"We love you very much, but you are too late Veer, too late," said the weeping girl, standing on a mountain peak. She was speaking to the boy standing in front of her.<br /> <br /> "Look, don't make this mistake, this is wrong," the boy said, taking... "We love you very much, but you are too late Veer, too late," said the weeping girl, standing on a mountain peak. She was speaking to the boy standing in front of her.<br /> <br /> "Look, don't make this mistake, this is wrong," the boy said, taking a step forward.<br /> <br /> "Stop there Veer, stop right there. If you take another step towards us, we will end ourselves right now," the girl said, weeping.<br /> <br /> It was noon, and whiteness prevailed all around due to the sun. Even looking far and wide, no one was visible. And in such heat, the girl standing on the mountain peak wasn't even wearing slippers on her feet.<br /> <br /> "Look, listen to me, I've come, stop this childishness and come with us."<br /> <br /> "Childishness Veer, you have always found everything we do childish, haven't you? So be it. You rejected our love by calling it childish, didn't you? Then may God do as we said when we met you for the last time. When you suffer, you will know what love is and what childishness is. And we will not meet you," the girl said, crying, and at the same time took a step backward.<br />
Page 1 of 7
"We love you very much, but you've come too late, Veer, too late," said the crying girl, standing on a mountaintop, to the boy in front of her.
"Look, don't do this, this is wrong," the boy said, taking a step forward.
"Stop right there, Veer, right there. If you take another step towards us, I'll end myself right now," the girl said, crying.
It was afternoon, and the sunlight had created a vast whiteness all around. Looking far and wide, no one else was visible. And in such heat, the girl standing on the mountaintop wasn't even wearing slippers.
"Look, listen to me, I'm here. Leave this childishness and come with us."
"Childishness, Veer? You've always found everything I say childish, haven't you? So be it. You rejected our love, calling it childish, didn't you? So, may it be as I told you the last time we met. When you suffer, you'll understand what love is and what childishness is, and you won't find me," the girl said, crying, and took a step back.
"No, you won't do anything like that. Let's go home, we can talk."
"There's nothing to talk about, and I'll never talk to you again. Don't ever remember me. Today, I am here because of you, because I fell in love with you. I've started to hate you, and I can't live hating you, I don't want to live anymore," she said, taking her last step backward.
"No," a boy sat up with a jolt. The room was dimly lit, making his face unclear. But a faint light fell on the rest of his body. He looked as if he had run a marathon on a treadmill, his entire face drenched in sweat. The sweat dripping from his face flowed down his bare, broad chest, over his abs, and further down.
"What happened, Khurana? Did you have that dream again?" a boy entered, opening the door, still rubbing his eyes sleepily.
The boy looked up, his face now catching some light. His fair complexion and sharp features were evident. He got out of bed, put on his vest lying on the chair, and pulled back the curtains on one side of the room, looking out. Here, the sea stretched as far as the eye could see. His blue eyes now resembled the sea, holding untold depths of secrets.
The boy who had entered through the door sat on the bed and said, "Khurana, you should be used to all this by now. It's been five years since these dreams started, and it's always the same dream. Yet, you scream like this every day as if you're seeing it for the first time." He then lay back, his legs dangling off the bed.
The boy who was looking at the sea turned behind him. The boy who had called him Khurana had fallen asleep. Khurana walked over to him and looked at him. Then, picking up a pillow, he hit him on the head.
"Well, it's been five years since you started living with me too, so why aren't you used to it?" he said. The boy on the bed turned over and lay on his back.
"Hit me near my spine, ahh, that felt good. I just don't want to miss this morning massage every day," he said. Khurana lay down next to him. The boy looked at him and turned over again, lying on his side. Both were looking at the ceiling.
"Sandhu, you know, whenever that girl speaks, it feels like she's talking to me," Khurana said. The boy lying next to him, who was equally good-looking, looked at Khurana.
"I know you're troubled by all this, but what can we do? We've tried everything possible, but it was no use. Now, when the time comes, these dreams will stop. Until then, just relax," Sandhu said. Khurana smiled at him and said, "Alright, get up now. We have a very important meeting today." He got up and left, while Sandhu settled comfortably.
"I don't know what he's made of; he just doesn't get tired. He stayed up until 2 AM working last night, and it's only 7 AM, and he's already concerned about work," he mumbled, pulling the pillow over his head so Khurana's voice wouldn't reach him.
Meanwhile, Khurana stood under the shower in the bathroom, eyes closed. Droplets of water slid down his fair body like sand. Amidst those cascading drops, a blue trident tattoo was visible on his chest, near his heart.
After a few moments, he turned off the shower, picked up a towel from the side, and wiped himself dry. He looked in the mirror. For a moment, he glanced at the trident, then fixed his blue eyes on the mirror. With a slight smile, he walked out.
"Get up, Sandhu. We have to go. Today's meeting is important. After that, we have to go to Grandpa," Khurana said. Sandhu, who was pressing the pillow against his ear, sat up and looked at Khurana standing in front of him, buttoning his white shirt.
"Khurana, I don't understand one thing. You're Punjabi, a proper one at that, so why do you have a trident tattoo on your chest?"
Khurana, as he finished buttoning his shirt, looked at him and said, "It's been there since childhood. Grandpa said I insisted on getting it done once." He said this and turned back to set his hair in the mirror.
"Alright, I'm going. You make me helpless by taking Grandpa's name," he said and got up to leave. Khurana smiled and looked ahead.
Rabb Rakha
Follow me and give Satori a star rating.
Khurana Industries, which is counted among the top ten industries in Mumbai, its owner Khurana was currently in his luxurious office room, doing something on his laptop. Standing in front of him was Sandhu, who was doing something on a tab he held in his hand.
"Khurana, for today's meeting, we have to give a befitting reply to our rival company," Sandhu said, doing something on the tab in his hand, and then looked at Khurana, who was smiling while doing something on his laptop.
"Absolutely, Shamshera will definitely get a reply today."
"What's the matter, why are you so happy?" Sandhu said, looking at Khurana, who seemed happy. Khurana, taking his eyes off the laptop, leaned back in his chair, twirling a coin in his hand, and smiling, said to Sandhu,
"Because we have now got the project for which we worked hard for the past year. Now, even if our name doesn't come out in the government tender, it doesn't matter."
Sandhu, looking surprised, said, "What! What did you say, you got that project? Does that mean we got the project to build hotel chains in different cities of India?"
"Absolutely," Khurana said, getting up from his seat, and hugging Sandhu, he said, "We absolutely got it, and you worked just as hard to achieve this project as I did."
"Enough now, stop all this. Don't give me all the credit. It was you who worked; I just sat nearby, refilling coffee mugs," Sandhu said.
Khurana smiled and said, "Come on, we also have to attend that meeting. After all, let's see who gets the tender there and who all have come to know about our happiness," Khurana said, picking up his coat, and the two of them came out of there.
Golden Rose Hotel
Mumbai's famous hotel. And the dining area of that same hotel, which was completely empty at the moment. Two girls were standing there, wearing jeans tops and aprons over them, looking at each other.
In front of them, sitting at a table, were two men with plates of food in front of them, which looked amazing.
"Let's start," one man said to the other, and both began to eat. Meanwhile, the hearts of both girls were pounding.
In the quiet atmosphere, the sound of cutlery being used by the men for eating could be heard, while both girls could hear the sound of their own rapidly beating hearts.
One man sitting in front looked at the plate, which was now empty. "You both are selected," said the man looking at the empty plate, then looking at the two girls, he said, "You both did wonderfully."
"Absolutely wonderful," said the second man, and standing up, he looked at both of them and said, "So, get ready to work here, both of you, but before that, as per our rule, you both will have to do an internship here for six months. After that, you will both be taken on as junior chefs. Tell me if you are both agreeable."
The two girls standing in front looked at each other. "We agree, sir," said one girl, who had a round face and eyes as if they were deep black, but on closer inspection, one could see fine brown fibers floating in them.
"So, Miss Meher, you both know how hard you had to work to reach this point. You have both fulfilled the journey from yesterday to today admirably. So be prepared for every challenge in the future as well. And yes, welcome to my team," said the first man, who had selected both of them. The faces of the two girls standing in front lit up, the first of whom was Meher.
"Suhani, we did it," Meher said, hugging the second girl, and Suhani also hugged her back, happy.
"Yes, Meher, we did it. See, we reached here today," she said.
"Our hard work paid off," Meher said.
"Okay girls, the journey has just begun. Come, let me introduce you to my team," said the first man, looking at them, then at the man standing next to him.
"So, nice to meet you, and thank you for judging this competition," said the man, shaking hands with the first man, and left.
"So girls, you already know my name, everyone calls me Chef Mehra, I'm forty-five years old. And the Head Chef here," he said.
Meher and Suhani, who were standing in front, both nodded. "So, let's go, the day has just begun," he said, and started walking ahead, while Meher and Suhani, looking at each other happily, followed him.
"Hello everyone, see, from today, these two are a part of our team, so you all take care of them," Chef Mehra said, coming into the kitchen area. Meher and Suhani's mouths fell open. There were a total of ten people there. Including Chef Mehra, all ten were male, meaning no girls. With the arrival of Meher and Suhani, there were now two girls in the team.
The other nine men, excluding Chef Mehra, none of whom were over thirty, were staring intently at Meher and Suhani.
Chef Mehra smiled slightly at the surprise on both sides. "Team, from now on, Meher and Suhani are part of this team, so you will get opportunities to see and talk to them. Today's first task is that a meeting of some big companies is going to happen here at 4 PM, and as always, the special meeting hall of this hotel will be full once again. So, after that meeting, we have to serve the dinner, and along with that, we have to fulfill the requests of the guests staying in our hotel. So today our team will be divided into two parts. One team will focus entirely on the dinner tonight, while the second team will focus on the guests staying here," Chef Mehra said. Everyone nodded.
"Meher, you are in Meer's team, and Suhani, you are in Shailendra's team. Understood?" he said, and both nodded.
Godspeed
"Mehar, you are in Meer's team, and Suhani, you are in Shailendra's team, understood?" he said, and both nodded.
"Alright everyone, start your work," Mr. Mehra said, clapping his hands. Two boys came and stood in front of him.
"Meer, Shailendra, the responsibility of teaching Mehar and Suhani is yours," Mr. Mehra said, looking at them and smiling. "My name is Meer," one of the boys said, extending his hand to Mehar, and Mehar shook his hand. Suhani shook his hand similarly.
Shailendra also shook hands with both of them, and they became part of their teams and got to work.
"Mehar, Suhani, take off your aprons and wear these," Mr. Mehra said, handing them plain white aprons. Both quickly put them on and then started working in their respective teams.
A food competition had been going on at the Golden Rose Hotel for the past two days, and today Mr. Mehra had selected both of them. Actually, only one was supposed to be selected, but Mehar and Suhani's cooking showed no flaws that would warrant selecting only one of them. Therefore, Mr. Mehra had called the hotel owner, but his representative came instead, and he too could not find any fault with Mehar and Suhani's cooking.
••••••
Just outside the city of Mumbai, on the outskirts, stood a beautiful, modern, yet equally grand house, no, a palace, surrounded by lush green lawns. That entire area was enclosed by a wall. To enter the house, one had to pass through this place. The large gate opened, and a luxurious car entered the property and drove towards the house at full speed. The path the car was taking was lined with flower gardens on both sides. The car stopped in front of the house, and Khurana and Sandhu emerged from it. It was early afternoon, and they had come to meet their Dada, whose life revolved around Khurana.
"Come on Khurana, it seems the news of your arrival reached here before you," Sandhu said, looking ahead. A sense of peace pervaded the place.
Khurana smiled and replied, "Yes, the news of my arrival has reached, that's why it's so peaceful." He said, and the two of them moved forward. As soon as they reached out to open the door, it swung open, and Khurana pulled his hand back.
"Listen, your darling has arrived," the woman standing in front said loudly, looking back, and then looked at Khurana and Sandhu standing beside him. Both were smiling.
"Why are you two grinning so much? You've come after a week, and only for an hour. Work, work, work, you'll do anything for that, but you won't think about anyone at home waiting for you. Well, they aren't here now, and how can they be when you only look at girls before you get married," the woman lectured them both while standing there. The two who were smiling could no longer contain their laughter.
"What happened, Preetam? Why are you taking your anger out on my children? If your husband Joravar doesn't listen to you, what fault do my children have?" a deep, masculine voice came from behind, indicating the man's age.
The woman, Preetam, quickly covered her head with a dupatta. "Father-in-law, you always take their side," she said. The owner of the masculine voice, walking up behind her, placed his hand on Preetam's head and looked at Khurana.
"Kabir, my child," he said. Khurana, who had been standing silently watching everything, hugged the elderly man.
Sandhu then hugged the woman. "Aunty, I missed you so much," he said. Preetam patted his shoulder. Meanwhile, Kabir, who was hugging his Dada, separated from him and looked at him. "How are you both?" he asked, and Preetam hugged her mother. Preetam ji also embraced him.
"Come on, you two, go inside," Dada said. Kabir took his hand and walked, with Preetam and Sandhu walking with them.
"Rauli, bring some water," Preetam ji called out. A girl came from the kitchen with a tray of glasses, filled them with water, and placed the tray there before leaving. Kabir and Sandhu were still talking to Dada.
"Okay, where are Mom and Dad?" Kabir asked, picking up a glass of water and taking a sip.
"They are here, your father is in his room," Preetam ji said.
"Okay, Mom, please serve us food quickly, then we have to leave. We have a very important meeting today," Kabir said, getting up, and walked away. Preetam ji nodded, looked at Sandhu, and said, "Raj, you try to convince him to get married now. How long will he be like this?"
"Who are you calling daughter-in-law when he himself is running away from marriage?" Dada, who was sitting nearby, said. Preetam ji pouted.
"Yes, Father, you are right. I think we have to break their friendship for them to even think about marriage," she said, getting up and heading towards the kitchen, adjusting her dupatta.
"What is this, Dada? If he isn't getting married, how does our friendship come into it?" Sandhu, whose name was Raj, asked. Dada smiled and said, "It's alright, son, she's a mother, she just says things like that. You're still young; by next birthday, you'll both be turning twenty-nine, not twenty-eight."
"That's enough, Dada. We can't bear our freedom. That's why you all say these things," he said, and Dada smiled.
"Son, when you find such a girl, you'll automatically fall into her captivity, and all this talk of freedom will disappear. Understand?" Dada said, and Raj nodded and started looking at his phone.
"Dad, what is it? You're here, but you didn't even come to meet me," Kabir said, entering a room and looking at the person sitting on a chair. The person looked at Kabir, smiled, and got up. "What's happening? It seems there's peace outside today, that's why the noise didn't reach here," he said, hugging Kabir.
Kabir also smiled and hugged him back. "Well done, my son. You've made me proud today," he said.
"Everything happened because of you, Dad. I did exactly as you advised, and look, that project is ours today, which was something very difficult to even think about," Kabir said, looking at him.
Kabir's father held him by the shoulders, looked him up and down, and sighed deeply. "You don't know how I'm feeling today, Kabir. I was once like you, engrossed in my work and trying to expand my father's small labor business. I got so lost that I didn't even realize when that small business turned into Khurana Industries," he said.
"I know, Dad. You and Dada worked very hard to reach this stage, and now I have to take this position further, to elevate it even higher," Kabir said.
God willing.
