NEXT DAY
“sir we have lunch meeting in 30 minutes…”swara said in very professional voice.sanskar smiles a little after hearing”sir” from her mouth.she was still upset from yesterday’s incident.
“okay we will leave now but before leaving,check the contract file,every condition should be in that.”sanskar said while standing on his feet.
“yes SIR…”swara said and leaves.sanskar released a suffering sigh.
AFTER 5 MINUTE
“sir file…”swara said giving him file as both were walking toward lift.sanskar takes file from her and opens it,he stopped in his track when his mobile ringed in the silent corridor.swara strikes with him because of his unexpected breaks.
“watch your steps…”sanskar said in normal voice as he has accepted her clumsy nature of striking here and there.
“sorry SIR…”swara said through greeted teeth.sanskar who was taking out mobile from inside of coat,his hand stopped a little then shook his head,attends call and entered inside lift,seeing its doors getting open.
IN THE PARKING AREA
Swasan were walking toward car while sanskar was talking on phone,swara quickly walks two steps further than him and opens door for him.sanskar looks at the open door of car then at her.
“i will call back…”sansakar said and cuts the call.
“what are you doing?…”sanskar asked while glaring at her.
“what happened SIR?…did i do something wrong again?”swara asked,acting to be innocent.
“stop all this right now…”sanskar said in warning.
“what am i doing?…you only said i am not professional,i am just trying to be professional”swara said in meaningful tone.sanskar closes the door of car and stares at her silently for a minute then his eyes sparkled thinking about something.
“hmm…its start of new month and you must have got salary today so i was just thinking to let you off for few hours,you must be wanted to go for shopping but never mind as you have took this decision today so i don’t think i have to do that right?…”sanskar asked in no-nonsense tone.swara stares at him and nodded slowly.
“very good…”sanskar said,controlling his laugh,opens door and sit behind wheels.
“shopping!…”swara thought in mind.swara’s face was like she will cry any time.
“we are getting late…”sanskar said,seeing her standing there still.swara muttered something under her breath,walks acroos the car and sit beside him in passenger seat.sanskar starts the car and drove off.
there was complete silence in car,swara was looking outside the window while arms were crossed over chest,showing her mood is off.sanskar was taking glimpse of her time after time,as her slow muttering were reaching to his ear.
AFTER 10 MINUTES
“sir i was thinking that…”swara tried to speak but sanskar cuts her.
“thinking suits to those who have brain…so don’t bother yourself.”sanskar said in mocking tone.
“you are right,i am stupid because i give respect to those who don’t deserve…just like you,mr.burnt bitter gourd”swara said getting furious at his mocking.
“WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME?..”sanskar said through greeted teeth,controlling his anger after hearing his sweet nick name.
“BURNT BITTER GOURD!!!….are you deaf or what”swara said loudly.sanskar looks at her angrily then looks at road.
“you know i never liked bitter gourd in childhood but mama used to say…they are bitter but healthy but you are burnt bitter gourd…BITTER AND INJURIOUS TO HEALTH”
“you know what…go to hell,i am only mad, for thinking to be nice with you…”sanskar said,stops car with jerk and start turning it back.
“what are you doing?…shopping mall is only 5 minutes far,i want to go for shopping”swara said worriedly,as she was able to see the giant building through window shield.
“i was thinking to drop you there but i am BURNT BITTER GOURD…how can i do this?”sanskar said in anger filled voice.
“sanskar stop the car otherwise i will call uncle and tell everything…you are forgetting the condition”swara said in threatening voice.sanskar clenches the starring wheel and pulls breaks.
“you are only straight in front of your father…”swara said while giggling,opens door of her side and was going to step down when she pulled back with jerk.her heart jumped from its place as she struck with his chest.swara looks at his face with fast beating heart.
“you have 2 and half hour…got it?”sanskar said in deep yet soft tone.swara nodded slowly,not able to speak because of his closeness.
“better…”sanskar said and leaves her arm.swara tucks her hair strand behind ear nervously and steps down from car and closes the door.sanskar looks at her through window then drove off.
*********************************
SHOPPING MALL
“what’s taking so long….”sanskar said and looked at his wrist watch.he shook his head and dails swara’s number.
“where the hell are you?…”sanskar said angrily.
“here!…”swara said and knocked at glass window.sanskar looked at her and opens the lock.swara opens the door and sits inside.
“are you seeing the time?…”
“you gave me so less time…i was not able to complete my shopping.”swara complained while looking at her bags.
“your shopping is still incomplete?…”sanskar asked in shocked voice as she came half an hour late.sanskar was lucky that meeting took more time than his thought.
“hmm…i didn’t even went to clothes section,i hardly buy jewelry and shoes.”swara looks at him with cute pout.
“can’t believe it…”sanskar muttered to himself and started the car.
“but never mind…i will complete my shopping tomorrow.”
“what?…who is going to let you off tomorrow?”sanskar turned toward her with jerk after hearing her blabber.
