A Few Days Later...

Abhi & Cabir came downstairs to see Raj, Rohit and their grandparents Harshvardhan & Kavita sitting at the breakfast table with Nyonika and Jhanvi hovering beside them, anxiously looking towards the kitchen.

"Um...Mom, Badima...kya hua? Aap sab aise kyun baite hai?" Abhi asked Jhanvi.

"Aur nashte mein kya hai?" Cabir got straight to business.

"Beta woh toh....Mukti se puchna parega. Aaj nashta woh banna rahi hai." Jhanvi infromed them.

"Kya!" Abhi asked shocked. "Mom...aapko paata hai na kya hota hai jab Mukti kitchen mein jaati hai toh? Pichli baar literally aag lag gayi thi, we had to replace the stove."

"Haan, par Mukti ka bohot mann tha aur woh Naina se seekh rahi thi aur maine cafe mein usse thodi thodi kitchen mein madat karne di toh Im sure iss baar sab thik hoga." Jhanvi replied.

"OH NO!" Everyone turned to the kitchen when they heard Mukti yell out loud.

"Dekha? Paata tha mujhe ke kuch na kuch hoga." Abhi whispered to his brother as he followed Jhanvi & Nyonika to the kitchen. There they saw a sobbing Mukti with a burnt breakfast  infront of her.

"Mukti...beta kya hua?" Nyonika consoled Mukti.

Abhi's Look

Mukti's Look

"Phirse gadbadh hua aur kya." Abhi spoke up. "Main kaha tha na Badima, Mukti ko kitchen ke paas aane dena hi galat tha."

"Badima! Mom! Dekhiye na isse!" Mukti complained through her tears.

"Abhi! Rula kyun raha hai isse? At least Mukti koshish toh kar rahi hai na....tu toh woh bhi nahi karta!" Jhanvi scolded her son. 

"Ok..Ok...sorry." Abhi held his hands up in surrender.

"Mukti...ignore kar isse. Aur tu roh mat." Nyonika wiped her tears.

"Par...par...main...itni mehnat se banaya tha sab kuch. Phir bhi gadbadh ho gaya!"

"Koi baat nahi beta....phir kabhi koshish kar lena." Jhanvi said. "Aaj bhabhi aur main nashta banna dete hai jaldi se."

Seeing, Mukti still crying Abhi went over to her and hugged her with one arm. "Baby ab shant ho jao na? Humme Amma Appa ki yahan jana hai, Nandu wapas aa rahi hai na aaj?"

"What, Nandini aaj wapas aa rahi hai?" Cabir asked. "Kisi ne bataya kyun nahi?"

"Haan." Mukti sniffled. "Meri kal hi baat hui thi...ab tak toh uski flight land bhi ho chukki hogi. Woh ghar pe milegi humme."

"Aur btw maine bhi tujhe kal hi bataya tha ki Nandini aaj aa rahi hai." Abhi told him.

"Oh...oops."

"Acha, ab teeno kitchen se bahar jao...Jhanvi aur main jaldi se nashta banna dete hai." Nyonika shooed them off. "Ek minute...Manik kahan hai?"

"Badima, woh toh subha subha nikal gayi meeting ke liye." Cabir infromed her.

"Yeh ladka bhi na...bina nashta kiya hi nikal gaya." Nyonika shook her head in worry.

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

Meanwhile, Nandini came out of the airport and took a deep breath, just soaking in the Mumbai air. "Oh, its so good to be home!" 

She looked around for a bit and then hailed a taxi. After loading her luggage, she was about to sit when she noticed an elderly man trying to hail a taxi but noone was stopping.

"Bhaiyya." Nandini turned to the taxi driver. "Aap do minute rukhiya main bas abhi aayi...haan aur mera saara samman hai agar aap mere bina chale gaye na toh main dhunde ke aapki dhulayi karungi!"

The taxi driver was visibly scared and just nodded. Nandini then went over to the elderly man. 

"Excuse me....Kaka?" Nandini smiled. "Aapko kahan tak jaana hai?"

"Woh...bas Bandra tak." The man answered.

"Oh...yeh toh raaste mein hi hai." Nandini replied. "Aap mere saath mere taxi mein chaliye."

"Arre nahi nahi betiya, hum kisiko takleef nahi dena chahte."

"Koi takleef nahi hogi Kaka...Bandra mere gharke raaste mein hi hai. Aapko wahan chod denge...vaise bhi aap kab tak intezaar karenge, woh bhi-" Nandini looked down and saw the elderly man had a cake in his hand that had a hen.

"Yeh Sheila hai, meri beti hi samajh lo." The man cheerfully explained.

"Haan toh aap aur Sheila kab tak yun dhoop mein intezaar karenge? Chaliye mere saath." Nandini instisted and pulled the man to her cab. "Vaise mera naam Nandini hai."

"Humara naam Kishore hai." The man, Kishore replied. Once they were both seated, the taxi driver started. After a bit, the car had to stop because of a massive traffic jam.

"Kitna traffic hai...bhaiyya kab tak clear hoga?" Nandini asked.

"Paata nahi ma'am." The taxi driver replied.

"Bechari sheila ko ghutan hoti hia aise band jagon mein...main iss thodi taazi hawa khilata hoon." Kishore said.

