Chapter 19 - The Husband, The Wife And The Lover
Zindagi ne ab ek ajeeb hi disha le li thi. Main aur Renuka ab bhi ek hi chhat ke neeche the, ab bhi usi kamre mein rehte the, ek hi bistar par sote the par kaafi kuchh badal gaya tha ham dono ke beech. Meri aur uski baat sirf aur sirf naam ke liye hote thi, bas zaroorat bhar ki. Na toh main kabhi usse pyaar ke do bol bolta tha aur na hi kabhi uske kareeb jata. Ek hi kamre mein, ek hi bistar par bhi ham dono shayad majboori mein hi so rahe the kyunki ghar mein mere maan baap bhi the aur unpar ham dono ye zaahir nahi kar sakte the ke hamari shaadi ab khatam ho chali hai.
Din hafto mein badle aur hafte maheeno mein badal gaye. Ham miyan biwi ab bhi the par dono ke beech jismani rishta khatam ho chuka tha. Main kabhi uske saath sex ke baare mein sochta tak nahi tha. Bas kaam se aata, khana khata, thoda waqt apne maan baap aur bete ke saath guzarta aur khamoshi se kamre mein jakar so jata. Vo bhi ghar ke kaam nipta kar aati aur chup chap apni taraf aakar so jaati. Sawera hota, main kaam par nikal jata aur phir shaam ko ghar aakar phir vahi kahani.
Par apne bete ki taraf ham dono ki tawajjah poori tarah thi. Ham dono hi is baat ka poori tarah se khyaal rakh rahe the ke hamari khatam ho rahi shaadi ka koi bhi asar hamare bete ki zindagi par na aaye aur shayad vo ek masoom bachcha hi tha jo ham dono ko ab tak saath jode hue tha. Vo na hota agar toh kabki ham dono ke beech talak ho gayi hoti. Main uske pyaar aur dulaar mein kabhi koi kami nahi chhodta tha aur aisa hi rawiyya Renuka ka bhi tha. Vo poori tarah se apne bete ki taraf dedicated thi. Ham dono ke beech agar poore din koi baat bhi hoti thi toh zyadatar hamare bete aur uski zarooraton ko lekar.
Mere attitude mein koi badlaav nahi aaya par Renuka ke attitude mein zaroor aaya. Uski jasoosi karte karte main thak chuka tha par kahin se uske premi ka koi pata na chala. Na hi main uski ki email trace kar saka aur na hi uski koi call aisi trace kar saka. Uske phone ab bhi bas zyadatar apne maan baap, kuchh saheliyon ya Kamini ko hote.
"Kya chal raha hai tumhare beech?" Ek din main aur Kamini lunch ke liye mile toh usne puchha.
"Kya matlab?"
"Matlab tumhare aur Renuka ke beech. Koi problem hai kya?"
"Nahi toh" Maine khana khaate hue bola.
"Jhooth mat bolo, sachchai jaanti hoon main"
"Toh mujhse kyun puchh rahi hai phir? Sab jaanti toh hai tu, aajkal dekh raha hoon ke teri aur uski dosti kaafi badh gayi hai. Kaafi phone karti hai tujhe. Kya bataya?"
"Yahi ke tum kaise ajeeb tarah se behave karne lage ho"
"Achha main ajeeb behave karne laga hoon?"
"Jo usne mujhe bataya usse toh yahi lagta hai. Kya hua kya hai tumhein?"
"Tu kyun uski itni tarafdaari kar rahi hai? Tu toh chahti bhi nahi thi ke main usse shaadi karun"
"Kyunki main us waqt Renuka ko jaanti nahi thi"
"Aur ab jaanti hai?"
"Haan"
"Kya jaanti hai?"
"Yahi ke she is a wonderful friend to her friends, a good daughter to her parents, a good sister to her brother, a good wife and mother and most of all, a wonderful human being"
"Jaane de na yaar" Main baat taalta hua bola.
