Maine shaadi ki.
Main yeh pehle hi bata rahi hoon kyunki mujhe pata hai aap kya soch rahe the, aur main nahi chahti ki aap teen paragraph aur us umeed mein padhein jo poori nahi hogi.
Do din baad, Rohan ke saath, poori family ke saamne, Mummy ke saath jo do baar royi aur dono baar keh diya ki garmi hai.
Aur woh us saal ka sabse achha din tha. Yeh bhi sach hai.
Us raat station pe hum aur bees minute baithe.
Humne zyada kuch nahi bola. Usne apni behen ke baare mein bataya. Maine apne kaam ke baare mein bataya. Usne poocha ki Rohan kaisa hai aur maine sach bataya — achha hai, sach mein achha — aur usne sar hilaya aur kaha “achhi baat hai” aur mujhe laga ki usne sach mein achha samjha.
Phir uski train ka announcement hua.
Woh khada hua. Maine bhi.
Aur ek second aisa tha — main jhooth nahi bolungi — ek second aisa tha jahan kuch bhi ho sakta tha.
Usne haath aage badhaya. Handshake ke liye.
Aur main hans padi, aur usne bhi, aur humne haath milaya jaise do log kisi meeting ke baad milate hain, aur woh chala gaya.
Bas. Wahi tha. Gyarah saal ka ant ek handshake tha.
Maine Rohan ko sab bataya.
Us raat nahi. Shaadi ke chaar mahine baad, ek Sunday ki subah, jab woh chai bana raha tha aur maine kaha “mujhe tumse ek baat karni hai” aur uska chehra utar gaya kyunki us line ke baad kabhi kuch achha nahi aata.
Maine sab bataya. Khat. Mummy. Rohit. Station.
Woh bahut der chup raha.
Phir usne poocha: “Tumne mujhe us raat message kiya tha. Kyun?”
Maine kaha ki mujhe nahi pata.
Aur usne kaha, “Mujhe pata hai. Kyunki tum chhupa nahi rahi thi. Tum sirf ja rahi thi.”
Hum theek hain. Main yeh saaf keh rahi hoon kyunki log poochte hain.
Kuch badla, aur woh wapas nahi aaya. Ek sawaal hai jo ab hamesha kamre mein rehta hai, bahut halka sa, jaise ek awaaz jo band ho gayi ho par kaan abhi bhi sun rahe hon.
Par hum theek hain. Teen saal ho gaye. Aur woh mujhse aaj tak nahi poocha ki agar us raat woh handshake nahi hota to kya hota — aur main jaanti hoon ki usne socha hai, kyunki main bhi soch chuki hoon.
Kuch cheezein pooch kar theek nahi hoti. Kuch cheezein bas saath rehti hain.
Mummy ke saath bhi theek hoon. Woh alag kism ka theek hai.
Do saal laga. Aur ek carefulness aa gayi hai jo pehle nahi thi, jo phone pe zyada mehsoos hoti hai, aur mujhe lagta hai ab woh kabhi jayegi nahi.
Par woh har Sunday aati hai. Aur pichle saal unhone ek baar, bina kisi baat ke, mujhse kaha:
“Maine sahi kiya tha ya galat, mujhe aaj bhi nahi pata. Bas itna pata hai ki maine ek ladke ko gate pe roka tha aur usne mera keh maana tha, aur mujhe lagta hai woh us din mujhse behtar insaan tha.”
Maine kuch nahi kaha. Kuch kehne layak nahi tha.
Khat mere paas hain.
Rohan ko pata hai ki kahan hain. Usne kabhi nahi padhe aur maine kabhi offer nahi kiya, aur yeh hum dono ke beech ek aisi baat hai jispe kabhi discussion nahi hui.
Maine bhi nahi padhe, us raat ke baad.
Ek baar khola tha — pichle saal, safai karte hue — aur pehli line dekh kar hi band kar diya. Woh mere liye nahi hain ab. Woh ek seventeen saal ki ladki ke hain jo yeh maan kar baithi thi ki koi usko chhod ke chala gaya.
Aur ab mujhe pata hai ki aisa nahi tha.
Aakash ki shaadi November mein hui. Rohit gaya tha. Maine nahi kaha ki jao, aur maine mana bhi nahi kiya.
Woh ek photo laaya tha. Maine nahi dekhi.
Do saal baad, jab Shruti ka beta hua, Rohit ne mujhe bataya. Maine sirf itna kaha “achha hai” — aur pehli baar, poori tarah se, mujhe sach mein achha laga. Koi chubhan nahi. Kuch nahi.
Gyarah saal mein ek cheez ko jaane dene mein mujhe teen saal aur lage.
Agar aap yeh padh rahe hain aur aapke paas bhi kuch aisa hai — koi khat, koi number, koi raat jiska aap dobara hisaab lagate rehte hain — to main aapko yeh nahi kahungi ki bhool jao. Woh nahi hota.
Par main aapko itna bata sakti hoon:
Jo kahani aap apne dimaag mein rakhe baithe hain — ki usne chhod diya, ki aap kaafi nahi the, ki koi ruka nahi — ho sakta hai woh galat ho.
Aur agar woh galat hai, to aap gyarah saal ek aisi cheez le kar ghoome jo kabhi aapki thi hi nahi.
Mujhe ek courier se pata chala.
Aap shayad poochh kar pata kar lein.