Next day as usual, SidNaaz were walking on the unmetalled roads of the village of Mohali. Naaz was really liking that place and it was reminding her of her childhood days. She was feeling very much connected to the trees, rivers, fields, everything of a rural life.
Soon Sidharth got tired as they were walking for hours.
"Naaz.... Aur nahi chala jaa raha mujhse. We have car, still you are forcing me to walk." Said Sidharth while panting.
"Jo maza paidal chalne mein hai na, woh car mein nahi hai. Aap ko paata hai jab main chhoti thi, ghar ka saara kaam khatam hone ke baad, dopeher ko jab Mami soti thi, main pure gaaon ka chakkar lagati thi. Yeh sab aap nahi samjhenge." Said Naaz remembering her childhood days.
"Of course. Main tumhari tarah badmash jo nahi tha apne bachpan mein."
"Sidharth!" Said Naaz glaring him and he immediately looked down. Who isn't scared of his wife?
"Lekin... Main aur chal nahi sakta. I need break." Said Sidharth after sometime.
Suddenly Naaz saw a stall of lassi and smiled.
"Aap thak gaye ho nah? Chaliye. Main tainu Punjab di lassi pilati aa." Said Naaz.
"Lassi mujhe utna pasand nahi hai. Waise bhi abhi toh lunch ka time ho raha hai. Chalo kahi chal kar lunch karte hai."
"Ki gal kar rahe ho? Oo tussi Punjab vich aaye ho aur lassi piye bina hi chale jaoge? Yeh toh main kadi hone naa doon." Said Naaz cutely in her Punjabi accent.
Sidharth laughed and asked, "Tumne itni acchi Punjabi kaha se sikhi?"
"Filmon mein dekh ke sikhi hoon thodi thodi. Aur main hoon bhi toh Punjabi. Punjab khoon mein hai mere. Ab aap lassi pee rahe hai yaa nahi?"
"Haan haan chalo. Tumhe maana karne ki himmat hai mujh mein?" Said Sidharth to which Naaz laughed.
Then they went to the stall.
"Oo Veer Ji! Cheti cheti do glass lassi bana do. Pehli vaari husband nu Punjab Di lassi pila rahi hoon. Changa lagna chahiye inhe." Said Naaz to the stall owner.
When she was saying that, she was looking damn cute and funny. Sidharth was watching her and laughing silently pressing his lips with his palm.
After the lassi was made, the stall owner handed two glasses of lassi to Sidharth and Naaz.
They did cheers and took a sip.
"Kaisi lagi?" Asked Naaz.
"Itni bhi buri nahi hai." Replied Sidharth.
They finished the whole glaas. A moustache was made on both of their faces.
Naaz noticed it and said, "Arrey apne toh kaal hi shave kiya tha. Aur aaj hi mooche nikal aayi?"
"Dhyan se dekho tumhari bhi mooche nikal aayi hai." Said Sidharth looking at her.
He opened the camera of his phone and hold it in front of Naaz putting it on selfie mode. She saw the moustache on her face and said in a dramatic way, "Haaye! Ab main logo ko kya muh dikhaungi."
They both looked at each other and burst into laughter.
"Jo bhi ho, iss baat pe ek selfie toh banti hai." Said Sidharth and took a selfie of them like this. They both remembered the selfie which they took after eating chuski.
"Hum kabhi bade nahi honge na Sidharth?" Asked Naaz suddenly.
"Tum toh kabhi badi nahi ho sakti. Aur tumhare saath reh kar meri growth bhi stop ho chuki hai." Said Sidharth.
Naaz again laughed thinking of their craziness.
Suddenly Sidharth's phone started ringing.
"Office se call hai." He said and picked up the call.
"Hello.... Hello.... Can you hear me?"
Suddenly the call ended.
"Network issue. Yeh hi problem hai iss jagah ki." He murmured. Then he said to Naaz, "Tum idhar ruko. Main thoda dur jaake dekhta hoon network milta hai yaa nahi. Important call hai."
"Aap jaiye. Main idhar hi hoon." Said Naaz.
Sidharth left from there to take the call.
Naaz sat on a bench of the stall. There was a big field in front of her and she started watching some boys playing. She was enjoying it, suddenly something happened. All the boys teamed up and started beating one boy. Naaz understood that there was something wrong. She went to them.
The boy, whom others were beating, fell on the ground. He was looking nearly 15 or 16 years old and was really scared.
Naaz felt very bad seeing him. She immediately stopped the boys and pushed them.
"Hato. Kar kya rahe ho tum log? Sab mil ke ek bande pe chadhe hue ho. Problem kya hai tumhari?" Said Naaz angrily.
The boy who was lying in the ground, looked at Naaz with scared eyes.
"Oo Didi. Tussi iss gal vich mat padho. Yeh saada mamla si." Said one of the boys.
He was about to beat that boy but Naaz hold his hand and again pushed him, this time hardly.
"Chhoro isse. Phir se isse haath lagane ki koshis ki toh muh tod dungi tumhara." Roared Naaz.
"Isne kaha ki hum cheating kar rahe hai. Iske jaisa kamzor banda humein sikha raha tha ki football kaise khelte hai. Hum aise hi chhor de isse?" Said another boy.
"Itni si baat pe tum iss bechare ko aise maaroge? Yeh tumhare saath fight nahi kar paa raha iska matlab yeh nahi hai ki yeh kamzor hai. Har insaan ke andar taqat hoti hai, bas bahar aane ki der hai. Ab tum log yaaha se jaao warna main police ko call karungi."
They got scared when Naaz mentioned the police.
"Thik hai thik hai. Hum jaate hai."
Saying that the boys left from there.
