The April breeze was turning hotter now and one of the two men having their night walk was gradually sweating. Rakesh took out his handkerchief from his white pajama and wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Kitna paseena aata hai yaha Mumbai me. Din-ba-din bass garmi badhti jaa rahi hai." Rakesh muttered.

Sameer ran his fingers through his hair. "Haan. Yeh samundar ke wajah se humidity bhi badh rahi hai. Ahmedabad me garmi rehti thi lekin phir bhi seh lete the hum. Papa, hum AC kharid le kya?" He said excitedly.

Rakesh looked at him and smirked, "Baasssss. Paise aaye nahi ki kharcha karna shuru. Arey kal sirf tumhe Vigyapan milne ka phone aaya tha. Abhi uske paise mile nahi hai. Pata nahi kaunsi cheez ka vigyapan kar rahe ho." Rakesh muttered.

Sameer rolled his eyes, "McDonald Papa. American brand hai. Burger aur Pizaa banati hai." Sameer shared the details of the company he was shortlisted to shoot an ad for and for which he was supposed to shoot the next week.

Rakesh shook his head, "haan haan jo kuchh bhi naam hai uska. Aur mahashay,  seedhe AC lene ki baat? Haan waise tumhe Ahmedabad ki garmi ke baare me kya pata. Tum toh rajkumaro ki tarah AC ki hawa me sote honge na. Humse puchho bhai ki garmi kya hoti hai?"

Sameer passed a look to his father-in-law as they entered the gate of the Sea Queen Society. "Papa, aap hamesha mujhe itne taane kyun maarte ho? Hamesha mujhe paison ko lekar tokte ho. Ab kya isme bhi meri hi galti thi ke mai aise ghar me paida hua?" His voice contained a serious tone.

Rakesh halted near the J wing entrance and so did Sameer. Rakesh looked down for a moment. He knew that he had always taunted Sameer for belonging to a rich family and taking the benefits for it. But this time, he was just saying it as a joke. He didn't want to give him the guilt of being a rich spoilt brat at all. Because he had seen that very rich boy Sameer Maheshwari turning into a helpless common man just like him, after coming here to Mumbai. He had seen Sameer so miserable and vulnerable in front of his eyes. He had seen that lone tear in Sameer's eyes and those lost expressions on his face when they were returning from Anant Mahadevan's office. He had seen Sameer going all quiet after getting a rejection from a producer's office. He had seen Sameer losing his temper when he had to be dependent for his life decisions taken by a third person like Nirmalaji. And he remembered how Sameer had waited patiently to withdraw his own money for the acting class. He had seen Sameer thinking deeply and writing something while sitting in the balcony. It wasn't that he didn't feel for Sameer or he wasn't affected by seeing him lost, but it was just that they still had the formalities of the relationship they shared. That slight hesitation of being a father-in-law to Sameer was still there in his mind, which was refraining him to hug Sameer tightly and console him. And he just didn't want that. And that's why when he had heard Sameer calling him 'Papa' instead of 'Papaji' almost 2-3 times, he just broke all the mental barriers of himself and let Sameer call him 'Papa'. It wasn't just for namesake, he truly wanted to become a Papa for Sameer and that could be at least the start of it.

Rakesh put his handkerchief back to his pocket and turned to look at Sameer. He smiled, "Pata hai Sameer, jab tumne school me headboy ki pratiyogita me hissa liya tha 11vi kaksha me, uss dauran mujhse kaha gaya tha ki mere liye ek bada sa cabin banne wala hai. Senior Librarian ke hisab se."

Sameer was taken aback a little as he was expecting a glare from Rakesh after his accusation, but instead he saw him smiling and talking about school memories. He was listening to his father-in-law intently.

Rakesh continued, "mai bohot khush tha apne cabin ke liye. Ghar me mithai tak batwa di thi iski khushi me. Lekin phir pata chala ki jis jagah pe mera cabin banne wala tha, uss jagah pe parking banegi kyunki tumne apne Nanaji se woh karwaya, mujhse ya Arjun se badla lene ke liye."

Sameer frowned after listening to this latest information, "Maine? Mujhe toh kuchh pata bhi nahi hai iske baare me. Papa, Kasam se maine..."

"Jaanta hun Sameer." Rakesh interrupted him. "Lekin mujhe toh yahi bataya gaya tha. Isliye tabse ek nafrat si ho gayi thi tumse. Lagta tha tum jaise paisewale log paise dekar kuchh bhi kar sakte hai. Isliye tumpar hamesha gussa karta tha mai. Tumhe daant'ta tha, maarta tha. Bina yeh jaane ki usme tumhari galati hai bhi ya nahi." Rakesh turned a little and looked straight, not able to look at Sameer while confessing his fallacies.

Sameer's eyes softened after witnessing a guilt in Rakesh Papa's eyes and voice. He cleared his throat, "toh aapko kab pata chala ke maine kuchh nahi kiya tha?" He asked.

Rakesh took a glance at Sameer, "bass, kuchh saal bhar pehle. Mere voluntary retirement ke akhiri din Awasthi Sir aur Lochan Sir ne bataya ke mera cabin kabhi banne hi nahi wala tha. Maafi mang rahe the mujhse. Keh rahe the ki woh mujhse pareshan hokar mera mazak udaa rahe the." He took a pause and exhaled heavily. He mumbled in low voice while looking down, "unhe kya pata tha ki unke mazak ke chakkar me kitne zulm kiye maine apne bete par."

Bete par...