"You know, Papa, you and Dadaji worked very hard to get to this point, and now I have to take this position forward, to make it even higher," Kabir said.
"You can talk later, come and eat first, both of you," Pritam Ji said from the doorway and left.
"What happened, is Mom upset? Is there something wrong?" Kabir asked.
Jagjit Ji, Kabir's father, looked at him in surprise. "Why are you looking at me like that?" he said.
"Didn't you meet Roli?" he asked.
So Kabir started looking at him.
"Roli, Deepa's sister-in-law," Jagjit Ji said, and Kabir's eyebrows rose.
"No, Papa," he said.
"Son, she's a good girl, why don't you meet her, just once, she's been here for two days."
"But Papa, I don't want to meet anyone right now," he said and started to leave.
"Kabir, please, son, she's a good girl," Jagjit Ji said from behind, making Kabir's retreating steps halt, and he looked back at Jagjit Ji.
"How much longer will you wait? You have to settle with someone, so Roli is fine," he said.
"Papa, I don't want to settle with anyone, I want to spend my life with someone, shouldn't I have that right?"
"All your rights, what harm is there in meeting? Just meet her once." Kabir came back to him and looked at him. "Tell me what you want," he said.
"If you listen to me, meet Roli once, spend time, there's no hurry," he said, placing a hand on Kabir's shoulder. Kabir nodded, and both of them came out of the room.
Here, Dadaji, Pritam Ji, Raj, and a girl wearing a salwar kameez were sitting near Pritam Ji. Kabir saw her and smiled slightly.
"Did you meet Roli?" Pritam Ji asked.
"Yes, I just saw her, I didn't know she was coming," Kabir said, sitting down. Roli glanced at him and looked down again. Raj chuckled. Roli then kicked his toe from under the table, and he fell silent.
Zorawar, Kabir's grandfather, who was sitting on the large chair in front of everyone, looked at Roli and Kabir, who were sitting opposite each other.
"Okay Kabir, Roli will learn work with you from today. Deepa has sent her specifically for this. She wants you both to get to know each other, even if it's under the guise of work."
Kabir looked at Roli and nodded. "Alright then, Roli, after dinner, pack your bags quickly, and Kabir, go with Raj. What will you do alone here? You'll just get bored," Dadaji said.
Pritam Ji looked at Jagjit sitting beside her. "Look, this is how you talk, and you were afraid to talk to your own son. How will you even talk about Roli, what will Kabir say?" she said softly. Jagjit Ji smiled.
Around 2 PM, Kabir, Raj, and Roli said goodbye to everyone at home and left, as they had a meeting at 4 PM. It was very important and was expected to take a lot of time. So they left early to reach there comfortably.
"Kabir, the organization team has sent a message that the meeting is delayed by an hour because Shamshera is not here and it will take time for him to arrive," Sandhu, meaning Raj Sandhu, said. Kabir, who was driving, smiled.
"By the way, Shamshera must be congratulated, because he will get this tender," Kabir said, and Raj looked at him.
"How do you know?" Raj asked, looking at him. Kabir, who was looking at Roli sitting in the back through the mirror, nodded. "Because only Shamshera can do this work," he said. Then, looking at Roli,
"By the way, Madam Roli, if your role of being a simple, domestic woman is over, then come into your real avatar," Kabir said.
Roli, sitting in the back, quickly started to open the chain on her salwar kameez. "Is she crazy?" Raj exclaimed, his eyes wide. Kabir quickly applied the brakes, and the next moment, both of them got out of the car.
"Crazy girl," Raj said.
Kabir, looking at the open field in front, felt a sense of relief. Then, looking at Raj, he said, "She loves you, so she must be crazy."
Raj looked at Kabir. "Just that, the family likes her for you."
"And you for her," Kabir said, taking a few steps forward. Raj looked at him.
Just then, the car door opened, and a girl got out. She looked like Roli, but not the same one. Tight jeans, a tube top with a jacket worn open at the front. Her hair, which was tied up until now, was now loose and perfectly straight. She wore high-heeled boots. In short, she looked no less than a model.
"What, Kabir, even though we never became good friends, I gave you water that day, you could have at least looked," Roli said, approaching him. Kabir, looking at her with his hands in his pockets,
"Well, I didn't know you would be in this avatar at home, otherwise I would have looked," he said. Roli smiled and stepped forward and hugged Kabir. But Kabir's hands remained in his pockets.
"I'm waiting for the day you will hug me. For now, the one who should be hugged is two feet away," she said, looking at Raj.
"Then hug me like you hug me," Kabir said.
"Will you watch us both?" Roli asked him. Kabir smiled and said, "Roli, remember one thing, no matter who is in my life, it won't be you."
"Then convince your sister, who nags me all day."
"Then convince your brother to explain to your sister-in-law," Kabir said.
Roli smiled and said, "Your sister has got my brother chasing after her. If she says day, it's day for my brother, if she says night, it's night for my brother."
Kabir laughed now. "Then, you should poke your sister-in-law's nose in between them, don't let it be day or night," he said.
"You can never win an argument with me," she said, walking towards Raj. Kabir nodded. And he looked at the open field in front.
"What is it? Don't you want to talk? Fine, don't. Remember one thing, I will marry you," Roli said to Raj and got back into the car. Kabir watched her get in, then looked at Raj and said, "Let's go, we have to go anyway," and walked towards the car.
But seeing Roli in the driver's seat, Kabir decided to sit in the back. Raj, despite his reluctance, sat in the front next to her. Roli looked at both of them and put on her goggles, then drove the car forward.
It was 4 PM, and Meher, who was in Meer's team, was looking at the hall with Meer. In about an hour, everyone was scheduled to arrive.
Meher just kept looking at the hall. How big and how beautifully decorated it was. There were about 10 tables set up, with 4 chairs each.
Then Meer received a message on his phone. He quickly asked the two boys who had come with him to set up 4 more tables there. The two boys quickly started taking out all the equipment from the room attached to the side of the hall.
Meer also joined them. Meher also stepped forward and joined him, and both of them lifted a table and started coming out.
"Is all this our work, sir?" Meher asked.
"Yes and no," Meer said. Meher looked at him in surprise. Meer started going back inside, and Meher followed him.
"I don't understand, sir," she said.
"Meher, all parties held here, especially at this venue, are overseen by Mr. Mehra. And if he oversees them himself, then understand that we have to serve everything ourselves. Because only we know what we have made. And today, we will have to manage everything here," Meer said, touching another table. Meher also picked up the table from the other side and started walking out.
"By the way, Meher, two people have never been selected together here. But you both got selected together," Meer said and stood aside watching.
"Yes, sir, Suhani and I have been friends since childhood. So our hobbies are also the same, and we had decided to work in the same place," she said.
"And what if only one of you was selected today?" Meer asked, looking at Meher.
"Then the other would have gone with her," Meher said, looking forward.
Mr. Mehra, who came in at that moment and started looking at everything, saw Meer and Meher. "Meer, you know how to do it, right?" he said. Meer nodded.
"Good, and Meher, you watch carefully." Mr. Mehra said, and Meher also nodded. "So, exactly one and a half hours from now, our first service will begin. You know we are Indians, and what could be the first service?" Mr. Mehra asked Meher.
Meher smiled and looked at him. "Tea, sir," she said.
"Do you like tea?" sir asked, and Meher nodded.
"Then Meer, take Meher with you, and the rest of the team members, start preparing snacks. Everything should be fresh, understand?" sir said, and the four of them nodded.
"Then let's go to the kitchen area," sir said, and they all left from there. This hall was on the fifth floor, and the kitchen area was on the second floor. Most of the kitchen staff had a separate lift to come up and down, and at this time, they were all heading towards it.
On the other side, Shailendra was watching his team with Suhani, and there was a very tense atmosphere here. Because one of the members of their team had accidentally spilled hot oil on himself and blamed Suhani for it, saying it was all her fault.
Shailendra first provided him with medical assistance and then separated Suhani and the boy. And he himself was looking at the laptop at that moment. Some other boys were standing nearby.
Shailendra turned the screen towards Suhani and the boy, who were standing aside. The screen clearly showed that the entire fault was the boy's. He was repeatedly looking at Suhani as she passed by him, and because of this, the boy, who was standing near the hot oil section and looking only at Suhani, as he dropped the snacks into it, the oil splashed onto his hand with a loud noise.
The boy fell silent. "You rest. This matter will be resolved tomorrow. Mr. Mehra himself will take action on this. For now, you can go," Shailendra said. And he picked up the laptop and gave it to the two boys standing nearby. "Thank you for your help," he said, and the two boys left.
"Suhani, get to work," Shailendra said, and he himself got back to his work. The boy whose hand was burned came out and sat down. Resting here meant coming out and sitting, which was the worst. Everyone knew that sitting outside meant he couldn't go to the kitchen for a few days.
RAB RAKHA
Everyone knew that sitting outside meant they couldn't go into the kitchen for a few days.
"I'm not going to live with you two," Roli said as she stepped into the flat. All three had just arrived when Roli spoke.
"Stay, there are four rooms. One is mine, one is yours, and one is his," Kabir said, gesturing towards Raj.
"Look, whatever happens, I don't want to live with someone like him, who doesn't even look at me, and here I am, having given my heart to him," Roli said, sitting down.
"I told you not to give your heart to me, don't mess with me," Raj said and got up and went to his room.
Roli looked at Kabir, and as Kabir got up, he said, "Get out of the house and turn ahead. The first flat is yours, get out of here now," saying this, he also left. So Roli got up to leave.
"Listen, if you want, get ready in half an hour, we have to go," Kabir said to Roli.
"I'm not going, I'll see to the work from tomorrow, understand," Roli said and left, and Kabir walked towards his room. Now they had to go for their meeting.
Golden Rose Hotel
"Sir, there's a problem," Meer said, approaching Mr. Mehra, who was overseeing the service due in half an hour. Almost everyone had arrived in the meeting hall, except for one or two people.
"Yes, tell me, Meer," he said.
"Sir, the lift isn't working," Meer said softly, and Mr. Mehra looked at him.
"What are you saying?" saying this, he came to the kitchen area where the lift was and pressed the lift button, but nothing was showing.
"Call the workers, we have to get this fixed somehow, otherwise all the planning will go to waste," Sir said.
"Sir, I already told you, they will be here any minute," Meer said. By then, two workers had also arrived.
"See to it quickly," Mr. Mehra told them and stood aside.
After looking for a while, "Sir, it will take time to fix it," the worker said, and they left towards the basement. Mr. Mehra could only watch.
"Sir, what do we do now?" Meer asked.
"Nothing, it will be like before, we'll use the other lift now," Mr. Mehra said and came to the kitchen area and looked at everyone.
"Okay, so the thing is that our lift is broken, it's not working right now, so we have to do all the service with the other lift, which is used by everyone. So, is everyone ready, because our first service is about to start in just a few minutes?" everyone nodded.
"Alright Meer, you get everything ready in the trolley and assign someone to take that trolley upstairs, understand?" Sir said, and Meer nodded.
Meher, who was preparing everything with Meer, was asked by Meer to come along, and the two of them walked that way.
Leaving the kitchen, through that large corridor, they reached the lift and pressed the button for the fifth floor. At this time, both of them had three trolleys with them.
Meher stood with Meer. "Are you nervous?" Meer asked, and Meher shook her head in negation.
"It happens, it's only the first day today," he said. By then, they had reached the fifth floor. The lift opened, and the two of them walked towards the hall.
"It was good that Sir called extra staff today, otherwise we would have been in trouble," Meer said. Meher, who was walking with him, also nodded. Today, in the process of learning, she was quite tired. As the two of them reached the hall, the staff there stepped forward and took the luggage from them.
Meher and Meer turned back from there and started going downstairs. As the two of them reached their floor again, Mr. Mehra asked Meer to stay there and this time sent Meher alone with two trolleys. Meher, who was standing near the lift waiting for it to open, and as soon as the lift opened, she put the first trolley inside and started to bring the second one in.
But the wheel of that trolley got stuck somewhere, and it wasn't going inside. Meher sat down to look at it, and after a few moments of effort, she managed to get the trolley inside. Standing up and looking ahead, she was stunned. Standing right in front was a tall, fair-complexioned man, dressed in a suit, holding a phone, looking at her. While Meher, whose attention had been drawn to him, averted her gaze. And that boy who was looking at Meher seemed lost.
He had no awareness that he should avert his gaze. Meher's eyes were on the screen, which showed that the next floor was his. As soon as the lift stopped, Meher, knowing that the boy was looking at her, quickly took out the first trolley without looking that way and started taking out the second one. This time again, her wheel got stuck, but fortunately, one of the hall staff was standing there. So he helped Meher, and the two of them took the trolleys and the empty trolley inside the lift and left.
As Meher was about to enter the lift, the boy standing inside stepped out, and Meher's attention turned towards him. Meher's gaze lingered in his blue eyes.
But soon she went inside the lift, and the lift closed.
"Khurana, couldn't you have said that you're getting late?" Raj said, standing aside, as he looked at Meher, who had come out before Kabir. Meanwhile, Kabir's attention was still on the lift, which had closed long ago.
"Did I say anything to you?" Raj said, putting his hand on his shoulder, and Kabir looked at him.
"Do you want to go this way?" saying this, Raj started walking in one direction, and Kabir followed him, but his mind was stuck on the lift.
Kabir, whose phone rang, stopped downstairs to talk. He knew there would be no conversation upstairs. The call was from Deepa Di, talking about Roli. So Raj had come upstairs, along with Tyagi, who had also arrived there.
Kabir was looking at his phone when he realized the lift was stopped in the same place. So he looked up from his phone towards the door and saw a girl sitting there, trying to push the trolley inside. Kabir thought of going forward to help, but the girl stood up and, while pushing the trolley in, looked at Kabir and kept looking at him.
Kabir was just looking at her, his eyes seemed to have settled on the girl's face, when suddenly the lift opened, and the girl was about to come out.
"Where are you lost, Kabir? Look, Shamshera is coming," Raj said, as Kabir sat in his seat, thinking about the girl from the lift. So Kabir looked at him.
"Hey, look at him, not me," Raj said, pointing to the side, and a serious-looking young man of Kabir's age was walking from the front, who was alone, but his lone presence was different. His intoxicating eyes, light stubble on his face, and slightly darker complexion were different. (Look at Ravi Dubey's photo on the profile)
Kabir smiled and looked at him, got up, and went forward. Shamshera couldn't help but smile when he saw Kabir.
"Mr. Khurana, this is what we admire about you, that you always smile even for your enemy," Shamshera said, standing in front of Kabir and shaking his hand. Kabir also smiled.
"Our enmity is one thing, and your madness is another. You know very well that I am mad about you," Kabir said, tightening his grip on his hand.
"Mr. Khurana, be careful, there is a lot of beauty all around here, and you are mad about me. Is everything okay?" Shamshera said, and Kabir looked around, smiling, "This beauty is nothing compared to the beauty I just saw," Kabir said in a dazed manner, and Shamshera looked at him.
"Hmm, it seems you have found someone to make your heart flutter today." So Kabir looked at him, "Don't tell anyone, I'm only telling you," Kabir said and put his hand on Shamshera's shoulder.
"Be careful, sir. Today I also saw a queen of beauty here. Maybe the two of them will become one," saying this, Shamshera moved ahead, and Kabir looked at him.
"We'll see now," he said and sat back in his chair.
