It was Monday morning and still no-one was in a hurry in the Maheshwari house. Rakesh had just returned home after buying vegetables and was now noting down the expenses. He was calculating the monthly expense of milk, grossery, vegetables, and newspaper as it was 1st April. He kept the money for the house rent in the separate chain of his black leather bag and started counting the rest of the notes. Naina had studied for an hour in the morning and was now preparing for lunch with Sameer after breakfast. Sameer had objected and asked her to rest, being the 3rd day of her periods, but she just wanted to be him after seeing his mood yesterday. So they both were preparing for the matar-pulao, dal-fry and roti-sabzi while talking non-stop.

It must be 11 in the morning when the cordless in the living room rang and Rakesh stood up to answer.

"Hello." He said.

But no-one spoke from the other side. He spoke again. "Helllooooo."

There was just a silence on the other side. Rakesh frowned. "Kaun hai Bhai? Kisse baat karni hai?" He got annoyed now after getting no response, "arre bhai baat nahi karni hoti toh phone kyun karte ho?" And smacked the cordless into the cordless holder.

His loud voice could be heard in the kitchen and Naina peeped, "kaun tha Papa?"

Going back to his place again, Rakesh chided, "pata nahi kaun tha. Jab baat nahi karni hoti toh phone kyun karte hai log pata nahi." He muttered some inaudible words and poked his head in his diary again.

Sameer giggled and bent towards Naina, "Papa ki aawaz sunke darr gaya hoga bechara", laughing again at his statement.

Naina pondered over it for a moment and said, "Bechara ya Bechari?" She raised her brows.

"Matlab?" Sameer asked, not understanding her point.

"Kahin..." Naina said dramatically, "tumhari woh Teju ka toh phone nahi tha?"

Sameer actually couldn't comprehend why Naina was talking like this. "Woh kyun mujhe phone karegi? Aur yeh 'meri Teju' kya hai? Usko sabhi log Teju hi bulate hai... Itna bada naam kaun lega har baar?" He was a little miffed.

Naina blinked. How could Sameer know about Tejashree's feelings for him? It was a wife's sharp gaze that had grasped her feelings but there wasn't any possibility that Sameer may know about it. She cleared her throat, "arey, mai mazak bass kar rahi thi Sameer. Tum gussa kyun ho rahe ho?" She tried to lighten the mood.

He gave her a fake angry stare and focused again on peeling the green peas ahead of him.

Some five minutes later, they heard the telephone ring again and Rakesh instructed from the living room, "Sameer, tum dekho toh kaun hai", unaware of the conversation the husband-wife had in the kitchen.

Naina just sniggered, keeping her palm over her mouth and Sameer passed an angry stare at her for real, but the continuous ring forced him to leave from there.

"Hello." He unnecessarily sounded harsh. "Ji. Ji Sir." He immediately calmed down.

"Kya? Sach me? Sir aaj 1st April hai, aap mazak toh nahi kar rahe?" Sameer couldn't control the smile on his face.

His eyes shone listening to the person on the other side. "Ek minute Sir..." He fixed the cordless between his shoulder and ear and opened a small diary kept on the table to note down something.

"Hmm... hmm... ji.. okay Sir." He scribbled a few things on the diary. "Aur thank you so much personally phone karne ke liye", he said, putting the diary back on the table and disconnected the call.

He heaved in exhilaration and turned, "Nainaaaaaa...." He called her. Rakesh too looked at Sameer with curiosity.

As Naina joined in the living room, Sameer informed, "Naina... Papa... Anil Sir ka phone tha. Jinhone mera ad direct kiya tha." His eyes reflected happiness.

"Kya keh rahe the?" Naina queried as her smile widened in excitement.

"Unhone mujhe personally phone karke bataya ki mera ad aaj se TV pe dikhne wala hai..." Sameer was elated.

Naina was so much delighted with the news, and she just placed her palms on her mouth to control the over-enthusiasm. Rakesh too smiled brightly after listening to such pleasant news.

Naina jumped slightly, "Sachhi Sameer?"

"Haan Naina. Aaj se hafte bhar ke liye din me char baar dikhega mera ad... Nahi... mera nahi..." He took a pause and stepped closed to Naina, "Hamara ad." He added, holding her shoulders.

They were lost in each other's eyes, sinking in the happiness of their first success together in Mumbai. Smiling widely, they were about to hug each other when Rakesh cleared his throat.

They looked at him as he said, "yeh toh badi achchhi baat hai Sameer. Lekin din me sirf char baar? Matlab TV kya poore samay shuru rakhna padega?" He asked his doubt.

"Nahi Papa. Sir ne timings bhi bataye hai." Sameer tried to clear Rakesh's confusion. "Aur naye ads aise hi dikhte hai. Jaise logon ka response rehta hai, waise woh TV pe dikhte hai."

He opened the small diary and showed them the timings. The first time it would be played during 6-6:30 in evening in between some informative program on Doordarshan, the second would be during the daily news at 7:30pm on it, then it would feature during the show 'Baat Banegi Apni' on Zee TV and the last would be during the show 'Swabhimaan' again on DD.

