Har mahine ki paanch tareekh.
Subah gyarah baje ke aas-paas phone bajta hai, bank ka message aata hai, aur usme likha hota hai: Rs 5,000.00 credited.
Pehli baar jab aaya tha, mujhe laga koi galti hai. Maine bank ko phone kiya. Ladki ne poocha, “Ma’am, aapko paise mile hain, koi problem hai?”
Maine kaha, “Mujhe pata nahi kisne bheje.”
Usne kuch der type kiya. Phir bola, “Ma’am, sender ka naam hum disclose nahi kar sakte. Aap chahein toh apne branch mein request daal sakti hain.”
Maine request daali. Teen hafte baad ek chithi aayi jisme likha tha ki request process nahi ho sakti.
Aur paise aate rahe.
Rajesh ko gaye do saal ho chuke hain. Do saal aur ek mahina, agar theek se ginu. Woh ek Tuesday tha, aur usne subah kaha tha ki shaam ko jaldi aa jayega kyunki Aarav ka school mein kuch program tha.
Woh nahi aaya.
Uske baad ke pehle chhe mahine mujhe theek se yaad nahi. Log aate the, chai banti thi, koi na koi hamesha kitchen mein hota tha. Phir ek din sab chale gaye aur ghar itna khaali lagne laga ki main raat ko TV chalu chhod deti thi sirf awaaz ke liye.
Uska office wale aaye the. PF ka paisa aaya, gratuity aayi. Sab hisaab se aaya, sab documents ke saath.
Yeh paanch hazaar kisi hisaab mein nahi hai.
Aarav ab nau saal ka hai. Uski school fees teen hazaar hai. Bus ka hajaar do sau. Baaki jo bachta hai woh main uske liye rakh deti hun.
Do saal mein ek lakh bees hazaar.
Maine kabhi kisi ko nahi bataya. Mummy ko nahi, apni behen ko nahi. Pata nahi kyun. Shayad isliye ki mujhe darr tha ki agar maine zyada poocha toh yeh band ho jayega.
Par is mahine kuch alag hua.
Paanch tareekh ko paise aaye, jaise hamesha aate hain. Aur uske chaar minute baad, ek naye number se ek message aaya.
Sirf teen shabd.
“Aarav theek hai?”