"What were you talking to him about?" Raj asked.
"Raj, we've known each other for a long time, so don't worry," Kabir said, and Raj looked at Kabir, and then at Shamshera sitting at the table behind. Shamshera smiled when he saw him, and Raj looked ahead.
Meher, who had returned, got back to her work and had forgotten about the incident in the lift.
"So today's tender goes to two companies," everyone sitting in the hall, who had been waiting for this moment, finally, the moment had arrived. Kabir, taking a sip of his tea, looked at Shamshera and raised his cup, and Shamshera nodded gracefully.
"And the two companies are, Shamshera Industries and Khurana," the announcer said, and Kabir looked ahead, while Shamshera smiled. Raj looked on in surprise. The sound of applause filled the entire hall.
Kabir and Shamshera both got up and went to the small stage built in front. The government officers present there congratulated them and also got them to sign some papers.
"As far as I know, the tender was to go to one person, but I didn't know there would be two partners," Kabir said to the officer standing in front, and he looked at both of them.
"The thing was that there were many applications to get this tender, but your position, status, and capability were different from everyone else. So this time, instead of choosing one, both were chosen. We hope that you both will definitely complete this work," the officer said, and Kabir and Shamshera nodded. Then, standing in front of everyone, they shook hands with each other and presented a file to everyone. The sound of applause once again filled the place, and after that, the party began, where wine was served first, and everyone started talking to each other.
Some were talking about business, and some about their personal lives. Meanwhile, Kabir stood near Raj. He also had a glass of wine in his hand, and he was smiling and responding to everyone who came to congratulate him.
Looking at Kabir, Raj said, "Look, man, that's Tyagi's daughter, she's been looking at you for a while, go talk to her." So Kabir looked at him.
"Leave it, man. Why look at her? I feel like looking at the girl from the lift," Kabir said, engrossed in his own thoughts. So Raj looked at him, "What did you say? Who was the girl from the lift, and why didn't you tell me?" he asked.
"Just like a gust of wind, she came and blew past, I didn't even realize," Kabir said.
Raj looked at him, surprised. "You're gone, Khurana, you're gone, man, gone Khurana." He said and then raised his glass of wine to his lips. At this time, soft music was playing in the hall, which was making the fading evening even more colorful.
Shamshera, who was standing aside, was thanking everyone who was congratulating him, and then stood in a corner and started watching Kabir. After watching for a few moments, he walked towards him.
"Congratulations Mr. Khurana, finally your one year of hard work has paid off," Shamshera said, coming closer to him, and Kabir looked at him.
"I knew it, and whether anyone else knows or not, you definitely will."
"After all, I am a true enemy, and it is an enemy's job to know everything about the opponent," Shamshera also said with a smile.
"Well, truly, you have stolen my heart today." Kabir said and hugged him lightly.
Rab Rakha.
No response from Groq.
Kabir had reached his home with Raj. He was currently in his room, drawing something on a piece of paper with a pencil. What he was drawing was now becoming clearer.
It was the same atmosphere that Shamshera had seen at the party, seeing Kabir and Mehr together. Kabir had drawn something similar on the paper. Along with that, there were two shadows standing in the same way Shamshera had seen Mehr with Kabir.
"This is the same girl who comes in my dreams. Mehr, her name is Mehr. What is the relation between us? And today, when she was in front of me, I felt like embracing her. I wanted to take away all her anger. But why? We met for the first time today. But why does it feel like we have known each other for a long time," Kabir said, looking at the paper.
Then, as if he remembered something, he turned the paper over and started looking at it. Here was a drawing of a forest, just like the one that appeared in Kabir's dreams.
"And what have I made here? Every time it's the same forest scene, but what have I made today?" Kabir said to himself, flipping the paper back and forth. Then he grabbed the paper, crumpled it with his hands, and threw it aside, sitting down with his head bowed in his hands.
"What is our relationship? Who are you?" he said to himself.
Yes, as soon as Kabir saw Mehr in the lift, he felt as if the girl from his dreams was standing in front of him, about to ask him questions. But more than that, he felt like he needed to take away the anger of the girl standing in front of him, and he just kept looking at her.
But when Kabir saw Mehr at the place where she was working, for some reason, he felt strange. Seeing Mehr working did not feel good at all. If it were up to him, he would have made her sit next to him and offered her food. But he couldn't say anything. They had met for the first time.
Kabir sat there, leaned back, and closed his eyes.
••••••••••
A young man sat in a room, drinking alcohol after alcohol. His eyes had turned red. This was Arun, Tyagi's son, whom Mehr had slapped. Arun was going mad with anger and kept rubbing his cheek with his hand where Mehr had hit him. He kept remembering Mehr slapping him and was only thinking about Mehr in his anger.
"A two-bit girl, and she raised her hand against me? You will have to pay a very heavy price now," he said and brought the bottle in front of him to his lips.
Arpana, who was watching him from the doorway, left from there and spoke on the phone, asking to find out about Mehr.
"What happened to Arun?" Mr. Tyagi asked Arpana.
"Nothing, Papa. Just a small scuffle between brothers, and he's still angry about it," Arpana said and sat next to him.
"We didn't get the tender this time either," he said angrily. Arpana looked at him.
"And I found out that Khurana has acquired that project, and he will be working on it now. I'm thinking of talking to him once. To complete such a big project, he will surely need partners, right? Sand, cement, aggregate will all go from our firm, so it will be beneficial for us."
Arpana, who was watching him, smiled.
"Alright, Papa. It's time to meet Mr. Khurana. But remember one thing, don't get angry. I'll take care of the rest," she said and started smiling.
"Mehr, wake up! Look, it's 6 in the morning, and we have to go," Suhani said, waking Mehr up. Mehr opened her eyes and looked at her.
"No, yaar, I'm out. You go," Mehr said and pulled the blanket over her head.
"Are you crazy? It was his fault, why are you saying this? Come on, hurry up and get ready. It will take an hour to get there. We have to reach by 8," Suhani said.
So Mehr shook her head in negation.
"Look, Mehr, get up now."
"Suhaani, I swear, no one will see me there. I have made a mistake in the eyes of those people who were watching everything, how that rich guy was speaking ill of that girl, and when she answered, he treated her badly, but no one said anything. So how will they keep me? You go," Mehr said, still lying down.
"Fine, then I don't want to go either. From today, both of us will go and look for a new job," Suhani said, and she also lay down next to Mehr.
••••••••••
"Sir, we did not expect you to do this," Meer said to Mr. Mehra when everyone had arrived.
"What did I do, Meer? Why are you all looking at me like this?" Mr. Mehra said, looking at all the boys standing in front of him.
"Sir, it was Tyagi's fault, but why did you fire Mehr?" Meer said directly. Mr. Mehra looked at everyone. Indeed, those two girls were not there.
"I haven't fired anyone. They will come," Mr. Mehra said. Meer and everyone else became happy, but Mr. Mehra looked at everyone and told them to get back to work, then walked towards the outside.
"What happened, brother? Where are you going?" Shamshera said, who had just come out of the lift.
"Little one, don't talk like that here. You are the boss, I am your employee," Mr. Mehra said.
"Come on, tell us, Mr. Mehra, where are you going in such a hurry?"
"Nothing, sir. The two girls we hired yesterday haven't come. I'm just going to get their contact numbers. Perhaps they have some misunderstanding," Mr. Mehra said.
Shamshera looked at the closed kitchen door, then at Mr. Mehra, and said, "You work, I'll take care of this," and walked towards his cabin. Last night, he had seen Mehr and Suhani's CVs and their phone numbers and addresses were included.
Shamshera came into his cabin and quickly took out the CVs from the drawer and started looking at the phone numbers, then quickly dialed Mehr's number and started pacing in the room. Actually, he had gone to the kitchen area to meet Mehr, but she hadn't come, so he started calling. But what was this? Even after calling once or twice, Mehr didn't pick up the phone. So he dialed Suhani's number, but she also didn't pick up.
Suddenly, the face of Tyagi's son flashed in Shamshera's mind, and he clenched his fists. Picking up both CVs, he came out of the cabin and went to the lift towards the parking area.
Shamshera's car stopped in front of a lane. To go further, he had to go on foot, as cars couldn't go further, and the path ahead was narrow. As soon as Shamshera stepped into the lane, he looked around in surprise, but then quickly quickened his pace, checking the address on the CV, and stopped in front of a house. He knocked on the door. After a while, when the door opened, an elderly woman appeared.
"Yes, who are you?" the elderly woman asked, looking Shamshera up and down.
"Amma, what are you looking at? Hasn't a handsome face appeared outside?" Shamshera was about to say something when this voice echoed in his ears. Shamshera fell silent.
"I don't know, Suha, who is this? He looks handsome," Amma also said, adjusting her glasses up and down. And Shamshera kept looking at Amma.
"If that's the case, Amma, tell him to come inside. Let's see who it is." With this voice, a face also appeared, standing right behind Amma. Shamshera's face broke into a smile.
"Suha, do you know this handsome man?" Amma asked Suhani, who was standing behind her.
Suhani also looked at Shamshera. "No, Amma, we don't know him," she said, but her attention was on Shamshera.
"Yes, handsome man, what's the matter? Why are you looking this way?" Amma said in a stern voice, looking at Shamshera, who was looking at Suhani.
"Oh, I..." Shamshera said, looking at Amma.
"We know A, B, C. If you've come to teach us that, you can go," Suhani said, sensing his gaze on her.
"No, I'm from Golden Rose Hotel," Shamshera said.
"So, are you here to tell us that we've been fired? Oh, Mehr was right. It's good we didn't go; we would have been humiliated unnecessarily," Suhani said.
Shamshera just kept looking at her.
"No, no, they are calling you there, I mean, both of you. No one has fired you," Shamshera said. Suhani's eyes widened.
"What? Not fired? But how can that be? You must have misunderstood," Suhani said, standing right there.
"Look, you two, I've become old, my legs protest standing for so long. If you, handsome man, can lift me in your arms and talk, then I'm ready, otherwise, there are chairs inside, sit and talk," Amma said. Shamshera was now just looking at Amma.
"Amma, if you wish, I can lift you in my arms," Shamshera also said without any emotion, and Amma smiled looking at him.
"Come, sit inside, then talk. If you lift me here, the neighbors Seeti, Geeta, Lalita will start hating me, understand," Amma said. Suhani just kept looking at Amma.
"Amma, you start rambling anywhere," Suhani said softly, then looking at Shamshera.
"Really, we haven't been fired?" she said, and Shamshera shook his head in negation.
"Then it's fine, we both will come. You can go," she said.
"Are you crazy? Who throws a guest who comes to their house out the door?" the grandmother said, looking at Suhani, then looking at Shamshera, "Come inside," she said and walked ahead.
"By the way, handsome, you haven't told me your name," Amma asked the next question, asking Shamshera to sit.
"Yes, my name is Sha..." Shamshera, as he was about to speak while sitting on the chair, saw Mehr coming from one side and stood up without sitting.
"Namaste, Big Madam," Shamshera said, quickly bowing his head. Meanwhile, Mehr, Suhani, and Amma looked at him in surprise.
Rab Rakha
"Hello, Big Madam," Shamshera said, quickly bowing his head. Then Mehr, Suhani, and Amma looked at him in surprise.
Mehr looked at Suhani, and Suhani looked back at Mehr. Mehr nodded upwards, asking, "What happened?" Suhani slowly moved her index finger on her temple. The meaning was clear: this person was crazy. But she quickly lowered her hand and started looking at Shamshera.
"By the way, who is this Big Madam?" Amma asked, sitting down, and Shamshera looked at Amma. "You are the madam of this house, so you are her," he said.
Amma smiled. "Yes, that's true," she said. Shamshera looked at Mehr and sat down, taking a deep breath.
"Mehr, these people are from the Golden Rose Hotel. They are saying they haven't been fired," Suhani said to Mehr.
So Mehr looked at Shamshera. "Really? You mean after yesterday's drama, your boss didn't fire us?" she asked in surprise.
Shamshera looked at both of them. He hadn't told them who he was yet. So, suppressing the matter, he said, "Yes, Madam, Sir has not fired you."
Mehr, happily, "Okay then, we will both be there," she said.
"No, Madam, Sir has assigned me the duty to bring you and drop you off."
"But why? We can come and go on our own," Suhani said. "Sir's matters are for Sir to know," he replied.
"Then it's fine, go get ready quickly and leave. Anyway, for the last hour, she's either falling here or there," Amma said, looking at Suhani, who was now glaring at Amma.
"Alright, Amma, say what you want. The day I get married, you'll miss seeing me," she said, grabbed Mehr's hand, and headed towards the room.
Shamshera just kept watching her at the mention of marriage. It was as if his heart sank at this news.
"Oh, first find a groom, and then you'll get married, you crazy girl," Amma said from behind, but Suhani didn't seem to care at all. She went inside with Mehr.
"What will you eat now? Mehr has made hot poha. Have some tea and sit here," Amma said, getting up, and also gestured towards the small dining table for Shamshera. "Big Madam and poha," he thought to himself and walked towards it.
••••••••••••
Hearing the sound of laughter, Beer looked up and saw Mehr standing in front of him, wearing a salwar suit and with her long hair tied in a braid. And that girl, Mehr, who was laughing, was looking at Beer standing in front of her.
Suddenly, the smile on her face turned into deep disappointment.
"Beer, there's a proposal for us," she said.
"First of all, my name isn't Beer, it's Kabir. And secondly, the proposal is for you, so celebrate. Why are you telling us?" the boy, Kabir, said.
Mehr took out black sunglasses from her purse hanging on her arm, put them on her eyes, opened the car door, and said, "Driver, drive towards the lake," as she sat down. Beer, who was standing outside, sat in the driver's seat and started the car.
This seemed to be the parking lot of a large mansion-like house. Many cars were parked there, one of which Mehr had just left.
The roads looked like village roads. As the car moved forward, dust was flying, and fields were visible on both sides of the dirt road. Yes, there were some dirt mountains in the distance. A small temple was built there. And the car was heading in that direction at this time. There was a small lake here.
About half an hour later, the car stopped there, and Mehr got out and moved forward. Beer stood by the car, watching her.
Mehr looked back, and Beer turned his face away. Mehr's face broke into a smile.
Meanwhile, a baba sitting in the temple, who was chanting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened his eyes and looked at the sky. Clouds were coming from one direction.
Then he looked in the other direction. Here, Mehr was sitting by the lake, and Beer was standing by the car.
"There is still a lot of time before the two of you unite, and even more difficulties, but the day you two become one, nature itself will be happy for you both," he said. And with a slight smile, he resumed his chanting.
"Big Madam, the clouds are gathering," Beer said, coming forward. Mehr was sitting there, looking at the water.
"Just for today, set aside this owner-servant relationship and sit with me, Beer," Mehr said, looking at the water.
Beer, who was looking at the sky, as clouds had suddenly gathered, looked at Mehr. "This is our last meeting," Mehr said, this time looking at Beer. Beer kept looking at her. Then he sat down a short distance away.
"Beer, I've been chasing you for the last 4 years. There must be some reason for you to reject me," Mehr said, looking at the water.
"Please don't say that there is an owner-servant relationship between us. Leave that, say something else," Mehr said. Her voice sounded very subdued today.
"You are still very childish, you won't understand now," Beer said, looking ahead.