He was so happy today. It was almost more than five hours for the first time slot of the ad to come up but he just couldn't wait for it. It was indeed a special moment for him. He was going to see himself on the television screen for the first time. Something he had imagined only in his dreams. It was a different thing to stand in front of the camera and deliver the given dialogues. But to see himself on that very screen made him thrilled. And it wasn't just that, he would be seeing himself speak something written by his wife, his Naina. And that just doubled up his happiness.

He lifted the cordless and stated, "mai sabko bata ke aata hu", and ran to the bedroom.

Naina too jumped in excitement and announced, "Mai Preeti ko bata ki aati hu." And she too ran while Rakesh just kept staring for a moment at his two children running with zest and then went to the kitchen to continue with the preparation of lunch.

Sameer dialed a number and hoped for the person to receive the call he wanted to. But to his disappointment, it was someone he didn't want to.

"Hello." Mr. Somani answered.

Sameer closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Mummy se baat kar sakta hu?" He asked straight.

Vivek said gently, "Sameer... Kaise ho tum?"

Sameer kept his voice low, "mai thik hu. Mummy hai kya?" He asked again.

"Haan ek minute." Vivek walked to Vishakha and handed her the cordless.

"Sameer... Kaisa hai tu beta?" Her voice contained affection.

"Mai thik hu Mummy. Aap kaise ho?"

"Mai bhi bilkul thik hu. Aaj Mummy ki yaad kaise aa gayi?" Vishakha teased him.

Sameer smiled, "Mummy, maine ek ad shoot kiya tha kuchh din pehle. Aaj se woh TV pe dikhne wala hai. Wahi batana tha aapko. Dekh lena. Aap woh Swabhimaan serial dekhti hai na, uske break me dikhega."

"Arey wahh!!" Vishakha exclaimed, "yeh toh badi achchhi khabar sunayi hai mere bete ne... zaroor dekhungi mai..." She was overwhelmed. "Sameer, I'm proud of you beta... aise hi kaam karo, aur khub tarakki karo. Mera aashirwaad hamesha tumhare sath hai."

"Thank you Mummy." Sameer became a little emotional listening to this.

A few words he always wanted to hear from his mother. And apparently, it happened more often in recent times. All because of Naina. Naina had indeed brought a change in him, for good. He had started controlling his anger. He was becoming a responsible person and also was understanding the value of money now.

They talked for a few minutes and then disconnected. He then called Munna, Pandit and Anand to inform about the same. All seemed to be very happy and excited after listening to the news.

Meanwhile, Naina came back from Preeti's house and joined Rakesh in the kitchen. They all had lunch while discussing the happenings of the day of the ad shoot again. There was a constant smile on everyone's face. And they were waiting for the clock to strike 6 in the evening for the first run of the commercial.

As they finished lunch and the post-lunch cleaning, Naina headed to the bedroom intending to study. She was immediately followed by her husband, who looked playful with his mischievous smile and she felt her dupatta getting pulled behind when she just entered the room. Sameer locked the door with one hand and slowly pulled her dupatta again. A blush covered Naina's cheeks and she held the dupatta near her throat and turned. She raised her brows in a question as if to ask Sameer what he meant by this act. But he just winked and wrapped the dupatta over his palm to pull her closer. This time, Naina didn't resist and let the dupatta fall from her body.

"Kya chal raha hai Mr. Maheshwari ke dimag me?" She asked while keeping her hands on her waist.

Sameer went closer to her, "Itni achchhi khabar di maine tumhe, toh uske badle meetha toh milna chahiye na..." His voice turned husky.

She was about to move back but Sameer instantly wrapped the dupatta across her lower back and pulled her closer to him with it, the pull making her crash on his chest. He locked his hands behind her, "maine kaha, mujhe meetha chahiye."

She rested her hands on his chest, "fridge me chocolates hai. Lekin woh mere liye hai." She made a cute face, narrowing her eyes.

"Woh mujhe chahiye bhi nahi... mujhe toh mera wala hi meetha chahiye." Saying this, he dipped his head and pecked her lips, ust to figure out if she was okay with it. But soon he got the signal as she wrapped her hands around his neck and lifted herself on her toes. And without wasting a single moment, he captured her lips in a heated kiss. Deep, passionate but full of love. She too responded with equal fervor and they both were lost in moments of ecstasy.

Soon Sameer went to Aditya to share this and Naina settled for studying. As he came back within minutes, he saw Naina with her books and he sat beside her with some film magazines. But he just couldn't focus on reading it either. His mind was wandering to the commercial. How he was rehearsing the lines, how Naina mocked the sript, how she suggested some absolutely brilliant new lines and how the director Anil changed it on spot. As far as he knew the advertising world, he didn't expect the lines getting changed on spot or even paying the person for it immediately. The generosity shown by Anil Sir there had restored his faith in people when he had started losing it due to the insult he faced at the producer's office.