"Hua kya hai bataoge?"
"Tu khana khane degi ya main uthkar jaoon yahan se?" Maine spoon neeche rakhte hue kaha.
"Kha lo, par ek aakhri baat kahun?"
"Bol"
"Main nahi jaanti ke kya chal raha hai aur tum aisa kyun kar rahe ho par ek baat ka dhyaan rakhna, she is your wife and mother of your child. Bahut saari zindagiyan judi hui hain tum dono ke saath aur tum dono jo bhi karoge uska asar kaafi saare logon par padega"
"Mujhse zyada ye baat use sochni chahiyE" Maine jawab diya.
Kuchh der tak ham dono khamosh bethe rahe.
"Ek baat aur puchhun tumse"
"Puchh"
"Koi aur hai kya tumhari life mein?"
"What?" Main lagbhag has pada.
"Jis tarah se tum uske saath behave kar rahe ho, i mean she told me eveyrthing ...."
"What everything"
"You know ... like you guys havent been together in months ....." Vo nazar neeche jhukate hue boli.
"Oh man .... she told you that? I cant believe her" Main janta tha ke Kamini ka ishara kis taraf hai.
"Are you having an affair with someone else?"
"No i am not. I am not sleeping around with someone else and i am not really comfortable talking about this to you. So unless you want me to walk out of the restaurant, this topic ends here"
"Ok" Vo boli aur khamoshi se khana khane lagi.
"Did Renuka said this to you?"
"Said what?"
"That i have an affair with someone else"
"She didnt say anything" Vo nazar neeche kiye khana khaati rahi.
"Yes she did" Maine spoon phir neeche rakha, "She is going around telling people ke mera kahin chakkar chal raha hai aur tujhe yahan yahi pata karne bheja hai, hai na? She sent you to spy on me, talk me into telling you something"
"Usne mujhe aisa kuchh nahi kaha. Ye main khud se puchh rahi thi"
"No you were not. Tune mujhe yahan Renuka ke kehne par lunch ke liye bulaya hai taaki mujhe baatein nikalva sake. I dont believe this"
Main gusse mein utha, apne purse se card nikal kar table par rakha.
"Lunch ke liye pay kar dena, card main tujhse baad mein le loonga. I am getting late, need to go back to office" Kehkar main restaurant se nikal gaya.
Bahar aaya hi tha ke mera cell baja. Ek telemarketing message tha,
"Spycam in keychain. 3.5 MP camera, 16 GB hard drive, 8 hours of recording. Call ........ to order"
Maine message padhkar delete kiya par mere dimag mein ek idea aa chuka tha.
Shuru shuru mein jab mujhe Renuka ke baare mein pata chala tha aur maine uski jasoosi shuru ki toh vo mere bartaav mein aaye tabdeeli ko lekar kaafi pareshan rehti thi. Baar baar mujhse puchhti rehti ke main naraz kyun hoon, kya baat ho gayi. Aksar mujhse maafiyan maangti bina mere ye bataye ke main kis baat par ukhda hua hoon par dheere dheere usni aisa karna band kar diya.
Aalam dheere dheere ye ho gaya ke na main usse koi baat karne ki koshish karta aur na hi vo. Na main use koi pyaar mohabbat dikhata aur na hi ho. Na hi raat ko kabhi main uske kareeb jata aur na hi vo mere kareeb aati. Par haan, jis tarah se duniya ke saamne maine apne rishte ko sidha sachcha aur mazboot rakha hua tha bilkul vaisa hi vo bhi kar rahi thi. Hamare rishtedaaron aur doston ke saamne ham ab bhi ek perfect, made for each other couple the jinhein dekh kar koi ye andaza nahi laga sakta tha ke unke beech kya chal raha hai. Duniyawalo ke liye hamari shaadi ab tak mazboot thi aur koi aisi baat beech mein nahi aayi thi jiski vajah se ye rishta khatre mein pade.
