar tu chahta hai ki zindagi ka har faisla tu aur teri Laila le, toh phir sabke saamne tamasha bhi mat kar, aur ghar ke badon ko yakeen dila ki tu apne shaadi ke taraf responsible bhi ban sakta hai...jab sabse zyaada zaroorat ho, na ki jab woh asaan ho," finished Suman, glowering at him. "Gadheda, usse poocha, woh tujhe jail main dekh kitni daari hogi? Aur woh Kagdi, aag main ghee bhi daal rahi hai. Gadedha, sasta Majnu. Ghusail Petticoat chap!"
Well, put like that... Shiva thought to himself belatedly...She had sent Raavi to Ahmedabad, so she could sort through her legal matters to find closure to issues that had been beyond her control and work towards a life with him. And, to keep her away from anyone that would make the situation in Somnath worse, right before all the divorce paperwork could be rescinded. Acknowledging his mother had the right intentions, though he didn't agree with her methods, the goal was freeing Raavi from the constant revolving doors of the courts and give her peace of mind to live her life happily and peacefully. With him.
"Mujhe laga, tu mera gussa Raavi pe---" he muttered, stopping when she raised her hand on the other side of the video call.
"Ye saste Laila Majnu ka bakwaas mujhe sunna hi nahi hai. Jaise taise tu bhaga, Dhara aur Rishita ko itna stress diya aur unn se itne jhoot bulwaye... tu ek number pagal che," she said, with a mild look of disgust, as if she expected him not to be such an aashiq.
"Ab chala hi gaya hai, toh wahin pada reh...pann jis din tu Somnath wapas aaya, uss din se main tere saar par tandav karungi," continued Suman devilishly, satisfied when she saw Shiva gulp, fearful of her. Good.
"Teri Laila kaisi hai? Jaa bulake laa, main usse baat karna chahti hoon, subah se mujhe woh heart photos bhej rahi hai," asked Suman.
"Woh uss Patel Nagar ki property main jaane ki zidd kar rahi hai..." said Shiva wringing his hand in frustration.
Suman had only heard of Patel Nagar property through Jagat, she knew that Raavi would ever so often unsuccessfully try to enter property, but she would make it out safe, and that was that. Suman clucked her tongue, "usko bulake aa, main Maa hoon, meri baat manaegi,"
Almost immediately, Bhavna came inside, panicking, "Shiva, jaldi aao! Raavi ghar pe nahi hai!" as she noticed the front door open, and Raavi was missing.
"What?" asked Shiva, hanging up on his stunned mother, running out of the other room, and assessing the situation for a split second before he ran outside behind her. She knew of his concerns for her safety, and she still went ahead to put herself in danger. He ran outside and from the end of the hallway, he looked down onto the street, and saw her slim frame speed away in a rickshaw.
"Usne jhoote bhi nahi pehne..." cried Pavan Kaka, as Shiva swore at her. Once he got his hands on Raavi...
Raavi had no idea how long she sat in the hall, thinking about what could be left behind in that abandoned building. Really, what could be left behind? This had bothered when she had lived in this city, and now that she back...she had to know. She had a very strong feeling that there was something in that abandoned building that was calling to her. Could it be her mother's watch? Or her clothes? Or something else? Would it be there for 24 years? What if the building was demolished before she could find out? She got up clutching her phone in one hand, twiddled the hem of her yellow kurta top, pacing back and forth mentally arguing with herself.
These were HER mother's belongings, right? It was her right to know and how dangerous could it really be? She looked at her phone, it was 5 PM on a Sunday. She looked and nobody was around her, so she called a guy named Rajesh, who had helped her break in previously before the security guard caught her. She vaguely remembered Shiva's voice warning her, his stern face loomed in front of her... but then curiosity and fear of never finding out overtook her, and if there was any chance, she could find something that belonged to her parents...her instincts told her it would be today, and she wanted them at any cost. Before she listened to the small sane voice in her head, begging her to reconsider, she impulsively ran out of the apartment, running down the stairs, grabbing the first rickshaw to take her to Patel Nagar.
As Shiva started to run behind her, Pavan Kaka stopped him and gave his car keys so they could follow Raavi, maybe even get ahead of her since they knew where she was headed. By the time they arrived at the Patel Nagar property, Raavi had run inside towards the abandoned building, pushing through the iron gates. Shiva ran behind her, only to be stopped by the rickshaw driver waiting outside yelling at them for his payment. Beyond frustrated and desperate to catch up to her and stop this madness, he pushed aside the driver and made his way into the property.