Sameer kept staring at the elderly figure in front of him. He couldn't believe it if he heard the same. But yes, he had heard the same. Papa had called him Beta. He wasn't mistaking it for Arjun. It was for him. He was as flabbergasted as just now when Rakesh had told him to call just Papa and not Papaji. He had smiled then too seeing the kind of 'hridayparivaratan' Rakesh was going through. But that was actually too much. His happiness had known no bounds after knowing that he too had now someone he can call 'Papa' to. He was overwhelmed with emotions when he had learnt that he would pronounce a word like 'papa' for someone, which he couldn't for all his life. He was almost on the verge of choking then but that happy moment had to be ruined by the strong squeeze right on his love bite. But he was surprised again by seeing Rakesh's concern for his pain. He had just excused himself to the bedroom to escape from the embarrassment of crying in front of his Papa, but as soon as he had entered the room, he had shed those tears. Tears of happiness.

Sameer was also bewildered when Rakesh Papa had not corrected Shergill Sir, on his final day of the acting class, when Papa was being called as Mr. Maheshwari. He cursed himself for not understanding that all these were just small-small hints of the destiny to tell him that he had got a father now. And now this moment was an addition to it. To listen to Papa calling him Beta. And the worst part was that he couldn't even make an excuse to run away and hide his emotions.

Rakesh looked at Sameer, "Sameer, itne saalon ki meri saari kadwahat ke liye... maaf kar dena mujhe..." He gave a warm smile.

Sameer wondered if he should request his fate to stop the continuous striking of these surprises from Rakesh Papa or feel himself blessed to see such soft and mild side of Mr. Rakesh Agarwal. But he actually laughed at the way this situation was slowly turning into a filmy scene. Why are these baap-beti so filmy? He cleared his throat again. "Papa, aap yeh aap kya keh rahe hai? Please aap aise maafi mangte hue achchhe nahi lagte." He voiced.

Rakesh grinned and he opened his mouth to speak, but Sameer continued, "aap na daant'te-fattkarte hi achchhe lagte ho." He chuckled mischievously.

Rakesh had actually raised his hand to keep on Sameer's shoulder affectionately, but instead he raised it further and gave a tap on Sameer's head. Sameer had stepped back to save himself from getting beaten in public but after receiving a gentle tap, he laughed.

Soon both the men standing in front of the J wing were indulged in a healthy laughter. A girl who had just come to the balcony some time ago to check whether her husband and Papa were back from their walk or not, kept staring at the two. She had seen them coming through the gate while talking about something. But she had noticed some serious expressions on her husband's face and had gotten a little tense. She wasn't sure what they were talking about, but seeing them exchanging some warm smiles again, she had got relaxed. She just joined her hands and closed her eyes to pray to the almighty for the happiness of the two men in her life, Papa and Sameer, to grow bigger and bigger, just like the crescent moon in the sky. Naina went back to the kitchen for the final check with a widened smile.

As Sameer and Papa were climbing the stairs, Rakesh asked, "arey Sameer, woh Naina ki kahani post kar di tumne?"

"Haan Papa", Sameer answered. "Ab tak toh shayad pohoch gayi hongi. Speed Post se bheja tha na. Kal 20 tarikh hai, submission ki last date. I hope unhe Naina ki kahani mil gayi ho."

They entered the house after opening the latch and something striked Rakesh. He mused, "Kal bees tarikh hai? Calendar lana toh zara."

Naina had just joined them in the living room when Sameer handed a calendar to Rakesh. "Arey haan. Kal toh Akshay Triteeya hai." He snapped his fingers on the calendar.

"Haan toh?" Sameer shrugged and looked at Naina.

"Toh kal tum dono jaake thodi sone ki kharid-dari kar lena." Rakesh instructed. He took a pause and thought for a while. "Aur haan, Naina ke liye ek achchha sa dress bhi le lena." He added.

"Kyun?" Both Naina and Sameer exclaimed simultaneously.

"Kyunki mai keh raha hun isliye." He admonished them.

"Hum shopping par jayenge. Woww!!" Sameer said with excitement. Naina chuckled as she saw her husband getting excited with the name of shopping.

Without saying anything further Rakesh went on to make his bedding and the couple started leaving for their bedroom after wishing him good night. Naina had reached the bedroom while Sameer was hanging the calendar to the wall, when Rakesh called him softly, "Sameer."

"Ji Papa." Sameer turned.

Rakesh opened the cupboard in the living room and took out his black leather bag. He counted some notes and forwarded to Sameer, "Yeh lo. Naina ke pasand ki koi bhi sone ki cheez ke lena. Aur uske liye dress bhi inhi me se lena."

"Papa aap itne paise kyun de rahe hai? Mai jod dunga na apne paas ke." Sameer queried.

"Mai keh raha hun na. Inhi me se lena jo bhi lena hai." Rakesh raised his voice a little.

Sameer pursed his lips while stifling a giggle. He accepted the money and left for the bedroom while keeping it in his pocket.

****

Sameer-Naina and Preeti-Shubham left for the shopping on the auspicious day of 'Akshay Triteeya'. Shubham was finally relieved from his heavy workload in office and he had taken a day-off after his mother's suggestion. Naina was working in the kitchen in the morning when she had spotted Preeti in her kitchen and waved her from her window. Preeti had just waved her back when Naina saw Shubham behind Preeti, taking out something from the fridge, and she had wondered how her Jijaji was at home at this time. She had taken the cordless to the kitchen and signaled Preeti to receive the call.

"Preeti, aaj Jijaji ghar par kaise? Tabiyat thik hai na unki?" Naina had asked.

Preeti had smiled and gently replied, "haan, tabiyat bilkul thik hai unki. Abhi jaake toh office ka kaam kam hua hai. Lekin aaj unhone chhutti li hai, Akshay Triteeya ke avsar par."

"Yeh toh achchha hi kiya." Naina had said. "Pata hai Preeti, aaj hum shipping ke liye bahar jaa rahe hai. Papa keh rahe the thoda sona kharid lete hai aaj ke din." She had informed excitedly.

"Sach mein? Hum bhi bahar jaa rahe hai aaj shopping ke liye." Preeti had almost jumped at her place while passing a huge smile to Naina through the window.