“YOU!…”swara said sweetly with full confidence and blinks at him rapidly.sanskar lost his words at her confidence but controls himself quickly.
“stop day dreaming.”sanskar said firmly
“but my dresses are remaining…..”swara said in pleading voice.sanskar stares at her sad face and curse her badly.
“get down…”sanskar said and comes out himself.swara gets happy and also comes out.
“i don’t understand why women takes so much time in deciding for pair of dresses”sanskar said in annoyed tone while walking toward clothes’s section.
“because we are intelligent…”Answer came in millisecond.
“NO…because women are complexion’s patient,spend hours to think,in which dress they will look good but one thing don’t get in their mind,they will look the same no matter which dress they will wear as their face remain same….right?”
“right…”swara agreed with him unwillingly because she didn’t want him to get angry and cancel the plan of shopping.sanskar stops near saree’s rank and takes out number saree in few minutes and gives it to swara.
“check your size,pay for these and be quick.”sanskar ordered her.
“but these are sarees….neither i know how to wear it nor i like it”swara said with tensed face.
“then why were you wearing saree that day…stop making excuses”sanskar glares at her.
“which day?…i never wore saree in my whole life”swara said confusingly.
“such a liar….the day your brought sunny and pari to my house first time,weren’t you wearing pink saree.”
“O! that day kavita helped to wear it because it was very important to wear it otherwise i never wore it…”swara explains to him and start putting sarees back in rank.
“you have such a sharp memory,you even remember the color…how many almonds do you eat?’swara asked in general tone,she was still putting sarees in rank otherwise she would have clearly noticed changing color of sanskar’s face as someone have caught him red handed.
“you didn’t answer….i will also eat”swara turned toward him and looks at him with shining eyes.
“i just remembered we had very important meeting in 2 hours,we need to leave right now.”sanskar said in authoritative tone,turned and start walking out from there with firm steps.
“sanskar but my shopping…..”swara said and quickly goes and stands in front of him.
“what happened to you all of sudden?…”
“swara i am not in mood to argue…if you still want to complete your shopping than come office yourself.”sanskar said in low anger filled voice.
“why are you angry all of sudden?….please please at least let me buy one dress,my parents wedding anniversary is in this month…just one dress,please”swara said in pleading voice with puppy dog eyes.
“fine..you have 5 minute”
“5?…”swara asked in disbelief voice.
“you are wasting your time…”sanskar said in uncaring tone and looked at his wrist watch.swara beats her forehead and looks around and her eyes stopped at a dress.
“excuse me please…pack that dress”swara said loudly,while pointing at dress.
“sure ma’am…in which size?”
“small…”swara said quickly and looks at time in her mobile.
“extra small…”sanskar said after looking at swara from top to bottom.
“no..no i always wear small size dresses.pack smile size”swara said while shaking her head in negative.
“i am telling you,pack extra mall size”sanskar said while looking at salesgirl.
“you know my size or i know my size?…”swara said and glares at sanskar.
“ma’am why don’t you try it…which size will fit you,buy that.”salesgirl said with professional smile.
“but i don’t have time to…”swara tried to say but sanskar cut her.
“give her both sizes….”sanskar ordered,goes and sit on spare chair.swara looks at him with confused face.
“ma’am?…’salesgirl called her and sign her to come with her.swara nodded and goes with her.
“when did i lose weight?…”swara asked from herself while looking inside the mirror.Extra small size fitted her like another skin.swara makes bad bad faces and starts removing the dress.
She comes out from changing room and walks toward counter,not looking toward sanskar.
“ma’am sir payed the bill before leaving…”
“what?…”swara said and looks back with jerk,he was not setting there.her eyes goes wild open.
“shit!…’swara beats her forehead,picks up packed dress and run outside.she takes deep breath,seeing car parked there.she opens the door and sits inside.sanskar looks at her,starts the car and takes out car from parking.
“in which size you?”sanskar asked,without looking at her.
“extra small…”swara said in hardly audible voice.sanskar lip’s corner lift up in small smile.
“all because of you…you gave me so much tension therefore i lose weight otherwise….”swara was saying something but sanskar turned on music and increases the volume.swara’s face turned red in a second,seeing his ignoring her like that.she shuts her mouth,digs holes in his head for few minutes then looks outside.
AFTER FEW DAYS
“i think,someone is getting married inside…we should go inside”swara said excitedly and looks at sanskar.
“No we are not going anywhere….”sanskar said shaking his head.swara makes face and again lays against the car.swsan were standing outside the church,from where they were going to pick sanskar’s new date.they were laying against the car side by side as their shoulders were inches apart.
“bride and groom are coming…’swara said excitedly and takes two steps to go near to see clearly but sanskar holds her arm.swara closed her eyes,released a sigh and looks back.
“what?…i just want to see bride and groom,your date will not come until the newly married couple don’t leave.i will come back before her.”swara said and give him her cutest smile.
