Is love blind? .......Oh yes it is!! - Episode 38

[At the college……many have reached….some more have to come…..Sam and Sid are talking to each other..both are a little upset thinking about their girls but they just try to talk something and forget it for the moment]
Sam: kya hua tumaare new treatment ka??
Sid: hmmm abi toh shuru hui hai….bohat kuch karna baaki hai!!
Sam: kuch bhi karlo…..yeh ladkiya sab insensitive hai dude…..humaare feelings ke saath khelthe rehthe hai….
Sid: [looking at him] tumme kya hua??? ladkiyon se khelne waala Sam aise dialogs bol raha hai……
Sam: what to do dude??? Hum jo sochthe hai wahi hum bolthe hai…..par girls do just the opposite….its very difficult to find what is going on in their minds…..
Sid: kya hua?? Sheetal ne tumme reject kar diya kya?? [grins]
Sam: Sid!!! Tum bhi na!!
Sid: waise tumaare baat bhi sahi hai…..ab Anjali ko dekho…..she was dying to ask me about my tour…..but she never asked anything about it…..She wanted me to tell it to her without she asking about it……and if I tell her, she will show her don’t care attitude…….How mean na??
Sam: All girls are mean dude…..[he turns to the opposite side…..]
Sid: [grinning] tumaari hogi…..meri waali toh bohat acchi hai…..dude, my plan is working…..She is here…..[looks down and smarts smiling cheekily]
[Sees Anjali walking towards the bus]
Sam: [surprised and turns around] Where??? [after a second] hey dude, my girl is here too….[his joy knows no bounds…..He is so happy that she chose him over jeeth….she didn’t go to meet him….instead she came here to see him off]
[Sheetal is just behind her too….both of them come near Sid and Sam]
Sam: [mind voice: thanks Sheetal….thanks for coming…..you made my day dear][notices her wet eyes…..his eyes turn wet tooo]

Sheetal: [mind voice: how did you even think that i would go against you and meet him??]

Sid: [mind voice: yes yes....I knew you would come….]

[Sheetal and Sam are in a self realization phase…..they are silent and enjoying that……their eyes convey to each other their true feelings….…..while our tom and jerry are not silent]

Sid: [sarcastic] Anjali, tum yahaan??
Anjali: Sheetal aana chahthi thi….she wanted me to come with her….isiliye
Sid: [sarcastic]ohh….so you came with Sheetal……[mind voice: why cant you just accept that you came to see me?? How adamant you are Anjali!!! Main bhi kuch kam nahi hoom] ok ok…..
Anjali: then what did you think??
Sid: I never thought anything….why??did you want me to think something???
[Sam and Sheetal aren’t bothered about what these two are speaking….they are lost in their own world….]
Anjali: naa….i was just asking…..i mean I was just clarifying…..
Sid: aur mujhe clear hogaya…..fikhar math karo…..
Anjali: so Sam, it’s a full batch tour…with all classmates…
Sam: [snapping out] hmmmmm….[but still looking at Sheetal]
Sid: [realizing that she is disturbing Sam and Sheetal’s romantic trance] Anjali, come with me….[holds her hand and takes her a little away]
Anjali: [looks at him all the while…after they stop] Why?? What happened??? You want to say something???
Sid: haan….[looks at her romantically]
Anjali: kya?
Sid: tum unromantic ho…iska matlab hai toh nahi ke tum unko bhi disturb karogi!!! Its not fair na??
Anjali: [as if she was expecting something else] What??? You brought me here to tell this???
Sid: yeah….what did you expect???
Anjali: [holding back her disappointed expression]nothing….
[Sid turns sideways and smiles…by this time, Sam and Sheetal come to them]
Sam: sab aagaye Sid, bus nikhalne waali hai…..chalen…..
Sid: hmmm…..chalo
Sheetal: bye Sam…bye Sid
Sam: bye……[looks at Sheetal] take care
[They look at Anjali….Sid looks at her too expecting a word from her]
Anjali: [reluctant to speak first but] bye Sam……..[looks at Sid] Bye
Sid: [takes a step forward and hugs her tightly and whispers into her ears romanticaly] bye sweetheart….[grinning]try not to miss me too much…..i will keep trying that too….[Anjali is taken aback by his sudden hug and by what he told to her....
Sid releases her out of the hug]

Sid: [casually] bye Sheetal
[They get into the bus and the bus zooms out of the gate……they keep looking at each other till the bus disappears from vicinity]
  

