Parineeta

That's A First

I walked out of the washroom to find Manik and Maa walking towards me. For a fact i knew Manik could never gell up well with kids. Not that he didn't like them at all but he hated the fact that children used to get scared of him and therefore end up crying and that made him extremely nervous. He often wondered if he looked that horrifying that nobe of tge kiddos good resist crying when he came in front of them.
"Nandini tum aise kaise kisi bachi ko ghar le aayi!"Manik started.
"kyu yeh sirf tumhara ghar hai!"i said coldly and it pinched him.
"mera vo matlab nhi tha! Uske mom dad usse dhund rhe honge!"he said.
"maa.. Uske mom dad nhi hai.. Vo orphanage mein rehti hai.."i narrated the whole incident.
"maa.. Medha bhot thak gyi hai! Aap uske liye kuch fesh kaode le aao!"i requested while i walked back in the washroom. I picked up Medha and put her in the bath tub.
She looked around amazed at the water that surrounded her.
Her face glowed as the smile appeared on her lips. I pulled out Manik's towel from the hanger and wrapped it around her as i pulled her out of the bath tub.
"that's mine!"i heard him say from the door.
"so what do you want me to do! Leave her wet so that she catches cold!"i said a bit too harshly than i intended.
"i didn't mean that!"he replied.
"you never mean what you say!"i said placing Medha carefully on the bed and left to find mom.

Manik stared at Medha while she was busy playing wuth the hem of the towel and simultaneously rubbing her face. The water droplets that trickled down her face made her feel ticklish. Manik smiled at her irresistible cuteness and walked towards her.
"Medha kya kar rhi hai?"he asked softly and she looked at him blankly. Manik was sure that she could cry any given moment and he hated himself to have spoken anything.
But instead Medha's actions surprised him.
"kuchh chal la hai!"she said in her babyish tone and he bent down to her level smiling at her innocence.
Manik pulled out the corner of the towel and wiped her face.
"Ab nai chalega!"he said and she smiled at him widely.

I entered the room with a few clothes. Manik used to wear them when he was Medha's age mom had told and since then i couldn't stop laughing imagining how little Manik would've looked in these little clothes. I wondered how he cute and chubby he would've been back then because today toh he is only an arrogant asshole and there is not even ahint of cuteness in him.
Whom am i lying too! He is still cute.
"achha abi batao.. Medha kaha rehti hai!"his voice snubbed me out of my thoughts and i looked up to find the most adorable scene. Manik was sitting on his knees in front of Medha while she busy playing with his hair. She pulled his cheeks, Pinocchio nose and silky hair and giggled simultaneously.
"chavi mam ke shaath!"she replied touching his silky hair and then touching her own.
"thanda hai!"she muttered, her mouth opened in an "o" shape.
"koi baat nhi.. Achha batao.. Chavi mam kaha rehti hai!"he asked and she put her fingers on his lips which he lovingly kissed and she giggled.
"littal tlesal!"she said and giggled as he tickled her softly.
That was a first time ever i had seen Manik so happy and comfortable with a kiddo and even Medha was extremely happy with him. I had always known Manik was a child at heart but i never knew he could actually handle a child so well.
I looked back at both of them and another scene caught my eye.
Manik leaned forward and Medha too made a move. Manik kissed Medha softly on her lips like a typical daddy and Medha giggled.
I wished i could capture this scene because i toh hardly ever get to see the loving side of Manik because that's already reserved for Alya. But for the first time i could see the loving Manik coming up on the surface of his reality else it's always been the selfish monster overpowering my loving Manik.
My!!!!????!?
No!!!?!
"Medha! Kya kar rhi hai!"i interrupted finally and both of them looked at me as i walked towards them.
"untle te shaath thelli hu!"she said and giggled as he cringed his nose trying to understand her alien language and i smiled.
"medha uncle ke saath khel rhi hai!"i paused after translating her words and he understood.
"aunty ko bhul gyi!"i Completed and she looked at me, then at him and then back at me with her smile and Manik tickled her again causing her to laugh.
"chalo abi Medha kapde pahnegi.. Phir khaana khaegi!"he said to her ruffling her wet hair. The water droplets fell on her face and she looked at him with the cute smile.
"kuchh chal la hai!"she said and Manik chuckled. He bent down to her level kissed the drops off her face and then kissed her forehead.
"ab nhi chalega!"he said and left with a smile.
Maa had already sent Medha's dinner to the room. I made her wear the clothes and then stuffed the food into her mouth which she happily ate.