He put down the magazine feeling restless, not able to wait till 6pm. He got up and started pacing in the room, doing just some random things in between. Sometimes he would check himself in the mirror on the wall, would just look at the collection of cassettes on the table or just peep outside the window. He just wanted to pass the time.

"Sameer, kya kar rahe ho tum?" Naina was piqued by his actions.

"Aa... kuchh nahi." He shrugged, and replied with a cute smile as he could easily recognize her tone.

"Toh kabse ghoom kyun rahe ho aise? Mujhe disturb ho raha hai na." She chided.

"Aa... Sorry... Mai bahar baithta hun, tum padho aaramse." He gently replied and stepped out, not wanting to disturb her.

It was finally 6pm in the evening and everyone settled on the sofa in the living room and switched on Doordarshan channel on the television. Some informative program was going on and Rakesh and Naina were listening patiently to it. But Sameer just kept on checking the wall clock and was waiting for the commercial break on it. After 10 minutes, the first commercial break took place and all of them braced themselves to see Sameer on the screen in front of them. Almost seven commercials featured and the program resumed again. With a little disappointment, they waited again. As the second comercial break commenced, all their eyes were on the TV and after two commercials, they finally saw Sameer on the screen speaking,

Jab khana ho swadisht khana,

Le aaiye A1 cooker ka khazana,

Biwi ko mile aaram,

Aur Kitchen ka kaam tamaam...

As the pressure cooker logo featured on the screen, Naina clapped excitedly looking at Sameer. Rakesh too proudly patted on Sameer's shoulder and Sameer... well he was just awestruck by the feeling of watching himself on the screen. He was looking so handsome in that blue shirt, he noticed. So the cinematographer did his job well. The background score and the lighting also added to the beauty of the commercial. A mere thirty seconds advertisement had turned the environment of the Maheshwari home into cheerful claps.

The same thing happened for the next three time slots too. They would disperse for the dinner preparation and come back for the half an hour slot given by Anil Sir. After the final slot of Swabhimaan break, Anand, Munna, Pandit and Vishakha buzzed Sameer over the phone, congratulating him for his first commercial and every time he informed them with pride that the lines were written by Naina. It was a proud moment for all to see Sameer slowly making a way towards success.

That night was probably one of the most beautiful nights spent by Sameer and Naina after coming to Mumbai. They hugged each other tightly, they celebrated their feat by sharing a chocolate, they cuddled, they kissed passionately, they talked non-stop dreaming about their beautiful future, they imitated how Sameer would give autograph to people and how Naina would admire him, they discussed about the heroines Sameer should work with, debating between Karisma Kapoor, Twinkle Khanna, Shilpa Shetty and Urmila Matondkar, and finally slept by embracing in each other's arms.

The next four days weren't different than Monday. The routine was the same. Naina would spend the day while studying, Rakesh would go out if there's any work or read and Sameer would call for the auditions. Surprisingly he didn't get a single audition call in these four days and he was at home for the whole time. He found it very boring to stay at home like this while Naina was immersed in her books. He knew he couldn't distract her or divert her attention to something else as he had warned himself not to disturb her in her hours of studies. In the evening, they all would again sit for watching his commercial and eventually the whole program, it would feature in. Even Rakesh had learnt the lines of the ad and he would repeat it with Sameer whenever they saw it. The nights would be spent with dish-wash routines, night walks and chatters.

In these days, Sameer was congratulated by Preeti-Shubham, Aditya and Jatin. They were happy too and would mimic the ad and praise for the lines written. He was also recognized by a few other society members they had not interacted much with, the vendor at their regular grossery shop and a bhajiwala. And whenever Naina was with him during such events, every time she was feeling a surge of pride by looking at her husband, as how humbly he was responding to people's comments and how every time he told that she was the writer for that ad.

They got the blank calls for two more times in these days, and coincidentally both the times it was Rakesh who picked the call. Naina would tease Sameer that it was certainly for him and even Rakesh was convinced that some girls might be calling for Sameer.

It was Saturday afternoon and the telephone rang again in the Maheshwari house. Naina was in the bedroom collecting the clothes for washing while Sameer and Rakesh were in the living room. This time Rakesh didn't pick it deliberately and just waited for Sameer to pick up. Sameer sighed and answered the call.

"Hello." He said. "Ji, bol raha hu. Haan... Sach?" He suddenly became so excited but then controlled himself and replied in a composed voice. "Yes. I'll be there. Thank you."

He disconnected the call and stood there stunned for a few moments. Rakesh was looking at Sameer and waiting for him to reveal the details about the call but he saw him rather running in the bedroom.

"Nainaaaaa...." Sameer ran to the bedroom and found Naina with a stack of clothes clutched in her arms. He rushed to her and hugged her, but the bunch of clothes had to obstruct their hug.

"Kya hua Sameer?" Naina was actually startled by Sameer's sudden actions. "Sameer, kya kar rahe ho? Sameer..." and she found herself lifted from the floor and settled in his arms.

Laughing cheerfully, Sameer twirled her, "Naina mai bohot khush hu."