“chalen…..ya phir uske waapas aane tak yahi rukhne ka iraada hai”
That comment brought Anjali out of her gaze….the bus had long gone out of sight but she was still looking at the same direction….
Anjali snapped out to find Sheetal alternating her look between her and the bus….Sheetal has a wide grin on her face…..
Anjali: nahi nahi…..main toh bas….[Sheetal spoke up]
Sheetal: bas bas……mujhe sab pathaa hai….[a more wider grin appeared on her face]
Anjali: ab chalogi bhi…..
Sheetal: chalo chalo….Aashu aur Deepak wait kar rahe hai
Anjali: kyun???i mean kahaan???
Sheetal: kyun means what? Come with me……They are waiting for us at the entrance……and we are going for a ice cream party….
Anjali: party???? For what??
Sheetal: plzz Anjali darling…..you know I can’t handle questions…..sawaalon se mujhe allergy hai…. chalo……
[Anjali and Sheetal walk to Aashu and Deepak]
Aashu:[hugs Anjali]so nice to see you dear…..thanks for coming…..
Anjali: [breaking away from the hug] same here Aashu…..but can I know what is happening here???[looks alternately at Deepak and Aashu]
[Actually, after the party, Anjali sort of dull…..or atleast her friends felt so….so Aashu and the others planned this outing hoping that being with her best friends again would cheer her up…..they took up this opportunity to plan it]
Aashu: lets go to baskin & robbins and chat for some time…….
Deepak: yep……
Anjali: but Aashu…..ghar mein….[Aashu stops her]
Aashu: plzz Anjali…..aaj koyi excuse nahi…. …..today we are just good old friends who used to hang out together forgetting time and everything else except for the fact that we are friends……come…..
[Though Anjali tries to refuse initially, she is forced to join them……As soon as she reaches the ice cream parlor, she calls up Sid’s mom and tells her that she will come home after this….Though not very happy to hear it, she nods to Anjali]
At the ice cream party……they order the best of their favorites……all are busy catching up with the latest in their life while Anjali is unusually silent…..Aashu ignores it for the moment…..Their orders come…..and all start greedily digging into it…..Aashu glances at Anjali after a few minutes…..Anjali hasn’t taken even a spoon of it…..she is just digging around and playing with her spoon……..she looks lost as well
Aashu: [trying to lighten the moment….in a loud voice and patting Anjali] lagtha hai humaare local Juliet ko romeo ke yaad sathaa rahe hai…..

[All start laughing and Anjali snaps out by Aashu’s comment]

Anjali: [embarrassed totally] no no…..nothing like that…..[looking at Aashu pleadingly]Aashu, plzz
Aashu: [to Anjali and smiling] nahi dear……main toh Sheetal aur Sam ke baare mein baat kar rahi thi……tumne kya sochaa???[Sheetal looks angrily at Aashu since she didn’t understand the sarcasm]
Deepak: yeah…..Sheetal aur Sam hi humaara latest Jodi hai na???
Anjali: [with a sheepish sile] ohh…….ok
[After few moments of uncomfortable silence, Anjali gets up]
Deepak: where are you going??
Anjali: guys, I need to leave now….
Aashu: come on, don’t be a spoilt sport Anjali…..abhi toh aaye hum…….aur tum already jaane ki baat kar rahi ho…..
Anjali: Sid’s mom would be worried for me…..i need to leave….
Sheetal: ohhhh….ab tumme Sid ke mom ke bhi fikhar hone lage hai…..
Deepak: yeah…..afterall Anjali is the laadli bahu….hai na Anjali??
Anjali: hmmm…..actually, dinner sab milke kaathe hai…..so…[Deepak breaks in with a laugh]
Deepak: favorite saasu maa ke rules and regulations, huh?? [all laugh but Anjali is silent…..She doesn’t like the fact that Sid’s mom being the subject of their laugh…Aashu notices the frown on Anjali’s face and interrupts]
Aashu: enough…..ab usse aur tanq math karo….tum jao Anjali…..hum kal milthe hai…..
Anjali: bye….see you tomorrow…..
[Anjali rushes back home….]

[Dinner time…..She just makes an appearance at the dinner table and gets up after eating just little of what was served……Each time the phone rings, she sharpens her ears to know if its from Sid……At about 9:30, a call comes….Smriti picks it up and calls Sid’s mom]

Smriti: haan Sid sab teek hai….dinner bhi kiya….wait kar….aunty ko bulaathi hoom…..[closing the phone with her palm, shouts loudly] AUNTY AUNTY…..Sid ka phone hai……jaldi aayiye….
Anjali hurries to the corridor but stops after that……She doesn’t want to show her anxiousness and eagerness to talk to Sid….She stands there for a while and then slowly walks back to her room…..

