PAST
“swara when your pay is coming?”chachi asked,stoping her from going out.
“after three days…”swara said in low voice.chachi nodded and started thinking where to spend it.
“can i go?”swara asked,looking at her with pity.
“hmm and do your work nicely…..”chachi said in extra sweet voice.swara nodded and leaves.
‘captain!…”sunny called her from back and run toward her.
‘why you didn’t go school today?..”swara asked with narrowed eyes.
“wo actually…i have pain in my tummy..”sunny said,keeping hand on stomach.
“liar…”swara twist his ear.
“aaa!…”sunny frees his ear and twitch his nose.
“i came here to tell you..toay is match…dare if you came late”sunny said pointing finger at her then turns and run back to house.
“what days came..little kiddos also give warning…wah!”swara said giggling and walks toward bus stop.
OFFICE
“sir you called me?…”swara said after knocking at door.a man in his late 60’s looks at her and nodded.
“please come in…”her boss said smiling.she enters inside and sit opposite to him.he gives her a letter.
“what is this sir?..’swara asked confusingly
“this is your promotion letter….”sir said with smile.swara opens it and reads it.she didn’t feel happy at all.
“thank you so much sir….”swara said with faint smile.
“you are not looking happy…is there any problem?”he asked.
“no sir i am happy…thank you.”swara said,gets up and leaves.she went back to her cabin and put letter to side and holds her head.
her eyes gets narrowed seeing a gift pack on her table with one rose attached on its top.
“uncle who give this?..’swara asked from aged peon.he shrugged in response.swara looks at it confusingly.suddenly one ring tone start coming from it.
Few workers raised their head and looked at her(during work-hour,using phone is not allowed).swara give them sheepish smile,gets up and moves toward washroom.
she removes the rose and opens the pack and finds a mobile inside it.swara bites her bottom lip then picks call and keeps it on ear.
“hello!…”swara said confusingly.
“how much time you took to attend call…”sanskar said in annoyed voice.
“who is this?…’swara asked being very confused.
“God why didn’t you snatch my hearing sense before hearing this…..how can you forget me?”sanskar said in dramatic voice.swara looks at screen with wide eyes then again keeps it on ear.
“i think your gift came to wrong girl…”swara said and cut the call and starts packing it again.
“i don’t think so….hello…hello”sanskar said then looks at disconnected call.sanskar shakes his head and again calls her.swara makes face and picks call.
“why the hell you cut the call?…”sanskar said in annoyed tone.swara didn’t reply to him.
“don’t you have manners….this how you behave with your savior.if i would have not helped you then you would have stay in gent’s washroom whole night”sanskar said in one go.
“you…”swara beats her forehead.
“yes its me….”
“what is this?…”
“i send you gift…instead of saying thanks to me.you are asking questions.”sanskr asked in irritated voice.
“thank you but i can’t keep it…if my chachi…”swara tried to speak but sanskar cut her.
“don’t tell you chachi about it….the way you don’t tell her about you cricket matches.”sanskar said in meaningful tone
“how do you know?..”swara asked with wide eyes.sanskar laughed in response,hearing her scared voice.
“isn’t it your work hours…keep this phone.it will help you when you will again get stuck in washroom.’sanskar said and end the call.
“hello!…”swara makes face and started thinking what to do.just then mob ile beeped with sanskar’s message.
“BE THE WAY…CONGRATULATIONS FOR YOUR PROMOTION….KEEP THIS MOBILE OTHERWISE I WILL TELL YOUR SECRETS TO YOUR CHACHI AND DON’T TELL CHACHI ABOUT PROMOTION…..STUPID GIRL”
“what secrets…hey bhagwan”swara murmured in sacred voice.
*********************
“captain you started steeling…..such days came”sunny said,looking at mobile.swara slaps on his head.
“do something….its voice should not come.”swara said worriedly.
“its called silent mood..’sunny said like a teacher and show her how to keep it on silent.
“do you how to type message?”sunny asked looking at her suspiciously.
“i don’t need it…”swara said making face.
“if you had finally got a mobile then learn it also…..”sunny said and show her how to type message.
“captain…don’t give to churail chachi(witch aunt)…she will snatch it.’sunny whispered in her ear.
‘where will i hide it?…chachi ji will kill me”swara asked while making face.
“nothing will happen…is there any game in this.”sunny asked wit twinkling eyes.swara gives him mobile.
“wait here…i will just come’sunny said while running toward his house.
Swara scratches her head,looking at mobile.Right then it started ringing.swara thanked God when its voice didn’t come.
“hey!…what’s up?”sanskar asked in cheerful tone.
“nothing…..i was thinking about you”swara said honestly.
“OMG!…you were thinking about meeeee?…i can’t believe it.what were you thinking?”sanskar asked in over dramatic tone.
“are you always like this?..’swara asked in annoyed tone.sanskar just laughed a little.
“about what secrets you were talking about?”swara asked,coming to the point direct.
“if i will tell you then they will not remain secrets…”
“why are you blackmailing me?…”swara asked with worried face.
“arra yaar!….you take tension too much.i am not going to tell your chachi anything.its just,i never met ablanari girl like before….its my pleasure”sanskar said in mocking tone.
‘i am not ablanari..”swara said angrily.
“you are like those daily soap serials….everyone is doing injustice with her and she keeps silence….BICHARI,MASOOM,ABLANARI”sanskar said ,making fun of her.