"Kyun na hum chaaron sath me hi chalein?" Naina's eyes had twinkled while saying.

They had mutually agreed for the time and went on to inform their husbands. Nirmalaji was quite reluctant to allow her Son and Daughter-in-law to go out with Sameer-Naina, but finally she had agreed upon Shubham's insistence. Little did she know that Shubham was just compensating for all the time he missed being with Preeti and just to see her smile.

The two couples left at 5 in the evening and were waiting for the bus. Sameer suggested taking a taxi till market since they were four, but Shubham resisted and requested to go only by bus. As they descended at the Andheri market, they kept walking while looking at the various shops. Sameer spotted a good-looking clothing store and the four went inside it. It was a big two-storey showroom having menswear and kidswear on the ground floor and women's salwar-kameez, lehenga, western outfits and sarees on the first floor. They went straight to the first floor and Sameer asked someone to show them Salwaar-Kameez for Naina while Shubham and Preeti thought of buying a dress for Tanvi.

A salesman came to them and politely said, "ji bataiye."

"Achchhe salwar-kameez dikhaiye Madam ke liye." Sameer said with a smile.

"Chudidaar pattern me chalega?" The boy asked.

"Ji." Both Sameer and Naina agreed.

The boy looked at Naina and roved his gaze on her, "aapka size....." He muttered.

"Small size. Seedhe poochh liya karo." He received a stern reply and a sharp glare from Sameer.

Startled by the voice, the boy looked down, "ji... Ji Sir." He stuttered.

Sameer looked beside him to see a lady attending Preeti-Shubham. He wanted to ask for a saleswoman for them too, but he knew Naina could easily perceive that move, so he declined the thought.

The boy came with a few suits in his hand and started showing them one by one. They appeared to be simple cotton fabric made salwar-kameez with dull colors. Naina scrunched her nose seeing them and Sameer understood that she didn't like it. Well, he didn't like them either.

"Thode aur achchhe quality ke dikhao na." Sameer voiced.

"Ji. Abhi laata hun Sir. Aapka budget?" The boy asked hesitantly.

"Aap budget ki chinta mat kijiye. Bass achchhe suits dikhaiye hame." Sameer directed.

"Preetiiii... yeh dress kitni mehengi hai. Thoda toh mere economics ka khayal rakho..." Sameer and Naina heard Shubham's voice as they were waiting for the boy to come up with more samples. They both looked at each other and chuckled.

The boy came with an assistant with almost dozens of dresses in their hands. They displayed the dresses again and this time the Maheshwari couple actually liked some of them.

Naina picked a blue coloured dress and Sameer noticed her twinkling eyes. He gauged that she liked the dress. "Yeh kitne ki Bhaiya?" She asked.

But before the boy could utter a word, Sameer interrupted, "Naina, tum keemat kyun dekh rahi ho? Pasand aayi hai toh le lo na."

Naina countered. "Lekin Sameer... keemat toh dekhni padegi na... hamare paas kitne paise hai uss hisab se..."

"Naina, maine kaha na. Tum uske baare me mat socho. Paise hai hamare paas." Sameer interrupted again.

"Madam, yeh bhi dekhiye. Yeh Divya Bharati pattern hai. Aur yeh Madhuri Dixit pattern. Aap chahe toh try kar sakti hai." The boy informed politely.

Sameer picked the two suits from the table, one was olive green colour and one was floral printed blue. He handed all of them to Naina and said, "Naina... mujhe bhi yeh achchhe lag rahe hai. Jao try karke aao."

Rolling her eyes, Naina sighed and left for the changing room as Sameer waited for her.

As Shubham and Preeti were done with purchasing theirs, Preeti came to Sameer, "Jijaji, hum yahin saadiyan dekh rahe hai. Aap aayenge?"

"Naina ko aa jane do. Phir hum dono aate hai." He gently replied.

Preeti and Shubham then went to the Saree section at some distance and sat down on the white mattresses. As they were looking at the various colorful sarees, Sameer kept observing them from his place. He would see Preeti's eyes shining as the salesman was displaying some saree and then turn into a disappointed one when Shubham would scrunch his nose and shake his head in no. He could also hear Shubham voicing that whatever she liked were expensive ones. In the meantime, Naina would come out wearing a dress, she would show it to both Sameer and Preeti and as they both signaled with their thumbs up, she would go back to try the next one.

As Sameer resumed observing the couple sitting on the mattress for the third time, he heard Shubham speaking, "bhaiya, thodi sasti wali saadi dikhana. Cotton ki."

Sameer shook his head after listening to the comment. He wondered how a man earning a good salary can be such a miser. He had counted at least three sarees which were liked by Preeti but were declined by Shubham stating that they were expensive. How could a husband be such a hoarder to not buy things his wife had liked? He couldn't believe such men even exist. But, there was an example right in front of his eyes. He had not missed Preeti's widened eyes when Naina had come out from the trial room to show her suits. He also had noticed Preeti looking at their side through the corner of her eyes when the salesman was showing them latest fashioned suits. He discerned that probably Preeti too wanted to wear suits. Of course! They are more comfortable than saree. He felt bad for her for not getting to wear something she wanted. And for Shubham... well, he knew that Shubham is a good man, but he couldn't bear his 'always save money' theory. For him, Naina's happiness and her smile mattered the most, be it then even purchasing a good suit for her, he would never give a second thought for it.

Naina came back with the three suits in her hand and put them back on the table. "Kaunsa loon inme se?" She innocently asked Sameer as she was totally confused.

"Saare." Sameer replied with a cute smile.

Naina put her hands on her waist, "Mr. Maheshwari, Papa ne sirf ek lene ko kaha hai."