"Sameer ruko... baat kya hai?" Naina tried to stop him.

He stopped, "Naina, aaj tum itni bhari kyun lag rahi ho?", he frowned.

"Sameer mere hatho me kapde hai. Mujhe neeche toh utaro." She admonished him.

Looking at her, he said, "oh sorry!" And walked to the table and placed her gently on it.

"Kya baat hai heroji. Bade khush lag rahe ho?" She tugged the locks of his hair.

"Haan. Khushi ki wajah jo hai. Naina, mai pichhle Sunday audition dene gaya tha na, waha se phone aaya tha. Unhone mujhe next round ke liye bulaya hai Naina..." He almost screamed.

"Kya? Sachhi?" Her eyes widened and so did her smile.

"Muchhi", He pinched her nose. "8 tarikh ko bulaya hai. Parso", he added.

Naina was overjoyed, "Sameer, mai bata nahi sakti mai kitni khush hu tumahre liye. Yeh poora hafta kitna achchha beeta na."

"Haan. Aur hamare aanewale din bhi aise hi honge." He placed both his hands on her either side and leaned towards her.

They both were inching closer to each other but as usual a loud voice fell on their ears. "Sameeeerr..." Rakesh hollered from the living room.

"Tch... Kabab me haddi..." Sameer scrunched his nose, receiving a smack on his arm immediately by Naina.

They both went to Rakesh as he was waiting for Sameer to tell about the call. As Sameer informed Rakesh that he was selected for the next round, he too was so happy with the news. He patted on Sameer's back and congratulated him.

Later Naina took the stack of clothes in the bathroom to wash them. She filled a bucket with water and added two spoons of Nirma powder and stirred it to create the froth. Then she dipped the clothes into water one by one after checking them and sat on a small stool. Soon Sameer came there and stood leaning on the door frame with his hands folded.

"Mai madad karu?" He asked.

"Mai kar lungi Sameer. Aur tumne tumhare kapde dho liye na subah. Yeh mai kar lungi." She smiled at him and tied her hair in a bun.

Sameer looked at her. She wasn't wearing her dupatta and had folded her salwar upto her knees, baring her slender calves to his view. Her raised hands while tying her hair had also raised her dress a little above her waist and he could see the bare skin there. Her kurta was stuck tight on her breasts due to the movements. He was staring at her, rather gawking at her like a madman. Well, she was his wife, he had the right.

"Kya hua?" She asked, unaware of her husband's thoughts.

"Kuchh nahi." He stepped inside, grabbed another stool and sat next to her. "Sath me karte hai na... Jaldi ho jayega."

She nodded happily and they waited till the clothes soaked completely in the detergent.

"Naina, Kal Sunday hai. Kahi bahar chale? Yeh khushi celebrate karte hai." Sameer proposed.

Naina's eyes shone, "Haan... mauka hai toh sahi... Juhu Chowpatty chale?" She suggested.

"Abhi toh gaye the kuchh din pehle... Iss baar kahi aur chalte hai na..." He demanded like a child.

They thought for a few moments, "Marine Lines chale?" They exclaimed simultaneously and grinned.

As they washed clothes together, they discussed how Sameer should approach for his next round, should he prepare the same lines given to him that day, which he somewhat remembered, or should he just go like a plain slate. It was the first time that he was selected for a next round of auditions, so he wasn't sure how they were conducted.

It was Sunday morning, and the Maheshwari's were seated on the sofa in the living room having typical Ahmedabadi style Jalebi, Fafda and Dhokla in their breakfast. It wasn't Chef Sameer and Chef Papa who made it, but brought from the nearest sweet-mart by Rakesh.

As they were having their tea, Rakesh saw that Sameer and Naina were continuously making some gestures through their eyes. He ignored at first but again saw Sameer scrunching his nose while pointing at himself and Naina shook her head in no. He guessed that they wanted to talk to him.

"Kya baat hai bhai? Kabse ishaare kiya ja rahe ho ek-dusre ko." He broke their eye-talk.

Taking a sip of his tea, Sameer looked in the other direction and left the situation to be handled by Naina alone.

Giving him an angry look, Naina turned to Rakesh. She stuttered, "Papa... woh...", she cleared her throat. "Papa, hum soch rahe the, aaj sham hum dono bahar ghoom aaye... Mai aapke liye khana banake hi jaungi."

Rakesh understood the eye-talk they were having. He realized they must be scared of asking him for permission. But, that wasn't needed anymore. He had known by the time that his daughter and son-in-law were grown-up enough to take care of themselves. Also, he didn't want to control their lives at every point. He had done that with Arjun, controlling his every small moment and taking every decision on his behalf. And he had seen the outcome of it, that his own son got fed of him and chose to live without him. He certainly didn't want this to happen with Naina now. He didn't want to take charge of her life and wanted her to live freely.

"Haan jao na... Bass sambhalke jaana." He agreed with a wide grin.

Both Sameer and Naina gasped in happiness and looked at each other. They would've almost jumped on their seats, but controlled themselves.