Jis tarah se main hamare beech ke jhagde ka asar apne bete par bilkul nahi padne de raha tha usi tarah Renuka ka bhi is baat ka poora khyaal rakh rahi thi ke us masoom ke pyaar mein kisi bhi tarah koi kami na aaye.
Ham dono ke alawa hamare beech ki problems ke baare mein sirf Kamini jaanti thi. Main nahi janta tha ke Renuka ne use aur kya kya kaha tha aur main Kamini ne is baare mein zyada baat karna bhi nahi chahta tha par ek baat saaf thi. Renuka ne hamari khatam hoti shaadi ka ilzaam mere sar par daalne ka irada bana liya tha. Aaj usne Kamini ko ye kaha ke mera kahin aur koi affair hai, vo din door nahi jab vo aisa hi kuchh apne gharwalo aur phir mere gharwalo ko batayegi.
"Assalam Alaikum Bhaijaan" Main ek baar phir Akram Ballebaaz ki dukaan par pahuncha toh vo mujhse usi garamjoshi se mila jaise ke vo hamesha milta tha.
"Walaikum Assalam. Kya haal hain janab ke?"
"Janab ke haal janab ko hi pata honge, par mere haal bilkul theek hain"
"Sade hue jokes maarne ki aadat gayi nahi ab tak teri" Main uske saamne ek kursi par bethte hue bola.
"Kya khaayenge?" Usne mere bethte hi puchha.
"Pet bhara hua hai, bilkul kuchh nahi khaoonga" Maine apne pet par haath pherte hue kaha.
"Aap Akram se milne aayen aur kuchh khakar na jaayen, aisa ho sakta hai bhala?"
Mere lakh mana karne par bhi usne kuchh khaane ke liye manga hi liya. Thodi der idhar udhar ki baaten karne ke baad main matlab ki baat par aaya.
"Ek kaam tha mujhse"
"Jaan haazir hai"
"Spycam type kuchh chahiye" Maine kaha.
Vo fauran meri baat ka matlab samajh gaya aur khamoshi se meri taraf dekhta raha. Main bhi uski aankhon mein aankhen daale chup chap betha raha.
"Mujhe laga tha ke vo kissa khatam ho gaya"
"Aise kisse itni jaldi khatam nahi hote"
"Ab tak jo kuchh kiya tha usse kuchh kaamyabi mili, laga kuchh haath?"
"Nahi"
"Toh iska matlab ye hai Bhaijaan ke aap fizool shak kar rahe hain. Ab jaane dijiye is baat ko, nikal dijiye apne zehan se. Allah ne aapko ek khoobsurat aur nek biwi se nawaza hai, ek pyaari si nanhi jaan aap dono ki god mein di hai, uski di hui khushiyon ko yun thokar mat maariye"
"Main sirf apne dil ki tasalli kar raha hoon"
"Nahi, aap andhere mein teer chala rahe hain. Us cheez ki talash kar rahe hain jo hai hi nahi"
"Tujhe kaise pata ke nahi hai?"
"Ishq aur mushq chhupaye nahi chhupte Bhaijaan. Aisa agar kuchh hota toh kabki bhanak pad gayi hoti. Aapne itni koshish ki na, kya nateeja nikla? Arrey jab aisa kuchh hai hi nahi toh kaise kuchh pata chalega"
"Lecture mat de" Main thoda sakht andaaz mein bola, "Ye bata ke mera kaam kar sakta hai ya nahi?"
"Mana toh kabhi kiya hi nahi aapko maine" Usne bhi lambi saans chhodte hue hathyaar daal diye, "Samjhana mera kaam tha, aage aapki
marzi"
"Good. Toh mujhe chhote chhote se kuchh spycams chahiye, hard-drive thodi zyada ho jisse recording time bhi zyada rahe. Baare baar thode
hi waqt baad badalne aur erase karne ki zaroorat na pade.