"Haan toh do mere taraf se lete hai na. Ab ek aur ad mil gaya gaya hai na. Please na Naina." He made a pleading sound. He knew this trick always works on Naina and it didn't fail now too. Naina agreed while falling prey to her husband's innocent face again.

They handed the suits to the salesman for packing and joined Preeti-Shubham on the mattresses to accompany them. Preeti-Shubham purchased three simple cotton sarees, one each for Preeti, Nirmalaji and Dadiji. They descended down to the ground floor when Naina asked Sameer to purchase something for him too. Sameer refused initially but when Naina blackmailed him stating that she would return her suits if Sameer didn't buy something for him, he finally agreed and selected a plain white full-sleeve shirt for him.

The men paid the bills and the four left the shop heading for the other one. As they walked some distance, Naina and Preeti spotted something at the corner of the road and both exclaimed excitedly, "Pani puri."

The couples then relished on delicious Paani-puri while chattering. Naina, Preeti and Shubham went for the second round of it and Sameer kept staring at them. He was almost full after the eighth puri, somehow pulled off the ninth one, and here these three bhukkads were having one more plate. Generally, he had a great appetite too, but today he was overloading, credit to Naina's special Moong-daal halwa which she had made on the occasion of 'Akshay Triteeya'. He laughed looking at Naina and Preeti, with their watery eyes due to the teekha Paani, but still devouring them one by one. These sisters were always like that, he mused. But he was actually surprised by Shubham. He didn't imagine Shubham could be this much foodie. He saw Shubham teasing Preeti when he ate one puri from her plate and Preeti went completely annoyed. They definitely made a cute couple. Sameer was about to take out his wallet to pay, when Shubham stalled him and paid for all of them with a smile and he was perplexed to see his 'kabhi kanjoos- kabhi dildaar' saadu.

Finally, it was time for the main purpose of their shopping and they entered a big jewellery shop, which happened to be the regular shop for Shubham's family. They went to the first floor which contained the gold and silver section. Seeing some gold earrings hanging on a shelf in the corner of the big space, Preeti just dragged Naina and soon the sisters got engaged in watching them with their big eyes. A lady came to attend them and showed them various gold earrings. Shubham stayed in the corner of the silver section where idols of gods and goddesses in silver were kept. He shoved his hands in his pockets and was just roaming and admiring the fine work on the silver. Sameer joined Naina-Preeti initially, but when he saw Naina and Preeti so much busy in themselves while trying the earrings, he slowly left from there with a smile to join Shubham at the other corner. He knew that even if they lived just one wing apart, the two sisters would hardly get the time to spend with each other. And having witnessed their bond so closely in all these years, he was aware how much they cherish the time spent together.

He looked around and spotted Shubham sitting on a stool in a corner with the least crowd. He walked to him and grabbed a stool for him too.

As they exchanged a smile, Sameer casually asked, "Aaj aapki chhutti hai?"

"Haan woh kuchh 2-2.5 mahine se bohot kaam-kaam chal raha tha office me, toh Preeti ko waqt hi nahi de paa raha tha." Shubham looked at the other corner, while admiring his wife. "Aur phir maa ne bhi kaha, aaj ke din ghar par raho." He added further.

Sameer's smile widened listening to this. There was certainly a caring and loving husband behind this world's greatest economist. "Aap nahi dekh rahe hai, Preeti ke liye kuchh?" He queried further.

Shubham smiled warmly and looked at Preeti, "nahi, use jo chahiye woh le sakti hai. Aur waise bhi, woh khush hai apni behen ke sath."

Sameer's eyes narrowed, wondering how both of them were feeling just the same and wanted the sisters to have a good time together.

Shubham continued, "waise Sameer, tumhe ek baat ke liye thanks bhi kehna hai. Tumhare wahaj se hi mai Preeti aur Naina ka rishta samajh paaya. Kisi ladki ke liye shadi ka matlab purane saare rishton ko picche chhod dena, yeh toh bilkul bhi nahi hona chahiye."

Sameer just smiled, remembering the real tensed situation when Sameer had said this to Shubham. But thankfully, Shubham had picked only good things from that incident and didn't hold any grudge.

This person is certainly an interesting one, Sameer thought. But he was curious to know one thing since they had come upstairs in the shop. "Ek baat puchhu? Aap bura toh nahi maanenge?" He asked hesitantly.

"Haan haan puccho?" Shubham casually replied.

"Agar Preeti ne koi mehengi cheez le li toh? Aapka economics bigad nahi jayega?" Sameer said in a teasing tone.

Shubham looked at Sameer for a moment and just laughed. "Nahi bigdegi. Aur waise bhi, yeh toh haq hai uska."

"Matlab?" Intrigued, Sameer asked.

"Ghar ki Lakshmi hai. Aur mai maanta hun sone ki kharid-dari usi ke haatho aur usi ke pasand se honi chahiye." Shubham stated his point.

Sameer was surprised listening to this answer. He glanced at the other corner to see the two ladies happily troubling the saleswoman there. He was sure they must have asked for dozens of varieties by looking at the woman's helpless face.

Sameer chuckled looking at the two when his attention was drawn back by Shubham, "mujhe pata hai Sameer sab log mujhe kanjoos samajhte hai." Sameer pursed his lips for a moment. "Lekin mujhe koi farak nahi padta. Mai paison ko sahi cheezon me kharch karne aur sahi jagah invest karne me vishwas rakhta hun." Shubham added.

Sameer frowned, not getting his point.

Shubham understood his perturbed face, so he continued, "ab dekho, sona kharidna mere liye ek prakar ki investment hi hai. Aaj dekho, sone ka daam kitna hai?" He pointed at a black-board where the day's rates for gold and silver were mentioned. "Dekho aaj ka rate hai Rs.5160. Aur tum dekhna Sameer, yahi rates kuchh salon baad tees-chaalis hazar paar kar jayenge. Toh hui na yeh investment."

