Adultery Beta Dekhta Raha, Chup

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Chapter 4

Agle din college jaate huye mere kadam aam dino se thode bhaari the. Ammi ki khushi aur biryani ki dawat ka farmaan mere dimaag par kisi bojh ki tarah latak raha tha. Akash ko apne ghar bulana? Raaste bhar main yahi sochta raha ki main achanak us nakchade se aisi baat shuru kaise karunga.

Lunch break ki ghanti baji. Meri ummeed ke bilkul khilaaf, aaj meri desk par aane ki bajaye Akash thoda door khada apna half-open bag theek kar raha tha.

Maine ek lambi saans li, khud mein zordaar himmat jama ki, aur uske paas dhire dhire chala gaya. "Akash..."

Usne palat kar meri taraf dekha. Uske chehre par wahi hamesha wali akad aur rukhapan tha. "Kya hai? Note book wapas chahiye kya?"

"Nahi," maine thoda atakate hue kaha, apni nazrein farash par gadaye huye. "Ammi ne... ammi ne tumhein is Sunday ghar par dawat ke liye bulaya hai. Unhone kaha hai wo khaas biryani banayengi, tumhara shukriya ada karne ke liye."

Jab maine nazar utha kar uski oar dekhi, toh Akash mujhe upar se neeche tak badi nichi nigah se ghoor raha tha. Us lambi ghoor mein koi pyaar, haale-dili ya dosti nahi thi, balki ajeeb si ghin aur ek chhipi hui hansi thi. Jaise is dawat ke nyoote se bada joke aur koi usne suna hi na ho.

"Sunday ko?" usne ek ajeeb sa muh banate hue aur dhire se apna bag uthate hue kaha. "Sunday ko toh yaar mera club match hai doosre zone ke doston ke saath. Main theek khane ke waqt nahi aa paunga."

Usne mere kisi jawab ya reaction ka intezaar bhi nahi kiya aur mujhse nazrein churakar aage badh gaya. Usne jo bahana banaya tha wo kitna jhootha tha, yeh hum dono bina bole bhi bakhubi samajh rahe the. Par main bhi uske peeche nahi bhaga. Maine uspar thoda sa bhi dabav nahi daala, na hi use zidd karke manane ki koshish ki.

Sachayi toh ye thi ki deep down main khud ek thandi rahat mehsoos kar raha tha ki usne mana kar diya. Uski ghutne wali ghamandi maujudgi mere toote aur chhote se ghar mein waise bhi zehar hi gholti.

Us din chhutti hone se theek pehle, jab main apni history ki book back bag mein lapet raha tha, tabhi class ke darwaze par phir wahi peon aya.

"Idris Syed, principal office mein chalo jaldi."

Mera dil ek minute ke liye tez dhak dhak karne laga, par ek ajeeb baat thi—is baar mujhe kaanpane wala darr nahi laga. Pichli baar us haule darwaze ne mujhe meri nakam aukaat dikhayi thi, toh is baar ab kya hone wala tha?

Main office mein ghusa toh headmaster sir kursi par pichhe tik kar thehre huye baithe the. Unke saamne wahi marks report wali file khuli hui thi. Jaisi hi unhone aahat se mujhe dekha, unke chehre par ek aisi saaf smile aayi jo maine apne pure college life mein shayad pehli baar kisi ki aankhon mein dekhi ho.

"Aao Idris, aao, andar baitho," unhone haath se ishaara karte hue aur chashma utaarte hue bulaya. "Tumhara mid-term test ka wo maths paper dekha maine."

Main kursi ke ekdum kinare par simat kar baith gaya. "Jee, sir."

"Fifty-one out of eighty. Aur woh bhi pichli baar ke dus-barah marks se uthkar. Yeh choti baat nahi hai," unhone khushi aur sabaashi bhari nigah se dekhte hue tute lehje mein kaha. "Maine tab class teacher se bhi kaafi baatein ki thi, unhe lagta tha tum sirf piche wali seat par saal ginte ho. Par yeh ikyawan prove karta hai ki agar tum apna dimag theek shanti se lagao, toh failure tumhara aakhri theka nahi hai."

Unhone apni jeb se ek kalam nikali, use dono haathon ki ungliyon mein ghumate hue aage kaha, "Akash ke saath milkar padhne ka plan asar kar gaya. Main jaanta hoon woh ladka thoda tez hai aur impatient hai sikhaate waqt, shayad thoda rude bhi ho, lekin tumne give up nahi kiya is sabke beech, yeh tumhari badi baat hai. Keep it up, beta."

Beta. Us ek naram lafz aur us thehri hui shabashi ne mere murda se andar ek ajeeb sa taaza current dauda diya tha. Aaj ek wo bhari, thandi ghutan bhari subah kafi halki ho gai thi. Akash ki woh ghin bhari ghoor aur ammi ke naraz hone ke akele darr ke baad ek aisi tasalli bhari tareef mili thi jisne mujhe cheekh kar bataya ki, haan, meri zindagi bhi waqayi badal sakti hai.

Headmaster sir thoda aage jhuke, aur report file ko band karte hue bole, "Lekin ab mujhe lagta hai tum apna rasta khud bana sakte ho. Tumhein ab padhai mein Akash ki zarurat nahi hai. Uski madad ab band karte hain. Thik hai?"

"Jee, sir," maine rahat bhari saans lete hue kaha. Mere kandhon se jaise ek bojh sa utar gaya tha.

Wapas jab main apni class mein aaya toh mera confidence bahut achha tha. Meri chaal mein ab pehle wali dari hui maayusi nahi thi. Mera sarr aaj farash ki taraf nahi jhuka tha. Ek azadi ka aehsaas tha.

Par iske theek ek-do ghante baad, last period jaisi hi shuru hone wala tha, corridor me ek jana-pehchana saaya aakar class ke darwaze par ruka.

Maine palat kar dekha. Wahan Akash maatha sikudte hue khada tha. Usne meri taraf thodi ajeeb nigaah se dekh kar bahar aane ka ishaara kiya.

Main apni jagah se utha aur bahar gaya. Ab jab main uske muhtaaj nahi tha, toh mere mooh par nervousness nahi thi. Mujhe hairaani thi ki kal jo khud mujhe ignore kar gaya tha, aur subah invitation thukra diya tha, woh ab wapas kyun aaya hai.

"Suno," Akash ne idhar-udhar dekhte hue, thodi hichkichati hui aawaz mein kaha, "Wo... biryani wali jo baat tum keh rahe the na subah. Main free ho gaya hoon Sunday ko. Mera jo zone ka match tha, woh kisi aapas ke chakkar mein delay ho gaya hai. Toh haan, main aa jaunga tumhare ghar."

Main thoda chaunk gaya. Wo ready tha. Par is se pehle ki main 'haan' ya 'na' thik se soch paata, Akash ne jaldi se ek baat aur add kar di.

"Par ek baat hai. Main wahan akele nahi aa raha. Mera ek khaas dost bhi us dawat par mere saath aayega. Uske bina padhai ki us dawat ka koi point banta nahi hai na. Uska aana pakka hai na?"

Ek dost ke saath? Meri dhadkan ek pal ke liye ruki. Mujhe library aur us ground ki yaad aane lagi thi jahan dosto ke beech Akash kisi par bhi aur kitna zabaan gandi karke havi ho jata tha. Do log milkar kya is Sunday mera mere abbu ke aage mazaak udayenge?

Lekin ammi ki woh dawat wali khush aakhein dimaag mein ghoomne lagi. "Haan, theek hai. Main ghar par ammi ko bata dunga," maine baat kaatne ki himmat na juta pa kar sirf haan kar di.