Lunch was done with the three chattering as always, along with an old classic film playing on Doordarshan. Naina suggested studying for some time before leaving and she left for the bedroom. Sameer too went to Aditya to seek some ideas about next round auditions from him.

Around 20 minutes later, Sameer returned and saw Rakesh taking a nap on the sofa. His legs had spread outside the sofa and Sameer thought of asking him to shift to the mattress on the trunk, but seeing Rakesh in a good sleep, he dropped the idea and headed to the bedroom. He entered silently thinking Naina must be studying, but contrary to his thoughts, Naina had rested her head on the wall, folded her legs on either side with her book and notes on her lap and was ....sleeping. He smiled looking at her sleeping form, slowly locked the door without making any noise and walked to sit next to her. She was undisturbed by this. He adored her with a blush on his cheeks. His wife was a sleeping beauty. How could she always look so beautiful! He often questioned himself. He realized she must be exhausted and needed a proper sleep. After all, it was only him who had kept her awake till past-midnight yesterday with back to back lovemaking sessions. And unlike him, she had even woken up early to study.

He gently caressed her cheek. "Naina...", he whispered. She slightly opened her eyes and looked at him, still feeling sleepy.

He took her books and kept between them on the mattress, "so jao thodi der. Mai uthha dunga tumhe." He tried to help her to lie down.

Without giving any second thought to it, Naina slided down on the mattress and turned to her side, facing him. She grabbed Sameer's hand and fell asleep again. Sameer smiled and bent down to kiss on her cheek. As he noticed her even breathing, he gently disentangled his hand from her grip.

As he spread his legs and rested behind, his gaze fell on the book of 'Principles and Practice of Accounting'. He opened the book and sighed. Accounts!! Ohh God... this subject was like a nightmare to him. He never liked it. He had this subject in all the three years of his graduation, but with different names. 'Financial accounting', 'Advance accounting', 'corporate accounting', 'cost accounting'... Uggghhh!!! Why can't they simply name it as 'Accounts' and say 'you need to study this all your life.' He always managed to pass on boundaries in this subject. But thanks to Naina's constant persistence and herself teaching him during their final year exam, he could score good marks. Well, he had to get some benefit of having a studious wife. But, it was still late for him. The one month study couldn't make him an expert in making a balance sheet. Wasn't he ridiculed for the same by Mamaji in office? He had cursed himself badly that day, for not being serious enough about his own studies. He didn't even confront Naina about having issues in office with his work. Had he told her about him facing difficulty with accounts or sought for help after returning home, he might have progressed well in business too. But he kept on pretending 'everything is good in office'. Probably he was stuck in the societal believes that 'samajhdar aadmi office ka kaam office me hi chhodkar aata hai'. Also, his male ego was refraining himself from seeking help from Naina amidst their trivial conflicts those days.

He kept the book aside and opened her notes. It was a 200pages rough notebook, but maintained extremely well. He riffled through the pages to see how nicely his wife had written her notes. There were headers for every important topic, some significant statements underlined, there were categories like topics and sub-topics where topics were marked with a numbering system and sub-topics in Romans. She had written her own deductions with bullets at the bottom of the page. Everything was so systematic. He wondered about his own notebook of accounts and chuckled after remembering how messy it was. He riffled through some pages again and reached to the last pages of the notebook and found some big paragraphs written upside down.

Why are such lengthy answers needed in accounts? He wondered.

He turned the book upside down curiously and saw lines drawn on all four sides making it look like a postcard. It looked like a letter covering almost two pages of her notebook.

He read the first line,

Meri sabse pyari, sabse Aadarneey Shanti Ma'am,

Sameer's eyes narrowed and brows furrowed. He wondered why Naina would write something to Shanti Ma'am now. His curiosity reached its peak. He continued reading-

Meri sabse pyari, sabse Aadarneey Shanti Ma'am,

Ummeed karti hu aap swasth hai aur aaj bhi bachhon ko ganeet padhakar unka bhavishya surakshit kar rahi hai. Yaad hai, kuchh saal pehle maine aapko ek postcard likha tha aur waada kiya tha ki aapko roj ek patra likhungi. Lekin mai zindagi me aisi vyast ho gayi ki likh nahi paayi. Isliye pehle hi maafi maangti hun.

Us din ko yaad karti hu toh kabhi hasi aati hai toh kabhi aankhe bhar aati hai. Kya-kya sapne dekhe the humne! Koi filmstar banna chahta tha, toh koi Police Inspector. Koi shikshak banna chahta tha toh kisine bank me naukri karni chahi. Koi doctor banna chahta tha toh koi apne pita ke batayi hui raah par chalne ko tayyar tha. Aur mai, inn sab se alag, ek Lekhika banna chahti thi. Pata nahi kabse, lekin bachpan se hi mujhe kahaniyon me badi dilchaspi hoti thi. Chahe woh Munshi Premchandji ki kahaniyan yo phir Salim-Jawed jodi ki behtarin filmein. Kahiniyon ne hamesha mujhe khushi hi di hai. Aur dheere-dheere padhne ke sath-sath, mai apni khudki kahaniyan bhi bunne lagi thi. Uss din woh postcard likhte samay mai apne aap ko ek kamayab Lekhika ke roop me dekh rahi thi. Socha tha bohot saari kahaniyaan likhungi, keetabein likhungi; jisse logon ka manoranjan bhi ho sake aur unko koi seekh bhi mil sake. Kitne sapne dekhe the uss din, ke mai apni soch, apna vyaktitva shabdon ke madhyam se bayaan karungi, unko logon tak pohuchaungi. Lekin aaj pata chala, ki kuchh sapne sirf sapne bankar hi reh jaate hai. Bass dukh iss baat ka hai, ki mere baki doston ki tarah, mai bhi uss postcard me likhe sapne ko haqeeqat me badal nahi paayi.