Sameer looked at the blackboard once and then at Shubham with a frown.

Ohh no!!!

He had completely forgotten this. That the rates keep shuffling for gold and silver. And they had literally a handsome amount on clothes shopping. He needed to check if they have sufficient money for whatever Naina selects. He excused himself stating some stupid reason to Shubham and as he crossed certain distance, he opened his wallet.

On the other side of the big space, Naina finally selected a pair of delicate earrings which had a touch of rich Indian culture and had two red stones in it. She wanted to keep it subtle and less expensive, so she opted for the one which weighed 6gms over one weighing 8gms. She looked at the board for the rate and mentally did a calculation. For the rate of Rs.5160 per 10gms, her earrings would cost around Rs.3000 and some making charges would also be included. She had seen almost six notes of Rs.500 in Sameer's wallet when he added five more from their almirah. And there were some coins and notes of Rs.10, 50 and 100. So they had around Rs.5500 cash with them. Sameer didn't let her have a look at the bill in the clothing store but she tried to guess the bill amount. She had searched for price tags when she had gone for trial, but there was a price tag only on one dress. It cost Rs.500. Considering the other two suits from the same slot, her suits cost approximately Rs.1500. Let's take Rs.1700. And Sameer's shirt was of Rs.300. So they must have spent almost Rs.2000 on their clothing. And they still had around Rs.3500 with some extra cash. That's pretty okay. She can buy those earrings.

Preeti turned to her and said excitedly, "Naina, mai bol rahi hu na. Yahi wale jhumke le, tu dekh kitne pyaare lag rahe hai tujhpe. Maine bhi apne wale soch liye." She pointed towards her choice.

As Naina finally agreed for it, she looked for Sameer. Preeti too turned to look back and she called Shubham, "Shubhamji. Aaiye na."

Naina too gave a call to Sameer when she spotted him. Both men approached their wives and joined them on either side. Sameer gave a hesitant smile to Naina. She showed him the pair of earrings and almost whispered, "Sameer, yeh takreeban Rs.3300 ke ho rahe hai, making charges mila ke. Hamare paas paise hai na?" She innocently asked.

Sameer closed his eyes and sighed. The exact thing had happened which he was afraid of. When he had opened his wallet, he found only Rs.2500. Which was pretty obvious as they had spent almost Rs.3000 on their clothes thanks to Divya Bharti and Madhuri Dixit, as those two suits had cost Rs.900 and Rs.1300 respectively. And he totally forgot that they are yet to purchase something as expensive as gold.

He bent down to Naina who was sitting on a stool and whispered in her left ear, "Naina, hamare paas sirf Rs.2500 bache bai." He felt ashamed while sharing this.

"Sirf itne hi bache hai? Kaise?" Naina was surprised to hear it.

"Woh suits thode expensive the Naina. Sorry. Maine dhyan nahi diya." He lowered his eyes and his voice contained guilt.

Naina stared at her husband's sad face but instead of getting mad at him for spending money like this, her brain quickly did some calculations. "Koi baat nahi. Matlab hum 4-5gm tak kuchh le sakte hai na."

She kept the earrings back on the velvet box and called the saleswoman again, who had gone to attend other people. "Thoda halke me dikhaiye na kuchh. Ya phir kuchh 22carat me dikhaiye. Ya phir hum coins hi lete hai na Sameer, sona hi toh lena hai." She suggested quick options to the lady and Sameer. Sameer was completely mortified seeing Naina compromising on her choice. He didn't utter any word and let her handle everything.

Listening to this, both Preeti and Shubham, who were busy in their own world, turned to Naina-Sameer. "Kya hua Naina? Yeh pasand toh aaye the tujhe? Dusre kyun dekh rahi hai." Preeti queried.

Naina stammered, "arey... nn..nahii... woh aisehi... Ab achchhe nahi lag rahe hai. Dusra dekhte hai na kuchh."

"Arey lekin abhi toh bol rahi thi yahi sabse achhhe hai." Preeti countered.

Naina was looking for answers to convince Preeti as she knew that even Preeti was aware she had selected those earrings after looking at tons of options.

Shubham frowned as Naina was making some lame excuses. He peered at Sameer who was looking down with his hands in his pockets and appeared embarrassed. He remembered Sameer's question to him, 'agar Preeti ne kuchh mehenga kharid liya toh'. So did this happen with them? Did Naina purchase something out of Sameer's budget? That could be possible as Sameer wasn't there with her while choosing the earrings.

"Sameer, paise kam pad rahe hai kya?" He gently asked.

Sameer looked upward at Shubham and then at Naina. And Shubham understood what it was. "Kitne kam pad rahe hai? Mai deta hun na. Yeh pasand aaya hai toh yahi lo." He suggested.

Preeti's brows furrowed and she gazed at her husband who blinked his eyes in assurance. She joined, "Haan Naina. Shubhamji de denge na paise. Dusra kuchh dekhne ki kya zaroorat hai? Jijaji, please."

Sameer's lips curved in a smile, "Thank you so much Shubhamji. Lekin iski zaroorat nahi hai. Hum coins hi dekh lete hai." Sameer refused it politely to which Naina also nodded.

Shubham and Preeti pursued Sameer and Naina to buy the same earrings stating that they can return the money after going back to home. Finally, Sameer and Naina agreed to the condition and the couples passed their respective earrings for billing. It billed for Rs.3400 for Naina's earrings out of which Sameer paid Rs.2600 and the rest Rs.800 were paid by Shubham.

*****

Rakesh was watching evening news on Doordarshan when the doorbell rang. He switched off the TV and opened the door to find the two couples in front of him, with lots of bags in their hands. He smiled, "arey. Aa gaye tum log. Aao. Aao Shubham." He welcomed Preeti-Shubham with a wide smile.