Swara fumed in anger, cut the call,keep phone at bench and walks toward house with red face.
“did i speak too much….”sanskar said in thoughtful tone.
NEXT DAY
“ma’am someone gave this for you…”peon give her another gift pack with one rose and leaves.
“jerk….”swara keeps it on side and continue her work.Swara finsihes her work in evening,picks her bag to leave and looks at gift.she cursed herself and sit back on chair.
she removes rose and opens pack.she takes out a plain bracelent with a note.
“so much anger….i am sorry but truth is always bitter.anyway forget and take mobile from sunny…if not then i have number of your chachi’s mobile”
“blackmailer…”swara said through gritted teeth then looks at bracelet.she bites her bottom lip and keeps bracelet on her wrist.she shakes her head and drop it in her bag.
***************************
“what is you name?…”swara asked while eating food in alone room.
“nameeee”sanskar stretches it long.
“why you don’t tell me your name?”swara asked with twitched nose.
“why you want to know?….want to complain in police?”sanskar asked with raised eyebrows.
“shut up….wanted to complain then i would have done that long back”swara said while making face.
“i just forgot…how can YOU do something?’sanskar said in teasing voice.
“don’t you dare to start again…i will end the call”swara said in warning tone.
“this is your very bad habit…why you run from things?”sanskar asked in annoyed tone.
“i asked about your name….what should i call you?”swara said while rolling her eyes.
“boyfriend…”sanskar said in normal tone.
“what!!!…’swara asked while coughing.
“i know…having a girlfriend like you is not my standard.”sanskar said in serious tone.
“you are timing passing with me..’swara asked with twitched nose.
“off course…listen don’t fall for me.i know its very hard for you to resist but please don’t.”sanskar said in his usual dramatic tone.
“in your dreams…who will fall for idiot,careless jerk like you”swara said while rolling her eyes.
‘you have no idea…how many girls love me.they can die just to take a look of me.”sanskar said in proud voice.swara laughed in mocking tone.
“end this call or get out from here….don’t sleep yourself and don’t let me sleep”karan said throwing daggers at sanskar.
“swara…i have early morning bus tomorrow,need to sleep.”sanskar said,looking at karan angrily.
“where are you going now?….”swara asked,going toward washroom to wash hands.
“back home….trip is over.you want something from here”sanskar asked in general tone.
“No thank….i am tired of hiding your gifts….and how the hell you send it when you are not even in this city?”swara asked in confused voice.
“magic..’sanskar said chuckling.
“Magic…”swara mimics him.sanskar laughed and karan throw pillow at his face.
“sanskar!!!!….”karan shouted at top of his lungs.
“your name is sanskar?…..your is just opposite of your character”swara said and laughed loudly.sanskar throw daggers at karan for shouting his name.
“okay bye…”sanskar said and end the call.he keeps mobile in his pent’s pocket,picks up pillow and hits karan angrily.
“what is your problem?….when you talk with your girlfriend whole night then i say something?”sanskar said angrily.
“oye there is a lot difference between this…she is my gilfriend.i don’t know,you both never met each other,never saw each other face but your talks don’t get end”karan said in hell irritated voice.
“i have seen her…she is very beautiful and what the need of meeting.i am just time passing.when i will get bore i will stop talking.”sanskar said in careless tone.
“this is your time pass….whole day your mobile is on your ear and in remaining time your busy in sending her pictures.”karan wanted to grab his neck.
“uffho!….she can’t visit such beautiful places therefore i send her pics….what is problem is this?”sanskar asked,not able to understand his point.
“did you send one picture to kavya?..’karan asked,looking at him with narrowed eyes.
“what are you trying to say?…’sanskar asked dryly.
“this is getting too much…”karan said said in serious tone.
“shut up and sleep……and we will take root of Agra.’sanskar said laying down on bed.
“we will go from other root…enough of your stupidity”karan said angrily.sanskar just smiles.
*************************************
“don’t smile at me like this….i will kill you with my own hands”karan said,fuming in anger.sanskar chuckles and looks out from window,thinks for sometime the takes out mobile from pocket.
karan looks at him and shakes his head.
“where are you?..”sanskar asked without greetings.
‘its office time sanskar……”swara said in bored tone.
“why don’t you leave this job when you don’t like it….”sanskar said,looking outside from window.
“do you want me to get killed…’swara said in same bored tone.
“miss.girlfriend how long you are going to stay like this?….”sanskar said in annoyed tone.karan holds his head,feeling bore.he gets up and change seat.not wanting to hear their rubbish talks.
“what can i do?..”swara said sadly.
“don’t sound like ablanari….’sanskar said in irritated voice.swara twitched her nose at that and was going to end the call.
‘don’t you dare to end the call…..”sanskar said in threatening voice.
“why you always make fun of my helplessness…..when you can’t understand then at least don’t make fun.”swara said in hurt voice.there was a small pause
“i am sorry swara but i don’t understand…please make me understand why are you living in between such greedy people”sanskar said in serious tone.swara keeps silence.
“i asked something…”sanskar said in same serious tone.
“you can say such things and can do also because you know…your parents are there to support you.i have no one….i know its sounds like ablanari but if i will not give my salary then chachi ji will lock me in dark room and there will be no one to open that lock….”
One tear falls down from her eyes.she ends the call and keep it on desk.swara takes deep breath,wipes her tear and get back to work.
Sanskar stares at screen,silently.
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