Nahi, nahi. Aap dukhi mat hoiye Ma'am. Mai udaas nahi hun. Mai khush hu. Abhi CA Foundation ki padhai kar rahi hu. Aur aapko batate hue mujhe bohot khushi ho rahi hai, ki meri Sameer se shadi ho gayi hai. Haan Ma'am. Usi Sameer se, mere sachche pyaar se. Woh mera bohot khyal rakhta hai. Meri har zaroorat aur har sapne ko poora karta hai. Uske sath yeh zindagi bohot khubsoorat lagti hai. Kehta hai 'Naina, hum tumhare liye ek CA firm shuru kar denge.' Haan, bohot pyar karta hai mujhse. Aur mai uski khush me hi khush hu. Toh bass, aajkal padhai me hi vyast rehti hu. Raasta lamba hai, lekin Sameer ke sath aasani se paar ho jayega. Aur aap kuchh saalon baad miliyega zaroor, aapke tax returns file kar dungi.

Ma'am, aapse baat kar kar mujhe hamesha prerna milti hai, aaj bhi mil rahi hai. Chahe iss patra ke bahane hi sahi. Kuchh dinon se padhai me mann nahi lag raha tha, vichalit ho raha tha. Ek vigyapan ke liye likhi gayi char lines ke badle mile hue 5000 rupayo ne mera dhyan bhatka diya tha. Lekin aapse baat karke ab halka lag raha hai. Aur mujhe pata hai, kal jab mai padhne baithungi toh usi lagan ke sath padhungi jaise pehle padhti thi.

Aapki aagyakari chhatraa,

Naina Maheshwari

Sameer closed her notebook to save its pages from getting wet with the small tear in his eyes. He immediately wiped it, and exhaled heavily through mouth to avoid further choking. He looked at his wife sleeping peacefully beside him. He felt he was the biggest loser of the world, of not knowing about his wife's dreams, about her ambitions. Here he was thinking of opening a firm for her while she was dreaming of donning signatures on only a few copies of her books for lucky customers. Such a selfish and self-centred man you are Sameer! You didn't even know what your wife dreamt of, what she aspired to become. And look at the comfort between you and your wife Sameer. She could tell it to their teacher from the school, well agreed the letter was not posted, but couldn't share it with you. Such a loser! But why not Mr. Maheshwari? If you can maintain your personal diary to pen down your feelings, then she too had the right. She had literally meant it for Shanti teacher. Maybe she just wanted to speak to someone.

But when had she written this? He opened it again to check if there was a date mentioned. Yes, it was there. She had tried to give it a look of a postcard and so she had mentioned the date too.

23rd March 1996.

He tried to remember what exactly had happened that day, or when did she write it. It was a Saturday. So maybe when he was in the class. Ohh Yes! Then had gone shopping that evening to buy gifts for Papa and later she had studied till late night even after he fell asleep. Maybe then? Either of the situations was possible.

So this was the reason he had seen her lost in those few days. Hadn't he asked the very next day about being upset or stressed about something? She had confessed that she was unable to focus on her studies, like in this letter, but now he understood the actual reason behind. He also didn't understand what postcard she was talking about a few years back. Why would Naina write a postcard to Shanti Ma'am when she can visit her in school? The things were beyond his understanding, but one thing he surely did understand was that his wife was sacrificing on her dreams. Why didn't Naina share all this with him? Ever? They were together for almost six years now, in love for five years and married for more than a year. He felt defeated by his own wife. Here he was, sharing every little thing of his life with her like a kid. And she had hidden so many secrets within her.

He slided down the mattress and turned to his side to face Naina, fixing one of his hands under his cheeks. He kept looking at her. He didn't see a girl who sacrificed her dreams after marriage. Rather, he saw a powerful and a fierce woman who was standing rock solid behind her husband, as his support system. She hadn't exactly sacrificed her dreams, but probably she had chosen to become a strong pillar in her husband's success, in his own success. Woww!! What a feeling it was to have her by his side. He was falling for her all anew, his respect for her multiplied thousand times. He leaned forward and gently pecked her lips, wanting to lock this particular memory forever. Feeling his lips on hers, Naina smiled, though still deeply asleep and shifted closer to him by spanning her arm on his back. Sameer adjusted himself to make space for her and enveloped her in his embrace. He kissed her forehead and felt extremely overwhelmed when her warm breath fanned his skin through his shirt's open buttons as she nuzzled to his chest. He kept on stroking her hair, thinking deeply.