Naaz then turned to the poor boy and helped him to get up.
"Tum thik ho?" Asked Naaz. She didn't know why she felt very much concerned for him.
The boy nodded in yes. But Naaz noticed that his nose was bleeding.
"Tumhare naak se khoon beh raha hai." Said Naaz and took out her handkerchief.
"Didi iski koi zaroorat nahi hai." Said the boy.
"Agar tumhari jagah mera Bhai hota, iss formality ke liye do thappad lagati usse mein. Ab tumne mujhe Didi kaha hai toh itna haq toh banta hai mera ki main tumhari help kar saku."
The boy smiled and took the handkerchief. He wiped the blood from his nose.
"Thank you Didi." He said smiling.
Naaz also smiled.
"Naam kya hai tumhara?" She asked.
"Ji Shehbaaz!" He said.
"Okay Shehbaaz. Tum abhi ghar jaao. Apni Mummy se kehna tumhe jaha jaha chot lagi hai waha ointment lagane ke liye."
"Mere Mummy Papa iss duniya mein nahi hai." Said the boy sadly.
Naaz felt bad.
"I'm sorry. I can feel you. Mere bhi Mummy Papa iss duniya mein nahi hai." She said sadly remembering her own parents.
"Lekin koi toh honge ghar mein jo tumhara khayal rakhte hai. Tum unse kehna." She said further.
"Khayal?" He said and gave a sarcastic smile. Maybe he was laughing at his destiny.
"Thik hai. Main unse keh dunga. Bye Didi! Main chalta hoon."
Saying that Shehbaaz left from there.
Naaz kept thinking about him. Suddenly someone tapped her shoulder.
She turned and found Sidharth.
"Aap ki baat ho gayi phone pe?" Asked Naaz.
"Haan." Replied Sidharth. "Tum idhar kya kar rahi ho?"
"Woh... Aap ko paata hai main na abhi kuch der pehle ek ladke se mili."
"Kaun ladka?" Asked Sidharth in a possessive tone.
Naaz understood that tone and said, "15 yaa 16 saal ka hoga. Mere Bhai jaisa hai. He was calling me Didi."
Sidharth gave a sigh of relief and said, "Phir thik hai.".
Naaz nodded her head in disbelief.
"Toh tum kya keh rahi thi uske baare mein?" He asked further.
Naaz told Sidharth everything about how she met Shehbaaz and saved him from those boys.
After that she said, "Paata hai Sidharth, jab maine usko dekha na, kuch alag sa feel hua. Aisa laga jaise koi purana rishta hai mera uske saath. Aisa kyu laga mujhe?"
Sidharth smiled and said, "Baby because you are very soft hearted. Uss bechare ko kuch ladke bully kar rahe the that's why you felt concerned for him and helped him. Aur toh aur tum dono ne apne apne parents ko khoya hai isliye tum uske pain ko samajh paa rahi thi. And you felt some kind of connection with him."
"Kya sirf yeh hi baat hai?" Asked Naaz.
"Haan Baba. Ab zyada mat socho." Said Sidharth to which Naaz nodded.
At night...
Naaz was packing their luggage as next day they would return to Bareilly. Naaz was doing it but her mind was somewhere else. She was continuously thinking about Shehbaaz.
Sidharth noticed it and asked, "Abhi bhi uske baare mein soch rahi ho?"
Naaz looked at him and nodded in yes. Her eyes welled up suddenly.
"Aaj jab usne mujhe Didi kaha na, mujhe apne Bhai ki yaad aa gayi. Mera Bhai bhi sayad uss hi ke umar ka hoga. Kitni badnaseeb behen hoon na main? Jise paata toh hai ki uska ek Bhai hai, lekin woh kaha hai, kaisa hai, yaaha tak ki uska naam kya hai yeh bhi nahi paata." Said Naaz while crying.
Sidharth's eyes also became moist.
"Mere Bhai ke janam se pehle Papa guzar gaye aur janam ke baad Mummy. Bohut chhoti thi main, jab mujhe apne Bhai se alag hona padha. Mujhe toh kuch thik se yaad bhi nahi. Sirf Mama ke muh se suna tha ki main Mohali mein paida hui thi, mera ek Bhai hai, parivaar hai. Accha Sidharth, kya koi tareeka nahi hai mere Bhai ko dhund nikal ne ka? After all woh Mohali mein hi hai." She said the last line hopefully.
"Kaise dhundenge Naaz? Tum hi ne kaha na tumhe apne Bhai ka naam tak nahi paata? Tum jaha rehti thi, woh jagah bhi yaad nahi hai tumhe. Then how's it possible?"
Naaz's face again turned pale.
Sidharth noticed it and said, "Tumhare Mama ko sayad paata hai. Kya main unse...."
"Koi zaroorat nahi hai aap ko waha jaane ki." Said Naaz. "Mama Mami ke saath mera rishta 9 saal pehle hi khatam ho chuka tha. Mujhe dobara uss gaaon mein kadam tak nahi rakhna aur naa hi main aap ko rakhne dungi."
Sidharth understood her point.
"Waise bhi mera Bhai jaha bhi hoga thik hi hoga. Mera Parivaar mujhe nahi chahta tha. Woh toh uss ghar ka Beta hai, khandan ka waris. Acche se rakha hoga unhone usse. Usse toh sab hi chahte hai." She said with heavy pain.
Sidharth cupped her face and wiped her tears.
"Kisi aur ka toh paata nahi. Main tumhe chahta hoon Naaz. Humesha, mere saath." Said Sidharth.
Naaz immediately hugged him and started crying.
______________________________________
Will brother and sister reunite?
Stay tuned...
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