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           CHAPTER 12 — EK ANJAANI YAAD AUR TAYYARI
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Sardi ka mausam ab lagbhag jaan ko tha aur halki garmi ke sath shaam ko gulabi thandak ka ehsaas hota tha. Sonam ke pati ki tabiyat ab poori tarah theek ho chuki thi aur woh apne daily routine par wapas laut chuke the.

Ek din dophar mein, Nana ji aur Vikram ke beech phone par baat ho rahi thi. Nana ji ne phone loudspeaker par rakha hua tha kyunki unke haath mein chashma saaf karne ka kapda tha.

"Vikram beta, iss hafte tumhara birthday aane wala hai na? 25 tareek ko?" Nana ji ne pucha.

Vikram ne doosri taraf se ek halki muskaan ke sath kaha, "Arre Uncle ji, aapko abhi tak yaad hai? Haan, hai toh 25 tareek ko hi. Lekin main birthday waisa manaane mein vishwas nahi rakhta. Meri maa ke jaane ke baad se main uss din bas duty karta hoon aur shaam ko ghar par akela rehkar thodi shanti se waqt guzarta hoon."

Rasoi mein chai ke bartan dhoti hui Sonam ke haath ek pal ke liye ruk gaye.

25 tareek... parso hi toh hai.

Sonam ke dil mein ek ajeeb si kasak hui. Ek aisa shakhs jo poore shehar ke logon ke liye, aur unke parivaar ke liye ek majboot chatthan ki tarah khada rehta tha—woh apne hi janamdin par bilkul akela rehta tha. Uska soona bangla, uski akeli shaam... yeh khayal Sonam ke dil ko chhoo gaya.

Sonam ne socha ki woh koi bada jashn nahi banayegi, kyunki samajik maryadaon aur Vikram ki saadgi dono ka khayal rakhna zaroori tha. Lekin woh Vikram ko yeh zaroor ehsaas karwana chahti thi ki iss duniya mein koi hai jise uske honay se khushi milti hai.

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25 tareek ki dophar ko, Sonam ne ghar ke saare kaam jaldi nitaar liye. Usne pati ko bata diya ki woh Nana ji ke sath paas ke baazaar se kuch gharelu samaan lene ja rahi hai.

Sonam ne khud apne haath se Vikram ke liye khas kheer banayi—wohi kheer jo Vikram ne ek baar rasoi mein chai peete hue bataya tha ki uski maa har birthday par banaya karti thi. Usne kheer ko ek pyaare se tiffin dibbe mein pack kiya. Saath hi, usne ek sundar sa banyan leaf (bargad ka patta) le kar uspar ek chhotisi prarthna likhi aur use ek safed dhaage se baandh diya.

Nana ji ko Sonam ne pehle hi iss chhotey se surprise mein shaamil kar liya tha. Nana ji ne muskura kar kaha tha, "Sonam beta, tum bilkul sahi kar rahi ho. Vikram ne humare liye jo kiya hai, uske aage yeh kuch bhi nahi. Chalo, main tumhare sath chal doonga."

Dophar ke teen baje, jab Vikram apni office ki meetings mein vyast tha, Sonam aur Nana ji ek auto karke Vikram ke official bungalow pahunche.

Bangley ka caretaker Sonam aur Nana ji ko achhi tarah pehchanta tha. Usne turant darwaza khol diya.

"Sahab toh char baje tak aayenge ma'am," caretaker ne kaha.

"Koi baat nahi, hum unke aane se pehle bas unki dining table par kuch rakhne aaye hain," Nana ji ne kaha.

Sonam ne drawing room ki dining table ko saaf kiya. Usne tiffin table par rakha, uske paas do chhotey mitti ke diye sajaaye, aur woh bargad ke patte wali prarthna card tiffin ke bagal mein rakh di. Sonam ke haath kaanp rahe the, lekin uske chehre par ek behad pavitra khushi thi.

Sonam aur Nana ji shaam char baje se pehle hi wapas ghar laut aaye, taaki Vikram ko koi aashcharya na ho aur koi samajik sawaal bhi na uthe.

Shaam ke kareeb paanch baje, Vikram thaka-haara apne bangley par lauta. Din bhar office mein mubaarakbaad dene walon ki bheed thi, lekin uske dil mein wohi purana akelapan tha. Woh ghar ke andar aaya aur jaise hi drawing room mein dakhil hua, uski nazrein dining table par gayi.

Dining table par ek sundar sa tiffin rakha tha, aur uske sath mitti ke do diye aur ek bargad ka patta.

Vikram ke kadam wahan ruk gaye. Usne aage badhkar tiffin ka dhakkan khola. Andar taaza, ilaichi ki khushboo wali kheer thi.

Vikram ne us bargad ke patte ko uthaya. Uspar Sonam ki saaf aur khoobsurat hand-writing mein likha tha:

"Aapki zindagi hamesha roshan rahe, aur aapki shanti ko kabhi kisi ki nazar na lage. Janamdin bohot bohot mubaarak ho, Vikram ji."

Vikram uss chhotey se patrika aur kheer ke tiffin ko dekhta reh gaya. Saalon baad, kisi ne uske birthday par uski maa ki tarah kheer banayi thi. Uski aankhon mein achanak nami aa gayi. Woh afsar jo har mushkil mein shaant rehta tha, aaj iss sadharan se uphaar ko dekhkar emotional ho gaya.

Usne turant apna phone nikala aur Sonam ka number dial kiya.

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Sonam apne kamre mein khidki ke paas khadi thi, jab uska phone baja. Uski dhadkan tezz ho gayi. Usne phone uthaya.

"Hello... Vikram ji?" Sonam ne halki awaaz mein kaha.

Doosri taraf ek lambi saans ki aawaz aayi. Phir Vikram ki awaaz aayi—usme ek behad gehra aur bhara hua ehsaas tha.

"Sonam ji..." Vikram ne bas itna hi kaha. Uska gala bhar aaya tha.

"Aapko kheer kaisi lagi?" Sonam ne halki si muskaan ke sath pucha. Uski awaaz mein ek meethi aatmiyata thi.

"Yeh... yeh mere jeevan ka sabse khoobsurat janamdin hai, Sonam ji," Vikram ne behad dheemey se kaha. "Maa ke jaane ke baad aaj pehli baar laga ki koi mera bhi hai... jo mere akelapan ko samajhta hai."

Sonam ne khidki se bahar dhalati hui shaam ko dekha. Uske aansu uske gaal par beh nikle, lekin yeh aansu kisi dukh ke nahi, balki ek shuddh apnapan ke the.

"Aap kabhi akele nahi hain Vikram ji," Sonam ne kaha. "Bhagwan ne aapko itna sabko dene wala banaya hai... hum bas aapki khushi ke liye prarthna kar sakte hain."

Vikram ne phone ko kaan se lagaye rakha. "Main kheer khane ja raha hoon. Lagta hai jaise har ek chammach mein aapki dua aur shanti ghuli hui hai. Shukriya... iss soone ghar mein diye jalane ke liye."

"Aapna dhyan rakhna, Vikram ji. Janamdin mubaarak," Sonam ne kaha aur behad shanti se phone cut kar diya.

Sonam ne phone seene se laga liya. Unke beech koi physical touch nahi tha, koi samajik samjhauta nahi tha—lekin unke dil ke taar ek aisi dori se bandh chuke the jo samajik maryadaon ki har seema se upar aur pavitra thi.