Mehr smiled. "You've seen our childishness for 4 years, but not our love. Okay, we won't embarrass ourselves in front of you again and again. But we are meeting for the last time, and we want to say one thing. I wish you had understood us. We admit we've made many mistakes. If you had known the reasons for them, perhaps you would have understood our love too. But let's forget that," Mehr said, looking at Beer, then at the water in front.
"We want to say one thing to you: if wealth and poverty are the most important things in your eyes, then in your next life, may God give me your life and you my poverty. In that time, we will be in front of your eyes but will never let everyone know how much we want you, and we will never accept you. Then you will know what childishness is and what love is. And what is the pain that we are going through right now," Mehr said without looking at Beer, her eyes flowing with tears. Beer, however, was just looking at her in surprise.
Mehr wiped her face, stood up, and looked at Beer. "This is my prayer for you. May it be so, because this love has left us nowhere," she said and walked towards the car. But Beer silently kept watching her.
•••••••••••••••
"Kabir, Kabir, wake up. Look, it's 10 o'clock, and you're still sleeping. What happened? Wake up, Kabir," Kabir's eyes suddenly shot open at this voice, and he sat up. He was still lying in the same position as he was last night, with his legs dangling off the bed.
"What happened? Didn
Kabir, Raj, and Roli arrived at the office and got to their respective tasks. Roli was learning under Raj, while Kabir was reviewing his work on his laptop. He had received some emails but was distracted, his mind wandering from his work to Mehr. Thinking of her brought a pleasant feeling, but also a sense of incompleteness. The dreams of the morning were very different from the dreams he was having daily, and contemplating this increased his restlessness.
"Kabir, it's time for the meeting, let's go," Raj said as he approached, and Kabir looked at him.
"Let's go," he replied, standing up. Roli stood up too.
Today's meeting was regarding the project Kabir had been working on for the past year. It was with the largest and most powerful company in Asia, which was looking to establish its hotel chain in India. They already had a hotel in Mumbai, but they were now aiming to build hotels in every major and minor city across the country. The hotel chain's name was Twilight (a fictional name).
"By the way, where is the meeting, at Twilight?" Kabir asked as they entered the elevator, and Raj looked at him.
"At the Golden Rose Hotel," he replied.
Kabir looked at him, and Raj shrugged. "It's strange, why here instead of our own hotel?" he asked.
"They've closed the hotel for a month for renovations," Raj said. By then, they had reached the parking lot.
Roli was walking with some files in her hand.
"Be careful when you sit down, this is hard work," Raj told her as he sat down. Roli sat down, watching him. Kabir started his car, and they headed towards the Golden Rose Hotel.
Shamshera had already reached the hotel with Mehr and Suhani, and they had begun their work. Shamshera went to his cabin and started watching videos of the kitchen area on his laptop, which he had asked his team to record.
Shamshera was watching Mehr, who was working with Meer, who was explaining something to her. Suhani was busy cleaning counters and chopping vegetables, chatting with the boys working alongside her. Goldie was sitting outside, regretting his lie.
Meanwhile, Mr. Mehra was looking for the elevator, determined to fix things today, no matter what.
As Shamshera watched all this, his phone rang. It was the manager, informing him that the Khurana's meeting was at their hotel, in the VIP area on the first floor. Shamshera quickly pulled up the video feed for that floor. Kabir, Roli, and Raj were seated there, but the other party hadn't arrived yet.
"Kabir," he said, zooming in on Kabir's photo. "How long will you stay lost in your past? Remember everything quickly. I feel like you're recalling everything, but this time, don't let it be too late," he said.
Kabir, sitting opposite, was looking around when he suddenly stood up. Two men were in front of him, and he shook hands with them, starting further discussions. Shamshera then cut the video feed and returned to his work.
"Raj, please listen, aren't you going to talk to me anymore?" Roli asked. They were both alone at home. Kabir was due to arrive a little later. Raj and Roli had returned. Raj was getting water from the kitchen, and Roli followed him.
"Look, Roli, it can't be as you think. You are the daughter of a prominent family, and I come from an ordinary one. Kabir has kept me with him; otherwise, I might be on the footpath right now. So, stay away from me," he said, and started to leave the kitchen. Roli stepped right in front of him.
"I'm telling you the truth. I'll stay wherever you keep me. I'll never say anything if you just agree. Accept me."
Raj looked at her and smiled. "Do you know how much your jeans cost, and this belt you're wearing is Gucci. Do you know its price? Do you know the price of the heels you took off outside? You can't live without all this, and I can't provide it. I've never even paid the bill at the hotel where you eat because I can't afford to indulge your tastes and tantrums. Besides, your brother and sister-in-law chose Kabir for you, not me, and I don't fit into their vision at all. So, stay away, forget me if you can," Raj said.
"Okay, I'll forget, but will you forget?" she asked, and Raj looked at her. Roli then held out a phone towards him; it was hers, and Kabir's photo was on the wallpaper.
"What is this? Why did you take my phone?" he asked, snatching the phone from her hand.
"I've got my answer. Understand? And now, I will only marry you," she said.
Raj glared at her angrily. As he was about to say something and move away, Roli kissed him. Raj froze, while Roli continued to kiss him, looking at him. Then, Raj grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her back. "Don't be crazy, and don't mess with me," he said.
Roli smiled slightly. "I'll only mess with you now," she said and leaned in to kiss him again.
Just then, there was a sound of something falling, and both looked towards it. Dipa Di was standing there, and nearby was Dinesh, holding a two-year-old child in his lap, both looking at the scene in surprise. At that moment, Kabir entered from behind, carrying bags, and stood there, surprised by the atmosphere.
"B-b-brother, Bhabhi," Roli stammered. Raj lowered his gaze, as Dipa Di was staring at him.
Dipa, Dinesh, and Kabir were seated on the sofa in the hall, while Roli and Raj stood opposite them. Kabir had the little girl in his lap, playing with her and watching the two who were standing as if to be punished.
"Roli, child, we didn't expect this from you," Dinesh said.
Roli lowered her head. "Bhai, Paap," she whispered.
"You call him brother and father, yet you didn't think it necessary to tell us. Of course, why would you tell us? We've become strangers now, haven't we?" Dipa said.
Roli looked at her. "No, Bhabhi Maa, it's not like that. I wanted to tell you, but I was scared," she said.
"Oh, you were scared, but why? You tell me everything, so why were you scared this time?" Dipa asked.
"Bhabhi Maa, he wasn't agreeing, so what could I tell you? And you also told me to consider Kabir, or his friend, whom he hasn't agreed to yet," Roli said, approaching Dipa and looking at Dinesh.
"Why is this girl talking so much? I only said to meet and see, but I never said you *had* to marry Kabir," she said, looking at Roli.
"Whenever I asked you, 'Son, tell me if you like someone,' you always said no. That's why I told you to meet Kabir. And you immediately agreed without any reason, so I thought you liked Kabir, and we proposed the marriage to Mom and Dad," Dipa said.
"Bhabhi Maa, I was genuinely scared. I thought if you talked about marriage, you'd really get me married to Kabir. That's why I came here to convince him, but he's just not agreeing," Roli said, looking at Raj.
Dipa and Dinesh also looked at Raj.
"And I didn't know you would arrive so soon, otherwise I wouldn't have done this," Roli said, lowering her head. Kabir, who had been listening silently, nodded and smiled.
"Dipa, let's meet Mom and Dad tomorrow and talk to Daduji as well. Whatever they say, we'll do," Dinesh said, and Dipa nodded.
"Raj, you're coming home with us tomorrow, understand?" Jiju said, then looked at Kabir. "Kabir, I need to talk to you, so let's go." Kabir quickly handed the child to Dipa Di and went with Jiju.
"Come on, get up now, no crying," Dipa said and pulled Roli closer.
Roli picked up the child playing in Dipa's lap. "What's wrong, Dipu? You've forgotten your Bua," she said. The little girl then came into Roli's lap. Raj watched all this, standing frozen in his place.
Shamshera came to drop off Mehr and Suhani again in the evening. But this time, the car he was in was a normal one. Mehr remained quiet seeing this, but Suhani was displeased.
"Man, our boss is so stingy. It's not like nobody else is available, that he has to travel in this car. He even changed his car," she kept rambling, while Shamshera just nodded, listening to her.
"Man, enough now," Mehr said, holding her hand, and Suhani looked at her.
"Hey Shera, tell me one thing, does your boss pay you guys your full salary? I mean, he's not stingy with that, right?" she asked, and Shamshera shook his head.
"That's good. At least he's not stingy somewhere," she said.
"By the way, are you guys from here, or from outside?" Shamshera asked, and Mehr looked at him. "Meaning, are you from Mumbai?" he asked.
"Hmm, we are from here," Mehr replied softly.
"Absolutely, we are from here, from an orphanage," Suhani said, and Shamshera looked at them intently.
"Look ahead, we don't want to die," Suhani said, and Shamshera looked forward.
"Enough, girl, why are you talking like that to them?" Mehr asked Suhani.
"Now, what did I do? I don't want to die yet. I want to get married, have children, see the world, and before that, see India. Do you know how many dreams I have to fulfill? And those can only happen if I stay alive, and that will only happen if Shera Ji drives the car properly," Suhani said, and Mehr nodded. Then, looking at Shamshera, "She's like this, she just keeps talking like this. Don't pay attention to her," Mehr said.
"Hey, what's this? You pay attention to me. I look good," Suhani said, and Shamshera smiled.
"You crazy girl, what are you saying?" Mehr said, holding her hand, and Suhani looked at her.
Rabb Rakha
Shamshera dropped them both in front of the alley. "Thank you," Mehar said.
"Why are you thanking him now, Shera's job is to take us and drop us off," Suhani said.
"Absolutely, don't thank me, this is my job," Shamshera said.
So Suhani looked at him and said, "Shera, she just thanks anyone."
Shamshera looked at Mehar, who was watching them.
"The elder madam is still the same, only her destiny has changed," he thought to himself.
"Bye Shera, we'll leave from here, you go," Suhani said, and Shera also said goodbye to her and left. Shera drove the car from there and called, "I need their safety for twenty-four hours," he said and hung up and moved forward.
"What are you thinking now, now everything will be alright, won't it?" Kabir said to Raj, who was in his room. He had also arrived there. Deepa Di, Jiju, and Deepu had gone to another flat with Roli.
"You don't understand, Kabir, how will I do all this? No family, no trace, and on top of that, Roli's lifestyle, I can't do all this."
"It's love," Kabir said, and Raj looked at him. "If it's love, then what are you worried about? Everything will be fine. You are hardworking, Roli is also sensible, everything will be fine," Kabir said.
"Nowadays, hard work doesn't fill your stomach, Mr. Khurana, eating does," Raj said.
"Alright, then from today, you lead my project. As soon as this project is finished in your name, you will have your own identity," Kabir said.
"Stop it, how much more will you degrade me in my own eyes," Raj said, getting up and going to the balcony attached to his room.
"Don't say that, I thought you would understand me, but you are thinking something else entirely. If I have fallen in love, I won't be able to fulfill it, no Kabir, now I will also agree, and I will give Roli all the happiness she deserves," Raj said angrily.
"Really, will you do this?" Kabir said looking at him.
"Absolutely true," Raj said.
"Then alright, let's see what happens tomorrow," Kabir said, wished him good night, and went to his room. Raj, on the other hand, looked out from the balcony, a smile on his face.
Kabir came into his room and turned on the phone he was holding. "Jiju, you've agreed now, haven't you? Raj is a good boy," Kabir said, holding the phone to his ear. On the other side, Jiju, who had put the phone on speaker, looked at Deepa Di and Roli.
"I agree, but we have to talk to everyone tomorrow," he said, and Roli hugged him. Kabir smiled and hung up.
"Now everything will be fine, you will get your love," Deepa Di said to Roli, and Roli hugged her.
"You are the best, Bhabhi Maa, you are the best," Roli said and hugged her.
Kabir placed the phone on the bed and came onto the balcony, which was open and attached to his room, separated only by curtains.
He took off the t-shirt he was wearing, kept it aside, and rested his hands on the railing, looking ahead. The trident tattoo on his chest was clearly visible. Meanwhile, Mehar was on his mind. He didn't understand why all this was happening to him, but whatever was happening felt very real.
Kabir touched his trident. "I never knew how this mark got on my body," he said to himself.
Mehar, who was in a nightgown at this time, which was short, reaching her thighs. The necklines on both sides were deep.
Mehar tied her hair into a bun and secured it well with a headband.
"Mehar, tell me one thing, when did you get this trident tattoo near your neck? It's so lovely, so small," Suhani said, looking at Mehar, who was sitting with her back to her.
"I don't know when I got it, I don't know," she said.
"Mehar, we were in the orphanage from childhood, and we came out together, so when did you get it done? We always lived together, I want to get such a tattoo too, tell me," she said, holding Mehar by the shoulders.
"I really don't know, you know that we have lived together since we gained consciousness, I don't know when and how the tattoo was made," Mehar said, holding her hands and looking at her.
"Could it be that you got it made for someone in your past life?" Suhani said, smiling as she looked at her.
"Oh, is that so?" Mehar said, laughing, then lying down on her side, she said, "Madam, there is no such thing as a past life."
Suhani said, looking at her, "There is, there is indeed, but only for those whose past life was left incomplete."
"Okay, my mother, go to sleep now, we have to leave tomorrow," Mehar said and pulled the sheet over her head and turned to lie down.
Suhani also turned and lay down.
••••••••••••••••
"Look, look, the rich father's child has arrived, see how she is walking fearlessly into the boys' hostel," one boy said, looking ahead. The other boy smiled and said, "It's first love, it makes you do anything."
By then, the girl had stopped in front of a room and started banging on the door loudly.
So the door opened, and a boy was standing there. Seeing him, Mehar glared at him, and he moved aside. Mehar went inside the room and closed the door, shutting him out.
"What is happening? If the elder master finds out, who knows what will happen," that boy said, looking at the closed door.
Mehar looked at Bir, who was sitting in front of her, buttoning his shirt, and looking at her angrily.
"What are you doing? Do you even know what your image will be like coming here like this?"
"If you care so much about my image, why didn't you come? We called you," Mehar said, taking a step towards him.
"Look, you should leave," Bir said, seeing her approach him, but Mehar kept moving forward.
"Who was she? Don't we know? Where are you going?" Mehar said, coming very close to Bir, and Bir narrowed his eyes.
"Look, you should leave from here, we don't want to talk to you, and are you spying on me, where we are going and where not."
"Absolutely, I am spying, if you go to any other girl besides me."
"That's our love," Bir said angrily, which made Mehar's eyes deepen for a moment.
"And you are our love, know this much," Mehar said.
"Mehar, we are telling you this for the last time, if you make any mistake again, no one will be worse than us. It's just a month, let us complete our studies here, otherwise, you will be responsible for whatever happens."
Mehar, who was listening to his words, suddenly pulled Bir's shirt collar, leaned him towards her, and looking into his eyes, said, "I won't shy away from dying, but think about it, if you give my place to someone else, I won't hesitate to kill."
Mehar said and released his pulled collar.
Two buttons of the shirt broke due to pulling the collar, and Bir's chest became visible, on which Mehar saw the trident mark.
"Remember, I have faith in the God you believe in," Mehar said and left the room without a moment's pause. Bir just kept looking at her.
•••••••
Then, all of a sudden, Kabir sat up and started breathing deeply. Thinking something, he quickly went to the bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror. Here, he had a trident mark on his chest.