As they all stepped inside, Rakesh saw Sameer running to his bedroom. "Aap dono baithiye, mai chai banati hun." Naina said while hurriedly walking to the kitchen. Rakesh didn't understand what was happening but letting it go for now, he acquired his seat on the sofa chair, next to Preeti-Shubham.

Sameer entered the room and quickly opened the almirah. He opened a small cabinet and opened one more hidden cabin inside it with a key. Both Sameer-Naina would keep some spare money there in case of emergency. He dipped his hand and searched for something, but as he took out his hand, he found only a Five Hundred rupee note. Did they have only this much money left? He got a little panicked. He hunted at some more places where there was a chance of finding money, but he didn't find anything. He raked his hair and took a deep breath. He would now have to ask Papa for money.

He slowly walked to the living room and gently called, "Papa, idhar aaiye na 2 minute."

Rakesh was completely bewildered upon sensing a kind of seriousness in Naina and Sameer's moves since they had returned. He passed a smile to Shubham, as Preeti was in the kitchen with Naina, and left with Sameer to the bedroom.

"Papa, thode paise chahiye the. Shubhamji ko wapis karne hai." Sameer said in a low voice as they both entered the room.

"Wapis karne hai matlab? Kyun? Kya hua?" Rakesh frowned.

"Woh mai aapko baad me bataunga Papa. Pehle mujhe 300 rupaye dijiye aap." Sameer tried to pacify him.

"Teen sau rupaye? Itne kyun chahiye? Kal maine teen hazar diye the tumhe Sameer." Rakesh gritted his teeth.

Sameer got irked. "Papa, aap mujhe baad me daant lena. Abhi ke liye paise dijiye, mujhe Shubhamji ko dene hai."

"Mere paas abhi sirf 500 rupaye bache hai Sameer jo mai mahine ke akhri din tak chalane wala tha." Rakesh reasoned.

"Haan toh mai kal Bank jake wapas kar dunga na aapko. Jaldi kijiye thoda." Sameer's voice was low but he had been controlling his anger.

Rakesh left the room while mumbling something and walked to the cupboard to get his leather bag as Sameer followed him. He counted three Hundred rupee notes and handed them to Sameer secretly and sat on the sofa chair again to join Shubham.

All finished the tea after a while and Sameer returned the money borrowed from Shubham. After exchanging pleasantries, Preeti and Shubham left for their home.

Naina went to the kitchen to keep the tea-cups while Sameer shut the door and headed for the bedroom, when he heard a stern voice. "Ruko Sameer." Rakesh voiced.

Sameer halted near the television and Naina rushed from the kitchen to the living room with a sense of foreboding. "Kya tha yeh sab? Kis baat ke paise wapis kiye jaa rahe the?" Rakesh asked with his hands on his waist.

Sameer looked at Rakesh with fearful expressions, "woh... Jewellery shop me paise kam pad gaye the. Toh Shubhamji ne diye baki ke paise." He replied hesitantly.

"Kam pad gaye? Toh yeh itni saare kapdon ki bags kahan se aayi?" Rakesh pointed at the bags which were kept on the trunk.

Sameer got a little irked due to the questions, he said, "maine aur paise jod diye the Papa. Usi se liya yeh sab."

"Phir bhi kam pad gaye? Aur maine sirf ek dress laane ko kaha tha na." Rakesh raised his voice.

Naina tried to jump in, "Papa... aap Sameer ko mat boliye... woh na... mujhe hi ek se jyada suit pasand aa gaye the toh..."

"Tumhe uski vakil banne ki zaroorat nahi hai Naina." She was cut in between by her father. "Mujhe pata hai isi ne tumse kaha hoga itne kapde lene ko, hai na?" Rakesh chided.

Sameer looked at Naina as Rakesh continued, "abhi ghar me paise hai ki nahi? Ki udaa diye sab? Kyunki mere paas toh bhai bass 200 rupaye bache hai."

Sameer looked down, "kal Bank se laakar de dunga."

"Matlab? Mahine ki 20 tarikh ko hi paise khatm ho gaye? Itne paise kaha kharch kiye tum dono ne?" Rakesh frowned.

Sameer got literally irritated with the constant firing of questions. He was already loaded with guilt and now Rakesh's questions were making him feel like he had committed a crime.

"Ab aapko har paise ka hisaab dena padega kya?" Sameer countered.

"Haan dena padega Sameer jab tak tum paison ki keemat ko samajh nahi jaate." Rakesh firmly stated. "Tumhe paison ka mahattva samjhna hoga, nahi toh kaise rakhoge meri beti ko? Aise? Dusron se udhar lekar. Aur bhavishya ki koi vyavastha ki bhi hai ya nahi?"

"Papaa..." a soft voice came from near to Rakesh. Naina pleaded with her moist eyes, "please Papa. Use daantiye mat."

"Daantu nahi toh kya karu Naina. Yeh apni zimmedari kab samjhega? Tu bata, kaha kharch ho gaye itne paise? Aaj mujhe janna hi hai." Rakesh demanded.

Naina looked at Sameer who was avoiding the eye-contact even with her. "Papa... woh... hum dono bahar gaye the na kuchh din pehle, waha thode jyada kharch ho gaye." She reasoned.

"Kahan gaye the? Aur waha aisa kya kiya jo itne paise lag gaye?" Rakesh didn't stop his questions.

Naina cleared her throat, "Papa... hum... woh... Marine lines gaye the... toh... taxi se hi aana-jana hua, toh usme... jyada kharcha ho gaya... aur baki ke chhote-mote..."

"Taxi se?" She was cut again. Rakesh's eyes widened. "Tum log yaha se Marine lines tak Taxi se gaye? Itne door?" He didn't even want to calculate the amount that must have been spent on their to-and-fro taxi fare.