Mom: yes beta…..main teek hoom…..Anjali bhi teek hai….woh apne friends ke saath goomne gayi thi….dinner kayi aur room mein chali gayi…..main abi uskeliye dhoodh lekhar jaa rahi thi…..
Sid: hmmmmm……ok…..
Mom: ek din bhi nahi hua, aur tumme uski itni fikhar ho rahi hai……20 days usse dekhe bina kaise rahoge???
Sid: [smiling] wahi toh…..sochtha hoom ke waapas aajaavoom…
Mom: [laughing out] toh aajaavo na?? tumaare bina ghar soona soona lag raha hai…..
Sid: [feels happy and sad at the same time hearing that] I was just joking maa…you know that I cant come like that…...anyways, i miss all of you……sab ko mera pyar dena……rakhtha hoom….
Mom: hmmm….Anjali se baat nahi karoge???
Sid: I will call her up later…..bye maa….
Mom: bye…gud night….
[After cutting the call, Sid’s mom goes to Anjali’s room to give her milk….]
Mom: Anjali…..yeh lo dhoodh….
[Anjali is lying on the bed and is dreamily browsing through a book……she is lost in some thoughts…She snaps out of the trance by the sudden voice…she gets out of the bed quickly]
Anjali: aap ne kyun taqleef ki…..
Mom: main jaantha hoom ke tum apne aap dhoodh nahi piyogi….aur aaj tumne dinner bhi teek se nahi ki thi…..
Anjali: mujhe bhook nahi thi….isiliye….[pauses]
Mom: hmmm…main jaanthi hoom….beto….[makes her sit on the bed and sits near her]
Mom: tum Sid ki pasand ho…..uske aage maine aur kuch jaanne ki khoshish nahi ki……kya tum Sid ko pasand karthi ho, yeh bhi nahi…......[pauses and takes a deep breath]pichle kuch dinon se mujhe yeh ehsaas ho rahaa hai ke tumme iss shaadi se…..[Anjali breaks in]
Anjali: nahi mummy….aisi koyi baat nahi….aap galath samajh rahe hai…..
Mom: kaaash aisa hi ho…..Sid ko kuch pareshaani ho ya usse koyi hurt Karen, dard mujhe hoti hai…..
Anjali: I understand mummy…….[placing her hand on hers assuringly]
Mom: [gathering herself up] tum so jaao…..gud night
Anjali: gud night…..
[Though Anjali convinces his mom, she herself is confused about her feelings….she has mixed thoughts and is not really sure what she should be doing]
Anjali: [mind voice: I know what you wanted to tell me mummy…….i understand what you didn’t say……but I myself don’t know what I wish for…..one moment, I feel like forgiving Sid and start living a life of my dreams with him…..and the very next second, I feel like torturing him like this…..]
[One thing is sure from Anjali’s mind state, whatever it is, she doesn’t want to leave Sid and go……She unknowingly confesses the truth hidden in her mind…….]

Her thoughts are interrupted by a phone call….She picks it up quickly hoping that it would be from Sid….Anjali: hello….
Rohit: Rohit here Anju….
Anjali: [disappointed] hi Rohit…..
Rohit: Were you expecting some other call??
Anjali: yes….actually Sid…..[stops] you tell me…..why did you call?
Rohit: how mean Anjali???? Can’t I call you without a reason?
Anjali: yes yes….sorry Rohit…..bas aise hi pooch liya
Rohit: accha suno….kal evening kya program hai??
Anjali: kuch nahi…kyun??
Rohit: kya hum kahi mil sakthe hai??
Anjali: kal??? Nahi Rohit….hum toh dho din pehle hi miley the na???
Rohit: accha teek hai…I wont argue on that…..kya hum next Saturday mil sakthe hai??
Anjali: sochna padega……[grins]
Rohit: socho socho……
Anjali: hmmmm……bye Rohit…..i am feeling sleepy
Rohit: ok ok….bye…gud night….
[She cuts the call]
Rohit: [mind voice: I think she forgot that it’s her b’day on Saturday…..hmmmm…..i will make it the most special and memorable b’day for you dear…..]

[To be continued]