Raavi had actually made it farther than the previous times she had tried to get in; she made it into the actual building. Waiting for her outside the iron gates, Rajesh had helped her get inside, even when the security guard had been hot at her heels, seeing her on the security camera from his security booth.
Once she was past the iron gates, she had been very fast, single mindedly focused on getting into the building. She yanked her arm free of the security guard, pushing his chest, causing the middle-aged guard to stumble. Taking advantage of his momentary lapse in judgement, she ran as fast as she could into the abandoned building of Patel Nagar. She was now climbing up to the first floor of the dilapidated building, yelping, ducking, and covering her head when rubble and dried concrete fell from above.
Shiva ran behind Raavi, when the security guard stopped him, and he grabbed his collar roughly, "usse andar kaise jaane diya?"
"Main nahi... usne dhakka diya..." the guard, going by his name tag called, Jayesh, stammered fearfully. Worried for his job and her safety, he clutched Shiva's hand, words stumbling out his mouth, "jake unhe bacha lijiye. Woh building theek nahi hai, kuch bhi ho sakta hai...mera ghatiya bhai, Rajesh, usne Raavi Madam ko aandar bulaya, hamesha aisa hi karta hai, lekin pehli baar woh building tak chali gayi. Rajesh ne Raavi madam se bhi paise liye aur... woh builder hi hai jisne, ye sab karwaya... mere bhai se kuch bakwaas bulwaya, aur itne saal... bechari. Lekin maine koshish ki...socha bhai ko aur Raavi madam ko sambhal loonga. Apne paise aur bhai ke pyar main...saara sach Raavi madam ya unki Kaka ko nahi bol paya..." the guard, Jayesh, faltering under Shiva's menacing glare, looking sideways, which Shiva immediately followed. Something or rather someone moved in the shadows and scurried away.
"Ye jo locha hai na... usse main baad main lipat loonga. Agar Raavi ko kuch bhi hua, main tera jaan apne haat se loonga." With that warning, Shiva ran inside, jumping over a hole in the ground, and running up the stairs as fast as he could, anxious to catch up to her. He smoothly skidded backwards when the same concrete fell down that threatened Raavi.
Following Raavi, he went left to an abandoned room with a table and stray rusted and debris filled construction tools. His attention was diverted momentarily when he looked around quickly, before focusing on why he came here: to save his chipkali.
In his momentary lapse of attention, Raavi ran out of the derelict room, and he hastily followed her out to other room and found her stumbling off balance as the floor shook and a part of the flooring fell due to years of water and sun damage.
"Raavi, gadhedi, chal yahan se!!" shouted Shiva, as he grabbed to steady her. "Dekh, yahan kuch nahi hai..."
"Ye pakad, aur mujhe theek se—" started Raavi, shoving a slip of paper into his pocket. Frantically looking around, she shrieked into his arms, when a rat scurried away grazing her bare feet. Recovering quickly, she wiggled out of his arms, dusting off cobwebs, coughing as she inhaled dust, and ran out of the room, as Shiva yelled, "jump over the hole in the floor," and scanning the area for any out of place items.
In her hastiness, she knocked over a rusted metal slab, sending it hurtling down the stairs. She jumped, as the noise startled her and leapt back across to the other side, to continue her search when Shiva threw her over his shoulders, and ran down the stairs, yelling, "you were about to step on a big, rusted nail."
He carried her all the way and stopping only when she was in the backseat of Pavan Kaka's car. Sinking to his knees outside the car, he sanitized and washed her face, rinsed hands, her feet with water removing any traces of debris, dirt, and anything else in between. Tossing aside the empty water bottle, he glowered at her, "Tujhe pata bhi hai—" he started but both of them flinched when they heard a loud bang.
When he looked, a part of the wall somewhere in that cursed monster of a building had fallen off, seeming self-destructive in its anger and infuriation that people had come in and disturbed it from its slumber. Irritated, worried and panicking, thinking what if he had been a few minutes late, he roughly tipped her chin and made her look, "dekh, gadhedi, akal ki dushman, dekh kya hua hai? Tere aandar dimag bilkul bhi nahi hai, na? Kaise tu aise hi chali gayi?" Gesturing to her feet, "jhoote pehena zaroori nahi samjha?" as Raavi belatedly realized she was barefoot. Shiva continued "Sab log tujhe samjha samjha thak gaye, pann teri manmaani—"
Pavan Kaka interrupted him, "That's enough, Shiva, Lets go home, and we can discuss things later."