“before that girl finds me?…”sanskar asked with one raised eye brow.Swara nodded and sanskar leaves her arm.swara smiles at him,turns back and walks forward.Groom comes first then he offers his hand to gride,she holds his hand and both walks together on beautiful path.
“so beautiful…”swara said,while gazing at bride and groom.swara saw girls gathering around bride as she was going to throw flowers,swara gets excited and quickly goes toward them.sanskar who was starring at her,gets worried seeing her going inside the crowd because he was finding it hard to find her.
“please please God…”swara pleaded with joined hands.Bride throw flowers and those landed in swara’s hand.
“yes!…’swara jumps happily while others girls make sad faces and starts getting dispersed.
“i can’t believe.finally i caught these flowers.”swara said,not able to believe at her luck.
“congratulations….”bride said to her with bright smile.swara looks at her and bites her tongue as she didn’t see her standing there.
“congratulations for the marriage…may God bless you with a lot of happiness.”swara quickly said.bride smiles at her cuteness.
“shall we leave?..”groom asked from bride,she nodded and both leaves from there.she looks at her flowers,turns happily and goes toward sanskar, starring at her flowers.
“sanskar see i caught the flowers..these are so beautiful.”swara said and shows him flowers happily.sanskar looks at her beaming face and smiles but quickly hides it when she looked at him.
“you are late…”sanskar whispered while give her a glare.swara looks at him confusingly,sanskar sign to look forward.
“oh!…i am sorry i didn’t see you.”swara said in apologetic tone and forward her hand.girl smiles and shakes hand with her.
“you should stop worrying about your father now…”girl said while looking at sanskar.
‘what do you mean?..’sanskar asked confusingly.
“you know its says the girl who catch these flowers,she gets married real soon…..”girl said and sanskar felt like something get stuck in his throat and he starts coughing.both girls looked at him,swara gets worried at his continuous coughing,takes out water bottle and gives him.
“are you okay?…”swara asked worriedly.
“thank you…”sanskar said while coughing,opens the bottle and drinks half bottle in one gulp.swara turns toward the girl.
“i also have heard this but is this truth?..”swara asked while looking at girl with unsure eyes.
“yes…you know,my friend also caught these flowers and she got married in just two months.”
“really?…”swara asked,making her eyes wide eyes,girls nodded and swara hugs her happily.sanskar again opens water bottle and starts drinking.
“sorry…”swara said after breaking hug.
“its okay…i think i should leave now,all the best”girl said with smile and leaves.
“i should call dad and tell him this …’swara said happily, she walks around the car,sits inside and takes out mobile starts dialing shekhar’s number.
“this is stupid…’sanskar said to himself and takes deep breath.he also sit inside car and fastened the seat belt and started the car.
“he is always busy…i should call mama”swara said with twitched nose after hearing the busy tone.
“what’s the need to catch those stupid flowers…”sanskar said,holding the starring wheel very tight,in the same way he was holding his inner feelings.
“these are not stupid….mind your tongue”swara glares at her and looks at mobile’s screen with pouted face.
“mama’s is also not picking up…i think i should go myself and show these to them.”
“what’s the need to do this?…your parents had never seen flowers?”sanskar greeted his teeth in such way that they cried in pain.
“they have seen flowers but these are special….you know my dad thinks i am a kid and not ready for marriage,now i will show him these and tell him that ‘see dad,God is also giving signals…starts looking a match for me'”swara keeps on blabbering about marriage,testing sanskar’s patient.
1…2…3
Sanskar picks up flowers from her lap and throw it out from window.swara who was speaking a lot,lost her voice and looks at him with full open mouth.
“WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?…MY FLOWERS?”swara shouted in dilemma,not able to believe what he just did.
“i hate flowers…”sanskar said in peaceful voice,he was feeling relax after throwing them.
“stop the car right now…”swara said in furious loud voice.
“watch your pitch….”sanskar said and gives her a glare.
“i am saying something…stop the damn car otherwise i will jump.”swara said in threatening voice,unlock the car and opens the door a little.
“don’t be stupid…you will get hurt,close the door”sanskar said angrily.
“are you stopping or not?”swara said in same tone as his.sanskar’s anger reaches to his peak.
“you want t jump then jump now”he said,changes the gear and increases the speed above 120.
“why are you like this?”swara asked in wet voice and closes the door.
‘those were just stupid flowers…”sanskar said in soft tone after hearing her low voice.
“those were special…”swara said in such tone which again made him angry.
“why are you so immature,i don’t understand why did i even bring you here?”sanskar said in regretful voice and stopped car as signals were red.
“don’t worry sir…you will not regret again.”swara said,opens the door and steps down but turns back and bends down to see him inside the car.
“because i am not going to come with you again,in fact i will not even come office from now…find someone else for yourself.”she said,close the door with bang and starts walking on foot-path.
“swara!….”sanskar calls her after coming outside the car but instead of turning back,she stops taxi and sits inside.signals turned green and taxi vanished,leaving dust behind.sanskae was still standing outside the car while people shouting behind to move.
TO BE CONTINUED….