The clock had struck  5:30 in the evening when Sameer and Naina got ready to go out. This time they thought to leave a little late intending only to spend some good time together. Naina was wearing a yellow suit, again a new one from the last shopping while Sameer chose to wear a dark blue shirt and black jeans.

"Sameer... local se chalte hai na... Western line se Churchgate ke liye slow local pakadni hai, phir toh paidal bhi jaa sakte hai." Naina tried to convince Sameer for the second time.

"Naina... maine kaha na... local me bohot bheed hoti hai." His face was stern. "Hum taxi se hi ja rahe hai." He checked his wallet and kept it in the hip-pocket of his jeans.

Finally agreeing to her stubborn husband, they both left the house after informing Rakesh that they might get late this time. He hired a kaali-peeli taxi straight to the Marine Drive beach, paying a huge amount of Rs.400. They were observing the various constructions, the flyovers, listening to the taxi driver about how the traffic of Mumbai was turning heavier day by day and how the Mumbai City is growing bigger.

They reached the place at 6:30 in the evening. As they stood near the walking lane, they saw the ocean. This time, different from the previous two times. The sun was almost ready to meet the sky at horizon, painting the sky with colors like yellow, orange, and red.

They held each other's hands and walked down the lane. As they walked a distance, they found a place with lesser people around. Sameer climbed up on the pavement and gave his hand to Naina to climb upon it. They stood for some time, with Sameer wrapping his shoulder around Naina and watching the sun setting down gracefully. The whole environment was so peaceful. Even the silence between Sameer and Naina wasn't awkward even for a moment. They settled down facing the sea after some time, watching the twilight spread across the sky. Wherever they spanned their eyes, they could only see the ocean and the tall buildings at the other ends. They had a glimpse of some dolphins in the sea and Sameer remarked that they had specially come there for Naina.

As they walked again while talking about the beauty of the place, a little girl approached them with a bunch of red roses in her hand. She requested Sameer to buy a flower for the 'memsaab', but looking at her two pigtails and a bright smile, Sameer purchased all the flowers and paid her Rs.50 for that. He handed the flowers to Naina and adored her seeing her widened smile. He knew she was touched by his gesture towards the girl. He tucked out one rose from the bunch, broke the flower stalk and pinned the rose in her hair with her hair-clip. As she flaunted the red rose in filmy style, he giggled and blew a kiss in the air towards her.

While continuing the walk, they reached a place where they saw so many birds, birds in white with a yellow beak.

"Naina, yeh kabutar hai na?" Sameer pointed at one of them.

Naina chuckled, "Buddhuu... Yeh Kabutar nahi Seagull hai."

Sameer observed them closely again but as he stepped further, the flock of birds flew towards them. For a moment, they seemed to enjoy it but when they saw birds flying upto the level of their heads, Sameer grabbed Naina's hands and both bent down in their knees to save themselves. They looked at each other and laughed hard. Later, they halted at a roadside tea-stall and Sameer ordered for Two bun-maska and two teas. They relished the sweet buns dipped in tea by feeding each other.

As the darkness slowly covered the sky and the street lights were switched on, they could actually see the Queen's necklace as often heard from people. It was absolutely spectacular. It was 8 at night when they both felt hungry and decided to eat pizza at the sea-facing restaurant 'Pizza by the Bay' and returned to walking lanes by 9:15pm. They saw a sea shore after walking for 10 minutes and descended down on the smooth sand.

They walked in the sea just like the previous time. Sameer stood by putting his hands in his pockets while Naina had wrapped her hand around his one arm. Sameer looked at Naina and saw her smiling face. He recollected her lost face when they had visited Juhu beach and could clearly see the difference.

'Uski khushi me hi meri khushi hai.'

He understood the reason behind the difference. She had probably subsided the turmoil inside her, if there was any and accepted the life the way it is.

'meri har zaroorat aur har sapne ko poora karta hai.'

He wasn't sure whether that was true. Sometimes he wondered if he was really a perfect partner for Naina, because he hadn't even fulfilled all her wishes or needs. And here she was talking about dreams. That was totally false. He got to know one of her 'dreams' just today and there might be many more such dreams she might not have shared with anyone.

You need to change that Sameer. If she can leave her family, her friends, her native behind just to follow your dream of becoming a hero, then why can't you do something for her... Her dreams...

"Naina, pata hai bachpan me jab bhi mai planes dekhta tha na, toh mai pilot banna chahta tha." He broke the tranquility. Naina looked at him and giggled.

He continued, "phir Nainitaal me jab hostel me daant padti thi, toh sochta tha bada hokar hostel ka warden banunga, aur bachhon ko kabhi nahi maarunga. Phir ek baar 9th me license ke bina bike chalate hue Police ne pakad liya. Tab lagta tha, police bankar sabki parade karwaunga."