He nodded, and went to start the car, but his hands were trembling. He let out a loud curse and took breath to calm his nerves. The last forty-five minutes had been hell. He threw her an irritated look and took satisfaction in that she was subdued with her eyes closed; shoulders slumped with her palms resting on her temples. Good, at least she was alive. If she said a word to defend her stupid actions, he'd tell her off into the next century.
He drove back to Pavan Kaka's house, where Kaki had the foresight to call a doctor, who was waiting for them.
"Ye Chipkali ko kuch hua toh nahi? Should we get her tested in case she inhaled asbestos?" he asked the doctor.
Amused at her nickname, the doctor smiled said, "One-off potential exposure isn't a major risk. If you want to be highly cautious, I can write a prescription to do an X-ray, but the choice ultimately is Raavi's and yours. As I see it now, she doesn't have a concussion, her vitals are sound, her shots are up to date, and she has been cleaned up. So, she maybe a little frazzled and likely disappointed, but nothing some T.L.C, as your generation says it, and some time won't heal. She is lucky she didn't hurt herself in any other way."
Once the doctor left, and they had spoken with their family in Somnath, all of whom were worried and anxious to speak with Raavi. Predictably, Suman, Jagat had yelled at her, and Prafulla had just cried at the thought of Raavi in danger, promptly blamed the whole thing on Shiva. Dhara, too had been very disappointed in her. Even Hetal had cussed her out, stopping only when her father asked her to calm down. Only Gaumbi had been worried at seeing an extremely subdued Raavi, asking Shiva to take care of her. Kaka and Kaki tactfully offered to let Raavi stay the night with them, suggesting he come pick her up tomorrow morning.
He shook his head, saying Raavi was his responsibility, and he would take care of her. He sarcastically added that going by her track record today, she would find a way to cause them more trouble, and that's the last thing they needed, after all their support and help today. So, he'd take them back to the apartment since the doctor had confirmed Raavi was alright. They nodded in understanding and Raavi mutely stood up to go home but slunk back down receiving a fierce stare from Shiva.
Her heart was aching, how could she have been so wrong? There wasn't anything there except for a slip of paper and rusty construction tools. Had she just been so lonely at 18 that she had willed herself into believing something that wasn't there? For years, she had trusted some stranger, refused to even acknowledge, or consider any red flags... for what? In the end, she was worse off than before. Wiping away the lone tear that fell off her cheeks, she decided she'd reflect on that later, but first, her Shiva.
She looked at Shiva, who didn't let her walk at all, carrying her all the way from Kaka's house to the car, then again from the lobby of the building, all the way to the bedroom, dropping her on the bed. She looked at him, trying to see where he was on the anger scale, ranging from infinity to Shiva. He had refused to look at her the ride back home. When they had come home, she tried to catch his eye and try to say a word, but he just busied himself, avoiding her efforts to talk to him. After, depositing her on the bed, he got her a glass of water, with a Crocin tablet and some pistachio biscuits.
When he finally looked at her making eye contact, giving her a once over; she grabbed his hand, opening her mouth to say, "Shiva, tu gussa..." but he just shrugged it off and said, "kapade utar..."
"Abhi?" she asked, and he just nodded, annoyed with her follow up question.
She tugged off her kurti and she looked at him expectantly, "Tu khud bhi utaarega, ya phir, mujhe hi sab kuch karna..." blushing slightly at the last part.
He looked at her as if she had grown two heads. Then his confusion cleared, and he snapped, "Ayy Mallika Sherawat ki sabse sasti copy, main tujhe Emraan Hashmi dikhta hoon, ki jo bhi movie ho, kiss scene hoga? Aaj toh, main teri shakal nahi dekhna chahta... tu mere saath... gadhedi."
At her confused expression, he grabbed her kurti, to show her, "kapda phata hai... aur daag bhi hai. Pata nahi kitne toxic particles bhi chipke hue honge. Tujhe apni zidd ke alawa kuch nahi dikhta lekin mujhe meri lungs pyari hai. Isliye maine bola... aur tu, cheap minded chipkali. Galti meri hi hai, mujhe andaaza lagana tha, teri ulti kopdi har cheez ka kuch aur hi matlab nikal legi."
She looked down, part contrite and part sad he didn't want to...anyways she would deal with that issue later.
He gave her fresh clothes to wear, and curtly said, "dawaayi aur teri pasand ke pistachio biscuits pade hain yahan pe. Khana hai toh khaa, warna yahan bhi apni manmaani kar. Mujhe baksh de!" With that, he left her to her devices, slamming the door so hard, it shook in its hinges.
As she looked at the door, a tear slipped out of her eye when she realized Shiva was disappointed in her.