"Who is She?":Chapter 5: Who is she?

Previous Navigation : Chapter 4: I love My Girl… and Matar paneer too :D
___________________________________

The best part of my love story is I met that accident because now I can see her for hours, without any tensions of going to college or reveries of Riya or to manage the blunders of Rohan, which he used to make every day, and even Bhoo started liking him so she was not irritating me at all and they formed their ‘special friendship’ too, and I think Bhoo will make him a little responsible if only she won’t become like him. They tried to sniff it many times that what I am up to but I always used to change the topic to food or something senseless, sometimes even I used to tell Bhoo to bring coffee for Rohan! And the worst part was still I didn’t even know the name of my love, nor heard her voice but I am sure both will be as beautiful as she is. Love is beautiful and makes everything beautiful too…love love love…I am loving it a lot.

It took me three weeks to get rid of the plaster and finally I stepped out of that room and walked on my own and you might have got that what I did first…yes looked at the balcony and when I saw that she is not there, I decided of going in, no matter how much his father wants me to be away from her, but today I am not going to stop at all… and to boost my confidence His father was right there, behind the gate, setting his Enfield to main stand! Now since I already half opened the gate I can’t go back, even if I want to dig deep inside the earth. He looked at me with who-the-hell-you-are look and asked “What? Whom you want to meet? Who are you?” three questions fired up from father of my girlfriend (yes she is my girlfriend, even when I know nothing about her) were enough to crush all my verbal abilities.

“ahHello sir, I am nNikhil, I live at Tiwari aunty’s home as PG” I stammered.

“OK. What you want?” and stated wiping the fuel tank as if he doesn’t care for whatever purpose I was standing there.

“I wanted to see your Bullet, it’s really good…back home I am a buleteer too” and I hit the right chord.

In next minute I was cleaning the chain and silencer while he was telling me about his adventures and to pour some more happiness she was sitting at the balcony happily looking at the future father-in-law and son-in-law talk. Being a biker can help in winning heart of your girlfriend’s father, I learned that day. I thought of asking about her but I wanted him to introduce me to his daughter, so I skipped it.

It took two hours, 3 liters of fuel, 100 grams of lube, 980 ml of engine oil, 100 liters of water and a handful polish to make me look my own reflection with her on the tank and making the other ‘Happy Man’ ask me to come in to freshen up and take some snacks. At first formally I said No with a fear if he will accept my NO, but he forcefully took me inside and told me to get settled on drawing room as he wanted to change the cloths.

I looked all around; it was actually bigger than I thought, heavy curtains, expansive carpets, lather covered couches, a huge plasma TV on front wall and what not, old man lives really lavish life huh. I heard someone coming towards me from behind and my heart started thumping equally as Enfield thumps and as I looked back….. I heard a voice...

.

.

.

“Saab Paani?” A Ramu kaka type uncle was there, having two glasses of water…God I thought she came to see me. Phew!

Uncle came back and took a glass and sat on the centre couch asked me some regular questions which he should have asked before, about family, about studies and all that. He instructed Ramu kaka (yes his real name was Ramu!) to prepare lunch for us and bring some juice (who takes juice at 2 pm). I insisted him that I should leave now, but he said “I will feel good if you will stay” and I stayed to feel good.

“You know son (I loved this word when he said it) I got two bullets, not the bikes but real bullets, one on my shoulder and one on my knee, and it cost me to get retired from Army before time. It’s been a long time I am staying here, but no one comes to see me, no old friends, no one from this society, not even from my own family, you know son, it’s really painful to live alone for such a long time.” started getting emotional as he looked at me. I could feel the pain in his voice and. He only looks tough but he is really emotional, good for me, I thought.

“Why you are saying so uncle? Where is aunty? Your kids?” I asked with a hidden intention of making him introduce ‘My Girl’ to me.

He took two photo frames from the side table and handed to me, one was his family photo with Him wearing Army’s uniform and his wife wearing Air force uniform (Now I know why she is so beautiful) and in other photo he was with her, I guess this photo is not more than a year old, she was wearing a blue top and a denim and was looking really gorgeous.

“After my retirement we moved to my old house, which is in a small village and on one fine day suddenly the labor pain started to my wife, she was pregnant of 8 months. I am talking about incident which happened years ago. I decided to drive her to the city hospital. It was month of September and rain was on full force like all clouds have decided to empty all the water right now. While driving I was really concerned about Leela, who was there on back seat. She was screaming in pain and I was already anxious and her pain was making me even more nervous. And then the hell happened, she screamed loudly and as I looked back I missed a signboard of blind turn and a speeding truck hit us from the right side. It made the car roll several times on road and we fell dawn from several hundred feet from the hill. I don’t remember what happened after but when I opened my eyes I was in hospital, and doctor came to see me. He told something which I still can’t believe, he told me that we were brought here in a very critical situation by villagers and my wife couldn’t survive, she couldn’t make it, but before leaving she left most precious gift to me, she gave birth to my daughter, Prachi, and as I saw her I thought she is the only reason why I survived” his eyes had tears which he wiped off and my tears had refused to stop. I never saw or heard as sad as this life story, I thought God is really cruel sometimes,

I tried to console him by saying “Sir at least you have Prachi as part of Leela aunty's soul, and I know you are a good father and you never make her feel the empty space of her mother” I really meant what I said.

“Son, I wish I was, I am really bad father, I made my girl cry, I forced her to forget her dreams, I killed all her desires, I made her life hell” and before I could understand anything he said “Since the childhood I forced my rules on her as being father of a girl is tough thing and somehow I believed that she is the reason of Leela’s demise. I killed her childhood and engraved my army rules on her but she never complained. Can you imagine a little girl with no mother and having no friends, all she can have is a cruel father…But she loved me because I was the only one for her”

“She reached her20’s and fall in love with Tiwari’s son; he used to talk with her from the window of the room where you are living now. You can always see her on balcony looking at the window. But one day I caught them talking like that and my anger made me devil. I took my belt and punished her as if loving someone is biggest mistake on earth and made her life even worst” I was clueless what I am listening to right now as it was really beyond my understanding. He kept on saying…

“Then the day came which I will never forget, she took whole box of sleeping pills and left a note saying I am sorry papa  and left me alone to die everyday”

And with his last sentence I felt a cold wind around me which is still making my heart shiver and I started walking towards the door.

And as I reached the door, he said “Son…” I looked back

“You saw her too?” I didn’t respond but moved on. And while leaving I had no courage left to see if She is seeing me or not…

Now I know “Who is She”

______________________

Next Navigation: Epilogue