"Arre, nahi...sir aap pl-" As the taxi driver started to object, Kishore opened teh cage and the hen took that oppotunity to flap its wings, fly out of the window and land on the bonnet of another car near by.

"Hai Ram...Sheila!"

"Uh....Kaka, aap rehne dijiye. Main Sheila ko leke aati hoon." Nandini offered. She got out of the taxi and slowly went toeards sheila to catch her but at tht moment, she flew to another car. this happened a few times until Nandini was a few feet away from the taxi. Unknownly, the next car Sheila landed on was Manik's. He was on his way to an important meeting when he got stuck in this traffic. Manik sat in th back seat while his driver, Hemant was...well diving. As the hend landed on the car bonnet, Hemant was surprised and called out to Mnaik who had not noticed yet.

"Sir...sir."

"Hmmm." Manik said.

"Bonnet ke upar murgha bait gaya." Hemant told him.

"What?" Manik moved to the side and then saw. 

"Haan woh- nahi nahi actually shayad murghi hai."

"Hemant, I really dont care what the gender is....lekin yeh murghi aaya kaha se?"

"Paata nahi sir. Oh!" The hen at that moment flew onto the top of the car, out of Manik's view. "Ab gadi ke upar chala gaya."

"Thank you for that information Hemant, mere paas toh aankhen hai hi nahi....mujhe paata hi nahi tha!" Manik replied sarcastically.

Bang!

Both Hemant & Manik were startled by the loud noise and looked to the bonnet again this time seeing a girl standing ontop.

"What the...who the hell is this crazy girl?"

The crazy girl was of course Nandini who while trying catch sheila just jumped onto the bonnet of the car and started climbing onto the hood. Manik got out of the car and looked at Nandini who was not ontop of Manik's car and had finally succeeded in catching Sheila.

"YES! I got you!"

"HEY!" Manik yelled. 

"AAH!" Nandini got startled and lost her footing, causing her to not only let go of the hen but also fall backwards.....right into Manik's arms.

(Ignore expressions. Nandini has her eyes closed in fear and Manik was not happy at all.)

"What the hell?" Manik said. Nandini opened her eyes and looked at Sheila who was now a few cars away again.

"Arre yaar! Aapki vajah se nikal gayi. Chodiye mujhe!" Nandini got off Manik's arms and went to follow. Manik blocked her way with his arm.

"Yeh tumhari murghi hai?" Manik asked.

"Nahi...Kishore Kaka hai hai." 

"Who the hell is Kishore Kaka?" 

"Aap jaan ke kya kar lenge? Aapki koi single Maasi ya Bua hai, inke saath rishta karwana hai?" Nandini asked. "Nahi na? Phir?"

Nandini rolled her eyes and once again went to go after the hen. "Sheila!!"

Of course, Nandini's attitude irked Manik and he was just furious. Roughly, Manik pulled Nandini back and pinned her against his car. "Look...Ms...Sheila."

"Oh hello! Bewakoof hai kya aap?" Nandini yelled at Manik.

"Excuse me?"

Nandini's Look

Manik's Look

"Be...Wa...Koof...like seriously main kya khud ea naam chillata phirunga beech raaste mein? Yeh murghi ka naam hai!"

"What? Murghi ka naam....Sheila?" Manik found that very strange.

"Haan toh? Kisi rule book pe likha hai kya ke murghi ka naam Sheila nahi ho sakta? Likha hai toh dikhaye!" Nandini held out her hand then saw Sheila had again gotten farther away. "Arre yaar! Aapki vajah se dekho kitna door nikal gayi. Maine promise kiya tha ke main Sheila ko vapa le aungi! Haatiye!"

Manik didnt move and instead had Nandini blocked between his arms. "First off all, yeh yaar bulana band karo. Main tumhara koi yaar vyaar nahi hoon!"

"Obviously." Nandini scoffed, not intimitated by him even one bit. "Aapke jaise yaar chahiye bhi kisko hai?"

"What?" Manik got offended. Taking that moment, Nandini quickly took a roll of scotch tape out of her bag, ripped a piece and slammed it over Manik's mouth startling him. "MMNNMN! MN!"

"Sorry mr....jo bhi naam hai aapka. Par mere paas na aapke saath time pass karne ka time bilkul nahi hai." As she talked, Nandini grabbed Manik's armd and started wrapping the tape around his wrists. At first, he was too stunned to realize what she was doing and when he did....he couldnt budge because of how tight she had him taped. Hearing all the commotion, Hemant got out of the car and saw what Nandini.

"HEY! Kya kar rahi ho tum!" Hemant shouted. Before, he could walk around the car to the side she was on, Nandini started running away.

"Oops...gotta run. Buh bye!" Nandini waved and ran after Sheila. Hemant got to Manik and untaped him.

"Sir...main piche karun ladki ka?" Hemant asked.

"No...we're already late for the meeting as it is. Gadi piche lo aur short cut se chalo." Manik said.

"But sir...woh ladki-"

"BHAAD MEIN GAYI LADKI!" Manik shouted. "Did you not hear what I said? Gadi piche lo! ABHI!"

"Y..Y..Y...Yes S..S..Sir.." Hemant nodded and ran to the drivers seat while Manik sat back down.

"God....what kind of girl is she? I hope I never have to see her again!" 

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Note: I know losts of you couldnt wait until Manik & Nandini had their first meeting so here it is! How did you like it?