Naina looked down, scared of her father's wrath. Rakesh continued his rebuke, "yeh kaunsi ameeri hai bhai? Tum dono thoda bhi paise bachane ke baare me nahi soch sakte?" He closed his eyes and calmed a bit, "Dekho, mai tumse koi hisaab nahi maang raha. Lekin thodi toh zimmedari baratni chahiye na. Tum dono bus ya local se nahi ja sakte the?" He threw a question.

Both Sameer-Naina went silent and didn't answer. Not getting a response from them, Rakesh yelled, "tumse puchh raha hun mai Sameer. Aisi kya baat hai bhai jo laat-saab ko taxi chahiye rehti hai hamesha?"

"Mai darta hun Papa." Sameer almost screamed. "Mai darta hu ke Naina kahin phir se kho na jaayein uss bheed me. Uss din ki hui galti mai dohrana nahi chahta, kyunki agar aisa kuchh bhi hoga toh mai jee nahi paunga. Aur naa hi mai Naina ko iss bheed me le jana chahta hun jahan kisi ka koi wajood nahi hai."

Sameer was panting heavily. He glanced at Naina with watery eyes and left for the bedroom, leaving the father-daughter duo totally stunned. Both Rakesh and Naina couldn't believe that Sameer was still holding himself responsible for that mishap. Rakesh could remember his lifeless face when Naina had gone missing for a few hours. But he couldn't comprehend how scary it actually must have been for Sameer. Naina too on the other hand couldn't anticipate that that incident had left so much impact on Sameer. She had travelled alone after that day, she knew their complete address now and she was also used to the crowd. But as she recollected, she came to the fact that she and Sameer had never travelled together in a local after that day.

"Naina...." A calm and composed voice brought her back from her thoughts. She looked at her father, "jaao uske paas." Rakesh told her calmly.

Sameer had entered the room with a fuming rage in his mind. He wasn't angry on Rakesh Papa, he was angry on himself, he was disappointed with himself. He was disgusted with himself that he couldn't even be a good husband or a good son. He walked to the window and opened its slider with a hard push. He looked out and saw Preeti on her balcony collecting the dried clothes from a stand. And just the next moment, he saw Shubham too appearing there and they both were talking on something and laughing. Sameer kept staring at them. Shubham wasn't helping Preeti in collecting the clothes, but he was definitely making her smile and laugh. He didn't buy an expensive saree or a dress for Preeti but he had made their future secure with his savings and investments. Sameer cursed himself for judging Shubham some time before, just because he didn't puechase something liked by his wife. And in the outrage, he banged his left fist on the wall. But he immediately shrieked and covered his knuckles with another palm as he had hit really hard.

Naina was beside him the very next moment. She grabbed his hand and rubbed her tiny palm over it. She didn't say anything, rather she kept on stroking Sameer's arm with her right hand while holding his hit hand in her left one. As Sameer calmed down a little, Naina rested her temple on his shoulder till he became normal.

After some moments, Sameer took some deep breaths and spoke, "Mai fail ho gaya Naina. Phir se. Mai naa hi ek achchha pati bann pa raha hun, naa hi ek achchha b..." He didn't complete the word. He continued, "Shubhamji ko hi dekhlo. Unke saamne mai kuchh nahi hu Naina." He sighed.

Naina lifted her head and looked at Sameer. He was staring outside at something.

Since when did Sameer get this complex? And why is he comparing himself with others?

Naina was perplexed. She said gently, "Sameer tum fail nahi hue, aur naa kabhi hue the. Aur... tum khudko kisise compare kyun kar rahe ho? Har insaan ki apni ek alag pehchan hoti hai. Uska apna vyaktitva hota hai. Aur aisa bhi toh ho sakta hai na, ki tum mere liye kuchh aisa kar paa rahe ho, jo Jijaji Preeti ke liye nahi kar paa rahe hai. Hai na?" She raised her brows and locked her hands on his arms.

Sameer looked at her. He knew that she was trying to convey something to him, but since his mind was blocked by so many thoughts, he couldn't perceive it.

He raked his hair with a deep breath, "Naina, mai samajhta hun paise bachane chahiye, kharche kam karne chahiye. Lekin mai kar hi raha hun na. Pata hai car nahi hai, bike nahi hai. Toh bus se, local se ja hi raha hu na. Kabhi koi pair par chadh jata hai, kabhi koi dhakka marta hai, kabhi koi ajeeb sa insaan baju me aake baith jata hai, lekin sab kuchh seh toh raha hun na. Jaanta hun naye joote nahi kharid sakta, toh wahi purane jooton se kaam chala raha hun na. Thrill peene ka mann hota hai bahar jau toh, lekin ek chai se pyas bujha hi leta hun na. Mahine beet gaye honge Naina nayi ghadi nahi kharidi, naye jackets nahi kharide, lekin wahi shirts baar-baar pehenke auditions de hi raha hun na." And his voice cracked at the end.

Naina hadn't shifted her gaze even for a second while listening to this. She wasn't sure if she even blinked her eyes. Her heart was in pain and her eyes were brimmed with tears. She closed her eyes and let the tears fall down her cheeks. Turning Sameer towards her, she hugged him tight, resting her head on his chest.

Sameer exhaled through his mouth and slowly drew back from the hug. He caressed Naina's face, wiped her tears with his thumbs and muttered, "Naina, mai apne liye yeh sab koshish kar hi raha hu. Lekin jab tumhare upar paise kharch karne ki baat aati hai toh mai..." His voice turned heavy again.

He moved back and went to the table where the tape-recorder was kept. He shuffled through some cassettes, picked one from them, checked the songs listed on its cover and inserted the Side B into the player.

He pressed the play button and they heard their favourite Kumar Sanu's voice.

Yeh jo thode se hain paise, kharch tumpar karu kaise?

Yeh jo thode se hain paise, kharch tumpar karu kaise?