"This is exactly the same," Kabir said, placing his hand on the mark and looking at himself. "Mehar and Bir, we both resemble each other a lot," Kabir said, looking at his own face, and remained standing there.
In the afternoon, everyone had reached the Khurana residence. Here, Dada, Jagjit ji, Kabir's father, Pritam, Kabir's mother, everyone was sitting. Deepa, Dinesh, Kabir were also sitting there, while Roli and Raj were on one side.
"Look, children, all I understand is that the children have to live their lives, so if they like each other, their decision should be accepted," Dada Ji said, sitting near Dinesh Jiju.
Jiju looked at him and said, "Dada, you have known me for ten years, and I have known you for even longer. You know that our parents left us when we were children. We were the only support for each other, and then Deepa took care of me and Roli. Whatever you say, it will be done. Roli and Raj will get married," Dinesh said, and Roli ran and hugged her brother.
Deepa Di looked at them. "Okay, I don't see any difference between Kabir and Raj, both are the same to me. Roli will be the daughter-in-law of my house, won't she?" Pritam Ji said, and everyone laughed.
"What are you thinking?" Jagjit Ji said, coming into Kabir's room, when he was sitting and staring in one direction.
Kabir looked at him upon hearing his voice. "What happened, Kabir? You look worried," Jagjit Ji said.
"I am indeed worried, Father, but I can't tell you anything right now," he said.
"What is it that you can't tell? Is everything alright?" he asked with concern.
"Yes, Father, everything is fine, it's just that some things are bothering me, and it seems like these things need to be resolved now," Kabir said.
"Alright, son, resolve those things first, and then tell me. By the way, did you know that Roli likes Raj?" he asked.
"Yes, Father, I've known for a very long time, it's been four years," Kabir said.
"Oh," he said, surprised.
"Father, you know Raj, so what's there to think about?" Kabir said.
"I know, and I have tested him too, that's why I am surprised that he never even brought this matter up."
"That's because he felt he couldn't provide Roli's lifestyle," Kabir said.
"Didn't Dinesh also provide his Deepa with her lifestyle? It's been eight years since their marriage, have you ever seen Deepa in trouble?" Jagjit Ji said.
"Father, Jiju is very good, that's why his business took off. It's a different matter that he credits Di for all this. He says that since Di came into his life, his small business has grown," Kabir said.
"So, Kabir, you should also choose a girl like this. Don't think that we will care about her family. We just want a girl who will make this house her own. If not Roli, then someone else, but remember, whoever she is, we want her to love us as much as she has loved her parents," he said.
Kabir nodded. Jagjit Ji patted his shoulder and left, and Kabir became quiet. The first face that crossed his mind from Jagjit Ji's words was Mehar's, whom he had seen at the party.
Rab Rakha
Everyone got busy preparing for the engagement, which was a week away. The house was filled with joy.
Dinesh had his own work. He lived in Calcutta and had many acquaintances there whom he wanted to invite. After all, his wedding was simple, which had even impressed the Khuranas. But he wanted to give Roli all the happiness. After all, he was her brother and had to fulfill all his duties as a father.
Dinesh's parents had laid the foundation of this small business, which Dinesh now managed. It was a textile business. But shortly after, their untimely deaths shattered Dinesh. He was ten years older than Roli, who was only one year old when her parents passed away. Her grandparents raised her, and her uncle took over the business. From what they understood, he was doing a good job. But parents are parents, after all. After some time, the grandparents also passed away one by one, and then the uncle also committed fraud. It was human nature, after all.
At just eighteen, Dinesh took over the sinking business, which his uncle had burdened with debt before leaving for abroad. In those days, the Khurana's construction business was at its peak. The Khuranas had not yet started bidding for government projects. That day, Jorawar Khurana, Kabir's grandfather, and Jagjit Khurana, Kabir's father, had gone to Calcutta for a meeting.
"Jagjit, my son, we are completely drenched, and our luggage is at the hotel. If we go back, we might get stuck due to this rain, what should we do?" Kabir's grandfather said to Jagjit. They had been stuck in traffic for an hour due to the rain, and their car had broken down. As soon as the rain stopped, they started walking towards the meeting venue, which was only about 200 meters away.
But they had only gone halfway when it started raining again, and they reached the place drenched. However, the meeting had been postponed for an hour. Not all members had arrived at that time.
"Papa, look, there's a shop right in front. Let's check there, maybe we can find something," Jagjit said and started walking towards it. They were already wet.
When the two of them entered the shop, they were surprised. On one side, tailored suits were hanging, and on the other, samples of clothes were displayed on the wall, with details about them.
Jagjit looked around and rang the bell on the counter. A boy came out upon hearing the sound.
"Yes, sir," the boy said, looking at both of them.
"Son, we need some business suits. Our clothes got wet," said Jorawar, Kabir's grandfather.
"Please come inside," the boy said.
"We are wet, the floor will get wet," Jagjit said.
"It's fine, that's what I'm here for. It will all be cleaned up," he said and led them inside.
"These are all suits, please have a look," the boy said, holding a rack in front of them, and then left. The father and son started looking at the clothes. "This one is my size," said Jorawar, and Jagjit also liked a set. By then, the boy had returned with two more boys.
They were carrying boxes, and the boy had a bag. He placed it in front of them and took out some undergarments, placing them before them. "Sir, these are some shoes. You can take them if you like," the boy said, and Jorawar started looking at them.
Half an hour later, the father and son stood ready, both looking good.
"Son, how much is it?" Jorawar asked. The boy did some calculations on a paper and handed it to them.
"Five thousand," he said.
"Only five thousand?" Jagjit asked in surprise. The boy nodded. Just then, a ten-year-old girl ran out from inside and hugged the boy. "Look, brother, Papa, Anjali is bothering me," she said.
"Roli, there's work right now. You go inside and study," the boy said. The child quietly went inside. Jorawar kept looking at them.
Meanwhile, Jagjit gave the money to the boy and checked the situation outside. The clouds had started to clear.
"Let's go, Papa," he said, and Jorawar came out with him.
That was the first meeting between Jorawar and Jagjit, Dinesh Jiju. That night, it kept Jorawar awake, and the very next morning, he came to the same shop early. From here, he had bought suits the previous day, and after gathering some information from the surroundings, he learned everything about Dinesh Jiju. Jorawar himself approached and gave Dinesh Jiju his card, taking Dinesh Jiju's card in return. He said that from now on, he would contact him for any clothing-related work, and that's what happened. Two months later, it was Jagjit Ji and Pritam Ji's wedding anniversary. So Jiju called Dinesh Jiju and informed him about everything. Jiju also reached there, and thus their affection for each other grew.
When Jiju first came home, he was about twenty years old, and Deepa Di was nineteen. Kabir was twelve. It wasn't clear when this first meeting turned into friendship and then love. Dinesh Jiju himself came forward and told Jiju everything about himself and Deepa Di. And Jiju also approved of this relationship, and after that, the surge in their business, for which he always gave credit to Deepa Di.
And today, Dinesh Jiju wanted to give his sister all the happiness he could. Today, he had his own name and reputation, which was growing every day.
"Okay, Roli, now tell me, what should we buy for the engagement?" Deepa Di asked.
"Bhabhi Maa, buy whatever you like. You know I don't like all this," Roli said.
"Yes, if you like these torn clothes now, what can I do?" Deepa Di said, looking at Roli's jeans, which were torn at the knees. No, no, it was today's style.
"Bhabhi Maa, this is called fashion," Roli also said flirtatiously.
"What kind of fashion is this, that torn jeans cost five thousand?" Deepa Di also said, looking at her.
"Bhabhi Maa, these clothes come from your husband's factory, so tell them, not me," Roli said and walked out of the room. Deepa Di was left shaking her head. And the truth was indeed that.
Kabir was sitting with his grandfather, discussing some business matters, when suddenly he heard a scream from one side. Kabir quickly got up and ran towards it.
Meanwhile, Dinesh Jiju, Raj, Roli, and Deepa Di were all running in that direction. Everyone gathered near the kitchen and looked. Black smoke started emanating from there.
Kabir, who had gone ahead, saw Jagjit holding Pritam Ji, while the chef working in the kitchen sat to one side, looking at his burnt hands.
"Papa, what happened?" Kabir asked, moving forward.
"Son, I don't know yet. Let's get them out first," Jagjit said. Kabir, who had gone inside, quickly took his mother's hand and brought her out. The chef also followed behind.
Everyone looked at them in shock. Pritam Ji and the chef's clothes were also slightly burnt.
"How did all this happen?" Deepa asked quickly, looking at her mother.
"We were just working, but we don't know how the cooker burst," Pritam Ji said. Raj, who was bringing the chef, made him sit aside. Jiju had already called the doctor.
"It's good, Roli, child, that you didn't come into the kitchen," Pritam Ji said, looking at Roli. She was supposed to learn something from them today. She also just nodded.
Thank God.
Comment.
"It's good you didn't come into the kitchen, Roli," Pritam ji said upon seeing Roli. She was supposed to learn something from him today. She just nodded.
Soon, the doctor arrived and treated Pritam ji and the chef. He also advised both of them to rest.
It was night. Pritam ji was in her room, with Jagjit ji nearby. The rest of them were sitting outside. The chef was also in his room. Behind the Khurana residence, there was a two-story house where the staff lived. That two-story house was also different from ordinary houses.
"Deepa, nothing has happened to Mummy ji, she is fine. This happens sometimes," Dinesh Jiju said to Deepa Di, who had been sitting in her room crying for a long time.
"Stop crying now, Mummy is fine. But what if something had happened," she said.
"Nothing happened, everything is fine. Let's go outside," Jiju said and brought Di out. Roli had taken care of Dipu. No one had gone towards the kitchen for a long time. The condition there had become very bad.
Daddu was sitting in his room when he put his phone to his ear.
The phone was picked up after a few rings. "How is Mehra?" Daddu asked, picking up the phone. On the other end, Mehra happily said, "Everything is fine, Daddu. How are you? And why did you remember me at this time?" Mehra said, looking at the watch on his hand, which showed 8 PM.
"Mehra, it’s a matter of discussion. Today, an accident happened at home, in which my daughter-in-law and the chef were injured. Why should I hide anything from you? My grandson's engagement is next week. So, I need a trained chef. The manager could have done this work, but my trust in you is different," Daddu said, explaining everything.
"This is very bad. Is Auntie fine? Don't worry, Daddu, the chef will reach by tomorrow afternoon," Mehra said.
"Send 2. There's a function at home. And anyway, I won't let my daughter-in-law go into the kitchen anymore," Daddu said.
"Okay, Daddu, as you say. They will reach tomorrow," Mehra said. Daddu smiled, talked about a few more things, and hung up the phone.
"What's the matter, brother? Who are you talking to so happily?" Shamshera said, who was sitting nearby.
"Nothing, little one. It's the Khuranas, Zorawar Khurana. I was talking to him."
"You know them?" Shamsher asked in surprise.
"Absolutely. It was he who helped us at that time when you were away and a false case was filed against this hotel. He helped us secretly, and you had asked about him," Mehra said.
Shamshera looked at him. "Brother, tell me, why have you never called me your brother in front of everyone? And you asked me to manage this hotel and never let me be seen. Even my own staff doesn't know about me," Suhani's face came to Shamsher's mind.
"Little one, it's better if some things remain hidden. And anyway, you have your own business. You have a name in that. So, what will happen by associating your name with this small hotel?" Mehra Sir said.
Shamshera looked at him, then hugged him from behind and said, "Okay, brother, are you looking at files now? Let's go home."
"We are just going. Daddu needs 2 chefs who can manage the kitchen at his house until his grandson's wedding," he said, and Shamshera was surprised.
"Kabir is getting married? How can this be? Big Madam, no, no, this cannot happen," Shamsher said to himself.
"I'll send these two," Mehra Sir said, taking out 2 resumes. Shamshera, who was still hugging his brother, saw the papers and then the papers lying on the table. "Brother, this one will go," Shamsher said, picking up Mehra's resume.
"But Shera, she just joined," Mehra Sir said, surprised.
"Oh brother, she just needs to manage the kitchen. And anyway, girls manage the house along with the kitchen," Shamsher said, looking at Mehra's photo. Mehra Sir nodded.
Kabir Raj had called everyone out, and they were all sitting around the dining table. "Deepa Di, eat something. Mummy is fine, and she is eating. Look, Papa is feeding her, and everyone else is also eating. Only you are thinking the same thing," Kabir said, sitting next to Deepa. Dinesh Jiju was feeding Dipu.
"Kabir, I'm tired of explaining, but she isn't understanding this mad person," he said.
"Okay, Di, everything is fine. We won't let Mummy work anymore. We'll hire a permanent kitchen manager, and Mummy will be on leave," Kabir said, holding Deepa's hands. Deepa looked at him.
"Okay," she said and looked at everyone. Everyone here was looking at her.
"Mummy, a cooker has never burst at home before, so I was scared," Deepa said.
"Here, now, to chase away Deepa's fear, a cooker should burst once a week," Jagjit ji said, and everyone started laughing. Deepa looked at her father, who was sitting next to her. Jagjit ji put a morsel in Deepa's mouth.
"Come, child, see, Pritam is fine, and you all eat too," he said.
"By the way, 2 chefs will arrive tomorrow. I've informed my man. The rest, they will take care of it. And Raj, you take care of getting the kitchen back to its previous state in 2 days," Daddu said, looking at everyone. Raj nodded.
Kabir, who was troubled by his dreams, was on the roof of his house and remained sitting there. His eyes were fixed on the sky, and the stars. Kabir was looking at the stars.
"The night looks beautiful, doesn't it?" A voice reached Kabir's ears, and he looked in that direction.
Meher was sitting nearby, looking at the sky. She was wearing a white suit, her hair was open, and they were sitting in that garden. Other people were also wandering there.
Beer got up and started walking. Meher looked at him. "She is good, the one you desired. I said too much to you this morning. Sorry for that," Meher said. Beer, who was walking ahead, stopped and turned back.
"Oh, you stopped. That's good. I just came to tell you that we are going to our home tomorrow. By the way, will you invite us to the wedding? Oh, we won't eat much, just enough to fill our stomachs," Meher said to the stopped Beer, who still hadn't turned back.
"Bye," after this word, the voice stopped. Beer, who was standing as he was, remained standing. He turned and looked, but no one was there. Meher had left, and Beer just kept watching.
Kabir, who was sitting there, looked around him. Just a moment ago, he felt as if everything had happened before his eyes. Meher and Beer were standing in front of him, and he was watching them.
"What is happening? I am going mad," Kabir said, holding his head in both hands, and looked at the sky. Only stars were visible here.
"What is all this? I thought that by doing this, these dreams wouldn't come, but for 3 days continuously, whatever I think, I get a dream about it. And that too, so real, as if it's happening in front of me," Kabir said, took a deep breath, and came down.
••••••
"Go to sleep, why are you troubling him?" Meher said to Suhani, who was on the phone and laughing.
"Oh, Shera, I got his number. And now when I messaged, he's asking who it is. Man, my DP is there. Didn't he see it?" Suhani said, laughing. Meher looked at her.
"Are you mad? What are you doing? He's a guy, and why are you talking to him like that? He might misunderstand something," Meher said.
"Huh! What do you mean, he'll misunderstand something like that. When we go to the same place, banter is natural. And man, why do you think so much about everything? Nothing happens," Suhani said and typed and sent something again.