Naina laughed at his revelations. "Tum bhi na Sameer. Lekin inn me se bane toh kuchh bhi nahi... padhai-chor kahi ke..."

He chuckled, "Haan toh bachchha hi tha mai bhi. Aur tab toh hum kuchh bhi sapne dekhte hai. Lekin bade hote hi hum woh sab sapne bhool jate hai. Hai na?" He threw a question at her.

"Haan?" She was perplexed, "Haan", agreeing immediately.

"Tumhare kya sapne the bachpan me? Ya shuru se hi CA banna chahti thi chachaji ki tarah?" He again asked a question.

Naina was at loss of words this time. She muttered, "hhhaa...haannn... bachpan se hi CA banna chahti thi." She put a fake smile and looked at the ocean.

He turned to her and clutched her hands in his, making her turn to him too, "Naina, tumhe mujhpar kitna bharosa hai?"

Naina didn't understand why she was getting bombarded with questions, "aisa kyun keh raho ho. Sabse jyada bharosa karti hu mai tumpar Sameer."

"Yaad hai Naina, Mt. Abu me taaron ke neeche tumne mujhse kuchh kaha tha. Jo ab shayad tum bhool gayi ho." He entwined their fingers.

Naina tried to recollect about their conversation that night. But she was so bewildered with Sameer's questions that she actually couldn't recall things. "kya kaha tha maine?" She said innocently.

He smiled at her, "yahi ki mai zindagi bhar tumhe apni kavitaayein sunaunga aur tum mujhe apni kahaniyaan sunaogi. Meri kavitaayein toh hamesha tumhare liye hi bani hai Naina, lekin tumhari kahaniyaan iss safar me kaha kho gayi?" He looked deep into her eyes.

Naina was stunned for moments. After regaining some sense, she disentangled their hands and walked further into the sea, crossing her arms. Sameer walked to stand beside her and saw her folded arms. A signal people use to refrain from a conversation. He stood in front of her and freed her bounded arms.

Caressing her face into his palms, he said, "Naina, kya tumhe mujhpar itna bhi bharosa nahi hai ki tum apne sapne tak mujhse baantna chahti? Agar tum CA nahi, kuchh aur banna chahti ho, toh tum mujhe bata sakti ho Naina."

She searched for something in his eyes and found only hope and trust. She pulled his hands down and gathered words to finally open up, "meri kahaniyaan... kahi khoyi nahi hai... bass andar kahi dab gayi hai... aur, tum sahi the... bachpan me mai bhi Lekhika banna chahti thi."

"Toh?" He raised his brows.

"Toh kya?" She countered.

"Naina, woh toh tum ab bhi ban sakti ho...", he suggested.

"Ab? Ab kaise?" She actually thought upon it for a moment, but remembered her studies. "CA ki padhai kaun karega?" She flicked her brows.

He laughed, "Naina, tumhe writer banne ke liye CA ki padhai chhodne ki zaroorat thodi hai. Tum abhibhi apni kahaniya likh sakti ho, jab bhi padhai se thoda samay mile toh. Aur Hindi me kafi magazines hai, patrikaayein hai, hum unme tumhari kahaniyan de sakte hai. Kamse kam ek shuruwaat toh kar hi sakte hai na." He said dreamily.

Naina kept staring at the excitement in his eyes while he suggested. What was this man! He was truly a magician to know about her feelings, the turmoil inside her a few days back. She had reprimanded herself not to get distracted by the thoughts of becoming a writer, but sometimes those would peep out at just random moments.

But now, Sameer had eased her miseries, the conflicts with her own self. He had come up with a simple solution. To write for some popular Hindi Patrika's. How couldn't she think about this? She need not leave her CA to become a writer or to convey her stories to masses. She can easily balance between her studies and her stories. If many working women can manage both household work and the office, then she too can find some time out for her stories amidst the studies.

Her eyes twinkled with happiness and a wide smile crept on her lips. She jumped and wrapped her arms behind his neck, hugging him tightly. "Thank you Sameer", resting her chin on his shoulder, she whispered in exhilaration.

He too wrapped his hands around her back and lifted her slightly on her toes. He kissed her shoulder and mumbled, "pagal."

It was almost 10 at night and the crowd had slowly dispersed, excluding some vendors. As the silence prevailed, the song playing on the transistor belonging to a coconut-water seller nearby could be easily heard by the couple squeezing in each other's arms, oblivious to the world.

They heard the melodious voices of Asha Bhosle and Kishore Kumar...

Mausam pyaar ka, rang badalta rahe

Yuhin chalta rahe, tere-mere pyaar ka caarvan... 

**********************

How was it guys? Do let me know...

Did you remember something while reading Samaina's Marine Lines visit?

Sorry Pratyushaa... @Psr1403 . I tried for Juhu Beach, but Samaina had been there just in 'Sunday Special' chapter, so had to go with Marine Lines.

Also, please forgive me if I've used too much of Shuddh Hindi in Naina's letter.

Do Vote. Do Share. Do give a follow if you haven't yet.