I came out of the room after putting Medha to sleep, only to find Manik standing by the wall.
"Manik"i called softly making sure Medha didn't wake up.
"Nandini.. I need to talk"he said and i signalled him that Medha was sleeping. He pulled me to the other corner of the corridor and looked at me while i was confused.
"Nandini.. Tum kaha thi.. Aur tumhara phone bhi switched off tha.. Itna time kyu laga.. Koi problem thi kya!"he said almost as if he was having a hard time trying to control himself.
"Manik.. You don't care. And you shouldn't care! Mai kaha thi, kyu thi usse tumhe koi farak nhi padta toh please stop faking this concern.!"i said coldly and tried walking away before he grabbed my arm and pulled me back in front of him. He looked at me irritatedly while i avoided his gaze.
"seriously Nandini! It's enough.. Why do you think that i don't care! Nhi kyu tumhe humesha yeh lagta ki mujhe tumhari koi fikar nhi hai.. Nandini mai baaki logon ki tarah tumhe har aadhe ghante mein call nhi karta, tumse baar baar yeh nhi puchhta ki tum kaha ho, kya kar rhi ho, kyu kar rhi ho.. Iska matlab yeh nhi ki mujhe farak nhi padta... Listen to me loud and clear... Mai tumhara Husband hu.. Aur iss fact ko koi change nhi kar sakta! And Mujhe farak padta hai! I do care about you! I do get scared when i don't see you around! i do get worked up like any other husband.. You matter to me Nandini! You're presence matters.! Kya lagta hai tumhe ki Manik Malhotra jo saari duniya ki problems solve karta hai usse apni hi biwi ki tension nahi hai! Toh you're wrong.. Mujhe aaj se pehle tumhe yeh batana important ni laga but today i want you to know! Mai aapke phone ko track karta hu! But then you have to be stubborn and switch off your phone! Nandini tumhe kya lagta hai! Tumhari saari information.. Sirf uss Madhyam aue Aryaman ke pass hoti hai.. Nhi.. I know about all your movements... Tumhe aise hi maine aaj walk down karne nhi diya!"he paused to catch his breath while i looked at him blankly.
"tum jhoothe ho!"i finally uttered the most useless line. His eyes shot back at me and i knew he had an answer for this too. He was well prepared today.
"yaah right! Tumhara phone children's park mein 7:12 pe band ho jaata hai! Mai tumhe dhundte dhundte paagal ho jaata hun! Lekin mai toh jhootha hun! Mujhe samajh nhi aata tum chahti kya ho.. Tumhe aisa kyu lagta hai ki mujhe tumhare alava sabke fikar hai! Nandini I'm married to you.. Whatever may happen.. The unchanged fact remains ki tum meri responsibility ho and neri priority rahogi.."he said and i looked away to hide the tears that were welling up in my eyes.
"Manik.. Tum kabhi bhi ek saath sab kuch nhi sambhal sakte.. Bhagvaan nhi ho tum!"i said getting back to him coldly.
"Nandini! Please...ab bhot ho gya! Please mujhe meri pyrani Nandu vaapas dedo"he requested.
"Manik tumhe tumhari purani Nandu chahiye aur mujhe meri pyrani life.. Jaha sab jhootha hi sahi lekin hota toh tha! Jaha khudko false hopes toh nhi deti thi!"i said.
"kya chahti ho!"his voice turned soft.
"Manik! Tum mujhe divorce dedo!"he looked at me shocked.
"Manik tumhare paas Alya hai! Mere hone na hone se koi change nhi aayega! Tum Alya se ek saal baad shaadi karne hi vaale the na toh vo tum abhi karlo aur mujhe bhi meri life mein aage badhne do!"i said and his eyes seemed to change colors. From white to red to deeper red..
"mai aisa nhi kar sakta!"he said sternly.
"kyu Manik.. Ab humare rishte se business pe koi affect nhi hoga.. Business relations toh ban chuke hai! Humare rishte se ab kisi ko koi farak nhi padega.. Humara agar divorce hua toh uska affect unki saajhedaari pe nhi padega! Aab yhi samjhege.. Ki husband wife compatible nhi the... Manik vhot se couples hote hai jo compatible nhi hote hum bhi nhi.. Stretching something that's already stretched to the limits only leafs to its break off!"i said and he turned away.
"keh diya na nhi de sakta toh bas nhi de sakta!"he said and walked away while i stood there looking at his retreating figure. It was again a first when he was being unreasonable and stubborn that too for our relation! His eyes held hurt and anger when i asked for divorce but why does he not want to get divorced. It would give him all the rights to marry Alya.. What's the problem in that!
These firsts had had enough of me all through the day and now i was dead tired of reasoning out things! I chucked my thoughts and walked back in the room where Medha slept peacefully. I reached the bed and collapsed beside her and dozed off almost immediately.