Meher took a sheet and lay down, but she felt a strange shiver in her body. She didn't know why, but she felt as if something wrong had happened to her. But she never understood it. That's why she spoke less with boys at work, except for Mir.
Shamshera, who was sitting in his room, was also looking at the messages and smiling. As soon as the first message arrived, he checked the DP to see who it was. Seeing Suhani's photo, he smiled.
Now he was looking at Suhani's last message in which she had written:
"Oh man, why are you so busy? Look at the DP, it's me, Suhani."
Shamshera kept looking at the message. Then, smiling, he said, "Oh, it's you. I thought who this pest was who was bothering me."
"Hey, I'm not a pest, understand? I'm Suhani, with Meher, the one you pick up. Suhani, who just got your number today. You're a very forgetful person," Suhani wrote.
Shamshera started laughing. "Yes, yes, I understand. You're not a pest, you're Suhani. Okay, did you eat?"
"Yes, I ate. Now I'm getting ready to sleep."
"Hmm."
"Did you eat?" Suhani wrote.
"Yes, I'm just about to eat."
"Okay, what did you make today?"
Shamshera was surprised by this message. Then, nodding, he wrote, "Dal Chawal" (Lentils and Rice).
"Hmm, they are tasty. Okay, fine. You eat. See you in the morning. Good night," Suhani wrote. Shamshera also wrote good night and got up and came out of his room. Right in front of him, he saw two children.
"Uncle, Uncle, you're late. Come quickly. Mummy made Dal Chawal today," they said. Shamshera was surprised and then smiled.
"What, sister-in-law? For what happiness are you making all this?" he said.
"Well, brother-in-law, you haven't come home for many days. Today you have come, so I thought I'd make your favorite. Maybe you'll think of staying here," said the woman coming from the front. Shamshera sat down, looking at the two children. "Sister-in-law, when are you sending these twins to the hostel?"
"Just Uncle, you're leaving. From the day after tomorrow, you should be happy sending us away," one son said. Shamshera ruffled his hair, "Champ..."
"Shamshera, where are you lost? Come quickly, the food is getting cold," a voice came from the front. Shera, who was still standing there, looked around. There were only him and Mehra there, and no one else.
Rabb Rakha (God protect)
"Shera, where have you gotten lost? Come quickly, the food is getting cold," a voice called from ahead. Shera, who was still standing there, looked around. It was just him and Mehra, no one else.
Shera looked around and moved forward. Mehra also sat down.
"Brother, bring Bhabhi. It was an accident," Shera said, stirring his spoon in the plate and looking at it.
"So Mehra's hands stopped midway through eating."
"It's been 4 years. Nothing is left between us now," Mehra said without looking at him.
Shera started looking at him. "Brother, she was a mother, Bhabhi. I understand our Champs can never come back, but what was their fault? What's the guarantee that if you had been in that place, something similar wouldn't have happened to our Champs?" Shera said, looking at him.
Then Mehra started looking at him. "I would have fought until the last attempt, but I wouldn't have given up so easily."
"Brother, you're not understanding. I agree it was a time for action, but she was a mother. She's no more. She lost consciousness seeing her children like that. But that doesn't mean you should become so oblivious to her."
"Look, Shamsher, I don't want to hear anything. For me, she was the reason my children left me. If she wanted, she could have taken the children to the hospital. My sons would have been saved. But she didn't do anything. Didn't you see it on the camera? How she just sat there without any response, and the car kept burning and burning," Mehra said.
"Brother, Bhabhi wasn't just sitting; she had fainted against the wall while looking at her children. Why don't you understand?"
"I don't want to understand, Shera, I don't want to understand," Mehra said, standing up from his place and starting to leave.
"Brother, Bhabhi was pregnant at that time," Shera said, and Mehra's steps stopped. He looked at Shera, who was looking at him.
"Yes, brother, it's true. Bhabhi was pregnant at that time, and she had told me this the night before on the phone. And she wanted to surprise you, so she didn't tell you, but she didn't know that her life would change like this in a few hours," Shera said.
Mehra just stared silently. Shera went to his brother. "Brother, you can understand what state of mind she would have been in at that time. Bhabhi had stopped the car on that deserted road. The reason for that was that she was feeling nauseous. If she had known that an accident would happen, she would never have stopped the car. She wouldn't have stopped the car; she would never have done that, brother. Bring Bhabhi, bring your daughter, brother, please," Shera said.
Mehra's legs lost all strength; he stumbled, but Shera caught him.
"Did you meet Sarika?" Mehra asked.
"Absolutely. I'm taking care of her every need. She is my Bhabhi," Shera said.
"What have I done? I only saw my own grief and didn't see her. How must she have been? She has no one besides me," Mehra said.
"I am here, brother. I didn't leave Bhabhi. Let's bring her home," Shera said, and Mehra looked at him.
"Let's go, brother," Shera said, and started walking with him.
After about a 2-hour drive, Shera had come out of the city. Here, a one or two-story house stood in front. "Let's go inside, brother," Shera said and went out himself. Mehra was quietly standing to the side.
Shera stepped forward and rang the doorbell of the house. Mehra was quietly standing to the side.
"Shera, you're here," said the woman standing at the door as she opened it. Shera nodded with a smile. "Come inside then. Today I've made your favorite dal rice," the woman said.
"Bhabhi," Shera said. The woman looked at him. Just then, Mehra, who was standing to the side, came forward. Seeing him, surprise flashed across the woman's face.
"Sarika," she said. Sarika, Shera's Bhabhi, looked at him, and he nodded affirmatively. Sarika stepped aside from the doorway, and the two of them walked in.
•••••••••••••••
Kabir, who hadn't slept all night, came into Dada's room at 6 in the morning and saw that Dada was awake.
"What happened? Couldn't sleep tonight?" Dada said. Kabir shook his head no.
"Come then," he said. They were still sitting on the bed. Kabir also came and lay down with his head in Dada's lap.
"You know, Kabir, when you were little, you used to come like this when you couldn't sleep at night," Dada said, stroking Kabir's head. Kabir closed his eyes.
"I still can't sleep, Dada," Kabir said.
"Why? What are you thinking? Your work is going well, so what's the tension?" Dada said.
Kabir opened his eyes and looked at him, then smiled and said, "Dada, there are just a few things. When I understand them, I'll tell you."
"Then it's fine. Sleep near me now," Dada said and started stroking his head. Kabir also fell asleep.
"Oh Shera, why are you late today? Look, you're a full five minutes late," Suhani said.
Shera came and stood in front of her. "There was just some important and special work today. Sit down, you two," he said, opening the car door. Mehar sat down.
Suhani closed the door and sat in the front. "I'll sit here now. We're friends now, right?" she said. Shera nodded and got into the driver's seat. Mehar looked at Suhani, then at Shera, and smiled at him.
"Okay, Shera, tell me one thing. We are both two people. We live at Amma's place, like tenants. It's a different matter that she doesn't take rent from us, but we pay. And you already know about us. Tell us about yourself," Suhani said. Shera's face broke into a smile.
"It's me, my brother, my Bhabhi, and their daughter, who is about 3 years old. That's all of us," Shera said. Suhani looked at him.
"So you have your own house here?" she asked in surprise. Shera nodded.
"Okay, how big is the house? A 2-bedroom? It must be that big, right? By the way, how much does it cost to buy such a big house? I also want to buy my own house," Suhani said. Shera looked at her, and Mehar hit her on the head from behind.
"Are you crazy? What are you saying? Just sit quietly," Mehar said. Looking at Shera, she added, "She's like this, she says whatever comes to her mind." Shera nodded.
After that, there was silence in the car. Suhani sat down angrily, and Mehar also quietly looked outside. Shera glanced at the sulking Suhani, whose cheeks were puffed out.
As the car stopped, Suhani got out, slammed the door shut, and started walking away. Mehar and Shera both watched her.
"She's crazy, that's just how she is. Don't pay attention to her," Mehar said.
"Be quiet, absolutely quiet. Pay attention to me, Shera. I'm good as I am. I talk, I don't stay silent like her," Suhani said, walking behind them. Then, looking at Mehar, she added, "You'll see, I'll buy a 4-bedroom house now, and I'll buy it very soon. I'll show it to both of you," Suhani said and walked away.
Shera kept watching her. Mehar nodded. "What happened to her?" Shera asked.
"It's just that last night, I stopped her from talking to you, and then this morning, when she was about to start talking on the phone, I stopped her again. And now, I stopped her in the car too, so she's angry about that."
"But she was talking about the house," Shera said.
"Shera, we are both orphans. And these dreams she's having, we shouldn't even dare to look at them. They are very big dreams."
"But I am the opposite of her. I only want what I can achieve because we have to support ourselves. There's no one for us, and perhaps there never will be. I keep trying to explain to her, but she just doesn't understand," Mehar said, and Shera kept looking at her.
"I am like this. I only think as much as my circumstances allow, and I tell Suhani the same thing. I tell you too to think before you speak, but she just doesn't understand."
"But still, if in life you ever feel that something is beyond your reach, given by God, then what?"
"Then there must be a reason. Without a reason, not even a leaf moves," Mehar said and walked ahead. Shera remained silent.
"My dear madam, God has thought well for you, otherwise those words would never have come true," Shera said, looking at Mehar as she walked away, and then he also walked.
"But sir, how can I go? It's only been 2 days since I came here," Mehar said to Meer.
"So what? You came here based on your own capabilities. So, based on those capabilities, you have to go with me today. We need to reach there by afternoon, so go home now, pack, and in 2 hours, meaning at 10 o'clock, I will arrive to pick you up," Meer said, and Mehar kept looking at him.
"Mehar, all this is what sir said. He couldn't come today, but we have to do this work, right?"
"Yes sir, can I meet Suhani and tell her?" Mehar said, and Meer nodded.
Mehar saw Suhani busy on the other side. She went to her, but Suhani didn't talk to Mehar.
"Okay, I'm sorry, but now I have to go for a few days, so take care of yourself," Mehar said and left. Meer, who was waiting for her downstairs, accelerated his bike as soon as Mehar sat down. Shera couldn't go at this time; he had already left for his office.
"Sir, please drop me at the bus stand. I'll go from there."
"My house is in that direction, so I'll drop you," Meer said, and Mehar nodded.
"Okay Amma, I'm leaving. Take care of yourself and that crazy one. Today she's upset with me, so you pacify her," Mehar said to Amma, and Amma placed her hand on Mehar's head.
"Okay, take care of yourself," Amma said. Mehar stepped out of the house, and Meer was right there on his bike.
"Mehar, is this guy handsome?" Amma said, holding Mehar's hand. Mehar looked at Amma.
"Oh Amma, he's engaged. Now whether he's handsome or not, what does it matter?" Mehar said. Amma looked at Mehar and said, "Stay away from him. He looks a bit shifty."
Mehar smiled. "Okay, now you go inside. I'll call you when I reach by afternoon," Mehar said, hugging Amma, and walked ahead.
Rakh Rakha.
What will happen when Mehar and Kabir come face to face?
Meer and Mehr had both set off. Meer had offered Mehr a helmet, and he had told Kitu that he had to go with Mehr, so Kitu had also told him to go properly.
Mehr and Meer were on the same road that Kabir used to travel on. There were open fields on both sides, and hills could be seen in the distance.
Mehr was looking at all this as she went. This was the first time she had come out like this; mostly, she was busy with studies and work. After completing her studies, both of them had looked for jobs. For 2 years, they had been working at a restaurant in the city. Even there, they were still learning. And when both of them got work here, the staff had treated them very well.
"Well, it's a nice place, so let's stop for a while," Mehr said, and Meer stopped the bike under a tree.
Mehr quickly got off and removed her helmet and looked around. She had left her bag on the bike. "It's a nice place, isn't it?" Meer said, and Mehr nodded in agreement.
Both of them started looking around. "Let's go; the house we have to go to is just a little distance away," Meer said as he walked towards the bike, and Mehr, who was standing on the other side of the road, walked towards him. But then a speeding car came straight at them, and Mehr stopped and looked back. The car didn't seem to be stopping.
"Mehr, jump!" Meer shouted, and before Mehr could react, Meer ran and grabbed her hand and jumped with her into the field. The car sped past the spot where Mehr had been standing.
"Mehr, are you okay?" Meer asked as he watched the car. Mehr looked at him, still in the field.
"I'm as okay as you are," she said, and Meer looked at her. They stood there looking at each other for a moment, and then they both burst out laughing.
Both of them were covered in mud from head to toe. The field had water in it, which was why they were so dirty.
"Come on, let's get up," Meer said and held out his hand. Mehr took it, and they both stood up. They came out of the field and looked around. There didn't seem to be any water anywhere; there were tube wells, but they were closed.
"I think we have to go like this," Meer said, and Mehr nodded. Meer put her bag ahead and started walking. There was no need for a helmet now.
Both Meer and Mehr were standing in front of the gate. The guard had stopped them from entering and had called inside to say that a boy and a girl had come and said they were there to work. The old man had said to let them in, and the guard had looked at both of them and said, "Old man, this is strange; they're covered in mud."
"Okay, you wait; I'll be right back," the old man said and looked at Dinesh, who was sitting next to him. "Let's go, Dinesh; we have to go; something has happened outside," the old man said, and Dinesh followed him. They took a car to get there quickly. They were surprised to see the two of them like that.
At that moment, a water tanker was standing next to them. It was there to supply water because the house's water system had broken down that morning. Jagjeet had called about it. One tanker had already gone, and now the second one had arrived and was preparing to enter through the big gate.
"We're from the Golden Rose Hotel; Meera sir sent us; my name is Meer," Meer said. Mehr stood with her head bowed.
"Okay, Meera told me a boy was supposed to come with you," the old man asked.
"Yes, sir; but he was feeling sick this morning, so Mehr came with me," Meer replied. The old man looked at both of them from top to bottom.
"And where did you play kabaddi to get so muddy?" Dinesh asked. Mehr was getting annoyed. "What kind of people are these; they don't even let us in to freshen up; they just keep asking questions," she thought to herself.
"Sir, we'll answer all your questions if you give us 15 minutes to freshen up," Meer said; he was also irritated because of the mud.
"Okay, let's go; freshen up first," the old man said, and Meer went to get the bike.
"Leave it here; she'll come in after freshening up; let's go," the old man said as he walked ahead, and Meer and Mehr followed.
Just then, the tanker in front of them stopped, and its pipe suddenly opened, releasing a white liquid that poured all over Mehr and Meer. Dinesh had already pushed the old man to the side, so they were both watching. Mehr and Meer got soaked in the liquid. The driver and helper tried to close the pipe, but it wouldn't close.
"Sorry, sir; there was milk in the tanker; it came by mistake," a man running from behind said.
"It's okay," the old man said; his attention was on Mehr and Meer. Mehr had covered her face with her hands.
When the milk stopped flowing, Mehr slowly lifted her face and removed her hands. Her face, which had been covered in mud, was now clean and spotless. Dinesh and the old man were staring.
"Oh no, how will we clean this up now?" Dipta said as she walked towards them.
Mehr looked at everyone and then at herself and Meer, who was standing next to her, completely soaked. Their bags were also soaked; it was inevitable that the things inside would also be wet.
"If you knew the pipe was leaking, why didn't you tell us to move?" Mehr finally said to Dinesh, who looked at her.