Naina laughed amidst her tears and so did Sameer. She raised her hand and wiped the tears at the corners of Sameer's eyes.

Sameer pulled her to him by holding her waist and looked outside to show her the crescent moon.

The song continued after the tune.

Agar kahin ek dukaan hoti, jaha pe milte gagan ke taare,

Mai saare taare kharid leta, tumhare aanchal me taank deta,

Magar kya karu mai, ki yeh jaanta hun,

Taare milte nahi aise... taare milte nahi aise...

Yeh jo thode se hai paise, kharch tumpar karu kaise....

A warm smile crept on Naina's lips. She wanted to tell him that she was happy and didn't want anything else apart from him and his love. So she stepped back from Sameer's arms, quickly opened the almirah and came with a red walkman in her hand. She too shuffled the numerous cassettes on the table and finally found one that she wanted. Sameer was watching her enthusiastically, but still a little upset. Naina inserted the cassette in the player and the female version of the song played.

Tu mile, dil khile, aur jeene ko kya chahiye

Tu mile, dil khile, aur jeene ko kya chahiye

Naina pulled Sameer in the centre, grabbed his hands and placed them on her waist and she locked hers behind his neck.

Naa ho tu udaas, tere paas paas, mai rahungi zindagi bhar,

Saare sansaar ka pyaar maine tujhime paaya,

Tu mile, dil khile aur jeene ko kya chahiye...

Sameer gazed into her deep eyes and found unconditional love. He knew she was so content with him, but what about all those dreams he had watched for her. How would he fulfill those? He had nothing right now with him. He stopped her song, searched for a film in the stack of cassettes on the table and inserted one in the tape-recorder.

He shrugged looking at Naina as they heard the song.

Tujhse naaraz nahi zindagi, hairan hu mai

Hooo hairan hu mai...

Tere maasoom sawalon se pareshan hu mai...

Ho pareshan hu mai...

Naina put her hands on her waist. Why did she have such a stubborn husband? Here, she's trying to tell him that she does not dream of materialistic happiness, and here he's coming with another sad song. She wanted to convey that she's there with him in every step of their journey.

She pressed the stop button of the tape-recorder immediately. Again searched for some cassettes and she got it instantly. It was one of both their favorites. After checking for the side on the cassette cover, she inserted the cassette in her walkman and played it. Some other song started playing and Sameer pursed his lips. Naina gave him a stare and rewinded the cassette. Now it should be okay, she thought.

And yes, a song played from the middle.

Phir nahi tutega, hum pe koi tufaan...

Sajnaa... dekhna...

Har tufaan ka mai karungi saamna...

Bass ek zara, sath ho tera...

Tere toh hai hum... kabse sanam...

Naina wrapped her arms around Sameer's waist and started swaying gradually with the lyrics and the rhythm of the song.

Akele hai... toh kya gham hai...

Chahe toh hamare bass me kya nahi...

Bass ek zara... sath ho tera...

Sameer smiled seeing her efforts to make him smile. He knew his dear wife could go to any extent to fight for him, or face the hurdles coming their way. But now, he was liking this attention and all her cute attempts with those songs.

He turned back and stopped the song. Took a cassette he had already kept in his mind, and inserted the A side into the tape-recorder. He gave Naina a lopsided smile as the 'ruthna-manana' was now turning into a game.

He made a small face again as the song played.

Chhoti si duniya mohabbat ki hai, mere paas,

Aur toh... kuchh nahi hai...

Chhoti si duniya mohabbat ki hai, mere paas

Aur toh... kuchh nahi hai...

Lekin ye daawa hai mera, chahat ka aisa basera, saare jahaan me nahi hai...

Khushiyon ki daulat yahi hai...

Naina rolled her eyes and sighed. She felt the need to cheer Sameer up. This time she ran to the living room and came back with a cassette, which she knew was kept near the transistor. She had forwarded some of the songs on her way back itself and played it while keeping the walkman on the table.

She posed and opened her mouth to sing along with the song, but again an unexpected song played. Sameer almost sniggered.

Naina grabbed the walkman and pressed the forward button again, "jyada na daant dikhane ki zaroorat nahi hai. Tumhare gaane kaise barabar bajte hai?" She admonished with her furrowed brows.

Sameer chuckled. Finally, Naina assumed the track to be correct now. And it was. She grabbed Sameer's both hands and started dancing a little.

Tu mere saath saath aasman ke aage chal,

Tujhe pukarta hai tera aanewala kal...

She clutched Sameer's hand in hers and tried to twirl him while rotating her hand over his head. He laughed as her tiny figure was unable to move his tall figure.

Nayi hai manzilen, naye hai raaste,

Naya naya safar, hai tere waste...

Nayi nayi hai zindagi...

Sameer laughed wholeheartedly. His wife was finally successful in turning his upset mood into a cheerful one. He didn't stop the song, rather, he switched their positions, grabbed her hand in his, and twirled her around him. Naina acceded to him and tried to sing the next stanza with the song.

Husn hai, sham hai,

Uthha le jaam tu khushi ka...

Waqt hai yeh tera,

Mana le jashn zindagi ka...

Yeh sham aaj ki,

Tere hi naam hai...

Tera naseeb bhi, tera ghulam hai...

Kya yeh haseen mukaam hai...

Sameer paused a little. He had his one arm wrapped around Naina's waist and his one hand holding Naina's hand. He left the one holding Naina's hand, dragged it to her lower back and locked it with the other one and pulled her towards him with a jerk. Naina's eyes widened and she kept both her hands on his shoulders for leverage. Sameer dipped his head aiming her lips and Naina closed her eyes in anticipation. But instead, he placed a soft kiss on her forehead and Naina's lips curved in a smile.

"I love you", he whispered and engulfed her in his arms.

"I love you too." She whispered back and snuggled into his chest.

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

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