"Well, this is good; you both are now clean; there's no dirt left on you," Dinesh said, and Mehr looked at Meer, who shook his head.
"Let's all go inside. Dhinu, take them to the back," Dinesh said, and Dhinu, who was about the old man's age, came over.
"The rooms at the back are occupied; there's no space," Dhinu said.
"It's okay, uncle; we'll stay with you; let's go," Dipta said as she took Mehr with her, and Meer also followed.
The rooms on the ground floor at the back were used less often, so Dipta took Mehr to one of them, which was nicely decorated.
"By the way, what's your name?" Dipta asked, and Mehr, who was taking off her bag, replied, "Mehr."
"No, these are also ruined," Mehr said as she looked at her clothes and opened her zip to check. She quickly stood up and took out her phone from her pocket, which was switched off. Mehr looked at Dipta, who was looking at her.
"Switched off, right?" Dipta said, and Mehr nodded.
"No problem; I'll be right back," Dipta said as she walked out, and Mehr tried to take out all the parts of her phone. She could only take out the SIM card; the rest of the phone was still the same. Mehr slowly emptied her bag and checked all her clothes, which were soaked in milk.
"Now what do I wear?" she asked herself.
"Wear this; give me those clothes; they'll be ready by evening," Dipta said as she entered the room and put a set of clothes on the bed. Mehr looked at them.
"No, I can't take these," she said.
"Look, mom is not well; and we haven't eaten much since morning; you have twenty minutes; change quickly; here's everything you need; use whatever you want; it's all informal here; no need for formalities; just be aware that I'm very hungry, and it's almost one," Dipta said and walked out with the clothes, and the two girls who had come with her looked at Mehr and then took her wet clothes and put a basket in front of her. They both walked out.
Mehr looked at the basket and found everything she needed; she quickly picked up what she needed and took the shampoo as she headed to the bathroom.
Everyone was sitting in the hall, looking at the dining table. But no dishes had arrived yet.
The gallery in the house was rarely used; it had been converted into a kitchen. All the necessary items were there; Meer and Mehr were quickly cooking.
Mehr and Meer were busy with their work. Mehr had worn the kurta that Dipta had given her, which had a plazo; it fit her well. Her hair was still wet and tied back in a bun. It was almost one.
"Mom, I'm very hungry," Dipta said.
"Look, you do it like you don't know how to do anything; make something," Dinesh said.
"Why should I? I always make food; today let's have the chef's food," Dipta replied.
Jagjeet and Pritam were happy to see their children. Roily, who had just come out of her room, was sitting and listening to them.
"Dad, do you know what a miracle happened today? I heard that when a daughter-in-law steps into the house for the first time, she gets a bath in milk; and today that's exactly what happened to Mehr and Meer; they both got a bath in milk," Dipta said.
"What's this ritual? We've never heard of it," Dinesh asked.
"It's not your business; it's a story; my dad used to tell us this story when we were kids," Dipta said.
"And you two couldn't sleep without hearing that story," Pritam said.
"Yes, mom; but now I only remember bits of it; dad, do you still remember that story?" Dipta asked, and the old man looked at her.
"I remember it very well," he said with a smile. And then dishes started arriving at the dining table one by one.
God saved them.
The items started being placed on the dining table, and everyone else looked in that direction.
"Come on, come on quickly, the food is served," Deepa Di said, and everyone got up and walked towards it.
"What a great aroma!" Daddu said, and everyone started eating.
"Where are Raj and Kabir? They should also eat. It's afternoon," Pritam Ji said. Jagjit Ji, who was feeding Pritam Ji, said, "They both slept late last night, they were working on their stuff."
"Deepa, what are you thinking? Eat your food, weren't you hungry?" Jiju said. Di looked at him and said, "Look there, don't you see that girl, Mehar?" Jiju also looked in that direction. Mehar was coming with some items.
"Yes, I see her, she's beautiful," he said, and Di glared at him.
"You're the one who said to look, and I looked," Jiju said.
"You can talk as much as you want. I was saying, she looks so lovely in the suit I gave her," Di said. Jiju looked at Mehar again, who was serving food to Daddu.
"The suit is indeed very beautiful," Jiju said and started eating. Deepa Di kept looking at Mehar, who was serving food to everyone there.
"Bhabhi, Dipu isn't eating anything. What should I do?" Roli said, and Deepa Di looked at her.
"What happened, is my child sleepy? Come, I'll put you to sleep first, then I'll eat," Di said, picking up Dipu and getting up to leave.
"Wow, child, you've made the food very tasty. My stomach is full, but my heart isn't," Daddu said. Mehar smiled and looked at everyone. They had all finished eating.
"Now you two eat too, and then rest. You must be tired," Pritam Ji said, and Mehar nodded.
Everyone went to their rooms. Meanwhile, Mehar came into the kitchen and saw Mir. "Come, let's eat too," she said. Mir also came out with Mehar and sat down. "Wow Mehar, the food is really delicious," Mir said while eating.
"Stop it, sir. You made it yourself. Daddu also praised me," Mehar said. Mir, who was eating, looked at Mehar and said, "You were the one who added the spices, weren't you?" Mehar looked at him.
"Yes, you are speaking the truth," she said, and they both smiled. "The house is very big," Mehar said, looking around the house. "His attention was drawn to this at that moment."
"Absolutely, there's no doubt about that," Mir said, also looking at the house.
"It's a nice house, isn't it?" a voice came, and they both looked in that direction. It was Deepa Di, who pushed her chair back and sat down to serve herself.
"Yes, your house is very beautiful," Mehar said, and Di looked at her. "Mehar is a very nice name," Di said, and Mehar nodded. Di started eating, while Mehar and Mir picked up their plates and started to leave.
"Where are you going? Eat your food," Di said, seeing them both. "You eat, we'll eat inside the kitchen," Mir said.
"You two are unbelievable. Am I going to eat alone?" Di said. Mehar and Mir looked at each other.
"Oh, sit down. I'll get some tips on cooking from you," Di said, so they both sat down and started eating.
Kabir couldn't sleep. He had been lying there with his eyes closed for a long time. His heartbeat was already racing. He sat up, checked the time, it was 2 PM. He ran his hands through his hair and came outside, looking ahead. There was no one there.
Kabir, still running his hands through his hair, walked towards the kitchen. The kitchen was in disarray. A girl was searching for something, her back towards Kabir, her hair cascading down her back. Kabir started watching her. For some reason, Kabir liked looking at that girl, and he leaned against the wall behind her and watched.
The girl, who was looking down for something, stood up and opened the upper cabinets to look. "This box is here, where else was I looking?" saying this, the girl started to take the box down, but her hand couldn't reach it. So, without looking around, the girl climbed onto the countertop.
Kabir just watched her. The girl got down with the box and as soon as she turned, she was startled to see a boy in front of her.
Kabir, who had been quiet until then, who had momentarily forgotten his restlessness, was surprised to see Mehar in front of him.
"So sorry, sir," Mehar said and walked out of there. Kabir also followed her.
Mehar was heading towards the temporary kitchen, and Kabir was following her. In front, he saw Roli, who was there. "Oh Kabir, you're here," Roli said. Mehar, who was walking with her mind elsewhere, looked back in surprise. Kabir was standing there.
"Mehar, this is Kabir," Roli said, and Mehar nodded.
"What are you doing here, and who is this?" Kabir said, sitting on a nearby chair and gesturing towards Mehar.
"Oh, this is Mehar, the chef. Daddu called her," Roli said. Kabir started looking at Mehar, who was taking out gram flour from the box brought from the kitchen and pouring it into a bowl. A smile appeared on Kabir's face, and he kept looking at Mehar.
Mehar was busy with her work. "Why are you here? Go, you must have work," Roli said, and Kabir looked at her.
"I just got up. Ask about food. It's always work, work, work with you," he said, placing his hand on the table in front of the chair. "Give me some food."
"Food and me? You haven't even picked up a glass of water for me, and you want me to give you food," Roli said, and Mehar looked at her in surprise.
"Then what are you doing here, if you don't even pick up a glass of water? Go away from here," Kabir said.
Then he looked at the surprised Mehar, who was looking at Roli, and Roli was glaring at Kabir.
"And you will give me food?" Kabir said to Mehar, and Mehar looked at him, then nodded.
"First, teach me how to make pakoras," Roli said to Mehar, and Mehar nodded.
"But you were going to give me food, right?" Kabir said.
"Pakoras first," Roli said.
"Food."
"Pakoras."
"Food."
"Pakoras."
The two of them started arguing, and Mehar watched them with her mouth open.
"Mehar will give me food, understand?" Kabir said, getting up and standing behind Mehar. "Now come on, give me food," he said. Mehar, startled by Kabir's action, started to move aside, and Kabir followed her.
Mehar went back to her work. When Mehar went to get a plate, Kabir followed her.
"Sir, you sit there. I'll serve you food," Mehar said, and Kabir looked at her as she reached his shoulder.
"Food first, then make pakoras for this chatterbox," Kabir said, and Mehar nodded. Kabir sat on the chair, looking at Roli, and Roli looked at him.
"By the way, tell me, what are you doing in the kitchen today?" Kabir said, looking at Roli.
"What business is it of yours? Eat your own food," Roli said.
At that moment, Mehar placed the plate of food in front of Kabir. Kabir looked at Mehar, who put the plate down and went back to her work. "Come on, sit down and eat roti," Kabir said, and Roli sat down next to him.
"Okay, let's see. Raj likes pakoras, so I'm learning," Kabir said while eating, and Roli held her forehead.
"First of all, don't speak Punjabi with me, okay? And secondly, yes, Raj likes them, that's why I'm learning," Roli said, smiling.
Kabir's attention was on Mehar, who was making the pakora batter. Suddenly, Kabir started coughing, and Mehar quickly offered him a glass of water. Kabir took the glass, but his hand touched Mehar's hand, giving Kabir a jolt, but it was limited to him. Kabir looked at Mehar in surprise, who had gone back to her work.
••••••••••
"What happened, Bir? Why are you so surprised? You've just touched my hand," Mehar said, standing in front of him. Bir pulled his hand away from hers.
"Stay within your limits. You are embarrassing yourself by coming in front of me repeatedly," Bir said.
"Even the embarrassment you cause feels like praise to us. If you permit, I'd like to hear you praise myself like this my whole life," Mehar said, and Bir looked at her angrily.
"Oh, your blue eyes! I wish I could drown in them," Mehar said, resting her elbows on the table in front of her and cradling her face in her hands.
Bir looked at Mehar angrily and said, "Do you even know that by doing all this, you are ruining your own image?"
"You're worried about our image?" Mehar asked in surprise.
Bir got up from the chair and said, "I'm worried about my own reputation," and walked away.
"When will you start worrying about us? At least tell us that," Mehar said loudly, sitting there. But Bir didn't look back even once and left. Mehar smiled.
"Kabir, where did you get lost? Eat your food; it's getting cold," Roli said, and Kabir came back to his senses. He looked ahead and saw Roli was busy with Mehar. Kabir just kept looking at her.
"Sir, should I make something else? Didn't you like the food?" Mehar said, looking at Kabir's plate, which was untouched.
"No, no, it's very tasty," Kabir said while eating, and Mehar also joined Roli.
May God protect us.
No response from Groq.
"Meher, what have you done?" Meer asked Meher as she approached him while walking. So Meher shrugged her shoulders. Pritam ji was already sitting aside, and Jagjit ji also came to sit near them. Then Raj and Jijoo Di each took their bowls and left, and Kabir was left watching because the halwa was finished.
"Oh, where is my bowl?" Daddu said, and Kabir looked at him. "Daddu, they've finished everything, nothing is left now," Kabir said and walked over to where everyone else was.
"How can they eat all this while we, grandfather and grandson, are left with nothing?" Daddu said, and everyone looked at him.
"Daddu, they can eat it like this," Dipa Di said, putting the spoon in her mouth, and Kabir looked at Daddu. Daddu then looked at Meer.
"Come on, son, make halwa just like this one that was just made," he said.
"Oh, Meher made this," Jijoo said while eating, and at the same time, he also asked her to make more for himself. Meher nodded her head.
But hearing the name Meher, Kabir started looking in that direction, where Meher was standing. A smile appeared on her face seeing him. So Meher quickly handed the phone she was holding to Deepa and walked back towards the kitchen.
"Pritam, you've never made halwa like this either, it's so tasty, isn't it?" Jagjit ji said while eating, and he was also feeding those accompanying him.
"Absolutely, you're right. I've never made halwa like this," she said.
Raj, who was eating halwa, didn't notice Meher, so he didn't say anything.
"Alright, Daddu, the kitchen work will start from tomorrow. You saw everything today, didn't you say you'd do everything yourself? So just watch from tomorrow, how well everything will be done," Raj said while eating halwa. Daddu nodded his head.
Meher had also quickly put the kadhai on, and the aroma of roasting semolina spread throughout the entire place.
Kabir, who was watching everyone, got up and walked towards the kitchen. Meher was looking at the halwa, while Meer was doing the other work.
"Have you become a chef?" Kabir said, standing next to Meher, and started eating the chopped dry fruits kept on the plate. Meher looked at him in surprise as he looked towards the gas.
"Yes sir, it's almost done," she said, and Meer, who was looking at Kabir, who was standing a bit too close to Meher, came over.
"Sir, please sit outside," he said, and Kabir started looking at him.
"Why?" he asked.
"Because you're getting a bit too close," Meer said clearly, and Kabir took two steps back.
"Is that better now?" he said, and Meer kept looking at him.
"Sorry," Kabir said and left, but Meher didn't look at him even once.
"Thank you, sir," Meher said to Meer, and Meer nodded his head. After a while, she took some more halwa in a bowl, and placing all the bowls on a tray, she walked outside where everyone was sitting. Kabir was also sitting there, busy with his phone.
Meher placed a bowl in front of everyone.
"Meher, you've really made the halwa very tasty," Jijoo said, and Raj immediately looked up, as he was just looking at his phone.
"You," he said, and Meher looked at him. Everyone else was also looking at Raj and Meher.
"Do you know Meher?" Roli asked Raj. Raj looked at Roli.
"No, we don't know her. We just saw them that day when we went for the meeting," Raj said, and Meher's gaze went to Kabir, because she remembered Kabir's face from the lift. And Meher also placed a bowl in front of Kabir.
"Do you know that Tyagi's son was slapped? Meher was the one who hit him," Raj said, and Daddu, Jijoo, and Jagjit ji looked at him.
"Did you really hit him?" Jijoo said, and Meher, who was quiet, nodded her head affirmatively.
"Wow, daughter, you did well. That Aarav has also caused a lot of trouble. Such people shouldn't even be allowed out of the house," Daddu said. Meher nodded her head and left.
"She looks so meek, but she hit Aarav. She's very brave," Jijoo said. Roli started looking at Meher.
"Here Di, I've done all the phone settings, and I've even saved my number, which will be at the very top, so you won't even need to search for it," Kabir said to Deepa Di. Deepa Di took the phone.
"Meher, come here," Di said, and Meher came near them.
"Here, take your phone," she said, extending the phone towards Meher.
"No Di, I don't want this phone. I'll buy a new one from the market," she said.
"Oh, keep it. Your phone was broken, wasn't it? Talk on this. Consider it a gift from me," Di said, and Meher looked at everyone.
"Oh, keep it, daughter," Pritam ji said, and Meher took the phone. And walked away.
"What happened? Is everything alright?" Meer said, seeing Meher.
"Sir, Di gave me this phone. My phone was dead, wasn't working," Meher said, showing the phone to Meer.
"Keep it. They are good people. Have you heard of the Khurana Group? It belongs to them. Daddu Joravar Khurana laid the foundation of that business," Meer said. Meher started looking at him.
"Those Khuranas who are always in the headlines, but no one has ever seen their photos," Meher said. Meer nodded his head affirmatively.
"Yes, the same Khuranas who come forward to help all those in need," Meer said.
Meher ran outside and started looking for Joravar Khurana. Joravar Daddu, who was talking to everyone, started looking at Meher because she had come so close to him.
"Daddu, do you recognize me?" she said, and Joravar started looking at her. Everyone else was also looking at her. So Meher knelt down near him, folded her knees, and rested her head in his lap. Daddu was stunned by Meher doing this.
"Meher," Daddu said in surprise, and Meher started looking at him, nodding her head affirmatively.
"Oh child, you've grown so much," Daddu said.
Meher touched Daddu's face and said, "You've also gotten old, Daddu." Daddu smiled, and everyone else was looking at them in amazement.
RAB RAKHA
"Oh child, you have grown so big," Dada said.
Meher touched Dada's face and said, "You have also become old, Dada."
Dada smiled, and everyone else looked at them in surprise.
"Meher has grown up and also become a chef. Didn't you say you would show us you becoming a chef?" Dada said, placing his hand on Meher's head, and Meher held his hand.
"Where had you gone? Do you even know what happened after you left? Forget all that, Suhani had sworn she would never talk to you when you came back, but you never came."
Dada looked at Meher in surprise. "Are you two still friends?" he asked, and Meher nodded.
The others who were looking at them in surprise, Jagjit ji spoke up, "Papa, do you know Meher?"
Dada looked at them and said, "Absolutely."
"Meher and Suhani, we met both of them at the Delhi orphanage. When we went there for some work for a month. Both of them would have been 6-7 years old then. We used to meet them daily because we were staying nearby, and their orphanage was also nearby. So we used to go to meet them every evening," Dada said.
Everyone was looking at him. Meher realized what she had done in haste and quickly stood up. "Sorry sir, I got a bit too emotional," Meher said softly, and everyone looked at her.
Dada looked at her, and then everyone laughed.
"Oh child, you are something. Come, sit. The halwa you made is very tasty," he said, and Meher looked at everyone.
"Oh, sit down," Pritam ji said, and Meher nodded.
"I'll just check the kitchen, then I'll sit and talk with Dada," she said, and everyone looked at her.
"Alright then, we'll talk later," Dada said, and Meher left.
"Dada, you never told us about this," Kabir, who had been watching Dada and Meher for a long time, said.
"What could I tell you? Back then, you all were here, and I used to miss you. So I would go to the orphanage. Thinking that I would get my mind off things with the children. But I met Meher and Suhani there. They were friends and different from everyone else. So we started talking to them. Both of them spoke very sweetly. Meher was quiet, and Suhani was equally bubbly. The days just passed without us realizing, and then I came back. I got so engrossed with all of you that I forgot everything about that place," Dada said, and everyone looked at him.
"Oh wow, you know Dada," Meer said to Meher, who had returned to the kitchen.
Meher nodded and quickly called Suhani from her phone to tell her, but she didn't pick up.
•••••••••••••
"Shera, where are you? You came this morning but not this evening..."
"I know the person you sent was strange, he was telling me the sir sent him..."
"I started looking at him, wondering which sir sent him, tell me too..."
"So he said Shera sir sent him..."
"I was surprised! You were addressed as 'sir' by him..."
"Then I also felt happy that you are senior to all these people..."
"Now tell me where you are. You know Meher isn't here either, she's been hired as a chef in someone's house. Oh, speak up, where are you..."
?????
?????
?????
Suhani, who was sending nonstop messages, sent a lot of question marks at the end. She was sitting on the roof and kept cutting calls from unknown numbers.
On the other hand, Shamshera was busy with his work, still in his office. It was almost 7 in the evening. He got annoyed by the constant beeping of messages on his phone and, without looking, told his PA standing nearby to block the incoming messages that were coming unnecessarily. His PA did just that. Shamshera did not like any kind of disturbance in his work.
Suhani sat on the roof for a while, looking at her phone. But since there was no reply from the other side, she switched off her phone, came down, plugged it in to charge, and sat with Amma to watch TV.
"What Amma, do you only watch this? Watch something new sometime," Suhani said.
"Why is your face looking so long? Have you talked to Meher?" she asked.
"I don't want to talk to anyone. She interferes with me every time. From now on, no talking. Only work. Now I have to work and buy a big house. I have to show her I can do this work," Suhani said, and Amma looked at her.
"You are mad. Instead of working, find a boy and impress him. If both of you work, you can buy a house too," Amma said.
"Oh Amma, nowadays, no one wants to marry a single girl. Everyone just fulfills their own needs. So I don't want to go down that path," Suhani said, changing channels with the remote, and Amma looked at her.
"Okay, come on, make dinner. Meher isn't here, so you do it. She just comes and disrupts my TV time. Such a good serial was coming, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law one," Amma said, taking the remote from her hand, and Suhani looked at her.
Then she got up and walked towards the kitchen.
•••••••
After dinner, Meher started walking towards Dada's room, but she stopped halfway and walked back. But then she moved forward again and reached the door. But she didn't have the courage to knock, so she turned back again. Dada and Kabir, standing far away, were watching her. Both of them were outside in the garden; Meher didn't know this. So Meher finished her work and left, giving her phone to Meer, as she had to make a call at home.
RAB RAKHA
After dinner, Mehar walked towards Dadu’s room, but stopped halfway and walked back. Then she moved forward again and reached the door. But she didn't have the courage to knock, so she turned back again. Dadu and Kabir, standing at a distance, were watching her. Both were in the garden outside, which Mehar didn’t know. So Mehar finished her task and left, needing to talk to Mir after giving him the phone.
“Dadu, what is she doing? She seems confused. You’ve known her since childhood, so has she always been like this?” Kabir said, while Dadu watched Mehar, who was standing at the door.
“Yes, she has been like this. It took her five days to ask to rest her head on my lap, Suhani told me,” Dadu said with a smile, and Kabir was surprised.
“If she takes so long to say one thing, it will take her years to talk to me,” he thought to himself, looking at Mehar, who had finally gathered the courage to raise her hand to knock on the door when Dadu stepped forward and called out to her.
“What is it, Mehar? Why such hesitation?” he said, and Mehar looked back, surprised. Dadu and Kabir were standing here. Kabir was also looking at her. There was a slight smile on his face.
“Dadu, you were outside. I thought you were inside. I came to talk to you,” Mehar said. She looked at Kabir, but only for a moment, while Kabir was engrossed in looking at her.
“Come, let’s go inside and talk,” Dadu said and walked inside. Kabir was also walking along with him, so Mehar followed them, but stopped.
“Dadu, you talk. I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” she said, and Dadu looked at her.
“Come, this is my grandson, Kabir,” Dadu said, looking at Mehar, and Mehar nodded, while a smile appeared on Kabir’s face.
Dadu and Kabir were sitting on the bed, while Mehar was on the sofa nearby.
“Okay, Mehar, tell me, how is Suhani? Has she changed now, or is she still the same, what’s in her heart is on her face?” Dadu said, looking at Kabir and Mehar, and Mehar looked at them.
“She’s the same, Dadu. I corrected her this morning, and she hasn’t spoken to me since. She even called, but I haven’t picked up yet. Now her phone is also switched off,” Mehar said.
“Oh, exactly the same. Well, it’s okay, you tell me, how are you?” Dadu said, and Mehar looked at them.
“I’m fine, Dadu. We both used to miss you. But you never came back. Do you know, Dadu, that boy with the monkey-like face hit us after you left? Suhani was badly hurt. I thought you would come to see us, but you didn’t. She had a fever for two days,” Mehar said, and Dadu looked at her in surprise. “Did you have my phone number?”
“Yes, I did, but that monkey threw all our belongings out of the room and tore up the notebook where the number was written. That monkey. You know, I got hurt on my head, and Suhani on her leg. On top of that, she got a fever. The aunty didn't take good care of us either.”
Mehar was narrating these events as if they had happened today. Dadu and Kabir were just looking at her. Kabir was watching the changing expressions on Mehar’s face, which shifted with every passing moment – pain reflected in her words of suffering, anger when she called someone a monkey, a strange ache when Suhani’s name was mentioned. Kabir was captivated, watching her tell Dadu everything.
“So, the warden’s son did all this! Honestly, if I ever get my hands on that fat monkey, I’ll beat him badly with my stick. I told them to take special care of you two girls, but no, I’ll take care of them. I’ll call them tomorrow and take them down a peg,” Dadu said, filled with anger.
Kabir looked at them. For the first time, he saw Dadu so angry.
“Dadu, leave it now. It was the two of us. Everything was fine there,” Mehar said.
“What did you two do? Did you do anything to that monkey?” Dadu asked suspiciously, looking at Mehar. Mehar glanced at Kabir, then smiled at Dadu.
“What did you two do?” Dadu’s suspicion turned into certainty.
“Well, Dadu, I didn’t do anything. It was all Suhani,” Mehar said softly.
“And what did Suhani do?” Dadu asked. Meanwhile, Kabir was enjoying listening to their conversation and was listening with full amusement.
“It’s nothing, Dadu. We just scared him,” Mehar said and looked at Dadu, who was waiting for her to continue.
“Well, Suhani, dressed as a ghost with her hair loose, powder on her face, scared that fat monkey in the middle of the night,” Mehar said in one breath, and Kabir, who was listening, was left with his mouth agape.
Dadu was also looking at Mehar and then started laughing, and Mehar also started laughing. “So, did that fat monkey get scared?” Dadu asked.
“Absolutely, Dadu. He was so scared that he wet his pants,” Mehar said, laughing. Kabir’s eyes widened along with his mouth, and the hand on which his face was resting, which was continuously watching Mehar, slipped.
Mehar, who was laughing with Dadu, suddenly noticed Kabir and fell silent. “Okay, Dadu, I’m leaving now. You should also rest. We’ll meet in the morning,” she said, wished them goodnight, and left.
Dadu also said goodnight. Kabir just kept looking at her. “What are you looking at?” Dadu asked, and Kabir, who was looking outside, said, “Mehar.”
Dadu kept looking at him. Then Kabir realized what he had said and, looking at Dadu, said, “Mehar doesn’t seem like she looks.” And he also left. Dadu continued to look at him.
“Finally, the elder mistress has been found,” he said.
And then he took a small bundle from the drawer of the table near the bed. The bundle was made of cloth. Dadu untied the knot of the cloth, and a small album came out. Dadu took out the album and opened it. On it was a photo of Mehar, who looked different from the current Mehar, dressed in very expensive clothes, with full makeup. Dadu began looking at the photo.
Rabb Rakha
Daddu had taken out a small album from that pouch, which had many photos. Then Daddu came to a place and stopped and started looking at that photo, in which Mehar was but she was very different from the present Mehar. In that photo, two people were with Mehar.
In that photo, Mehar was sitting on the bed, and a child of about ten-twelve years was sitting beside her. And a boy was sitting on the chair beside that bed, and that was Veer. Daddu touched that photo and smiled. "Even today, he was the same as when we were sitting. The only difference is that the child has now grown up and Kabeer is sitting in the place of the big mistress and the big mistress is sleeping on the sofa." Daddu said while touching the photo of the child sitting in that photo. He looked at that album for some time and then closed it and lay down.
Shamshera, when he came back home, found a different aura in the house today and he forgot everything seeing that aura. His Bhabi, brother, and a small girl of about three years were playing here, and Mehera was running behind her. So Shamshera also started playing behind her, and his Bhabi, Sarika, got busy with her work. Sarika had forgiven Mehera. They had both lost their children in that accident. So how could there be any grudge, and that's why they both got back together.
"Okay, Bhabi, I am playing with Pari, you get the food ready, and then after eating, I have to see some more work," Shamshera said, and Sarika did as he said. After eating and drinking, he played with Pari and then came to his room to do some work and slept without checking his phone.
Mehar's phone was given by Meer, so she came back to the room and started calling Suhani. But as she did not pick up the phone, Mehar called her mother. She came to know from her that Suhani was sleeping, so Mehar did not talk much and told her mother to take care and then lay down.
The next morning, Kabeer got up, and surprisingly, he had no dreams that night. He came out and saw the time; it was only six in the morning. Then his attention fell on Mehar, who was going there with something in her hand. Kabeer did not know what it was because Mehar's back was towards him, so Kabeer followed her. Mehar stopped in front of Daddu's room and knocked on the door twice. When she got a response from inside, she went in. Kabeer went to the kitchen. He understood that Mehar would have brought something for Daddu.
Kabeer came to the kitchen and found that Meer was not there, so he looked here and there and then took water from the jug and drank it.
But still, neither Meer nor Mehar came, so he sat on the chair there.
Then Mehar came there with a tray in her hand. She was surprised to see Kabeer there. "Good morning," Kabeer said, looking at her. Mehar, who was surprised to see him there, said, "Good morning, sir."
"And did you sleep well at night?" Kabeer asked. Mehar, who was keeping the tray, looked at Kabeer, who was smiling.
"Yes, I slept," she said. Kabeer was still looking at her, and then it seemed like something flashed before his eyes.
"How many times have I told you not to look at me like this, but you don't understand," Veer said angrily. Mehar, who was smiling, looked at him.
"We will keep looking like this until you don't say yes to us, until you don't accept our love," Mehar said.
"Then keep looking; your eyes will get spoiled, and this tongue will also get rubbed, but we will never accept that we like a girl like you, and this is my last warning. Understand, you big mistress? If you try to hold my hand again, I will cut off this hand. Do you understand?" Veer said, and Mehar let go of Veer's hand.
"You don't have to cut off this precious hand for a girl like me," Mehar said, and Veer started to go.
"We were just here to give you medicine; nothing else," Veer said and went away. Mehar kept looking at him.
"Sir, will you have tea?" This voice, which had come two-three times, brought Kabeer to his senses. Kabeer looked at Mehar, who was standing in front of him and looking at him. Then she said again, "Should I make tea for you?"
Kabeer nodded his head in affirmation and got up and walked away. "Bring it to my room," he said without looking at Mehar, and Mehar kept looking at him.
"Tea in the room," she said in surprise and then got busy with her work. She made tea quickly and poured it into a cup and stood there. She did not understand which way to go or to which room. Then she saw a servant cleaning there, and she asked him. He told her that the big room on the upper floor was the master's room.
Mehar nodded her head and started walking towards that room, which was on the upper floor. But for some reason, an unusual fear was sitting in Mehar's heart. Standing in front of the door, Mehar looked at the door for some moments and then knocked on the door. The door opened, and Kabeer was standing in front of her. Mehar looked down.
"Sir, your tea," she said, and Kabeer kept looking at her and took the cup from her hand. Mehar left the place without wasting a moment, and Kabeer kept looking at her.
He took a sip of the tea and went inside.
When Mehar came down, she remembered that Meer had left at night. His fiancée had called and said that she was very sick, so her mother had also asked him to go, and he had left at around twelve at night, telling Mehar. So now she had to see all this work alone, so she got busy with her work quickly.
God protect.
